Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
APPARATUS FOR ADAPTING FLOOR SCRUBBER
FOR USE O~ VERTICAL SURFACES
~ackground of the Invention
The invention relates to a support for a machine for
cleaning vertical surfaces, and more particu]arly to a
support which can adapt standard floor scrubbers for use on
vertical surfaces.
Motor-driven floor scrubbers and polishers are in
common use for scrubbing and polishing floor surfaces.
Such machines typically consist of an electric motor moun-
ted on a chassis and connected to a circular brush or pad.
A T-shaped handle allows the user to control the direction
of the machine, and a small pair of wheels allows the user
to tilt the machine on to the pair of wheels, raising the
brush or pad off the floor surface and allowing the machine
to be moved on the two wheels. The electric motor, when
engaged, rotates the circular brush or pad at a constant
speed, providing the cleaning action. The user provides
the linear motion to the machine to cause the rotating
brush to contact the various areas of the floor surface,
causing a cleaning or pollshing depending on the type of
hrush and cleaning substance used.
~ lile such machines allow large floor surfaces to be
rapidly cleaned or polished, similar devices are not
available for the cleaning or polishing of large vertical
surfaces such as walls, hockey rink boards and the like.
At present such surfaces are cleaned by hand, using
hand-held scrub-brushes or the like. This is a very
time-consuming and difficult job.
For example, the boards of ice-hockey rinks quickly
become marked with the black scuff marks of hockey pucks.
The boards when so marked are unsightly, particularly for
more aesthetic uses of the ice rink such as figure-skating
competitions. Accordingly it is necessary to periodically
clean the boards, and in the past this has required several
man-days of labour. Similarly the walls of squash and
racquet-ball cour-ts quickly become marke(:l and also xequire
periodic cleaning or re-painting. Up to the present, there
has been no way to rapidly perform such cleaning jobs, and
in particular no way to adapt an exis-ting floor polisher or
scrubber to be used for such cleaning jobs.
Summary of the Invention
The present invention provides a device for supporting
a floor scrubber or polisher for cleaning vertical sur-
faces. The device comprises a vertical frame having two
parallel upright members, a horizontal frame secured to t'ne
lower end of the ver-tical frame, one or more wheels mounted
on the horizontal frame to allow it to roll on a horizontal
surface, a guide member which can be secured to the floor
scrubber and is confi~ured to suspend the floor scrubber
horizontally between the upright members and to constrain
its motion in the vertical clirection hetween the upright
members, and means secured to the vertical frame for
attachment to the floor scrubber when it is secured to the
guide member :Eor raising and lowering the floor scrubber to
fixed positions above -the horizontal surface.
Brief Description of the Drawings
In drawings which illustrate an embodiment of the
invention:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device of the
present invention having a floor polisher mounted in
place;
Figure 2 is a perspective view of the device shown in
Figure 1 without the floor polisher and with the horizontal
platform removed;
Figuxe 3 is a perspective view o-f the mount and guide
assembly of the invention; and
-- 3
Figure ~ is a cross-sectlonal view of the device as
shown in Fi~ure 2 taken along lines IV - IV.
Detailed Description of an Embodiment of the Invention
. . . _ . _ .
Referring to Figure 1, a standard floor polisher 10 is
shown mounted horizontally in the device of the invention
1. The floor polisher has a T-shaped handle 12, an elec-
tric motor 16 mounted on a chassis 17, a pair of wheels 18
mounted on the chassis, and a rotary brush or pad 14. An
electric cord 11 is provided for connection to a power
supply and the handle has an on/off switch to start the
machine.
Tl~e device of the present invention consists of an
upright frame having parallel upright members 2 and a
cross-piece 3. The upright frame is constructed for exam-
ple of 1 1/2 inch angle iron. It is bolted or welded to a
rectan~ular horizontal frame ~ which may he formed of four
pieces of two-inch angle iron welded together. Side braces
8 reinforce the upright Erame and are secured to the
horizontal and upright frames by welding or bolts.
