Patent Application
20140173864
There are at least three different types of floor burnishers as distinguished by power source. Further, there are burnishers that have a single pad and those that have two pads which are commonly referred to in the industry as “twin headed” or “dual headed”. Some burnishers are walk-behind and others are ride on. Burnishers have a pad speed in the range of approximately 1,500 RPM to approximately 2,000 RPM or more and produce what is called in the industry an “ultra high speed” finish.
Designers in the burnisher business often categorize burnishers by power source because the power source often controls where the burnisher can be used. For example, one type of burnisher has a long power cord to be plugged into a wall outlet to power the AC burnish motor; these burnishers are sometimes referred to as “corded” burnishers in the industry. These corded burnishers are limited by the length of the power cord and the availability of wall outlets. For this reason, corded burnishers are limited to smaller spaces like office buildings with numerous wall outlets. These corded burnishers have a single head. To Applicants knowledge, there is no twin headed corded burnisher. Users also categorize burnishers by power source because they typically purchase a particular burnisher for a specific application or structure.
Another type of burnisher is powered by propane and has an internal combustion engine. These propane powered burnishers have a head pressure of approximately 80 psi and virtually unlimited run time because the propane is stored as a liquid in an onboard cylinder. One limitation on propane powered burnishers is noise; when operational, a propane burnisher will produce about 89 db and sounds like a noisy lawnmower. Propane powered burnishers produce more noise than any other type of burnisher. For this reason, propane burnishers may not be used in schools or universities during class. Large retailers are often open 24 hours, and do not want customers distracted or irritated by noisy propane burnishers. At Wal-Mart, corporate has issued a ban on the purchase and operation of propane burnishers throughout the corporation.
Another limitation on propane burnishers is the internal combustion engine which produces carbon monoxide which is a colorless, odorless, poisonous gas. In lower concentrations, carbon monoxide causes sickness and in higher concentrations death. For this reason, propane burnishers are banned from hospitals, nursing homes and other healthcare facilities. However, propane burnishers are great for large areas with adequate ventilation. Further, modern propane burnishers come equipped with a catalytic converter which converts the carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide.
Some propane burnishers have a single pad. Other propane burnishers have twin pads. For example, Amano Pioneer Eclipse Corporation of Sparta, N.C. (www.pioneer-eclipse.com), hereinafter “Pioneer Eclipse” produces a ‘twin headed” propane burnisher model number PE420BU. A copy of the instruction manual for the PE420BU is included with the Information Disclosure Statement.
Yet another type of burnisher is a battery powered machine with on-board rechargeable batteries. Some battery powered burnishers have three rechargeable batteries and some have six. These walk-behind battery powered machines typically have a head pressure of only about 35 psi. Applicant is not aware of any walk-behind battery powered burnisher with a twin head and two pads. There are also ride-on battery powered burnishers. Applicant is not aware of any ride-on battery powered burnisher with a twin head and two pads.
In the past, it has been difficult for buyers to compare walk behind battery powered burnishers sold by different manufacturers because there are so many variables. Applicant believes that the best metric to compare walk behind battery powered burnishers that produce a UHS finish is to calculate the area burnished per charged. In order to use this metric, the burnish width of the two machines has to be the same. All other parameters can vary. The formula for calculating the area burnished per battery charge is:
Speed of Burnish width of Run time Area burnished Machine (MPH)×Machine in inches×in hours×440=per charge While burnishing
The best walk behind battery powered burnisher for a big box type store is the one that can produce a UHS finish and burnish the largest area per charge and preferably the entire store.
Burnishers are typically used to restore the luster to the finish on vinyl composite tile floors (VCTFs). In many locations, a floor is scrubbed first before burnishing to pick up the dirt. For example the Pioneer Eclipse Scrubber 360AS would be suitable for scrubbing prior to burnishing. The 360AS is a walk behind machine which puts water and optionally a cleaner on the floor which is then scrubbed by twin brushes and then the water, dirt and chemical is removed from the floor finish by a squeegee. Note this scrubbing process is solely to clean the finish on the floor, not to burnish the finish or remove the finish from the floor.
