US3068503A

US3068503A - Floor conditioner

Info

Publication number: US3068503A
Application number: US756710A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jepson Ivar; Alfred F Ernstberger
Original assignee: Sunbeam Corp
Current assignee: Sunbeam Corp
Priority date: 1958-08-22
Filing date: 1958-08-22
Publication date: 1962-12-18
Anticipated expiration: 1979-12-18
Also published as: GB869588A

Description

DeC 18, 1962 l. JEPsoN ETAL 3,068,503

FLOOR CONDITIONER Filed Aug. 22, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet l 15a zg 151 55 6' 5 j f 47 7 5 5i FLOOR CONDITIONER 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 22, 1958 w. .w m m M w l Q W SMQ. mv W wm .A A QN |NN\1 Q @u Q umlmm 15T @will l l mwN w Vi; f NWN SN W NI l ilw nf @NN l ,Q .z |I UH J m r bw. R wm uw MN NNN Qn www .Www mN wm umm Nm QNIN w NN f a Nm# Dec. 18, 1962 l. JEPsoN ETAL FLOOR CONDITlONER 4 Sheets-Shea?l I5 Filed Aug. 22. 1958 IIIU Dec. 18, 1962 l, EPSON ETAL 3,068,503

FLOOR CONDITIONER,

Filed Aug. 22, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 57 JNVENToRs.

#lfd/2 @dan E www J.

il. g

3,668,503 FLOOR CNDlTiNER Ivar le ssen, 02k Park, and Aifred F. Ernsiherger, Broad view, iii., assignors to Sunbeam Corporation, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of lliincis Filed Aug. 22, 1953, Ser. No. 756,710 9 Claims. (1S- 49) This invention relates to a oor conditioner, and more particularly to an apparatus for scrubbing and polishing iioors and -for scrubbing rugs.

There are several general types of floor polishers or conditioners which are known and currently used in this art. The types referred to are distinguished by the number, shape and orientation of the polishing brushes. Al* though some aspects of the invention have application to any type of polisher, they will be shown and described in connection with the type of oor polisher having a pair of horizontally disposed counter rotating brushes. 'ihis type of polisher is generally preferred for home use since it is small and compact in design and has the greatest stability due to the fact that the reaction effect of the brushes against the oor cancels itself as a result of the oppositely rotating brushes.

In the conventional design of this type of floor polisher, the motor, which is drivingly connected to the brushes, is positioned immediately above the brushes and substantially coextensive with them. The motor frame generaliy takes the form of an oval as seen inplan view ('FiG. 3) with the rounded ends coincident with the circular bru snes. The housing or shroud for the motor is usually an inverted cup-shaped member with its lower lip in engagement with the periphery of the motor frame. The relative positioning of the motor, frame, housing and polishing brushes has placed definite limitations on the usefulness of the polisher.

Although kthe arrangement of the motor and housing directly above the dual brushes results in an efcient, compact design, it has the undesirable effect of producing a polisher of substantial height which is difficult to slide under furniture and overhanging portions of cabinets and the like. If the motor were to be removed from its position above the brushes to reduce this height, Vthe polisher would be much more bulky and other problems connected with protecting the electric motor from the water used in scrubbing would be made more complex. For these reasons, most attempts at solving this problem have been concerned with making the electric motor as flat as possible so that the height of the motor adds as little as possible to the over-all height of the floor polisher. There are, however, obvious limitations to this approach since' a yfairly powerful motor is needed to drive the oor polisher and it must, of necessity, occupy a substantial amount of space in the vertical direction. This limitation has `prevented prior art floor polishers Vfrom being constructed so that they may polish under the overhanging portions of kitchen 'cabinets and the like. v

In view of the fact that most home door polishers lind most frequent use in the kitchen, the importance ofbeing able to polish under the overhanging edges of cabinets cannot be minimized. Since the overhang isnormally less than four inches, it would be virtually impossible to flatten an electric motor enough so that the motor would occupy so little space above the brushes that the polisher unit could be slid under this overhang. It would be desirable to provide a hoor conditioner which could polish under such overhanging portions of cabinets to scrub and polish the portions of the door thereunder. It also would be desirable to provide a iioor conditioner which would polish up to walls and which would go under tables and chairs easily. It also would be desirable in a oor conditioner to have simple and rugged motor mounting and rates Patent 2 commutator brush mounting structure along with an effective bearing structure therefor.

it is well known in the iioor polisher art to .provide support rollers for Vthe Vpolisher to adapt the unit to the scrubbing and cleaning of rugs and fabrics. In order for a iioor polisher `to be useful and effective in scrubbing a rug,

lmeans must be provided to regulate the force applied between tlie brushes and the rug surface. It has been found that itis extremely harmful to a rug to allow the full weight of the oor polisher to urge the scrubbing brushes against the carpet surface. For this reason, the above mentioned rollers are employed to support part of the load of -th'e floor polisher, thereby removing some of the weight from the scrubbing brushes.

