EP4727421A1 - Expandable cleaning article - Google Patents

Abstract

A scrubbing article is provided by a plurality of slits cut into a metal foil extending across a given plane, and deploying the metal foil into an expanded configuration by tensioning the metal foil along at least one axis within the given plane such that the edges of the plurality of slits protrude outside of the given plane to provide the scrubbing article. Advantageously, the provided articles can provide improved performance, has a simplified manufacturing path and uses less metal than conventional stainless steel scrubbing pads for improved sustainability.

Description

EXPANDABLE CLEANING ARTICLE

Field of the Invention

Provided are scrubbing articles, assemblies, and related methods for cleaning and/or abrading household surfaces, including kitchen and bath surfaces.

Background

Stainless steel scrubbing pads are composed of interwoven stainless steel ribbons formed into a resilient and abrasive mesh structure. The abrasive nature of stainless steel fibers enables these pads to easily remove stubborn stains, grease, and rust from a wide range of surfaces. These fibers can be especially effective in removing baked-on food stains from pots and pans and restoring shine to dull metal surfaces.

An intrinsic advantage of stainless steel scrubbing pads is their resistance to corrosion and degradation. Unlike ordinary sponges which wear out quickly and steel wool pads that rust or deteriorate over time, stainless steel scrubbing pads are capable of withstanding exposure to moisture and harsh chemicals. Stainless steel scrubbing pads thus offer an eco-friendly alternative to other cleaning products, since the robustness of these scrubbing pads allow them to be less frequently replaced.

Summary

Notwithstanding their many benefits, opportunities for improvement remain with respect to longevity, performance and comfort. For example, conventional scrubbers tend to become misshapen over repeated use, their longevity and comfort are less than ideal, and they can be harsh on the hands during use. Further, performance and conformability can also degrade once the steel scrubbing pad loses its ball-like shape and flattens out. These articles can also be difficult to use in hard to reach areas, rims and edges. Finally, food particles can be easily trapped in the structure, resulting in hygiene issues overtime.

There is a need for a solution that can provide an aggressive scouring action while mitigating some of the above disadvantages. The provided scrubbing pads achieve this by using a flat metal sheet (or foil) cut with a slit pattern that functionalizes the sheet such that it can deploy into a three-dimensional shape when tension is applied. When so deployed, features come out of the original plane of the sheet that are effective for scrubbing. Since it can be made from a single sheet of foil, it uses less metal than the conventional stainless steel scrubbing pads, thereby providing a more sustainable product. The manufacturing path is also simplified because the flat sheets can be easily die cut and then wrapped around a handle or foam pad. Reduced entrapment of food particles and improved performance has also been demonstrated.

In a first aspect, a method of making a scrubbing article is provided. The method comprises: providing a plurality of slits cut into a metal foil extending across a given plane; deploying the metal foil into an expanded configuration by tensioning the metal foil along at least one axis within the given plane such that the edges of the plurality of slits protrude outside of the given plane to provide the scrubbing article.

In a second aspect, a scrubbing article made using the method is provided.

In a third aspect, an expandable scrubbing article is provided, comprising: a metal foil extending across a given plane and including a plurality of slits that form a biaxial multi-slit pattern, wherein the biaxial multi-slit pattern of slits enables the metal foil to be deployed into an expanded configuration by tensioning the metal foil along at least one axis along the given plane such that the edges of the plurality of slits protrude outside of the given plane to provide an expanded configuration.

In a fourth aspect, a scrubbing article made by deploying the expandable scrubbing article into its expanded configuration.

In a fifth aspect, a method of scrubbing a substrate is provided comprising: providing the aforementioned scrubbing article, wherein the scrubbing article includes a gripping member; and while holding the gripping member, wiping the scrubbing article against the substrate.

Brief Description of the Drawings

FIG. 1 A is a view of a scrubbing article in its unexpanded configuration, according to one exemplary embodiment.

