US2940104A

US2940104A - Floor cleaning and conditioning device

Info

Publication number: US2940104A
Application number: US4304A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jenkins David
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1960-01-25
Filing date: 1960-01-25
Publication date: 1960-06-14
Anticipated expiration: 1977-06-14

Description

June 14, 1960 2,940,104

D. JENKINS FLOOR CLEANING AND CONDITIONING DEVICE Filed Jan. 25, 1960 Zl'iililmumu .4 4

. a es 1- FLOOR CLEANING AND CONDITIGNING DEVICE David Jenkins, 5636 Brooklyn Ave, Seattle, Wash.

Filed Jan. 25, 1960, Ser. No. 4,304

Claims. (Cl. -131) My invention relates to floor cleaning and conditioning devices and this application is in the nature of a continuation in part of my prior application Serial No. 664,619, filed June 10, 1957, now Patent No. 2,932,049.

An object of my invention is to improve floor cleaning and conditioning devices and to render them more efficicient and easier to use.

Another object is to provide improved means for detachably securing pads of cloth, steel wool, polishing material, and the like to platens which support the pads in a flat condition and which are readily attachable to and detachable from a handle.

Another object is to provide an improved detachable weight for use with my floor cleaning and conditioning devices together with readily operable means for attaching said weight to the floor cleaning and conditioning devices. Another object is to provide readily operable means for attaching a liquid receptacle to my floor cleaning and conditioning devices and for dispensing liquid from said receptacle onto a floor to which the said floor cleaning and conditioning devices are being applied.

Other objects of my invention will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

in the drawings Figure l is a top plan view of a platen constructed in accordance with my invention and which is capable of receiving and holding pads used for fioor cleaning and conditioning, such as pads of cloth, Brussels carpet, steel wool, sandpaper and the like.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken substantially on broken line 2-2 of Fig. l and showing a floor polishing pad applied to the platen.

Fig. 3 is a detached perspective view of a resilient pad holding member used in the platen shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of another pad holding platen constructed accordance with my invention, showing the same as it may appear when holding a pad, the marginal portions of the pad being visible.

Fig. 5 is a view in cross section taken substantially on broken line 55 of Fig. 4, and in addition, showing a fragment of a handle to which the platen is applied.

Fig. 6 is a detached perspective view of a pad holding member of spring wire used in the platen shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

Fig. 7- is a view in side elevation, with parts broken away, showing a weight means used in connection with my invention for weighting the platen when itis used for floor'cleaning and polishing.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary perspective view of one end portion of the weight shown in Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 shows a liquid receptacle applied to my floor cleaning and conditioning means for dispensing wax or like liquid material on a floor on which the device is being used.

, Fig. 10 is a detached perspective view of a spring clip used for holding the liquid receptacle shown in Fig. 9.

nited States Patent 0 Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views.

Figs. 1, 2 and 3 show a platen made in accordance with my invention. This platen 69 is substantially square in outline, has a plane flat pad engaging face, and is especially well adapted for holding pads used in conditioning floors. These pads may be abrasives, such as steel wool or sandpaper, or absorbent material, such as cloth suitable for applying liquids'used for cleaning and finishing purposes, or they may be polishing materials, such as those used for polishing waxed floors.

The pad holding means used in connection with the platen 60 comprises two spring clips each formed of two spaced apart side arms 61 connected with each other by a straight pad engaging cross member 62. At their inner ends the side arms 61 are bent to form eye members 63. A hold down arm 64 extends outwardly from each eye member 63 divergently and at a substantial angle from the adjacent side arm 61 and preferably each hold down arm 64 terminates in a loop 65 for convenience in manipulation. A mounting strip 66 of angle shaped cross section is rigidly secured to the upper face of the platen 60 adjacent each lateral edge thereof. Thus two mounting strips 66, which also function as reinforcing members, are provided along the respective lateral edges of the platen 60. Each eye member 63 of each pad holding device is pivotally connected with one of the mounting strips 66 about mid way of the length of the mounting strip by a pivot member 67. Each mounting strip 66 is provided adjacent each end thereof with an upwardly extending catch member 68 under which the adjacent spring clip arm 64 may be engaged.

