Patent Application
20050166943
The present invention does not involve any form of federally sponsored research or development.
Devices and methods for cleaning, polishing, or buffing floors, such as brooms for sweeping floors, or mops for washing floors, are known. Generally, the devices include a head and a handle. The head can support various types of pads that depend on the cleaning task, such as dry or wet washing with water or a solvent, drying, polishing, or buffing. The types of pads can include woven material, an absorbent bonded-fiber, an actual or simulated steel wool, soft or hard bristles, a sponge, and so forth. The choice of pad type depends on ease of use, cleaning effectiveness, and the potential for damaging the flooring. One type of pad can be less desirable than another for a given cleaning task. For example, pads formed of steel wool or bristles can be used to clean stone flooring effectively, but can scratch wood flooring. Generally, pads are planar because of the planar nature of flooring and walls. In addition, the pad can be shaped in a circle, an ellipse, a triangle, a rectangle, a square, or other polygons.
Scuffing can mark flooring with a scuff, a scratch or roughing of the flooring surface. For example, a shoe scraping across wood flooring can result in a scuff. Scuffs, which are caused by a minor abrasion of the flooring surface, can be removed by rubbing the scuffed flooring with a pad that has a non-abrasive surface. Pads with soft cleaning surfaces, such as cloth mops or sponges, either can not remove or require a great deal of effort to remove scuffs. Pads having an abrasive cleaning surface, such as a surface formed by bristles or steel wool, simulated or actual, can damage the surface of the flooring.
A fabric with a surface of entangled fibers covers commercially available tennis ball. The fibers, small diameter filaments, are flexible and non-abrasive, such that tennis balls can be used to effectively remove scuffs from wood, tile, or other flooring. For example, tennis balls can be mounted on a broom handle and used to remove scuffs from wood flooring. Tennis balls are not designed for removing scuffs from floors. A problem with using tennis balls to remove scuffs is a relatively small spherical shape that limits contact with the flooring surface. The limited contact with the floor makes the use of tennis balls inefficient and time consuming for typical floors. In addition, a tennis ball's spherical shape limits the use of tennis balls to reach the edge of flooring next to walls or in corners formed between walls.
Accordingly, there is a need for an apparatus for and method of efficiently and effectively removing scuffs from flooring, which apparatus includes a non-abrasive surface of entangled fibers of a fabric attached to a non-spherical backing and which method removes flooring scuffs by contacting the scuffs with the entangled fibers.
An apparatus and a method for the removal of scuffs from flooring are provided. The apparatus includes a fabric attached to a backing wherein the fabric has a surface of non-abrasive entangled fibers that extend away from the fabric. The steps of the method include providing a pad having a backing attached to a fabric having a surface of non-abrasive entangled fibers that extend away from the fabric, and rubbing scuffs in the flooring with the surface of non-abrasive entangled fibers.
a illustrates an embodiment of an apparatus having a handle moveably connected handle to facilitate removing scuffs for flooring in accordance with the invention.
b illustrates an embodiment of an apparatus having a curved head for improved contact of flooring when removing scuffs in accordance with the invention.
c illustrates an embodiment of an apparatus having sides that form an acute angle for removing scuffs in a flooring corner in accordance with the invention.
The present invention includes an apparatus and method for removing scuffs from flooring. The apparatus includes a non-spherical backing attached to a fabric having a surface of non-abrasive entangled fibers. The entangled fibers form a non-abrasive surface that can be rubbed against flooring to remove scuffs. The non-abrasive surface of entangled fibers is capable of removing scuffs over a large flooring area without damaging the flooring.
The pad 100 can be attached to a shoe 150 by a front strap 160 and a heel strap 170. Alternatively, the shoe can be attached to the backing by an adhesive that allows for temporary adhesion, or the pad 100 can be formed into an overshoe that fits over the shoe. Also, a support device (not shown), such as a handle can be attached to the backing to facilitated holding the pad by hand, or as known in the art the pad can be designed and constructed to be attached to a motorized scuff removing machine.
