Floor scrubber having laterally variable scrub brush position
First Claim
1. An improved machine for scrubbing a floor, comprising a plurality of wheels including one or more front wheels and one or more rear wheels supporting the machine for movement over the floor, a frame including two side members, one or more rotating floor engaging tools driven by one or more motors, the tools and motors being mounted in a scrub head, the scrub head being movably attached to the frame, means for raising the scrub head to a transport position where the tools do not contact the floor and lowering the scrub head to a working position where the tools do contact the floor, means for selectively positioning the scrub head in a normal position generally centered between the two side members and, at least in the working position, in an extended position where at least a portion of the scrub head extends laterally outside one of the side members, means for applying a generally vertical force other than gravity to the scrub head when it is in its working position, the improvement consisting of means to assure that the rotating tools engage a flat floor with an essentially uniform pressure over the entire floor area which they engage when the scrub head is in the working position and in the normal and the extended position.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A floor scrubbing machine has scrub brushes and their drive motors mounted in a scrub head located amidships under the machine frame. Provision is made to move the scrub head laterally on occasion to a position where it extends beyond one side of the machine frame to facilitate scrubbing along walls, thereby eliminating the need for a scrubbing side brush. The scrub brushes bear evenly against the floor regardless of the lateral position of the scrub head even though a variable down force may be applied to the scrub head. The scrub head is resiliently attached to the means for moving it laterally so that if it encounters a solid obstacle while it is extended it will be yieldably pushed back under the machine frame with a minimum likelihood of damage, and then will automatically extend out again after the obstacle is past.
46 Citations
14 Claims
- 1. An improved machine for scrubbing a floor, comprising a plurality of wheels including one or more front wheels and one or more rear wheels supporting the machine for movement over the floor, a frame including two side members, one or more rotating floor engaging tools driven by one or more motors, the tools and motors being mounted in a scrub head, the scrub head being movably attached to the frame, means for raising the scrub head to a transport position where the tools do not contact the floor and lowering the scrub head to a working position where the tools do contact the floor, means for selectively positioning the scrub head in a normal position generally centered between the two side members and, at least in the working position, in an extended position where at least a portion of the scrub head extends laterally outside one of the side members, means for applying a generally vertical force other than gravity to the scrub head when it is in its working position, the improvement consisting of means to assure that the rotating tools engage a flat floor with an essentially uniform pressure over the entire floor area which they engage when the scrub head is in the working position and in the normal and the extended position.
- 8. An improved machine for scrubbing a floor, comprising a plurality of wheels including one or more front wheels and one or more rear wheels supporting the machine for movement over the floor, a frame having two sides, one or more rotating floor engaging tools driven by one or more motors, the tools and motors being mounted in a scrub head, the scrub head being movably attached to the frame, means for raising the scrub head to a transport position where the tools do not contact the floor and lowering the scrub head to a working position where the tools contact the floor, means for selectively positioning the scrub head in various lateral positions on the frame, one applying a selectable down force generally on the cleaning head, and means for maintaining the selected down force constant in the various lateral positions of the cleaning head.
- 12. In a mobile cleaning machine for removing soilage from a surface to be cleaned, a mobile frame, a laterally movable tool containing a cleaning head on the frame and means for moving it constructed and arranged so that the cleaning head may be made to move to various lateral working positions and to project a desired amount beyond at least one side of the frame in an extreme lateral working position, power means on the frame for applying a selectable down force generally on the cleaning head, and means for maintaining the selected down force constant in the various lateral positions of the cleaning head.
Specification