Ice re-conditioning assembly
First Claim
1. An ice re-conditioning assembly for automatically driving around an ice skating rink for re-conditioning ice for skating, said assembly comprising:
- a vehicle being driven on ice in a ice skating rink, said vehicle including a pair of front wheels and at least one back wheel, each of said front wheels and said back wheel being rotatably coupled to said vehicle for driving on the ice, said back wheel being steerable thereby facilitating a zero turning radius for said vehicle;
a control circuit being coupled to said vehicle;
a drive unit being coupled to said vehicle, said drive unit being in mechanical communication with each of said front wheels for driving said vehicle around the ice skating rink in a pre-determined route, said drive unit being electrically coupled to said control circuit;
a plurality of resurfacing units, each of said resurfacing units being movably coupled to said vehicle, each of said resurfacing units being electrically coupled to said control circuit, each of said resurfacing units being urged into a deployed position having each of said resurfacing units extending laterally away from said vehicle and engaging the ice for reconditioning the ice for skating, each of said resurfacing units being urged into a stored position having each of said resurfacing units being contained within said vehicle and being spaced from the ice; and
a plurality of displays, each of said displays being coupled to said vehicle, each of said displays being electrically coupled to said control circuit, each of said displays displaying indicia comprising words and images for advertising purposes.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An ice re-conditioning assembly includes a vehicle that is driven on ice in an ice skating rink. A drive unit is coupled to the vehicle for driving the vehicle around the ice skating rink in a pre-determined route. A plurality of resurfacing units is each movably coupled to the vehicle. Each of the resurfacing units is urged into a deployed position to engage the ice for reconditioning the ice for skating. Each of the resurfacing units is urged into a stored position has each of the resurfacing units being contained within the vehicle and being spaced from the ice. A plurality of displays is provided and each of the displays is coupled to the vehicle. Each of the displays displays indicia comprising words and images for advertising purposes.
14 Citations
18 Claims
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1. An ice re-conditioning assembly for automatically driving around an ice skating rink for re-conditioning ice for skating, said assembly comprising:
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a vehicle being driven on ice in a ice skating rink, said vehicle including a pair of front wheels and at least one back wheel, each of said front wheels and said back wheel being rotatably coupled to said vehicle for driving on the ice, said back wheel being steerable thereby facilitating a zero turning radius for said vehicle; a control circuit being coupled to said vehicle; a drive unit being coupled to said vehicle, said drive unit being in mechanical communication with each of said front wheels for driving said vehicle around the ice skating rink in a pre-determined route, said drive unit being electrically coupled to said control circuit; a plurality of resurfacing units, each of said resurfacing units being movably coupled to said vehicle, each of said resurfacing units being electrically coupled to said control circuit, each of said resurfacing units being urged into a deployed position having each of said resurfacing units extending laterally away from said vehicle and engaging the ice for reconditioning the ice for skating, each of said resurfacing units being urged into a stored position having each of said resurfacing units being contained within said vehicle and being spaced from the ice; and a plurality of displays, each of said displays being coupled to said vehicle, each of said displays being electrically coupled to said control circuit, each of said displays displaying indicia comprising words and images for advertising purposes. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. An ice re-conditioning assembly for automatically driving around an ice skating rink for re-conditioning ice for skating, said assembly comprising:
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a vehicle being driven on ice in a ice skating rink, said vehicle including a pair of front wheels and a pair of back wheels, each of said front wheels and said back wheels being rotatably coupled to said vehicle for driving on the ice, each of said front wheels and said back wheels being steerable thereby facilitating a zero turning radius for said vehicle, said vehicle having a top side, a bottom side and an outer surface extending therebetween, said outer surface having a first lateral side and a second lateral side, said first lateral side having a first well extending towards said second lateral side, said second lateral side having a second well extending towards said first lateral side, each of said front wheels and said back wheels being positioned on said bottom side; a control circuit being coupled to said vehicle; a user interface being coupled to said vehicle wherein said user interface is configured to be manipulated by a user, said user interface being electrically coupled to said control circuit thereby facilitating operational parameters of said control circuit to be entered by the user; a drive unit being coupled to said vehicle, said drive unit being in mechanical communication with each of said front wheels and each of said back wheels for driving said vehicle around the ice skating rink in a pre-determined route, said drive unit being electrically coupled to said control circuit, said drive unit comprising; a plurality of drive motors, each of front wheels being rotatably coupled to a respective one of said drive motors, each of said front wheels being rotated in a forward direction or a rearward direction by said respective drive motor for urging the vehicle forwardly and rearwardly on the ice, said back wheels being rotated about a vertical axis when said front wheels are rotated in opposite