US2136324A - Apparatus for cleansing floors and like surfaces - Google Patents

Description

L. J. SIMON 2,136,324

APPARATUS FOR CLEAN SING FLOORS AND LIKE SURFACES Nov. 8, 1938.

Filed Sept. 5, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 MINI-1m III INVENTOR LOUIS JOHN SIMON BY WHMV ATTORNEYS Nov. 8, 71938. L. J. SIMON 2,136,324

APPARATUS FOR CLEANSING FLOORS AND LIKE SURFACES Filed Sept. 5, 1935 5 Shets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR LOUIS JOHN SIMON ATTORNEYS Nov. s, 1938. L. J. SIMON S 2,136,324

APPARATUS FOR CLEANSING FLOORS AND LIKE SURFACES Filed Sept. 3, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 ATTORNEYS I I I INVEHTOR;

L. J. SIMON Nov. 8, 1938 APPARATUS FOR CLEANSING FLOORS AND LIKE SURFACES Filed Sept. 3, 1935 5 hee sSheet.4

INVENTOH LOU IS JOHN SIMON ATTORNEYS Nov. 8, 1938. LIJ. SIMON 2 APPARATUS FOR CLEANSING FLOORS AND LIKE SURFACES Filed Sept. 3, 1935 s Sheets- Sheet 5 I l E I l I i 98 E...

INVENTOR LOU IS JOHN S IMON By ait mom,

ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 8, 1938 UNITED STATES ziisaazi/ APPARATUS FOR CLEANSING FLOORS Anon LIKE-SURFACES.

Louis John Simon, Barking, Engiana Application September 3, 1-935, Serial-No. 39,001 3 In Great Britain September 5, 1934 V 3 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for cleansing floors and like surfaces and has for its object to provide an improved construction and arrangement designed to clean a floor or like surface with the aid of a cleaningliquid and to remove the liquid afteruse and so leave the floor practically dry.

According to the invention means are provided for removing the liquid from the fioor comprising an absorbent'wiper or a plurality of absorbent wipers in the form of a flap or flaps attached at one edge to means adapted to drag the said wiper or'wipers continuously or successively over the surface to be treated.

The absorbent wipers may work in conjunction with a scrubbing device comprising rotating, re-

volving or reciprocating brushes, means being provided for maintaining abody of cleaning liquid in contact with said scrubbing device until the liquid is picked up by the wipers.

Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings wherein several examples of construction and application of the invention are illustrated, and in which:-

:25 Figure l is a plan view partly in section of a floor Washing apparatus with a flat brush carried on a vertical spindle and with Wipers mounted on rotary discs,

A-B of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the complete apparatus showing handle and tanks,

Figure 4 is a front elevation with sectional view of tanks showing liquid control, 35 Figure 5 is a plan view of the brush,

Figure 6 is a sectional elevation of the brush attachment,

Figure '7 is a plan view of Fig. 6,

Figure 8 is a plan view of a modified apparatus with four flat brushes carried on vertical spindles and with wipers carried on endless chains,

Figure 9' is a sectional elevation of Fig. 8,

Figure 10 is an elevation of an apparatus as in Fig. 8 showing tanks, wheels and handles.

Figure 11 is a sectional elevation of an arrangement wherein two'revolving brushes on horizontal axes are used,

Figure 12 is a front elevation of Fig; 11',

Figure 13 is a sectional elevation of an arrangement having a single'revolving brushmade up of separate sections,