After scrubbing, the floor finish is burnished. In order to burnish the floor finish, it is necessary to generate enough friction and heat to actually melt the top layer of coating on the floor. Burnishing is often preferable to re-coating the floor. Re-coating is a complex process. Pioneer Eclipse produces three separate machines to be used in the re-coating process. The first machine is the Hydro Star™ stripping applicator which lays down a stripping chemical on the floor finish to help remove the finish from the VCTF. The second machine is the PE440ST™ propane stripping machine which uses counter rotating brushes to scrub the old finish from the floor. The third machine is the StripVac™ recovery apparatus with a squeegee that picks up the chemical stripper and the old floor finish from the VCTF prior to the operator applying new coats of finish to the floor.
Burnishing does not require that the finish be stripped off the VCTF. Machines that are used to burnish a floor are different from machines that are used to remove an old finish and re-coat with a new finish. Machines that are used to burnish floors are different from machines used to sweep, scrub, and sand other types of floors.
The circular pads that are commonly used on burnishers are sometimes referred to as a “hair blend” pad which means that hog hair is intermixed with synthetic fibers to form the pad. These hair blend pads are not proprietary and are produced by a variety of companies such as Continental Gilt/Microtron of Bridgeton, Mo. (www.continentalcommercialproducts.com). Treleoni of Manning, S.C. and ETC of Henderson, N.C. are also believed to produce these hair blend burnishing pads. Pioneer Eclipse has used with success the Blue Blend pad number PD3LBB from Treleoni on many of its burnishers.
In the past, burnishers were sometimes referred to as “dry buffers”. The more modern word to describe such machines is “burnisher.” Prior art dry buffers are disclosed with a single X-shaped pad and a single pad in the shape of a plus sign “+” as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,598,440 ('440 patent); U.S. Pat. No. 4,701,970 ('970 patent) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,739,534 ('534 patent) which are all owned by Pioneer Eclipse. For the sake of simplicity, the plus sign shaped pads will hereinafter be referred to as cross-shaped pads. In the past, the Pioneer Eclipse has produced the Laser X® X-tra high speed burnisher which has a long power cord and a single X-shaped pad. In the past, the Pioneer Eclipse has produced the Magna 2000™ battery powered burnisher with a single X-shaped pad.
The search in the '440 patent disclosed rotary equipment of varying designs and complexity: U.S. Pat. Nos. 548,201; 3,417,420; 3,619,954; 3,974,598; 4,148,110; 4,358,868 and 4,365,377.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 548,201; 3,417,420 and 3,619,954 disclose a sweeping brush, buffing pad and sanding disc, respectively, having a generally X-shaped configuration. However, because of the material or design, none of those buffing pad devices are suitable for high speed floor burnishing, i.e. average speeds of 2,000 RPM. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,974,598 and 4,148,110 each disclose rotary scraping or sanding tools having air foil blades mounted on the rotary discs for expelling dust and debris from a workpiece. Those devices are also not suitable for burnishing because they are too small and are suitable only for scraping or sanding.
The following additional references were cited by the examiner in the '440 patent for X-shaped and cross-shaped pads: U.S. Pat. Nos. 935,558; 1,093,8201 1,763,365; 1,857,240; 2,415,372; 2,668,976; 2,949,619; 3,619,849; 3,678,532; 4,178,658; 4,307,480; 4,322,866 and 4,358,868.
The following additional references were cited in the '970 patent for X-shaped and cross-shaped pads: U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,828,499; 3,354,488 and 3,445,877. The following additional reference was cited in the '534 patent for X-shaped and cross-shaped pads: U.S. Pat. No. 3,464,075.
A fresh search for the present application located the following references: US 20120190281, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,098,329; 3,721,048; 4,598,440; 4,805,258; 5,463,791; 6,640,386 and D460,232. None of the aforementioned references disclose a twin headed burnisher with polygonal pads.
