Improvements in Floor-scrubbing Machines.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Dec., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 5th Sept., 1892-Accepted, 8th Oct., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Floor-scrubbing Machines.
I, JOHAN FREDRIK ENGLUND, of Koppungen, Svanskog in the County of
Wermland, Kingdom of Sweden, Farmer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to floor-scrubbing machines, which consist of a frame
movable on wheels and which have a scrubbing-brush moveable both forwards and
backwards, and a rinsing brush for the removal of the scrubbing-water into a
suitable receptacle. And the said invention has for its main object to provide
improved driving-mechanism for such machines.
-The
My said invention comprises the following arrangement that is to say:-
wheels which carry the machine are caused to act upon the shaft of a fly wheel,
which shaft at its ends is provided with cranks. These cranks are movably con-
nected each with its bar, which at its upper end is movably connected with a double
oscillating lever and at its lower end with another lever. Each of the levers last
mentioned is movably connected with a bar, oscillating in a vertical direction and
connected with the scrubbing-brush placed along the side of the machine and kept
pressed down upon the floor by any suitable arrangement. Along the opposite side
of the machine a curved plate is attached over which a rinsing-brush is caused to
move and which brush is flexibly connected with the lower ends of the bars con-
nected with the cranks of the fly-wheel-shaft, in such a manner that the brush
does not obstruct the movement of these bars with the fly wheel shaft under the
influence of the cranks.
Above the rinsing-brush there may be placed two pivoted bent levers bearing at
their ends, rolls, over which an endless wiping-cloth is carried and revolves, which
wiping-cloth during the operation of the machine is from time to time pressed
down upon the floor. In the frame of the machine are arranged receptacles for
clean water and for rinsing water. These water receptacles are each connected
with an escape-pipe fixed one above the scrubbing brush and the other above the
rinsing-brush.
In using my improved machine the fly-wheel is put into motion, and the oscil-
lating levers are moved up and down by the hands when the machine moves
forward over the floor and the brushes are put into operation. The scrubbing-
brush is during this motion of the machine moved forward and backward over the
floor, while the water with the soap or other cleansing material added thereto when
desired is spread out before the scrubbing brush from the clean water receptacle
above mentioned. The rinsing brush is also caused to have a forward motion
along the floor and over the curved plate herein before referred to whereby the water
before the brush is wiped into a gutter behind the said plate, whence it can be
forced up into a receiver. When the rinsing brush is afterwards moved backward
it is lifted up and then again pressed down upon the floor during the forward
movement. The part of the floor from which the scrubbing-water has thus been
removed is then wiped dry by the endless wiping-cloth or by some other suitable
drying arrangement.
Dated thie 2nd day of Denamber 1801
D. YOUNG & Co.,
11 & 12, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Floor-scrubbing Machines.
I, JOHAN FREDRIK ENGLUND of Koppungen Svanskog in the County of
Wermland, Kingdom of Sweden, Farmer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to floor scrubbing machines which consist of a frame
movable on wheels and which have a scrubbing brush in front and a rinsing brush
in the rear.
And the said invention has for its main object to provide improved
driving or actuating mechanism for the wheels and for the scrubbing brush and
rinsing brush; all these parts are actuated from a flywheel shaft which is rotated
by pump handle action or winch handle action, viz. the wheels by friction wheel
gear or pawl wheel gear, and the scrubbing brush and rinsing brush from cranks
on the said shaft through the intervention of suitable lever gear so that the
scrubbing brush receives a backward and forward motion to scrub the floor and
the rinsing brush a combined backward and forward and rising and falling motion
to rinse the floor and to deliver the slops into a receptacle on the machine.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings is a side view, Fig. 2 a front view, and
Fig. 3 a back view of my machine.
Fig. 4 is a side view showing the principal parts of a modified form of
machine.
In Figs. 1 to 3 the frame a carries a shaft b upon which is fixed a fly wheel c;
dd are friction pinions one on each side; these bear upon friction wheels e upon
which the machine is mounted and which propel it along the floor.
On the shaft b
are also fixed two cranks f one at each end the crank pins of which are jointed or
movably connected each at the sides of the machine with a bar or lever g the
upper end of which is jointed or movably connected with a double oscillating
lever, working on a fulcrum bar pump handle fashion and whereby the shaft b
is rotated and through the intervention of the pinions d the wheels e are also
rotated, for the propulsion of the machine upon the floor to be scrubbed. To the
lower end of each lever is jointed a lever i. Each of the latter is jointed to a
bar oscillating in a vertical direction and connected with the scrubbing brush
placed along the front side of the machine and kept pressed down upon the floor
by any suitable device such as the spring between the lever i and the lever k.
The brush carries a perforated pipe m which by a flexible pipe n is connected
with a receptacle o placed in some suitable part of the framing and containing
clean water or soapy water.
