Composite brush

{
  "publication_number": "US4305234A",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "A",
  "title": "Composite brush",
  "abstract": "A brush suitable for use with floor maintenance equipment and having both abrasive nonabsorbent bristles and nonabrasive absorbent bristles. The bristles are fairly evenly intermingled in each tuft, and the brush includes a plurality of tufts such that the brush face presents a substantially intermingled mix of both bristles. To enhance the cleaning qualities of the brush, the percentage of abrasive nonabsorbent bristles may be increased. To enhance the finish applying and buffing qualities of the brush, the percentage of nonabrasive absorbent bristles may be increased.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A floor maintenance brush having a circularly shaped base plate with a centrally located hole disposed axially therethrough to facilitate attachment of the brush to a floor maintenance machine, said brush having tuft units that form a substantially homogenous brush face over at least 75% of one side of said brush, said tuft units each being formed of a bundle of bristles that are bent such that both ends of each said bristle are oriented in substantially the same direction, and wherein said tuft units are each comprised of: (a) first bristles formed of nylon and having abrasive particles impregnated therein such that the first bristles are substantially nonabsorbent and substantially abrasive; and (b) second bristles formed of tampico such that the second bristles are substantially absorbent and substantially nonabrasive, wherein said first and second bristles are fairly evenly intermingled in each said tuft unit."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "This invention relates generally to floor maintenance equipment and more particularly to brushes.\n\nFloor maintenance activities generally include cleaning, applying a new finish, and buffing and polishing the newly applied finish. Generally, a more abrasive cleaning element will be used to clean the floor of dirt, scuff marks and to remove any old finishes, and less abrasive cleaning elements will be used to apply, buff, and polish the new finish.\n\nTo perform these cleaning activities, persons skilled in the art have relied upon a graduated system of cleaning pads. These pads range in degree of abrasiveness, and are used with floor cleaning machines that rotate the pads while urging the pad against the floor. Properly used, such pads serve well to carry out the various cleaning activities outlined above.\n\nUnfortunately, such pads are inconvenient in many respects and are also relatively costly. In particular, each pad must be properly centered on the floor cleaning machine or the pad may bunch up, tear or become damaged in some other way. Since the pad must be reversed and exchanged quite often during a typical cleaning operation, continually ensuring proper orientation of the pad can be time consuming. Pads are also ill-suited for use on floors having low obstacles such as phone line conduit and the like over which the cleaning implement should pass. If not carefully moved over such an obstacle, the pad may tear, bunch up or become uncentered.\n\nMore importantly, scrubbing and buffing pads quickly lose their abrasive qualities.",
  "cpc": [
    "A46B 9/06"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "A46B 9/06"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Flo Pac Corp"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Franklin D. Pichelman"
  ],
  "filing_date": "1980-02-04",
  "publication_date": "1981-12-15",
  "grant_date": "1981-12-15",
  "priority_date": "1980-02-04",
  "application_number": "US-11850880-A",
  "family_id": "22379034",
  "cited_by_count": 75,
  "citations": [
    "US430077A",
    "US1142698A",
    "US1958658A",
    "GB309419A",
    "US1979240A",
    "US2328998A",
    "FR1134245A",
    "US3047897A",
    "US3147503A",
    "US3114925A",
    "US3181193A",
    "US3128487A",
    "US3290713A",
    "US3605347A",
    "US4037369A"
  ]
}