Scrubble, a division of ACS Industries, Inc. of One New England Way, Lincoln, R.I., 02865, produces an octagonal burnishing pad and the brochure states that there is a “Patent Pending”. (www.scrubble.com) Applicant has been unable to find such patent application.
Pioneer Eclipse currently produces an ultra high speed battery powered burnisher model number 300BU 20 with a single round pad which produces a comparatively small area burnished per charge. The present invention uses some of the features of the 300BU 20, except the deck assembly has been modified to accept two polygonal pads and the type of burnish motor has been changed which results in a larger area burnished per charge. The instruction manual for the 300BU20 is included in the information disclosure statement and is incorporated herein by reference.
Some big box stores are often open 24/7 and have at least 100,000 square feet of floor space that needs to be burnished overnight. Currently, two walk-behind battery powered burnishers with circular pads are used in this application because a single walk-behind machine lacks sufficient charge to burnish the entire 100,000 square feet of floor. Adding more batteries to allow a walk-behind burnisher to be able to burnish 100,000 square feet of floor on a single battery charge seems an obvious solution, but this results in a burnisher that is too expensive and too heavy to easily maneuver.
The aforementioned “big box application” has been a conundrum for designers. AC burnishers with elongate cords are problematic because there are insufficient electrical outlets in a big box store to allow a corded burnisher to reach all of the floor space and the cords are a trip hazard for customers. Propane burnishers are also problematic because of excessive noise and carbon monoxide emissions. A walk-behind battery powered burnisher is the optimal solution, but to applicant's knowledge, there are no battery powered walk-behind burnishers that can burnish 100,000 square feet of floor space on a single battery charge.
Polygonal pads were disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,598,440; 4,701,970 and 4,739,534 but they were shown on AC burnishers with elongate cords which are unsuitable for the big box application described above. Battery powered walk-behind burnishers with a single circular pad have been in use, but to applicant's knowledge, none of these prior art battery powered walk-behind burnishers with a single circular pad will burnish at least 100,000 square feet of floor space on a single battery charge. Walk-behind propane burnishers with a twin burnishing head have been in use, but they produce excessive noise and carbon monoxide emissions and are therefore unsuitable for the big box application described above. There is still a need for an economical battery powered walk-behind burnisher that will burnish at least 100,000 square feet of floor space on a single charge. Applicant's combination of an economical twin headed battery powered walk-behind burnisher that uses two polygonal pads will burnish at least 100,000 square feet of floor space on a single charge.
The present invention is an ultra-high speed, twin headed, walk behind battery powered burnisher with polygonal pads. This burnisher is battery powered, uses DC motors, and is particularly suited for use in healthcare facilities and schools. In addition, the present invention will polish enough area per charge to completely burnish the floor space of a typical Wal-Mart® store. The floor space for such a store is approximately 100,000 square feet. (The overall size of such a store is much larger, but much of the overall area is taken up by display shelves and check out stations.) To Applicant's knowledge, there is no other walk-behind UHS battery powered twin headed burnisher that will burnish at least 100,000 square feet on a single charge. A method for burnishing at least 100,000 square feet of floor on a single charge with a battery powered twin headed ultra high speed burnisher is disclosed.
The polygonal pads of the present invention are always used as a matched pair on the twin headed machine. The polygonal pads of the present invention may be generally Y-shaped, flower-shaped, hexagonal shaped, daisy-shaped with a scalloped edge, blade shaped like a lawnmower blade, triangular-shaped, square-shaped, pentagonal-shaped or cross-shaped. All of these pads are cut from a sheet of fabric about one inch thick. Some of the designs, such as the Y-shaped pads leave less waste than prior art circular shaped pads. Some of the other polygonal shapes leave little waste when cut from a one inch thick fabric sheet. A method to cut space saving polygonal pads and the resulting product is also disclosed. The term “polygonal pad” as used herein does not include round pads which are prior art, octagonal pads which are prior art or X-shaped pads which are prior art.
