Patent Publication Number: US-4926516-A

Title: Floor care apparatus

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates generally to floor care apparatus, and more particularly to floor care apparatus which is capable of removing chewing gum or the like from flooring such as carpets and the like. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     One of the problems encountered in the maintenance of hotels, bowling alleys, etc. is the removal of chewing gum and the like from flooring such as carpets. In smaller establishments it is common practice to simply rub an ice cube on the chewing gum and them chip the frozen gum off. Larger establishments typically use the same principle but freeze the chewing gum by spraying it with a compressed gas such as freon or the like. In any event, the typical procedures are labor intensive and do not always provide satisfactory results. 
     OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is the principal object of the present invention to provide a novel apparatus which is capable of removing chewing gum or the like from flooring or the like. 
     More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus which will in effect disintegrate chewing gum, candy, and other materials, even when these materials have become embedded in a carpet, so that the disintegrated materials may be easily swept up. 
     In accordance with the above, it has been found that a four inch diameter wire brush, when rotated at approximately 1500 rpm, will effectively disintegrate chewing gum and the like, even when embedded in carpet, without damaging the flooring to which the gum is adhered. In view of this finding, an apparatus has been designed which includes a housing which is adapted to rest upon the flooring, the housing having an electric motor mounted therein. A wire brush is mounted on the arbor shaft of the motor, the diameter of the brush being so sized with respect to the diameter of the housing that when the housing is resting upon the flooring, the wire brush may be readily moved into and out of engagement with the flooring by rocking the housing, which rocking is accomplished by an operator who engages a handle which is secured to the housing. 
     The foregoing will become more apparent after a consideration of the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which a preferred form of this invention is illustrated. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the floor care apparatus of this invention, the floor care apparatus being shown in its normal upright or working position. 
     FIG. 2 is an end view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1, this view being taken generally along the line 2--2 in FIG. 1 and showing the apparatus in an operative position. 
     FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but showing the apparatus in an inoperative position. 
     FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view of a portion of the floor care apparatus of this invention, this view being taken generally along the line 4--4 in FIG. 2. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring first to FIG. 1, the floor care apparatus of this invention is indicated generally at 10. The floor care apparatus includes, as major components, a two-part clam shell housing indicated generally at 12, a handle 14 which is rigidly secured to the housing, an electric motor 16 (FIG. 4) mounted within the housing, and a wire brush 18 mounted on the arbor shaft 20 of the electric motor. Two-part clam shell housing 12 is formed from separate sections 22, 24 of PVC sewer line end caps, each having an internal diameter of about 41/4 inches. The two sections 22, 24 are assembled together by telescoping them over another section 26 of PVC piping until adjacent ends of the end caps 22, 24 abut one another with the parts in concentric alignment. 
     When assembling the housing 12, initially the section 26 is telescoped into section 22 and is secured thereto by a suitable adhesive, which may be placed upon the inner surface of clam shell housing 22 prior to the parts being telescoped together. The ends 22.1 and 24.1 are preferably provided with apertures 22.2, 24.2 for the entry of cooling air. The electric motor 16 which may be a Dayton 3M547 1/20HP shaded pole motor, is mounted within the clam shell housing 24 which will be closest to the wire brush 18. The motor 16 is provided with four threaded mounting studs 28, which studs all lie an equal distance away from the arbor shaft 20, the studs 28 also being an equal distance away from each other. When the motor 16 is mounted within housing 24, the shaft 20 is passed through aperture 24.2, and then the mounting studs 28 are passed through suitable apertures (no number) and are secured in place by nuts 30. After the motor 16 has been properly secured to housing 24 the wire brush may be secured to shaft 20. To this end, the wire brush is provided with a sleeve 32 which may be telescoped over the end of shaft 20, the sleeve carrying a set screw 34 which may be turned to engage the flat 36 on shaft 20, thereby fixing brush 18 to shaft 20. 