Along the opposite side of the machine a curved plate 9 is attached and behind
it a pan or receptacle ". Over the plate 9 there is a rinsing brush which by
flexible arms or a flat steel strip t is flexibly connected with the lower ends of the
bars g connected with the cranks f of the fly wheel shaft bin such manner that
the brush does not obstruct the movement of the bars g with the flywheel shaft b
under the influence of the cranks f.
Above the rinsing brush there may as here shown be placed two bent levers u
which are pivoted at u' to the framing and at their ends carry rolls over which an
endless wiping cloth is carried and revolves which wiping cloth during the
operation of the machine is from time to time pressed down upon the floor. This
depression is effected by the brush s through the intervention of the springs x
between it and the levers u so that the wiping cloth is pressed down upon the
floor when the brush s is depressed and thereby runs over the rolls (the machine
being propelled along the floor) and thus the cloth wipes the floor. But the
wiping appliance may be of other form such for instance as hereinafter described.
In the pan may be applied a pump y which is driven by a crank pin on a friction
disc which touches and is driven from one of the propellor wheels e.
This pump

page_text: conveys the dirty slops in the pan up into a receptacle not shown in the drawing
but which may be placed above the levers u.
The machine is used and operates as follows:-
The receptacles o and p are filled, one with say soapy water and the other with
clean water.
The taps having been opened the flywheel c is turned round a little by hand and
the oscillating levers h moved up and down by the hands which causes the levers g
and the cranksf to continue the rotary motion and the machine to move forward over
the floor whereby also through the levers i and the brush is moved there and
back over the floor while at the same time soapy water is sprinkled in front of it
through the pipe m. Simultaneously the rinsing brush s is moved forward and
over the plate whereby the scouring water in front is "mopped" up into the slop
pan whence it may be conveyed up into a receptacle by the pump y; or the recep
tacle may occasionally be taken off and emptied into a slop pail. In its back
stroke the brush is raised, and thereupon again pressed down against the floor.
The part of the floor thus freed from the slops is then wiped dry by the wiping
cloth v. The water in it is squeezed out by the wringing roll v.
Fig. 4 shows in outline a modified arrangement or construction of driving gear.
On the main or driving shaft b is fixed the fly wheel c and from this shaft all the
motions are derived as in the previous example but in a somewhat different manner.
The spindle 6 in this as well as in the former case may be rotated by a winch handle
(or by means of a crank like f Fig. 1 with connecting rod g, and rocking beam or
pump handle" ). In this figure I have shown no means for rotating the shaft b.
On the latter is fixed a crank or lever f which by a rod is connected to a double
armed lever g having its fulcrum at g¹ in the framing. To the bottom end of the
lever g is jointed a lever k which carries the scrubbing brush the latter is pro-
vided with a perforated pipe m which by a hose, not shown, receives water from a
tank in the upper part of the machine also not shown. By means of the rod k¹,
spring and handle k the lever k and brush in are pressed down. The handle k
serves to raise the brush off the floor as required, for instance when the machine is
turned round or when shifted from one room to another. d is a pawl jointed to the
lever g and which is pressed into the teeth of pawl wheel or pawlwheel-rim d¹
on the spindle of the propelling wheel or wheels e. is a pawl spring. Or I may
propel the wheels e by means of friction clutch pawl. To the lever g is also jointed
a rod t which carries a cleaning brush s; this rod receives up and down movement
by means of a cam 2 on the spindle b, the lever g' having its fulcrum on the
framing and receiving up and down motion from the cam is connected to the
rod t by the connecting rod 9. r is the slop receptacle and q the plate along which
the brush rises as in the previous example.
To the lever g is also jointed a rod u which at its other end carries a rubber pad o
or equivalent appliance for wiping the wet floor. I may for instance use the
wiping band shown in Fig. 1, or in that construction I may use the pad shown
in Fig. 4.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is,
First. In floor scrubbing machines mounted on propelling wheels and provided
with scrubbing brush in front and rinsing brush in the rear the actuating of the
propelling wheels the scrubbing brush and the rinsing brush from a flywheel shaft
which is rotated by pump handle action or winch handle action, the propelling
wheels being actuated from the said shaft by friction wheel gear or pawl wheel
gear, and the scouring brush and the rinsing brush from cranks on the said shaft
viz., the scouring brush through the intervention of levers and rods in such manner
as to give it backward and forward motion while it is pressed down against the
floor and the rinsing brush through the intervention of levers and rods and a
flexible connection of the brush thereto in such manner as to give it a combined

page_text: backward and forward and rising and falling motion so as to rinse the floor and
deliver the slops into a receptacle on the machine substantially as set forth.
Second. The construction of floor scrubbing machine driving gear described with
reference to Figs. 1, 2 and 3.
Third. The construction of floor scrubbing machine driving gear described with
reference to Fig. 4.
Fourth. The construction of floor scrubbing machine shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.
Dated this 5th day of September 1892.
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.