In most instances the oor lpolisher will be used `more frequently for polishing rather than scrubbing rugs. Since these supporting rollers, for use in rug scrubbing, are only needed by the user of the appliance infrequently, it would be desirable to have the supporting structure for these rollers as simple andfcompact as possible.

It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a new and'irnproved floor conditioner.

Another object of the linvention is to vprovide a iloor conditioner in which the brushes are mounted extending to the front edge of the motor frame and the motor and housing therefor are mounted toward the lrear of the frame so that the front edge of the frame Iand brushes may move under overhanging cabinets and the like.

Another object of the invention is to provide a iioor conditioner having supporting rollers for rug scrubbing which are easily assembled to anddisassembledfrorn the floor conditioner.

Another object of the invention is to provide a oor conditioner Yhaving removable rollers for supporting the units for rug scrubbing, there being Separate front and yrear roller units which assemble to the frame by inserting into sockets therein.

A further object of the invention is to provide a -simplied motor and supporting frame 4therefor in a iioor conditioner in which a single unitary casting provides the support for the armature, the motor iield, the motor brushes and the gearing associated with theV iioor conditioner.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide .a floo'r conditioner having a frame provided with a cradle portion for supporting vthe motor field which is held on the cradle by a strap together with self-aligning bearings for the armature shaft. The bearings 'are mounted in gear hou-sings in the frame and have worm gears meshing with gears on bru-sh spindles. The bearings are held ,by covers of the gear box housings, and seals of elastic, grease resistant plastic lit into slots at ends of the housings to retain grease in the housings. Brush holdersare held in seats in the frame by single screws.

A further object of the invention is to provide a floo vconditioner having a motor casing vsecured tothe frame by spring hooks.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of a iioor condi tioner forming a Aspecific embodiment thereof, when Vread infconjunction with the appended drawings, in which:-

FIG. l is a perspective view of a floor conditioner forming one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. `2 is an enlarged, vertical section of the conditioner shown in FIG. l, and taken perpendicular to the armature shaft through the portion including the commutator brushes;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, plan view ofthe conditioner with the motor housing and portions of brush holders and gear housing cut away;

fFIG. 4 is an enlarged vertical section taken along line 4 4 of FIG. 3;

cleaning attachment;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged, horizontal section taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 6; and

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the rug cleaning attachment. The invention provides a door conditioner in which the motor and its housing are set back from the front edge of the motor frame so that the portion of the frame and brushes thereunder can be moved under overhanging cabinets and the like. The forwardly extending portion of the frame is substantailly at and as low as possible in height. The conditioner has quickly detachable brushes and quickly detachable polishing pads. A pair of simple, adjustable supporting attachments are used to support the conditioner when used to scrub carpets. A

single unitary cast frame is employed to support all the elements of the motor, the gearing, the bearings and the handle. The motor iield is supported by a cradle portion of the frame and held in place by a U-shaped strap which serves to guide coolingV air through the field. The covers for the gear boxes have springs for holding self-aligning bearings in bearing seats in the frame. The covers also press molded seals of neoprene into slots in the frame to seal grease in the gear box. The motor housing is secured to the frame by leaf spring hooks tirmly holding the cover on the frame.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, the licor conditioner shown therein includes a pair of oppositely driven disc brushes 10 carried by a frame 11 and driven by an electric motor 12. The motor 12 is enclosed by means of an inverted cup-shaped housing or casing 13. This assemblage is manipulated by a handle 14. The handle 14 comprises an elongated shaft portion 15a and yoke shaped portion 15b which serves to connect the handle to the polisher frame. The yoke portion 15b is constructed from channel shaped material which is formed in the shape of a U and connected to the lower end of the shaft portion 15a by welding. The ends of the legs of yoke portion 15b are provided with means for pivotally relating the handle and the motor frame 11 as will be explained in detail below. The frame 11 is of a generally inverted cup-shaped configuration having a depending peripheral ilange. Frame 11 is a one-piece die-casting which serves to support all the parts ot the polisher as well as providing gear boxes for the transmission means `connecting the motor 12 to the polishing brushes 10.

The motor 12 is provided with a laminated iron field 16 which is supported on frame 11 by a cradle structure formed by upwardly extending supporting lugs or posts 17 and 1S.` The lugs 17 engage shoulders on the iield 16 and positively lock the field against rotation relative to the eld. The outermost lugs 18 as viewed in FIG. 4 engage the ends of the eld 16 and prevent endwise movement thereof. 'I'he two more centrally located lugs as viewed in FIG. 4 have concave upper surfaces and engage the periphery of the iield 16 to support it thereon.

For the purpose of holding the eld tixedly in the cradle structure formed by the

lugs

17 and 18, a U- shaped shroud or strap 19 is employed. The bight portion of strap 19 engages the upper semi-cylindrical portion of the field 16. The ends'of the legs of the U-shaped strap 19 are provided with outwardly extending anges 19a which are secured to frame 11 by screws 20.