The fabric, the entangled fibers, and the backing can be made of materials used for commercially produced tennis balls or found in tennis balls that meet the specification of the International Tennis Federation. The fabric and entangled fibers can be melton, such as felt that can be made of wool, cotton, or synthetic materials such as nylon. The backing can be made of rubber. The backing can be formed into a non-spherical shape to improve scuff removal efficiency by improving contact of the entangled fibers with the scuffed flooring.
The pad 100 can be held by hand by grasping either the non-spherical backing 140 or a support device (not shown) such as a handle to which the pad 100 attaches. The scuff is removed or reduced in appearance by rubbing the scuff with the entangled fibers 120. Alternatively, the pad 100 can be attached to a shoe 150 to facilitate the use of a person's feet to remove the scuff. Application of force to the pad 100 and repeated rubbing are used to remove the scuff. When the entangled fibers 120 become worn and ineffective in removing the scuff, the pad 100 can be replaced.
An embodiment shown in
A movable connector 220a connects the head 210a to a first handle section 240. The movable connector 220a allows the head 210a to rotate for improved contact of the pad 200a with the scuffed flooring or other surface. Alternatively, the head can be rigidly connected to the first handle section. A folding mechanism 260 connects a second handle section 250 to the first handle section 240. The folding mechanism 260 allows for more compact storage of the scuff removing apparatus. For example, the folding mechanism can include a hinged connection between the first handle section 240 and the second handle section 250 such that the sections can be held in an extended position by a slideable latching device that attaches to a stop. Alternatively, a threaded connection can join the two handle sections or the folding mechanism 260 can be eliminated so that the two handle sections form a single elongated handle (not shown) that does not fold. A cleaning media 280 such as a sponge is supported on a support 270 that is attached to an end of the second handle section 250 opposite the folding mechanism 260.
The scuff removing apparatus can be stored in a folded position. When unfolded, an extended handle (not shown) is formed when the first handle section 240 is connected to the second handle section 250 by appropriate operation and movement of the folding mechanism 260. A pad 200a is installed to the head 210a through the use of clips 230a. A cleaning media 280 such as a sponge is installed on the support 280. The cleaning media can be used to clean the area around the scuff. For example, scuffs in wood flooring can be cause by muddy engineer boots that scuffed the floor and deposited mud over the scuff. A sponge, a cleaning media, can be used to remove the mud from the flooring before removing the scuff. Once the flooring is properly conditioned, the head 210a is located over the scuff such that the entangled fibers contact the scuff. The movable connector 220a allows the entangled fibers surface of the pad 200a to contact the scuff. The extended handle (not shown) is used to move and apply downward force on the head 210a so as to remove the scuff by rubbing.
The present invention is not limited to the head 210a having a rectangular and planar shape.
c shows an angular head 210c for use in removing scuffs at flooring corners. The angular head 210c has a first side 202 and a second side 204 that meet at an acute angle. Clips 230c are used to attach a pad 220c to the angular head 210c that is connected to a handle (not shown) by a movable connector 220c. Flooring often has square corners that are formed by adjacent walls that meet at ninety degree angles. An end of the angular head 210c having an acute angle that is formed by two adjacent sides is used for removing scuffs at the flooring corners.
A flowchart that illustrates a method for use with an apparatus that removes scuffs from flooring is shown in
An advantage of the present invention is easy and efficient removal of scuffs by entangled fibers 120 that do not damage the flooring surface. The use of non-spherical backing 140 improves contact of the entangled fibers 120 with the scuffed flooring surface. Better contact improves utilization of the entangled fibers 120 and reduces cost associated with disposal of entangled fibers that have not been used.
The present invention can be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.
This application is a continuation-in-part of prior application Ser. No. 10/770,319 filed on Feb. 2, 2004.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 10770319 | Feb 2004 | US |
| Child | 10916865 | Aug 2004 | US |
