TOOL MOUNT FOR FLOOR FINISHING MACHINE WITH SNAP-IN LATCH

Abstract

A replaceable tool mount for rotary floor treating machines consists of a wedge-shaped block having downwardly and inwardly sloping side edges designed to fit within a correspondingly shaped slot formed in a bottom surface of a circular drive plate. The upper surface of the wedge-shaped block includes a radial notch. A latch connected to the block by a living hinge overlays the notch and has a tab at its free end adapted to engage the peripheral edge of the drive plate when the block is advanced along the slot in the steel plate to a point when the tab snaps over the plate's peripheral edge. This prevents the block from any further movement until the latch is again released by raising it to the point where it no longer engages the front edge of the plate.

Description

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

None

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

I. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to equipment for smoothing and polishing concrete, stone and wooden floors and more particularly to an improved tool mount for attachment to a drive plate of motor driven floor treatment machines.

II. Discussion of the Prior Art

Machines for smoothing or polishing floor surfaces are generally of two types, ride-on and walk-behind. In each, at least one drive plate is provided that is generally circular and may have one or more abrasive pads or other tools affixed to an underside thereof. The plate is driven by a motor that powers a vertical drive shaft to which the drive plate is affixed.

The prior art offers a variety of ways in which abrasive pads and other tools are removably Mined to the drive plate. For example, Velcro hook and loop material has been employed, as have magnets, screws and bolts. As, say, an abrasive tool wears down through use, it must be replaced and it is desirable that the replacement operation be carried out expeditiously and preferably without the use of a hand tool of any kind. The present invention meets the foregoing criteria.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to the construction of a replaceable tool mount for use on rotary floor treating machines. It comprises a molded plastic machined metal block with inwardly tapered sides leading from a rear edge of the block to its front edge. The block has a planar top surface that is adapted to support an abrasive pad or other floor treatment tool known in the art thereon and a bottom surface that includes a rectangular notch extending inwardly from the front edge of the block toward, but short of, the block's rear edge. An integrally formed latch member is cantilevered with respect to the rectangular notch and the latch terminates with a tab at a front edge of the latch member that extends at a predetermine angle to the remainder of the latch member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing features, objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment, especially when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals in the several views refer to corresponding parts.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tool mount for a floor finishing machine when viewed from the upper right thereof;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the mount when viewed from below;

FIG. 3 is a top plain view thereof;

FIG. 4 is a front view thereof;

FIG. 5 is a bottom plain view thereof;

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 6-6 in FIG. 4; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of plural mounts following installation on a floor machine drive plate.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The description of the preferred embodiment is intended to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings, which are to be considered part of the entire written description of this invention. In the description, relative terms such as “lower”, “upper”, “horizontal”, “vertical”, “above”, “below”, “up”, “down”, “top”, and “bottom”, as well as derivatives thereof (e.g., “horizontally”, “downwardly”, “upwardly”, etc.), should be construed to refer to the orientation as then described or as shown in the drawings under discussion. These relative terms are for the convenience of description and do not require that the apparatus be constructed or operated in a particular orientation. Terms, such as “connected”, “connecting”, “attached”, “attaching”, “join”, and “joining”, are used interchangeably and refer to one structure or surface being secured to another structure or surface or integrally fabricated in one piece, unless expressly described otherwise. As used herein, the term “floor treating machine” is meant to include floor troweling machines, floor grinding, floor polishing, floor burnishing, floor scrubbing and swing machines.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3, the preferred embodiment of the tool mount 10 is seen to comprise a machined or molded steel or plastic block 12 having a front edge 14 and a rear edge 16 with tapered side edges 18 and 20. The top surface 22 of the block 12 is flat and is adapted to support an abrasive material or other floor treating tool thereon. As seen in FIG. 3, the rear edge 16 is rectilinear while the front edge 14 is accurate, exhibiting a predetermined radius.

