Blower nozzle with variable velocity output

• US 7,419,106 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2002
• Issued: 09/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mtd Products Incorporated (Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Commercial Turf Products Ltd (Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.)
• Inventors: Eavenson, Jimmy N. Sr., Saha, Amit, Kocka, William
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Len
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOGAN, JAMES SEAN
• Application Number:
  US10/046,379
• Publication Number:
  US 20030127546A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,427 Days
• Field of Search: 239/77, 239/78, 239/513, 239/600, 239/601, 239/587.1, 239/546, 239/461, 153/28, 153/30, 153/38, 154/05, 154/18, 153/61, 154/14, 138/177
• US Class Current: 239/461
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 20/47 Vacuum or blower devices
• CPC Class Codes: E01H 1/0809 Loosening or dislodging by blowing combined with suction E01H1/0863; with steam E01H1/10; removing snow by blowing E01H5/106; cleaning rails by blowing E01H8/105, E01H8/125; removing fog by blowing E01H13/00; cleaning joints in road construction by blowing E01C23/0906; Drying by means of gas streams by heat only E01H1/08; combined with snow or ice melting E01H5/10, E01H5/106, E01H5/108

Abstract

A nozzle for use with a walk-behind blower includes a nozzle restriction due to a sloped upper wall of the nozzle body. The nozzle restriction increases the air velocity in the upper region of the nozzle and forces leaves and debris downward so that airflow through the lower region of the nozzle more effectively laterally displaces them. The configuration of the nozzle body may be adapted to accommodate a variety of engine outputs while utilizing a common design for a blower frame, impeller and shroud.

Claims

1. A nozzle mounted on the discharge chute of a blower, said blower having a frame supporting at least one wheel and a handle for pushing the blower along a surface to be swept of debris, said nozzle comprising:

a nozzle body being open at an inlet end and open at an outlet end, said inlet end and said outlet end being in flow communication through a channel formed in said nozzle body, said channel being associated with a first cross-sectional area at said inlet end, and said channel being associated with a second cross-sectional area at said outlet end, wherein said second cross-sectional area is less than said first cross-sectional area, the reduction in cross-sectional area being substantially caused by a change in the shape of the channel in an upper portion of the nozzle body, such that air velocity though an upper region of the channel is greater than the air velocity through a lower region of the channel at the outlet end, thereby producing a variable airflow profile at the surface being swept with higher velocity air above lower velocity air that is conducive to lateral displacement of the debris.

2. The nozzle of claim 1 wherein said second cross-sectional area is approximately 50% to 75% of said first cross-sectional area.

3. The nozzle of claim 1 wherein the shape of said channel at the inlet end is such that the cross-sectional area of an upper region of the channel located above a plane drawn midway between an upper wall and a lower wall of the nozzle body is substantially equal to the cross-sectional area of a lower region of the channel below the plane at said inlet end, and wherein the shape of the channel changes between said inlet end and said outlet end such that the cross-sectional area of the upper region of the channel at the outlet end is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the lower region of the channel at the outlet end thereby forming a restriction in the upper end, the change in channel shape causing air from said blower to travel at a higher velocity at the outlet end in the upper region of the channel than air passing through the lower region of the channel.

4. In combination, a blower for generating a flow of air out of a discharge chute, said blower having a frame supporting at least one wheel and a handle for pushing the blower along a surface to be swept of debris, and a nozzle, said nozzle being adapted for mounting on the discharge chute, wherein the airflow through said discharge chute generally has a greater velocity in a lower region than in an upper region, wherein the combination comprises:

said discharge chute having a generally planar lower interior surface; and

, said nozzle having a nozzle body having an upper wall, a lower wall, and spaced side walls defining a channel being open at an inlet end and open at an outlet end, said lower wall having an interior surface being generally aligned with said lower interior surface of said discharge chute and said nozzle body being shaped to provide a nozzle restriction in an upper region of said nozzle body such that the air velocity in the upper region is greater than the air velocity in a lower region of the nozzle at the outlet end, thereby producing a variable airflow profile at the surface being swept with higher velocity air above lower velocity air that is conducive to lateral displacement of the debris.

5. The combination of claim 4 wherein:

said channel is associated with a first cross-sectional area at said inlet end, and said channel is associated with a second cross-sectional area at said outlet end, wherein said second cross-sectional area is less than said first cross-sectional area.

6. The combination of claim 5 wherein:

said second cross-sectional area is approximately 50% to 75% of said first cross-sectional area.

7. The combination of claim 4 wherein the shape of said channel at the inlet end is such that the cross-sectional area of an upper region of the channel located above a plane drawn midway between an upper wall and a lower wall of the nozzle body is substantially equal to the cross-sectional area of a lower region of the channel below the plane at said inlet end, and wherein the shape of the channel changes between said inlet end and said outlet end such that the cross-sectional area of the upper region of the channel is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the lower region of the channel causing air from said blower to travel at a higher velocity in the upper region of the channel than air passing through the lower region of the channel at the outlet end.

8. A nozzle mounted on a discharge chute of a blower, said blower having a frame supporting at least one wheel and a handle for pushing the blower along a surface to be swept of debris, said nozzle comprising a nozzle body being open at an inlet end and open at an outlet end, said inlet end and said outlet end being in flow communication through a channel formed in said nozzle body, wherein the shape of said channel at the inlet end is such that the cross-sectional area of an upper region of the channel located above a plane drawn midway between an upper wall and a lower wall of the nozzle body and parallel with the lower wall along the length of the channel is substantially equal to the cross-sectional area of a lower region of the channel below the plane at said inlet end, and wherein the shape of the channel changes between said inlet end and said outlet end because of a sloped region in said upper wall such that the cross-sectional area of the upper region of the channel at the outlet end is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the lower region of the channel at the outlet end causing air from said blower to travel at a higher velocity in the upper region of the channel than air passing through the lower region of the channel at the outlet end thereby producing a variable airflow profile at the surface being swept with higher velocity air above lower velocity air that is conducive to lateral displacement of the debris.

9. The nozzle of claim 8 wherein the shape of the nozzle at the inlet end is substantially the same as the shape of the discharge chute such that the nozzle is mountable on the discharge chute.