EP1244378B1 - Absorbent structure for cleaning surfaces - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to an absorbent structure for cleaning surfaces. The absorbent structure has areas or sections or mixtures comprising different material, these areas, sections or mixtures having either a primarily absorbent effect or a primarily cleaning effect. The structure has a support structure to which the cleaning material has been applied. The aim of the invention is to provide an absorbent structure with greater potential for variation and variants in terms of its cleaning and absorbency properties and/or effects. To this end, the inventive absorbent structure has a pocket or bag-shaped cavity in which pieces or strips of highly absorbent materials are located.

Description

The invention relates to a flat mop cover for cleaning floor hard surfaces with the features of the preamble of claim 1.

Cleaning textiles or structures as well as mop covers consist predominantly of cotton and synthetic fibers. Mostly, mixtures of both basic components are present. This is necessary because both textiles have partially contradictory properties and a mop cover only allows the highest performance if many positive qualities are combined in it. Thus, the water suction of cotton is about 250%, that of plastic fibers practically at 0%. The dirt-bearing capacity of cotton is good, while that of plastic fibers other than micro or polypropylene fibers is poor. The abrasiveness of cotton is very low, while that of synthetic fibers is high. Although cotton, polyester and polypropylene can be washed up to 95 ° C, the washing stability of cotton is poor, while that of polyester and polypropylene is good. Cotton has a strong shrinkage, while plastic fibers barely shrink. The sliding behavior of cotton is poor while that of plastic fibers is good.

Cleaning water serves as a means of transport for the dissolved and dispersed dirt. In practice limits are shown, since cotton absorbs only 250% of its own weight in water and also a pure Baurnwollgewebe is very unfavorable because of its poor sliding behavior and instability in washing. In the case of blends of cotton and plastics, although properties such as abrasiveness, shrinkage, sliding behavior and wash stability can be adapted to many requirements by appropriate selection of the material proportions, the water suction force in each case using different mixed materials is less than 250%.

A flat mop cover for the care of floor hard surfaces, consisting of a carrier fabric, on the underside material sections and on the upper side at the longitudinal ends are sewn holder pockets, is known from DE 38 09 279 C1. Here is a wet mop cover for floor care is described, which consists of a preferably textile carrier fabric with the top of the Longitudinally sewn-in holder pockets and with material attached to the bottom to absorb dirt and moisture. It has a low dead weight, good absorbency and a large water storage capacity. In this case, the underside material in the form of sponge or nonwoven cloth material with high Flüssigkeitsauftiahmefähigkcit in the form of several, arranged in series juxtaposed strips, wherein the strips are each attached in regions on the carrier fabric by sewing. The water absorption capacity of the strip of sponge or nonwoven fabric arranged side by side in strips is up to 3,600 g / m ³ , the water absorption capacity according to DIN 53 923 is determined and the relative water absorption of the sponge or nonwoven fabric is up to 1400%.

However, the flat mop cover according to DE 38 09 279 C1 is still capable of improvement. Characterized in that the strips of sponge or nonwoven fabric material are sewn to the carrier material, the reversible drying shrinkage of 30% compared to the wet state leads to significant problems in the handling of the flat mop covers. Wet, the covers show the calculated length dimension, with the cover sheet of substrate being flat. In the dry state, a shrinkage of the sponge cloth slats of about 30% compared to the cover sheet of cotton / polyester, resulting in extreme dislocations. Therefore, wipers can not be easily inserted into the covers. Nevertheless, if the wipers are to be forcefully inserted into the holder pockets, damage will result. If the covers are first moistened prior to attachment to the wipers, you can indeed insert the wipers, but this is associated with considerable time and effort. Another disadvantage is that by sewing the material in the vicinity of the seams, the water absorbency of the material is significantly reduced.

An improvement in water absorbency or water suction, for example, in the above-mentioned patent DE 38 09 279 Cl has been achieved in that in addition to cotton and plastic and a sponge or nonwoven cloth material is used with high viscosity portion. Other water-absorbing materials, such as sponge or wood, act by the fact that in them existing voids filled in the dry state with air and as the materials are immersed in liquid, the air is forced out of the cavities. However, this fluid intake requires the immersion of the material in the liquid. This complicates the inclusion of cleaning fleet of floor hard surfaces. Even with a residual amount of 15 g of cleaning liquor per square meter, which represents unacceptable wetness, for example, for coated PVC floors, the thickness of the moisture film on the floor is only fractions of a millimeter, and the material can hardly be significantly immersed in the liquid.