Figure 14 is a front sectional elevation on the line AB of Fig. 13,

Figure 15 is a plan view of apronged wiper carrying bar,

Figure 2 is a sectional elevation on the line Figure 16 is a sectional View of Fig. 15 and r Figure l7 is a plan view of a furthermodiflcw, tion embodying an additional .brush movable round the axis of the-main brush. In the construction illustrated in Figures 1-7 65 the main frame ofhtheapparatusiis indicated at l and comprises a box-like structure mounted to run upon a pair of -Wheels 55. Mounted near the top of the frame is an electric motor 3 which, through worm gearing disposed within a housing an 4, drive's-a vertical spindle fi, the lower end of this spindle driving a horizontal shaft 9 through worm: gearing disposed within a housing 5. One end ofthe sha'ft 'il is iotsquare section and extends beyond thehousing i, 'a'worm' gearJIO being 16 'slidably' mounted on'ithis squared end and being adapted to drive a brushrs'pindlel through a worm wheel llcontained within a housing 8. The-base of the housing B is'p'rovided with chamfered projectingedges whichslide in corre- (g spondingly chamfered guides l2 fixe'd'to the base plate 20f the frame. Pivoted' at to the undersi'de'of th' base plate 2 -isialever'4l, the forked end of which" engages the brush spindle 1 for the purpose of sliding the housing 8 and theq' brushlaterally in the frame." e The-lower endof the spindle" I is ball-shaped and. engages in: a" socketformed in a hushed plate ltthe end of the spindle being retained therein by springsv i6 fixed to the'plate land by .a pin 15 which-extends through the' ball end of the spindle and engages at its ends in slots formed in therbushedplate. The plate'ld'ismounted ina recess in the upper side of the brush body I3, the space between the; top of the plate [4 and the top of the brush body servingas a reservoir for the cleaning liquidwhich is fed to the bristles through holes:

Mounted between the rearportions of the fram i is a hollow shaft 21*,the ends ofgwhich are solid :4 and of square'sectionand'are retained in correspondingly formed holes in the frame by screws 28. Rotatably mounted upon the shaft 21 is a pair of discs 22, 22a, connected together-by rods I 23. A sprocket 20 is fixed to the disc 22 and is driven from a sprocket IS on the shaft 9 by a chain 2|. 'Between the discs 22, 22a and near the peripheries thereof are disposed a number p of wipers 25, preferably formed of several layers of absorbent material, these wipers being carried on bars 24 pivoted at their ends in ho-lesin the discs andretained therein by springs 26. 7

Fixed to the hollow shaft 21 is a funnel 3|, the bottom of which opens into the shaft and also a pair of side. plates 29 carrying angle members 32 upon which slides a small collecting tank 33 opening at the bottom into the funnel 3|. Mounted at the top of the tank 33 is a squeegee roller 34 which co-operates with a second roller 34a mounted on the frame, the latter roller being urged into contact with the roller 34 by springs 56. A rubber squeegee strip 31 is fixed in the frame adjacent the roller 34a and contacts with a bar 36 fixed to the top of the tank 33. A roller 35 is mounted at the rear of the frame and is urged by springs into contact with a plate 38 connecting the two side plates 29.

A handle 53 is attached to a fork 52 pivoted to the frame and carries two tanks48, 49, serving as containers for clean and dirty liquid respectively. The clean liquid is conveyed to the reservoir in the-brush by a pipe 40, the flow being controlled by a valve 58 operated by a lever 5|.

Mounted on the base plate 2 of the frame I is a pump H which. is driven by a belt l8 from the motor 3. An outlet tube 38 is provided at one end of the hollow shaft 21 and is connected to the inlet side of the pump, the outlet side of said pump being connected by a pipe 38a to the tank 49. The tanks 48, 49 are provided with caps 54, 54a for filling and emptying purposes respectively.

A squeegee strip 4| is mounted at an angle on the underside of the frame and projects beyond the edge thereof.

The apparatus functions in the following manner:-

The tank 48 having been filled with clean or soapy water, the valve 50 is opened through lever 5| to allow liquid to fiow to the brush and the motor current is switched on causing the motor to rotate the brush through the shafts 6 and 1 and the associated worm gearing. The discs 22, 22a are also rotated through chain 2|, resulting in the wipers 25 being continuously dragged over the floor, these wipers being of such construction that when damp they have a suction and clinging effect which, in addition to picking up the dirty liquid from the floor, leave the floor practically dry.

The apparatus is now moved along the floor on wheels 55 by pushing handle 53, the wheels 55 preventing the discs 22 and 22a making contact with the floor. The rotating brush I3, which is under pressure and in contact with the floor, scrubs the floor as it passes over it, and the forward movement of the apparatus leaves the dirty liquid behind, when it is immediately picked up by the wipers 25.

