Abstract:
A floor machine for cleaning floors with a rotary brush or buffer includes (1) a base assembly having a motor and skirt with no frame and (2) a handle and frame assembly. The frame/handle assembly can readily be attached to the base assembly by a simple engagement of the frame to a support mounted on the housing of the motor. This permits (1) the handle and frame assembly to be packaged in a shipping carton which need only be tall enough to accommodate the wheel diameter of the handle/frame assembly and (2) the base assembly of motor and skirt to be packaged in a second carton having a size which need only accommodate such base/motor and skirt assembly with no significant wasted space.

Description:
The present patent application is directed to a floor machine of a type used for cleaning floors and carpets with a rotatable brush, buffer or similar rotating member which contacts the floor or carpet in combination with a simple handle attachment. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Prior art floor machines typically have a motor mounted on a base consisting of a frame and skirt assembly with a handle attached to the base. The prior art designs with the handle attached to the base result in inefficiencies from one of two standpoints. Under a number of prior art floor machine designs, the attachment of the handle to the frame is such that it is desirable to ship such floor machines with the handle attached and standing in an upright position extending upwardly from the base frame/skirt assembly with the motor mounted thereon. As a result of the handle extending to a height of two or more feet above the top of the motor, a shipping carton for packing and shipping this type of prior art machine will contain a significant amount of wasted space thereby increasing the cost of shipping over that required if there were no significant wasted space. 
   Although some prior art machines have attempted to overcome the wasted space problem by providing a handle which may be folded from (1) a position extending generally upwardly from the base and generally perpendicular to the surface to be cleaned to (2) a position substantially parallel to the surface to be cleaned, such foldable handles are complex and expensive to manufacture. 
   When the handle is assembled to the base and does not have the capability of being folded to a position parallel to the floor, the machine, when packaged in a shipping container having rectangular sides will result in significant wasted space and an overall package size that restricts shipping options. Attempts to ship the handle and base assembly separately to be assembled upon receipt have been, for the most part, commercially unsuccessful due to numerous linkage points between the handle and the base. In the prior art, it was found that such linkages are necessary to enable handle adjustment and ensure a robust interface between the handle and the base. However, the complexity of such assembly operation was not well received by customers. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention is directed to a floor machine in which the frame is part of the handle assembly. The base assembly is the motor and skirt with no frame. The frame/handle assembly can readily be attached to the base assembly by a simple engagement of the frame to a support mounted on the housing of the motor. This permits (1) the handle and frame assembly to be packaged in a shipping carton which need only be tall enough to accommodate the wheel diameter of the handle/frame assembly and (2) the base assembly of motor and skirt to be shipped in a second carton having a size which need only accommodate such base/motor and skirt assembly with no significant wasted space. Engagement of the frame/handle assembly to the base assembly can be easily effected by simple engagement of as few as two or three bolts or nuts and bolts. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view showing the floor machine of the present invention with the handle/frame assembly engaged to the base/motor and skirt assembly. 
       FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the floor machine of the present invention showing the handle/frame assembly separated from the base/motor and skirt assembly. 
       FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of the floor machine showing the undersurface of the base/motor and skirt assembly and the means for securing the handle/frame assembly to the base/motor and skirt assembly. 
       FIG. 4A  is an elevational view of the base/motor and skirt assembly and showing in dashed lines the size of shipping carton required as viewed in elevation. 
       FIG. 4B  is a top plan view of the base/motor and skirt assembly and showing in dashed lines the size of shipping carton required as viewed from the top. 
       FIG. 5A  is an elevational view of the handle/frame assembly showing the handle folded for shipping to a position substantially parallel to the frame and showing in dashed lines the size of shipping carton required as viewed in elevation. 
       FIG. 5B  is a top plan view of the handle/frame assembly with the handle folded for shipping to a position substantially parallel to the frame and showing in dashed lines the size of shipping carton required as viewed from the top. 
       FIG. 6  is a schematic view showing the size carton and wasted space in such carton resulting from shipping a floor machine with an attached handle extending substantially perpendicular to the floor. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   Referring to the drawings, there is shown a floor machine generally designed by the numeral  10  comprising a handle/frame assembly  20  and a base assembly  30  comprising a motor  32  and a skirt  34 . 
   The handle/frame assembly  20  includes a frame  22  extending from a leading engagement end  23  to a trailing end  24 . The frame  22  has an upper panel  25  and down turned flanges  26  extending downwardly from each of the opposing sides of the panel  25 . 
   The leading end  23  of the panel  25  is contoured with a curved section  28  extending along a semi-circular path defining a size to receive a cylindrical side wall portion  33  of the motor  32 . The panel  25  is provided with three apertures  29  for receiving bolts  88  (see  FIG. 3 ) or other fasteners for securing the frame  22  to the base assembly  30 . The apertures  29  are spaced a short distance from the edge of the curved section  28  and are positioned with the center one of such apertures  29  being centrally positioned in the curved section  28  substantially midway between the opposing flanges  26 . The other two apertures  29  are nearly 90° on opposite sides of the central aperture  29  and are closely adjacent to the leading end  23  on opposite sides of the curved section  28 . Approximately midway between the center aperature  29  and each of the left and right apertures  29  are notches  27  formed in the leading end  23 . As viewed in  FIGS. 2 and 5B , the portion of the frame  22  between each of the notches  27  and the leading end  23  may be referred to as spaced-apart arms. 