Required for a cleaning solution receiving mop cover is therefore another form of water absorbency, which can be described by the Wasseraugfähigkeit. In this case, the material gets the liquid via the suction effect at the contact interfaces, so that the liquid is sucked downright. While a remainder of 15 g of cleaning liquor per square meter on soil hard surfaces represents an unacceptable wetness, a residual amount of 10 g / m ^{2 should} be aimed for. It has been observed that drops abruptly at a residual moisture content of 11 g / m ^2, the cleaning performance

This negative jump is explained by the free mobility of the pigment dirt in the relatively higher moisture film on the wiping surface. Below 11 g / m ² this option is switched off. The dirt can no longer avoid the wiping materials, it adheres rather to the wiping movements of the material of the cleaning-active side and can be removed in this way.

Known is a flat mop cover, which is designed as a kind of flat, rectangular bag. Particularly cleaning-active materials or material combinations are not used here. Rather, it is about a high water absorbency. This is achieved in that the bag is filled with loose Schnippeln from hochsaugfähigem material, which are not aligned with each other, but loose in it einliegen (US-A-5,066,527).

The teaching is based on the problem, the known flat mop cover for cleaning floor hard surfaces in such a way and further, that he maintains its shape and dimensions despite its high absorbency, both wet and dry.

The flat mop cover according to the invention solves the problem indicated above by the features of the characterizing part of claim 1.

Preferred embodiments and further developments of this flat mop cover are the subject of claims 2 to 7. A system consisting of such a flat mop cover and a wiper device is the subject of claim 8.

By means of the invention, the possibility is created of disposing the primarily absorbent material with highly absorbent properties on the flat mop cover at another location and independently of the areas or sections with primarily cleaning-active material. Preferably, and in particular, the high-absorbency material is formed and disposed on the opposite side of the cleaning-active surface of the primarily cleaning-active material. Since the necessary water absorption function, d. H. the water suction and water storage function is substantially separated from the cleaning active material, the cleaning active material can be designed specifically for its cleaning-requiring effect, wherein the water absorption effect or absorbency effect of the material can be neglected.

Overall, the flat mop cover according to the invention has a very high fluid absorption capacity as a result of the inside of the closed cavity loosely arranged snippets or strips. The properties of the cleaning fabric such as abrasiveness, Schrunutzüagfähigkeit sliding behavior, etc. are determined by the properties of the primary cleaning active acting material. In this way, the positive properties of both the void content, namely the high absorbency chips, and the outer material, including the support structure, are combined and optimized without their respective properties adversely affecting each other.

The flat mop cover according to the invention has the advantage that it has a very high fluid absorption capacity, to which in each case the underside of the carrier fabric attached material sections, the carrier fabric and whole mainly contribute to the loosely arranged on the carrier fabric snippets. Thus, the flat mop cover is suitable both for wiping wet floor hard surfaces as well as for the application of cleaning liquor on the floor hard surfaces. In this case, the liquid transport between the individual reference parts via the absorbent material parts.

Before applying washing liquor to the floor to be cleaned, the flat mop cover is immersed in a container with the cleaning liquor, so that the absorbent parts of the cover soak with the wash liquor. When placing the flat mop cover with the aid of the wiper device, the lower-side material sections first come into contact with the floor. As soon as these and in the wake of the carrier fabric have delivered the liquid stored in them, a short pressure on the snippets is then sufficient to express the liquid stored in them and deliver them to the surface to be cleaned via the carrier fabric and the lower-side material sections.

Due to the very large liquid reservoir in the snippets or strips, it is also possible, the lower-side material sections partially by non-absorbent materials, eg. As plastic fibers, at least partially to replace other important for the cleaning performance properties such as abrasiveness and or sliding, but also shrinkage and washing stability of the material mixture, since the absorbency and the liquid transport capacity by the existing cotton in the mixture, and the water storage capacity be perceived primarily by the present in relation high-absorbency snippets or strips.

The fact that the snippets of highly absorbent material, which have a different shrinkage behavior to the other materials, only loosely on the carrier fabric or in the formed by this and the cover sheet arranged above it, the reversible shrinkage of this material between the wet affects and dry conditions on the dimensional stability of the covers is not enough.

The subdivision of the mop cover into several chambers guarantees a uniform distribution of the chips even with different loads of the cover. Without this subdivision, it could happen that the chips or strips slip against one end of the generally elongated flat mop cover, so that the other end would be free of snippets. The advantage here is that these chambers are separated in the longitudinal direction. Such a division does not lead to an impairment of the cleaning performance. If the bag were divided in the transverse direction, the corresponding seams would cause depressions on the active cleaning side, so that there the contact of the flat mop cover would be prevented with the surface to be wiped and the wiped surface would receive a streaky appearance.