Eclipse, but now discontinued. The burnisher has a single circular pad, not shown, under the deck assembly 4 which supports a passive dust collection container 6. A raise/lower assembly and drive 8 raises and lowers the deck assembly relative to the floor. The raise/lower assembly may also be referred to as a means to raise and lower the deck assembly. The deck assembly can be moved from a first position so the pad, not shown, is out of engagement with the floor to a second position so the pad, not shown, is in engagement with the floor. The burnisher 2 is powered by six batteries collectively identified by the numeral 10. Each of these 6 volt DC batteries has a 370 amp hour rating and is rechargeable. A power cord, not shown, is attached to a battery charger, not shown, which is mounted in the machine. The power cord is wound around supports, not shown, on the back of the machine when the machine is burnishing. The batteries are supported by a metal frame 12. A control panel 14 includes a key operated on/off switch 16. An ampere meter 18 displays the ampere draw of what is generally referred to in the industry as the “burnisher motor”, not shown, which drives the single circular pad, not shown. The ampere meter has a needle which reads from 0-150 amperes. A lever 20 adjusts the pad pressure of the single circular pad, not shown, from low, to medium, to high. A direction switch 22 controls the forward/reverse direction of the traction motor, not shown and therefore the direction of rotation of the traction wheels. A burnisher motor switch 24 is an on/off switch for the burnisher motor, not shown, which drives the single circular pad, not shown. A deck assembly control switch 26 lowers the deck assembly 4 to a lower position so the pad, not shown, is in engagement with the floor and in the alternative raises the deck assembly 4 to an upper position so the pad, not shown, is out of engagement with the floor. The battery discharge meter 28 displays the amount of battery charge from green to red and an hour meter to record the number of operational hours on the battery burnisher. The battery discharge meter is often called a multiple display indicator (MDI) in the industry. When the battery discharge meter is in the red level, the battery powered burnisher 2 needs to be recharged. Fuses 30 and 32 safeguard from current overloads and generally protect the electrical system of the battery powered burnisher. A pair of handles 34 allows the operator to control the traverse speed of the traction wheels, not shown.
At the start of a shift, the burnisher will typically be located at the recharging station, not shown, and will be plugged in to recharge the batteries. The first thing the operator does is to unplug the battery powered burnisher. In order to start the battery powered burnisher, the operator first puts a key into the key operated on/off switch and turns the machine to the on position. The operator actuates the deck assembly control switch so the deck assembly and pad are raised by the raise/lower assembly so the pad, not shown, is out of engagement with the floor. The operator then actuates the forward/reverse switch to direct the burnisher as he/she desires. Finally, the operator grabs both handles, one of which rotates to control the speed of the traverse motor, not shown, which determines how fast the traverse wheels, not shown, turn to propel the machine to an appropriate location where the floor finish has lost its luster.
At an appropriate location, the operator removes his hands from the handles to stop the traverse wheels of the burnisher which stops the forward motion of the machine; turns the burnisher motor switch on which causes the burnisher motor, not shown, to rotate which causes the pad, not shown, to rotate; actuates the deck assembly control switch to lower the pad, not shown, into engagement with the floor and adjusts the pad pressure lever to the appropriate pressure. The operator then re-grasps the handles and activates the traction motor which causes the traction wheels to rotate, which causes the battery burnisher to traverse across the floor while burnishing.
When the battery discharge shows that the batteries are low, the operator stops burnishing by turning the burnish motor switch off and actuates the deck assembly control switch to raise the pad and deck, not shown, to the upper position so the pads are out of engagement with the floor. The operator then drives the battery powered burnisher back to the recharge station to recharge the batteries.
The battery powered burnisher of
In a big box store with numerous rows, the first priority during the graveyard shift is to restock the shelves, which is typically done a row at a time. After a row has been restocked, sometimes the same person scrubs the floor to remove dirt. The Pioneer Eclipse 360AS walk behind scrubber is suitable for this scrubbing process. Then the floor finish may be burnished using the present invention described below. After the first row has been burnished, the personnel move to the next row and the process repeats itself.