   The trailing end  24  of the frame  22  is provided with a cut-out  12  defined by a pair of longitudinally extending edges  12 A and a transverse edge  12 B. The longitudinal edges  12 A define the inner edges of a pair of legs  15  which extend to the trailing end  24 . Extending downwardly from the upper panel portion  25 A of each of the legs  15  is a downwardly extending flange  16  (See  FIGS. 2 and 5B ). The legs  15  and their flanges  16  cooperate, respectively, with those portions of the flanges  26  adjacent the trailing end  24  to define spaces for receiving wheels  40 . The wheels  40  are supported on an axle  42  which extends between the opposing flanges  26  and also extends through the flanges  16 . 
   Also extending between the opposing flanges  26  and passing through the flanges  16  is a pivot bar  44 . 
   The handle assembly  14  includes a tubular post  46  secured at its lower end to a housing  47  having a front panel  48  parallel to and slightly spaced from the transverse edge  12 B of the trailing cut-out  12  when the handle assembly  14  is in the upright position shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . Extending from the front panel  48  rearwardly when the handle assembly  14  is in the upright position shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , is an upper flange  49  and a pair of spaced-apart downwardly extending flanges  50 . The pivot bar  44 , extending through both of the flanges  26  and both of the flanges  16 , also extends through the spaced-apart downwardly extending flanges  50  of the housing  47 . The housing  47  is free to rotate about the pivot bar  44  thereby permitting the post  46  connected thereto to rotate about the pivot bar  44 . 
   The upper end of the post  46  supports a control housing  52  with electrical controls and switch  53 , a pair of gripping handles  55  and actuation members  56  extending from the control housing  52  parallel to the handle  55  in spaced relationship therewith. The control housing  52  and the components contained therein and extending therefrom form no part of the present invention. 
   The other major component of the handle assembly is a slide bar  60  having a panel  62  and a pair of flanges  63  extending from opposite edges thereof. The flanges  63  are each provided with a lower aperture sized to receive the axle  42 . The slide bar  60  is free to pivot about the axle  42 . 
   The upper end of the slide bar has connected thereto a gripping member  66  having a central aperature  67  for receiving the post  46 . The gripping member  66  is provided with a pair of spaced-apart legs  68 . On one side of the aperture, a threaded member  70  having a handle  71  passes through one of the legs  68  and is threadedly engaged to the opposing leg  68 . The size of the aperture  67  is such that when the threaded member  70  is loosened so that the legs  68  are separated to their maximum spaced apart position, the post  46  can readily slide therein but that when the threaded member  70  is tightened it will draw the legs  68  closer together reducing the size the aperture  67  and clamping the gripping member  66  to the post  46 . When it is desired to move the handle assembly  14  from the raised position shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  to a position in which the handle assembly  14  is parallel to the panel  25  of the frame, it is simply necessary to loosen the threaded member  70  and pivot the post  46  about the pivot bar  44 . In making such motion, the slide bar  60  will pivot about the axle  42  and will slide on the post  46  toward the control housing  52  as may be seen in  FIGS. 5A and 5B . 
   If desired, the slide bar  60  may have a hook  64  extending from one side for hanging or wrapping an electric cord used to power the motor  32  and a hook  65  for hanging a pad driver or other articles during maintenance. 
   The motor  32  of the base assembly  30  has a cylindrical side wall  33  to which is rigidly secured an annular support member  75 . 
   The skirt  34  of the base assembly  30  has a central opening  76  (See  FIG. 3 ) which receives the lower portion of the motor  32 . The skirt  34  has a raised area  78  (See  FIGS. 4A and 6 ) adjacent the opening  76 . Outwardly from the raised area, the skirt  34  extends downwardly and then tapers outwardly toward an outer periphery defined by a downwardly extending flange  80 . 
   The annular support member  75  secured to the cylindrical sidewall  33  is maintained in spaced apart relationship with the raised area  78  of the skirt  34  by a distance which will permit the curved section  28  at the leading end of the frame  22  to be received in the gap  83  between the top of the raised area  78  and the bottom of the support member  75 . 
   The support member  75  has apertures  84  which are spaced apart and positioned to be aligned with the apertures  29  when the frame  22  is properly positioned in the gap  83 . The raised area  78  of the skirt is also provided with apertures  85  (See  FIG. 3 ) which are aligned with the apertures  84  in the support member  75 . 
   The support member  75  is also provided with two spaced apart pins  86  (See  FIG. 2 ) which extend into the gap  83  and are so positioned as to enter the respective notches  27  at the leading end of the curved section  28  of the frame as the frame  22  is engaged to the base assembly  30  having the motor  32  and skirt  34 . Such engagement of the pins  86  in the respective notches  27  serves to easily align the frame  22  so that its apertures  29  become readily aligned with the apertures  84  of the support member  75  and the apertures  85  in the raised area  78  of the skirt  34 . Bolts or other fastening devices  88  may then be inserted through the respective aligned apertures  85 ,  29  and  84  in order to secure the frame  22  and remaining components of the handle/frame assembly  20  to the base assembly  30 . Preferably the apertures  84  are threaded to receive the threaded end of bolts  88  inserted from the underside of the skirt as shown in  FIG. 3 . Other fastening means could be used including bolts which extend completely through the support member apertures  84  with nuts thereafter engaged thereto. 
     FIG. 6  shows in uniform dashed lines  92  the waste space  93  which would be required if the floor machine  10  were shipped in a carton  90  with the handle/frame assembly  20  in an upright position and assembled to the base assembly  30 . 
   The floor machine of the present invention is economical to manufacture. The separate major components of the handle/frame assembly  20  and the base assembly  30  may be shipped in separate shipping containers as shown in  FIGS. 4A ,  4 B and  5 A,  5 B and yet can be easily assembled with only three bolts required for such assembly. 
   The above detailed description of the present invention is given for explanatory purposes. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous changes and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the whole of the foregoing description is to be construed in an illustrative and not a limitative sense, the scope of the invention being defined solely by the appended claims.