Tool mount for floor finishing machine with snap-in latch

Abstract

A replaceable tool mount for rotary floor treating machines consists of a wedge-shaped block having downwardly and inwardly sloping side edges designed to fit within a correspondingly shaped slot formed in a bottom surface of a circular drive plate. The upper surface of the wedge-shaped block includes a radial notch. A latch connected to the block by a living hinge overlays the notch and has a tab at its free end adapted to engage the peripheral edge of the drive plate when the block is advanced along the slot in the steel plate to a point when the tab snaps over the plate's peripheral edge. This prevents the block from any further movement until the latch is again released by raising it to the point where it no longer engages the front edge of the plate.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A replaceable tool mount for a rotary floor treating machine comprising:
 (a) a block having tapered sides leading from a rear edge to an arcuate front edge, and having a planar top surface adapted to support a floor finishing tool thereon and a bottom surface including a notch extending radially inwardly from the arcuate front edge toward, but short of the rear edge of the block, and an integrally formed resilient latch member cantilevered with respect to the notch, the latch member terminating at a free end thereof in a tab, the tab extending at a predetermined angle to a remainder of the latch member.   
     
     
         2 . The replaceable tool mount of  claim 1  wherein the rear edge is of a greater length than the arcuate front edge of the block. 
     
     
         3 . The replaceable tool mount of  claim 2  wherein the tapered sides are of a predetermined thickness and each includes a first portion extending perpendicular to the top surface and a second portion that flares outward at an angle from the first portion. 
     
     
         4 . The replaceable tool mount of  claim 1  wherein the latch member is joined to the bottom surface by a living hinge. 
     
     
         5 . The replaceable tool mount of  claim 1  wherein the tool mount is formed of molded plastic material. 
     
     
         6 . The replaceable tool mount of  claim 4  wherein the tab extends beyond a plane of the bottom surface when the latch member is not being depressed into the notch. 
     
     
         7 . A replaceable tool mount for a drive plate of a floor treating machine comprising:
 a) a circular steel plate adapted for rotary attachment to a floor treating machine, the plate having a planar upper surface and a lower surface that includes a concentrally located circular recess with a plurality of regularly spaced radially extending tapered slots extending from the circular recess to a peripheral edge of the circular steel plate, the slots being more narrow at a front edge than at a rear edge and where side edges of the slots taper upwardly and inwardly in progressing from the lower surface toward the upper surface; and   b) a tool mount of  claim 1  insertable into a selected one of the radially extending tapered slots in the steel plate from the centrally located circular recess causing the latch member to be recessed into the notch, the tool mount being radially movable in the selected slot until the tab snaps over the peripheral edge of the steel plate.