Fig. 2 shows a pad 76 of floor polishing material, such' as Brussels carpet, applied to the platen 643. Since the material of which this pad is formed does not readily bend double the said pad is preferably provided, near two opposite ends thereof, with two fastener tabs 71. The tabs 71 are sewed or otherwise fastened to the upper side of the pad 70. In applying the pad 7-9 to the platen 60 these tabs 71 are doubled over the ends or edges 72 of the platen 60 while the spring clips are in a released position, the bars 62 are then brought down onto the tabs 71 and the arms 64 engaged under the catch members 68. Thus the tabs 71 are securely clamped and the pad 70 held in place on the platen 60. Pads of material, such as cloth or steel wool, which can easily be folded over the ends or edges 72 of the platen 6% do not need to be provided with tabs like the tabs 71 but can be applied by doubling or bending their edge portions over the edges or ends 72 of the platen 6d and securing them under the pad holding bars 62.

Preferably devices which allow for some relative pivotal movement between the platen 6t and a handle 15 of the type shown in Figs. 5, 7 and 9, are provided for making connection between said platen and handle. These devices include an attachment plate 73 having upwardly divergent sides 74 capable of being engagedand gripped between two

platen engaging members

25 and 30 which are carried by the handle 15. Said handle is fully described in my patent application Serial Number 664,619, of which this application is a continuation in part. A bracket 75, rigid with the attachment plate 73 and positioned on the lower side thereof is connected with a pivot bar 76. The pivot bar 76 is connected with the platen 60 by bearing or mounting members 77. Providing limited pivotal movement between a handle and the platen 60' insures fiat contact of any pad on said platen 60 against a floor or any flat surface to which it is applied. The edge portions of the platen 69 adjacent the ends 72 are shown straight and flat in the drawings but these edge portions may have a slight upward curve if desired. 1? II Figs. 4, 5 and 6 show another pad holding device made .2 in accordance with my invention and comprising a platen 80 of flat rectangular shape having two upwardly curved edge portions Stand 82 which form the front and rear edges of the platen when said platen is in use. side of the platen 3i has a medially positioned transverse flat sheet metal reinforcing strip 83 extending'substantially' from side to side thereof and rigidly secured. to the platen'sil by rivets 84 or other securing means. The two end portions 85 of the reinforcing strip 83 are 'bent or offset upwardly so that they are clear of but are approximately parallel to the platen 80. Each upwardly bent end portion 85 is provided with two spaced apart perforations 86 and is further provided with two cuts 87 t which extend from the adjacent end of the strip 83 inwardly and intersect the respective perforations 86. A metal tongue 88 is formed between each pair of cuts 87 and said tongue 88 can be bent upwardly to permit The top 7 U-behd parts 39 of spring clips of a form hereinafter described to be engaged within the perforations 86.1

Two spring clips are used in connection with each' platen 80 for pad holding purposes. Each spring clip comprises a straight pad holding bar 91 of a length slightly less than the width of the platen 89. The end portions of each pad holding bar 91 are bent at right angles to provide two parallel side arms 92. The side arms 92 terminate in the U-bend parts 89. From each U-bend' part 89 a hold down part or arm 93 extends outwardly in divergent'relation from the adjacent side arm 92. Each hold down arm 93 tcrminatesin a loop 94 which forms a finger piece. The U-bend' part of each side arm is received within one of the perforations 86 and cooperates in forming a pivotal mounting for the spring clip of which it is a part.