As seen in FIGS. 2 and 5, formed inward from the bottom surface 24 of the block 12 and centrally located a rectangular notch or channel 26 leading from the arcuate front edge 14 toward, but short of the rear edge 16. Integrally formed in the block and overlaying the notch 26 is a cantilevered resilient latch member 28. The latch member terminates at a front edge in an integrally formed tab 30 projecting normally from the remaining portion of the latch member 28 as seen in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 6.

The location 32 where the latch member 28 joins to the remainder of the block 12 comprises a “living hinge” allowing the latch member to deflect into the notch 26 when an upward force is applied to the tab 30 when viewed as in FIG. 6.

While the tool mount. 10 is preferably formed from plastic in a molding operation, it can also be formed from a suitable metal such as steel or aluminum.

Referring once again to FIGS. 1 and 4, they show the tapered side edges 13 and 20 are of a predetermined height dimension and each includes a first portion 34 that extends perpendicular to the top surface 22 and a second lower portion 36 that flares outwardly at a predetermined angle.

In FIG. 7, there is shown a circular drive plate 38 that is adapted to attach to a motorized drive mechanism (not shown) of a floor treating machine. It includes a connecting circular recess 39 and a series or recesses 41 in a bottom surface 40 where the recesses include tapered side edges 42 corresponding to the taper of the tool mount 10 and the flared portion 36 of its side edges 18 and 20. Furthermore, the radius of curvature of the arcuate front edge 14 of the tool mount 10 matches that of the plate 38. It can be appreciated that when the tool mounts are inserted into the recesses in the drive plate 38 from the central recess 39 on the drive plate and advanced toward the periphery of the plate 38, the resilient, spring-like latch 28 will be forced up into its notch 26 by the tab 30 rubbing on the base of the drive plate's recess. When the tool mount is fully inserted, the tab 30 will snap down over the peripheral edge of plate 38 and thereby prevent any movement of the mount 10 back toward the center of the plate.

When it is desired to remove an abrasive tool affixed to the mount 10 for replacement, a user need merely lift up on the tab 30 to again place the latch within its notch while simultaneously urging the mount 10 toward the drive plate's center to exit the recess 39 in the drive plate.

Although the invention has been described in. connection with specific embodiments of the same, it will be understood that it is capable of obvious variations without departing from its scope.

Claims

1. A replaceable tool mount for a rotary floor treating machine comprising: (a) a block having tapered sides leading from a rear edge to an arcuate front edge, and having a planar top surface adapted to support a floor finishing tool thereon and a bottom surface including a notch extending radially inwardly from the arcuate front edge toward, but short of the rear edge of the block, and an integrally formed resilient latch member cantilevered with respect to the notch, the latch member terminating at a free end thereof in a tab, the tab extending at a predetermined angle to a remainder of the latch member.

2. The replaceable tool mount of claim 1 wherein the rear edge is of a greater length than the arcuate front edge of the block.

3. The replaceable tool mount of claim 2 wherein the tapered sides are of a predetermined thickness and each includes a first portion extending perpendicular to the top surface and a second portion that flares outward at an angle from the first portion.

4. The replaceable tool mount of claim 1 wherein the latch member is joined to the bottom surface by a living hinge.

5. The replaceable tool mount of claim 1 wherein the tool mount is formed of molded plastic material.

6. The replaceable tool mount of claim 4 wherein the tab extends beyond a plane of the bottom surface when the latch member is not being depressed into the notch.

7. A replaceable tool mount for a drive plate of a floor treating machine comprising: a) a circular steel plate adapted for rotary attachment to a floor treating machine, the plate having a planar upper surface and a lower surface that includes a concentrally located circular recess with a plurality of regularly spaced radially extending tapered slots extending from the circular recess to a peripheral edge of the circular steel plate, the slots being more narrow at a front edge than at a rear edge and where side edges of the slots taper upwardly and inwardly in progressing from the lower surface toward the upper surface; andb) a tool mount of claim 1 insertable into a selected one of the radially extending tapered slots in the steel plate from the centrally located circular recess causing the latch member to be recessed into the notch, the tool mount being radially movable in the selected slot until the tab snaps over the peripheral edge of the steel plate.