U.S. patent application number 15/343760 was filed with the patent office on 2017-05-11 for method and apparatus for stripping and cleaning floors.
The applicant listed for this patent is David Young. Invention is credited to David Young.
Application Number | 20170129067 15/343760 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 58668502 |
Filed Date | 2017-05-11 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170129067 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Young; David |
May 11, 2017 |
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR STRIPPING AND CLEANING FLOORS
Abstract
Floor stripping and buffing methods and apparatus including a
circular drive board, at least one pad operationally attached to
the circular drive board, and at least one abrasive media embedded
in the at least one pad, where the at least one pad has at least
one raised pad portion. Other aspects include at least one foam
layer between the circular drive board and the at least one pad,
where the at least one pad is made of the at least one abrasive
media, at least one foam layer between the circular drive board and
the at least one pad, at least one mounting adapter formed through
the at least one pad, a rotary stripping machine connected to the
stripping apparatus via the mounting adapter, at least one heeling
weight connected to the stripping machine, and where the at least
one media is removable and rechargeable.
Inventors: |
Young; David; (Martinsville,
IN) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Young; David |
Martinsville |
IN |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
58668502 |
Appl. No.: |
15/343760 |
Filed: |
November 4, 2016 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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62251978 |
Nov 6, 2015 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47L 11/164 20130101;
A47L 11/162 20130101; B24B 23/02 20130101; B24B 7/186 20130101 |
International
Class: |
B24B 7/18 20060101
B24B007/18; A47L 11/164 20060101 A47L011/164; B24B 23/02 20060101
B24B023/02; A47L 11/162 20060101 A47L011/162 |
Claims
1. A floor stripping apparatus, comprising: a circular drive board;
at least one pad operationally attached to the circular drive
board; and at least one abrasive media embedded in the at least one
pad; wherein the at least one pad has at least one raised pad
portion.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: at least one foam
layer disposed between the circular drive board and the at least
one pad.
3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one pad is made
of the at least one abrasive media.
4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one raised pad
portion is elevated between one-eighth inch and one inch above the
at least one pad.
5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: at least one
mounting adapter formed through the at least one pad.
6. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising: a rotary stripping
machine operationally connected to the circular drive board via the
at least one mounting adapter.
7. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising: at least one
heeling weight operationally connected to the rotary stripping
machine.
8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one abrasive
media is removable and rechargeable.
9. A method for refinishing floors, further comprising the steps
of: performing at least one stripping pass over a flooring surface
having wax deposited thereupon with a rotary stripping machine and
a pad, wherein the pad has at least one raised portion thereupon to
strip the wax from the flooring surface until there is a palpable
decrease in thickness of the wax on the flooring surface; and
applying at least one layer of new wax to the flooring surface and
buffing the new wax onto the flooring surface with the pad until
the flooring surface is waxed again; wherein the at least one
raised portion of the pad contours over crests and into valleys of
the flooring surface.
10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the steps of:
equipping the rotary stripping machine with the pad.
11. The method of claim 9, wherein the rotary stripping machine is
lightweight.
12. The method of claim 9, further comprising the steps of:
equipping the rotary stripping machine with at least one heeling
weight.
13. An improved flooring pad, comprising: at least one base layer;
and at least one raised pad portion layered on the at least one
base layer; wherein the at least one raised pad portion contours
uneven surfaces.
14. The pad of claim 13, further comprising: at least one foam
layer operationally connected to the at least one base layer.
15. The pad of claim 14, wherein at least one raised pad portion is
a plurality of raised pad portions spaced equidistantly on the at
least one base layer.
16. The pad of claim 13, wherein at least one pad portion is
temporarily attached to the at least one base layer and removable
therefrom.
17. The pad of claim 13, wherein the at least one raised pad
portion profile is selected from the group consisting of at least
one circle, at least one half circle, at least one stripe, at least
one wedge, and combinations thereof.
18. The pad of claim 13, wherein the at least one at least one base
layer is selected from the group consisting of polyester, nylon,
abrasive grains, and combinations thereof.
19. The pad of claim 13, wherein the at least one raised pad
portion is selected from the group consisting of polyester, nylon,
abrasive grains, and combinations thereof.
