EP3294948B1 - Textile product with an arrangement for indicating an intended end of the period of use of the textile product - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a textile product with a device for indicating the intended end of the useful life of a textile product, the textile product or a label of the textile product having an indicator field which has a color in an area that changes over the course of the useful life of the textile product and the associated washing processes changes.

With cleaning cloths, the cleaning effect diminishes after a longer period of use. Since this takes place slowly, it is difficult for the user to see when a good time has come to replace the cleaning cloth. It is also difficult for a sales consultant, for example, to judge whether it is advisable to replace the cleaning cloth.

Other textile products must also be replaced after an intended period of use, for example bed linen in hospitals. Especially when products are used here that have been used for different lengths of time, marking the products and keeping records of their useful life is time-consuming.

From the DE 10 2006 031 138 A1 shows a textile product with a device of the type mentioned. It is described that in order to check the wear and tear or the useful life of objects, in particular textiles, these are provided with a label that changes depending on the time, depending on the number of washes or cleanings or depending on the effect of Light, sweat, moisture, skin particles or heat changed and the change in the marking can be detected. Among other things, a color change can be provided that occurs over the course of a number of washes. For this purpose, a multi-layer structure of the marking is mentioned, with the topmost and then successively the layers below being removed or washed off as the washing progresses. Due to the different physical or chemical properties such as the color of the individual layers, for example, the number of washes and thus the amount of wear and tear on the item of clothing can be determined in a simple and visual manner. The change can be checked, for example, using a color scale or by means of special measuring devices, for example spectroscopically. Disadvantages here are, among other things, that a check using special measuring devices is complex and such measuring devices have to be available. In the case of a check using a color scale, this must be kept separately and can easily be lost, especially by an end user. Gradual color changes in the course of washing, in particular when it comes to shades of the same color, are also not noticeable to a user, so that a check must be carried out at regular intervals or the end of the intended period of use can easily be missed.

From the US 2014/0115748 shows an item of clothing with an indicator field, which is arranged, for example, on the label or on another part of the item of clothing. The indicator field has a first color in a lower layer and, applied thereon, a layer with a second color that differs from the first color. In the course of use, the upper layer with the second color is increasingly worn away, so that finally the first color of the lower layer comes to light, whereby the end of the useful life is visually identified.

The object of the invention is to provide a textile product with an advantageous device of the type mentioned at the outset, by means of which an intended end of the useful life of the textile product can be determined in a simple manner. According to the invention, this is achieved by a textile product with a device having the features of claim 1.

The invention is based on the basic idea of determining the end of the intended service life on the basis of the washing processes of the textile product and using an indicator field for this purpose, which has a first color in a first area and a second color in a second area, the wash fastness of the first Color is lower than the washfastness of the second color. In the course of the service life and the associated washing processes, there is thus a relative change between the color of the first area and the color of the second area, with the first color differing from the second color in the delivery state of the textile product and differing over a number of washing processes of the textile product increasingly to the second color approximates. As a result, the intended end of the service life can be made visually recognizable in a simple manner to the user or to another person assessing the textile product.

Preferably, the first color will match the second color after a number of washes. The intended end of the service life can thus be displayed very clearly.

The second color favorably has such a high wash fastness that it remains unchanged or at least essentially unchanged over the useful life of the textile product.

The wash fastness is a common indication of a change in color when the textile product is washed.

To assess the wash fastness, the textile product can be washed in a customary household washing machine with a customary household detergent at a specified temperature, preferably 60 ° C., in order to assess color changes after one or more washes. In particular, the saturation of the color can change. If the coloring agent has two or more components of different colors that are washed out to different extents, the hue may also change.

Standard detergents can advantageously be used to determine the fastness to washing, in particular the AATCC (American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists) 1993 WOB standard detergent.

In particular, the wash fastness can be determined in accordance with the ISO 105-C06: 2010 (E) standard. The aforementioned standard reference detergent is used here. The washing process is preferably carried out in accordance with the test with number C1S of this standard and thus at a temperature of 60 ° C.

Yarns with washable colors and yarns with non-washable colors, which can be used in connection with the present invention, are well known.

The textile product can be, for example, a cleaning cloth, for example a cleaning cloth, which has microfibers or consists entirely of these. However, other types of textile products can also be designed in the manner according to the invention.

Further advantages and details of the invention are explained below with reference to the accompanying drawing. In this shows Fig. 1 a schematic representation of an embodiment of the invention and Fig. 2 shows a modification thereof.

