Patent Publication Number: US-9885183-B1

Title: De-icing material dispenser attachment device and method of using the same

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/319,000 filed on Apr. 6, 2016, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present general inventive concept relates to a de-icing material dispenser, and more particularly, to a de-icing material dispenser tool which attaches to a conventional hand tool, such as a snow roof rake. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Ice dams cause substantial damage to buildings in colder climate regions. An ice dam is a build-up of ice typically on slanted roofs of buildings which often causes water damage to the building. Ice dams form when accumulated snow on roofs melts and flows down the roof until it reaches the roof overhang which is colder than the upper roof and freezes thereby forming an ice dam. The ice dam captures subsequent melting snow and as the water level rises within the dam it can penetrate under the asphalt roofing shingles and flow into the structure and damage insulation, ceilings, walls, carpeting, flooring, wood work and cause other structural damage. 
     As a result, several techniques and tools have been developed to prevent or limit ice dams. For instance, a special tool referred to as a snow roof rake has been developed to assist in removing snow from roofs of buildings. However, in order to prevent ice dams, snow from the entire roof should be removed. Typically, the roof snow rake is used by the user while standing on the ground surrounding the structure and is limited to removing only the lower snow accumulation leaving the remainder of the roof covered in snow. 
     In addition, deicing chemicals such as ice melt have been developed which lower the freezing point of ice, thus causing the ice to melt. However, there is currently no tool which easily dispenses deicing material on roofs. Therefore, what is desired is a simple tool that may be used in conjunction with existing snow roof rakes to safely dispense deicing material on roof and gutter ice dams. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The foregoing and/or other aspects of the present general inventive concept may be achieved by providing a dispenser attachment device configured to attach to a tool having a handle, the dispenser attachment device includes a reservoir compartment to store and release a de-icing material, an attachment member configured to detachably couple to the tool, and a stabilizer having an upper member and a lower member extending therefrom to stabilize the reservoir compartment when releasing the de-icing material, wherein the reservoir compartment stores the de-icing material when in a first position and dispenses the de-icing material when the reservoir compartment is rotated to a second position. 
     The attachment member may further include a channel extending from a first surface of the reservoir compartment toward a second surface of the reservoir compartment to allow the tool handle to extend beneath the reservoir compartment to provide support. 
     The attachment member and the channel may be configured to detachably couple to a cylindrically shaped handle. 
     The attachment member may further include a flexible fastening member movable from a first position to a second position to secure the attachment member to the tool. 
     The attachment member may further include a fastening member to rigidly secure the flexible fastening member in the second position to fix the attachment member to the tool. 
     The fastening member may include one of a nut and bolt, a wing-nut and bolt, and a mechanical fastener. 
     The upper member of the stabilizer may couple to a first side of the tool and the lower member of the stabilizer may couple to a second side of the tool to stabilize the reservoir compartment when the reservoir compartment is rotated from the first position to the second position to dispense the de-icing material stored therein. 
     The upper and lower members of the stabilizer may be constructed with a friction material in order to be secured to the tool by friction. 
     The reservoir compartment may be defined by a first end, an opposing second end, opposing side walls, and a bottom wall. 
     The bottom wall may be formed in an arc-shape so as to completely dispense all of the de-icing material disposed within the reservoir compartment when the reservoir compartment is rotated from the first position to the second position. 
     The bottom wall may be formed in an arc-shape and extends beyond the reservoir compartment to prevent the de-icing material from spilling. 
     The reservoir compartment may include a top end which is open to an external environment to allow the de-icing material stored therein to be dispensed when rotated from the first position to the second position. 
     The upper member of the stabilizer may include an integrated spreader to evenly spread out the dispensed de-icing material. 
     The de-icing material may include one of calcium chloride, rock salt, a fluid including a non-toxic anti-freezing agent. 
     The foregoing and/or other aspects of the present general inventive concept may also be achieved by providing a method of using a dispenser attachment device configured to attach to a tool having a handle, the dispenser attachment device comprising a reservoir compartment to store and release a de-icing material, an attachment member configured to detachably couple to the tool, and a stabilizer having an upper member and a lower member extending therefrom to stabilize the reservoir compartment when releasing the de-icing material, wherein the reservoir compartment stores the de-icing material when in a first position and dispenses the de-icing material when the reservoir compartment is rotated to a second position, the method includes obtaining a tool having a handle portion and a rake portion having a first surface and a second surface, placing the attachment member on the handle portion, coupling the upper member to the first surface of the rake portion and the lower member to the second surface of the rake portion, attaching a fastening member on to the attachment member to secure the dispenser attachment device to the tool, filling the reservoir compartment with a de-icing material while in a first position, disposing the reservoir compartment over a desired location, and rotating the reservoir compartment to a second position by rotating the handle portion to dispense the de-icing material over the desired location. 
