Brushing – scrubbing – and general cleaning – Machines – With air blast or suction
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-09
2001-06-05
Moore, Chris K. (Department: 1744)
Brushing, scrubbing, and general cleaning
Machines
With air blast or suction
C015S246200
Reexamination Certificate
active
06240596
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to apparatus and methods for particulate containment and collection for use with, for example, floor sanders, floor strippers, floor polishers, and the like.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Floor machines are a pervasive and well-established appliance for commercial and residential floor care. Floor machines are commonly used, for example, for cleaning, polishing, stripping, and sanding floor surfaces. A variety of floor machine configurations are available to suit the needs of a particular task.
FIG. 1
is a typical floor machine
10
that may be used for treating a floor surface
12
. The floor machine
10
includes a motor
14
mounted on a housing
16
. A floor treatment device
18
is positioned below the housing
16
and coupled to the motor
14
. The floor treatment device
18
is selected depending on the job that is to be performed, and may include, for example, a polishing pad, a stripping pad, a brush, a sand screen, a sanding disk, or other variety of floor treatment device. The floor machine
10
also includes a handle
20
attached to the housing
16
. Control grips
22
are located on the handle
20
distant from the housing
16
. One commercially-available floor machine of this type is the Low Boy® model floor machine available from the Oreck Corporation of New Orleans, La.
In operation, a user
24
grips the control grips
22
of the handle
20
and starts the motor
14
by squeezing one of the control grips
22
. The motor
14
rotates the floor treatment device
18
causing the floor treatment device
18
to perform the desired cleaning, polishing, sanding, or other desired operation on the floor surface
12
. The floor treatment device
18
is guided over the floor surface
22
by the user
24
using the handle
20
.
In some cases, such as during sanding of wooden floors, the operation of the floor treatment device
18
on the floor surface
12
produces a large amount of particulates
26
, such as wood dust. In such a case, a vacuum
30
may be used in conjunction with the floor machine
10
a shown in FIG.
1
. The vacuum
10
includes a canister
34
that is coupled to the housing
16
of the floor machine
10
by a vacuum hose
32
. In this embodiment, the canister
34
is worn as a “backpack” by the user
24
. Alternately, the canister
34
may be mounted on wheels that roll on the floor surface
12
, or other suitable vacuum embodiments may be used. One backpack-style vacuum that may be used for this purpose is the Oreck Super Deluxe Compact Canister Vacuum available from the Oreck Corporation of New Orleans, La.
In operation, the floor machine
10
is engaged with the floor surface
12
and operated as described above. The particulates
26
(e.g dirt, debris, wood dust, used floor sealing or floor covering material, etc.) produced by the action of the floor treatment device
18
are lifted from the floor surface
12
into the vacuum hose
32
and are collected in the canister
34
. The particulates
26
picked up by the vacuum hose
32
are then stored within the canister
34
for later disposal.
Although desirable results have been achieved using the prior art floor machine
10
and vacuum
30
, certain drawbacks exist. For example, because the vacuum hose
32
is mounted in the housing
16
, the suction generated by the vacuum
30
is spaced apart from the floor surface
12
by atleast the height of the floor treatment device
18
. At this distance, the suction may not be great enough to lift the particulates
26
from the floor surface
12
, particularly for those particulates
26
which may collect in cracks or along edges of the floor surface
12
.
Also, because the particulates
26
exit randomly from beneath the floor treatment device
18
all around its circumference, the particulates
26
may avoid the suction from the vacuum hose
32
and not be drawn into the canister
34
. The particulates
26
that do not exit from beneath the floor treatment device
18
near the vacuum hose
32
may remain on the floor surface
12
or may become airborne. Such airborne particulates
28
may require the use of air filtering devices for capture and removal, adding to the time and expense of the floor treatment operation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed toward apparatus and methods for particulate containment and collection for use with, for example, floor sanders, floor strippers, floor polishers, and the like. In one aspect of the invention, an apparatus includes a shroud attachable to a floor machine and having a skirt portion positionable proximate a work surface to define an at least partially enclosed chamber therebetween, an intake member attached to the shroud and positioned proximate the chamber, the intake member having an intake aperture positionable proximate the work surface and in fluid communication with the chamber; and a vacuum duct having a first end fluidly coupled to the intake member and a second end coupleable to a vacuum source. The containment chamber confines at least some of the particulates produced by the floor machine, thereby improving the effectiveness of the vacuum collection process.
In an alternate aspect, the shroud may be removably attachable to the floor machine. In a further aspect, the shroud has an exhaust aperture disposed therethrough, the intake member being at least partially engaged with the exhaust aperture. The intake member may include an engagement portion slideably engaged into the exhaust aperture, permitting the intake aperture to be adjustably positionable proximate the work surface.
In yet a further aspect of the invention, an apparatus includes a diffusion member disposed proximate the intake aperture and positionable proximate the work surface. The diffusion member creates a high-velocity airflow at or near the work surface, thereby improving the effectiveness of the vacuum source at removing the particulates from the work surface. The diffusion member may, for example, include an annular woven pad.
In still another aspect, an apparatus includes a floor machine having a treatment member engageable with a work surface, a shroud attached to the floor machine and having a skirt portion at least partially disposed about the treatment member and positionable proximate the work surface to define an at least partially enclosed chamber therebetween, an intake member attached to the shroud and positioned proximate the chamber, the intake member having an intake aperture positionable proximate the work surface and in fluid communication with the chamber, and a vacuum duct having a first end fluidly coupled to the intake member and a second end coupleable to a vacuum source. Alternately, the apparatus may further include the vacuum source.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3531819 (1970-10-01), Lamont
patent: 4178654 (1979-12-01), Mitchell
patent: 4631775 (1986-12-01), Palmer et al.
patent: 4715807 (1987-12-01), Todd et al.
patent: 4731895 (1988-03-01), Zack et al.
patent: 5711051 (1998-01-01), Roden
Dorsey & Whitney LLP
Moore Chris K.
Oreck Holdings LLC
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