It is also advantageous if the snippets or strips of high-absorbency material absorb 250 to 1,500% of their own weight of liquid.

It is also advantageous if the highly absorbent material consists at least predominantly of viscose.

Preferably, the cleaning active material sections in the form of fringes, loops, shaggy or lamellae. It is also preferable that they are distributed over the entire underside surface of the carrier fabric.

Furthermore, it is proposed that the material sections made of plastic, in particular polyester, or microfibers or cotton or a mixture of these substances. The choice of materials depends on the desired cleaning properties.

It is furthermore of particular advantage if the flat mop cover has a peripheral bead, which in particular consists of the same material as the material sections attached to the carrier fabric. Particular advantages arise when the bead is sewn in the form of a hem so with the flat mop cover, that the projecting into the middle of the bottom of the cover edge of / the longitudinal strips rests loosely on this bottom. This results in two different effects, depending on the wiping direction. The front longitudinal strip of the bead lies flat between the bottom and the wiping surface. The opposite, so behind lying longitudinal stripes of Beading, on the other hand, depends on it and in this way forms a scraper, which increases the cleaning performance even more.

To attach the flat mop cover to a mop plate of a wiper device, there are recommended holder insert pockets which are sewn on the upper side at the longitudinal ends and are preferably extensible. In this way, the mop cover can be used for both hinged holder as well as rigid holder. The latter require expandable holder pockets.

Finally, the invention provides an embodiment in a system consisting of a flat mop cover with the features of one of claims 1 to 7 and a wiper device with a handle and a preferably gimbal joint connected to the handle or connectable mop plate for holding the Ftachwischbezugs an underside of the mop plate and a squeezing device for the wiper device, wherein the squeezing device has a bearing surface provided with perforations and a spaced therefrom arranged abutment means, so that the mop plate between the support surface and the abutment device with a downward insertion inserted and by tilting under support on the abutment device with its holding the flat mop cover bottom is pressed against the support surface consists. Such a wiper device and such a squeezing device, which cooperate in the manner described, are known per se from WO-A-98/06316 and also from GB-C-330 543 and the German patent application 100 13 044 of the applicant,

Fig. 1

eine perspektivische Darstellung eines Flachwischbezuges gemäß der Erfindung in einer Sicht schräg von oben,

Fig. 2

eine Draufsicht auf die Oberseite eines Flachwischbezuges gemäß der Erfindung,

Fig. 3

eine Draufsicht auf die Unterseite des Flachwischbezuges nach Fig. 2,

Fig. 4a/4b

schematische Schnittansichten einer Auspreßvorrichtung.

In the following embodiments of the invention will be described in more detail with reference to drawings. Show it

Fig. 1

a perspective view of a flat mop cover according to the invention in a view obliquely from above,

Fig. 2

a top view of the top of a flat mop cover according to the invention,

Fig. 3

a top view of the underside of the flat mop cover of FIG. 2,

Fig. 4a / 4b

schematic sectional views of a squeezing device.

In all drawings, like parts have the same reference numerals.

Experiments have shown that viscose without external mechanical action, such as compressing and expanding absorbs 15 times its own weight of liquid. These measurements were carried out on the basis of DIN 53 923 and showed, in addition to this relative liquid uptake, nets of less than 4 seconds and a suction rate of more than 5 cm / s. Depending on the proportion of viscose in material mixtures with cotton, the liquid absorption capacity of the mixture at 2.5 to 15 times its own weight corresponding to 250 to 1,500%. Snippets or strips of such a high-absorbency material are used in the embodiments of the invention described below as highly absorbent material.

In Fig. 1, a flat mop cover in the view from obliquely above is shown. In the flat mop cover, a cover sheet 5 is stitched around the edges on a support structure 6 designed as a woven or knitted fabric and called a support fabric in the mop cover. On the underside of the support structure material sections of primarily cleaning active acting, ie an abrasive, abrasive and / or dirt-absorbing effect having material attached, which have the shape of fringes in the illustrated embodiment. But these material sections also have a certain absorbency At the longitudinal ends are sewn to the cover sheet 5 holder pockets 2. In Fig. 1, a section 4 of the cover sheet 5 is shown, so that in the opening of the view of loosely arranged on the support structure snippet 1 is possible. These chips I lie on the support structure 6 in a pocket-shaped cavity formed by the sewn cover sheet 5 and the support structure 6.

