Patent Publication Number: US-9422682-B2

Title: Box broom sweeper with an adjustable bottom surface attachment

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention generally relates to street cleaning systems and more particularly to an adjustable bottom surface attachment for a box broom sweeper. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Box brooms that are adapted to be attached to a vehicle, such as a skid-steer loader or skidsteer, have a variety of different uses. For example, box brooms can be used for general maintenance sweeping, such as picking up common gutter debris for basic street maintenance, or for picking up loose gravel, sand, small debris, or litter from airport roads, gates areas, and tarmac. Box brooms can also be used for cement plant cleanup, which includes picking up materials such as crushed lime, coke, and finished cement product. Typically the cost for each box broom ranges from approximately $6,000 USD to $8,000 USD. 
     The repeated use of the box broom in environments such as those described above not only damages the guard of the box broom, but also, and more importantly, causes the bottom of the box broom to become deleveled so as to allow loose gravel, sand, crushed lime, etc. to remain on the surface; thereby, rendering the box broom ineffective and unusable and forcing the user to purchase a new replacement box broom. 
     Thus, an adjustable bottom surface attachment for a box broom solving the aforementioned problems is desired. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The box broom sweeper with adjustable bottom surface attachment can include a box broom having a broom and a housing. The housing can include a top portion, a bottom portion having a guard, opposing front and rear ends, two opposing side walls connecting the top portion and the bottom portion, and an adjustable bottom surface attachment disposed over the bottom portion. The adjustable bottom surface attachment includes a plate and two opposing flanges or sides extending upward from the plate. The two opposing sides of the adjustable bottom surface attachment can be connected to the side walls of the housing and configured to extend at least partially along the side walls. The adjustable bottom surface attachment can be detachably coupled to the side walls of the housing to facilitate removal of the adjustable bottom surface attachment when the plate becomes worn down or damaged. The adjustable bottom surface attachment can be coupled to the box broom housing by welding. 
     These and other features of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an environmental, side view of a skid-steer loader having a box broom sweeper with adjustable bottom surface attachment according to the present invention, showing movement in a forward direction. 
         FIG. 2  is an environmental, side view of a skid-steer loader having a box broom sweeper with an adjustable bottom surface attachment according to the present invention, showing movement in a backwards direction. 
         FIG. 3  is an environmental, bottom, perspective view of the box broom sweeper with an adjustable bottom surface attachment, according to the present invention. 
     
    
    
     Unless otherwise indicated, similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     An embodiment of a box broom sweeper with adjustable bottom surface attachment  100  includes a box broom  120  having a broom B and a housing  110 , as shown in  FIGS. 1-3 . As shown more clearly in  FIG. 3 , the box broom  120  includes an adjustable bottom surface attachment  300 . The box broom  120  can be configured in any suitable manner known in the art. For example, the box broom  120  can include a housing  110  having a top surface  130 , a bottom surface  140 , a front end  160 , a rear end  170 , and two opposing side walls  190 , connecting the top surface  130  and the bottom surface  140  of the housing  110 . The rear end  170  can be in communication with a vehicle  180 , such as a skid steer. As shown in  FIG. 3 , the bottom surface  140  can have a plurality of skid plates  150  and a guard  155 . The housing  110  can be adapted to receive debris, such as sand, dirt, sticks, grass, small litter, loose gravel, small debris, as well as crushed lime, coke, and finished cement product swept up by the broom B. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the adjustable bottom surface attachment  300  includes a plate  315  having a front edge portion  320  and two opposing flanges or sides  305  extending from the plate  315 , e.g. normal to the plate  315 . Each of the two opposing sides  305  can include an inner face  310   a  and an outer face  310   b . Each of the two opposing sides  305  are configured to extend at least partially along a respective side wall  190  of the housing  110 . The sides  305  can be connected to the box broom  120 , e.g., detachably connected, in any suitable manner, e.g., by welding. Alternatively, the adjustable bottom surface attachment  300  can be coupled to the box broom  120  by one or more suitable fasteners, such as bolts. 
     The adjustable bottom surface attachment  300  can be formed from any suitable material. The adjustable bottom surface attachment  300  can be made from steel, preferably T-1 steel. The adjustable bottom surface attachment  300  can be disposed over the bottom surface  140  of the housing  110  to protect the bottom surface  140 , e.g., the guard  155 , from becoming damaged as the box broom  120  is pushed forward F, as illustrated in  FIG. 1 , or pulled in reverse R, as illustrated in  FIG. 2 , to collect debris from a ground surface. 
     The adjustable bottom surface attachment  300  can be of any suitable size. For example, the width W of the adjustable bottom surface attachment  300  can be from about 60 inches to about 84 inches. The length L of the adjustable bottom surface attachment  300  can be from about 4 feet to about 6 feet. The thickness T of the adjustable bottom surface attachment  300  can be from about ⅞ inches to about one inch. The adjustable bottom surface attachment  300  can be configured to have dimensions appropriate to protect the bottom surface  140 , e.g., the guard  155 , from contact with a ground surface. The dimensions of the adjustable bottom surface attachment  300  can vary. The adjustable bottom surface attachment  300  can be configured to fit onto a variety of box brooms, such as box brooms having a width of 60 inches or a width of 84 inches. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , by way of operation, the inner face  310   a  of each side wall  305  of the adjustable bottom surface attachment  300  can contact corresponding sides  190  of the housing  110 . The sidewalls  305  are coupled, e.g., removably coupled, to a corresponding side  190  of the housing  110  of the box broom  120 . Each side  305  of the plate  315  of the adjustable bottom surface attachment  300  can be welded onto the corresponding side  190  of the housing  110  of the box broom  120 . Once the adjustable bottom surface attachment  300  is coupled to the housing  110 , the plate  315  covers the bottom surface  140 , including the guard  155  and the skid plates  150 . The front edge portion  320  of the bottom surface  140  can be aligned with the guard  155 . The adjustable bottom surface attachment  300  can be disposed over the bottom surface  140  of the housing  110 . 
     As the box broom  120  moves forward F ( FIG. 1 ) or in reverse R ( FIG. 2 ) on a surface to collect debris, the adjustable bottom surface attachment  300  can become damaged or thinner over time. A used or damaged adjustable bottom surface attachment  300  can be removed from the housing  110  and replaced with a new adjustable bottom surface attachment  300 . For example, the welds coupling each side  305  of the adjustable bottom surface attachment  100  to the sides  190  of housing  110  can be removed, e.g., by heating, cutting, or grinding down on the welds so as to detach the adjustable bottom surface attachment  300  from the housing  110 . If only the front portion  320  of the adjustable bottom surface attachment  300  is damaged, the damaged front portion  320  can be removed by removing the adjustable bottom surface attachment  300  from the box broom  120  and cutting the damaged portion off. A remainder of the adjustable bottom surface attachment  300  can include a front portion  320  with sufficient thickness to cover and protect the guard  155 . The remainder of the bottom surface attachment  300  can then be repositioned on and coupled to the housing  110 . 
     As an alternative to welding, it should be understood that any suitable attachment method known in the art can be used to detachably connect the adjustable bottom surface attachment  300  to the housing  110  of the box broom  120 . For example, a mounting rail can be provided on opposing side walls  190  which can be coupled to opposing flanges of the adjustable bottom surface attachment  300  with one or more fasteners. The mounting rail can facilitate repositioning and/or removal of the adjustable bottom surface attachment  300 . 
     It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.