Conveying assembly for snowmaking apparatus

{
  "publication_number": "US11092373B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Conveying assembly for snowmaking apparatus",
  "abstract": "A snow conveying assembly for use with a snow making machine includes an impeller for receiving snow from the snow making machine and accelerating the snow; and an ejector tube, which receives the snow from the impeller, further accelerates the snow and discharges the snow from the assembly. The ejector tube contains a venturi throat. Snow from the impeller is conveyed via a snow inlet tube into the ejector tube immediately upstream of a venturi throat and air under pressure is blown into the ejector tube upstream of the venturi throat to further accelerate the snow.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A snow conveying assembly for use with a snow making machine comprising: an impeller for receiving snow from the snow making machine and for accelerating the snow; an ejector tube having an inlet end for receiving snow from said impeller, a venturi throat in said tube downstream of said inlet end in the direction of snow travel through the ejector tube, and an outlet end for discharging snow from the conveying assembly; a snow inlet tube extending into the ejector tube for introducing snow from said impeller into said ejector tube immediately upstream of said venturi throat in the direction of snow travel through the ejector tube; an air inlet in the inlet end of said ejector tube upstream of said venturi throat; and a fan for introducing air under pressure through said air inlet into said inlet end of the ejector tube; said snow inlet tube having a discharge end spaced apart from the venturi throat, creating a small gap between said discharge end and the venturi throat, whereby, when the air under pressure passes through said gap and then through said venturi throat, the resulting snow and air mixture is accelerated out of said outlet end of the ejector tube, and wherein said impeller includes: a tray having a cylindrical side wall, an open top end for receiving the snow from the snow making machine, and a closed circular bottom end; a rotatable transmission shaft extending through the center of said closed bottom end, wherein the transmission is in the form of a 90° gearbox connected to a motor; a plurality of blades connected to said shaft and extending radially outwardly therefrom to locations proximate and spaced apart from said cylindrical side wall for regrinding the snow; and a snow outlet tube extending tangentially from said side wall to an inlet end of said snow inlet tube for accelerating the snow out of the conveying assembly.",
    "2. The snow conveying assembly of claim 1, wherein the gap between the discharge end of the snow inlet tube and the venturi throat is adjustable.",
    "3. The snow conveying assembly of claim 1, wherein the outlet end of said ejector tube is cylindrical for insertion into one end of a hose.",
    "4. The snow conveying assembly of claim 1, including a plurality of impellers for receiving snow from snow making machines, each impeller having an outlet tube for carrying snow to said snow inlet tube."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "This invention relates to a conveying assembly for use in an apparatus for producing artificial snow.\n\nThe most common snowmaking apparatuses in use today include a compressed air type and a fan type. In a compressed air apparatus, air and water are supplied to snow guns for atomizing, projecting and conveying of an air/water mixture. The fan type apparatus includes a large tubular casing containing a fan for producing a large volume of air. Water is atomized hydraulically and injected into the airstream produced by the fan. Direct nucleation is required with this type of apparatus. A problem with compressed air and fan type apparatuses is that they can produce snow only at temperatures from below to slightly above 0° C.\n\nRelatively recently, flake ice machines have been used to make snow. Such flake ice machines are available from North Star, Seattle Wash., USA, Howe Corporation, Chicago, Ill., USA and GEA, France. Flake ice machines have the advantage that they can produce snow at temperatures up to approximately 25° C. However, flake ice type apparatuses for making and depositing snow on a ski area are relatively large including many components, namely the usual compressors, condensers and evaporators for making the snow, and pneumatic conveyors using powerful blowers for depositing the snow on the ski area. The apparatuses are formed of modules which are expensive to transport and assemble on site at great expense. In fact, a crane is required to assemble such flake ice type apparatuses.",
  "cpc": [
    "F25C 3/04",
    "B05B 7/1404",
    "B65G 2201/04",
    "B65G 53/14",
    "B65G 53/16",
    "B65G 53/42",
    "B65G 53/4625",
    "B65G 53/52",
    "F25C 2303/046"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "B05B 7/14",
    "B65G 53/14",
    "B65G 53/16",
    "B65G 53/42",
    "B65G 53/46",
    "B65G 53/52",
    "F25C 3/04"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Industries Snoeflake Inc"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Louis Handfield"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2017-03-07",
  "publication_date": "2021-08-17",
  "grant_date": "2021-08-17",
  "priority_date": "2010-10-04",
  "application_number": "US-201716082516-A",
  "family_id": "65630841",
  "cited_by_count": 3,
  "citations": [
    "US1751343A",
    "US2545829A",
    "US3945567A",
    "JPS5596400A",
    "GB2042641A",
    "US4597524A",
    "CA1243851A",
    "US5230218A",
    "GB2248921A",
    "JPH05302307A",
    "JPH10160310A",
    "US6334327B1",
    "JP3074425U",
    "US20040144852A1",
    "JP2003322443A"
  ]
}