# US 7,406,958 B2 · Snow remover > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 7,406,958 B2 - Document ID: US7406958B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 11/488,292 - Filed: 2006-07-18 - Published: 2007-02-01 - Granted: 2008-08-05 - Earliest claimed: 2005-07-29 - Assignees: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Fumiyoshi Kanbara; Nobuyuki Hirose - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7406958B2 ## CPC - F01P 11/12: Filtering, cooling, or silencing cooling-air - F02M 31/042: {Combustion air} - F02M 35/06: combined or associated with engine's cooling blower or fan, or with flywheel - F01P 1/02: Arrangements for cooling cylinders or cylinder heads, e.g. ducting cooling-air from its pressure source to cylinders or along cylinders - F01P 5/06: Guiding or ducting air to, or from, ducted fans - F01P 2050/00: Applications - F02B 63/02: for hand-held tools - Y02T 10/12: Improving ICE efficiencies - F01P: COOLING OF MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; COOLING OF INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES (arrangements in connection with cooling of propulsion units in vehicles B60K11/00; heat-transfer, heat-exchange or heat-storage materials C09K5/00; {cooling of gas-turbine engines F02C7/12}; heat exchange in general, radiators F28) - F02M: SUPPLYING COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL WITH COMBUSTIBLE MIXTURES OR CONSTITUENTS THEREOF - F02B: INTERNAL-COMBUSTION PISTON ENGINES; COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL (gas-turbine plants F02C; hot-gas or combustion-product positive-displacement engine plants F02G) - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract The snow remover has a cooling fan for directing cooling air to an engine, and an air cleaner. The air cleaner has an air intake for drawing in outside air. The cooling fan and the air intake of the air cleaner is housed within the engine cover. Cooling air is changed to warm air by the cooling of the engine body, and this warm air is guided towards the air intake of the air cleaner by a guide duct. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A snow remover comprising: an engine body mounted on a machine body; a cooling fan provided at one side of the engine body and that cools the engine body by guiding cooling air directed from the cooling fan from the one side of the engine body over an upper side thereof to the other side of the engine body; an air cleaner having an air intake that draws in outside air and that is provided on the engine body; an engine cover that houses the air intake and protects the engine body; and a guide duct extending inside the engine cover from the upper side to a lower side of the engine body and that directs air guided to the other side of the engine body, and changed from cooling air to warm air, downward to a lower end of the guide duct and that discharges the warm air towards the air intake from a discharge vent provided at the lower end of the guide duct. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A snow remover according to claim 1; wherein the discharge vent is disposed facing the outside of the engine cover in order to discharge the warm air to the outside of the engine cover; and an inlet vent is provided in the engine cover at a location to guide the warm air discharged from the discharge vent to the outside back into the engine to be drawn in through the air intake along with outside air. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) A snow remover according to claim 2; wherein the guide duct is formed so as to discharge the warm air from the discharge vent towards the inlet vent; and the inlet vent is disposed below the air intake so as to face the air intake. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) A snow remover according to claim 1; wherein the guide duct is constituted by the engine cover. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) A snow remover according to claim 1; wherein a space-dividing partition wall is provided between a space on the side of the guide duct and a space on the side of the air intake. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) A snow remover according to claim 1; wherein the guide duct is disposed at a front section of the engine cover and curves downwardly and rearwardly to direct the warm air discharged from the discharge vent towards the air intake. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) A snow remover according to claim 6; wherein the engine cover has a bottom plate at a lower side of the engine body, the discharge vent being provided in the bottom plate. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) A snow remover according to claim 7; wherein the bottom plate is provided with an inlet vent located rearward of the discharge vent and facing the air intake. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) A snow remover according to claim 8; wherein the discharge vent and the inlet vent comprise openings in the bottom plate that open to the outside of the engine cover. ### Claim 10 A snow remover comprising: an engine; an air cleaner provided on the engine and having an air intake vent that faces downward for drawing in air; an engine cover that covers and houses the engine and the air intake vent, the engine cover having a bottom that has a discharge vent and an inlet vent both opening to outside the engine cover; a cooling fan that circulates cooling air drawn in from outside the engine cover at one side of the engine upwardly over the engine to the other side thereof opposite the one side to thereby cool the engine and warm the cooling air to warm air; and a guide duct disposed inside the engine cover and that guides the warm air from the other side of the engine downwardly through the discharge vent in a direction toward the inlet vent so that the discharged warm air re-enters the engine cover together with outside air through the inlet vent and is drawn into the air intake vent of the air cleaner. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) A snow remover according to claim 10; wherein the inlet vent is formed in the bottom of the engine cover directly below the air intake vent of the air cleaner. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) A snow remover according to claim 10, wherein the inlet vent in the bottom of the engine cover faces the air intake vent of the air cleaner. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) A snow remover according to claim 10; further including a partition wall disposed inside the engine cover between the discharge vent and the inlet vent to prevent warm air that is guided downwardly by the guide duct from flowing inside the engine cover to the air intake vent. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) A snow remover according to claim 10; wherein the guide duct curves downwardly toward the inlet vent. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) A snow remover according to claim 14; wherein the guide duct is constituted by the engine cover. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) A snow remover according to claim 10; wherein the guide duct is constituted by the engine cover. ### Claim 17 (depends on 10) A snow remover according to claim 10; wherein the engine cover comprises an upper cover, and a lower cover connected to the upper cover and constituting the bottom of the engine cover. ### Claim 18 (depends on 10) A snow remover according to claim 10; wherein the one side of the engine is the rear side of the engine and the other side of the engine is the front side of the engine. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) A snow remover according to claim 18; wherein the inlet vent is located rearward of the discharge vent. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) A snow remover according to claim 18; wherein the guide duct curves downwardly and rearwardly so that warm air discharged through the discharge vent is directed toward the inlet vent.