Expanding material box for equipment

• US 9,739,031 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2014
• Issued: 08/22/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thomas Miller
• Original Assignee: Meyer Products LLC
• Inventors: Miller, Thomas A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Will, Thomas B
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lutz, Jessica H
• Application Number:
  US14/541,757
• Publication Number:
  US 20150068780A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,012 Days
• CPC Class Codes: E01H 5/065 characterised by the form of the snow-plough blade, e.g. flexible, or by snow-plough blade accessories E01H5/061, E01H5/063 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 3/815 Blades; Levelling or scarifying tools E02F3/40 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 3/8155 provided with movable parts, e.g. cutting discs, vibrating teeth or the like

Abstract

A material box can telescope between larger and smaller widths to accommodate legal requirements of traveling down the road, making traveling between job sites easier and safer than conventional, unadjustable material boxes. The material box can be used in a wide configuration to plow a wider area, such as empty parking lots, cutting down work time. When cars are present, the material box can be made narrow to accommodate for the vehicles while still being an effective material moving device.

Claims

1. A material moving assembly, comprising:

a center blade assembly having a center main blade, said center main blade having a curved plate structure, said center main blade having a pair of lateral ends;

at least one channel attached to a back side of said curved plate structure of said center main blade, said at least one channel extending to at least one of said pair of lateral ends of said center main blade, said at least one channel having a C-shaped cross sectional shape, said at least one channel and said back side of said center main blade defining a first gap therebetween at a lateral end of said at least one channel; and

at least one wing blade assembly having a wing blade, wherein said at least one wing blade assembly includes a wing blade slide that is slidably engaged with said at least one channel to adjust the width of the material box, whereby said wing blade is slidable in transverse directions within said first gap at the back side of the center main blade, each said wing blade slide having a cross sectional shape which mates with and slides within said C-shaped cross sectional shape of a corresponding said at least one channel, each said wing blade being positioned behind said center main blade and having a curvature that allows transverse sliding of the wing blade relative to the center main blade.

2. The material moving assembly of claim 1, further comprising at least one slide disposed along the wing blade slide, the at least one slide reducing friction between said at least one channel and the wing blade slide.

3. The material moving assembly of claim 1, wherein said center main blade includes a front center cutting edge.

4. The material moving assembly of claim 1, further comprising at least one wing upper gusset on each wing blade and at least one lower cutting edge gusset on each wing blade.

5. The material moving assembly of claim 4, wherein said at least one wing upper gusset and said wing blade slide define a wing slide gap therebetween.

6. The material moving assembly of claim 1, further comprising a sliding pad attached to said back side of said center main blade, said sliding pad and said at least one channel defining at least a portion of said first gap therebetween.

7. The material moving assembly of claim 1, further comprising a mount adapted to attach the material box assembly to a vehicle.

8. The material moving assembly of claim 7, wherein said mount is a mounting plate.

9. The material moving assembly of claim 1, wherein said at least one channel includes a pair of opposed lips extending toward each other.

10. A material moving assembly, comprising:

a center blade assembly having a center main blade, said center main blade having a curved plate structure, said center main blade having a pair of lateral ends, said center main blade including a back drag blade defining an edge of said center main blade;

at least one channel attached to a back side of said curved plate structure of said center main blade, said at least one channel extending to at least one of said pair of lateral ends of said center main blade, said at least one channel having a C-shaped cross sectional shape, said at least one channel and said back side of said center main blade defining a first gap therebetween at a lateral end of said at least one channel; and

at least one wing blade assembly having a wing blade, wherein said at least one wing blade assembly includes a wing blade slide that is slidably engaged with said at least one channel to adjust the width of the material box, whereby said wing blade is slidable in transverse directions within said first gap at the back side of the center main blade, each said wing blade slide having a cross sectional shape which mates with and slides within said C-shaped cross sectional shape of a corresponding said at least one channel, each said wing blade being positioned behind said center main blade and having a curvature that allows transverse sliding of the wing blade relative to the center main blade.

11. The material moving assembly according to claim 10, wherein said center main blade has a first end, a second end, and a degree of curvature defined between said first end and said second end.

12. The material moving assembly according to claim 11, wherein said degree of curvature is in a range of between 70 to 160 degrees.

13. The material moving assembly according to claim 12, wherein said degree of curvature in a range of between 115 to 145 degrees.

14. The material moving assembly according to claim 10, further comprising a mounting plate adapted to attach said material box assembly to a vehicle.

15. The material moving assembly according to claim 10, wherein said back drag blade is attached to a front side of said center main blade.

16. The material moving assembly according to claim 10, wherein said back drag blade and said center main blade are formed from the same material.

17. The material moving assembly according to claim 10, wherein said back drag blade and said center main blade are formed from different materials.

18. The material moving assembly according to claim 10, wherein said back drag blade is a front center cutting edge.

19. The material moving assembly according to claim 10, wherein said at least one channel includes a pair of opposed lips extending toward each other.