CN112533522A

CN112533522A - Special fabric and mop comprising same

Info

Publication number: CN112533522A
Application number: CN201980051627.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 马泰奥·尼古拉
Original assignee: Fasi Co ltd
Current assignee: Fasi Co ltd; Fass SpA
Priority date: 2018-08-03
Filing date: 2019-07-08
Publication date: 2021-03-19
Also published as: WO2020026280A1; IT201800003178U1; EP3829409A1

Abstract

A specialty fabric for cleaning includes a nonwoven fabric substrate having a three-dimensional fabric attached to at least a portion of the nonwoven fabric substrate. The mop includes a rubber-like strip made of a non-woven fabric having a three-dimensional fabric attached to a portion of the strip.

Description

Special fabric and mop comprising same

Technical Field

The present invention is in the field of specialty fabrics, and more particularly, the present invention is in the field of specialty fabrics for cleaning, particularly for household cleaning. The specialty fabric according to the present invention is typically used in conjunction with the following tools developed specifically: the tool is designed for applying a scrubbing action without having to remain curved, such as for example a thin flat carriage (float) or a long handled scrubber.

Even more particularly, the present invention is a special fabric by means of which an innovative floor cleaning tool is achieved, which tool is of a type in multi-strip washers, commonly known as "mops".

These are tools formed by a handle provided with fixing means for fixing it to a cover which collects the underlying tufts of textile strips or filaments. The quality and characteristics of the mop depend on the material used to make the strip.

Background

In the field of cleaning, there is a great need for a user-treated fabric that can be used for both washing and drying purposes, as well as for a fabric that can exert a slight abrasive action when needed, for user-treatment.

While nonwoven fabric-type and microfiber-type materials are commonly referred to as fabrics, they are primarily used in the cleaning field.

By nonwoven fabric is meant an industrial product having an appearance similar to that of a fabric but obtained by a process different from weaving, namely: not crossing the weft and warp in the loom; the term is used in the textile manufacturing industry to identify products that are neither woven nor knitted, such as felts. A nonwoven fabric is a material formed of short staple fibers and long continuous fibers that are bonded to each other by chemical, mechanical, or thermal treatment or by a solvent. In nonwoven fabrics, the fibers have random orientation, without any ordered structure being identified, and in fact, the fabric fibers are characterized by suitably dominant directions, i.e., the weft and warp threads are generally orthogonal to each other.

In other words, the term "nonwoven fabric" identifies products obtained industrially by using non-woven synthetic fibers, preferably polyester fibers, as well as fibers of other nature, such as cellulose fibers, by different techniques; all these fibres are subjected to a complex and repetitive process, so that a finished product can be obtained that is particularly suitable for various fields and applications.

In the field of household cleaning, the most common characteristics of nonwoven fabrics include their ability to absorb and release liquids, their resistance to extreme temperatures and softness, or at least their non-abrasive nature to the touch, so that they can be suitable for cleaning, stain or dust removal.

Microfibers are very fine synthetic fibers, less than ten microns in diameter. The most common types of microfibers include polyester, polyamide (e.g., nylon, Kevlar, Nomex, Trogamid), or composites of polyester, polyamide (nylon), and polypropylene. In the cleaning product, the microfibers are made of 100% polyester or a mixture of polyester and polyamide. In some cases, especially in the case of products which are used exclusively in the professional cleaning sector and are of high quality, products made of polyester and cellulose fibres are also used.

Woven or nonwoven products can be made by using microfibers. In the best fabrics for cleaning applications, the fibers are subdivided during the manufacturing process to produce multifilament fibers. The size of the subdivided fibers and individual filaments makes microfiber garments more effective than other fabrics for cleaning because their structure captures and retains dirt and also absorbs liquid, and furthermore, unlike cotton, microfibers leave no residue.

Apart from cleaning products, microfibers are used in many different fields. Generally, the shape, size, and combination of synthetic fibers are selected to enhance specific properties, including softness, toughness, absorbency, water repellency, static properties, and filtration capability.

