Patent Application
20180094444
In the art of finishing word concrete slabs, it is commonly known to employ a power trowel device, and to craft a textured surface finish using a hand held broom. After troweling the wet concrete, a long handled broom is used to texture the surface in a pattern such as a straight “North to South” fashion, or a clam shell finish, such as a “Half Moon”. Typically, such surface finishes exhibit characteristic start and stop marks because the broom handle is not long enough. Furthermore, the need for long handles and the accumulated weight of concrete lead to handle breakage, causing additional labor to retrieve broken brooms and to re-texture the surface.
The present invention comprises a broom mounted on a power trowel so that a textured surface may be produced on wet concrete by a single operator in a single pass.
Referring now to
In an alternative embodiment (not shown), hinge 20 may be mounted on engine 12. Retractor 26 may be any suitable device capable of applying upward force to disengage broom 24 from surface 5, such as a hydraulic cylinder, rope, spring, or the like. Another embodiment comprises a member to downwardly bias boom 22, such as a spring or gas cylinder, and an appropriate retractor for alleviating the downward force. The hinge may be conventional, having one degree of freedom, or may have more degrees of freedom such as a gimbal or ball joint.
While the invention has been described in its preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the words which have been used are words of description rather than of limitation and that changes may be made within the purview of the appended claims without departing from the true scope and spirit of the invention in its broader aspects. Rather, various modifications may he made in the details within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims and without departing from the spirit of the invention. The inventor further requires that the scope accorded their claims be in accordance with the broadest possible construction available under the law as it exists on the date of filing hereof (and of the application from which this application obtains priority, if any) and that no narrowing of the scope of the appended claims be allowed due to subsequent changes in the law, as such a narrowing would constitute an ex post facto adjudication, and a taking without due process or just compensation.
