MULTI-USE MACHINE FOR THE TREATMENT OF FLOORS

Abstract

 The structure of the machine comprises a small bell-shaped work-head to the polar area of which is secured the drive unit (2) and whose mouth is closed by means of a base plate (3) corresponding to the operative area of the machine. The drive shaft (4) projects axially from the drive unit and is also axially arranged within the frame (1) and having at its end a conical plate (5) which sets in motion a plurality of satellite gears (8). Said machine is intended to the treatment of staircases, floors, walls, ceilings, beams, etc., carrying out various operations such as polishing, sanding, cleaning, etc.

Description

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a machine that has been particularly devised to treat staircases, floors, ceilings, walls, beams or any other surfaces whatsoever, that is capable of carrying out various operations upon such surfaces, namely polishing, sanding, cleaning and so forth, concurrently serving a sucking function, or eliminating the resulting waste, and by merely fitting on it at each time the type of brush that is most suitable for the job that is to be carried out.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The market naturally has a wide range of machines capable of performing any of the jobs aforesaid, viz. cleaning, sanding, polishing as well as sucking, and yet every machine is designed for a specific job and moreover machines devised to work on the floor are unable to work or unsuitable for working upon walls and ceilings, and vice versa.

[0003] It is therefore necessary to have a machine specific to each particular kind of job, with the bother that this entails from the standpoint of investment, storage, maintenance and manipulation.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0004] The multi-use machine subject of the invention is capable of undertaking all the jobs aforesaid, upon staircases, floors and walls, ceilings or any other surface whatsoever, its structural features being such as to render the machine extremely handy at all times and moreover to provide a high working efficiency.

[0005] More specifically and in order to achieve the above, the machine structurally comprises a small generally cup-shaped head the polar end of which is fitted with the power unit and the mouth of which is closed by means of a base plate constituting the operative area of the machine.

[0006] The drive shaft projects axially from the power unit and lies axially within the shell, ending in a conical plate through which movement is transmitted to a number of satellites, which are preferably four and likewise conical, co-planar with the said plate and related thereto through a resilient ring associated to the centre plate that acts as the drive means for the said satellites, the shafts of which cross the base plate with the assistance of bearings and are externally fitted with respective tools.

[0007] In accordance with another characteristic of the invention the said conical plate is mounted to turn axially about the drive shaft, and is hence duly keyed thereto, the said conical plate being biased by springs that work as a clutch to define the extent of pressure with which the repeatedly mentioned conical plate leans through the resilient ring upon the likewise conical satellites. In accordance with this construction, when one of the tools comes up against an obstacle that tends to prevent it from turning and hence blocks the same, the temporary locking of such tool does not affect the rest, nor indeed the power unit that continues to work as usual, transmitting its movement to the other tools.

[0008] Finally, and in accordance with yet another characteristic of the invention, the power unit as such has been designed to work as a drive means for a sucking member, to which end the base plate is profusely perforated, thereby contemporaneously removing the waste produced during the sanding, polishing or merely cleaning operations.

[0009] The structure described is completed with a handle of suitable length in order for floors, walls and ceilings to be accessible from a suitable bodily position, which handle is joined to the said shell through a hinged fork that respectively allows the said handle to take up any angled position to the operative plane of the machine.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] In order to provide a fuller description and contribute to the complete understanding of the characteristics of this invention, a set of drawings is attached to the specification which, while purely illustrative and not fully comprehensive, shows the following:

Figure 1.- Is a side elevation view of a multi-use machine for the treatment of floors, walls and ceilings made in accordance with the object of the present invention.

Figure 2.- Is a plan view of the same machine.

Figure 3.- Is a side elevation view similar to that of figure 1, though with the machine in cross section to clearly show its internal structure.

Figure 4.- Is finally a plan view similar to that of figure 2, though with the shell also in cross-section.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

[0011] With reference to the figures it can be observed that the multi-use machine subject hereof is structured as a head which comprises a cup-shaped shell (1) the polar end of which is fitted with a power unit (2), schematically shown in the figures, whereas its mouth is closed with a base plate (3) that constitutes the operative area of the machine, as shall be explained hereinafter.