The platen St is provided near each corner with an upwardly extending hook shaped catch member 95 with which the adjacent hold down arm 93 can be engaged. The catch members 95 are preferably punched out of the platen SE. A. pad 596 is secured to the platen 80 by pliable fastener tabs 97 which are attached to the edge portions ofthe pad '96 and are drawn or folded over the edges 81 and 32 of the platen8tl and engaged by the pad holding bars 91.

The pad 96 canbe made of cloth or similar absorbent material which is suitable for rubbing liquid over the surface of a floor.

. An attachment plate 100 is pivotally connected with the upper side of the platen 80 by a pivot rod 101. The rod 161 extends through end members 102 of the attach- 'ment plate 1&0 and through bearing lugs 1% which are punched upwardly from the reinforcing plate 83. The attachment plate 1% has downwardly extending inclined front and rear edge members 104 with which the platen engaging members 25 and 31} of a handle 15 engage when the platen is applied to-the handle.

In using my device for preparing a floor to receive a surface coating, such as wax or varnish, it is desirable to apply a pad of abrasive material, such as sandpaper or steel wool to the platen. Sandpaper 130 applied over cushioning material 131, is shown in Fig. 7 When steel wool is used the cushioning material 131 can be omitted.

When abrasive material is thus used the floor conditioning can be facilitated and-accomplished with less labor if additional weight is imposed on the platen. A con- 2,94c,1o4 r p a.

4 vided with a U-shaped'sp'ring clip 110 which issecured to the weight by screws 111 or like means and has loops 112 on its lower ends. The loops 112 engage with the handle 15 firmly enough to hold the weight in engagement with the handle while the device is in use but leave theweight readily disengageable manually.

Figs. 9 and show my floor conditioning device as it may appear when it is being used to apply liquid to a floor and spread the liquid as it is applied, In said Figs. 9 and 10 I show a liquid receptacle 112 secured to the handle a short distance above a platen 80. A pad 132 of soft or absorbent material, such as cloth, is secured to the platen 80 to be'used in spreading liquid and rubbing it over the floor. The end of the receptacle 112, shown lowermost in Fig. 9, is provided with the usual marginal flange 113 which is engaged under the upwardly protruding lug 109 with the receptacle 112 resting against the upper or front side of the handle 15. The uppermost end of the receptacle 112 is secured to the handle by a spring clip 115 of approximately inverted U shape. An offset upper end bar 116 of the clip 1-15 engages over the upperside of the container or receptacle 112. Loops 118 in the respective side bars 119 and 120 of the clip 115 engage the under side of the receptacle 112 and other loops 121 on the lower ends of the side bars 119 and 120' engage underneath'the handle 15. Thus the receptacle 112 is secured to the handle 15 by means which permits 7 it to be easily applied to and removed from said handle.

venient way to do this is to provide a weight '105, Figs.

7 and 8; which can be readily attached to and detached from the lower end portionof the handle 15.} The weight 105 isprovided with a longitudinally extending groove 1060f square crosssection which fits over and"rec :eives v the lower end portion of the handle 15, said handle part also being of square cross section. 1 A plate 107 is secured 'tothe lowermost end of the weight 105 and is provided scope of the following claims.

The receptacle 112 is used as a container for any liquid which is to be applied to a floor. This may include cleaning solvents and floor conditioning liquids such as wax solutions. The receptacle 112 herein disclosed is a can of rectangular cross section having at one end the usual tubular inlet and outlet fitting #122 provided with a. removable cap 123. The cap 123 has a tubular outlet nipple 124 with which a rubber tube 125 'is connected. The tube 125 is of fairly stiff rubber and if it is um'estrained it will straighten out into a position as shown by dot and dash lines in Fig. 9. When said tube 125 is in the dot and dash line position liquid from the can will discharge through said tube. A control cord 126 is knotted around the outer end portion of this tube 125 and extends upwardly along the handle 15 and is used to-bend' the rubber tube 125 into a position as shown by-full lines in Fig. 9. This pinches ofi the flow of liquid at the location of the sharp bend 127. The tube 125 thus functions both as an outlet tube and as a shut olf valve. The receptacle 112 and tube 125 makes it easy for an operator to apply liquid to a floor, as desired, immediately in front of the platen which is being used to spread the liquid on the floor.