Thev motor 12 has an armature 25 Vwhich is mounted Von a shaft 26. The armature shaft extends transversely of the frame 11 so that the ends of the shaft 26 are 'located above and slightly to the rear of the axes of the polishing brushes 10.` To support the armature shaft bearings and the other gearing and bearings associated v with the floor polisher, a gear housing 32 is cast integrally with the frame 11 and extends upwardly'therefrom. The

housing 32 has an outer peripheral wall 32a and a generally horizontally extending iloor portion 32b. The floor portion 32b serves to define the lower wall of a chamber 32e within which the motor bearings and reduction gearing of the polisher are received.

The armature shaft 26 is supported by means of a pair of spherical or self-aligning journal bearings 27. The gear housing wall 32]: is formed with an upwardly facing spherical bearing seat 28. The chamber 32C is lled with a heavy lubricating grease and is closed by means of a cover plate 3) which is secured to the walls 32a by means ot assembly screws 31. Suitable gasketing between the cover 30 and the walls 32a prevents leakage of lubricant therefrom. The cover plate 36 not only serves as a closure for the gear chamber 32e but also mounts the means for retaining bearing 27 in position in bearing seat 2 8. A U-shaped leaf spring 29 has its bight portion riveted to the bottom face 4of cover plate 30 with its legs extending downwardly to bias the bearing 27 against its seat 28 and lock it into the bearing slot to prevent bearing rotatlon.

To absorb the thrust on the ends ofthe armature shaft and provide adjustment of the longitudinal positioning and adjustment of the play in the armature Shaft 26, adjustable thrust screws 33 are threadedly received in bores 35 tapped iu the walls 32a of the gear housing. The screw 33 is locked in position by means of nut 34 which is threaded thereon. The adjustment screw 33 is provided with a recess for receiving a thrust bearing 33 made of bronze or other suitable bearing material. To permit entry of armature shaft 26 into gear housing 32C, an opening 32d is formed in the wall 32a. To avoid binding or interference between the shaft 26 and the sides of opening 32d, the opening is considerably larger than the shaft diameter. A gasket or molded seal 36 is employed to seal the space between shaft 26 and the sides of opening 32d so that lubricant will not escape from the gear chamber 32C. The molded seal 36 may be made of a polymerized chloroprene compound or the like resilient material. The portions of walls 32a adjacent the openings 32d are provided with slots 37 which receive the peripheral portions of the molded seals 56. The spherical bearings 27 tit tightly against the molded seals 36 deliecting them outwardly and assuring sealing engagement with the Walls of slots 37. The upper edges of the molded seals 36 extend above the tops of walls 32a so that the covers Si) tend to compress the molded seals for good sealing engagement.

For the purpose of cooling the motor 12, an axial liow fan 45 (PIG. 4) is fixed to the armature shaft adjacent one end of the armature 25. The strap or shroud 19 which was described above as retaining the field in aS- sembled relation to the motor frame 11, also serves to vdirect the cooling air moved by fan 45 through the lield and armature structure. To best accomplish this purpose, the semi-cylindrical portion of the shroud 19 is positioned close to the path delined by the ends of the blades of fan 4S.

To assure axial liow of the air at the bottom of the fan which is not closely embraced by the shroud 19, the frame casting 11 is formed with a pair of integral wedge shaped projections 11a (FIG. 4). The two projections 11a cooperate to form a concave wall extending between the vertical portions of shroud 19 in closely spaced relation to the lower half of the path delined by the ends of the blades of fan 45. Thus the shroud 19 and the projections 11a define a circular opening within which the fan 45 is mounted for rotation. The lfan 45, as viewed in FIG. 4, moves the air from right to left, cooling the entire motor 12.

At the right-hand end of the armature windings, there is provided a commutator 46 supplied with power from carbon brushes 47. To mount each of the carbon brushes 47 for slidable movement radially of the commutator 46,

a channel shaped brass sleeve 48 is provided which is.

received within the plastic brush holder ft. The brush holder 51 is molded with an elongated recess 5ta which opens toward the commutntor and snugly encloses the sleeve 48. To retain the sleeve 48 in assembled relation in the recess Sitz of the brush holder 5l, a tab S3 extends outwardly vfrom the end of the sleeve most remote from the commutator 46. The base of the recess 51a has an opening 54 extending outwardly therethrough. The tab 53 extends through the opening S4 and is bent over on the outside of brush holder 51 to prevent relative movement between the brush holder 51 and the sleeve 4S.