The saturated wipers 25 now travel upwards as the result of the rotation of discs 22 and 22a and pass under the squeegee 31 which relieves the surface of the wipers 25 of any solids they may have picked up, the wipers 25 then passing through the squeegee rollers 34 and 34a where they are relieved of the liquid they have picked up from the floor, such liquid flowing into the collecting tank 33 and then through funnel 3| to the hollow shaft 21 and through pipe 38 to pump I! which, finally, delivers this dirty liquor through pipe 38a to tank 49.

After passing through squeegee rollers 34 and 34a, the wipers 25 pass through and between roller 35 and plate 38 which ensures them falling flat on to the fioor.

When it is desired to clean the floor close to the skirting or wall, forked lever 41 is pushed sideways resulting in the brush |3 being moved sufficiently to one side to enable the splayed edge of brush I3 to extend beyond the side of the apparatus to reach the corner where the wall joins the floor. The squeegee 4| which is then in contact with the wall and the floor leads the dirty liquid back to be picked up by wipers 25.

The formation of the bristles of the brush |3 (Fig. 5) is such that it has the effect of partly keeping the liquid between the bristles and centre of brush, enabling the brush to run in a body of water.

Figs. 8, 9 and of the drawings show a modified form of apparatus in which there is provided four fiat rotating brushes carried on vertical spindles and wherein the wipers are carried on endless chains. The four brushes 42 mesh at their edges and are rotated in the direction of the arrows by a motor 43 through chains 44 and worm gearing 51, 58. Mounted at the rear of the frame are four transverse shafts 8| carrying sprockets 82 around which run two endless chains 83, the chains being driven from the motor 43 through a chain 59 and an additional sprocket 45 mounted on one of the shafts 8|. Between the two endless chains there is disposed a series of wipers 85, the said wipers being attached to bars 84, the ends of which are pronged as shown in Figs. and 16 and form the pins of the chains 83 at the points where the wiper bars are carried. The bars 84 are slotted near the prongs and bent outward as shown in Fig. 16 to ensure that the wipers 85 lay flat when the wipers 85 approach the fioor.

A tank 88 for the reception of dirty liquid is mounted between the wiper carrying chains upon a pair of horizontal slides 88a and is adapted to be removed through a hole in the side of the frame for emptying and cleaning purposes. A pair of squeegee rollers 81, 81a are mounted near the top of the tank 88 and function in a similar manner to the rollers 34, 34a of the construction previously described. A brush 86 is also provided to-clean the surface of the wipers before they pass between the squeegee rollers. A plate 30' and roller 35 are provided which function in a manner similar to the plate 38 and roller 35 in the construction previously described.

Clean liquid is supplied from a tank 99 through a flexible pipe 9| to the space between the four brushes, the tank normally resting upon the top of the frame and being connected to the handle 92 by a pivoted link 92a so that it can be moved rearwardly when desired by lowering the handle.

The apparatus functions similarly to the construction previously described, the clean water being fed to the brushes and being partly retained in the space between the brushes during the scrubbing operation, after which it is picked up by the wipers when the apparatus moves forward. and is transferred to the tank 90.

The normal position of the tank 98 is partly over the apparatus as shown in Fig. 10, but when it is desired to clean under furniture or the like then handle 92 is lowered having the effect of drawing tank 98 backwards, permitting the apparatus to go under and into a confined or restricted space.

Figures 11 and 12 show a further embodiment in which there is provided two revolving brushes 68, 88a mounted on horizontal spindles 61, 61a respectively. The brushes are rotated by an electric motor 93 through worm gearing 6|, 62, a pair of gear wheels 63, 64 carried on countershafts, and a pair of gear wheels 65, B6, fixed on the brush spindles. The brushes which are each composed of a series of narrow brushes placed side by side are provided with internal slots 69 and are adapted to slide over cross bars 68 fixed on the brush spindles, springs 10 being interposed between the cross bars and the walls of the slots 68 to enable the brushes to float independently and allow for inequality of floor level.

Clean liquid flows from a tank (not shown) through a pipe H to a perforated distributing pipe 12 which feeds the liquid to the front of brush 60a. This, brush carries the liquid to the space between brushes 60 and 60a which revolve in opposite directions and so maintain a level of liquid between the two brushes, a pair of side squeegees l3 and 13a being provided to prevent the liquid from flowing sideways.

