Patent Publication Number: US-2019186148-A1

Title: Roof cleaning device

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a roof cleaning device and, more particularly, to a blower used to clean roofs from the ground. 
     The pitch of a roof is its vertical rise divided by its horizontal span, or what is called slope. Cleaning debris, such as leaves and dirt, from a roof having a high pitch is dangerous. Typically, to clean a roof one must climb on top of the roof to remove the debris. Due to the pitch of the roof, one risks falling off of the roof and severely injuring themselves or even dying. 
     As can be seen, there is a need for a device that allows a user to clean roofs that have a high pitch from the ground. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In one aspect of the present invention, a roof cleaning device comprises: a blower comprising a housing, a motor disposed in the housing, and a blower nozzle, wherein the motor is operable to propel air out of the nozzle; an elongated tube comprising a proximal end and a distal end, wherein the proximal end is coupled to the blower nozzle to receive the air from the blower and the distal end comprises an opening; and a bracket coupled to the distal end of the elongated tube, wherein the bracket comprises at least one roller. 
     In another aspect of the present invention, a roof cleaning device comprises: a blower comprising a housing, a motor disposed in the housing, and a blower nozzle, wherein the motor is operable to propel air out of the nozzle; and an elongated tube comprising a proximal end and a distal end, wherein the proximal end is coupled to the blower nozzle to receive the air from the blower and the distal end comprises an opening, wherein a bend greater than 90 degrees is formed at the distal end of the elongated tube. 
     These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2A  is a detail exploded perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a detail perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a cross section view taken along line  4 - 4  of  FIG. 3 ; and 
         FIG. 5  is a detail perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention in use. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 through 5 , the present invention includes a roof cleaning device  10 . The roof cleaning device  10  includes at least a blower  12  and an elongated tube  16 . The blower  12  includes a housing, a motor disposed in the housing, and a blower nozzle  13 . The elongated tube  16  includes a proximal end and a distal end. The proximal end is coupled to the blower nozzle  13  to receive the air from the blower  12  and the distal end includes an opening. The motor is operable to propel air out of the nozzle  13 , into the elongated tube  16  and out of the opening of the distal end of the elongated tube  16 . 
     The motor may be powered by electricity or gas. When powered, the motor may rotate a fan, which in turn blows air of out of the nozzle  13 . In certain embodiments, the present invention may utilize an adapter  14 . The adapter  14  may connect a standard leaf blower to the elongated tube  16 . In such embodiments, the adapter  14  includes a receiving end to receive and couple to the nozzle  13  of the blower. The adapter  14  may further include a coupling end to couple to the elongated tube  16 . The coupling end may include an opening to receive the proximal end of the elongated tube  16 . The coupling end may further include a pair of fastener openings  15   a . The proximal end of the elongated tube  16  may include a pair of threaded openings  18   b  that correspond with the pair of fastener openings  15   a . Threaded bolts  15  may run through the pair of fastener openings  15   a  and mechanically fasten to the pair of threaded openings  18   b , thereby coupling the elongated tube  16  to the adapter  14 . 
     The present invention may further include a bracket  24  coupled to the distal end of the elongated tube  16  by fasteners  32 , such as rivets, bolts, and the like. The bracket  24  may include a plate having an upper surface and a lower surface. The upper surface of bracket  24  is coupled to the distal end of the elongated tube  16 . At least one roller  26  is coupled to the lower surface of the bracket  24 . For example, a pair of rollers  26  or more may be coupled to the lower surface of the bracket  24 . In certain embodiments, the pair of rollers  26  are casters including wheels that rotate about an axle. The rollers  26  allow a user to easily maneuver the present invention along a roof  34 . 
     In certain embodiments, the elongated tube  16  may be formed of a plurality of hollow tube segments  18  releasably coupled together by couplings  20 . This allows a user to easily assemble the elongated tube  16  for use and disassemble the elongated tube  16  for storage. Further, this allows the roof cleaning device  10  to be adjustable in length to accommodate different heights of roofs  34  to be cleaned. In such embodiments, the elongated tube  16  includes a plurality of tube segments  18  coupled together in between a proximal tube segment  18   a  and a distal tube segment  22 . The proximal tube segment  18   a  includes the pair of threaded openings  18   b  and couples with either the blower  12  or the adapter  14 . The bracket  24  is coupled to the distal tube segment  22 . In certain embodiments, the distal tube segment  22  may include a bend. The bend may be greater than 90 degrees and may range from more than 90 degrees up to 180 degrees. For example, the bend may be a U-shaped bend at about 140 to about 160 degrees. The bracket  24  is coupled to the distal tube segment  22  beyond the bend. The bend of the distal tube segment  22  allows the openings to face downward and back towards the blower  12 . Therefore, when the present invention is in use, the leaves and debris  36  are blown downward and off of the roof  34 . 
     The present invention may further include a tube nozzle  28 . The tube nozzle  28  may be coupled within the opening of the distal end of the elongated tube  16 . For example, the tube nozzle  28  may be coupled within the distal opening of the distal tube segment  22 . The tube nozzle  28  may include a fitting end and a delivery end. The fitting end may include a rounded tube sized to fit within the opening of the distal end of the elongated tube  16 . The delivery end extends from the fitting end and may include a flat plate that expands in width at a distal end. Raised lips may be formed at the edges of the flat plate to further direct air blown from the opening of the distal end of the elongated tube  16 . 
     When in use, the nozzle  13  of the motor  12  may be inserted into the adapter  14 . The proximal tube segment  18   a  may be coupled to the adapter  14  by the threaded bolts  15 . The plurality of tube segments  18  may be coupled together by the couplings  20 , forming the elongated tube  16 . The distal tube segment  22  may be coupled to the distal end of the elongated tube  16 . When the elongated tube  16  is in the expanded form, the user may begin to clean their roof  34 . The user may raise the elongated tube  16  and place the rollers  26  against the upper surface of the roof  34 . The user may then turn the blower  12  on, which in turn blows the leaves and debris  36  downward and off of the roof  34 . The user may roll the distal end of the elongated tube  16  to different areas of the roof  34  via the rollers  26 , thereby enabling the user to clean a substantial portion of the roof  24  using the present invention. 
     It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.