My device, hereinbefore described, is particularly well adapted for use on floors but can also be used to advantage on walls and ceilings. The

platens

60 and 80 and the resilient pad holding clips and attachment plates mounted on said platens are all similar to each other and they will receive and firmly and efficiently hold any pad of proper size which has 'a pliable edge portion capable of being doubled or snubbed over the edges of the platen. The foregoingdescription and accompanying drawings clearly disclose preferred embodiments of my invention but it will be understood that these disclosures are merely illustrative and that changes may be made the Iclaim: t

e 1. In a floor and wall cleaning device, a platen having a plane flat pad supporting surface;- two mounting strips of angularcross section secured on the side of said platen v opposite said pad supporting surface and extending along with a catchmember 108 which is adapted to engage 7 under a lug 109. The lug 109 is rigid with the handle 15 and it cooperates with the catch member 108 in securing the lower end portion of the weight 105 to the handle 15. the other or upper end portion of the weight 105 is protwo opposite lateral edges of the platen; two spring clips pivotally supported from said mounting strips, each spring clip comprising two spaced apart side arms and each side arm having a hold down arm and the two side arms being connected with each other by a transverselyextending pad holding bar; and catch means rigid with the platen s a. a.

. a ..h-t....

and positioned to be engaged by the hold down arms of the clip, whereby the pad holding bar and the clip will be urged toward the platen.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which an attachment plate is pivotally connected with the platen between the two mounting strips, said attachment plate providing self adjustment of the platen to a flat surface.

3. In floor conditioning means, a platen having a flat lower side and a flat upper side; two pad holding clips of resilient wire operatively disposed on the upper side of said platen, each clip comprising a substantially straight pad holding bar, two side arms integral with the respective end portions of said pad holding bar and extending at right angles from said bar, two hold down arms connected with and normally diverging from the respective side arms, reversely bent resilient bearing portions integrally uniting each side arm and the adjacent hold down arm; pivot means rigid with and positioned on the upper side of said platen; said resilient bearing portions being supported by said pivot means providing pivotal movement of the spring clips; and hook means rigid with said platen and extending upwardly therefrom and positioned to be engaged by said hold down arms.

4. Floor conditioning means comprising a rectangular platen having a front edge and a rear edge and two lateral edges and having a flat upper side and a flat lower side, said lower side being adapted to receive a pad which is provided with pliable edge portions capable of being drawn around the front and rear edges of said platen; two spring clips pivotally mounted on the upper side of said platen, each spring clip comprising a substantially straight pad holding bar capable of clamping an edge portion of a pad member, two side arms integral with the respective end portions of said pad holding bar and extending at right angles therefrom, two hold down arms connected with and normally diverging from the respective side arms, reversely bent resilient bearing portions integrally uniting each side arm and the adjacent hold down arm; pivot means rigid with and positioned on the upper side of said platen adjacent the lateral edges thereof and approximately mid way between the fiont and rear edges of said platen, said resilient bearing portions being pivotally supported by said pivot means; and hook members rigid with said platen and extending upwardly therefrom, said hook members being positioned to be engaged by said hold down arms.

5. In floor conditioning means, a flat rectangular platen having a front edge and a rear edge and two lateral edges and having an upper side and a lower side; a pad on the lower side of said platen; two pliable edge portions on said pad doubled over the respective front and rear edges of said platen; two spring clips pivotally mounted on the upper side of said platen, each spring clip comprising a substantially straight pad holding bar positioned to rest on and hold a doubled over pliable edge portion of the pad, two side arms integral with the respective end portions of each pad holding bar and extending at right angles from said bar, two hold down arms connected with and normally diverging from the respective two side arms of each spring clip, reversely bent resilient bearing portions integrally uniting each side arm and the adjacent hold down arm; pivot means rigid with and positioned on the upper side of said platen adjacent the lateral edges thereof and approximately mid way between the front and rear edges of said platen, said resilient bearing portions being pivotally supported by said pivot means; and hook members rigid with said platen and extending upwardly therefrom, said hook members being positioned to receive and hold said hold down arms in clamping the pliable edge portions of the pad between the upper side of the platen and the pad holding bars.

