Tool for the mechanical treatment of a concrete floor

Abstract

A tool for the mechanical treatment of a concrete floor, such as for power trowel floating and finishing with blades, for conducting the treatment with a hand-operated, walk-behind or ride-on actuator, such as e.g. with a concrete power trowel, a floor treating apparatus, or the like. The actuator includes one or more operating heads, which include several, such as four, attachment arms perpendicular to each other, for treating a concrete floor with tools coupled in a removable manner into the engagement with each attachment arm. A tool is intended for use in engagement with a trowel floating blade coupled to an attachment arm of the actuator's operating head, whereby the tool with a substantially flat and elongated body includes first and second elements for its coupling and locking on a quick coupling principle for im-movable engagement with the trowel floating blade.

Claims

1. A tool for mechanical treatment of a concrete floor, with a power trowel actuator, said actuator comprising one or more operating heads wherein several attachment arms perpendicular to each other are attached, trowel floating blades coupled to the attachment arms and the tool coupled in a removable manner with each of said trowel floating blades, wherein the tool has a substantially flat and elongated body comprising first and second elements for coupling and locking of the tool on a quick coupling principle for immovable engagement with the trowel floating blade, the first elements being provided with guide channels on opposite sides of the tool and wherein the trowel floating blade's opposite side edges are capable of being slid in a longitudinal direction of the tool and the trowel floating blade; and the second elements being provided by a locking/retaining projection present at an end edge of the tool's body, wherein the projection is disposed at an end of a flexible body portion separated with kerfs from the body of the tool and protruding in the longitudinal direction from the body's rear edge, and wherein the projection, in process of sliding the tool relative to the trowel floating blade in the longitudinal direction, attaches against a rear edge of the trowel floating blade to retain the tool on the trowel floating blade during operation.

2. A tool according to claim 1, wherein its body is provided with marking or notch arrangement for adapting the tool to trowel floating blades differing from each other in terms of length.

3. A tool according to claim 1, wherein the tool is rigid in construction and fabricated from a substantially thin-walled metal, plastic, composite and/or ceramic material.

4. A tool according to claim 3, wherein the tool's body comprises a consolidated unit fabricated from a single plastic-based material by casting, pressing and/or by machining.

5. A tool according to claim 3, wherein the tool's body comprises a base member including a rigid material, and a trowel pan connected thereto with a quick coupling arrangement and fabricated from a plastic-based material.

6. A tool according to claim 5, wherein the quick coupling arrangement comprises a locking pin on a bottom of the base member and a locking slot on a top surface of the trowel pan for a mutual form locking between the base member and the trowel pan.

7. A tool according to claim 6, wherein the locking slot comprises a hole at the end of the locking slot, wherein the locking pin is locked in a vertical direction, as the trowel pan is moved in its longitudinal direction.

8. A tool according to claim 1, wherein the first elements comprise a resilience system between the trowel floating blade and the tool to enable tilting movements of the tool.

9. A tool according to claim 8, wherein the resilience system comprises one or more springs, or a washer disc made of an elastic material.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) It is in the subsequent description that the invention will be illustrated in detail while referring to the accompanying drawings, in which

(2) FIG. 1a

(3) shows one typical walk-behind concrete power trowel with trowel floating blades coupled to its rotor,

(4) FIG. 1b

(5) shows further one typical ride-on concrete power trowel with trowel floating blades coupled to its rotor,

(6) FIG. 1c

(7) shows further one typical ride-on floor treating apparatus, i.e. a so-called cleaning machine,

(8) FIGS. 2a and 2b

(9) show perspective top views of the relative movement between a tool of the invention and a trowel floating blade in the process of coupling the same to each other and with the tool in engagement with the trowel floating blade,

(10) FIGS. 3a-3c

(11) show, in a bottom assembly view, in a top view, and in a bottom view, one preferred embodiment for a tool of the invention together with an integral diamond abrading arrangement engageable/engaged therewith in a removable manner,

(12) FIGS. 4a-4c

(13) show, in a top view, in a bottom view, and in a bottom assembly view, one preferred embodiment for a tool of the invention together with diamond discs engageable/engaged therewith in a removable manner,

(14) FIGS. 5a-5c

(15) show, in top view, in a top assembly view, and in a side view, one resilience system-equipped embodiment for a tool of the invention together with an integral diamond abrading arrangement engageable/engaged therewith in a removable manner,

(16) FIGS. 6a and 6b

(17) show, in perspective views, still another alternative embodiment for a tool of the invention as viewed from above in the process of coupling the same to a trowel floating blade and while it is in engagement with the trowel floating blade, and