In the sewn-holder pockets 2, the ends of a folding holder can be inserted for attachment. With the spread folding holder, it is easy to exert a flat pressure on the cover sheet 5 and thus on the highly absorbent snippets 1 arranged underneath, in order wholly or partially to express a quantity of liquid stored in the material, depending on the amount of pressure exerted. In the same way, before the flat mop cover is used for dry wiping, the stored liquid can be squeezed out of the flat mop cover by corresponding pressure with the folding holder so that the mop cover has the full suction capacity for wiping.

Figures 4a and 4b show in a schematic sectional view of a suitable Auspreßvorrichtung 29, in Fig. 6a during insertion of the wiper plate 24 and in Fig. 4b when pressing the flat mop cover 25. Fig. 4a illustrates the insertion movement 34 with the wiper device or their Wiper plate 24 with a longitudinal edge 22 ahead in the squeezing 29 between the perforated bearing surface 31 and the abutment device 33 and the counter-bearing elements 33 is introduced. As a result, the introduced longitudinal edge 22 associated or adjacent holding portions 28 with the abutment means 33 and their abutment elements 33 is engaged or a related engagement is possible, so that the support surface 31 projecting or projecting securing portions 35 of the abutment device and the abutment elements 33 engage behind the inserted holding portions 28 and their undercuts or can engage behind.

The extent to which the insertion movement 34 must include pivoting or tilting of the mop plate 24 about its longitudinal axis, depends on the clear distance A of the securing portions 35 to the support surface 31 in relation to the height of the mop plate 24 with the mop cloth 25 and the highest on the top projecting holding portions 28th from. Preferably, a pivoting, as indicated in Fig. 4a, required, so that the wiper plate 24 is positively secured against moving out of the squeezing 29 when the wiper plate 24 with the wiper fabric 25 over the entire surface rests on the support surface 31, as in Fig. 4b shown.

Fig. 4a and 4b can be seen further that the discharge device 29 shown in use is formed such that the support surface 31 relative to the horizontal 37 is inclined by an angle β. Preferably, the angle of inclination between 30 ° and 60 °, in particular about 45 °. In combination with the abutment device arranged in the lower region - here in the region of the lower longitudinal edge 36 - this results in a simple insertion and squeezing of the wiper device.

Fig. 4b illustrates the squeezing. When inserted wiper plate 24, the handle 32 is folded away or pivoted about the longitudinal axis of the abutment device according to arrow 38. The stem 32 or a part of the joint comes to the wiper plate 24 - here, for example, in the region of the V-shaped recess 18 - to the system, so that a further pressing on the stem 32 in the direction of arrow 38, a depression of the mop plate 24 with its bottom to the support surface 31 out to the result, whereby the flat mop cover 25 is pressed. The counter-bearing device or its securing sections 35 in this case interact with the inserted holding sections 28 of the mop plate 24 in particular in a hinge-like manner, wherein the counter bearing device forms the pivot point for a one-armed lever formed from the mop plate 24 and the adjoining handle 32. By this one-armed lever a simple pressing of the flat mop cover 25 is made possible on the articulated wiper device.

The liquid transport both in the liquid intake and in the liquid discharge via the adjacent absorbent parts of the flat mop cover, namely from the lower side material portions of primarily cleaning-active material on the absorbent or at least water-permeable support structure to the snippets 1 and / or stripes arranged thereon and vice versa. It is not necessary that the material of the holder pocket 2 and the cover sheet 5 is absorbent and has a liquid receptivity.

In Fig. 1, only the fringe-shaped material sections 3 arranged along the edge can be seen. The material sections can also take the form of Slings, shaggy or lamellae have and are generally distributed over the entire underside surface of the support structure 6 distributed in the rule. The lower-side material sections can be arranged next to each other in a straight line or in circular or zig-zag running paths next to one another.

Since the liquid absorption capacity of the lower side, primarily active cleaning active material portions account for only a relatively small proportion of the liquid absorption capacity of the entire flat mop cover, while the loosely arranged in the pocket snippets or strips make up a very high proportion or the substantial proportion of the liquid absorption capacity, the proportion the absorbent materials in these lower-side material sections are reduced in favor of the fiber components which positively influence other required properties such as abrasiveness and lubricity.

Fig. 2 shows a plan view of the top of the flat mop cover according to the invention. The high-absorbency chips 1, which are not visible in this figure, are arranged in two longitudinally extending chambers 7a, 7b bounded above by the topsheet 5 and at the bottom by the carrier structure 6 (Figure 3). Both chambers 7a and 7b are separated by a continuous longitudinal seam 8. This longitudinal seam also extends below the holder insertion pockets 2, which are elastic in the present case.

