Buffing pad assembly

A buffing pad assembly for use with a motorized drive tool comprising a cylindrical foam pad and a circular backing plate. The foam pad defines a front side and a back side and has a first circular layer of hook and loop type fastening material secured to the back side of the pad in axial alignment therewith. The layer of fastening material has a diameter less than the diameter of the pad and defines a centrally disposed aperture therein. The circular backing plate has a second circular layer of fastening material secured to the front side thereof in axial alignment therewith and having a centrally disposed aperture therein. The second circular layer of fastening material is adapted to abut and engage the first layer upon the pad being pressed against the plate, removably securing the pad to the plate. A centering member extends between the pad and the plate through the apertures in the first and second layers of fastening material for axially aligning the plate with the pad upon the pad being pressed against the plate. A threaded recess is provided in the back side of the plate for securing the plate to a motorized drive tool.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to a new buffing pad assembly particularly 
adapted for use in cleaning, polishing and waxing polishing the paint 
finish on a motor vehicle. Over 25 years ago, Meguiar's, Inc. under its 
predecessor name, Mirror Brite Polish Company, Inc., developed the use of 
foam pads for cleaning, waxing and polishing automobile finishes. While 
foam pads remain the industry standard today, their use is quite time 
consuming. Depending on the quality of the paint on the vehicle and the 
finish desired, the waxing and polishing process can employ several steps 
and the use of a number of different products. These steps can include the 
application of a cleaner to remove paint oxidation and foreign matter, the 
application of the wax, buffing or polishing and, in some applications, a 
final finishing polish with a fine finishing pad. Again, depending on the 
particular job, different types of products are often used for a 
particular step in the process. As in each application of a particular 
product, the foam pad will absorb some of that product, it is necessary to 
dedicate a single pad to a single product to prevent contamination of the 
pad which would have a deleterious effect on the process. 
Foam pad systems heretofore in use employ a foam pad which is glued onto a 
rigid backing plate. The plate is then secured to a motorized drive tool 
such as a rotary or orbital buffer or polisher. Accordingly, for each step 
in the process it is necessary to detach the pad and backing plate from 
the drive tool and secure in place a new pad and plate. In the 
professional market place, this pad replacement is time consuming and 
costly. When a pad becomes overly worn and needs replacement, the backing 
plate to which the pad is secured must also be discarded. It would be 
highly desirable to provide an assembly Which reduces the time necessary 
to replace the foam pads and which would allow for the reuse of the 
backing plates which are still in excellent condition when the useful life 
of the foam pad has been exhausted. 
Attempts have been made to utilize Velcro hook and loop fasteners to 
removably secure buffing pads to a backing plate in an effort to make the 
pad readily detachable from the plate and thereby significantly reduce the 
time it takes to replace the pad. However, such attempts have not proved 
successful due to the difficulty of properly centering the pad on the 
backing plate. An off-centered pad creates a balancing problem causing the 
pad to wobble. The resulting vibration fatigues the operator, results in 
an inferior buffing job and can damage the finish. It would be desirable 
to employ a hook and loop fastening system in a foam pad assembly to solve 
the aforesaid time replacement problem if the alignment problem could also 
be resolved. The foam pad assembly of the present invention achieves this 
result. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
Briefly the buffing pad assembly of the present invention includes a 
cylindrical foam pad having a radiused forward perimeter edge for 
minimizing the creation of swirl marks in the finish and having a circular 
layer of Velcro loop fastening material secured to the backside thereof. 
The layer of fastening material is sized such that the perimeter edge 
thereof is inwardly spaced from the perimeter of the sidewall of the pad 
to prevent contact between the fastening material and the paint finish. 
The fastening material defines a centrally disposed, axially aligned 
centering aperture therein. The backing plate of the assembly is circular 
and substantially equal in diameter to the diameter of the fastening 
material carried by the foam pad. A circular layer of Velcro hook 
fastening material is secured to and covers the front side of the plate 
for mating engagement with the loop fastening material on the pad, 
releasably securing the pad to the backing plate. The backing plate 
defines a centrally disposed centering member projecting axially from the 
front side thereof and sized so as to be snugly received by the aperture 
in the loop fastening material for centering the pad on the backing plate. 
The rear side of the plate defines a threaded bore aligned with the 
centering member for securing the assembly to the drive shaft of a 
motorized drive tool. 
In an alternate embodiment of the invention, a rearwardly projecting 
centering member is disposed over the aperture in the loop fastening 
material on the backside of the pad. The fastening member defines an 
annular radially projecting base portion which is secured between the pad 
and the portion of the loop securement material on the pad which is 
disposed about the aperture therein, and a rearwardly projecting portion 
having a central recess therein which cooperates and mates with an annular 
recessed area disposed about a centrally disposed axial projection defined 
in the forward side of the backing plate for centering the pad on the 
backing plate and avoiding any intrusion of the centering means into the 
foam pad. 