(18) FIGS. 7a-7c

(19) show, in a perspective view, the assembly for a tool of FIGS. 6a and 6b as viewed from above and from below, and the tool in an assembled condition as viewed from below.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(20) The invention relates to a tool for the mechanical treatment of a concrete floor, such as for power trowel floating and finishing with blades, for conducting the treatment with a hand-operated, walk-behind or ride-on actuator, such as e.g. with a concrete power trowel, a floor treating apparatus, or the like. The actuator includes one or more operating heads A, which consist of several, most typically four, attachment arms A1 perpendicular to each other, for treating a concrete floor with tools coupled in a removable manner into the engagement with each attachment arm. A tool 1b is intended for use in engagement with a trowel floating blade 1a coupled to an attachment arm A1 of the actuator's operating head A, whereby the tool with a substantially flat and elongated body R includes first and second elements y, z for its coupling and locking on a quick coupling principle for immovable engagement with the trowel floating blade 1a. In reference to FIGS. 2a and 2b, the first elements y are provided by guide channels, which lie on opposite sides of the tool's body R and inside which the trowel floating blade's 1a opposite side edges are capable of being slid on a principle appearing from FIGS. 2a and 6a in a longitudinal direction s of the tool and the trowel floating blade. Respectively, the second elements z are provided by a locking/retaining projection present at an end edge of the tool, which projection, in the process of sliding the tool relative to the trowel floating blade in the longitudinal direction s, attaches on a principle appearing e.g. from FIG. 2a against a rear edge of the trowel floating blade.

(21) In a preferred embodiment of the invention, referring e.g. to FIGS. 2a, 3a, 4b, 6a and 7a, the locking/retaining projection of the second elements z is disposed at the end of a flexible body portion R1 separated with kerfs U from the body R of the tool 1b and protruding in the longitudinal direction s from the body's rear edge. Hence, the tool is capable of being fastened to the trowel floating blade 1a coupled to the attachment arm A1 of an actuator's rotor A on a principle appearing from e.g. FIG. 2a by pushing I the body portion R1 sufficiently downward and by thereafter sliding II the tool 1b under the trowel floating blade 1a, whereby the parts become locked to each other according to FIG. 2a as a locking projection x is able to rise up against the trowel floating blade's rear edge.

(22) In a further preferred embodiment for a tool of the invention, referring particularly to FIG. 2a, its body R is provided with means H, such as a marking or notch arrangement, for adapting the tool 1b to trowel floating blades 1a differing from each other in terms of length, thereby enabling effortless use of the tool also with trowel floating blades of varying lengths.

(23) The tool 1b is rigid in construction and fabricated from a substantially thin-walled metal, plastic, composite, ceramic material and/or the like. Referring particularly to plastic embodiments, the tool is fabricated preferably from e.g. ABS, PS, ABS+PC, PETG, PVC, PMMA, ABS+PMMA, PP or APET plastic.

(24) In an embodiment preferred in this respect, referring particularly to FIGS. 2a and 2b, the tool's 1b body R comprises a consolidated unit fabricated from a single, most preferably plastic-based material by processing such as casting or pressing and/or by machining such as milling.

(25) In an embodiment optional with respect to what has been described above, referring particularly to FIGS. 6a, 6b and 7a-7c, the tool's 1b body R comprises a base member R2 which consists of a rigid, most preferably metallic material, and a trowel pan R3 connected thereto with a quick coupling arrangement P and fabricated most preferably from a plastic-based material. The quick coupling arrangement P is preferably implemented with mutual form locking between a locking pin P1 present on a bottom of the base member R2 and a locking slot P2 present on a top surface of the trowel pan R3, whereby the locking pin P1 works its way through a hole present at an end of the locking slot P2 into an inside of the base member R2 and, as the trowel pan R3 is moved in its longitudinal direction s, becomes locked therein in a vertical direction t.

(26) In a further preferred embodiment for a tool of the invention, it comprises elements for abrading a concrete floor, such as a diamond abrading arrangement 2, in which respect FIGS. 3a-3c illustrate, in a bottom assembly view, in a top view, and in a bottom view, one preferred embodiment for a tool of the invention together with a integral diamond abrading arrangement engageable/engaged therewith in a removable manner.

(27) Respectively, the diamond abrading arrangement, included in a tool 1b presented as an optional solution in FIGS. 4a-4c, comprises several diamond pads 2 or the like capable of being fastened thereto in a removable manner, most preferably on a quick coupling principle, such as with a Velcro surface arrangement tp or the like.

(28) In a further preferred embodiment for an apparatus of the invention, referring particularly to the preferred embodiment presented in FIGS. 5a-5c, the elements for coupling the tool 1b into engagement with the trowel floating blade 1a by way of the guide arrangement z comprise, between the trowel floating blade 1a and the tool, a resilience system JJ enabling tilting movements of the tool. The resilience system JJ comprises e.g. one or more springs or e.g. a washer disc made of an elastic material (such as e.g. washing pad material).

(29) It obvious that the invention is not limited to embodiments presented or described above, but can be varied within the basic inventive concept in a multitude of ways by using e.g. embodiments depicted in the attached drawings in partial combinations with each other, etc. Likewise, the type of embodiments shown in the attached drawings can be implemented with designs and appearances other than those presented for attaining the same basic objective of the invention. Tools of the invention can be fabricated from a most diverse range of materials by making use of a most diverse range of manufacturing techniques utilizing not only the aforementioned materials but also e.g. biobased, recyclable or biodegradable synthetic or organic materials such as e.g. chemical pulp, etc.