CA2664221A1

CA2664221A1 - Power trowel and grinding pan

Info

Publication number: CA2664221A1
Application number: CA2664221A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Domenic Morrone
Original assignee: 605737 ONTARIO Ltd
Current assignee: 605737 ONTARIO Ltd
Priority date: 2009-04-27
Filing date: 2009-04-27
Publication date: 2010-10-27

Abstract

The first invention is a power trowel machine comprising a housing and a plurality of trowels attached to the housing in a fan arrangement. A driver drives the arrangement at a set speed. A handle defining attached to the housing is adapted for grasping by a user. A
variable speed controller operatively connected to the driver, to vary drive speed. The second invention is a pan for attachment to power trowel machine. The pan has engagements for cooperative connection to the trowels. Grits are attached to the pan, for grinding. Speed variance permits a better and wider range of floor finishes.
Grits attached to a power trowel machine pan permit faster finishing of floors, with less expense, time, and energy loss.

Description

TITLE

POWER TROWEL AND GRINDING PAN
FIELD OF INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to masonry, and more specifically to power trowels and grinding pans used for troweling and finishing floor surfaces.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Any laid concrete or cement (or the like) used in making a floor, driveway, or the like, must be troweled when still relatively wet (as judged by one of ordinary skill in the art), to be made generally flat.

[0003] Troweling manually with a hand-held trowel is known, but is problematic because of its excessive time cost, and because it is physically arduous to trowel by hand.
Such hand-troweled floors are generally not uniform in finish (arm movement direction is restricted, and required energy input is limited).

[0004] Power-trowels, meaning a housing containing a motorized fan-shaped multi-trowel attachment are problematic for finishing floors because they run at a fixed speed (after a short period of initial acceleration), and so often cannot produce desired finishes.
Many concrete or cement floor finishes ideally require troweling at various speeds, according to prevailing circumstances and conditions of the concrete or cement (as judged by one of ordinary skill in the art).

[0005] Very coarse floors require additional finishing in the form of grinding, which requires different machinery. Switching machinery is time-consuming, and wastes energy over using a single machine. Also, grinding (grating a surface from not level to level, using one or more grits) is physically arduous, dangerous, and normally requires machinery heavier and more expensive than a power-trowel machine.

[0006] A preferred embodiment of the first invention is a power trowel machine.
This power trowel machine comprises a housing and a plurality of trowels attached to the housing in a fan arrangement. A driver is operatively connected to the fan arrangement to drive the arrangement at a set speed. A handle defining two ends and having the first end attached to the housing, extends outwardly away from the housing, with the second end being adapted for grasping by a user.

[0007] In another embodiment of the first invention, comprises a variable speed controller operatively connected to the driver, to vary drive speed.

[0008] A preferred embodiment of the second invention is a pan shaped for attachment to a plurality of trowels of the kind found in power trowel machines. The pan defines an inside and an outside. The pan has engagements for cooperative connection to the trowels. The engagements are on the pan inside. Grits are attached to the pan outside, for grinding.

[0009] In another embodiment of the second invention the grits are releasably attached to the pan outside.

DRAWINGS

[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a power trowel with releasable pan.

[0011] FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of a variable speed controller and rotation dial.

[0011] FIG. 3 is a flat view of a pan with grit pucks.

[0012] FIG. 4 is a flat view of a pan with grit pucks.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] A trowel (30) is a flat blade used for spreading. Trowels (30) are used in masonry and the like. A power trowel machine (10) has a housing (20), which contains a fan-shaped arrangement of trowels (30) (Fig. 1 as example). Power trowel machines (10) have a driver (40) (a motor (gas, electric, magnetic or otherwise)). A fan shaped arrangement of trowels (30) is an arrangement of trowels (30) projecting radially outward from a common centre. The arrangement permits revolutionary movement.

[0014] The power trowel machine (10) of the first invention is shown by example (Fig.1) and can have a fan shaped trowel (30) arrangement encased in a housing (20), and powered by a driver (motor) (40). The driver (40) drives (moves) the fan arrangement in revolutionary movement, at a selected speed, after brief initial acceleration from rest. The driver (40) speed can be varied by providing a variable-speed controller (70).
To optimize the varying of driver (40) speed, a standard rotational dial (100) (Fig. 2) can be provided.
The controller (70) communicates with the driver first by way of a transmitting cord (90), which in turn enters a computer housing (80) eventually transmitting to a computer (not shown). The computer (not shown), on command, varies driver (40) speed to correspond with the dial (100) setting.