directions from each other for steering said vehicle, each of said drive motors being electrically coupled to said control circuit; an electronic memory being coupled to said vehicle, said electronic memory being electrically coupled to said control circuit, said electronic memory storing data comprising dimensions of the ice-ice skating rink and a route for said vehicle to travel around the ice-ice skating rink, said control circuit actuating each of said drive motors in accordance with said data in said electronic memory to drive said vehicle around the ice skating rink; and a plurality of object sensors, each of said object sensors being coupled to said vehicle such that each of said object sensors senses objects on the ice, each of said object sensors being electrically coupled said control circuit such that said control circuit actuates said drive motors to avoid objects sensed on the ice, said plurality of object sensors being distributed around said vehicle for detecting objects on all sides of said vehicle; a plurality of resurfacing units, each of said resurfacing units being movably coupled to said vehicle, each of said resurfacing units being electrically coupled to said control circuit, each of said resurfacing units being urged into a deployed position having each of said resurfacing units extending laterally away from said vehicle and engaging the ice for reconditioning the ice for skating, each of said resurfacing units being urged into a stored position having each of said resurfacing units being contained within said vehicle and being spaced from the ice, each of said resurfacing units comprising; a compressor being positioned within said vehicle, said compressor being electrically coupled to said control circuit, said compressor having an output for delivering compressed air outwardly therefrom; a deck having a first end, a second end and a outer wall, said outer wall having a top side, a bottom side and a rear side, said top side being concavely arcuate between said bottom and rear sides, said deck of respective ones of said resurfacing units being positioned in a respective one of said first well and said second well when said respective resurfacing units are urged into said stored position, said deck of each of said respective resurfacing units extending laterally away from a respective one of said first lateral side and said second lateral side of said vehicle when said respective resurfacing units are urged into said deployed position, said deck of each of said respective resurfacing units being lowered downwardly when each of said respective resurfacing units is urged into said deployed position having said outer wall of said respective resurfacing units engaging the ice; a plurality of air nozzles, each of said air nozzles being coupled to said outer wall of said deck, said air nozzles being distributed between said first end and said second end, each of said air nozzles being fluidly coupled to said output of said compressor such that each of said air nozzles directs the compressed air downwardly onto the ice when said outer wall engages the ice for dislodging loose particles on the ice; an ice scraper being positioned within said deck, said ice scraper having a scraping edge, said scraping edge being aligned with said outer wall such that said scraping edge abrades the ice and collects the dislodged loose particles on the ice when said outer wall engages the ice wherein said ice scraper is configured to level the ice; a vacuum being positioned within said deck, said vacuum having an intake and an exhaust, said intake being in fluid communication with said ice scraper for suctioning a removing ice shavings and the loose particles from said ice scraper; a reservoir being positioned within said deck, said reservoir being fluidly coupled to said exhaust of said vacuum such that said reservoir receives the ice shavings and the loose particles, said reservoir having a drain; a heating element being coupled to said reservoir such that said heating element is in thermal communication with said reservoir, said heating element being electrically coupled to said control circuit, said heating element being turned on when said outer wall of said deck engages the ice wherein said heating element is configured to melt the ice shavings collected in said reservoir; a filter being positioned within said drain such that said filter filters loose particles from the melted ice shavings; and a plurality of fluid nozzles, each of said fluid nozzles being coupled to said outer wall of said deck, each of said fluid nozzles being fluidly coupled to said drain such that each of said fluid nozzles sprays the melted ice shavings downwardly onto the ice for re-freezing; a plurality of displays, each of said displays being coupled to said vehicle, each of said displays being electrically coupled to said control circuit, each of said displays displaying indicia comprising words and images for advertising purposes, each of said displays being coupled to and extending upwardly from said top side of said vehicle, said displays being distributed around said vehicle such that said displays are visible 360°
around said vehicle;a receiver being coupled to said vehicle, said receiver being electrically coupled to said control circuit, said receiver being in electrical communication with an external public address system; a plurality of speakers, each of said speakers being coupled to said vehicle, each of said speakers being electrically coupled said control circuit such that each of said speakers receives an audio signal from said receiver wherein each of said speakers is configured to emit audio that is synchronized with audio emitted by the external public address system; and a power supply being coupled to said vehicle, said power supply being electrically coupled to said control circuit, said power supply comprising; at least one rechargeable battery being positioned within said vehicle; and a charge port to being coupled to said vehicle, said charge port being electrically coupled to said at least one rechargeable battery, said charge port being selectively and electrically coupled to a power source for charging said at least one rechargeable battery.
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Specification