A pair of traction wheels 62 are connected proximate the front of the frame and in contact with the floor. These traction wheels 62 are operatively connected to a traction motor 64 to impart movement to the burnisher so the operator does not have to push the burnisher during operation. In an alternative embodiment, not shown, a single traction wheel may be used. A pair of casters 66 with brakes are connected proximate the rear of the frame and contact the floor to allow the operator to better guide the burnisher while traversing and/or burnishing. The traction wheels and the casters roll on the floor 54.
A deck assembly 68 is attached to and supports the burnish motor 70. The deck assembly is operatively attached by an arm 72 to the front of the burnisher. A raise/lower assembly, not shown, allows the deck assembly to be manually moved through an arc of about 90°. The deck assembly can move from a first position above the floor 54 so the pads do not touch the floor (
At the rear of the burnisher, a control panel 88 is mounted on a pedestal. As better seen in
After a project has been completed, the burnisher 52 is driven to a recharge station. The cord on the rear of the machine is uncoiled from the machine and plugged into a wall outlet for recharging. The machine is turned off.
At the beginning of the next shift, the operator goes through a pre-operation check list as follows: unplug power cord and wrap around rear of burnisher 52; check that the burnisher motor switch is in the off position; check the pad driver to ensure that there are no breaks or cracks; check for correct connection of the batteries; check that the dust collection bag is empty; and release the caster breaks.
In order to turn on the burnisher 52, the operator goes through the following sequence: turn the key to the on position, turn the burnisher motor switch to the on position; engage the handles; put pressure on the squeeze switch and adjust the speed as needed with the traction speed control knob.
As best seen in
The size of the drive pulley 78 relatively to the driven pulleys 124 and 129 is arranged so that the rotational speed of the polygonal pads is faster than the rotational speed of the burnish motor 70. The rotational speed of the pads is accomplished by using a drive pulley having a diameter that is larger than the driven pulleys, as is well known to those skilled in the art. In one embodiment, the drive pulley is approximately 4.4 inches in diameter and the driven pulleys are approximately 4 inches to achieve an optimal pad speed of approximately 2,200 RPM.
Specifications for a UHS twin headed battery powered burnisher 52 with polygonal pads are shown below in Table 2; other configurations are described after the conclusion of Table 2. The table indicates that the burnisher 52 can be configured with three rechargeable batteries or 6 rechargeable batteries. The burnisher 52 uses a pair of pads which is why it is called a twin-headed machine. Each pair of pads must be the same; but the pair may be configured in any of several polygonal shapes as shown in
The polygonal pads shown in
As previously mentioned, all of the polygonal pads are cut from a sheet of fabric. The Y-shaped pads have a further advantage because they can be cut in a nesting fashion so as to reduce waste during the cutting process. This is an additional advantage to the Y-shaped design. The tips of the Y-shaped design are rounded but they may also straight in another embodiment.
As previously mentioned, all of the polygonal pads are cut from a sheet of fabric. The hexagonal pads have a further advantage because they can be cut close to each other to reduce waste during the cutting process. This is an additional advantage to the hexagonal pad design. In this embodiment, the tips of the hexagon are rounded.