[0015] The machine has a handle (50) defining two ends. The first handle end is attached to the housing (20). The handle (50) extends outwardly away from the housing (20). The second end of the handle is adapted for grasping by a user (not shown). The controller (70) can be attached anywhere on the machine (10), and for convenience is preferably attached proximal the handle second end (in the same general vicinity as the cut-off switch (60)).

[0016] The machine (10) has a cut-off switch (60) attached to the handle second end.
The cut-off switch is changeable between two states; a first where it engages the driver (40) to drive the fan arrangement, and a second where it disengages the driver (40) to cease driving. If the machine (10) runs on electricity, a power plug (160) can be provided.

[0017] Varying driver (40) speed through a controller (70) according to prevailing conditions allows floors to be finished to a wider and more accurate range of desire than manual troweling at varing speeds, or power troweling at a fixed speed, both according to industry standard.

[0018] The second invention is a pan (110) (Fig. 3) shaped for attachment to a plurality of trowels (30) like those in the fan arrangement of Fig. 1. The pan defines an inside (Fig. 1) and an outside (Fig. 3 & 4). The pan has engagements (120) for cooperative connection to the trowels (30), and the engagements (120) are attached to the pan (110) inside (Fig. 1). The pan outside (Fig 3 & 4) has (preferably but not necessarily releasable) grit pucks (grinders) (130). A grit puck (grinder) (130) is a structure adapted to grind or sharpen a surface from not level to level. Grit (130) size, shape, form, construction, and coarseness can all vary, so long as the puck (130) can grind according to desire. Grits (130) can be attached to the pan (110) by fasteners (like screws) (150), or for more easy puck (130) release, by hook and loop strap (140) of which VelcroTM is an industry standard.

[0019] When attached to a power trowel machine (10) the pan (110) can finish (grind) floors according to a wider and more accurate range of desire than manual grinding, and does not require a different machine apart from the power trowel machine (10).

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A power trowel machine comprising:
a housing;

a plurality of trowels attached to the housing in a fan arrangement;

a driver operatively connected to the fan arrangement to drive said arrangement at a set speed; and a handle defining two ends, the first end being attached to the housing, the handle extending outwardly away from said housing, the second end adapted for grasping by a user.

2. The power trowel machine in claim 1 further comprising a cut-off switch attached to the handle second end, moveable between a first position engaging the driver, and a second position disengaging the driver.

3. The power trowel machine in claim 1 further comprising a variable speed controller operatively connected to the driver, to vary drive speed.

4. The power trowel machine in claim 3 wherein the variable speed controller is attached to the handle second end.

5. A pan shaped for attachment to a plurality of trowels, the pan defining an inside and an outside, the pan comprising:

engagements for cooperative connection to the trowels, the engagements being attached to the pan inside; and grits for attachment to the pan outside, for grinding.

6. The pan in claim 5 wherein the grits are releasably attached to the pan outside.

7. The pan in claim 5 further comprising nylon hook and loop strips, for releasably attaching the grits to the pan outside.

8. The pan in claim 5 further comprising fasteners attaching the grits to the pan outside.

9. The pan in claim 5 wherein the grits are pre-sized and pre-dimensioned, to define individual grit pucks.

10. The pan in claim 9 wherein the grits are spaced apart in a pre-determined arrangement.

11. A power trowel machine comprising:
a housing;

a plurality of trowels attached to the housing in a fan arrangement;

a driver operatively connected to the fan arrangement to drive said arrangement at a set speed;

a handle defining two ends, the first end being attached to the housing, the handle extending outwardly away from said housing, the second end adapted for grasping by a user;

a releasable pan shaped for attachment to the trowels, the pain defining an inside and an outside;

engagements for cooperative connection to the trowels, the engagements being attached to the pan inside; and grits for attachment to the pan outside, for grinding.

12. The trowel machine in claim 11 further comprising a variable speed controller operatively connected to the driver, to vary drive speed.

13. The trowel machine in claim 12 wherein the variable speed controller is attached to the handle second end.

14. The trowel machine in claim 11 further comprising a cut-off switch attached to the handle second end, moveable between a first position engaging the driver, and a second position disengaging the driver.

15. The trowel machine in claim 11 wherein the grist are releasably attached to the pan outside.

16. The trowel machine in claim 11 further comprising nylon hook and loop strips, for releasably attaching the grits to the pan outside.

17. The trowel machine in claim 11 further comprising fasteners attaching the grits to the pan outside.

18. The trowel machine in claim 11 wherein the grits are pre-sized and pre-dimensioned.

19. The pan in claim 18 wherein the grits are spaced apart in a pre-determined arrangement.