[0012] The power unit (2) has a long shaft (4) in which a conical plate (5) plays that can slide axially along the shaft (4) up to the limiting position shown in figure 3 and defined by a projection (6) acting as an abutment and established at its free end, the drive shaft (4) and the conical plate (5) being obviously duly keyed to one another in order for the former to transmit to the latter its turning movement.

[0013] The conical plate (5) has a groove on its circumference or conical surface in which a resilient ring (7) can be fitted to transmit power by friction to a number of likewise conical satellites (8) lying on the same plane as the plate (5), as shown clearly in figure 3, which conical satellites (8) have shafts (9) crossing through the base plate (3) with the assistance of bearings (10) and ending externally in likewise coplanar flanges (11) designed to be fitted with respective tools, not shown in the drawings, namely polishing, sanding and other tools.

[0014] Between the conical plate (5) and the likewise conical satellites (8) some pressure is provided in order to ensure optimal transmission conditions through the resilient ring (7), to which end the said conical plate (5) is held under permanent pressure against the satellites (8) biased by a pair of springs (12) provided between such plate (5) and the shell (1), as figure 3 also shows, which springs will obviously bias the plate (5) through a fixed intermediate and duly lubricated skid that is not shown in the drawings.

[0015] This transmission by simple friction means that, as aforesaid, if one of the tools, in other words one of the satellites (8), is blocked by any obstacle the machine comes up against whilst working, the other satellites may continue working as usual without the power unit (2) being damaged in the very least.

[0016] The same power unit (2) has been designed to act upon a sucker or extractor, which is not shown in the drawings, lying within the actual shell (1) and naturally devised to eliminate the waste produced by the multi-use machine when working as usual, to which end the base plate (3) will be profusely perforated to define a suction grid.

[0017] Finally and to complete the structure described, the machine is supplemented with a handle or stem (13) of suitable length whose near end is fitted with a fork (14) hinged to the head through the hinge pin (15) that allows the said handle (13) to take up any angled position to the operative plane of the machine defined by the base plate (3).

[0018] We feel that the description need not be extended any longer for any expert in the art to have grasped the full scope of the invention and the advantages it offers.

[0019] The materials, shape, size and layout of the elements may be altered provided that this entails no modification of the essential features of the invention.

[0020] The terms used to describe the invention herein should be taken to have a broad rather than a restrictive meaning.

Claims

1. A multi-use machine for the treatment of staircases, floors, walls and ceilings, characterised by comprising a head wherein a cup-shaped shell is established, the power unit of the machine being fitted to its polar end and its mouth being closed by a base plate constituting the operative plane of the machine, the handle or stem of the machine being hinged to such head through a fork, being especially particular in that the shaft of the power unit, that runs from the inside of the head to the neighbourhood of the base plate, receives a conical plate provided with a peripheral groove on its circumference or conical surface in which a resilient ring is fitted to constitute the transmission means by friction from such conical plate to a number of likewise conical satellites, coplanar with such plate, which shafts cross through the said base plate with the assistance of bearings and are externally fitted with the respective tools, which can be exchanged depending upon whether the machine is to perform a polishing, sanding or merely cleaning job.

2. A multi-use machine for the treatment of staircases, floors, walls and ceilings, as in claim 1, characterised in that the conical plate is mounted upon the drive shaft and can slide axially, to which end it is duly keyed thereto, the said shaft having an end projection that serves as an abutment to limit the travel of such plate, resilient means being in turn provided between such plate and the shell of the head, preferably comprising a pair of springs that bias the central conical plate against the external conical satellites through the resilient transmission ring linking the same.

3. A multi-use machine for the treatment of staircases, floors, walls and ceilings, as in the above claims, characterised in that the power unit contemporaneously acts upon a suction unit likewise provided within the shell and designed to eliminate the waste produced by the machine whilst working normally, to which end the base plate, that is the operative surface of the machine, is profusely perforated to define a suction grid.

Drawing