Fig. 1 shows a section of a textile product 1 to which a label 2 is attached. The label 2 has an indicator field 3 with a first area 3a and a second area 3b. In the first area 3a, the label 2 has a yarn with a first color. In the second area 3b, the label 2 has a yarn with a second color. The first area 3a thus has the first color and the second area 3b the second color, the colors of the areas 3a and 3b differing in the delivery state.

So that a good comparison between the colors of the areas 3a and 3b is possible, the areas 3a and 3b in the exemplary embodiment shown directly adjoin one another, as is preferred.

The wash fastness of the color of the area 3a is significantly lower than the wash fastness of the color of the area 3b. A large number of washing processes of the textile product 1 together with the label 2 therefore results in a much greater change in color of the area 3a than of the area 3b. The color of the area 3b preferably remains at least essentially unchanged. The color of the area 3a increasingly approaches the color over the multitude of washing processes of area 3b. After a number of washing processes, which can for example be in the range from 50 to 300, the color of the area 3a preferably corresponds to the color of the area 3b.

In the delivery state, the color of area 3a is, in particular, darker than that of area 3b. When the number of washing processes in which the colors of the areas 3a and 3b match is exceeded, further washing processes of the textile product make the area 3a increasingly lighter than the area 3b.

The color of the area 3a can also change over the number of washing processes if the dye with which the yarn of the area 3a is dyed has several components of different colors that wash out to different degrees.

For example, the color of the first area 3a can be black in the delivery state. The change in color and approximation of the color of the area 3b can thereby be clearly identified. The area 3b can be blue, for example (in the delivery state and according to the number of washing processes). However, other colors of the areas 3a and / or 3b in the delivery state are also conceivable and possible.

For example, the yarn provided in the first area 3a with the first color can be made of polyamide. Other yarns, in particular synthetic yarns, can also be used.

The yarn with the second color provided in the second region 3b can consist of polyester, for example. Other yarns, in particular synthetic yarns, can also be used.

The textile product 1 can in particular be a cleaning cloth, for example a cleaning cloth which has a protruding pile. One possible design of the cleaning cloth provides that it consists of or has microfibers. However, the cleaning cloth can only have thicker fibers.

If the textile product 1 is washed at a temperature higher than the intended temperature of, for example, 60 ° C., this will generally lead to the change in color of the first area 3a compared with the second area 3b. The end of the intended service life is indicated after a few washing processes. The wear on the textile product 1 is also generally increased at higher washing temperatures, so that the useful service life of the textile product is reduced.

On the other hand, in the case of a relatively new product, in which the end of the intended useful life can be read from the indicator field 3, it can be concluded that the textile product has been washed at a higher than the intended temperature of, for example, 60 ° C.

The wash fastness of the respective area 3a, 3b can in particular be determined according to the international standard ISO 105-C06: 2010 (E) (this is the fourth edition of this ISO standard, published on March 15, 2010).

According to this standard, a rotatable shaft is provided which radially supports a (cylindrical) stainless steel container with a diameter of 75 +/- 5mm and a height of 125 +/- 10mm and a volume of 550 +/- 50 ml, the bottom of the Container 45 +/- 10 mm from the longitudinal center axis of the shaft. The container is rotated at a frequency of 40 +/- 2 revolutions per minute.

The C1S test of this standard is preferably used, in which washing takes place at a temperature of 60 ° C (+/- 2 ° C). The washing process is carried out for 30 minutes and 25 stainless steel balls with a diameter of 6mm are added. The volume of liquid filled into the container is 50ml.

A sample with the dimensions 100 +/- 2mm x 40 +/- 2mm is washed.

In accordance with the ISO standard, an adjacent multifilament fabric with the same dimensions is attached to the test piece by sewing along one of the shorter edges (consisting of triacetate and viscose, in accordance with ISO 105-A01 and 105-F10). Since in the present case it is not a question of staining on another tissue, this adjacent tissue can also be omitted.

The AATCC 1993 standard detergent WOB is used as detergent (without optical brightener). The exact composition of this reference detergent WOB is detailed in the specified standard.

The washing liquor is produced by dissolving 4 g of the standard detergent WOB per liter of water (grade 3 according to ISO 3696). The pH is adjusted to 10.5 +/- 0.1 by adding approx. 1 g of sodium carbonate.

After the container has been filled with the sample, the stainless steel balls and the washing liquor, the container is closed and the washing process is carried out at the intended temperature for the intended duration.

