The present invention concerns a device for a ringformed liquid scraper for a floor treatment machine provided with a motor driven rotatable floor treatment tool, the scraper ring comprising a plurality of flexible scraper blade members, which are tilted in relation to the circumference and intended rotational direction of the scraper ring and which are held in place in the scraper ring by a mechanism therefor.

In, e.g., wet scrubbing machines and other floor treatment machines, which operate using water, scrubbing liquid and/or another floor treatment liquid and which comprise a scraper ring, which is attached to be arranged around a rotatably driven brush, pad, grinding pad, abrasive disc, disc with sandpaper, or another suitable floor treatment tool, there are problems of being able to efficiently attach the separate numerous scraper blade members that are arranged to be held in place in the scraper ring by an intended mechanism therefor, and the function of which essentially is to scrape the underlayer clean from the scrubbing liquid, etc., for sucking it up by means of a suction device coupled to, or which is included in, said, for instance, wet scrubbing machine. When the wet scrubbing machine is run on underlayers causing the scraper blade members to be severely worn or causing the material of the same for some reason not to be so efficient for the underlayer in question on the floor, there is a need for easily being able to change the scraper blade members to new ones or to be replaced by other kinds of blades. US 5,706,549 A and EP 0 880 934 Al show the presence of scraper blades (128 and 2, respectively), which are attached in holders by means of: shafts (140, 142, 158, 160), which are provided with flexible heads (144) and which can spring to be inserted into holes (98, 99, 120) in a said holder (88), and by means of clipping elements (6) of a holder (3) and which are inserted into an opening (4) of the scraper blade (2) and which are supported by a manually operated scrape provided with a handle, respectively. However, there is not arranged any intended lever connected with the movable resilient attachment means of a fixed part for thereby facilitating replacement of scraper blade.

The main object of the present invention is primarily to solve, by simple but efficiently working means, among other the above mentioned problems in a technically working way.

Said object is achieved by means of a device according to the present invention, which

essentially is characterized in that quick-attachment mechanisms intended for individual scraper blade members comprise a manual actuation part, which is formed of a lever, which is connected with the movable resilient attachment means of said attachment part, as well as an attachment part cooperatable with said scraper blade member, said attachment part being actuatable to move between a holding position and a releasing position, respectively, of a said scraper blade member.

The present invention is described below as a preferred embodiment example, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which, Figs. 1 and 2 schematically show in cross- section a scraper blade member in an attachment-ready position and in an attached position, respectively,

Fig. 2A shows different views of parts included in a quick-attachment mechanism in assembled and loose, respectively, position,

Fig. 3 shows an exploded view of a portion of a scraper ring obliquely from above,

Fig. 4 shows the front part of a wet scrubbing machine with the proper scrubbing and suction part of the machine as seen obliquely from above,

Fig. 5 shows from below a scraper ring with scraper blade members attached thereto,

Fig. 6 shows the scraper ring shown in Fig. 5 as seen obliquely from above, and

Fig. 7 shows a view obliquely from below of a wet scrubbing machine and its scrubbing-brush with surrounding scraper ring and scraper blade members attached thereto.

The Invention Described in Brief:

This scraper ring should be a complement to the scraper ring used with the today's machine. The scraper ring used for the today's machine has relatively hard scrapers and which are not easy to replace. The present invention having detachable scrapers gives the user possibility of replacing scraper depending on floor type. The user threads up a scrape, made of rubber or another soft material, through a slot on the underside of the scraper ring and pushes in a snap lock hand-lever, which is mounted on a spring, to be able to bring up the scraper all the way up to the upper part of an attachment ring. The user then releases the hand-lever, which makes the spring to return to its original position and lock the scrape .

A said scraper ring is mounted around a brush of a cleaning machine and has two functions, on one hand to scrape up scrubbing water and in addition assist in sucking up scrubbing water.

The scraper ring is fixedly mounted in three leaf springs and rotates together with the brush. The scrapers ensure that the scrubbing water does not come outside the scraper ring. Vacuum tubing, which also is placed in the scraper ring, sucks up the scrubbing water that the scrapers scrape together from the underlayer.