20. The pad of claim 13, wherein the at least one raised pad
portion is integral with the at least one pad.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C.
.sctn.119(e) of U.S. Patent Application No. 62/251,978, filed Nov.
6, 2015, which is incorporated herein by reference in its
entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The invention relates generally to the field of flooring
maintenance and, specifically, to a floor stripping head having
segmented contact pads distributed equidistantly about its outer
circumference and a method for using the same.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Vinyl tile floors, as the name suggests, include a plurality
of adjacent vinyl squares positioned to completely cover the
underlying subsurface, which may be bare concrete, terrazzo,
hardwood, or the like. Vinyl tile floors may be attractive because
the vinyl tiles are relatively easy to clean, resist wear, and are
a quick, simple and cheap surface finish. A wax coating is
typically applied over the tiles, and so during cleaning the dirty
wax must be stripped off and the tiles cleaned prior to the
application of fresh, clean wax.
[0004] In many cases, the subsurface under the vinyl tiles is not
perfectly flat. Further, wear of the vinyl tiles preferentially
occurs wear foot traffic is heaviest, further contributing to the
`waviness` of the vinyl tile surface. This `waviness` interferes
with the wax stripping process, as the spinning circular scrubbing
pad that defines the head of commercial stripper machines
encounters the crests of the vinyl waves, but does not extend down
into the troughs, resulting in an inconsistent stripping of the
floors, leaving areas that are still dirty and that continue to
accrue dirt and grime, absent stripping by hand.
[0005] Thus, a need remains for method of maintaining a vinyl
flooring surface, and particularly a worn and wavy or rippled vinyl
flooring surface, that is more efficient and less maintenance
intensive.
[0006] The present novel technology addresses these needs.
SUMMARY
[0007] The invention relates generally to the field of flooring
maintenance and, specifically, to a floor stripping head having
segmented contact pads distributed equidistantly about its outer
circumference and a method for using the same.
[0008] The details of one or more embodiments of the subject matter
described in this specification are set forth in the accompanying
drawings and the description below. Other features, aspects, and
advantages of the subject matter will become apparent from the
description, the drawings, and the claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1 is a side schematic view of a stripper grinding and
removing dirty wax from a vinyl surface according to the prior
art.
[0010] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a circular drive board with
circular abrasive pads symmetrically oriented thereupon according
to a first embodiment vinyl floor stripping system.
[0011] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the circular drive board
with non-circular abrasive pads symmetrically oriented thereupon
according to the embodiment of FIG. 2.
[0012] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the circular drive board of
FIG. 2 engaging to a stripping machine.
[0013] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the polishing machine of
FIG. 4 stripping wax from a vinyl tile floor.
[0014] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the floor of FIG. 5.
[0015] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the floor of FIG. 6 being
waxed and buffed.
[0016] FIG. 8 is a top plan view of an alternate embodiment
segmented abrasive pad for connection to the circular drive board
of FIG. 2.
[0017] Like reference numbers and designations in the various
drawings indicate like elements.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0018] Before the present methods, implementations, and systems are
disclosed and described, it is to be understood that this invention
is not limited to specific synthetic methods, specific components,
implementation, or to particular compositions, and as such may, of
course, vary. It is also to be understood that the terminology used
herein is for the purpose of describing particular implementations
only and is not intended to be limiting.
[0019] As used in the specification and the claims, the singular
forms "a," "an" and "the" include plural referents unless the
context clearly dictates otherwise. Ranges may be expressed in ways
including from "about" one particular value, and/or to "about"
another particular value. When such a range is expressed, another
implementation may include from the one particular value and/or to
the other particular value. Similarly, when values are expressed as
approximations, for example by use of the antecedent "about," it
will be understood that the particular value forms another
implementation. It will be further understood that the endpoints of
each of the ranges are significant both in relation to the other
endpoint, and independently of the other endpoint.
[0020] "Optional" or "optionally" means that the subsequently
described event or circumstance may or may not occur, and that the
description includes instances where said event or circumstance
occurs and instances where it does not. Similarly, "typical" or
"typically" means that the subsequently described event or
circumstance often though may not occur, and that the description
includes instances where said event or circumstance occurs and
instances where it does not.