The sleeve 48 not only provides a suitable bearing surface for the carbon brush 47 to slide upon, but it serves to retain the carbon brush assembled to the brush holder 51 and to prevent the electrical connectors from engaging the commutator as wear occurs in the brush as will be pointed out below. The electrical connections between the eld coil leads and the carbon brushes 47 are accomplished by means of a pair of lead connectors ti. The outer ends of the carbon brushes are formed with cylindrical bosses 47a of reduced diameter. Each connector 5G has a channel shaped portion 49 having side walls 49a above and below the ends of brush 47. The base or center of portion 49 has a perforation to receive the cylindrical boss 47a. T o assure good electrical conduction between the connector Sti and brush 47 as well as to retain the parts in assembled relation, the walls 49a of the connector Sti are bent inwardly so that they grip the end portion of brush 47. To provide clearance for the lowermost of the walls 49a, the channel shaped sleeve 48 has a longitudinally extending groove 48a in its base portion as can be best seen in FIG. 4.

To bias the brush 47 into engagement with commutator 46, a helical spring 52 is received within the sleeve 48. One end of the spring 52 seats against the bottom of the recess 51a in brush holder 5l. The outer end of the spring 52 encircles the cylindrical boss 47a and is in engagement with the lead connector Sil. Thus the spring 52 also biases the lead connector Sti into engagement with the brush 47.

The upper face of the brush holder 51 has a slot 56 extending through the wall to recess 51a so that there is clearance for the outwardly extending end of the connector to move longitudinally of the brush holder 51. The slot S6 is coincident with the mouth of the channel shaped sleeve 4S so that the connector 50 may extend outside of the brush holder and slide longitudinally thereof as wear occurs to the brushes 47. To prevent the connector Stb from sliding completely out of the sleeve 48 and into engagement with the commutator 46 after the carbon -brush 47 has worn substantially, the sleeve 48 is formed with a pair of inwardly extending stop members 55. When the brush holder 5l is not in assembled position on the motor frame or when the carbon brush 47 has been almost completely worn away, the helical spring 52 will tend to urge the connector 50 out of the sleeve 48. The -stop members 55 engage the lead connector 5t) and limit the action of the helical spring 52 in biasing the lead connector 59 outwardly `from the brush holder.

The brush holders 5l are assembled t-o the frame casting 11 by means of mounting projections 57 (FIG. 3) which are molded integrally therewith and extend sidewardly therefrom. The projections 57 have longitudinally extending slots 5S through which assembly screws 59 extend. To position the brushes on a diametrical line through the commutator, the frame 1l has a pair of upwardly extending post members 61 cast integrally therewith. Extending across the top of post members 6l are grooves 61a which are of suitable width to snugly receive the brush holders 51. To insure positive seating at the proper height, the grooves 61a are deep enough to provide clearance between the posts 6l and the brush holders 5l while the brush holders 51 seat against the tops of posts 6i on the side projections 57 and the longitudinally extending shoulder portions Sib which extend along the dil length of `both sides of the brush holders. Assembly screws 59 for the brush holders are received in threaded openings in the upper faces of posts 61 as can be best seen in FlG. 4. One of the screws 59 also serves to assemble a notched conductor holding clip 62 in position against the top face of one of the brush holders S1; The clip 62 has a notch 62a in its outwardly extending end to secure one of the eld leads therein to prevent its interr-l ference with the rotating member. To positively lock the brush holders Sl in a radial direction relative to thel commutator 46, downwardly extending protuberances 63 are formed on the inner ends of each of the brush holders 5l. Each protuberance 63 engages the inner face of post 61. rThe slots 58 for assembly screws 59 cooperate with the protuberances 63 to permit easy assembly and disassembly of the brush holders 51 to the frame 11. To disassemble one of the brush holders 51, its assembly screw 59 need only be loosened slightly so that the brush holder may be elevatedsuilciently to disengage the pro'- tuberance 63 from the lface of the support post 6l. The brush holder may then be slid rearwardly away `from the commutator thus disengaging the side projection 57 from the screw 59.

From the above description, it is clear that armature shaft 26 is supported by means of two spaced spherical journal bearings 27 and adjustable thrust bearings 33. The portions of shaft 2.6 ,between the journal bearings and the thrust bearings have worms 7l machined thereon. To rotatably support the polishing or scrubbing brushes lit, vertically extending shafts or spindles 73 are mounted in frame l1 immediately in front of the worms 71. To complete the gear reduction between the armature shaft 26 and brush supporting spindles 73, worm gears 72 are stacked to the upper end of spindles 73 and rotate in engagement with the worms 71 on armature shaft 26.

The bottom wall 32h of the gear chamber 32C has an integrally cast bearing supporting sleeve 7S extending downwardly therefrom. Elongated journal bearings 74 are press fitted into the bearing supports 75 and support the spindles 73 for rotation therein. l

To absorb the axial thrust on spindle '73 there is pro'- vided a thrustwasher 77 at the brush end of the journal bearing 74. The yfelt washer 76 is'seated in an annular recess in the bottom wall 32]; of the gear chamber 326. The felt washer 76 bears against the lower face of worm gear 72. The worm gear and spindle assemblies are secured in place for rotation in journal bearing 74 by means of aC-ring 78 which snaps into an annular groove in v spindle 73 to prevent withdrawal of the spindle shaft upwardly throug'hvtheV bearing 74. The thrust washer 77 is assembled between the C-ring 7S and the lower lface of journal bearing 74.

