US 4,731,956 AGranted

Floor polishing machine

AssigneeAdvance Machine Company

InventorDavid W. Wood

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Abstract

A cleaning apparatus according to the teachings of the present invention disclosure is shown in its most preferred form of a floor polishing machine having a polishing member rotatably mounted to a platform. The polishing member is raised off the floor surface by lift levers and lever extensions pivotally mounted to the chassis having their first ends pivotally mounted to the platform of the polishing member and their second ends pivotally attached to a vertically reciprocal rod biased by a spring. The polishing member automatically lowers due to the suction created by the polishing member forcing the air from underneath the center of the polishing member during rotation and against the bias of the spring. The rigid polishing member is allowed to follow the floor surface due to the pivotal mounting of the platform to the ends of the lift levers and to a parallelogram assembly. To control dust and debris, a vacuum chamber is provided surrounding the polishing member, with the vacuum being created by an impeller formed on and rotating with the polishing member and within a pressurizing chamber for drawing air out of the vacuum chamber and forcing it through a filtering dust bag.

Claims24

Dependent claims

Machine for polishing floor surfaces comprising, in combination:

a chassis adapted to be moved along the floor;
a polishing member for rotation about a polishing axis for polishing the floor surface when the chassis is moved along the floor;
a platform for rotatably mounting the polishing member;
at least a first lift lever pivotally mounted to the chassis about a first pivot axis and having a free end pivotally mounted to the platform about a second pivot axis;
a lift arm pivotally mounted to the platform about the second pivot axis;
a parallelogram bar pivotally mounted to the chassis at a third pivot axis and having a free end pivotally mounted to the lift arm about a fourth pivot axis, with the first and third pivot axis lying along a vertical line and being spaced a distance, with the second and fourth pivot axis being spaced a distance equal to the spacing distance of the first and third pivot axis, with the first and second pivots axis being spaced a distance, with the third and fourth pivot axis being spaced a distance equal to the spacing distance between the first and second pivot axis, with the chassis, the lift lever, the lift arm, and the parallelogram bar forming a parallelogram for maintaining the lift arm in a vertical orientation;
means for pivoting the lift lever about the first pivot axis moving the polishing member between an operating position engaging the floor surface and a transport position spaced from the floor surface, with the second pivot axis allowing the platform and the polishing member to follow the floor surface when the chassis is moved along the floor regardless of the unevenness of the floor surface.

4 more elements

Machine for polishing floor surfaces comprising, in combination:

a chassis adapted to be moved along the floor;
a polishing member for rotation about a polishing axis for polishing the floor surface when the chassis is moved along the floor;
a platform for rotatably mounting the polishing member;
at least a first lift lever pivotally mounted to the chassis about a first pivot axis and having a free end attached to the platform;
a lever extension contiguous with the first lift lever and extending beyond the first pivot axis in a direction opposite to the free end of the first lift lever, with the lever extension having a free end;
and means for biasing the free end of the lever extension for raising the polishing member off the floor surface when the polishing member is not rotating, with the rotation of the polishing member forcing air from beneath the rotating polishing member creating a vacuum under the polishing member to place a downward suction on the polishing member and the platform to which it is rotatably mounted and counteracting with the biasing means to place an even force on the floor surface by the polishing member regardless of the unevenness of the floor surface.

3 more elements

In a machine including a rotating working member which produces dust, with the rotating working member having a top and a perimeter, a device for controlling and collecting dust comprising, in combination:

a vacuum chamber located concentrically around the perimeter of the rotating working member;
means for receipt of dust ladened air and for filtering the dust therefrom;
a pressurizing chamber having an inlet in air communication with the vacuum chamber and an exhaust in air communication with the dust receipt and filtering means;
and means located in the pressurizing chamber for drawing air through the inlet and forcing the air through the exhaust with the dust produced by the rotating working member moving outwardly to the perimeter of the working member due to its rotation and drawn with the air through the vacuum chamber and the pressurizing chamber for collection in the dust receipt and filtering means.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.