The burnisher detailed in Table 2 below has a burnish width in the range of between approximately 29 to approximately 31 inches and more preferably between approximately 29.5 to approximately 30.5 inches and optimally 30 inches. This will be referred to as a nominal 30 inch burnish width. The forward speed of the burnisher detailed in Table 2 below while burnishing is in the range of between approximately 2.8 MPH and approximately 3.6 MPH and more preferably between approximately 3.0 MPH and approximately 3.4 MPH and optimally approximately 3.25 MPH. The speed of the burnisher detailed in Table 2 below while traversing across the floor, but not burnishing is in the range of between approximately 2.8 MPH and approximately 3.6 MPH and more preferably between approximately 3.0 MPH and approximately 3.4 MPH and optimally approximately 3.25 MPH. The pad pressure on the floor is in the range of between approximately 30 psi and approximately 50 psi, and more preferably between approximately 35 psi and approximately 45 psi and optimally 40 psi. These pressures are well below the pad pressure of a propane burnisher which is approximately 80 psi. The run time per battery charge for three batteries and two polygonal 16″ pads rotating at approximately 2,200 RPM is in the range of between approximately 2.5 hours and approximately 3.5 hours, and more preferably between approximately 2.75 hours and approximately 3.25 hours and optimally approximately 3.0 hours. The run time per charge with six batteries and two polygonal 16″ pads rotating at approximately 2,200 RPM is in the range of approximately 5.5 hours and approximately 6.5 hours, and more preferably between approximately 5.75 hours and approximately 6.25 hours and optimally approximately 6.0 hours.
In an alternative embodiment, a burnisher has a burnish width in the range of between approximately 25 to approximately 27 inches, and more preferably between approximately 25.5 inches and 26.5 inches and optimally 26 inches. This will be referred to as a nominal 26 inch burnish width. The forward speed of this burnisher while burnishing is in the range of between approximately 2.8 MPH and approximately 3.6 MPH and more preferably between approximately 3.0 MPH and approximately 3.4 MPH and optimally approximately 3.25 MPH. The speed of this burnisher while traversing across the floor, but not burnishing is in the range of between approximately 2.8 MPH and approximately 3.6 MPH and more preferably between approximately 3.0 MPH and approximately 3.4 MPH and optimally approximately 3.25 MPH. The pad pressure on the floor is in the range of between approximately 30 psi and approximately 50 psi, and more preferably between approximately 35 psi and approximately 45 psi and optimally 40 psi. These pressures are well below the pad pressure of a propane burnisher which is approximately 80 psi. The run time per battery charge for three batteries and two polygonal 14″ pads rotating at approximately 2,300 RPM is in the range of between approximately 3.0 hours and approximately 4.0 hours, and more preferably between approximately 3.3 hours and approximately 3.7 hours and optimally approximately 3.5 hours. The following specifications apply to a burnisher with a nominal 26 inch burnish width:
In an alternative embodiment, a burnisher has a burnish width in the range of between approximately 27 to approximately 29 inches, and more preferably between approximately 27.5 and approximately 28.5 inches and optimally 28 inches. This will be referred to as a nominal 28 inch burnish width. The forward speed of this burnisher while burnishing is in the range of between approximately 2.8 MPH and approximately 3.6 MPH and more preferably between approximately 3.0 MPH and approximately 3.4 MPH and optimally approximately 3.25 MPH. The speed of this burnisher while traversing across the floor, but not burnishing is in the range of between approximately 2.8 MPH and approximately 3.6 MPH and more preferably between approximately 3.0 MPH and approximately 3.4 MPH and optimally approximately 3.25 MPH. The pad pressure on the floor is in the range of between approximately 30 psi and approximately 50 psi, and more preferably between approximately 35 psi and approximately 45 psi and optimally 40 psi. These pressures are well below the pad pressure of a propane burnisher which is approximately 80 psi. The run time per battery charge for three batteries and two polygonal 15″ pads rotating at approximately 2,300 RPM is in the range of between approximately 2.7 hours and approximately 3.7 hours, and more preferably between approximately 3.0 hours and approximately 3.4 hours and optimally approximately 3.2 hours. The run time per charge with six batteries and two polygonal 15″ pads rotating at approximately 2,3000 RPM is in the range of approximately 5.9 hours and approximately 6.9 hours, and more preferably between approximately 6.2 hours and approximately hours and optimally 6.6 approximately 6.4 hours.
