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An apparatus for traversing loose, granular material includes a frame and a rotatable traction device connected to the frame. The outer surface of the rotatable traction device includes spaced apart curvilinear or angular traction ridges and spaced apart curved or angular valleys, each valley being

An apparatus for traversing loose, granular material includes a frame and a rotatable traction device connected to the frame. The outer surface of the rotatable traction device includes spaced apart curvilinear or angular traction ridges and spaced apart curved or angular valleys, each valley being between a pair of adjacent traction ridges, thereby forming curved or angular shovel-like elements. Each shovel-like element has a leading curved or angular surface and a confining curved or angular surface. Rotation of the rotatable traction device results in rotation of the shovel-like elements through the loose, granular material. Each shovel-like element enfolds a portion of the loose, granular material bordering the leading curved or angular surface of the shovel-like element, and the confining curved or angular surface of the shovel-like element confines at least part of the enfolded portion of the material, thereby confining and restricting displacement of the enfolded portion of the material.

대표청구항 ▼

1. An apparatus adapted to traverse an area covered with a loose, granular material, comprising: a frame having a first side and a second side spaced apart from and opposite the first side, each of the first side and the second side having an upper portion and a lower portion opposite the upper port

1. An apparatus adapted to traverse an area covered with a loose, granular material, comprising: a frame having a first side and a second side spaced apart from and opposite the first side, each of the first side and the second side having an upper portion and a lower portion opposite the upper portion; anda rotatable traction device having a first end, a second end, an outer surface, and a longitudinal axis about which at least some of the outer surface of the rotatable traction device revolves when the rotatable fraction device rotates,wherein the first end of the rotatable traction device is connected to the lower portion of the first side of the frame and the second end of the rotatable traction device is connected to the lower portion of the second side of the frame,wherein at least a portion of the outer surface of the rotatable traction device between the first end and the second end includes a plurality of spaced apart curvilinear or angularly shaped traction ridges and a plurality of spaced apart curved or angularly shaped valleys, each curved or angularly shaped valley having at least one curved or angularly shaped wall and being between a pair of adjacent curvilinear or angularly shaped traction ridges, thereby forming a plurality of curved or angularly shaped shovel-like elements in the rotatable traction device, each shovel-like element having a leading curved or angularly shaped surface and a confining curved or angularly shaped surface, andwherein rotation of the rotatable fraction device results in rotation of the curved or angularly shaped shovel-like elements through at least a portion of the loose, granular material as the rotatable traction device rotates,whereby each curved or angularly shaped shovel-like element enfolds all or substantially all of a portion of the loose, granular material bordering the leading curved or angularly shaped surface of the shovel-like element, and the confining curved or angularly shaped surface of the shovel-like element confines all or substantially all of the enfolded portion of the loose, granular material, thereby confining and restricting displacement of all or substantially all of the enfolded portion of the loose, granular material as the apparatus traverses the area. 2. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein at least a portion of at least one curvilinear traction ridge is shaped as a wave. 3. An apparatus as in claim 2, wherein the wave is uniform. 4. An apparatus as in claim 2, wherein the wave is non-uniform. 5. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein at least a portion of at least one angularly shaped traction ridge is triangular in shape. 6. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the rotatable traction device has a shape selected from a group including a cylindrical shape, a spherical shape, and an elliptical shape. 7. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein each of the shovel-like elements has a shape selected from a group including a curved open clam shell shape, an angular wedge-like shape, and a truncated pyramid shape. 8. A rotatable traction device adapted to traverse an area covered with a loose, granular material, the rotatable traction device having a first end, a second end, an outer surface, and a longitudinal axis about which at least some of the outer surface of the rotatable traction device revolves when the rotatable traction device rotates, wherein at least a portion of the outer surface of the rotatable traction device between the first end and the second end includes a plurality of spaced apart curvilinear or angularly shaped traction ridges and a plurality of spaced apart curved or angularly shaped valleys, each curved or angularly shaped valley having at least one curved or angularly shaped wall and being between a pair of adjacent curvilinear or angularly shaped traction ridges, thereby forming a plurality of curved or angularly shaped shovel-like elements in the rotatable traction device, each shovel-like element having a leading curved or angularly shaped surface and a confining curved or angularly shaped surface, andwherein rotation of the rotatable fraction device results in rotation of the curved or angularly shaped shovel-like elements through at least a portion of the loose, granular material as the rotatable traction device rotates,whereby each curved or angularly shaped shovel-like element enfolds all or substantially all of a portion of the loose, granular material bordering the leading curved or angularly shaped surface of the shovel-like element, and the confining curved or angularly shaped surface of the shovel-like element confines all or substantially all of the enfolded portion of the loose, granular material, thereby confining and restricting displacement of all or substantially all of the enfolded portion of the loose, granular material as the rotatable traction device traverses the area. 9. A rotatable traction device as in claim 8, wherein at least a portion of at least one curvilinear fraction ridge is shaped as a wave. 10. A rotatable traction device as in claim 9, wherein the wave is uniform. 11. A rotatable traction device as in claim 9, wherein the wave is non-uniform. 12. A rotatable traction device as in claim 8, wherein at least a portion of at least one angularly shaped traction ridge is triangular in shape. 13. A rotatable traction device as in claim 8, wherein the rotatable traction device has a shape selected from a group including a cylindrical shape, a spherical shape, and an elliptical shape. 14. A rotatable traction device as in claim 8, wherein each of the shovel-like elements has a shape selected from a group including a curved open clam shell shape, an angular wedge-like shape, and a truncated pyramid shape.