Patent ID: 6836919

Claim:
A suspension device for coupling a surface maintenance appliance to a surface maintenance machine, said suspension device comprising: a carriage member; a surface maintenance appliance coupled to the carriage member; a plurality of linkages coupled to the carriage member, each of the plurality of linkages having a pair of ends, wherein one end of each of the plurality of linkages is pivotally coupled to the surface maintenance machine, and the other end of each of the plurality of linkages is pivotally coupled to the carriage, and wherein at least two of the linkages are non-parallel and have substantially different lengths measured between the pair of ends; and an actuator engaging one of the plurality of linkages through a lost motion device to lift the carriage member away from the ground surface, said lost motion device permitting the carriage and the surface maintenance appliance to follow undulations in the floor surface during operation of the surface maintenance machine.