type private founded 1950 ; 66 years ago 1950 founder frank zamboni headquarters paramount california u.s. area served worldwide key people richard f. zamboni chairman and president website official website frank j. zamboni & company is a manufacturer of ice resurfacing equipment based in paramount california . frank zamboni developed the first ice resurfacing machine in 1949 and started the zamboni company in 1950 . zamboni z m bo ni is an internationally registered trademark . contents 1 history 2 use of zamboni brand name 3 in popular culture 4 references history edit the first ice resurfacer was the brainchild of frank j. zamboni who was originally in the refrigeration business . he provided services to businesses such as dairy farms and produce vendors . zamboni created a plant for making ice blocks that could be used in refrigeration techniques . as the demand for ice blocks waned zamboni looked for another way to capitalize on his expertise with ice . 1 in 1939 zamboni created the iceland skating rink in paramount california . to resurface the skating rink three or four workers scraped washed and squeegeed the ice . then they added a thin layer of water to make fresh ice . this process was extremely time consuming and zamboni wanted to find a more efficient method . 2 from 1942 to 1947 zamboni tried fruitlessly to develop a vehicle that could cut down on resurfacing time . in 1947 zamboni decided on a machine that shaved washed and squeegeed the ice . he mounted this machine on an army surplus vehicle chassis . a blade mounted on the machine shaved the ice which then received a thin layer of water to create a smooth sheet of ice . the prototype had a tank that held the ice shavings which it carried to the tank via a conveyor belt . this machine was powered by a jeep engine and transmission . zamboni abandoned this model in late 1947 because of deficiencies with the blade and handling . 2 a new machine used another army surplus vehicle chassis . this machine had four wheel drive and front and back wheel steering . by 1949 the model a zamboni ice resurfacer became a working reality . 2 further modification to the model a included the addition of a wash water tank and a cover for the snow holding tank . the front and back steering feature was removed in favor of front wheel steering because the machine constantly got wedged against the boards . 3 the model a did not have the visual appeal of modern ice resurfacers . a journalist from the brantford expositor observed that t he original model a looks like the offspring of a field tractor and a warehouse crate . 4 the zamboni ice resurfacer was patented in 1953 . 2 zamoboni s next resurfacer was the model b. this machine differed significantly from the model a. instead of using a jeep engine and transmission zamboni decided to build the necessary parts directly onto a jeep body . 3 zamboni model c was also built on a jeep body but with more design changes . zamboni raised the driver s position for better visibility and increased snow holding tank capacity . from the late 1950s to 1964 the company made minimal changes to the ice resurfacer design . model c to model f changed only slightly . 3 the introduction of the hd series in 1964 however represented a shift in zamboni ice resurfacer design . instead of a conveyor belt moving ice shavings into the snow holding tank a vertical auger system did the task . along with the vertical auger the new model had a new hydraulic snow dumping system . this meant that drivers no longer had to shovel the ice shavings out of the holding tank . this design has been the industry standard ever since . 5 use of zamboni brand name edit frank j. zamboni & co. inc. has taken a strong stance against its trademark dilution the zamboni name being used as a genericized trademark for ice resurfacers . on august 15 2000 frank j. zamboni & co inc. was awarded a registered trademark on the design and configuration of the zamboni ice resurfacer by the u.s. patent and trademark office . 6 there is a band by the name of the zambonis which they use under the terms of a licensing agreement from the zamboni corporation . 7 another band two man advantage was sent a cease and desist letter in 2004 involving its song zamboni driving maniac with the company claiming it implies an unsafe activity . 8 in popular culture edit the zamboni company s ice resurfacing machine and frank zamboni were honored with a google doodle on 16 january 2013 for frank zamboni s 112th birthday . google provided a playable doodle where you can drive the zamboni machine around a rink . 9 the video game plants vs. zombies has a zombie driving a zamboni brand ice resurfacer called the zomboni in game . used with permission from the game of the year re release onward . references edit the zamboni story . zamboni.com . retrieved nov 20 2012 . a b c d the zamboni story . zamboni.com . retrieved nov 20 2012 . a b c the zamboni story . zamboni.com . retrieved nov 20 2012 . dregni eric 2006 . zamboni the coolest machines on ice . st paul min . mbi publishing company llc and voyageur press . p. 48 . isbn 978 0 7603 2439 4 . the zamboni story . zamboni.com . retrieved nov 20 2012 . united states trademark registration no. 2 376 266 branch john may 23 2009 . as economy stumbles the zamboni glides on . new york times . p. a1 . retrieved 22 january 2013 . two man advantage in trouble with zamboni company http www.gokartrecords.com index.php phpsessid 4ae612ff0daa9420b8d6516478528f93 & page news & id 61 deborah netburn 16 january 2013 . google doodle celebrates frank zamboni s ice resurfacing machine . los angeles times . retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title zamboni company & oldid 740879141 categories ice hockey equipmentvehicle manufacturers of the united statescompanies based in los angeles county californiamanufacturing companies based in californiaparamount california1950 establishments in californiacompanies established in 1950hidden 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