Rotary disc floor cleaning apparatus

Assembly for rotation by a surface cleaning machine about an axis in a direction comprising, in combination:

• a block connectable to the surface cleaning machine for rotation about the axis, with the block including an outer peripheral edge, a lower surface, and an upper surface;
• first means rotatable with the lower surface of the block for cleaning the surface to be cleaned;
• a ring having a shape and size larger than the outer peripheral edge of the block, with the ring having at least a first hole;
• a plurality of axial slots formed in one of the block and the ring and extending parallel to the axis;
• a plurality of lugs extending radially from the other of the block and the ring and slideable in the axial slots for mounting the ring to the block for rotation about the axis therewith and allowing movement of the ring relative to the block in the direction parallel to the axis;
• a plurality of individual, generally linear wipers removably attached to the ring in a circle concentric to the axis, with each wiper having a wiping portion including a bottom edge, a leading edge and a trailing edge located circumferentially behind the leading edge in the direction of rotation, with each of the leading edges being located at a greater distance from the axis than each of the trailing edges, with each of the leading edges circumferentially overlapping the trailing edge of another wiper to minimize the escape of dirty cleaning solution between the individual wipers and radially outwardly of the leading edges of the wipers, with each of the wipers extending at a small angle to a tangent of the circle, with the first means for cleaning the surface to be cleaned being inside of the circle of the ring, with each of the wipers being generally spaced from the first cleaning means in a manner wherein the wipers do not detract from the operation of the first cleaning means and the first cleaning means does not detract from the operation of the wipers;
• with each wiper comprising, in combination:
• a base portion having an upper surface and a lower surface, with the upper surface of the base portion abutting with the ring and further having at least a first stud for slideable receipt in the hole, with the first stud extending from the upper surface of the base portion, and means integrally formed with the stud for removably holding the stud in the hole, with the stud being removable from the hole without the use of tools, with the wiping portion being integrally secured to the lower surface of the base portion, with at least some of the plurality of wipers further including a nozzle portion integrally connected to the wiping portion, with each nozzle portion including an inner panel having a bottom edge spaced above the bottom edge of the wiping portion, and a front panel extending between the inner panel and the wiping portion, with the front panel having a bottom edge spaced above the bottom edge of the inner panel to form a first inlet between the wiping portion and the inner panel;
• a vacuum ring secured to the upper surface of the block for rotation therewith and having an inner sidewall concentric to the axis, an outer sidewall concentric to the axis at a greater distance from the axis than the inner sidewall, and an annular interconnecting portion extending radially from the axis and interconnecting the inner and outer sidewalls, with the inner and outer sidewalls and the annular interconnecting portion forming a channel therebetween, with the outer sidewall having an upper edge;
• means for sealing the channel relative to the surface cleaning machine, with the sealing means including a first seal mounted on one of the upper edge of the outer sidewall and the surface cleaning machine and rotatably abutting with the other of the upper edge of the outer sidewall and the surface cleaning machine;
• at least a first opening formed in the interconnecting portion;
• and at least a first tube extending between the first opening in the vacuum ring and one of the nozzle portions for conveyance of the solution from the nozzle portion to the surface cleaning machine.