The portion of the spindle 73 extending below the C- 5ring'78 is provided with ilattened portions 79 which serve tojkey the brushes l0 against rotation relative to the spindle 73. The brushes lil have backs 30 from which the bristles extend. The backs of the brushes have assembly holes 81 formed therein which have fiat sided portions to cooperate with the flattened portions i9l ofthe spindles 73 to prevent relative rotation between the brushes and the driving shafts. y

To complete the assembly of the brushes It? to the spindles 73 a pair of sheet metal brackets 82 aresecured to the underside of the brush backs Sti. These brackets lock the brushes 10 against axial movement relative to thes'pindles 73. The sheet metal bracket 82 resembles in form two crossed U-shaped brackets joined at their bight portions with their legs extending upwardly in spaced parallelrelati-on. To secure the bracket to the bottom of brush back Si), a pair V"of legs 32a of one of the U-'shaped portions is secured to the underside of the brush back by means of screws or rivets 83. The bracket 82 is further supportedby a third leg 82h (FIG. 4) which fits tightly into a slot 84 in the bottom of back 86. The leg opposite to 32h, 82C, is unsupported at its end and serves to lock the brush 8l) to the spindle 73. The locking engagement between the leg 82e and the spindle 73 is accomplished through the lateral displacement of an opening 82d which is formed in a horizontally extending portion of leg 82e. The lower ends of spindles 73 have annular grooves 73a formed thereon. The opening 82d in the leg 82C is of sutiicient size to receive the end of spindle 73 when the opening and shaft are placed in alignment. The hole 82d is, however, displaced laterally from alignment with the hole 81 in the brush back Sti. Thus, to bring the holes 81 and 82d into alignment, it is necessary to dellect the leg 82e by squeezing the U- shaped portion comprising legs 3212 and 82C. After the brush is assembled to the spindle 73 and the squeezing force released from leg 82e, it tends to deflect to its unbiased position. Under such conditions, a locking portion 82e along the edge of opening 82d snaps into the annular groove 73a to lock the brush 1d on the spindle. To remove the brush 1t? from the spindle73, it is merely necessary to deflect the leg 82C to the left as seen in FIG. 4 until the opening 82d becomes aligned with the spindle 73.

To enable the brush to be rapidly assembled to the spindle 73, a camming portion or bevel 86 is placed on Ithe lower end of the spindle 73. The brush may then be assembled to the spindle without squeezing inwardly on lthe leg 82e. By merely moving the brush axially of the spindle 73, the camming portion or bevel 36 deilects the opening 82d until it becomes aligned with the spindle 73. If the brush continues to be moved axially of the spindle 73, the opening 82d and its locking portion 82e become aligned with the annular groove 73a at which time the locking portion 82e snaps into engagement with the groove 73a.

It is sometimes desirable to secure polishing pads to theoor polisher to be rotated by the spindles 73. To permit the most simple construction possible for the polishing pads, they have been mounted by means of merely snapping them to the face of the brushes 1G. Each pad comprises a circular polishing member 92 having a snap member 93 secured to its midpoint. The bracket 82 has a cooperating snap 9) secured thereto which cooperates with the snap 93 to assemble the polishing pad to the face of the brush member 10. Mounted to the right of the frame 11, as viewed in FIG. 2, is the sheet metal housing 13 which creates an attractive appearance for the top of the conditioner and also keeps dirt away from the motor 12. A substantial amount of the left-hand portion of the frame 11, which 4is quite at and low in height projects beyond the housing 13 so that it may enter the space between low overhanging cabinets and the like to scrub and polish therebeneath. As can be seen in FIG. 2, the frame 11 has been designed to occupy a minimum amount of space above the brushes 10. The substantial width of the low projecting portion of the frame 11 has been made possible by placing the motor rearwardly of the spindles 73 and utilizing a housing 13 which conforms as closely as possible to the contour of the motor.

A protective rubber or plastic bumper 95 covers the periphery of the frame 11. The bumper has a central groove which engages a ridge on the frame 11 to maintain it in position thereon. To position the housing 13 relative to the frame 11, a plurality of-upwardly extending

shoulder protuberances

96 and 97 are provided. The lower periphery of the housing 13 `rests on shoulders 96a and 97a to space the sheet metal housing 13 above the metal `frame 11, thereby minimizing the vibration noise which might be produced between these two members. Although some of the Ventilating air is taken in and exhausted through the space between the frame 11 and the housing 13, additional air inlet slots 98 (FIG. 4) and air outlet slots 99 are formed in the housing 13. The portion of the housing coextensive with the shroud 19 fits fairly closely over the shroud so that the portions of the Vhousing extending beyond the ends of the shroud act as extensions of the shroud in guiding air to and from the motor.