[0021] In the current art, vinyl tile floors 10, as the name
suggests, include a plurality of adjacent vinyl squares 12
positioned typically to completely cover the underlying subsurface
14, which may, for example, be bare concrete, terrazzo, hardwood,
or the like. Vinyl tile floors 10 may be attractive because the
vinyl tiles 12 may be relatively easy to clean, resist wear, and
may be a quick, simple, and cheap surface finish. However, a wax
coating 16 typically may be applied over the tiles 12, and so
during cleaning the dirty wax 16 typically must be stripped off and
the tiles 12 cleaned prior to the application of fresh, clean wax
16.
[0022] In many cases, the subsurface 14 under the vinyl tiles 12
may not be perfectly or even substantially flat. Further, wear of
the vinyl tiles 12 may preferentially occur where foot traffic is
heaviest, further contributing to the `waviness` of the vinyl tile
surface 10. This `waviness` typically may interfere with the wax 16
stripping process (depicted in FIG. 6), as the spinning circular
scrubbing pad that defines the head of commercial stripper machines
encounters the crests of the vinyl waves, but does not extend down
into the troughs, resulting in an inconsistent stripping of the
surface 10, leaving areas that may be still dirty and that continue
to accrue dirt and grime, absent stripping by hand. These features
are depicted in FIG. 1.
[0023] As illustrated in FIGS. 2-8, a first embodiment of the
present novel technology relates to a stripping apparatus 11 for
stripping vinyl tile 12 and/or like surfaces, and a method for
using the same. While the examples focus on vinyl tile surfaces 10,
similar surfaces (e.g., stone, wood, laminate, etc.) that require
stripping, waxing, buffing, and/or the like may be likewise
treated.
[0024] Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 2, apparatus 11 may
consist of one or more circular drive boards 18 having a
high-density foam layer 20 (or, in some implementations, no foam
layer 20 at all) fitted with a plurality of circular abrasive
stripping and/or polishing discs or pads 22, typically positioned
respectively at the equidistantly (such as three pads 22 each
located respectively at the twelve, four, and eight o'clock
positions; four pads 22 spaced at twelve, three, six, and nine
o'clock positions, etc.) around the drive board 18.
[0025] In some other implementations, a single pad/base layer 22
having raised pad portions 23 distributed equidistantly therearound
may be connected to the board 18 (see FIG. 8). Pad 22 typically may
be connected to board 18 permanently and/or temporarily. For
example, pad 22 may be connected via adhesives, grooves,
hook-and-loop type fabric, fasteners (e.g., screws, bolts, etc.),
and/or any other attachment mechanism.
[0026] In some further implementations, a multilayered and/or
preferentially cushioned/deposited pad 22 may be used to achieve
specific stripping and/or buffing patterns, depths, rates, and/or
the like. For example, higher density foam layers 20 may be used
where a surface 10 may have only minor waviness, whereas a
lower-density foam layer 20 may be used where a surface may have
greater waviness (allowing greater flexibility along crests and
troughs).
[0027] In some implementations, the stripping/polishing discs 22
may be, but are not limited to, between about ten inches and twenty
inches in diameter (more typically between about twelve inches and
eighteen inches in diameter) and between about one-eighth inch and
one and a half-inches thick (more typically between about
three-eighths inch and seven-eighths inch), and may be typically
positioned substantially at, or in some implementations slightly
inwardly from (such as about one-fourth inch inward), the drive
board edges 24.
[0028] Pads 22 typically may be made from, or include, abrasive
media 26 such as steel wool, silica, carbon, metal, ceramic, wood,
fiber, and/or the like, but typically may act in a scouring fashion
using a polyester, nylon, abrasive granules, and/or the like rather
than an extreme grinding fashion. The drive board 18 typically may
be made of sufficiently rigid material so as not to deform or cup
during polishing, and board 18 and/or pad 22 typically may connect
to one or more floor polishing machines 28 via mounting hole
adapter 27.
[0029] In some further implementations, pads 22 may be configured
in modified patterns and/or shapes/sizes, such as depicted in FIG.
