US3072942A

US3072942A - Air float buffer head

Info

Publication number: US3072942A
Application number: US136039A
Authority: US
Inventors: Richardson Sam
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1961-09-05
Filing date: 1961-09-05
Publication date: 1963-01-15
Anticipated expiration: 1980-01-15

Description

Jan. 15, 1963 s. RICHARDSON AIR FLOAT BUFFER HEAD mm D mw M

Filed Sept. 5, 1961 United States Patent Office 3,072,942 Patented Jan. 15, 1953 3,072,942 AER FLOAT EUFFER HEAD Sam Richardson, 382 Kings Road, Brisbane, Calif. Filed Sept. 5, 1961, Ser- No. 136,039 1 laim. (Q1. 1598) The invention, in general, relates to floor maintenance equipment and more particularly relates to a buffer head which is especially efficacious for polishing floor surfaces having undulations therein at random areas thereof;

In the art of scrubbing or cleaning and polishing of floors, whether concrete or wooden floors, there have been developed in the past a considerable number of different types of both automatic power operated and manually operable cleaners and polishers, the latter including a power driven rotatably mounted head. Most, if not all, of these prior devices have required preliminary washing of the floors desired to be polished with soap and water, which is appreciably expensive not only because of the labor and time employed in the soap washing operation but also because of the cost of the soap and other materials required for washing and rinsing. Moreover, these prior devices have been found ineffective in the great number of cases where undulations are present in the floor surfaces, especially in concrete floors, because of the incapability of the polishing equipment to properly enter cavities or other recesses of the undulatory surfaces. The present invention is directed to the provision of a floor polishing machine which reduces the polishing expense to a minimum by virtue of the elimination of the use of soap and which obviates the disadvantages inherent in prior floor polishing devices.

A primary object of my invention is to provide an air float buffer head for removable attachment to floor polishing equipment which affords a yieldable engagement with a floor surface and which accomplishes the polishing of a floor surface simultaneously with the scrub-cleaning thereof.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide an air float buffer head of the indicated nature which is additionally characterized by the inclusion therein of a removable protective casing thus increasing its durability and the longevity of its use without replacement of components.

A still further object of my present invention is to provide an air float buffer head for cleaning and polishing devices which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and to maintain.

Other objects of the invention, together with some of the advantageous features thereof, will appear from the following description of a preferred embodiment of my invention which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that I am not to be limited to the precise embodiment shown, nor the precise arrangement of the various parts thereof, as my invention, as defined in the appended claims, can be embodied in a plurality and variety of forms.

Referring to the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention in operative position and showing its applicability to the polishing of an underlying undulatory surface.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional elevational view of a preferred embodiment of my invention separated from the floor polishing equipment, per se.

FIG. 3 is bottom plan view partly broken away to illustrate the construction of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a reduced, perspective view of the buffer head with its removable casing.

In its preferred form, the air float buffer head of my present invention preferably comprises, in combination with a portable polishing device including a rotatable body and means for rotating said body, a yieldable pad detachably secured to said body; said pad having a plurality'of passages therein arranged in spaced relationship to one another and opening to the bottom of the pad and being adapted to rise and fall when moved over an undulatory surface,.and a protective casing enveloping said pad; said casing having a plurality of breather holes or vents therein for affording a breathing action within the casing upon undulatory action of the pad when moved over an undulatory surface during a surface polishing action.

As particularly illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the annexed drawings, the improved air float buffer head of my present invention has been designated generally by the reference numeral 11 and it is to be noted that such buffer head, per se, is detachably mounted upon a body 12 which is keyed or otherwise securely fastened to the shaft 13 of a motor, shown schematically and designated by the reference numeral 14, which is supported on a cradle bracket 16 onthe lower end of a shaft 17. The shaft, bracket and motor just described are standard components of conventional portable cleaning and polishing equipment, port-.

ability being rendered thereto by means of castors 1 8, as shown, which are rotatably mounted upon cradle bracket 16. As is customary, a suitable flexible cord 19, containing electrical conductors, not shown, is provided for connecting motor 14 of the equipment, through plug 20 of the cord, to a source of electrical energy, not shown. As indicated and as shown in FIG. 1, the preferred embodiment of my present invention has been devised especially for use in polishing undulatory surfaces, as at 21. However, it is to be understood that the preferred embodiment of the invention shown has equal applicability to the polishing of Wood floors as well as the concrete wavy surfaces 21 shown in FIG.- 1. Conveniently, the body 12 is detachably secured in operative position on the polishing equipment by means'of a metal disc 22, which is keyed or otherwise securely fastened to the motor shaft 13, as well as by means of screws 23 which pierce the metal plate 22 and deeply enter the body 12 which preferably comprises a cylindrical block fabricated of plywood.

