Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47L13/00—Implements for cleaning floors, carpets, furniture, walls, or wall coverings
  • A47L13/10—Scrubbing; Scouring; Cleaning; Polishing
  • A47L13/16—Cloths; Pads; Sponges
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47L13/00—Implements for cleaning floors, carpets, furniture, walls, or wall coverings
  • A47L13/10—Scrubbing; Scouring; Cleaning; Polishing
  • A47L13/42—Details
  • A47L13/46—Securing scouring or polishing cloths or sponges to the handles by gripping means, tongs, or the like
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61F—FILTERS IMPLANTABLE INTO BLOOD VESSELS; PROSTHESES; DEVICES PROVIDING PATENCY TO, OR PREVENTING COLLAPSING OF, TUBULAR STRUCTURES OF THE BODY, e.g. STENTS; ORTHOPAEDIC, NURSING OR CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICES; FOMENTATION; TREATMENT OR PROTECTION OF EYES OR EARS; BANDAGES, DRESSINGS OR ABSORBENT PADS; FIRST-AID KITS
  • A61F13/00—Bandages or dressings; Absorbent pads
  • A61F13/15—Absorbent pads, e.g. sanitary towels, swabs or tampons for external or internal application to the body; Supporting or fastening means therefor; Tampon applicators
  • A61F13/38—Swabs having a stick-type handle, e.g. cotton tips
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B08—CLEANING
  • B08B—CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL
  • B08B1/00—Cleaning by methods involving the use of tools
  • B08B1/10—Cleaning by methods involving the use of tools characterised by the type of cleaning tool
  • B08B1/14—Wipes; Absorbent members, e.g. swabs or sponges
  • B08B1/145—Swabs

