Patent Publication Number: US-9415483-B2

Title: Tufted buffing pad

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a national stage filing under 35 U.S.C. 371 of PCT/US2010/034627, filed May 13, 2010, which claims priority to U.S. Application No. 61/177,917, filed May 13, 2009, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in its/their entirety herein. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     The present invention is directed to a tufted buffing pad and, more particularly, to a tufted buffing pad that includes means for preventing the tufts of buffing material adjacent the center of the pad from interfering with the mounting of the buffing pad onto a power buffer. 
     Buffing pads for use in high speed polishing of automobiles and the like may be one-sided or two-sided. A one-sided buffing pad is typically circular and comprises a buffing medium (e.g., foam, wool, etc.) attached to one face of a rigid backing plate which is attached by a central hub to the drive shaft or spindle of a motor for a power buffer. The buffing medium may be permanently attached to the backing plate or releasably attached thereto in order to allow for replacement without disposing of the backing plate. A two-sided buffing pad includes buffing medium attached to each face of a rigid backing plate. The plate includes a hub for releasably attaching the buffing pad to the drive shaft or spindle of the buffing motor. The pad may be attached to the drive shaft or spindle of the motor from either side of the buffing pad, thereby allowing the pad to be reversed after one side has been used. 
     Typically, such buffing pads include tufts of wool or other natural or synthetic fibers as the buffing medium. It is also known to use a foam material, for example, an open-cell polyurethane foam, as the buffing medium. Tufted pads, particularly those using wool, are, however, preferred by some workers and are considered by some to be superior to foam pads. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     There is provided a buffing pad comprised of a hub with a central opening for attaching the same to a power buffer. The pad includes a layer of tufted wool or other fibrous buffing medium spaced from but surrounding the hub and a block of material (preferably a cylindrical block of foam) positioned between the fibrous buffing medium and the hub. The block of material includes an aperture therethrough that is in alignment with the central opening in the hub. The dimensions of the block of material are such as to prevent tufts of the fibrous buffing medium from entering the central opening of the hub and interfering with the ability of the pad to be attached to the power buffer. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the accompanying drawings one form that is presently preferred, it being understood that the invention is not intended to be limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown. 
         FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of a double-sided buffing pad according to one embodiment of the invention and about to be secured to a connector for attachment to a power buffer; 
         FIG. 2  is a front perspective view similar to  FIG. 1  but showing portions of the buffing pad, connector and power buffer partially exploded; 
         FIG. 3  is also a view similar to  FIG. 1  showing the backing plate of the double-sided buffing pad in phantom; 
         FIG. 4  is a front elevational view of the buffing pad of  FIG. 1  with the connector aligned at the center thereof; 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view taken through the line  5 - 5  of  FIG. 4  and showing a connector prior to it being attached to the buffing pad; and 
         FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view similar to  FIG. 5  but after the connector has been attached to the buffing pad. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring now to the drawings in detail wherein like reference numerals have been used throughout the various figures to designate like elements, there is show in  FIG. 1  one embodiment of a double-sided buffing pad according to the invention and designated generally as  10 . 
     The buffing pad  10  is particularly useful for buffing or polishing an automobile and essentially includes a circular layer  12  of tufted wool as the buffing medium. The tufted wool layer  12  is secured to a backing plate  14  as shown in  FIG. 3  which includes a central hub  16  having an axial opening  18  for attachment to the drive shaft or spindle of a rotary power buffer  20  through the use of a quick connector  22  (see  FIG. 2 ). The wool layer  12  is comprised of a plurality of tufts or strands of wool  24  that extend outwardly from the inner surface of the layer which is attached to the backing plate  14 . 
     The buffing pad just described is essentially of conventional construction. As is well known in the art, the lengths of the individual tufts of wool  24  making up the layer  12  are substantially equal and have a length sufficient to provide the pad with its ability to buff the surface of an automobile or the like. 
     After several uses of the buffing pad  10 , it frequently occurs that the tufts of wool  24  get matted down and do not extend outwardly as they would in a new pad. While washing or otherwise cleaning the pad may help to revive the strands and raise them from a matted condition, the more frequently that a pad is used, the more likely that the strands or tufts of wool will become matted down and tend to lie flat. 
     The fact that the strands or tufts of wool  24  become matted down does not normally affect the manner in which the buffing pad  10  is capable of buffing an automobile or other surface. One problem that frequently does occur, however, is that the strands or tufts of wool  24  adjacent the central opening  18  in the hub  16  can over lie the opening or even move into the opening thereby interfering with the ability of the quick connector  22  to enter the opening  18  in the hub  16  to secure the buffing pad to the quick connector. Furthermore, even if one or more strands or tufts of wool  24  enter the opening  18  but still allow the quick connector  22  to be attached, it can sometimes occur that the matted wool strands  24  interfere with the ability to remove the quick connector  22  from the buffing pad. 
     The foregoing problem is not always caused by tufts of wool  24  that have become matted down. Even with new pads it sometimes occurs that tufts of wool  24  located near the center of the buffing pad  10  will enter the central opening  18  in the hub  16  and interfere with the ability of the quick connector  22  to be attached to or removed from the pad. 
     This problem can also occur when the hub includes a conventional thread so that it can be threaded onto the drive shaft or spindle of the power buffer. 
     Thus, there is a need for a buffing pad that includes a means for preventing the tufts of fibrous buffing medium (e.g. strands of wool) adjacent the center of the pad from interfering with the mounting of the pad onto a power buffer. 
     The above problem is solved by the use of a block of foam material  26  that is located between the innermost strands or tufts of wool  24  and the opening  18  in the hub  16 . As shown most clearly in  FIG. 2 , the block of foam material  26  is preferably cylindrical in shape and has an aperture  28  in the center thereof which is in alignment with the opening  18  in the hub  16  of the backing plate  14 . As shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , a second block of foam material  30  having an opening  32  in the center thereof is located on the opposite side of the pad  10 . The two blocks of foam  26  and  30  are typically identical to each other because both sides of a double-sided buffing pad are usually the same. 
     Each of the blocks of foam material  26  and  30  is secured to the backing plate  14  around the hub  16 . This can be done with an adhesive or other suitable attachment. As shown most clearly in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the length of the tufts of wool  24  in the vicinity of the blocks of foam material  26  and  30  is not greater than the combined height and wall thickness of the blocks. As a result, even if the strands or tufts of wool  24  become matted, they cannot enter the opening  28  or  32  in the blocks of foam material or the opening  18  in the hub  16  of the backing plate  14 . Thus, the tufts  24  are prevented from interfering with the quick connector  22 . The blocks should be somewhat resilient and should not abrade or otherwise damage the surface being buffed. 
     It should be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the use of wool for creating the double sided buffing pad. The invention can be used with buffing media made of substantially any type of fibrous strands or tufted material. This includes natural fiber such as cotton and synthetic fibers. 
     Similarly, while the invention has been illustrated with a quick connector for attaching the buffing pad to a power buffer, other modes of attachment may be used. For example, axial opening  18  in hub  16  may be threaded for threaded attachment to the drive shaft or spindle of a power buffer. Furthermore, while the blocks  26  and  30  are preferably made from foam, other natural or synthetic materials may be used. For example, the blocks may be made of felt, materials used in washers and gaskets, or the like so long as the blocks are able to prevent the tufts of fibrous buffing media from entering the center opening in the buffing pad while, at the same time, not themselves interfere with the ability to connect the buffing pad to the power buffer. 
     The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof and accordingly, reference should be made to the appended claims rather than to the foregoing specification as indicating the scope of the invention.