Two wheel mounts 5 are provided, consisting of metal
strips welded across the corner of the horizontal frame as
shown in Figure 2. One of the four wheels 6 is mounted on
the underside of each of the wheel mounts 5. The wheels
may be swivel casters. The two front wheels 6 are mounted
on the underside of the drag guides 7. The horizontal
platform 19 is secured to the top of the wheel mounts and
drag guides by bolts or the like. Cross braces 9 serve to
strengthen -the drag guides.
A winch 15 is mounted on the upright frame, having a
handle 17. A pulley 12 is mounted on the cross-piece 3.
flexible rope or wire cable 38 runs from the winch and is
~ 4~ ~2
threaded through the pulley. The rope may have a hook on
its free end.
Braces 8 are for example constructed of 5/8 inch round
rod. The wheel mounts 5 are for example constructed of
3-inch by l-inch flat steel elevated 1 to 2 inches Erom the
rame to accommodate the casters. The drag guides similar-
ly may be constructed of flat steel and are again elevated
to allow 3-inch casters to be used. This is due to the
fact that in order to allow the scrubber to clean to the
floor level the horizontal frame must be approximately 3/4
inches from the bottom of the wall.
The motor mount of the invention is shown in Figure 4.
It consists of a collar 22 which may be tightened using a
bolt 24 through holes 25. The collar is constructed, for
example of 1/8 inch by 2-inch flat steel and it is approxi-
mately 8 inches in diameter. A steel plate 23 is welded to
the collar. A rail guide 30 is constructed of two parallel
pieces of flat 1/4-inch steel 26 joined by end pieces 32
which are spaced approximately 5/~3 inches in from the end
of bars 26. ~ plate 27 is welded across the two bars 26
adjacent the upper edge of the two bars. Both plates 27
and 23 are provided with corresponding holes 32 which allow
the collar and attached plate 23 to be bolted, using bolts
3~ to plate 27 and hence to the rail guide.
To operate the device, if a standard floor polisher or
scrubber is to be used, it must first be adapted for hori-
æontal use by plugging the gear box vent hole to preventoil leakage. A standard floor polisher nay be adapted for
~orizontal operation by drilling and tapping the gear hou-
sing and installing a grease nipple to allow gear oil to be
added if necessary.
-- 5
To mount the floor polisher for operation on the
device, the collar 22 with attached plate 23 is separated
from the rail guide 30 and bolt 24 removed or loosened.
The collar is placed around the motor portion of the floor
polisher with the plate 23 facing the front of the scrub-
ber. Collar bolt 24 is then tightened. The rail guide 30
is inserted between upright rails 2 with plate 27 facing
upwards. The handle 12 of the polisher is then inserted
between the two upright rails 2 from the front side of the
device (the side havin~ the drag guides 7). The scrubber
wheels 18 are positioned upwardly. The Eree encl of the
rope or cable 38 is then attached to the polisher, either
using a hook or by tying directly to the floor scrubber,
such as to the axle between wheels 18. Using the winch,
the scrubber is raised and rail guide 30 is bolted to plate
23 and collar 22.
The device may now be used to clean, polish or wax a
vertical surface. The height oE the floor scrubber on the
vertical surface is adjusted using the winch. Since the
rotary motion oE the scrubber tends to propel the device
along the vertical surface, the operator applies pressure
to the pla-tEorm 19 which in turn forces drag guides 7
against the vertical surface and controls the motion. Drag
guide 7 may have cushioning to prevent scraping of the
vertical surface. It is also found that a certain amount
of "give" in the attachment of the collar is desirable as
it allows the operator to angle the brush of the scrubber
so that only the heel of the scrubber i5 applied to the
surface.
~ ile various sizes of standard -floor polishers or
scrubbers may be used, it is found that for a single opera-
tor the scrubber should be one with a brush less than 15
inches in diameter.
A~ will be apparent to persons skilled in the art,
various modifications ancl adaptations of the structure
above described are possible without departure from the
spirit of the invention, the scope of which is define~ in
the appended claims.
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