With either embodiment of the present invention, the centering means on the 
backside of the buffing pad need only be aligned with the cooperating 
centering means on the front side of the backing plate and the pad pressed 
against the plate whereupon the hook and loop fastening materials will 
interlock, securing the pad to the backing plate in axial alignment 
therewith. To replace the foam pad for the application of a different 
product, it is only necessary to strip the pad from the backing plate and 
secure a new pad in the manner described. 
It is the principal object of the present invention to provide an improved 
buffing pad assembly for use in cleaning, waxing and polishing the paint 
finish on a motor vehicle which minimizes the time necessary to replace 
the pad for the application of a different product to the finish. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved foam 
pad assembly for use in cleaning, waxing and polishing the paint finish on 
a motor vehicle which utilizes a hook and loop fastening securement 
between the pad and backing plate to facilitate pad replacement and which 
readily centers the pad on the backing plate to avoid pad wobble and 
vibration. 
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an improved 
foam pad assembly for use in cleaning, waxing and polishing the paint 
finish on a motor vehicle which minimizes the time necessary for pad 
replacement without deleteriously affecting the polishing performance of 
the pad and which is of simple construction and economical to manufacture. 
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become 
apparent from the following detail description taken in conjunction with 
the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring now in detail to the drawings, a first embodiment of the present 
invention is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. As seen therein, the buffing 
pad assembly 10 comprises a cylindrical foam pad 12, preferably formed of 
thermally or chemically reticulated foam esters and ethers, and a backing 
plate 14 preferably formed of high impact styrene plastic. A circular 
layer of Velcro loop fastening material 16 is affixed to the backside 18 
of pad 12 by a suitable adhesive such as 3M Brand No. 45-NF clear foam 
adhesive. The Velcro material used for layer 16 is marketed by Velcro 
U.S.A. under the designation RG-L 361. The layer of fastening material 16 
defines a diameter which is less than the diameter of pad 12 so as to 
recess the perimeter edge 20 of the layer of loop fastening material 16 
radially inwardly from the cylindrical sidewall 21 of the foam pad 12 to 
avoid any risk of damage to the paint surface during polishing by the 
fastening material. Layer 16 defines a centering aperture 22 therein which 
is centrally disposed therein and axially aligned with the common central 
axes of foam pad 12 and layer 16. 
The forward perimeter edge 23 of pad 12 is preferably radiused to prevent 
the formation of swirl marks in the paint finish when lifting the pad from 
the finish. With a pad 12 having a diameter of 8 inches and a thickness of 
1.875-2.0 inches (including the thickness of 0.06 inches of the Velcro 
material 16) a radius of 0.43 inches, has proved highly successful in 
preventing the creation of swirls in the finish. 
The circular backing plate 14 defines a cylindrical centering member 24 
which is preferably integrally molded therewith and projects axially from 
the forward surface 26 of plate 14. Centering member 24 is centrally 
disposed on plate 14 such that it is an axial alignment with the central 
axis of plate 14 and is sized so as to be relatively snugly received 
within the centering aperture 22 in the layer 16 of Velcro loop material 
on pad 12. A circular layer of Velcro hook material 28 having a central 
aperture 30, therein is secured to the forward surface of 26 of plate 14 
by a suitable adhesive such that it substantially covers surface 26 with 
the centering member 24 projecting through aperture 30 therein. The Velcro 
material used for layer 28 is marketed by Velcro U.S.A. under the 
designation No. 65 and employs woven nylon hooks. The back side 32 of 
plate 14 defines a centrally disposed cylindrical hub 34 thereon which is 
also preferably integrally formed with the plate and is in axial alignment 
with centering member 24. Hub 34 has a threaded metal insert 36 secured 
therein for threadably engaging the backing plate 14 to the shaft of a 
motorized drive tool (not shown). Alternatively, the bore of hub 32 could 
itself be threaded for direct engagement with the drive tool. However, as 
the backing plate 14, centering member 24 and hub 32 are preferably molded 
of a plastic material, the use of a metal insert 34 facilitates removal of 
the plate from the drive tool due to the resulting metal to metal contact 
as opposed to a plastic to metal contact which may tend to bind and cause 
wear on the plastic threads. 
To secure the buffing pad 12 onto backing plate 14, it is merely necessary 
to align the centering member 24 on the backing plate 14 with the aperture 
22 in the layer of loop fastening material 16 on pad 12 and press the pad 
against the backing plate such that the centering member 24 passes through 
aperture 22, slightly compressing and displacing the foam thereunder. The 
layer of hook fastening material on the plate engages the layer of the 
loop fastening material 16 on pad 12, thereby centering and securing the 
foam pad 12 to the backing plate 14. To replace the foam pad 12 with 
another pad for use with a different product, it is only necessary to 
strip the pad from the backing plate and replace a new pad as described. 