Detailed Description of the Invention

A device 1 for a ringformed liquid scraper

2 for a wet scrubbing machine 3, or another similar cleaning machine, which is provided with a motor driven rotatable brush 4, or another floor treatment tool, as well as suction devices 23, comprises a plurality of flexible scraper blade members 6, which are tilted in relation to the circumference and intended rotational direction 5 of the scraper ring and which are arranged to be held in place in the scraper ring 2 by a mechanism 7 intended therefor. According to the invention, there are comprised quick-attachment mechanisms 7 intended for individual scraper blade members 6, and which comprise a manual actuation part 8 as well as an attachment part 9, which is arranged for disengagable interconnection with said scraper blade member 6. In that connection, said attachment part 9 is actuatable to move between a holding position I of a said scraper blade member 6 and a

releasing position II, respectively, of a said scraper blade member 6. Said actuation part 8 is formed of a lever, which is connected with the movable resilient attachment means 10 of said attachment part 9. The lever has such a length that it is actuatable by means of finger power and is stiffer than the attachment part 9. Suitably, the lever consists of metal or plastic material and is riveted, screwed, glued, or welded to the attachment part 9.

The attachment part 9 may have attachment means 10, which are arranged to, at least with a part thereof, penetrate into or deform the material 11 that the scraper blade members 6 consist of. Alternatively, the attachment part may have attachment means, which are arranged to, by clamping action against part of the attachment portion of the scraper blade member, clamp the scraper blade member in question onto the scraper ring, or that attachment means, which are allowed to penetrate into prefabricated recesses in the scraper blade members, are utilized .

The scraper blade members 6, which consist of rubber and/or plastic material, or other more or less soft materials, preferably polymer materials, are

insertable into slot-shaped recesses 12 in the frame 13 of the scraper ring with a part 14, said attachment part 9 of the quick-attachment mechanism 7 being cooperatable with said insertable part 14 of the respective scraper blade member 6.

The attachment part 9 may be formed of a resiliently pivotably mounted plastic or metal piece provided with teeth 10, and the teeth 10, which are punched out of one end of the attachment part, are

distributed along the width of the entire attachment part, the attachment part being formed of spring steel. Alternatively, the attachment part may have attachment means, which are arranged to be received in prefabricated recesses in said scraper blade members, for instance such as in a ring binder or the like. This is not shown in the drawings. Neither are other solutions within the scope of the claims shown or described further.

By a part 16, said quick-attachment mechanisms 7 are connected with an upper part 15 of the frame of the scraper ring.

The design of the invention should clearly have been understood by the above-mentioned and by means of the drawings. The function is also seen thereby but it should be briefly described that the user of the wet scrubbing machine 3 or another floor treatment machine pushes by a finger on the actuation part 8 at its outer end, wherein the force F that then acts on the actuation part 8 makes the same to be turned in the direction 17 around a formed pivot joint 18 between the attachment part 9 and an anchorage part 19 of a common resilient part 20, which in the example shown is fixed between an upper part 15 of an intended scraper ring 2 and the proper frame 21 thereof .

At the same time as the actuation part 8 is turned inward 17, the attachment part 9 connected therewith will be turned outward in the direction 2 of the arrow 22. In said position, the intended, for instance worn, scraper blade member 6 can be pulled out of the intended recess 12 in the scraper ring 2 and a new scraper blade member 6 be inserted therein. In the present

example, in doing so, the teeth 10 of the attachment part 9 will penetrate into the material 11 of the insertable part 14 of the scraper blade member, as is shown in Fig. 2, and efficiently hold said scraper blade member 6 in place in the scraper ring 2. The removal of the scraper blade member 6 is carried out in the same way but in the opposite direction.

Alternatively, pure clamping action of the material of the scraper blade members from each side thereof, as has been indicated above, may be utilized, or that attachment means mating to prefabricated recesses in the scraper blade members are allowed to be received therein .

The nature and the function of the device should have been clear from what is described above and shown in the drawings .

The invention is naturally not limited to the embodiments described above and the embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings. Modifications are feasible, particularly as for the nature of the different parts, or by using an equivalent technique, without departing from the protection area of the invention, such as it is defined in the claims.