AUTOMATIC FLOOR MAINTENANCE MACHINE

• US 3,604,037 A
• Filed: 12/23/1968
• Issued: 09/14/1971
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1968
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Robert E. Varner
• Original Assignee: Robert E. Varner
• Inventors: Varner, Robert E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Machlin, Leon G.
• Application Number:
  US04/785,991
• Time in Patent Office: 995 Days
• Field of Search: 15/4,98,103.5,372,373,370,368,320,319,49,50-52 118/259,207,108,110,106,11,75,8,305
• US Class Current: 15/4
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/00 Machines for cleaning floors, carpets, furniture, walls, or wall coverings
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4011 Regulation of the cleaning machine by electric means; Control systems and remote control systems therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4047 Wound-up or endless cleaning belts
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4055 for lifting the tools to a non-working position
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4066 Propulsion of the whole machine
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4069 Driving or transmission means for the cleaning tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4072 Arrangement of castors or wheels
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4088 Supply pumps; Spraying devices; Supply conduits
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/00 Robotic cleaning machines, i.e. with automatic control of the travelling movement or the cleaning operation

Abstract

The apparatus of the present invention is specifically adapted for use in dressing, buffing and cleaning bowling lanes automatically through a coordinated sequence of operations which can be preselected and automatically performed over a given distance of travel. The machine is equipped with retractable cleaning and dressing buffer units which are driven independently of the main drive to selectively engage the lane surface either independently of one another, or simultaneously; and in association with the activation of liquid- or fluid-dispensing units is capable of carrying out a variety of different operations at selected intervals automatically and without interruption along the course of travel of the apparatus.

Claims

1. In automatic bowling lane maintenance apparatus having a support frame and a reversible drive system including surfaceengaging drive wheels to advance the apparatus along a predetermined course in a forward and reverse direction, the combination therewith comprising:

a plurality of generally cylindrical retractable rollers mounted for rotation about axes which extend transversely of the direction of travel of said apparatus and parallel to the floor surface, said rollers being movable between a raised position above the floor surface and a lowered, surface-engaging position, independent drive means for rotating said retractable rollers in a given direction of rotation independently of the direction of advancement of the apparatus, and roller actuating means for selectively actuating each of said rollers between said raised and lowered positions for predetermined intervals over the course of travel of said apparatus.

2. In automatic bowling lane maintenance apparatus according to claim 1, said roller actuating means for each of said rollers being operative automatically to sequentially actuate said roller between the raised and lowered positions in response to the distance of travel of said apparatus.

3. In automatic bowling lane maintenance apparatus according to claim 2, said actuating means for each of said rollers being further operative to simultaneously actuate said rollers from the raised to the lowered positions.

4. In automatic bowling lane maintenance apparatus according to claim 1, one of said rollers being an oil dressing roller, and further including liquid-dispensing means for applying liquid to said dressing roller when said roller is in the lowered surface-engaging position.

5. In automatic bowling lane maintenance apparatus according to claim 1, one of said rollers being a cleaning roller, and liquid-dispensing means associated with said cleaning roller for selectively applying liquid to said roller when in the surface-engaging position.

6. In automatic floor maintenance apparatus having a support frame and a drive system including surface-engaging drive wheels to advance the apparatus along a predetermined course, the combination therewith comprising:

a plurality of retractable rollers mounted for rotation on axes extending transversely of the direction of travel of said apparatus, said rollers being movable between a raised position above the floor surface and a lowered, surface-engaging position, each of said retractable roller units including a rotatable shaft and end brackets for pivotal mounting of each roller on said support frame, drive means for rotating said retractable rollers, and roller actuating means for selectively actuating each of said rollers between said raised and lowered positions for predetermined intervals over the course of travel of said apparatus, biasing means yieldingly urging each said roller to normally raised position, and said actuating means being selectively energized to overcome said biasing means to positively force said roller downwardly into the surface-engaging position.

7. In automatic floor maintenance apparatus according to claim 6, said actuating means being further characterized by including a rocker arm provided with a cam surface thereon engageable with the pivotal bracket at each end of said rotatable shaft, and a solenoid being selectively energized to pivot the cam surface on said rocker arm downwardly against said bracket to force said roller into the surface-engaging position.

8. In automatic floor maintenance apparatus according to claim 7 said actuating means further including means correlatEd with advancement of said apparatus over the course of travel of said apparatus to selectively energize each of said solenoid for a predetermined distance interval, means to maintain each of said rollers in the surface-engaging position over the entire course of travel of said apparatus, and means to selectively disable said actuating means for each of said rollers over the predetermined course of travel of said apparatus.

9. In automatic floor maintenance apparatus according to claim 6, further including a duster unit including a supply roll for an endless cloth, a surface-engaging pad, a takeup roller, and an independent drive system to advance the endless cloth continuously beneath said surface-engaging pad over the course of travel of said apparatus.

10. An automatic bowling lane maintenance machine comprising in combination:

a drive carriage and a drive mechanism including lane-engaging drive wheels for advancement of the machine from a selected starting point along the lane, guide wheels to maintain the machine in aligned relation to the lane, and a reversing mechanism including a feeler switch to sense the end of the lane and to effect automatic reversal of the machine for return to the starting point, generally cylindrical, retractable rollers mounted for rotation on the drive carriage on axes which extend transversely of its direction of travel and traversing the width of the lane, said roller each being independently movable between a raised position retracted within the drive carriage and a lower, lane surface-engaging position, drive means for each of said rollers being operative to rotate each of said rollers independently of one another and independently of said main drive mechanism and roller actuating means for selectively and individually advancing each of said roller units between a raised and lowered position as said machine is advanced along the lane.

11. An automatic bowling lane maintenance machine according to claim 10, said roller actuating means including means responsive to energization and advancement of the machine by said main drive mechanism to sequentially actuate said roller units between the raised and lowered positions over predetermined distances of travel along the lane surface.

12. An automatic bowling lane maintenance machine according to claim 11, further including liquid-dispensing means for each of said roller units, each of said dispensing means including valve means selectively opened to dispense liquid to each of said roller units for a predetermined time interval when the associated roller unit is advanced to its lowered, surface-engaging position, and the opening of said valve means being correlated with the distance of travel of said machine over the lane.

13. An automatic bowling lane maintenance machine according to claim 12, wherein further characterized in that the roller-actuating means and valve means for one of said roller units is responsive to activation of said reversing mechanism at the end of the lane to apply liquid to said roller unit advance said roller unit into the lane-engaging position as the machine is advanced in the reverse direction.

14. An automatic bowling lane maintenance machine according to claim 10 further including first control means responsive to starting and advancement of said machine from the foul line to a predetermined point ahead of the pin zone to activate one of said roller actuating means to advance its associated roller unit into surface-engaging position, liquid-dispensing means for selectively applying liquid to said one roller unit when said roller unit is in the surface-engaging position, second control means for deenergizing said one-roller-actuating means for return of said one roller unit to the raised position and simultaneously activate the other of said roller-actuating means to advance said other roller unit to the lowered, lane-engaging position as the machine is advanced from a selected point in front of the pin zone through the pin Zone, is reversed and returns to the selected point whereupon said control means is further operative to deenergize the other of said roller actuating means and energize the one actuating means for advancement of the one roller unit into the lane-engaging position over the remaining distance of travel of said machine to the foul line.