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a swab for a cleanroom environment.
• the present invention relates to a swab having wiping material mounted to one end of an elongate stick for use in a cleanroom environment wherein there are requirements for a low level of particle generation from the wiping material, and where the wiping material must have low levels of metallic ions and must be low in matter removable with organic solvents.
• Cleanrooms are necessary to manufacture properly and/or assemble certain devices, such as integrated circuits and high precision, miniaturized machines, or for the proper operation of sensitive equipment, such as computer disk drives.
• the concerns in a cleanroom also involve the necessity for maintaining the sterility of both the air and the equipment Ideated in that cleanroom.
• the total cost is a function of the cost of the particular material being used and a function of the absorbency of that material.
• U.S. Patent No. 3,542,025 to Gustafson discloses a swab formed from a non-woven material that is wound around an applicator stick.
• U.S. Patents Nos. 3,368,549 to Barr et al, 2,842,790 to Castelli, and 3,443,562 to Gustafson disclose swab applicators in which the stick has barbs at the end to catch the material forming the swab.
• the present invention overcomes these and other disadvantages of the prior art partly because the present invention was. designed from the position of selecting the material for the head of the swab from amongst the cleanest wiping materials available, yet materials that are still absorbent enough both in total quantity and in rate of absorption so as to be efficient.
• the present invention utilizes very clean sheets of specially made wiping materials that have the best combination of features for making the swab head.
• These features include a low level of particulate debris, a low level of ionic constituents, and a low level of organic and inorganic extractables.
• the stick to which the swab head is attached was chosen only from materials that do not shed gross amounts of particulate debris (e.g., wood) or are soluble in fluids commonly used in a cleanroom environment (e.g. polystyrene and nylon). Accordingly, a stable, inert material was chosen that still had sufficient rigidity as to provide a functional swab.
• the present invention is economically competitive because of the selected materials, the shapes of the selected materials and the method in which the swab is constructed.
• the invention comprises a swab that is usable in a cleanroom environment.
• the swab is comprised of a stick of rigid plastic material and a head made from a piece of wiping material that is wound around one end of the stick.
• the head material has a low level of particle generation, has a low level of metallic ions, and is low in matter removable with solvents.
• Fig 1 is an elevational view of a swab according to the present invention.
• Fig. 2 is a plan view of one shape of material that is wound around the swab stick to form the swab head.
• Fig. 3 is a plan view of another embodiment of the unwound material used to form the head of the present invention.
• Fig. 4 is an elevational view of a first embodiment of a swab stick.
• Fig. 5 is an elevational view of a second embodiment of a swab stick.
• Fig. 6 is an elevational view of a second embodiment of a swab according to the present invention with some parts removed. Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments
• a swab 10 according to a first embodiment is depicted.
• Swab 10 is comprised of a stick 12 and a head 14.
• Head 14 is comprised of an elongate sheet of material 16 that is wound around stick 12.
• Material 16 has one end 18 (see Fig. 2) that is attached with means described below to one end of stick 12.
• the other end or the free end 20 of material 16 is secured with a retaining means 22 to stick 12.
• Retaining means 22 is comprised of an annular collar 24 made of heat shrinkable material that encircles stick 12 and has one end thereof overlapping material free end 20. Collar 24 is locked in place by being shrunken by applied heat.
• Material 16 having a shape according to a first embodiment is depicted in Fig. 2 in the unwound, flat state.
• Material 16 in this state has a straight bottom edge 26 and a straight first end edge 18 that is generally orthogonal to bottom edge 26.
• Material 16 also has a top edge 28 with an overall arcuate shape that terminates in a point which forms free end 20.
• the shape of top edge 28 is comprised of a first portion 30 that has a gradual, S-shaped upward slope terminating in a rounded peak 32 and a second portion 34 that has a steep, rounded downward slope terminating in free end 20.
• Material 16 is preferably made from a paper or non-woven material, such as "LABX” or “DURX” papers produced by the Berkshire Paper Company.
• "LABX” paper has a composition of natural fibers of abaca and wood together with an inert binder.
• the "DURX” paper has a composition of 40% polyester and 60% wood fiber.
• both products are made from cellulosic materials, the "LABX” paper being 100% cellulosic material and the “DURX” paper being only partly cellulosic material.
• Both the "LABX” paper and the “DURX” paper have the important characteristics of cleanliness, absorbency, and purity. Cleanliness relates to low levels of particle generation.
• One test for cleanliness measures how many particles greater than one-half micron can be released by the wiper. The test is done on wipers in a wetted state because most wipers get wet during use, and because the forces that hold particles to surfaces dissipate in the presence of a liquid.
• the characteristic of absorbency is important because a primary function of swab 10 is to soak up fluids.
• a test for absorbency assesses the total amount of fluid the material can sorb.
• the aforementioned "LABX” paper has a very low level of particle generation and is made of 100% natural cellulosic fibers.
• the paper has good sorptive captivity and a rapid rate of absorbency.
• the "DURX” paper is a cloth-like paper that is durable, absorbent, low in particles and structurally strong. The results of the aforementioned tests on these two papers are reported in Table I. The difference between the two reported "LABX” papers is the basis weight.
• a material 116 is depicted having a different shape from material 16.
• material 116 has the same, truncated first end 118 that is orthogonal to a bottom edge 126, but bottom edge 126 is comprised of two portions.
• a first portion 136 of bottom edge 126 comprises a straight line and a second portion 138 comprises an arcuate line that terminates in free end 120 and forms a concave portion 140 of material 116. Consequently, the free end 120 of material 116 is located below bottom edge 126.
• Material 116 has a top edge 128 that is similar in shape to top edge 28 of material 16 depicted in Fig. 2.
• the total area or size of materials 16 and 116 is determined by the desirable absorbency ranges and the total length of stick 12.
• Commercial swabs generally fall into two absorbency ranges, a first range of 50 to 150 microliters per swab, and a second range of 700 to 900 microliters per swab.
• a first range of 50 to 150 microliters per swab and a second range of 700 to 900 microliters per swab.
• Stick 12 has a generally circular cross section taken along its length and is comprised of a tapered tip 150 integrally connected to a shaft 152.
• Shaft 152 has a length that depends upon the desired overall length of swab 10.
• stick 12 can have the aforesuggested length of 2 inches, which would be a short swab, or could have a length as long as 6 inches, which would be a long swab.
• a preferred length of tip 150 is one-half inch.
• Mounted near the end of tip 150 are a plurality of radially extending barbs 154.
• Barbs 154 comprise the means for attaching a first end of material 16 to stick 12.
• first end 18 is grabbed by barbs 154 and attached to tip 150.
• the width of first end 18 is determined by the length of tip 150 that is covered with barbs 154.
• Material 16 having the shape depicted in Fig. 2 is applied or wound onto stick 12 as depicted in Fig. 4 as follows.
• first end 18 is aligned at an appropriate angle to the axis of stick 12 such that end 18 is caught by barbs 154.
• material 16 is applied such that top edge 28 is closest to the end of tip 150.
• the height of peak 32 and the slope of first portion 30 is determined by the amount of material that is desired to overlap at the end of tip 150.
• first portion 30 with respect to bottom edge 26 is equal to the angle of wrap and the length of first portion 30 is at least twice the circumference of tip 150.
• free end 20 terminates in a small tail portion which can be readily attached by collar 24 to stick 12 by after material 16 has been wound thereon.
• Fig. 5 depicts a further embodiment of a swab stick denoted 212.
• Stick 12 has a means for attaching two first ends of two pieces of material 26 at each end of stick 212 for making two swab heads 14.
• the attaching means is comprised of a slot 213.
• stick 212 does not have tapered tips as depicted in Fig. 4 because additional thickness of the stick 212 is required.
• Stick 12 and 212 are preferably made from hard thermoplastic materials such as polypropylene or polyethylene.
• the plastic is not colored.
• Polyethylene and polypropylene plastics are non-absorbent and do not readily deposit material when used. Furthermore, they are resistant to chemical attacks by most liquids being sorbed.
• a swab 310 is similar to swab 10 and is comprised of a stick 312 having a tapered tip 350 and a head 314.
• head 314 is bulbous and narrows in thickness of the wrap up to free end 320.
• Free end 320 can be retained to stick 312 by a collar (not shown) similar to collar 22 depicted in Fig. 1.
• head 14 of swab 10 is more cylindrical and thus can be used over a wider area.

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• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Epidemiology (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Biomedical Technology (AREA)
• Heart & Thoracic Surgery (AREA)
• Vascular Medicine (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Animal Behavior & Ethology (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Public Health (AREA)
• Veterinary Medicine (AREA)
• Media Introduction/Drainage Providing Device (AREA)
• Cleaning Implements For Floors, Carpets, Furniture, Walls, And The Like (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

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Family Applications (1)

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• 1984
  • 1984-11-02 WO PCT/US1984/001785 patent/WO1985005296A1/en unknown
  • 1984-11-02 EP EP84904254A patent/EP0190139A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 1984-11-02 AU AU36172/84A patent/AU3617284A/en not_active Abandoned
• 1985
  • 1985-01-11 GB GB08500713A patent/GB2169495A/en not_active Withdrawn

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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