FIGS. IB and 1C are views of the scrubbing article of FIG. 1A in its expanded configuration, according to two exemplary embodiments.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are views of a scrubbing article in its respective unexpanded and expanded configurations, according to another exemplary embodiment. FIGS 3A and 3B are views of a scrubbing article in its respective unexpanded and expanded configurations, according to still another exemplary embodiment.

FIGS 4A and 4B are views of a scrubbing article in its respective unexpanded and expanded configurations, according to yet another exemplary embodiment.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are views of a scrubbing article in its respective unexpanded and expanded configurations, according to yet another exemplary embodiment.

FIGS. 5C and 5D are schematic views of the scrubbing article of FIGS. 5A and 5B in its respective unexpanded and expanded configurations, illustrating its deployment mechanism.

FIG. 5E shows a variant of the scrubbing article of FIGS. 5A-5D in its unexpanded configuration, according to yet another exemplary embodiment.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are views of a scrubbing article in its respective unexpanded and expanded configurations, according to yet another exemplary embodiment.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are views of a scrubbing article in its respective unexpanded and expanded configurations, according to yet another exemplary embodiment.

FIGS. 8 A is a view of a scrubbing article in its unexpanded configuration, according to yet another exemplary embodiment.

FIGS. 8B and 8C are respective bottom and top views of a scrubbing assembly incorporating the scrubbing article of FIG. 8A in its expanded configuration.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a scrubbing article in its unexpanded configuration, according to yet another exemplary embodiment.

FIGS. 10-12 are perspective views of various other scrubbing assemblies incorporating scrubbing articles as described herein.

Repeated use of reference characters in the specification and drawings is intended to represent the same or analogous features or elements of the disclosure. It should be understood that numerous other modifications and embodiments can be devised by those skilled in the art, which fall within the scope and spirit of the principles of the disclosure. The figures may not be drawn to scale. Detailed Description

As used herein, the terms “preferred” and “preferably” refer to embodiments described herein that can afford certain benefits, under certain circumstances. However, other embodiments may also be preferred, under the same or other circumstances. Furthermore, the recitation of one or more preferred embodiments does not imply that other embodiments are not useful and is not intended to exclude other embodiments from the scope of the invention.

As used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “a” or “the” component may include one or more of the components and equivalents thereof known to those skilled in the art. Further, the term “and/or” means one or all of the listed elements or a combination of any two or more of the listed elements. It is noted that the term “comprises,” and variations thereof, do not have a limiting meaning where these terms appear in the accompanying description. Moreover, “a,” “an,” “the,” “at least one,” and “one or more” are used interchangeably herein. Relative terms such as left, right, forward, rearward, top, bottom, side, upper, lower, horizontal, vertical, and the like may be used herein and, if so, are from the perspective observed in the particular drawing. These terms are used only to simplify the description, however, and not to limit the scope of the invention in any way.

Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “certain embodiments,” “one or more embodiments” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, material, or characteristic described relating to the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. Thus, the appearances of the phrases such as “in one or more embodiments,” “in certain embodiments,” “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment of the invention.

Provided herein are scrubbing articles, assemblies, and methods that are based on metal foils with slit patterns cut into them. The scrubbing articles can be tension activated and then used to clean substrates having soiled surfaces, remove material from substrates having abradable surfaces, or both. For example, a non-cleaning application could include sanding a substrate made from wood or metal to remove surface defects. As used herein, a “slit” is defined as a narrow cut through the article forming at least one line, which may be straight or curved, having at least two terminal ends. A slit is generally not a cut-out, where “cut-out” is defined as a surface area of the sheet that is removed from the sheet when a slit intersects itself. It is understood, however, that many forming techniques result in the removal of some surface area of the sheet that is not considered a “cut-out” for the purposes of the present application. In particular, many cutting technologies produce a “kerf,” or a cut having some physical width. For example, a laser cutter will ablate some surface area of the sheet to create the slit, a router will cut away some surface area of the material to create the slit, and even crush cutting creates some deformation on the edges of the material that forms a physical gap across the surface area of the material. Furthermore, molding techniques require material between opposing faces of the slit, creating a gap or kerf at the slit. In various embodiments, the gap or kerf of the slit will be less than or equal to the thickness of the material. For example, a slit pattern cut into a metal foil that is 0.18 millimeters thick might have slits with a gap that is approximately 0.18 millimeters or less. However, it is understood that the width of the slit could be increased to a factor that is many times larger than the thickness of the material and be consistent with the technology disclosed herein.

