Buffing Or Scrubbing Pad With Outer Abrasive Ring

Abstract

A buffing or scrubbing pad having at least a portion of one side covered by a relatively soft buffing material and a ring of abrasive material around the outer periphery thereof. The buffing material may be yarn or similar soft material for buffing and the abrasive material may be impregnated fiber material, scrim material, or similar material having the desired abrasive properties.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally as indicated to a pad for buffing or scrubbing, and more particularly to such a pad which combines in a single device both buffing and abrasive properties.

Buffing pads of various types have been widely used for both buffing or polishing and scrubbing of floors and other such surfaces, and while such buffing pads have been found generally very effective for such purposes, they are not very well suited for removing scuff marks and other hard-too-remove dirt marks from such surfaces. Applying additional force on the pad when trying to remove scuff marks from a floor does not help much, and also results in excessive wear of the buffing material. Effective removal of excessive dirt or scuff marks can be obtained using a spray buff abrasive pad, but it does not have the desired absorptive and buffing properties of a yarn pad thus generally necessitating separate scrubbing and buffing operations to be performed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

With the foregoing in mind, it is a principal object of this invention to provide a single buffing or scrubbing pad which combines both the buffing and absorptive properties of a yarn pad with the abrasive properties of a scrubbing pad.

These and other objects of the present invention may be achieved by providing a buffing or scrubbing pad with a central portion of relatively soft absorptive buffing material and an outer portion surrounding the central portion of a relatively abrasive material. Buffing material may be placed on one or both sides of the pad with abrasive material surrounding the buffing material on at least one side of the pad.

The pad is preferrably of circular configuration, but may also be rectangular or of other suitable configuration having a central portion of buffing material and an outer portion of abrasive material. When a circular pad is used, the abrasive material is desirably ring-shaped to facilitate retention of the abrasive material in place without the need for any special attachment means and also to facilitate replacement of the abrasive material as required. A suitable abrasive impregnated fiber material may be used for the abrasive material for direct engagement with an exposed portion of the pad support not covered by yarn, or a suitable open mesh scrim material may be used as the abrasive material placed over a portion of the yarn.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the invention, then, comprises the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the following description and the annexed drawing setting forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments of the invention, these being indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of the invention may be employed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

In the annexed drawing:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of one side of a preferred form of buffing or scrubbing pad in accordance with this invention shown having a central portion of buffing material and an outer ring of abrasive material on such one side;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse section through the pad of FIG. 1, taken on line 2--2 thereof;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the other side of the buffing pad which is shown covered only with buffing material;

FIG. 4 is a transverse section through a modified form of buffing or scrubbing pad in accordance with this invention shown having both buffing and abrasive material on both sides of the pad;

FIG. 5 is a plan view partially broken away showing still another form of buffing or scrubbing pad in accordance with this invention having an outer ring of open scrim mesh abrasive material; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary transverse section through the pad of FIG. 5 taken on line 6--6.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawing wherein like reference numerals designate like elements in the several figures, a buffing or scrubbing pad in accordance with this invention is generally indicated at 10 in FIGS. 1 through 3. The pad 10, which is preferably round as shown but may also be of rectangular or other suitable configuration, has on one side an inner or central portion 11 of buffing material 12 and an outer portion 13 of abrasive material 14 desirably forming a ring about the perimeter of the former at the outer periphery of the pad. The buffing material 12 is made of yarn having the desired buffing and/or absorptive properties and in the illustrated double-sided pad the two sides may have the same or different buffing or absorptive properties as desired. The terminology "yarn" is used herein generically to include strands, cords, and other similar material, and the terminology "buffing" is used generically to include polishing, scrubbing, cleaning, etc.

In the pad 10 of FIGS. 1 through 3, the buffing material 12 is illustrated as looped yarns 15 on the respective sides of the pad, although other designs may also be used. The respective looped yarns 15 are secured together by sewing or other suitable means and to the respective first and second supports 17 and 18 (see FIG. 2), which may be a fiber or canvas material, with the supports themselves also being secured together to form the double-sided buffing pad. Alternatively, the looped yarns may be suitably attached to opposite sides of a single support. The yarn material may also be coiled as shown to form a longitudinally extending coiled wrapping 19 collapsed substantially centrally of its width and secured together longitudinally of the wrapping, for example, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,531,815.

Preferably, the buffing material 12 is secured to at least the central portion 11 of one side of the pad, and the outer periphery of such one side may be left exposed for placement of the abrasive material 14 around the buffing material 12. In the preferred form shown in FIGS. 1 through 3, the abrasive material 14 is an abrasive impregnated fiber material or a nonwoven fiber bonded together with an abrasive constituent therein thus forming a substantially annular ring which may be disposed about the buffing material 12 around the outer periphery of the support. If the pad is other than circular, the abrasive material may be shaped to correspond to the shape of the perimeter of the pad.

As shown, the loops 22 of yarn buffing material forming the outer perimeter of the central portion 11 of the pad 10 may overlap the inner edge 23 of the abrasive material to aid in holding the abrasive ring to the support 17. The weight of a floor scrubbing or buffing machine pressing the pad against the floor is sufficient to hold the abrasive ring in position without any additional securing means, thus facilitating removal and replacement of the abrasive ring as desired. However, it will be apparent that the abrasive material may also be positively fastened to the support 17 using glue or other suitable fastening means as desired.