     The attachment member may further include a channel extending from a first surface of the reservoir compartment toward a second surface of the reservoir compartment to allow the handle to extend beneath the reservoir compartment to provide support. 
     The attachment member may further include a flexible fastening member movable from a first position to a second position to secure the attachment member to the tool. 
     The attachment member may further include a fastening member to rigidly secure the flexible fastening member in the second position to fix the attachment member to the tool. 
     The fastening member may include one of a nut and bolt, a wing-nut and bolt, and a mechanical fastener. 
     The upper member of the stabilizer may couple to a first side of the tool and the lower member of the stabilizer may couple to a second side of the tool to stabilize the reservoir compartment when the reservoir compartment is rotated from the first position to the second position to dispense the de-icing material stored therein. 
     The upper and lower members of the stabilizer may be constructed with a friction material in order to be secured to the tool by friction. 
     The reservoir compartment may be defined by a first end, an opposing second end, opposing side walls, and a bottom wall. 
     The bottom wall may be formed in an arc-shape so as to aid in dispensing all the ice melt material from the reservoir compartment during the dispensing action. 
     The upper member of the stabilizer may include an integrated spreader to evenly spread out the dispensed de-icing material. 
     The de-icing material may include one of calcium chloride, rock salt, a fluid including a non-toxic anti-freezing agent. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       These and/or other aspects of the present general inventive concept will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which: 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a front perspective view of a de-icing material dispenser attachment device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present general inventive concept; 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a top plan view of the de-icing material dispenser attachment device illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a front view of the de-icing material dispenser attachment device illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIGS. 4A and 4B  illustrates a left and right side views, respectively, of the de-icing material dispenser attachment device illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a back plan view of the de-icing material dispenser attachment device illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a bottom plan view of the de-icing material dispenser attachment device illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 7  illustrates a front view of the de-icing material dispenser attachment device illustrated in  FIG. 1 , disposed in a first and second position; and 
         FIGS. 8A-8D  illustrates a method of assembling and using a de-icing material dispenser attachment device, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present general inventive concept. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION 
     The present general inventive concept provides a de-icing material dispenser which may be attached to a conventional snow roof rake. In an exemplary embodiment of the present general inventive concept, the de-icing material dispenser includes a de-icing material storage compartment to store the de-icing material and an attachment member used to attach the de-icing material dispenser to the conventional snow roof rake. In alternative exemplary embodiments, the de-icing material storage compartments may further include chambers that are separated by removable dividers to control weight distribution of the de-icing material placed in the storage compartments. 
     The de-icing material dispenser attachment device also referred herein to as “ice melt caddy”, “snow rake buddy”, “ice melt buddy”, or “snow rake caddy” may be embodied in various shapes and sizes to correspond with various shapes and sizes of snow roof rakes. The de-icing material dispenser attachment device according to the present general inventive concept may be configured to be assembled and/or manufactured to be affixed to a plurality of snow roof rakes. In exemplary embodiments, the de-icing material may include calcium chloride, rock salt, or a fluid including a non-toxic anti-freezing agent. However, the present general inventive concept is not limited thereto. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a front perspective view of a de-icing material dispenser attachment device  100  according to an exemplary embodiment of the present general inventive concept.  FIG. 2  illustrates a top plan view of the de-icing material dispenser attachment device  100  illustrated in  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 3  illustrates a front view of the de-icing material dispenser attachment device  100  illustrated in  FIG. 1  and  FIGS. 4A and 4B  illustrates a left and right side views, respectively, of the de-icing material dispenser attachment device illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 through 4 , the de-icing material dispenser attachment device, designated generally as  100 , is illustrated. In the present embodiment, the dispenser attachment device  100  includes a reservoir compartment  110  that is used to store and selectively release a de-icing material or the like, an attachment member  120  that is configured to detachably couple to or attach to a handle portion of a variety of tools  10  such as a snow roof rake, and a stabilizer  130  having an upper member  132  and a lower member  134  extending from the reservoir compartment  110  in order to stabilize the reservoir compartment  110  with respect to the tool  10 , when dispensing and/or releasing the de-icing material stored within the reservoir compartment  110 . 
     In the present exemplary embodiment, the dispenser attachment device  100  is configured to attach to a snow roof rake tool  10  which includes a rake portion  14  that is used to remove snow or debris from a user&#39;s roof and a handle portion  12  which is held by the user to extend a reach of the tool  10 . The dispenser attachment device  100  includes a reservoir compartment  110  that may be used to store and selectively release a de-icing material or the like that is stored within the reservoir compartment  110 . 