3. In one example, apparatus 11 may first be layered with a
nonwoven polyester fabric substantially covering foam layer 20,
followed by one or more layers of raised portions 23 made of nylon
fibers cut into strips, discs, rectangles, triangles, and/or the
like. Other examples may layer raised portions 23 in staggered
fashions, have variable raised portion 23 heights, densities,
and/or compositions (e.g., a first portion 23 being one-eighth inch
thick, a second portion 23 being one-fourth inch thick, a third
portion 23 being one-half inch thick, and/or the like), and/or the
like. In still further examples, pads 22 may be segmented into
raised pad portions 23 and then spaced on pads 22, such that the
elevation of the raised pad portion 23 areas may be double, triple,
and/or similarly multiplied thickness of base pad 22.
[0030] In some implementations, the discs/pads 22 and/or abrasive
media 26 may be removable, replaceable, and/or rechargeable. For
example, one or more pads 22 may be temporarily attached to board
18 and/or foam 20 with hook-and-loop fabric, removable adhesive,
stitching, and/or the like, which may be allow the pads to be
selectively and/or automatically (e.g., stitches may wear out after
period of use). This may, for example, allow for differing wear
rates of pads 22, raised portions 23, edges 24, media 26, and/or
the like, without the need to discard an entire board 18, layer 20,
and/or pad 22, which may only have substantial wear on a subset of
the material. In other implementations, pad 22, raised portions 23,
and/or media 26 may be recharged by resurfacing, reembedding,
and/or the otherwise refreshing the materials of the component.
These configurations may also allow for increased efficiency via
wear indication, customizable media 26 and/or the like selections,
and/or surface 10 preferences.
[0031] Typically, a relatively light amount of pressure may be
applied (such as one-hundred sixty to one-hundred eighty pounds, as
opposed to a typical grinding pressure of about three hundred to
five hundred pounds applied with a full-size polishing disc) to the
segmented polishing discs or pads 22. Specifically, the drive board
18 may be connected to a relatively lightweight rotary stripping
machine 28 and run at a medium to slow speed, such as between about
one-hundred seventy five to two-hundred twenty five revolutions per
minute (rpm). Additionally, the machine 28 typically may have a
tendency to heel to the right (or left, if the board 18 rotates in
a counter-clockwise direction) and will typically be weighted to
enhance the heel, rather than conventionally weighted to
counter-balance the heel, thus creating an enhanced heel quadrant
that does most of the work.
[0032] Enhancing the heel of the stripper/polisher 28 gives rise to
the effect of the segmented pads 26 contacting the vinyl tiles 12
and layered waxed 16 and/or sedimentary dirt and grime buildup
portions 17 of the wavy vinyl flooring surface 10 at a shallow
angle, such that the pads 22 and/or abrasive media 26 dig out and
excavate or shave the surface 10 with a proportionally larger
shearing force, rather than a more perpendicularly applied force,
as is typically characteristic of stripping. This results in a
surface 10 having embedded grime and dirty wax materials removed at
substantially the same rate to yield a surface 10 uniformly free of
grime and/or wax buildup and resulting in a substantially more
flush clean surface 10 than is the case with prior art systems and
methods. Comparatively, with traditional stripping forces applied,
the surface 10 is cleaned at the wave crests with greater
efficiency, which leaves dirty wax 16 and grime 17 in the troughs
and/or on the surface 10. This overly aggressive removal of the
material results in a less attractive surface 10 that must be
stripped and rewaxed more frequently with less than optimal
results, assuming the removal does not also damage the vinyl tiles
12 underneath, which may necessitate costly replacement of the
tiles 12 and/or subfloor 14.
[0033] Further, in some additional aspects, the present novel
apparatus 11 and method may be used to substantially improve
stripping and/or buffing of vinyl surfaces 10 that may be created
having textured and/or contoured profiles. For example, vinyl tiles
12 created to look like textured wood, stone, having faux grout
lines, and/or otherwise nonflat surfaces may be more effectively
and/or safely stripped and/or buffed using apparatus 11. In effect,
where crests and/or troughs are built in and/or desired for vinyl
tiles 12, the present novel apparatus 11 may allow stripping and/or
buffing far more easily and effectively than conventional, linear
pads.
