Portable snow and ice eliminator apparatus and method

Abstract

A portable snow and ice melting apparatus including a hopper with opposite side walls and opposite end walls, the side and end walls extending vertically from a base as to define an internal cavity, a first melting panel and a second melting panel positioned within the internal cavity, the second melting panel rotating between an open position and the closed position, a first heating element heating the first melting panel to an operating temperature and a second heating element heating the second melting panel to the operating temperature, the operating temperature sufficient to melt snow and ice deposited within the hopper.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A portable snow and ice eliminator apparatus comprising:
 a hopper for receiving snow or ice to be melted to a liquid or semi-liquid state, the hopper being generally rectangular with opposite side walls and opposite end walls, the opposite side walls and the opposite end walls extending vertically from a base as to define an internal cavity;   a first melting panel fixedly coupled to a first side wall of the opposite side walls and extending substantially over a length of the internal cavity and half of a width of the internal cavity;   a second melting panel rotatably coupled to a second side wall of the opposite side walls and extending substantially over the length of the internal cavity and substantially half of the width of the internal cavity, the second melting panel rotating between an open position and a closed position;   a first heating elements embedded within the first melting panel and a second heating element embedded within the second melting panel;   a water collector positioned above the base and below the first melting panel and the second melting panel, the water collection extending substantially over the base;   a water release valve coupled to and passing through a first end wall of the opposite end walls, the water release valve in communication with the water collector; and   a screen member positioned below the first and second melting panels and above the water collector, the screen member extending substantially over the base.