US2784433A

US2784433A - Floor polisher with attachment for cleaning rugs

Info

Publication number: US2784433A
Application number: US351938A
Authority: US
Inventors: Edward L Verhagen
Original assignee: Regina Corp
Current assignee: Regina Corp
Priority date: 1953-04-29
Filing date: 1953-04-29
Publication date: 1957-03-12
Anticipated expiration: 1974-03-12

Description

March 12, 1957 E. L. VERHAGEN FLOOR PMQISHER WITH ATTACHMENT FOR CLEANING RUGS Filed April 29. 1955 INVENTOR Edward L.Verhaqen BY 2 M'TQRNEY United States Patent FLOOR POLXSHER WITH ATTACHMENT FOR CLEANING RUGS Edward L. Verhagen, Rahway, N. 1., assignor to The Regina Corporation, Rahway, N. J., a corporation of New York Application April 29, 1953, Serial No. 351,938

3 Claims. (Cl. 15-49) This invention relates generally to floor polishers, and more specifically to an attachment for a floor polishing machine which permits the use as a rug cleaner of a floor polisher of the type referred to in my copending patent application for a Floor Machine filed August 3, 1950, and bearing Serial Number 177,404, the patent having been issued on April 20, 1954, Patent No. 2,676,067.

A floor machine of the type mentioned has interchangeable rotating brushes, or buffing heads as the primary cleaning or polishing members. When the machine is in use these brushes or butfing heads are directly in contact with the surface to be cleaned and rotate in a plane parallel to that surface. Above them is housed the driving mecha nism, the entire weight of the apparatus resting upon the brushes or bufling heads. Such an arrangement is perfectly satisfactory for the cleaning or polishing of a surface of the nature of linoleum or hardwood. The arrangement is even desirable with such a surface, for a more thorough job is done when a greater pressure is applied to the floor contacting parts.

The same apparatus could be applied to the cleaning of rugs with brushes used as the cleaning member. Necessarily, in order not to damage the rug fabric or nap, a softer brush would have to be used than would be used in the cleaning of floors. But regardless of the nature of the brush used, such an apparatus simply would not work in the cleaning of rugs if the full weight of the apparatus were to rest on the brushes. This would be so because the nap of the rug would catch the fibers of the brush, impeding rotation of the brushes, and this result would be aggravated with pressure on the brushes. Even if rotation did occur, grave damage to the rug might result.

The primary object of this invention, therefore, is to provide a removable attachment for a floor machine having cleaning brushes rotatable in a horizontal plane, which will itself carry the weight of the machine, relieving the cleaning brushes of the necessity of carrying the said weight. In this manner an additional use to make the floor machine even more versatile, becomes possible.

Since in the cleaning of a rug with an apparatus of the type mentioned it is necessary to move the cleaner over the surface of the rug, it is a further object to provide means in the attachment for a floor polishing machine whereby it is possible to freely move the entire assembly over the surface of the rug.

Another object is to make the members of the attachment which render it movable, of such nature that no damage to the rug will result in moving the cleaner about.

Still another object is to include in the attachment means for adjusting the spacing between the brushes of the supported floor machine and the rug. This adjustment is necessary because of the varying height and thickness of nap in different rugs.

A further object is to provide means whereby the attachment may in a very simple manner be attached to the cleaning apparatus, and with equal ease be removed.

A still further object of this invention is to put into the hands of the housewife a practical means by the use of "ice which rugs may be cleaned in the home eliminating the inconvenience of sending rugs out to be cleaned, and making rug cleaning far more economical.

A final object is to provide an attachment for a cleaner of the type mentioned which is light, durable, and which may be made and sold at moderate cost.

How these and many other objects are to be implemented will become apparent through a consideration of the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. l is a plan view of the attachment Fig. 2 is a section taken along line 2--2 of Fig. l, and

Fig. 3 is a similar section to that shown in Fig. 2 demonstrating the operation of the spacing adjusting mechanlsm.

The attachment comprises a carrying member 10 having as part thereof two U-shaped portions 10a and 11. The carrying member supports the floor machine on ledge 12 which forms a part of portions 10a and 11, the ledge engaging a rim of the floor machine which is not shown. Additional support is also furnished by means of crossmember 13 beneath which shaft 22 passes.

In attaching the floor machine to the carrying member, the machine is placed on ledge 12, with stationary catch 14. which is immovably mounted upon the main carrying member, engaging the floor machine and holding the floor machine down. Before the floor machine is placed on ledge 12 and under catch 14, pivotable latch 15 is manually depressed in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2. When the machine is then placed in position on the adapter frame, latch 15, acting under the motivation supplied by spring 16, pivots into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, in which position it engages the floor machine and securely anchors it in the carrying member. Because latch 15 is freely pivotable in both directions when it is in engaging position with the floor machine, its anchoring action will persist when the spacing between the machine and the rug 16 is adjusted up or down by the means hereinafter to be described.