These side squeegees are preferably made of folded rubber so as to enable them to make up irregularities in the floor.

The dirty liquid flows to the rear of the brush 60 in the spaces between the brush 60 and the squeegees 13 and 13a, where it is picked up by wipers (not shown) in the manner already described.

In Figs. 13 and 14 is shown a further embodiment of the invention having a single horizontal spindle brush '!5 adapted to be rotated and oscillated in a maintained body of water by a motor 14 driving said brush 15 through a worm 94, Worm wheel 95 and gear wheels 96 and 91.

The gear wheel 91 is attached to a square shaft 16 on which slides freely the brush 15, a spring 11 being mounted in a slot at the end of the brush to urge the brush away from the gear wheel. A cam 18 is fixed to the opposite end of the brush and co-operateswith a cam 19 fixed to frame 98, whereby when the brush resolves it continuously slides backwards and forwards along square shaft 16 resulting in brush 15 having both a rotating and reciprocating action.

Attached to the frame 98 and in front of brush 15 is a squeegee strip 80 and at each side of brush I5 is also attached to frame 98 squeegee strips 80a and 80b, the three squeegees 80, 80a and 80b forming a pocket for liquid in which brush '5 runs.

Liquid is fed through a distributing pipe 99 from a tank (not shown) to the front of brush 15 which revolves towards squeegee 80 resulting in a level of liquid being maintained whilst the side squeegees 80a and 80b prevent the liquid flowing sideways.

The dirty liquid flows to the rear in the spaces between the brush 15 and squeegees 80a and 80b where it is picked up in the manner already described by wipers (not shown).

Figure .17 shows an alternative arrangement whereby corners between the wall and floor may be scrubbed by an additional brush I04 driven by a gear wheel I00 attached to the spindle of brush I03 through gear wheels llll and I02. The brush I04 and gear wheels l0! and H12 are carried on an arm ")5 and normally occupy a position in front of the brush I03. When it is desired to cleanthe corner between wall and floor the brush I 04 is moved to the outside position as shown in full lines in Figure 17.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for cleaning floors and like surfaces comprising a frame, an operating motor carried by said frame, a plurality of absorbent wiping flaps freely flexible throughout their areas, mobile means mounted in said frame and connected to said motor for operation thereby and comprising laterally spaced side members providing an open space between them and having means for attaching said flaps thereto by their forward edges to swing freely in said open space and expose both of their surfaces, said mobile means being operative to carry said attached edges of the flaps toward and from and to draw said flaps flatly over the surface to be treated, and means to positively retain each flap in inoperative position above said surface until the forward edge thereof approximately reaches the surface to be treated and the entire flap beyond its attached edge is free throughout its upper and lower surfaces, whereby each flap will be impelled under the influence of gravity and centrifugal force to make a sudden impact flatwise over its entire area upon the surface to b treated.

2. Apparatus for cleaning floors and like surfaces comprising a frame, an operating motor carried by said frame, a plurality of wiping flaps both of their surfaces, said carrier being operative to carry the forward edges of the flaps in a circular path toward and from and to draw said flaps flatly over the surface to be treated in intermittent succession, a part providing a fixed surface concentric with and at the inner side of the path of travel of the forward edges of the flaps pivoted on said rotary carrier, and means at the outer side of said path of travel operative to press each flap in succession against said'fixed surface, said last named means and said concentric part being located in said frame to positively retain each successive flap in such position until the forward edge thereof approximately reaches the surface to be treated and the entire flap beyond its pivotal mounting is free throughout its upper and lower surfaces, whereby each flap will be impelled under the influence of gravity and centrifugal force to make a sudden impact flatwise over its entire area upon the surface to be treated.

3. Apparatus for cleaning floors and like surfaces as set forth in claim 1, in which said mobile means is positively driven, and including supporting bars on which the wiping flaps are suspended at their forward ends for free swinging movements, said supporting bars being pivotally mounted at their ends in the side members of said mobile means and movable thereby in an endless path.

LOUIS JOHN SIMON.

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