A typical composition comprises the presence of polyester, cellulosic fibres and a small amount of polyamide.

Microfiber and nonwoven products are not hard enough to scratch the surface being sprayed, but in the field of household cleaning, such nonwovens, which often need to be disposed of by the user, also become abrasive when needed in order to more easily remove the most stubborn stains.

For this reason, so-called "flock" products have been developed and are known, which comprise a textile-like surface on which very fine and very short polyamide fibres are deposited by electrostatic application and gluing.

The surface obtained is therefore considered to be velvet or flocked, with a coefficient of friction higher than that of the same non-flocked surface.

However, flocked nonwoven fabrics are not sufficient in the case of particularly tough stains, and there is therefore a need for a special fabric for household cleaning which combines, at least over a part of its surface, special abrasive performance requirements with the typical characteristics of nonwoven fabrics.

Disclosure of Invention

It is therefore a first object of the present invention to provide a specialty fabric that combines the characteristics of greater abrasion performance with the softness and resistance of a nonwoven fabric.

A second object of the invention is to provide a special product realized on a nonwoven base which has also a greater abrasive characteristic in only certain parts, while retaining the characteristics of the nonwoven entirely unchanged in other parts.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a floor cleaning tool of the "mop" type which is easy to use and which allows cleaning without abrasion, and cleaning with varying degrees of abrasion performance.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following.

The above object is achieved by an innovative special fabric joining a base layer of a non-woven fabric with a layer of a three-dimensional fabric, preferably of the type comprising a polyester micro-mesh section.

The fabric joined with the nonwoven fabric is a three-dimensional, cut-processed, non-strippable protective fabric characterized by high abrasion resistance, very soft, and is relatively lightweight.

Possible coupling solutions consist of smearing agents. According to a preferred embodiment of the special fabric according to the invention, the coupling of the three-dimensional polyester fabric with the nonwoven fabric is carried out only on certain portions of the nonwoven fabric, so that a special fabric capable of exerting an abrasive action or incapable of exerting an abrasive action is obtained by using the nonwoven fabric in an alternating manner where the nonwoven fabric is coupled with the three-dimensional fabric, according to the actual need.

In other words, the three-dimensional fabric is attached only to certain portions of the nonwoven fabric, and thus, a portion of the nonwoven fabric remains free and can be used for cleaning anywhere abrasion action is not required.

Flocking may be applied to those portions of the nonwoven fabric to which the three-dimensional fabric is not applied. In the embodiment shown in the figures, the three-dimensional fabric is always applied on only one surface of the nonwoven fabric in order to make its use and production easier.

In the figures, the grid of three-dimensional latticework is hexagonal, but it should not be construed restrictively, as the three-dimensional fabric can also assume many different configurations, the grid of latticework can have different shapes, and even completely irregular shapes. Interesting applications of the special fabric according to the invention relate to the realization of innovative mops.

Generally, mops comprise a tuft formed by a plurality of elongated flexible elements, which is held on top by a covering into which a handle is inserted, the handle being constituted by a bar of sufficient length to allow the user to easily move the mop over the floor to be cleaned; the flexible element may take the shape of a wire or a rubber-like strip.

The innovative mop according to the present invention comprises at least one strip made of the above-mentioned special fabric obtained by joining at least one portion of the strip of non-woven fabric with a three-dimensional fabric. In a particularly convenient embodiment, the mop is made solely of rubber-like strips, at least one of which is made of a specialty fabric according to the present invention.

In a particularly convenient and practical embodiment, the three-dimensional fabric is coupled with the non-woven fabric only in the outer upper portion of the rubber-like strip, i.e. the portion closest to the cover; in this way, very advantageously, the abrasive action can be applied using the three-dimensional fabric only when needed, by gripping the stem of the mop so that only the portion of the strip to which the three-dimensional fabric is attached is scrubbed on the floor.

In a particularly complete embodiment, the mop, when moving from the inside to the outside, preferably comprises the following different materials:

a strip made of a smooth nonwoven fabric;

a microfiber ribbon;

a strip made of a non-woven fabric, on which flocking has been applied;

strip made of a specialty fabric according to the present patent application.

