US 12,433,464 B2
Floor treatment machine
Simon Wiltshire, Chard (GB)
Assigned to Numatic International Limited, (GB)
Appl. No. 17/633,112
Filed by Numatic International Limited, Cambrley (GB)
PCT Filed Aug. 7, 2020, PCT No. PCT/GB2020/051895
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Feb. 4, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/028667, PCT Pub. Date Feb. 18, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 1911417 (GB), filed on Aug. 9, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0330776 A1, Oct. 20, 2022
Int. Cl. A47L 11/26 (2006.01); A47L 11/283 (2006.01); A47L 11/40 (2006.01)
CPC A47L 11/26 (2013.01) [A47L 11/283 (2013.01); A47L 11/4072 (2013.01); A47L 11/4075 (2013.01)] 24 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A walk-behind floor treatment machine comprising:
a base portion provided with and supported by at least one rotatable work head for treating the floor,
a handle portion for steering or guiding the machine along a working direction of travel and adapted to be pivotable with respect to the base portion,
drive means for rotating the work head with respect to the base portion,
floor-engaging wheel means for supporting the handle portion, the wheel means having a substantially transverse axis of rotation with respect to the working direction so as to permit machine travel in the working direction, the wheel means being coupled to the base portion by a linkage which permits vertical travel of the base portion and the at least one rotatable work head with respect to the wheel means, which provides transverse constraint to limit or prevent yawing of the base portion with respect to the wheel means,
wherein a lower region of the handle portion is pivotably connected to the wheel means so that the handle portion may pivot through a generally vertical arc, and wherein a handle pivot lock mechanism is provided in which the adoption of a predetermined handle portion orientation permits one or more locking features to act on one or more corresponding constraint features so as to prevent pivoting movement of the handle portion with respect to the linkage in at least one axis, whereby tilting back of the handle portion when the handle portion is locked causes a corresponding rise of the linkage and base portion with the at least one rotatable work head so as to lift them from a floor surface over which the machine travels.