6. In floor conditioning means, a fiat rectangular platen having a front edge and a rear edge and two lateral edges and having an upper side and a lower side; a flat rein- 6 forcing plate rigid with said platen and extending across the upper side of the same mid way between the front and rear edges of the platen, the two end portions of said flat reinforcing plate being upwardly offset relative to the platen and being spaced from the platen and each of said upwardly offset end portions having two perforations therein; two spring clips pivotally mounted on the upper side of said platen, each spring clip comprising a substantially straight pad holding bar, two side arms integral with the respective end portions of said pad holding bar and extending at right angles therefrom, two hold down arms connected with and normally diverging from the respective side arms, reversely bent resilient bearing portions integrally uniting each side arm and the adjacent hold down arm, each reversely bent resilient portion of each spring clip being pivotally received within a perforation in an upwardly ofiset end portion of said reinforcing plate; and hook members rigid with said platen and extending upwardly therefrom, said hook members being positioned to receive and hold said hold down arms.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6 in which an attachment plate capable of detachable engagement with a handle is pivotally mounted on said fiat reinforcing plate substantially in the center of said platen, said attachment plate providing self adjustment of the platen to a floor when the platen is moved over a floor by the handle.

8. In floor conditioning means, a platen having a flat lower side and a flat upper side; two pad holding clips of resilient wire operatively disposed on the upper side of said platen, each clip comprising a substantially straight pad holding bar, two side arms integral with the respective end portions of said pad holding bar and extending at right angles from said bar, two hold down arms connected with and normally diverging from the respective side arms, reversely bent resilient bearing portions integrally uniting each side arm and the adjacent hold down arm; pivot means rigid with and positioned on the upper side of said platen, said resilient bearing portions being supported by said pivot means providing pivotal movement of the spring clips; hook means rigid with said platen and extending upwardly therefrom and positioned to be engaged by said hold down arms; a handle attachment plate pivotally mounted on the upper side of said platen substantially in the center of the platen; a handle adapted to be detachably secured to said handle attachment plate; and a weight capable of being detachably secured to said handle adjacent the lower end of the handle.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 8 in which the lower end portion of the handle is of rectangular cross section and the weight has a longitudinal groove of rectangular shape cross sectionally considered and capable of fitting over the rectangular part of the handle, and in which readily detachable spring clip means is provided for securing the weight to the handle.

10. In a floor conditioning means, a platen having a fiat lower side and a flat upper side; two pad holding clips of resilient wire operatively disposed on the upper side of said platen, each clip comprising a substantially straight pad holding bar, two side arms integral with the respective end portions of said pad holding bar and extending at right angles from said bar, two hold down arms connected with and normally diverging from the respective side arms, reversely bent resilient bearing portions integrally uniting each side arm and the adjacent hold down arm; pivot means rigid with and positioned on the upper side of said platen, said resilient bearing portions being supported by said pivot means providing pivotal movement of the spring clips; hook means rigid with said platen and extending upwardly therefrom and positioned to be engaged by said hold down arms; a handle attachment plate pivotally mounted on the upper side of said platen substantially in the center of the platen; a handle adapted to be detachably secured to said handle attachment plate; a liquid container capable of restpositioned, to deliver liquid onto a floor in front of said platen.

: References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Serva May 18, 1926 Suddarth Ian. '16, 1940' Suddarth Jan. 16,1940

Cravis -Nov. 3, 1942