According to a variant of the invention, particularly suitable for domestic use, a strip of smooth non-woven fabric is placed in the interior of the tuft and surrounded by a strip of microfibres.

In the manufacturing cycle, a longitudinal strip of three-dimensional fabric is applied to a bundle of nonwoven fabric, and then longitudinally cut to reduce the width of the bundle to approximately equal two times the length of the outer strip of the mop. After cutting, a plurality of narrower bundles are obtained, each comprising a strip of three-dimensional fabric along a centre line, while the non-woven fabric is joined to the three-dimensional fabric at the edges.

These reduced width rolls are then fed to an automated machine for making mops; these machines perform a transverse cut and, according to a particularly convenient and practical manufacturing solution, each cut results in a double strip, the mid-point of which will then be retained by the cover, while the ends will form the two strips of the tufts of the mop.

In order to produce a strip of a specific fabric, which is both flocked and to which a three-dimensional fabric is applied, the following process is carried out, which comprises: the flocking is first applied on a longitudinal portion of a bundle of non-woven fabrics, taking care to leave out the longitudinal portion where no three-dimensional fabric is applied, and the three-dimensional fabric is subsequently applied, preferably by applying an agent on the non-woven fabric.

Other precise solutions of the invention are described below for illustrative but not limitative purposes.

Drawings

Figure 1 shows an example of a specialty fabric according to the present invention; the nonwoven substrate 1 is visible below the three-dimensional fabric 2.

Fig. 2 shows an enlarged view of the three-dimensional fabric 2; in the example shown here, the three-dimensional structure 21 is formed by a hexagonal grid and rests on the micro-mesh portion 22.

Fig. 3 shows an isometric view of a mop including a specialized fabric according to the present invention. The figure shows that the upper part of the mop comprises a cover 3, which cover 3 comprises on top means 31 for connecting the cover to the handle. Below the cover member there is arranged a tuft of rubber-like strips. The narrow strips, identified by the dashed lines, are strips 5 of rubbery microfibers, without any application on the surface of the strips 5; between the microfibre strips 5 elongated non-woven flexible elements 6 can be seen, the flexible elements 6 not being shown in broken lines, the flexible elements 6 also having substantially the shape of rubber-like strips.

On the left hand side of the figure a strip 53 of wider nonwoven fabric is shown, in which the part 51 partially coated with polyamide flocked dots is visible.

The right hand side of the figure shows another wide strip 54 of nonwoven fabric, the strip 54 being realized by using a special fabric according to the invention; the three-dimensional fabric 2 is coupled on the portion closest to the cover 3, whereas on the distal portion a flocking application similar to the portion 51 of the strip 53 is provided.

Fig. 4 shows a top view of the mop depicted in the previous figures.

FIG. 5 shows the double rubber-like strip prior to assembly; at both ends, a flocking application is shown, with a free area in the middle, which will be positioned in correspondence with the cover 3 when the mop is assembled.

Detailed Description

In a particularly complete embodiment, and with reference to the figures, a specialty fabric comprises a nonwoven fabric substrate 1, which nonwoven fabric substrate 1 in turn comprises cellulosic fibers and polyester; particularly interesting results are obtained if equal parts of cellulose fibres and polyester are used.

A three-dimensional polyester fabric 2 comprising grid-like elements 21 is applied on at least a portion of said substrate 1; advantageously, the grid-like element may in turn rest on the microgrid portion 22.

In the preferred embodiment described herein, the grating-like elements 21 comprise a hexagonal grid, but other configurations, whether net-like or completely irregular, may also be used.

According to a particularly convenient and practical embodiment of the invention, the deposit of polyamide flocking is provided on a portion of the substrate 1 that is not coupled to the three-dimensional fabric 2.

According to a preferred embodiment, the mop, which is achieved by using the special fabric according to the present patent application, comprises a cover 3 having on top means 31 for connecting the cover to an elongated handle, under which cover 3 tufts of rubber-like strips are provided.