The support structure 6 on the underside of the flat mop cover (FIG. 3) here consists of a microfiber groove with a pile height of 2 to 10 mm. The term "pile height" refers to the length of the outwardly projecting loops or fringes.

From the same material, there is a circumferential bead, which is formed by two longitudinal strips 9 and two transverse strips 10. The transverse strips 10 are sewn at their outer edges to the cover sheet 5 and the support structure 6. This is indicated by the seams 11 passing through the flat mop cover. In contrast, the two longitudinal strips 9 are sewn only at the top of the flat mop cover in the region of their edges with the cover sheet 5. The corresponding longitudinal seams are number 12. At the bottom By contrast, the longitudinal strips 9 are significantly wider and the longitudinal seams 12, which pass through the entire flat mop cover as well as the seams 11, are closer to the edge of the mop cover than at the edges of the longitudinal strips 9, so that a relatively wide portion 13 on both longitudinal sides of the cover without stitching protrudes into the middle of the cover.

When wiping transversely to the longitudinal direction of the cover, both longitudinal strips 9 behave differently. The front longitudinal strip lies flat between the carrier fabric 6 and the wiping surface. By contrast, the longitudinal strip 9 located further back, with its unsewn edge, adjoins the seam 12 and in this way forms a scraper, which absorbs liquid and dirt and in this way increases the cleaning performance.

It should be noted that in the present embodiment, the cover sheet 5 and the carrier structure 6 made of different material. The cover sheet 5 is made of a strong woven textile. However, it is also possible that only Mikrofaservelours or another cleaning-active textile is used for both the cover sheet 5 and 6 for the support structure.

The individual materials or material sections of the flat mop cover may be formed as textile, woven or knitted fabric,

In the context of the above disclosure, absorbent and absorbency also mean capable of absorbing water or of absorbing water, or of absorbing water or of absorbing water, so that these terms are used as a synonym in this respect.

A particularly suitable material for the high-absorbency chips / strips are pieces sold by the company Kalle / Nalo and produced as pieces of waste in the production of sponge cloths, of which two thirds consist of viscose and one-third of cotton fibers.

Claims (8)

1. Flat wiping cover for the cleaning of hard floor surfaces, with a carrier structure (6), to which material portions (3) consisting of primarily cleaning-active material or material combinations are applied on the underside, the flat wiping cover being capable of being applied on the top side to the underside of a wiping plate (24) of a wiping device, characterized in that the carrier structure (6) is water-permeable, in that a covering sheet (5) is stitched to the carrier structure (6) all round on the top side, in that a pocket-shaped cavity (7) closed on all sides is formed between the carrier structure (6) and the covering sheet (5), in that the pocket-shaped cavity (7) is filled with loose snippings (1) or strips consisting of highly absorbent material, and in that the cavity (7) is subdivided into a plurality of, in particular, two to five chambers (7a, 7b) for the snippings (1) or strips, the said chambers being divided off in the longitudinal direction of the flat wiping cover.
2. Flat wiping cover according to Claim 1,
   characterized in that the snippings (1) or strips consisting of highly absorbent material are capable of absorbing 250 to 1500% of their own weight of liquid.
3. Flat wiping cover according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the highly absorbent material consists predominantly or completely of viscose.
4. Flat wiping cover according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the material portions (3) consisting of primarily cleaning-active material are in the form of fringes, loops, rats'-tails or leaves.
5. Flat wiping cover according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the material portions (3) consisting of primarily cleaning-active material consist of plastic, in particular of polyester, or of microfibres or cotton or a mixture of these substances.
6. Flat wiping cover according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the flat wiping cover has a continuous bead (9, 10) which consists, in particular, of the same material as the material portions (3) applied to the carrier structure (6).
7. Flat wiping cover according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that holder push-in pockets (2) are stitched to the carrier structure (6) on the top side at the longitudinal ends, the holder push-in pockets (2) preferably being stretchable.
8. System consisting of a flat wiping cover according to one of Claims 1 to 7 and of a wiping device with a handle (32) and with a wiping plate (24), connected or connectable to the handle (32) via a preferably cardanic joint, for holding the flat wiping cover on an underside of the wiping plate (2), and with an expressing device (29) for the wiping device, the expressing device (2) having a bearing surface (31), provided with perforations, and an abutment means (33) arranged so as to be spaced apart from the said bearing surface, so that the wiping plate (24) can be introduced between the bearing surface (31) and the abutment means (33) by means of a downwardly directed introduction movement (34) and by being tilted and at the same time supported on the abutment means (33) can be pressed with its underside holding the flat wiping cover against the bearing surface (31).

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