Rotary shafts – gudgeons – housings – and flexible couplings for ro – Coupling accommodates drive between members having... – Coupling transmits torque via radially directed pin
Reexamination Certificate
2001-11-27
2004-12-28
Binda, Greg (Department: 3679)
Rotary shafts, gudgeons, housings, and flexible couplings for ro
Coupling accommodates drive between members having...
Coupling transmits torque via radially directed pin
C464S136000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06835140
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to an apparatus and methods for washing vehicles and, more particularly to a rotatable brush mounting apparatus with restricted swing, an improved brush mounting apparatus with restricted swing for rotating a wrap brush assembly as part of a vehicle wash apparatus, and methods for cleaning any exterior surfaces of a vehicle.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has its genesis in the vehicle washing industry. While the invention will be particularly discussed with respect to embodiments in the vehicle washing industry arena, one should understood that this industry is but one application of the invention, and the invention has much broader scope.
So said, the vehicle wash industry utilizes apparatus with one or more rotating wrap brush assemblies for cleaning exterior surfaces of vehicles. A wrap brush assembly consists of a brush shaft with a plurality of cleaning strips connected along the length of the brush shaft. When the brush shaft is rotated, the cleaning strips are moved to a generally perpendicular position relative to the brush shaft by centrifugal force thereby providing a strip application force and a suitable brushing action for cleaning any exterior surface of a vehicle.
The cleaning strips can be constructed from a variety of materials, either absorbent or non-absorbent. Some examples of possible materials that can be used include cloth fabric, polyethylene, polystyrene, chamois and the like. Likewise, the cleaning strips can not only be a “strip” of material, but in other forms, such as cords twisted or woven together like a rope or a traditional mop.
A vehicle wash apparatus may employ various numbers and configurations of rotating wrap brush assemblies to ensure that all surfaces of a vehicle are effectively cleaned. Additionally, the wrap brush assembly is typically rotated in a direction that corresponds to the direction of the vehicle. Thus, if the car is moving forward past the wrap brush assembly, the wrap brush assembly is rotated so that the cleaning strips of the wrap brush assembly contact and move along a surface of the vehicle in a direction from the back of the vehicle towards the front of the vehicle. However, the wrap brush assembly can be rotated in either direction, or in both directions.
A wrap brush assembly must be positioned close enough to the vehicle in order that the cleaning strips contact the vehicle surface with a sufficient strip application force to efficiently clean the surface of a vehicle. However, the strip application force must not be so great that the wrap brush assembly is quickly worn or the vehicle or the wrap brush assembly is damaged.
One problem with a vehicle washing apparatus is that a vehicle has a multitude of different types of surfaces to be cleaned depending on the make and model of the vehicle. These various surfaces are manufactured or coated with various material types such as paint, glass, chrome, plastic, and rubber to mention a few. Each material type requires cleaning in a different manner, and each has a different level of resistance to damage. Not only do the surfaces differ in material type, also in position, location, height, width, and accessibility. Hard to reach surfaces of vehicles include areas between a mirror and a radio antenna, a wheel well, a rear license plate, or any of the nooks in a radiator grill. All of these different surfaces need to be efficiently cleaned by the vehicle washing apparatus and the wrap brush assembly without causing damage to the particular vehicle being washed or the vehicle wash apparatus.
Another problem with wrap brush assemblies is that, as the wrap brush assembly rotates and engages a surface of a vehicle, the plurality of cleaning strips that contact the surface cause the wrap brush assembly to “walk” or “climb” (hereinafter referred to as “climbing”) along the surface of the vehicle. This climbing action is a result of the static and dynamic forces created when the cleaning strips come in contact with and are slid along the surface of the car. This climbing action stresses the brush shaft of the wrap brush assembly. In some situations, the wrap brush assembly actually does climb onto the top of the vehicle, resulting in inefficient cleaning of the vehicle and possible damage to the vehicle or the vehicle wash apparatus.
Yet another problem with wrap brush assemblies is that some vehicle wash apparatus require a driver to drive the vehicle to be cleaned through the vehicle wash apparatus. Different drivers utilizing such apparatus drive at different speeds. Some drivers drive the vehicles through the vehicle wash apparatus very quickly, thus not allowing for the wrap brush assemblies to respond and move out of the way of the rapidly driven vehicle. This stresses the parts of the vehicle wash apparatus and fails to efficiently clean the vehicle. In a drive-through vehicle wash apparatus, the wrap brush assembly needs to be able to quickly respond and move out of the way of a car being driven though the vehicle wash apparatus at a rapid pace, yet maintain contact with the exterior surface of the vehicle for efficient cleaning.
The prior art includes numerous apparatus and methods to address these needs and problems. Many of the apparatus and methods allow the wrap brush assemblies to swing about a pivot point. Still other apparatus utilize a pivot point in combination with one or more shock absorbers to maintain a constant pressure of wrap brush assembly against a vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,777,326, U.S. Pat. No. 3,708,816, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,304,565 utilize a parallelogram type linkage apparatus to control the pressure of the wrap brush assembly against a vehicle. The parallelogram type linkage apparatus allows for the wrap brush assembly to swing away from or toward a vehicle as needed, thus displacing, but not changing an axis of the wrap brush assembly. However, this type of linkage apparatus does not prevent the wrap bush assembly from climbing up a surface of the car.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,270,958, No. 4,332,625, No. 4,225,995, and No. 4,198,722 disclose a coupling apparatus to connect a wrap brush assembly shaft to a motor shaft by a toroidal-shaped flexible elastic coupling. The rotary action of the brush assembly combined with the toroidal-shaped flexible elastic coupling allow the vehicle wash apparatus to clean any exterior surface of a vehicle and minimize damage to the vehicle. However, use of the toroidal-shaped flexible elastic coupling does not completely eliminate the climbing of the wrap brush assembly onto the top of the vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,354,291 discloses a vehicle wash apparatus that employs a spring or a coil as the connection between the motor shaft and the brush shaft. Again, this connecting apparatus does not completely eliminate the climbing of the brush assembly onto the top of the vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,021,877 discloses a wrap brush assembly coupled to an upper shaft by use of a universal type joint apparatus. The yokes of the universal joint apparatus include brackets that permit the brush wrap assembly to be tilted out of vertical alignment in the direction of longitudinal travel only. Additionally, the tilting movement of the wrap brush assembly is limited by use of a spring. The construction of the wrap brush assembly and the spring are such that when the wrap brush assembly is tilted, the spring is compressed on one side, which urges the wrap brush assembly back into its original position. This construction of the apparatus again does not completely eliminate the climbing action of the wrap brush assembly onto the top of the vehicle.
As a result, there is a demand for an apparatus and method by which a vehicle may be cleaned in a vehicle wash apparatus without the climbing phenomena that prior art wrap brush assemblies produce. The present invention satisfies this demand.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a coupling apparatus for connecting a driving shaft with an axis to a driven shaft that can swing away as
Baniak Pine & Gannon
Binda Greg
Sonny's Enterprises, Inc.
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