To secure the housing 13 to the frame 11, a pair of inverted U-shaped hooks 105 of spring sheet metal are employed. As can be best seen in FIG. 4, the ends of the housing 13 are engaged by hook members 143511 which extend inwardly from the bight portion of each of the U-shaped hooks 105. Suitable slots 106 are formed in the housing 13 to receive the hooks 105e. The downwardly extending Ilegs of the U-shaped hooks each have hook shaped portions 105e extending inwardly from their lower ends. Each end of the frame 11 has two downwardly extending openings 109 provided to receive the hook portions 105C. The inner edge of each of the holes ing or space between the legs of each of the hooks is designated 105e. The portion of housing 13 adjacent each of the openings 195e is provided with a corresponding opening in alignment with a slightly llarger than open- :ing 1115s' for the handle mounting means to extend therethrough. To lessen the possibility of damage to the insulation on the electrical conductors which enter the housing through one of the openings 165e, the edges of the openings 165e are provided with rolled edges 105]'. To mount the handle 14 pivotally on the frame 11, trunnions 121 having enlarged heads 12111 are spot welded to the lower ends ot the handle yoke 15b. The inwardly extending ends of trunnions 121 are formed with grooved portions 121b which serve to locate the trunnions against axial displacement. To rotatably support the trunnions 121, the frame 11 is provided with upwardly facing bearing seats 122. The grooved portions 121b are received in the bearing seats 122 and secured therein by means of leaf spring straps 123. The straps 123 are secured in assembled relation to the frame 11 by means of screws 124. The trunnions 121 and the associated handle yoke 15b permit the handle to be rotated through an angle of slightly more than As viewed in FIG. 2, the yoke 15b may be rotated to the right until it engages the frame 11. In this position with the yoke rotated down against the frame 11, the conditioner may be conveniently hung on a wall hook with the brushes against the wall. When lifted in this position, the center of gravity of the trarne, motor, brushes, etc. is located in such a position to maintain the frame rotated against the yoke 15b in the convenient position for wall mounting. The upper end of the handle has a hole 126 in the back thereof to permit the hanging of handle on a nail or a hook on the wall. For storage on the iloor, the handle may be moved forwardly to an overcenter position just Vforward of its vertical position, the limits of which are determined by raised stops 127 provided on frame 11 and engaged by the lower ends of the yoke 15b when the handle is moved to its overcenter position and not engaged when the handle is in any of its positions to the rear of this forward position. A power cord 131 extends from a resilient grommet type strain relieving sleeve 13) secured to the handle 14, and insulated conductors 132 of the cord travel down the hollow handle and along the inside of one leg of the yoke 15b where they are held by a cardboard retainer 133 held in the channel-like yoke by spring clips 134. The conductors are wrapped one complete turn around the adjacent trunnion before passing them through opening e in one of the hooks 105 and are clamped to the frame by a clip 135 (FIG. 3). The ends of the conductors are connected to leads 136 of the motor by known means. The portions of the conductors 134 extending through the hook 105 are protected with an insulating, wear resistant sleeve. The conductors are wound around the trunnion 121 in a direction such that pivotal movement of the handle 14 rearwardly from its extreme forward position tends to unwind the conductors so that they are slackened rather than tensioned.

For storing the exterior portion of the cord 131, hooks 141 and 142 are mounted in the handle 14. The lower hook 142 is xed to the handle 14 by screws or the like while the hook 141 is mounted on a cup-shaped bracket 143 (FIG. 5) secured rigidly to the handle by screws 144. The hook 141 is pivotally mounted on the bracket by a rivet 145. To obtain a detent action in the pivotal mounting of hook 141, a curved spring washer 141i is secured against the inner face of cup-shaped bracket 143 by means of the rivet 145. The cup-shaped bracket 143 has a pair of detent buttons 143a extending outwardly therefrom above and below the rivet 145. The hook 141 is provided with detent depressions 141a which receive buttons 14301 to restrain the hook 141 against rotation relative to cupshaped bracket 143. The detent buttons 143a are of such height that the spring washer 146 permits the bracket 141 to move outwardly and the rivet 14'5 to move axially a sulcient distance to disengage the buttons lda from the depressions 141m The bracket 141 may then be positioned in either a cord retaining, upwardly directed position or a cord releasing downwardly projecting position.

For scrubbing rugs with the iioor conditioner described above, it is necessary that the brushes do not support the entire weight of the door conditioner. If the brushes support the entire weight of the conditioner, the extremely high resistance to rotation caused by the nap of the rug causes damage to the rug and possible overheating of the conditioner. To adapt the conditioner for rug scrubbing operations, a pair of identical front and rear attachments are secured to the conditioner and support the weight of the conditioner. Since the rug scrubbing attachment is used infrequently, the attachment embodied in the instant invention has been designed to be as small and compact as possible for convenient storage. This result is achieved by making the attachment in two parts, each of which is small in size and easily assembled to the iloor conditioner. There is, therefore, a rug scrubbing attachment 151 for supporting the front and one for supporting the rear portion of the motor frame 11. For the purpose of mounting each attachment 151 in supporting relation to the frame 1I, a pair of guides 153 are cast integrally in the downwardly extending ange of the frame 11 as can be best seen in FIGS. 6 and 7. The guides 153 extend vertically and are L-shaped in cross section. The inwardly directed L-shaped guides cooperate with the flange of frame 11 to form vertical sockets within whichv the attachments 151 extend.

