Single stage snowthrower

An improved single stage snowthrower of the type having a housing that includes a generally open front portion defined by spaced side walls connected together by a rear wall;

• a rotatable snowthrowing impeller extending between the side walls and located in front of the rear wall;
• and engine means carried by the housing for rotating the impeller;
• and wherein the improvement comprises:
• an impeller including:
• (a) at least one outwardly extending paddle for picking up and throwing snow, wherein the paddle is made from flexible material and comprises:
• (i) a central snowthrowing section which extends over at least the middle one-half of the entire paddle's length, wherein the central section is curved forwardly from the midpoint to each side thereof to be generally concave;
• and
• (ii) two end sections located on each side of the central section which fill out the remaining length of the paddle, wherein each end section comprises a portion of a helical auger for feeding snow inwardly onto the central section;
• (b) a substantially horizontal drive shaft rotatably journalled in the side walls of the front portion of the housing;
• and
• (c) means for securing the paddle to the drive shaft such that the various sections thereof are bent into and maintained in the corresponding shapes thereof, wherein the securing means comprises:
• (i) a first means for connecting the central section to the drive shaft such that the central section has a closed, planer face between the drive shaft and a distal end thereof;
• and
• (ii) a second means for connecting the end sections to the drive shaft such that the end sections include a gap between the drive shaft and distal ends thereof.

An improved single stage sbowthrower, which comprises:

• (a) a housing which includes a generally open front portion defined by spaced side walls connected together by a rear wall;
• (b) a rotatable snowthrowing impeller extending between the side walls and located in front of the rear wall and having a predetermined length between the side walls, wherein the impeller includes at least one outwardly extending paddle for picking up and throwing snow, and wherein the paddle includes a snowthrowing section which extends over at least approximately one-half of the entire impeller's predetermined length, wherein the snowthrowing section is curved forwardly from the midpoint to each side thereof to be generally concave in the direction of rotation of the impeller;
• and
• (c) a snow collecting chamber located on the rear wall of the housing, wherein the chamber tapers inwardly from side-to-side as it rises, and wherein the chamber at its lower end is sufficiently wide to span at least approximately fifty percent, but less than one hundred percent, of the entire impeller's predetermined length.

An improved single stage snowthrower, which comprises:

• (a) a housing which is movable over the ground;
• (b) rotatable impeller means carried on the housing for throwing snow upwardly relative to the housing, wherein the impeller means includes means for throwing a snow stream which tapers inwardly as it rises away therefrom, wherein the throwing means comprises a paddle portion which extends generally radially relative to the impeller means and extends over at least approximately one-half of the impeller means' total length;
• and
• (c) means on the housing for defining a generally upwardly extending discharge path for the snow stream which path has upper and lower ends, wherein the lower end of the discharge path comprises a generally open faced trough located proximate to and in back of the snow stream as the snow stream is thrown from the impeller, and wherein the trough is tapered inwardly from side-to-side to conform generally in size and shape to the inwardly tapered snow stream as it leaves the impeller means.

An improved single stage snowthrower, which comprising:

• (a) a movable housing having spaced side walls:
• (b) a rotatable snowthrowing impeller carried on the housing and having a predetermined length between the side walls, wherein the impeller has at least one outwardly extending paddle for picking up and throwing snow upwardly relative to the housing, wherein the paddle has a wide snowthrowing section which extends over at least approximately one-half of the entire impeller's predetermined length, and wherein the snowthrowing section is curved forwardly from the midpoint to each side thereof to be generally concave in the direction of rotation of the impeller, whereby snow is thrown in a stream from the snowthrowing section of the paddle;
• and
• (c) means on the housing for defining a generally upwardly extending discharge path for the snow stream which path has upper and lower ends, wherein the lower end of the discharge path comprises a trough located proximate to and in back of the snow stream as the snow stream is thrown from the paddle, and wherein the trough is wide at its bottom to receive snow from the wide snowthrowing section of the paddle and is tapered inwardly from side-to-side as it progresses from the bottom toward the top thereof to help concentrate the width of the snow stream as the snow stream rises from the paddle.

An improved single stage snowthrower, which comprises:

• (a) a housing having a front portion which engages the snow and which includes a rear wall and spaced side walls, wherein the rear wall comprises an arcuate lower portion and an upper portion that extends upwardly relative to the lower portion;
• (b) a rotatable impeller located on the housing in front of the rear wall thereof and having a predetermined length between the side walls wherein the rotation of the impeller describes a cylinder that is bounded along the rear thereof by the arcuate lower portion of the rear wall and by at least a lower section of the upper portion of the rear wall. wherein the impeller includes an outwardly extending paddle having a curved central snowthrowing section for throwing upwardly away therefrom at approximately the juncture between the lower and upper portions of the rear wall a snow stream which has a width as it departs the snowthrowing section of at least approximately one-half the impeller's predetemined length and in which axially outermost portions of the snow stream have a component of motion that is directed axially inwardly;
• and
• (c) upwardly extending collecting means located on at least the lower section of the upper portion of the rear wall for receiving the snow stream from the impeller and for conducting that snow stream vertically upwardly, wherein the collecting means includes a trough means which tapers inwardly from side-to-side as it rises, and wherein the trough means at its lower end has a width which is at least approximately one-half the impeller's predetermined length.