     Aligned apertures 38, 40 are drilled into the housing section 22 and telescoping section 26 after these parts have been secured together. One end of the hollow handle 14, which may be made of PVC piping, is then inserted into the upper end of connector 42 and is adhesively secured thereto. The connector also has a reduced diameter threaded end portion 44. The shoulder between the reduced diameter portion 44 and the portion which receives the end of the handle will act as an abutment. After the handle is secured to the connector 42, the reduced diameter portion therein is inserted into the apertures. The threaded end 44 of the connector 42 is secured within apertures 38, 40 by a nut 46. 
     An electric power line 48 extends through the hollow handle, a portion of the power line 48 passing through a suitable grommet 50 on an upper side portion of the handle and terminating in a plug 52. A lower end of the electric power line 48 is suitably secured to the electric motor wires 54 by connectors 56. 
     As previously indicated, the arbor shaft 20 has mounted thereon a wire brush 18. One such suitable wire brush is made by Fuller Tool, however other suitable brushes may also be utilized. In the preferred embodiment illustrated the radius R of the wire brush is 2 inches. In addition, the diameter of the electric motor is 31/4 inches whereas the internal diameter of the sleeve or section 26 is 4 inches. In view of these relationships it is possible to mount the motor in an offset manner so that the periphery of the wire brush extends beyond the periphery of the clam shell housings 22, 24 which support the floor care apparatus of this invention when it is in its operative position as shown in FIG. 2. Thus, it can be seen from FIG. 2, wherein the periphery of the wire brush is illustrated by a dot-dash line 58, that the wire brush may actually extend into a flooring f a small amount, as for example when the flooring is a carpet. However, it can be seen from FIG. 3 that if the floor care apparatus of this invention is rotated approximately 90° that the periphery 58 of the wire brush will actually be disposed above the flooring f. In addition, it should also be appreciated from FIG. 4 that if the apparatus were rocked to the left about a lower support portion 22.3 of the clam shell housing 22 that the periphery of the wire brush 18 would also be moved to a raised inoperative position. Thus, in operation, it is possible to rock the apparatus from side to side placing it in operative or inoperative positions. In addition, it is possible to rock the apparatus from the position shown in FIG. 2 to the position shown in FIG. 3 to move the apparatus from operative to inoperative positions. The actual manner of use will depend upon the particular preferences of the operator utilizing this device. 
     In order to give some protection to the operator from any flying debris which may be generated by the wire brush during operation of this apparatus, a clear plastic shield 60 is mounted upon the reduced diameter portion of the housing portion 24, the shield being mounted upon this section by screws 62. The shield will permit the operator to view the work area through the shield, when the brush is in operation. The screws 62 not only secure the shield to housing portion 24, but also secure housing portion 24 to the telescoping section 26. As the arbor shaft 20 is offset from the centerline of the housing 24, it is necessary when assembling two parts to insure that the arbor shaft is in the proper orientation with respect to the handle 14. Thus, after the housing section 24 has been telescoped onto section 26 it may be necessary to rotate the parts with respect to one another before the screw holes are drilled through housing section 24 and 26. The screws 62 are preferably self tapping screws. 
     It should be noted that an electric power line switch 64 is mounted on the handle 14 above the grommet 50 and adjacent a hand grip portion 66 of the handle. Thus, the operator, when holding the handle by the hand grip and by engaging the switch 64 can easily turn the apparatus on and off. While the apparatus shown is adapted to be powered by a line cord, it may also be battery powered. 
     Although the apparatus of the present invention was developed initially for removing chewing gum from carpets, it has been found to perform in a satisfactory manner when removing wax, candles, plaster, and other items. In addition it has been found that it will perform in a satisfactory manner on other flooring, such as cement sidewalks and tile flooring. 
     While a preferred structure in which the principles of the present invention have been incorporated is shown and described above, it is to be understood that this invention is not to be limited to the particular details shown and described above, but that, in fact, widely differing means may be employed in the broader aspects of this invention. For example, the housing 12 may be additionally provided with a wheel, which wheel could be mounted on a shaft in line with the lowermost stud 28 the wheel projecting through the housing to provide a support surface equivalent to that shown at 22.3.