The attachment 151 has a rigid, angular mounting plate 152 having a tang portion 152a insertable into the vertical socket in the' frame 11. A leaf spring 154 riveted to the plate 152 presses against the iiange of the frame to frictionally retain the attachment in position in the frame.

Ribs

155 and 156 integral with the frame 11 extend into pressed grooves 152b in the plate 152 to guide and maintain the vertical alignment of tang portion 152a when assembled to frame 11. Tabs 152C are bent oppositely from tang portion 152er and bear against the bottoms of the guides 153 to limit insertion of the tang portions 152:1 into the sockets in frame 11.

To provide a vertical height adjustment in the attachment 151, a rigid plate 157 is secured against the plate 152 by means of' a wing headed screw 158. The surface of plate 157 adjacent to plate 152 is provided with keying ribs 157a which cooperate with grooves 152b to guide the plate 157 along a straight line when its position is adjusted relative to plate 152. The plate 157 is provided with a slot 15711 through which the wing headed screw 158 extends into a tapped hole 152d in the plate 152. A pair of wooden rollers 159 are mounted for rotation on the plate 157 by means of an axle member 161. The lower end of plate 157 has a pair of spaced parallel arms 157C which have holes formed therein for receiving the axle 161. To maintain the rollers 159 and the plate 157 in assembled relation to the axle 161, the ends of the axle are grooved to receive slotted spring washers 160 which are snapped into the grooves 16161. The plate 157 has a number of scale lines 162 stamped along one edge so that the front and rear attachments 1'51 may be adjusted to the same height. The scale lines 162 may be aligned with the edge 163 of the plate 152. From the above description it is evident that the attachments 151 may be readily inserted in place in the assembly sockets provided in the motor frame 11. The cooperating guides and grooves on the frame 11 and the tang portion 15251 assure a rigid connection between each attachment and the frame 11. Since the rug scrubbing supporting structure includes no connecting means between the front andback rollers other than the notor frame 11, the removable portions of the attachment are extremely simple and compact in construction.

Although there has been illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the presentl invention it will be understood that various changes and modifications may occur to those skilled in the art. It is intended in the appended claims to cover all those changes and modifications which fall in the true spirit and scope of the Present invention.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A floor conditioner comprising a motor supporting frame, a motor mounted on said frame, a pair of horizontally spaced vertical spindles rotatably mounted on and extending below said frame, gearing means drivingly interconnecting said motor and said vertical spindles, a pair of disc brushes' detachably secured to said 'spindles below said frame, a pair of separate supporting attachments for carrying part of the weight of said conditioner when said brushes are applied to a rug, each attachment having a pair of spaced rollers rotatably carried by a plate member, assembly members adjustably connected to each said plate member, said frame being provided with downwardly opening socket means positioned at opl posite edges of said frame equidistantl from said spindles, said assembly members being vertically slidable into said socket means to support said conditioner on said rollers and said brushes, the adjustable connection between said plate and said assembly member permitting the spacing between said rollers and said frame to be varied.

2. A floor conditioner comprising a supporting frame having a downwardlyy extending peripheral flange, a motorv mounted on said frame, a p'air of horizontally spaced vertical spindles rotatably mounted on said frame and extending below said` frame, gearing means drivingly interconnecting said motor and said vertical spindles, a pair of disc brushes' detachably` secured to saidV spindles below said frame, said brushes being partially within the recess defined by said peripheral ange, a'pair ofl separate supporting attachments for carrying partl of the weight of said conditioner when saidk brushes are applied to a rug, a pair of vertically extending L-shaped guide members on the front and rear portions of said peripheral ange centrally located between said brushes, the two L-shaped guides of each pair being widely spaced with the free ends of said L-shaped guides being inwardly directed to form a vertically extending socket, each said attachment including elongated roller supporting means and an assembly portion slideably received in one of said sockets to detachably secure one of said attachments to the front and one to the rear of said frame with the axes of said roller means parallel to the plane of said brushes.

3. A floor conditioner comprising a motor supporting frame having a downwardly extending peripheral ange, a motor mounted on said frame, a pair of horizontally spaced vertical spindles rotatably mounted on said frame and extending below said frame, gearing means drivingly interconnecting said motor and said vertical spindles, a pair of disc brushes detachably secured to said spindles below said frame, a pair of separate supporting attachments for carrying part of the weight of said conditioner when said brushes are applied to a rug, each attachment having a pair of spaced rollers rotatably carried by a rigid supporting means, widely spaced inwardly extending guide ribs on the inside front and rear portions of said peripheral flange, an assembly portion on said rigid -supporting means, and said guide ribs being spaced to form vertically extending sockets for detachably receiving said assembly portions to supoprt said conditioner on said rollers and said brushes.