The following specifications apply to a burnisher with a nominal 28 inch burnish width:
In another alternative embodiment, a burnisher has a burnish width in the range of between approximately 31 to approximately 33 inches, and more preferably in the range of between approximately 31.5 to approximately 32.5 and optimally 32 inches. This will be referred to as a nominal 32 inch burnish width. The forward speed of this burnisher while burnishing is in the range of between approximately 2.8 MPH and approximately 3.6 MPH and more preferably between approximately 3.0 MPH and approximately 3.4 MPH and optimally approximately 3.25 MPH. The speed of this burnisher while traversing across the floor, but not burnishing is in the range of between approximately 2.8 MPH and approximately 3.6 MPH and more preferably between approximately 3.0 MPH and approximately 3.4 MPH and optimally approximately 3.25 MPH. The pad pressure on the floor is in the range of between approximately 30 psi and approximately 50 psi, and more preferably between approximately 35 psi and approximately 45 psi and optimally 40 psi. These pressures are well below the pad pressure of a propane burnisher which is approximately 80 psi. The run time per battery charge for three batteries and two polygonal 17″ pads rotating at approximately 2,200 RPM is in the range of between approximately 2.3 hours and approximately 3.3 hours, and more preferably between approximately 2.6 hours and approximately 3.0 hours and optimally approximately 2.8 hours. The run time per charge with six batteries and two polygonal 17″ pads rotating at approximately 2,200 RPM is in the range of approximately 5.1 hours and approximately 6.1 hours, and more preferably between approximately 5.4 hours and approximately 5.8 hours and optimally approximately 5.6 hours.
The following specifications apply to a burnisher with a nominal 32 inch burnish width:
In another alternative embodiment, a burnisher has a burnish width in the range of between approximately 39 to approximately 41 inches and more preferably between approximately 39.5 inches and 40.5 inches, and optimally 40 inches. This will be referred to as a nominal 40 inch burnish width. The forward speed of this burnisher while burnishing is in the range of between approximately 2.8 MPH and approximately 3.6 MPH and more preferably between approximately 3.0 MPH and approximately 3.4 MPH and optimally approximately 3.25 MPH. The speed of this burnisher while traversing across the floor, but not burnishing is in the range of between approximately 2.8 MPH and approximately 3.6 MPH and more preferably between approximately 3.0 MPH and approximately 3.4 MPH and optimally approximately 3.25 MPH. The pad pressure on the floor is in the range of between approximately 30 psi and approximately 50 psi, and more preferably between approximately 35 psi and approximately 45 psi and optimally 40 psi. These pressures are well below the pad pressure of a propane burnisher which is approximately 80 psi. The run time per battery charge for three batteries and two polygonal 21″ pads rotating at approximately 2,000 RPM is in the range of between approximately 2.0 hours and approximately 3.0 hours, and more preferably between approximately 2.3 hours and approximately 2.8 hours and optimally approximately 2.5 hours. The run time per charge with six batteries and two polygonal 21″ pads rotating at approximately 2,0000 RPM is in the range of approximately 4.0 hours and approximately 5.0 hours, and more preferably 4.3 between approximately 4.7 hours and approximately hours and optimally approximately 4.5 hours.
The following specifications apply to a burnisher with a nominal 40 inch burnish width:
As previously mentioned, Pioneer Eclipse currently manufactures a battery powered burnisher with a single circular pad model number PE300BU which has three batteries. An instruction manual for the PE300BU is included in the information disclosure statement and is incorporated herein by reference. The present invention uses a body design similar to the PE300BU, but changes the configuration to a twin headed machine with two polygonal pads. For comparison purposes, Table 3 is a list of specifications for the prior art battery powered burnisher with a single circular 24″ pad model number PE300BU which has three batteries.
This patent application discloses a UHS twin headed battery powered burnisher which can be produced in a number of different sizes, which are typically categorized by the nominal burnish width. Previously, this application has described five different sizes having the following nominal burnish widths: approx. 26″, approx. 28″, approx. 30″, approx. 32″, and approx. 40″.
