Single stage snowthrower impeller
AssigneeThe Toro Company
InventorsRandall A. Beihoffer, Floyd D. Niskanen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A snowthrower (20) including an improved impeller (50) which has an "open center" configuration and which is substantially made from a single piece of plastic. Impeller (50) includes a pair of curved blades (60) which are supported, braced and stiffened by a plurality of "spiders" (62, 64, 66, 68, 72, 74, 76 and 78) which form recesses for receiving a shaft (42) which spans between the side walls (36) of the snowthrower housing (22). Curved blades (60) of impeller (50) extend transversely between a pair of somewhat circular plates (52, 54). Plates (52, 54) preferably include teeth (54b, 54c, 52b, 52c) which help to break up snow and ice and assist in propelling snowthrower (20).
Claims12
An impeller for a single stage snowthrower of the type having a housing, a through shaft mounted in the housing and a prime mover, the impeller being mountable on the through shaft within the housing and comprising:
- (a) a pair of end plates, at least one of the end plates being operatively coupled to the prime mover;
- (b) a pair of circumferentially spaced curved blades extending laterally between the end plates, each blade having a front face and a rear face, wherein each blade comprises:
- (i) a central snowthrowing section curved forwardly from a mid plane to each side thereof to be concave;
- and
- (ii) a pair of curved auger sections smoothly connected to the sides of the central section and adjacent to the end plates;
- and
- (c) a plurality of thin, elongate spiders extending radially between the blades, wherein:
- (i) the impeller forms a substantially open center and is made from a single piece of plastic;
- (ii) connected to the end of each spider is a brace;
- (iii) the braces contact the blade rear faces and the blade front faces are not obstructed by the spiders or by the braces;
- and
- (iv) the spiders being formed with recesses for receiving the snowthrower through shaft.
A single stage snowthrower of the type having a housing, through shaft mounted in the housing and a prime mover, and a rotatable impeller mounted on the through shaft within the housing, the impeller comprising:
- (a) a pair of end plates, at least one of the end plates being operatively coupled to the prime mover;
- (b) a pail of circumferentially spaced curved blades extending laterally between the end plates, each blade having a front face and a rear face, wherein each blade comprises:
- (i) a central snowthrowing section curved forwardly from a mid plane to each side thereof to be concave;
- and
- (ii) a pair of curved auger sections smoothly connected to the sides of the central section and adjacent to the end plates;
- and
- (c) a plurality of thin, elongate spiders extending radially between the blades, wherein;
- (i) the impeller forms a substantially open center and is made from a single piece of plastic;
- (ii) connected to the end of each spider is a brace;
- (iii) the braces contact the blade rear faces and the blade front faces are not obstructed by the spiders or by the braces;
- and
- (iv) the spiders being formed with recesses for receiving the snowthrower through shaft.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.