Patent ID: 6938364

Claim:
A two stage snowthrower, which comprises: (a) an auger housing having a transversely extending auger for gathering snow lying on the ground; (b) a cylindrical impeller housing behind the auger housing with the impeller housing having a circular cross-section, the impeller housing carrying a rotatable impeller for receiving snow from the auger and for throwing snow vertically upwardly in a snow stream; (c) a snow discharge pipe on top of the impeller housing for receiving the snow stream from the impeller and for delivering the snow stream to a chute carried on top of the snow discharge pipe; and (d) wherein the circular cross-section of the impeller housing is joined to a first side wall of the snow discharge pipe along a first edge such that the circular cross-section of the impeller is interrupted along a first edge, and wherein the circular cross-section of the impeller housing resumes at a second edge which second edge is separated by a gap from a lower edge of a second side wall of the snow discharge pipe.