Table 4 is a hypothetical example. The polygonal pads of column 1 use less electrical energy than the prior art 28″ circular pad of column 2 and therefore, the UHS twin headed battery powered burnisher built according to one embodiment of the present invention can be powered with three rechargeable batteries instead of the traditional six batteries in prior art burnishers. This means that the original purchase price of the UHS twin headed battery powered burnisher built according to one embodiment of the present invention using two polygonal pads may be less that some prior art battery powered burnishers using a single circular pad.
The first column of Table 4 describes the operational characteristics of one embodiment of the present invention having a nominal burnish width of 28″ fitted with two 15 inch cross-shaped pads as shown in
The end user saves on capital costs when they purchase one embodiment of the present invention as shown in column 2 of Table 4. The estimated purchase price of one burnisher built according to one embodiment of the present invention as explained in column 1 of Table 4 is approximately $7,200 and the approximate purchase price of the prior art burnisher in column 2 of Table 4 is approximately $7,800. This results in a capital cost savings of approximately $600 per machine (7,800−7,200=600).
The end user saves on electricity costs during the life of the present invention as shown in Table 4. The electricity cost per year to recharge the batteries of one embodiment of the present invention shown in column 1 is approximately $363 assuming the cost of electricity is 7 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh). The electricity cost per year to recharge the batteries of the prior art burnisher in column 2 is approximately $561 dollars per year, again assuming the cost of electricity is 7 cents per kWh. The savings in electricity cost over a year per machine is approximately $198 (561−363=198).
The estimated life of the batteries used in these machines is 2 years. If the customer replaces the three batteries in one embodiment of the present invention, the estimated cost of the three batteries is $835. If the machine has an estimated life of 6 years, these batteries would have to be replaced twice. This would result in battery costs of $1,670 (2×835=1,670). If the customer replaces the six batteries in the prior art burnisher, the estimated cost of the six batteries is $1,500. If the machine has an estimated life of 6 years, the batteries would have to be replaced twice. This would result in battery costs of $3,000 (2×1,500=3,000). The savings in battery cost over a 6 year period per machine is approximately $1,330 (3,000−1,670=1,330).
In this comparison, the prior art machine uses one 28″ round pad. One embodiment of the present invention uses two 15″ cross shaped pads. During normal operation, each machine would require a new pad(s) per 100,000 sqft. Column 1 of table four shows the annual pad cost of one embodiment of the present invention to be $1,728, if used in a facility that had 100,000 sqft of burnishable floor space. Column 2 of table four shows the annual pad cost of the prior art to be $3,258, if used in a facility that had 100,000 sqft of burnishable floor space. The savings in pad costs for one embodiment of the present invention over a 1 year period is $1,530 (3,258−1,728=1,530).
If a customer has 1,000 big box stores and purchases one burnisher per store built according to one embodiment of the present invention this results in a total of 1,000 burnishers, this results in a capital cost savings of $600,000 (600×1000=600,000). The estimated life of these machines is 6 years. If the customer operates 1,000 machines during the year the annual savings in electricity costs is approximately $198,000 (198×1,000=198,000). Over the six year life of these 1,000 machines the electricity savings is approximately $1,188,000 (198,000×6=1,188,000). If the customer operates 1,000 machines, the estimated battery cost savings over the 6 year life of the machines is $1,330,000 (1,000×1,330). If the customer operates 1,000 machines during the year, the annual savings in pad costs is approximately $1,530,000 (1,000×1,260). Over the 6 year life of these 1,000 machines, the pad savings is approximately $9,180,000 (6×1,530,000).
The total savings in capital costs, electricity costs, battery costs, and pad costs for 1,000 burnishers built according to one embodiment of the present invention is approximately $12,298,000 (600,000+1,188,000+1,330,000+9,180,000=12,298,000) over the estimated six year life of these machines.
Some of the largest big box retailers have 6,000 stores. Hypothetically, the end user who owns and operates 6,000 burnishers built according to one embodiment of the present invention will save approximately $73,788,000 in capital costs, electricity costs, battery costs, and pad costs over the estimated six year life of these machines (12,298,000×6=73,788,000).