'Rollers 18 are affixed to the attachment to provide the necessary mobility for the cleaning operation. Wide rollers are used in order that the weight carried by the attachment be distributed over a large surface to minimize any possible deleterious effect to the rug being cleaned. The rollers are carried on roller shafts 19 and 20.

The height adjustment is made through rotation of shaft 22 which may be rotated through manipulation of knurled knob 23. The shaft has two threaded portions 24 and 25, one portion having a right hand thread, the other a left hand thread. Rider 26, having two external pins 27 as a part thereof, has a threaded internal surface through which threaded portion 24 of shaft 22 passes, so that rotation of the shaft causes rider 26 to move along threaded portion 24. Similarly a second rider 28 will move along threaded portion 25 of the shaft. The lateral motion of the riders is converted to a vertical motion for adjusting vertical spacing between the floor machine and the rug by engaging pins 27 in channels 29 provided for them in rockers 30 and 31, as shown in Fig. 3. Roller shafts 19 and 20 pass through the rockers 30 and 31 which act as fixed points about which the rockers may pivot. The rocker members are further pivotally connected to the main carrying member by pins 32 and 33. It may thus be seen that rotation of shaft 22 will, through the action of the riders 26 and 28 cause rotation of rockers 30 and 31 about the roller shafts 19 and 20. The effect is to impart a vertical motion to the carrying member 10 which is transmitted thereto from the rockers through pins 32 and 33. It will be remembered that threaded portions 24 and 25 of shaft 22 are oppositely threaded so that rockers 30 and 31 will act cooperatively to raise or lower 3 the main carryingmeinber upon rotation of shaft 22. Fig. 3 illustrates the change in position of the component parts when the carrying member has been lowered from the position of Fig. 2.

While I have described a specific embodiment of my invention, it is apparent that modifications and alterations in the structure described may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention. For example, stationary catch 14 as well as latch 15 may be made pivotable so that both are capable of being swung out of the way when the floor machine is placed in carrying member 10.

I claim:

1. An attachment for a machine having cleaning means rotatable in a plane parallel to the rug to be cleaned, comprising a carrying member having an open portion capable of supporting said machine, the cleaning means of said machine extending through said open portion of said carrying member when so supported, whereby said cleaning means are adapted to operatively contact and treat the rug, means for releasably attaching said attachment to said machine, and means for adjusting the vertical spacing between said carrying member and said rug, said adjusting means comprising rockers disposed on opposite sides of said open portion of said carrying member, and pivotably pinned at pivot points to said carrying member, said rockers having channels therein, roller shafts upon which said rockers are also pivotably mounted, rollers mounted upon said roller shafts, internally threaded riders having pins integral therewith, said pins being engaged by said channels in said rockers for slidable movement within said channels, and a rotatable shaft having oppositely threaded surface portions, each of said portions passing through one of said riders, whereby upon lateral movement of said riders along said rotatable shaft upon rotation of said shaft and consequent slidable movement of said pins within said rocker channels pivoting of said rockers about said roller shafts occurs, with consequent vertical displacement of said pivot points at which said rockers are pivotably pinned to said carrying member.

2. An attachment as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means for releasably attaching said attachment to said machine comprises a plurality of hooks mounted on said carrying member for engaging said machine, at least one of said hooks being pivotable.

3. The combination for cleaning rugs comprising a machine having cleaning means rotatable in a plane par allel to the rug to be cleaned, and an attachment releasably attached thereto, said attachment comprising a carrying member having an open portion capable of supporting said machine, the cleaning means of said machine extending through said open portion of said carrying mem her when so supported, whereby said cleaning means are adapted to operatively contact and treat the rug, means for releasably attaching said attachment to said machine, and means for adjusting the vertical spacing between said carrying member and said rug, said adjusting means comprising rockers disposed on opposite sides of said open portion of said carrying member, and pivotably pinned at pivot points to said carrying member, said rockers having channels therein, roller shafts upon which said rockers are also pivotably mounted, rollers mounted upon said roller shafts, internally threaded riders having pins integral therewith, said pins being engaged by said channels in said rockers for slidable movement within said channels, and a rotatable shaft having oppositely threaded surface portions, each of said portions passing through one of the said riders, whereby upon lateral movement of said riders along said rotatable shaft upon rotation of said shaft and consequent slidable movement of said pins within said rocker channels pivoting of said rockers about said roller shafts occurs, with consequent vertical displacement of said pivot points at which said rockers are pivotably pinned to said carrying member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 926,288 Rice June 29, 1909 979,898 Steele Dec. 27, 1910 1,299,990 Miller Apr. 8, 1919 1,401,400 Green Dec. 27, 1921 1,684,698 Freeman Sept. 18, 1928 1,708,649 Bente Apr. 9, 1929 2,318,960 Okun May 11, 1943 2,507,052 Robinson May 9, 1950 2,626,412 Petersen Jan. 27, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 518,091 Great Britain Feb. 16, 1940