Locking coupler for floor maintenance pad

Abstract

A coupler is disclosed for coupling floor maintenance pads to a pad driven disc. The coupler has one part which is mounted to or from an integral part of the driver disc and a second part which snaps onto the first part for holding and centering a maintenance pad to a disc. A spring lock arrangement is provided for preventing the coupler from separating and comprises a spring clip carried by the retainer engageable with lip structure formed on an axially extending wall or flange forming part of the base part. The spring clip is held to the retainer by hub segments and axially spaced tabs which define slots for slidably receiving portions of the spring clip. The spring clips include a pair of elongate legs interconnected by a bridging segment on one end and a pair of finger engageable pressure pads on opposite ends by which the spring clip is squeezed to move corner segments carried by legs inwardly in order to disengage the lip structure thereby releasing the retainer from the base.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates to apparatus for securing a pad to a rotary floor machine of the type used in floor maintenance, and more particularly, a “snap together” coupler for securing a pad to a rotating driver disc of a floor maintenance machine.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Coupler devices are well known for centering and coupling a floor maintenance pad to a pad driver disc. The pad driver disc is rotated by the drive shaft of a power-driven floor maintenance machine. One example of such a coupling device is illustrated and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,536,912.[0003]A pad coupler device typically has two parts, one of which is secured to the pad driver and the other of which is removable and is used to secure the pad to the pad driver. Various methods for maintaining the engagement between the pad driver mounted portion and the retainer portion have been suggested for use in the prior art. For example, the two parts may have threaded ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0016]The disclosed coupling device is easily separated when a floor maintenance pad, etc. needs to be replaced. In addition, the elimination of the central post of the prior art, opens up the central portion of the coupling device and allows cleaning fluids, etc. carried by the maintenance machine to be discharged onto the floor (through the coupling device) during the floor maintenance operation.

[0017]With the disclosed snap-together coupling device, machine pads can be easily removed and reinstalled onto a floor maintenance machine. To remove the retainer from the base, the legs of the spring clip are squeezed together (via the finger receiving segments) in order to move the corner segments of the spring clip inwardly and out of engagement with the lip forming part of the base. Once the corner segments disengage the lip, the retainer can be easily moved in an axial direction, out of engagement with the base. The machine pad is placed in position on the base and the retainer is then pushed back onto the base. The axially extending wall preferably includes a chamfered or cone-shaped end surface which urges the corner segments of the springs to move inwardly as the retainer is pushed into engagement with the base. The resilient legs of the spring clip urge the corner segments outwardly as the corner segments pass the lip and thus cause the corner segments to move outwardly to engage the underside of the lip.

Problems solved by technology

In many of the prior art devices, release of the retainer from the base in order to release the pad from the pad driver can be difficult.

In some constructions that provide easy release of the retainer, the coupling is not as reliable as desired.

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