As used herein, a “single slit pattern” refers to slits that form individual rows each extending across the sheet transversely, where the rows form a repeating pattern of individual rows along the axial length of the sheet, and the pattern of slits in each row is different than the pattern of slits in the directly adjacent rows. For example, the slits in one row may be axially offset or out of phase with the slits in the directly adjacent rows. Each of the slits in the plurality of slits can, in some embodiments, include multiple peaks and valleys within the plane of the sheet.

An example of a single-slit pattern is shown in FIGS. 1A-1C. A particular cut or slit pattern of metal foil 100 is shown in FIG. 1A and also described in U.S. Patent Nos. 4,105,724 (Talbot) and 5,667,871 (Goodrich et al). The pattern includes a plurality of substantially parallel rows 112 of multiple individual linear slits 110 that are cut into the foil 100. Each linear slit 110 has a length L that extends between a first terminal end 114 and a second terminal end 116 and each of the individual linear slits 110 in a given row 112 is out of phase with the individual linear slits 110 in the directly adjacent and substantially parallel row 112. In the specific construction shown, the adjacent rows 112 are out of phase by one half of the vertical spacing. The pattern forms an array of slits 110 and rows 112, and the array has a regular, repeating pattern across the array. This type of slit array is sometimes referred to as a “skip slit pattern.”

A skewed version of this pattern is also possible, where each row is offset slightly from the adjacent row in the direction orthogonal to the tension axis T. This skewing makes the terminal ends 114, 116 not end on a line that is parallel to the tension axis T, but instead they can be randomly offset by small amounts, or they can all end on a line that is at a slight angle (e.g., 1°, 2°, 5°, or 10°). This skewing of the rows has the advantage of distributing the protruding edges across the product so that the scrubbing is more distributed (i.e., uniform and even) across the surface even if the scrubbing article is translated along a straight line back and forth parallel to the tension axis T.

When foil 100 is tensioned (e.g., uniaxially pulled along the tension axis T, which is substantially perpendicular to cuts or slits 110), the foil 100 deploys into an expanded configuration in which a plurality of beams 130 are formed between directly adjacent rows 112 of slits 110. These beams are illustrated in FIGS. IB and 1C, which show symmetric and asymmetric deployment configurations, respectively. Beams 130 are regions between adjacent coaxial rows of slits. The beams 130 formed by slits 110 collectively experience some degree of upward and downward movement (see, for example, FIGS. IB and 1C). This upward and downward movement results in the two-dimensional article (i.e., a substantially flat sheet) of FIG. 1A becoming the three-dimensional article of FIGS. IB and 1C when tension activated.

Foils used for the scrubbing articles described herein can have any suitable thickness that allows for reliable and reproducible deployment of the foil into an expanded configuration that provides an effective scrubbing surface. Useful foil stock should be sufficiently thick for durability while being sufficiently thin to allow tensioning and deployment of the foil by hand (i.e., without need for a mechanical advantage). The foil thickness can be from 25 micrometers to 75 micrometers, or in some embodiments, less than, equal to, or greater than 25 micrometers, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, or 75 micrometers.

A common configuration for a scrubbing article uses a foil sheet having the dimensions of a 10 centimeter x 15 centimeter rectangle in plan view. For a preferred handheld scrubbing article, the overall weight of the foil having this size and shape can be in the range of 4 g to 7 g, or in some embodiments, less than, equal to, or greater than 4, 5, 6, or 7 g.

