Brushing – scrubbing – and general cleaning – Implements – Fabric
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-04
2001-08-28
Spisich, Mark (Department: 1744)
Brushing, scrubbing, and general cleaning
Implements
Fabric
C015S230190
Reexamination Certificate
active
06279190
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to apparatus for performing surface treatments such as contact-washing of vehicles and more particularly to an apparatus which facilitates the construction and reconstruction of rotary, oscillatory and stationary devices such as surface-contact brushes and curtains having outwardly extending and/or depending elements of cloth like material.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is known to construct surface treatment devices such as rotary car wash brushes and depending friction curtains using strips of pliable material such as non-woven needle punched felt and/or pliable foam plastic. To construct such a combination, the strips may be folded around a length of a rigid plastic rod and stapled or stitched together to form an edge bead. This edge bead can then be inserted end-wise into a slot in a hub or other carrier structure, the slot having a circular cross section and a narrow opening which permits the material of the element to extend outwardly or downwardly therefrom. An example of this structure in a friction curtain apparatus is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,096,600 issued Jun. 27, 1978 to James A. Belanger of Northville, Mich. A similar structure wherein the carrier is arcuate and used to form a brush hub is illustrated in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,005,028 issued Oct. 25, 1977 to James A. Belanger of Northville, Mich. As is more fully explained in the '028 patent, the surface treatment element may be abrasive for working or burnishing, or may comprise soft, non abrasive materials for washing, drying, buffing or polishing automobiles and other articles.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to one aspect of the present invention an improved structure is provided from which to construct surface treatment combinations including but not limited to rotary brushes and depending friction curtains for auto laundries wherein the pliable surface contacting elements are made of materials such as foam plastics which are not readily stapled or stitched. An example of such material is closed cell, foam polyethylene sheet. Other materials may be used to essentially equal advantage; e.g., non-woven felt and conventional woven cloth.
In general, the combination of the present invention comprises a carrier or hub, the specific configuration (flat or arcuate) being chosen according to the wishes of the designer, wherein the carrier defines a plurality of parallel slots having narrow openings. The combination further comprises a plurality of retainer devices which receive and hold the contact strips and which are characterized by a relatively thin flange having integral therewith a plurality of laterally extending and longitudinally aligned enlarged heads of such size and configuration as to fit complementally within the slots of the carrier such that the flange body projects through the narrow openings and outwardly away from the carrier body. The combination further comprises a plurality of pliable surface treatment elements of cloth like material including but not limited to foam plastic sheeting which is adapted to be folded over and mounted loosely on the flanges with the heads thereof projecting through apertures in the material. The apertures are located essentially at the mid-point of the material strips so that essentially equal lengths of material extend away from the retainer elements when they are disposed in the slots of the carrier. The carrier is typically secured to a axle, linkage or other mounting structure to provide for a rotary or oscillatory motion as desired.
According to a second aspect of the invention, a surface-contact treatment element is provided in the form of a sheet of cloth-like material, preferably pliable, foam plastic sheet, having left and right mirror-image portions and a laterally notched or die-cut center area. In the preferred form, the mirror-image portions are rectangular and are slit to define a plurality of soft, parallel surface-contacting fingers.
REFERENCES:
patent: 750280 (1904-01-01), Heimann
patent: 2462741 (1949-02-01), Hall
patent: 2484994 (1949-10-01), Hall
patent: 2583632 (1952-01-01), Coultier et al.
patent: 2645065 (1953-07-01), Kietzmann
patent: 2668398 (1954-02-01), Busch et al.
patent: 2879631 (1959-03-01), Peterson
patent: 3417420 (1968-12-01), Rock
patent: 5461745 (1995-10-01), Nittoli
patent: 6161242 (2000-12-01), Cabrero Gomez et al.
Belanger Michael J.
Wentworth Robert J.
Belanger, Inc.
Spisich Mark
Young & Basile
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