In accordance with my invention, the air float buffer head 11 preferably is made up of two main components; namely, a circular resilient pad, which is designated generally by the reference numeral 26 in the annexed drawlugs, and an enveloping jacket 27 therefor. Such two

components

26 and 27 are conveniently detachably mounted on the bottom of the body 12 of the polishing equipment by means of an intermediate circular plate 28 which is preferably fabricated o-f masonite'or the like, as well as by means of screws 29 which pierce the top of the jacket 27 from the inside thereof as well as the circular plate 28 to deeply enter the body 12 through the bottom thereof. The resilient pad 26 preferably is fabricated of sponge rubber and is so fashioned as to provide throughout the entire area thereof a multiplicity of passages 31 which are closed at their inner ends and which open to the exterior of the pad at the bottom thereof. The jacket 27 preferably is fabricated or manufactured of water-proof canvas and is rendered openable by a zipper element 32 having a talon 33 thereon for facilitating the opening and closing of the jacket 27, when desired. In addition, the jacket 27 is formed with a plurality of openings or vents 34 therein which are circumferentially arranged in spaced relationship to one another about the jacket and above the zipper element 32, a particularly shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings. Thus, the combination of the passages 31 of the resilient pads 26, which are open at the bottom, and the vents 34 of the jacket 27 afford a breathing action to the air float buffer head of my present invention as it is moved over a surface, much in the manner of the action of the human lungs. This breathing action materially assists the movement of my improved air float buffer head into and out of recesses in an undulatory surface and the building up of a polished wax surface which not only is attractive but smooth and non-slippery.

As shown in the enlarged view of FIG. 2 of the annexed drawings, the bufler head as an entity may be rotatably mounted to the shaft 13 of motor 14 by securing a centrally apertured circular metal plate 22 to the motor shaft 13 with a pin 37 extending through the plate 22 radially to bear upon the periphery of shaft 13 and by fastening the metal plate 22 by means of a plurality of screws 23 directly to the body 12 of the polishing equipment. A suitable switch, not shown, can be mounted on the handle 17 of the equipment in the customary manner for opening and closing the electrical circuit, not shown, containing motor 14 for starting and stopping the same, at the will of the operator.

The showing in FIG. 2 of the annexed drawings indicates the manner of using my improved air float bufler head for scrubbing a floor before polishing the same; the scrubbing action requiring the use of a conventional nylon pad or disk 41 which is of slightly larger diameter than the diameter of the canvas casing on jacket 27. As shown, the scrubbing disk 41 is not attached to any component of the portable cleaning and polishing equipment but is merely placed on the floor to be scrubbed, and the air float buffer head 11 of my invention is disposed on top of the disk. With the units so disposed, and with the motor 14 in operation both the underlying disk 41 and the buffer 11 will rotate and, at the same time, the equipment can be moved freely about the floor being scrubbed because of the mounting of the equipment on the castors 18. The frictional engagement between the bottom of the jacket 27 of the air float bulfer head 11 and the underlying scrubbing disk 41 prevents dislodgement of the disk from its operative scrubbing position underneath the buffer head.

In order to clean and maintain, as well as polish concrete tile flooring with my improved air float buffer head, it is only necessary first to sweep the floor thatis to'be cleaned and polished so that it is free of grit and grease. Then, using a small water sprinkling can or a small sprinkler head, sprinkle clean water lightly over the cleaned floor surface. No soap or detergent should be used with the water, whether in solution therewith or whether sprinkled on the floor. The advantages of my improvement is the elimination of soap or detergent as vneither is needed. Then, with the disposal 'of desired quantities of wax at various areas of the particular floor being polished and with the scrubbing disk 41 in position under the air float buffer head 11, start motor 14 and move the scrubbing and polishing equipment over the floor area with the air float buffer head 11 and underlying disk 41 in rotation. The breathing action of the butter head 11 will cause the scrubbing and polishing components of the equipment readily to enter recesses in the floor and will cause the polishing wax to build up in such recesses. The air float buffer head 11 polishes as it scrubs. As a final step, and using clean water spread over the surface, mop up all excess dirty water and let the floor dry thoroughly and mop on wax freely to a high polish which will be bright and evenly spread over the entire surface.

It is clear from the foregoing description that the present improvement provides for ready replacement of worn out components. Should the resilient pad 2% become deteriorated and lose its resiliency, it is only necessary to manipulate the zipper 32 of the casing or jacket 27 and remove the worn out pad 25 and replace it with a new pad and then close the zipper 32. Obviously, a new jacket 27 can be substituted for a used jacket at any time. Similarly, a new scrubbing disk 41, which is available on the market, can replace a worn scrubbing disk. For expediting a scrubbing and polishing action on any given floor, the pre-sprinkling of the floor with a sufficient water head can be omitted and such sprinkling action can be accomplished concurrently with the scrubbing and polishing operations by using a sprinkler attachment. I do not mean to infer, however, that the air float buffer head herein described and claimed can not be effectively employed without such last mentioned attachment. Reference to such water sprinkler attachment is made solely because of its effectiveness in reducing the time for scrubbing and polishing any given floor area.

It is to be understood that the appended claim is to be accorded a range of equivalents commensurate in scope with the advances made over the prior art.

I claim:

In combination with a portable surface polishing device including a rotatable body and means for rotating said body, a cylindrical jacket consisting of a top and a bottom and a wall between said top and said bottom, means in the wall of said jacket for opening and closing the same, a plurality of fasteners piercing said top of said jacket and penetrating said body for fastening said jacket to said body, and a yieldable pad within said jacket; said pad having a plurality of passages therein opening to the bottom of the pad and said jacket having a plurality of vents in the Wall thereof in spaced relationship to one another and circumferentially about said wall to establish communication between said passages of said pad and the exterior of said jacket thereby permitting said pad to breathe and to yield when engaging a surface to be polished.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,650,385 De Michel Sept. 1, 1953