4. A door conditioner as set forth in claim 3 wherein said assembly portion includes an outwardly extending spring member which engages the wall of said socket to retain said attachment assembly to said frame.

5. A floor conditioner comprising an oval supporting frame having a depending peripheral flange, a pair of horizontally spaced vertical spindles rotatably mounted on said frame and extending below said frame, a pair of disk brushes secured to said spindles immediately below said frame and partially enclosed by said peripheral ange, the outer semi-circular portions of said brushes being coextensive with the curved portions of said oval frame, a pair of vertically extending sockets formed in said peripheral ange on opposite sides of said oval frame and positioned eqnidistant between saidvertical spindles, a pair of separate supporting attachments for carrying part of the weight of said conditioner, each attachment including a pair of spaced rollers rotatably mounted on a plate member, and an attachment bracket adjustably connected to each said plate member, each said attachment bracket having a socket engaging portion slideably received in one of said sockets to mount an attachment with the axes of said rollers parallel to the plane of said brushes, said portion of said attachment bracket being iiat and being elongated in the direction of the axis of said rollers.

6. A oor conditioner comprising a frame, a motor supported thereon, a pair of transversely spaced vertical spindles rotatably mounted on said frame and extending below said frame, gearing means drivingly interconnecting said motor and said vertical spindles, disc brushes secured to each spindle below said frame, a pair ofV separate supporting attachments for carrying part of the weight of said conditioner when said brushes are applied to a rug,

each attachment having transversely extending elongated roller means carried by a 'rigid supporting means, projections integral with said frame extending downwardly at the front and rear of said frame between said spindles, each said projection including transversely spaced guide means, an assembly portion on said rigid supporting means, and said guide means at the front and said guide means at the rear forming vertically extending sockets for detachably receiving said assembly portions to support said conditioner on said roller means and said brushes with the axes of said roller means parallel to the plane of said brushes. v

7. A floor conditioner as set forth in claim 6 wherein said assembly portion is vadjustably connected to said rigid supporting means to vary the vertical spacing between said roller mean-s and said frame.

8. A floor conditioner comprising a frame supporting a motor thereon, a pair of transversely spaced vertical spindles rotatably mounted on said frame and extending below said frame, means drivingly interconnecting said motor land said vertical spindles, a pair of disc brushes secured to said spindles below said frame, a downwardly extending flange around the periphery of said frame, a pair `of separate attachments for carrying part of the weight of said conditioner when said brushes are applied to a rug, each attachment having transversely extending roller means carried by a rigid supporting means, transversely spaced guide ribs on the front and rear portions of said flange, and an assembly portion on said rigid supporting means, said guide ribs being 'spaced to form vertically extending sockets for detachably receiving said assembly portions to mount said roller means with their axes parallel to the plane of said brushes.

9. A door conditioner comprising a supporting trame, a pair of transversely spaced vertical spindles rotatably mounted on and extending below said frame, a pair of disc brushes secured to said spindles below said frame, a depending peripheral flange on said frame partially enclosing said brushes, a pair of vertically extending sockets formed in said peripheral ange on opposite sides of said frame and positioned eqnidistant between said vertical spindles, a pair of separate supporting attachments for carrying part of the weight of said conditioner, each attachment including -transversely extending roller means rotatably mounted on a plate member, and an attachment bracket adjustably connected to said plate member, each said attachment bracket having a socketengaging portion slidably received in one of said sockets to mount an attachment with the axis of said roller means parallel to the plane of said brushes, said portion of said attachment being at and being elongated in the direction of the axis of said roller means.

References citen in the nie or this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,181,384 Heaslet May 2, 1916 1,482,954 Tideman 'Feb 5, 1924 1,938,300 Sassano Dec. 5, 1933 2,052,129 Campbell Aug. 25, 1936 2,079,293 Kirby May 4, 1937 2,258,165 Sassano Oct. 7, 1941 2,294,814 Thrailkill Sept. l, 1942 2,334,364 VaVrik Nov. 16, 1943 2,515,671 Snyder July 18, 1950 2,540,510 Clausen Feb. 6, 1951 2,626,412 Peterson `lan. 27, 1953 2,640,211 Peterson June 2, 1953 2,710,416 Lalonde June 14, 1955 2,727,262 Gerber Dec. 20, 1955 2,734,393 Luenberger Feb. 14, l1956 2,759,368 Kitto Aug. 21, 1956 2,784,433 Verhagen Mar. 12, 1957 2,798,176 Seyfried July 2, 1957 2,813,208 Ritter Nov. 12, 1957 2,874,396 Smith Feb. 24, 1959