     In the present exemplary embodiment, the attachment member  120  is configured to be detachably coupled to the handle portion  12  of the tool  10  and the stabilizer  130  is configured to be detachably coupled to the rake portion  14  of the tool  10 . However, the present general inventive concept is not limited thereto. 
     That is, in exemplary embodiments, the attachment member  120  may be sized and/or shaped so as to correspond or match a shape of the handle portion  12  of a desired tool. For instance, the attachment member  120  may have a circular cross-section in order to correspond to or match a circular handle portion  12  of a snow roof rake tool  10 . However, the present general inventive concept is not limited thereto. That is, in alternative exemplary embodiments, the attachment member  120  may have a cross-section of various shapes in order to be coupled to the handle portions  12  having various shapes. 
     In the present exemplary embodiment, the stabilizer  130  includes an upper stabilizer member  132  and a lower stabilizer member  134  which extend from a surface of the reservoir compartment  110  to help stabilize the reservoir compartment  110 . The stabilizer  130  further includes a gap or spacing (i.e., width W 1 ) disposed between the upper and lower members  132 ,  134  in order to accommodate or fit around the rake portion  14  of the tool  10 . That is, in the present embodiment, the upper stabilizer members  132  contact and couple to a first surface  14   a  (i.e., upper) of the rake portion  14  and the lower stabilizer members  134  contact and couple to a second surface  14   b  (i.e., lower) of the rake portion  14  in order to provide support and stability to the dispenser attachment device  100  when the reservoir compartment  110  is rotated from the first position toward the second position, while dispensing the de-icing material stored therein. 
     In the present exemplary embodiment, the reservoir compartment  110  is defined by a first end wall  110   a , an opposing second end wall  110   b , opposing side walls  110   c  and  110   d , and a bottom wall  110   e . As such, the first end wall  110   a , the opposing second end wall  110   b , the opposing side walls  110   c  and  110   d , and the bottom wall  110   e  define a compartment in which the de-icing material may be stored. 
     In exemplary embodiments, the bottom wall  110   e  is formed in an arc-shape so as to allow ice melt or other snow melt material to be fully discharged during the dispensing rotation action from the reservoir compartment  110 . 
     In the present exemplary embodiment, the reservoir compartment  110  includes a top end  110   f  which is open to an external environment to allow the de-icing material stored therein to be dispensed when rotated. That is, the reservoir compartment  110  is configured to store the de-icing material when in a first position P 1 , when the top end  110   f  of reservoir compartment  110  is substantially horizontal with respect to the ground. Conversely, the reservoir compartment  110  is configured to dispense the de-icing material stored therein when rotated to a second position P 2 , wherein the top end  110   f  of the reservoir compartment  110  is inclined with respect to the ground. As a result, when the reservoir compartment  110  is rotated from the first position P 1  (i.e., storage position) to the second position P 2  (i.e., dispense position), gravity forces the de-icing material stored within the reservoir compartment  110  outside of the reservoir compartment  110  in to the external environment. 
     In exemplary embodiments, the attachment member  120  may further include a channel  122  which extends between the opposing side walls  110   c  and  110   d  of the reservoir compartment  110  to allow the handle portion of the tool  10  to extend beneath the reservoir compartment  110  to provide stability and support. The channel  122  may include a circular cross-section to receive a cylindrically shaped handle portion  12  of the tool  10 . However, the present general inventive concept is not limited thereto. 
     In the present embodiment, the attachment member  120  may further include a flexible fastening member  124  which is movable between a first position F 1  to a second position F 2  in order to securely fasten the attachment member  120  to the handle portion  12  of the tool  10 . 
     In alternative exemplary embodiments, the attachment member  120  may further include various types of fasteners to rigidly fasten and secure the flexible fastening member  124  in the second position F 2  in order to fix the attachment member  120  to the tool  10 . However, the present general inventive concept is not limited thereto. That is, in alternative embodiments, the fastening member may include a nut and bolt, a wing-nut and bolt, or various other conventionally known mechanical fasteners. 
     In the present embodiment, the upper member  132  of the stabilizer  130  couples to a first side of the tool  10  and the lower member  134  of the stabilizer  130  couples to a second side of the tool  10  to stabilize the reservoir compartment  110  when the reservoir compartment  110  is rotated from the first position P 1  to the second position P 2  to dispense the de-icing material stored therein. The upper and lower members of the stabilizer may be constructed with a friction material to improve the stability of the dispenser attachment device during ice melt discharge. 
     In alternative exemplary embodiments, the upper member  132  of the stabilizer  130  includes an integrated spreader (not illustrated) to evenly spread out the de-icing material dispensed onto the external environment. 