According to the preferred embodiment shown in the figures, the rubber-like strips are of four different types. The first type is located innermost of the mop and comprises strips made of nonwoven fabric. According to a particularly advantageous solution, these strips 6 of rubber-like nonwoven fabric are made of approximately 50% cellulose fibres and an equal percentage of polyester. Other compositions of the strip 6 are also possible without losing the technical effect of the invention.

By moving towards the outside of the tufts of the mop, close to the strips of non-woven fabric in the centre, a second type of strip 5 can be found, which strip 5 is softer, preferably made of microfibres, and has a composition comprising about 50% polyester, 40% cellulose fibres and 10% polyamide; better results can be obtained by adding a thermally expandable material to the microfibers. Other compositions of the strip 5 are also possible without losing the technical effect of the invention.

Four

wider strips

53, 54 are positioned on the exterior of the mop, the four

wider strips

53, 54 being angularly equidistant and therefore spaced from each other by about a quarter turn.

Two of the four wider strips 53 are spaced half a turn from each other and constitute a third type of strip. This third type of strip is made of non-woven fabric and has a polyamide flocking applied to its lower portion 51. According to a practical embodiment, the non-woven fabric comprises 50% cellulose fibres and 50% polyester.

The remaining two strips 54 are also spaced half a turn from each other and constitute a fourth type of strip and are made of the special fabric according to the invention. The two strips 54 comprise a nonwoven substrate to which the three-dimensional fabric is coupled only in the portion 52 close to the cover 3. A flocking deposit is provided on the distal end portion of the strip 54 near the end thereof.

Those skilled in the art will certainly appreciate that other applications of the specialty fabric according to the present invention are possible by utilizing the above teachings.

Claims

1. A specific fabric for cleaning, comprising a substrate (1) of non-woven fabric, characterized in that a three-dimensional fabric (2) is attached on at least a portion of said substrate (1).

2. The specific fabric according to claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional fabric (2) is configured in the manner of a grid-like element (21).

3. The specific fabric according to claim 2, wherein said grid-like elements (21) of said three-dimensional fabric (2) rest on a micro-mesh portion (22).

4. -specific fabric according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the grid-like elements (21) of the three-dimensional fabric (2) are configured in a hexagonal grid.

5. The special fabric according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the substrate (1) of the non-woven fabric comprises polyester.

6. Special fabric according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the substrate (1) of the non-woven fabric also comprises cellulose fibres.

7. Special fabric according to the previous claim, characterized in that the substrate (1) of the non-woven fabric comprises the same percentage of polyester and cellulose fibers.

8. The special fabric according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the three-dimensional fabric (2) comprises polyamide.

9. The special fabric according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is partially coated with polyamide flocking.

10. A specialized fabric according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said flocking is arranged on said substrate (1) in alternating coated and uncoated zones.

11. The special fabric according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the coupling of the non-woven fabric to the three-dimensional fabric is performed by applying an agent on the non-woven fabric.

12. Mop for cleaning, comprising a cover (3) comprising means (31) for connecting the cover on top to a handle and collecting the underlying tufts formed by a plurality of elongated flexible elements, characterized in that at least a part of the outermost elongated flexible elements is a rubber-like strip (54), at least a part (52) of said rubber-like strip (54) being made of a specific fabric according to one or more of the preceding claims.

13. A mop according to claim 12, characterized in that at least a part (51) of the rubber-like strip (54) is coated with polyamide flocking.

14. A mop according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that it comprises a plurality of strips (6) of a rubber-like nonwoven inside the tufts.

15. A mop according to claim 14, characterized in that the strips (6) of rubber-like nonwoven fabric comprise cellulose fibres and polyester.

16. A mop according to any of the preceding claims 12-15, characterized in that the tuft comprises an elongated flexible element (5) on the outside, which elongated flexible element (5) has the shape of a rubber-like strip.

17. A mop according to claim 16, characterized in that the elongated flexible element (5) comprises cellulose fibres, polyester and polyamide microfibres.