The pad 10 of FIGS. 1 through 3 is a double-sided buffing pad having buffing material 12 covering substantially the entire other side of the pad rather than just the center portion thereof. However, it will be apparent that the buffing material may be secured only to the central portions of both sides of the buffing pad to provide space around the buffing material for a strip or ring of abrasive material 14 as shown in FIG. 4. Alternatively, the buffing and abrasive material may be omitted altogether from the other side of the pad to provide a single-sided device as desired.

Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 6, there is shown still another form of buffing or scrubbing pad 25 in accordance with this invention including a generally circular buffing pad having buffing material 12 such as yarn fixed to a support 17 as previously described. However, the buffing material, rather than being limited to the central portion of the pad, extends over the full extent of one side of the pad, with an outer strip or band of open mesh scrim material 26 positioned about the outer periphery of the buffing pad covering the outer buffing material. The scrim material, which may be a nylon mesh, is shown folded over the outer periphery of the pad to provide an abrasive cover for the outer buffing material and is maintained in position by stitching or other suitable means. The open scrim material is of a highly wear-resistant material such as nylon as aforesaid for long life and is also sufficiently abrasive to permit use in removing scuff marks and other hard-to-remove dirt marks from the surface being scrubbed. Another advantage in using the open scrim material is that it permits the yarn material therebeneath to be washed out cleanly and to dry quickly because of the openings in the scrim material.

While the embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 is illustrative of a single-sided buffing pad, the open mesh scrim abrasive material 26 may be used with double-sided buffing pads as well wherein two buffing pads are placed back to back and fastened together. A single strip of scrim material may then be folded over the outer periphery of both sides of the pad thereby providing two abrasive work surfaces, one on each side of the pad, and the scrim material may be held in position on the pad by stitching or other suitable fastening means as aforesaid. If desired, two strips of scrim material may be used to provide abrasive surfaces on both sides of the pad, or a single strip of scrim material may be used on only one side of a double-sided pad.

The operation of the buffing or scrubbing pads of the present invention referred to above will be described hereinafter as used with a floor cleaning and polishing machine having a rotating surface for rotating a pad, although the pads may be similarly used in other machines such as vibrating or oscillating machines. The pad used in a floor cleaning and polishing machine is positioned on the underside of the rotating head and is rotated thereby against the surface of the floor. Heavy dirt and scuff marks are cleaned from the floor by the outer ring of abrasive impregnated fiber material, scrim material, etc., while the buffing material absorbs the dirt laden water and polishes and cleans the floor. The pad may be used with various cleaning fluids, wax, or similar material to aid in the cleaning or polishing process. When a double-sided buffing or scrubbing pad is used, after the first side is heavily soiled or worn, the pad may be turned over to provide a fresh surface of buffing and/or abrasive material for use as previously described. If the plane of the buffing work surface is raised with respect to the plane of the abrasive work surface, flat operation of the floor polishing machine will only place the buffing material in contact with the floor, whereas upon tilting the machine the abrasive material will be in contact with the floor to clean the same.

Many materials are suitable for use in this invention including cotton, rayon, nylon, blends of rayon and cotton, blends of rayon, cotton and nylon, etc. Soft lint yarn used with all cotton or a blend of cotton and rayon is especially suitable as the buffing material. Bleached hemp yarn with a small percentage of nylon or synthetic plastic strands such as Orlon or Dacron may also be used if desired. Similarly, many materials are suitable for use in this invention as the abrasive material including impregnated fiber material or nylon mesh scrim material, etc.

It will thus be appreciated that the buffing or scrubbing pad of this invention has numerous advantages. Specifically, the use of an abrasive material ring surrounding the buffing material portion of the buffing or scrubbing pad increases the cleaning and buffing efficiency, eliminates unravelling of the buffing material around the perimeter of the central portion of the pad, and increases the life of the pad.

Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A buffing or scrubbing device comprising a pad including support means, buffing material comprising yarn material covering the central portion only of one side of said support means, and abrasive material in the shape of a ring surrounding said yarn material on said one side of said support means radially outwardly of said yarn material, said ring of abrasive material being loosely retained against said support means by the radial outermost yarn material which extends radially outwardly from said support means overlapping the radial inner edge of said abrasive ring thereby aiding in holding said abrasive ring to said support means.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said yarn material comprises at least one coiled yarn wrapping in the radial outermost row of yarn material collapsed substantially centrally longitudinally thereof forming a plurality of yarn loops on opposite sides of the collapsed central portion thereof, said yarn material being secured to said support means along said collapsed central portion with said loops in said radial outermost row of yarn material overlapping the radial inner edge of said abrasive ring as aforesaid.

3. A buffing or scrubbing device comprising a pad including support means, buffing material secured to the central portion only of both sides of said support means to provide a double-sided pad, and abrasive material surrounding said buffing material on both sides of said pad.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein said buffing material is secured to both sides of said support means to provide a double-sided pad.

5. The device of claim 3 wherein said buffing material comprises yarn material.

6. The device of claim 3 wherein said abrasive material comprises abrasive impregnated fiber material.

7. A buffing or scrubbing device comprising a substantially round pad including support means, buffing material comprising yarn material covering the central portion only of one side of said support means, and an annular ring of abrasive material surrounding said buffing material.

8. The device of claim 7 wherein said abrasive material comprises abrasive impregnated fiber material.

9. The device of claim 7 wherein said buffing material is secured to both sides of said support means to provide a double-sided pad.

10. The device of claim 7 wherein said support means comprises two separate supports secured together to form said double-sided pad.

11. A buffing or scrubbing device comprising a pad including support means, buffing material comprising yarn material substantially covering one side of said support means, and abrasive material comprising a band of open scrim material covering said yarn material proximate the outer periphery only of said pad, leaving uncovered the central portion of said yarn material.