At the end of the washing process, the washed sample is rinsed twice for one minute in two separate quantities of 100m) water at 40 ° C. Excess water is then removed and the sample is air-dried at a temperature of less than 60 ° C. The change in color is then determined. In particular, a spectrophotometer or colorimeter according to ISO 105-A05: 1996 can be used.

The wash fastness of the color of the second area 3b is preferably so great that after 150 washing processes in accordance with test C1S of the aforementioned standard, the color of the second area 3b in terms of its saturation, its hue and its Has changed the brightness parameter by less than 5% in relation to the CIE color space (CIE 1931).

The difference between the wash fastness of the color of the area 3a and the wash fastness of the color of the area 3b is preferably so great that after 150 washing processes according to test C1S of the aforementioned standard, the change in the saturation of the color of the area 3a is at least twice as great as the change the saturation of the color of the area 3b and / or the change in the hue of the color of the area 3a is at least twice as great as the change in the hue of the color of the area 3b and / or the change in the brightness parameter of the color of the area 3a is at least twice as great is like the change in the brightness parameter of the color of area 3b, in each case based on the CIE color space (CIE 1931).

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the color of area 3a corresponds to the color of area 3b or at least corresponds to the color of area 3b after a number of washing processes in the range from 50 to 300, preferably in the range from 100 to 200, in accordance with test C1S of the standard mentioned Essentially match. The fact that the colors essentially match should mean that their saturations, their hues and their brightness parameters in the CIE color space (CIE 1931) each differ by less than 5%.

In the exemplary embodiment shown, the label 2 has the indicator field 3. In principle, the textile product 1 itself could also be provided with such an indicator field.

Fig. 2 shows a modified embodiment. The only difference to the previously described exemplary embodiment is that the indicator field here has a third area 3c in addition to the first area 3a and second area 3b. In the third area 3c, the indicator field 3 has a third color. The washing fastness of the first color is lower than the washing fastness of the third color and the first color is the same as the third color in the delivery state.

The third color favorably has such a high wash fastness that it remains unchanged or at least essentially unchanged over the useful life of the textile product. The wash fastness of the color of the third area 3c is preferably so great that after 150 washing processes in accordance with test C1S of the aforementioned standard, the color of the third area 3c in terms of its saturation, its hue and its brightness parameter is less than 5% based on the CIE Color space (CIE 1931) has changed.

The user can thus easily determine how much the first color deviates from the third color. On the basis of a comparison of the first color with the third color and second color, the user or another person assessing the textile product can be shown particularly well how far the intended service life of the textile product has already expired.

The area 3a is advantageously between the areas 3c and 3b. The areas 3c, 3a and 3b preferably adjoin one another directly.

Legend for the reference numbers:

1

Textile product

2

label

3

Indicator field

3a

first area

3b

second area

3c

third area

Claims (10)

1. A textile product with a means for indicating an intended end of the useful life of the textile product (1), wherein the textile product (1) or a label (2) of the textile product (1) has an indicator field (3) which in one region (3a) has a colour which changes over the course of the useful life of the textile product (1) and the associated washing operations, characterised in that the indicator field (3) in addition to the first region (3a), in which it has the first colour which changes over the course of the useful life of the textile product (1) and the associated washing operations, in a second region (3b) has a second colour, with the wash-fastness of the first colour being less than the wash-fastness of the second colour and the first colour in the delivery condition differing from the second colour and over a number of washing operations of the textile product (1) increasingly approaches the second colour.
2. A textile product according to claim 1, characterised in that the first colour after a number of washing operations matches the second colour.
3. A textile product according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the first colour in the delivery condition is black.
4. A textile product according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the second region (3b) adjoins the first region (3a).
5. A textile product according to one of claims I to 4, characterised in that the textile product (1) is a cleaning cloth.
6. A textile product according to claim 5, characterised in that the textile product (1) contains microfibres or consists thereof in its entirety.
7. A textile product according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterised in that the first region (3a) of the indicator field (3) has a first yarn with the first colour and the second region (3b) of the indicator field (3) has a second yarn with the second colour.
8. A textile product according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterised in that the indicator field (3) in a third region (3c) has a third colour, the first colour in the delivery condition matching the third colour and the wash-fastness of the first colour being less than the wash-fastness of the third colour.
9. A textile product according to claim 8, characterised in that the third region (3c) adjoins the first region (3a).
10. A textile product according to claim 8 or 9, characterised in that the first region (3a) lies between the third region (3c) and the second region (3b).

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