In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the foam 
pad 12 defines a diameter of about 8 inches and a thickness of 1.875-2.0 
inches. The backing pad 14 and the layers 16 and 18 of velcro material are 
6-6.5 inches in diameter so that the foam pad 12 projects radially from 
the backing plate. By so spacing the perimeter of the backing plate from 
the side of the pad, the pad can be used at an angle with respect to its 
central axis without overly compressing the side of the pad against the 
backing plate which could otherwise tend to create swirl marks in the 
finish or, in some cases, even burn the finish. The above dimensions 
however, could be changed without departing from the scope of the present 
invention. 
FIG. 3 illustrate a modification of the foam pad of the present invention 
wherein the pad 112, which is otherwise identical to pad 12, has a 
centrally disposed cylindrical recess 113 in the back side thereof and a 
tubular hollow guide member 115 secured within the recess -13 by an 
adhesive. The guide member defines an internal diameter slightly larger 
than to the diameter of the centering member 24 on the backing plate so 
that the guide member 115 can receive the centering member 24 carried by 
the pad 112 upon the pad being aligned with and pressed against a backing 
plate 16. 
FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate an alternate embodiment of the invention which is 
designed to prevent the intrusion of the centering means into the foam pad 
to prevent any possibility of the centering means contacting the paint 
finish during use such as could occur if the pad were to become overly 
worn and excess pressure were applied by the user. This alternate 
embodiment of the invention comprises: a foam pad 212; a circular layer of 
Velcro loop fastening material 216 affixed to the backside 218 of pad 212; 
a centering member 215 carried by and projecting axially from the backside 
218 of pad 212; a backing plate 214; and a layer of Velcro hook fastening 
material 228 affixed to plate 214. 
Pad 212 is identical in configuration to pad 12 of the first embodiment. 
Centering member 215 is preferably molded of high impact styrene plastic 
and defines a flat annular base portion 217 projecting radially therefrom, 
an outer rearwardly projecting cylindrical wall surface 219, an annular 
rear horizontal wall surface 221 and a frustro-conical inner wall surface 
223 terminating in a bottom wall surface 225 which lies in the same plane 
as base portion 217. Surfaces 223 and 225 define a centrally disposed and 
frusto-conical centering slot 227. The flat base portion 217 and bottom 
wall surface 225 of the centering member abut the backside 218 of pad 212 
and are secured thereto by a suitable adhesive. The layer of Velcro loop 
material 216 carried by pad 212 defines a centrally disposed aperture 222 
therein such that the centering member 215 projects therethrough with the 
portion of fastening material 216 disposed about the perimeter of aperture 
222 extending over the annular base portion 217 of centering member 215 
and being secured thereto by a suitable adhesive as seen in FIG. 5. 
Backing plate 214 defines a flat annular front surface 226 disposed about a 
centrally disposed annular recess 229 adapted to receive the projecting 
wall surfaces 219, 221 and 223 of the centering member 215 as seen in FIG. 
5. Recess 229 is defined by a cylindrical outer surface 231, flat rear 
surface 233, tapered inner surface 235 and forward surface 237 which are 
configured to abut surfaces 219, 221, 223 and 225 of the centering member 
215 with surfaces 235 and 237 defining a central tapered centering 
projection 239 adapted to be received in the centering slot 227 in the 
centering member 215. 
The layer of Velcro hook fastening material 224 is secured to and disposed 
about the forward surface 226 of plate 214 and is of an annular 
configuration so as to be disposed about the central recess 229 in backing 
plate 214. The backing plate also defines a centrally disposed cylindrical 
hub 234 on the back side 232 thereof rearwardly of surface 237. Hub 234 
has a centrally disposed cylindrical recess 241 therein. A threaded metal 
insert 236 is secured within recess 241 for threadably engaging the 
backing plate to the drive shaft of a motorized drive tool (not shown). A 
plurality of tapered support ribs 243 are preferably integrally formed 
with the backing plate 214 and project between hub 234 and the back side 
of the plate 214 to provide additional structural support for hub 232. 
Similar supporting ribs could also be provided on the embodiment of the 
invention illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 if the hub 34 were reduced in size 
so as to need additional structural support. 
In use, the foam pad 212 need only be pressed against the forward surface 
226 of the backing plate 214 to center and secure the foam pad onto the 
backing plate. Through such a configuration, any projection of the 
centering means on the backing plate into the foam pad is avoided. 
Various other changes and modifications may be made in carrying out the 
present invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. 
Insofar as these changes and modifications are within the purview of the 
appended claims, they are to be considered as part of the present 
invention.