GB2200534A

GB2200534A - Holders for floor cleaning pads

Info

Publication number: GB2200534A
Application number: GB08630853A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Paul Frederick Sweet
Original assignee: Jeyes Hygiene PLC
Current assignee: Diversey Industrial Ltd
Priority date: 1986-12-24
Filing date: 1986-12-24
Publication date: 1988-08-10
Anticipated expiration: 2006-12-24
Also published as: GB2200534B; GB8630853D0; EP0272940A2; EP0272940A3

Description

1 2 2' 0 0 5 3 At 1, M&C FOLIO: 230P 53423 HOLDERS This invention is

concerned with improvements in and relating to holders for cleaning pads used in rotary floor cleaning and/or poli shing machines and the like.

Basically, a rotary floor cleaning and/or polishing machine comprises a support frame whTich is commonly provid ed with wheels at its rear end and, optionally, at its fron t end, on which frame are mounted guide handles -and an electric drive motor with a generally vertical drive shaft which engages, directly or through a speed-reduction mechanism, with a disc-like holder for a cleaning pad the holder being provided with a plurality of projections extending from its lower surface to engage with a cleaning pad. Such machines have served effectively for many years but are not without disadvantages. In particular, such machines generally rely upon deformation of the cleaning pad itself to allow for imperfections in the floor surface to be cleaned and this can give rise to problems, especially in the case of machines having a high designed pad speed, for example of the order of 500 rpm or more.

2 It is an object of the present-invention to provide an improved resilient cleaning pad holder, which holder is particularly suitable for use with high speed machines.

According to the invention there is provided a holder for holding and propelling a fibrous cleaning pad in a floor cleaning machine, which holder comprises a pair of spaced apart, generally parallel and coaxial circular disc-like members, namely an upper disc member provided with means for engaging with the drive shaft of a drive motor of a floor cleaning machine and a lower disc member having a generally planar lower surface provided with a plurality of elongate holding members projecting downwardly therefrom to engage with a fibrous cleaning pad; the upper and lower disc members being resiliently connected by means of a regularly arranged array of leaf springs, each spring being secured at one end to the upper disc member and at its other end to the lower disc member, and the springs being arranged with their longitudinal axes generally tangential to the_ radii of the disc members.

The invention alSo provides a floor cleaning machine provided with a fibrous cleaning pad holder as defined above.

1 M 1 1 3 In order that the invention may be well understood reference will now be made to the accompanying drawingsin which:

Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of a holder in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is a side view of the holder shown in Figure 1; and Figure 3 is an underneath view of the holder shown in Figures 1 and 2.

As shown in the drawings. a holder in accordance with the invention comprises a pair of generally parallel and coaxial disclike members. namely an upper disc member 1 and a lower disc member 2. Upper disc member 1 is provided with a central hub 3 having a tubular aperature 4 provided with an internal screw thread (not shown) for engageme:nt (directly or via a speed-reduction mechanism) with the drive shaft of a drive motor of a floor polishing machine. Lower drive member 2 is provided with an array of downwardly projecting elongate holding members 5 for engagement with a fibrous cleaning pad. As shown in the drawings. see especially Figure 3. holding members 5 comprise so-called single-fill filaments arranged in concentric 4 rows, the filaments being angled slightly to the vertical and to opposite hands in adjacent rows. as described in GB-A-2132078. The arrangement of holding members described in that specification is preferred for use in the holding members of the present invention but, of course, other arrangements of downwardly projecting holding members can be employed provided that they serve to hold and propel fibrous cleaning pads.

Disc members 1 and 2 are connected by means of leaf springs 6. each of which is connected. at its upper end. to upper disc member 1 and. at its lower end, to lower disc member 2.

Springs 6 are arranged in a regular array with their longitudinal axes generally normal to the radii of the disc members 1 and 2 at the mid points of the springs. Spring 6 should be so arranged that their upper ends lead when the holder is rotated by the action of the drive motor of the polishing machine. Suitably disc members 1 and 2. which will generally have diameters of from 30 to 55 cm especially 30 to 50 cm. are spaced apart, by the action of springs 6 undei no load conditions. at a distance of 10 to 50. preferably 25 to 35 mm. The degree of resilience or stiffness of spring 6 may be expressed in terms of the amount of force required to press discs 1 and 2 together through a given 4 1 distance and this is suitably from 0.5 to 10, preferably 1.0 to 5.6 kg/cm. As shown. leaf springs 6 are simple springs but they may, of course. take the form of multileaf spring systems. Springs 6 are preferably. as shown. located towards the outer margins of disc members 1 and 2 and, thus, are suitably at least half a radius from the centre of the discs. preferably two-thirds of a radius from the disc. Preferably disc members 1 and 2 arle connected by at least three springs 6, especially 4 10 to 8 such springs.

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Claims

CLAIMS:-

1. Aholder for holding and propelling a fibrous cleaning pad in a floor cleaning machine, which holder comprises a pa,ir of spaced apart, generally parallel and coaxial circular disc-like members, namely an upper disc member provided with means for engaging with a drive motor of the floor cleaning-machine and a lower disc member having a generally planar lower surface provided with a plurality of elongate holding members projecting downwardly therefrom to engage with a fibrous cleaning pad; the upper and lower disc members being resiliently connected by means of a regularly arranged array of leaf springs, each spring being secured at one end to the_ upper disc membe.r and at its other end to the lower disc member, and the springs being arranged with their longitudinal axes generally tangential to the radii of the disc -members.

2. A holder as claimed in claim 1 substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

3. A-floor cleaning machine provided with a fibrous cleaning pad holder as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2.

Published 1988 at The Patent Office, State House, 66171 High Holborn, London WCIR 4TP. Further copies may be obtained from The Patent Office, Sales Branch, St Mary Cray, Orpington, Kent BR5 3RD. Printed by Multiplex techniques ltd. St Mw7 Cray, Kent. Con. 1/87.

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