[0034] In yet other implementations, apparatus 11 may greatly
enhance the effectiveness of stripping/buffing at surface 10 edges.
Where current machines and/or pads are not able to effectively
remove wax 16 and/or buildup 17 along edges of surfaces 10, walls,
and/or transitions, the present novel technology's increased edge
stripping/buffing effectiveness greatly increases an operator's
ability to work in such areas without needing to resort to manual
stripping/buffing or use of smaller machines. In some use cases,
between the greater effectiveness of the apparatus 11 in general
and lessening the need to resort to alternatives to work these
problem areas, the present novel apparatus may reduce the time
required to complete a job by half or more.
[0035] In some further implementations, machine 28 may further be
fitted with one or more weights 32 to enhance one or more heels
(e.g., right-front heel quadrant 30) for stripping and/or buffing.
This may, for example, allow for faster, more efficient, and/or
more specific stripping compared to an unweighted and/or
insufficiently weighted machine 28 in certain use cases.
[0036] For the first stripping step 40 (typically depicted in FIG.
6), the work surface 10 is typically treated with two to four
passes, until the dirty wax layer 16 and/or buildup portions 17 has
palpably decreased in thickness, giving the stripper 28 and/or
operator the feedback that the abrasive pads 22 and/or medias 26
are no longer doing substantial work. In other words, it typically
may be the number of passes with the rotating stripping media 26
that do the wax removal work, not the amount of pressure applied to
the stripping media 26, which provide stripping of wax 16 and/or
grime 17. Further, in some instances, excess downward force 39
applied to the stripping media 26 may move the apparatus 11 out of
optimization and retard the stripping process. This process
typically may be depicted in FIG. 6, with stripped floor portion 36
to the right and dirty floor portion 38 to the left.
[0037] The next, application step 42 (typically depicted in FIG. 7)
in the process is similar to stripping step 40, but instead of
removing dirty wax 16 and grime 17, one or more layers or coatings
of new wax 16 may be applied to the vinyl tiles 12 (e.g., via a
paste, bar, liquid, and/or the like) and then polished and buffed
in with a polisher/buffer disc 22. The buffer disc 22 typically may
likewise have a set of segmented, raised buffer pads 23 extending
from base pad 22 and positioned equidistantly around the outer
portion of base pad 22, and in turn the circular drive board 18
and/or foam layer 20 to which base pad 22 is connected (see FIG.
8). The positioning of raised buffer pads 23 typically may allow
for the same distribution of forces to apply the new wax 16 to both
the crests and troughs of wavy or rippled vinyl flooring surfaces
10. Once polished to the appropriate finish, tiled surface 10
typically may be maintained by mopping with a detergent
solution.
[0038] While this specification contains many specific
implementation details, these should not be construed as
limitations on the scope of any inventions or of what may be
claimed, but rather as descriptions of features specific to
particular embodiments of particular inventions. Certain features
that are described in this specification in the context of separate
embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single
embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the
context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in multiple
embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination. Moreover,
although features may be described above as acting in certain
combinations and even initially claimed as such, one or more
features from a claimed combination may in some cases be excised
from the combination, and the claimed combination may be directed
to a subcombination or variation of a subcombination.
[0039] Similarly, while operations are depicted in the drawings in
a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that
such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in
sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed,
to achieve desirable results.
[0040] Thus, particular embodiments of the subject matter have been
described. Other embodiments are within the scope of the following
claims. In some cases, the actions recited in the claims may be
performed in a different order and still achieve desirable results.
In addition, the processes depicted in the accompanying figures do
not necessarily require the particular order shown, or sequential
order, to achieve desirable results. In certain implementations,
multitasking and parallel processes may be advantageous.
[0041] While the invention has been illustrated and described in
detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be
considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character. It is
understood that the embodiments have been shown and described in
the foregoing specification in satisfaction of the best mode and
enablement requirements. It is understood that one of ordinary
skill in the art could readily make a nigh-infinite number of
insubstantial changes and modifications to the above-described
embodiments and that it would be impractical to attempt to describe
all such embodiment variations in the present specification.
Accordingly, it is understood that all changes and modifications
that come within the spirit of the invention are desired to be
protected.
* * * * *