     In the present exemplary embodiment, the attachment member  120  is designed and/or configured to be coupled to the handle of a conventional snow roof rake. However, the present general inventive concept is not limited thereto. In alternative exemplary embodiments, the attachment member  120  may be designed and/or configured to be coupled to a variety of snow roof rake tools having handles of various shapes and sizes. 
     In the present exemplary embodiment, the reservoir compartment  110  may be formed in a rectangular shape having a first end  110   a , an opposing second end  110   b , a first side wall  110   c , an opposing second side wall  110   d , and a bottom  110   e . The first end  110   a , the second end  110   b , the first side wall  110   c , the second side wall  110   d , and the bottom  110   e  define a reservoir or storage compartment area, in which a de-icing material may be stored. In the present embodiment, the top end of reservoir compartment  110  is open to an external environment to allow the de-icing material stored within the reservoir  110  to be dispensed. The dispenser attachment device  100  may be constructed from an impact-resistant plastic, such as polypropylene, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, or various other impact or temperature resistant plastic. However, the present general inventive concept is not limited thereto. That is, in alternative embodiments, the dispenser attachment device  100  may be constructed from a plurality of lightweight materials, including plastics, metals, graphite, or carbon fiber. 
     The one or more storage reservoirs  110  include at least one chamber  112  to store a deicing material; a stabilizer to help support the storage compartment on a conventional snow roof rake; and an attachment member including an attachment bolt and attachment wing nut to detachably secure the de-icing material dispenser attachment device to the conventional snow roof rake. 
       FIGS. 8A-8D  illustrate a method of assembling and using a de-icing material dispenser attachment device  100 , according to an exemplary embodiment of the present general inventive concept. 
     In operation, the dispenser attachment device  100  may be configured and designed to be fixed onto the handle of a conventional snow roof rake. According to an exemplary embodiment, the dispenser attachment device  100  may be used as follows. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 8A-8D , once a desired snow rake tool  10  having a handle portion  12  and a rake portion  14  having a first surface  14   a  and a second surface  14   b  is obtained, the attachment member  110  is aligned to and placed onto the handle portion  12  of the tool. Next, the upper member  132  of the stabilizer  130  is coupled to the first surface  14   a  of the rake portion  14  and the lower member  134  of the stabilizer  130  is coupled to the second surface  14   b  of the rake portion  14 . The upper and lower members  132 ,  134  may be constructed with a friction material to allow the dispenser attachment device  100  to be better secured to the tool by friction. Next, a fastening member  124  is attached onto the attachment member  120  to secure the dispenser attachment device  100  to the tool  10 . However, the present general inventive concept is not limited thereto. That is, in alternative embodiments, various other types of mechanical fastening means may be used to attach the dispenser attachment device  100  to the tool  10 . 
     Next, while the reservoir compartment  110  is substantially parallel to the ground (i.e., a first position), a user may fill or partially fill the reservoir compartment  110  with a de-icing material. A user may then extend the reservoir compartment  110  filled with the de-icing material over a desired location, such as a house roof or gutters, by using the handle portion  12  of the tool  10 . Next, the user may selectively dispense the contents of the reservoir compartment  110  over a desired location by rotating the handle portion  12  such that the reservoir compartment  110  is inclined with respect to the ground (i.e., a second position). As a result, gravity will force the de-icing material from the reservoir compartment  110  onto the user&#39;s desired location. That is, by rotating the reservoir compartment  110  to the second position by rotating the handle portion  12 , the de-icing material stored within the reservoir compartment  110  is dispensed to an external environment over the desired location. 
     The dispenser attachment device according to the present general inventive concept is specifically designed and configured to be coupled to a wide variety of conventional snow roof rakes. However, the present general inventive concept is not limited thereto. In exemplary embodiments, the attachment member may be detachably fastened or integrally formed to a head of the snow roof rake. The attachment member may further include a non-slip friction coating to help secure the dispenser attachment device to the handle of the snow roof rake or other tool. Once attached, a user may place a de-icing material, such as ice melt, into the storage compartment. The user may then position the reservoir compartment  110  filled with the de-icing material over any location on a roof or gutters that the conventional snow roof rake may reach. 
     The user may then dispense the de-icing material onto a desired location by simply tipping the snow roof rake with attached storage compartment to either the left or the right, which thereby allows the de-icing material be released by gravity from the storage compartment. The stabilizer member is a channeled protrusion from the front of the storage compartment of the de-icing material dispenser attachment device to help support and/or stabilize the storage compartment when filled with de-icing material. The stabilizer member engages above and below the top front ridge of the snow roof rake to help secure it to the snow roof rake. The upper and lower stabilizer members may utilize a non-slip friction coating to help secure the dispenser attachment member to the snow roof rake tool. 
     Although a few exemplary embodiments of the present general inventive concept have been illustrated and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these exemplary embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the general inventive concept, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims and their equivalents.