The difference between the symmetric and asymmetric configurations of respective FIGS. IB and 1C can be attributed to differences in the material used for the foil 200, the ratios of dimensions H, W, and L in the pattern as indicated in FIG. 1A, the thickness of the foil 200, and the manner in which foil 200 is tensioned. In some embodiments, the same pattern can create different deployment modalities (e.g., parallel and alternating) and they can even change from one to the other in the same row (e.g., inversions), or adjacent rows.

The skip slit pattern can provide for beams 130 that protrude outwardly relative to the original plane of the foil 100 when tension activated to obtain a scrubbing article. For many reasons, this can be advantageous in abrading applications. First, the raised beams 130 cause edges of the slits 110 to protrude beyond the original plane of the foil 100 according to a regular array, thus providing a uniform spacing of abrading edges across the scrubbing article leading to a more effective and consistent scrubbing performance. Second, the deployed foil 100 can be configured to have a consistently high density of abrading edges relative to the total amount of foil used in making the scrubbing article, leading to reduced waste. Third, the thin nature of the scrubbing article in combination with the slits can provide improved conformability to facilitate abrading concave and irregularly-shaped substrate surfaces. Fourth, the deployed foil 100 is much thinner than conventional stainless steel scrubbing pads, making it less likely to trap debris during an abrading operation while also being easier to clean. Many of these benefits can extend the overall working life of the scrubbing article, providing significant environmental and sustainability benefits.

Further aspects of the skip slit pattern of FIGS. 1A-1C and aspects of its deployment into a three-dimensional structure are described in International Publication No. 2021/130612 (Corrigan et al.).

Any number of other options are possible. While the slits 110 are linear in this embodiment, the slits could alternatively assume the shape of a hook, loop, sine wave, square wave, or triangle wave. As a further option, the slits 110 could also extend through one of more edges of the foil 100. This can be useful in facilitating full deployment of foils having certain slit patterns. Alternatively, and as to further explored later, the slits 110 may be partially or fully surrounded by peripheral areas of the foil 100 that are devoid of any slits.

As a further option, the foil 100 could be bonded to a polymeric sheet that is coextensive with the metal foil 100, where the slits 110 fully extend through both the metal foil 100 and the polymeric sheet. In this variant, the metallic side of the foil 100 could be used for scrubbing relatively harder substrates, while the polymeric side can be used for scrubbing relatively softer substrates.

Another exemplary embodiment of a single slit pattern in a metal foil 200 is shown schematically in FIG. 2A. The foil 200 is a sheet defining a plane having an axial direction x (i.e., the vertical direction relative to the figure) that is parallel to a tension axis T and a transverse direction y (i.e., the horizontal direction relative to the figure) that is orthogonal to the axial direction x. The foil 200 defines the x-y plane in a pretensioned state; that is, prior to application of tension along the tension axis T. The single-slit pattern is formed in foil 200 and includes a plurality of slits 210 that each include a first terminal end 214, a second terminal end 216, and a midpoint 218. A plurality of individual slits 210 are aligned to form rows 212 that are perpendicular to tension axis T. Material 220 is present between adjacent slits 210 in a row 212 that can be referred to as an axial beam. The material between directly adjacent rows 212 of slits 210 forms transverse beams 230. In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 2A, slits 210 are not straight lines (like slits 110 of the slit pattern of FIGS. 1A-1C) but are instead curved single slits. In the embodiment of FIG. 2A, the ends of the slits are curved. The slits shown in FIG. 2A are approximately a semicircular in shape, but it is understood that the degree of curvature and slit length can vary. The flap region 250 is generally the area enclosed by the path of slit 210 and the imaginary straight line between terminal ends 214 and 216.

FIG. 2B shows the pattern of FIG. 2A formed in metal foil and exposed to tension along the tension axis T. When foil 200 is tension activated or deployed along tension axis T, portions of foil 200 experience tension and/or compression that causes foil 200 to move out of the original plane of foil 200 in its pretensioned format. When exposed to tension along the tension axis, terminal ends 214, 216 experience compression and are drawn toward one another, causing a flap region 250 of the foil 200 to move or buckle upward relative to the plane of the foil 200 in its pretensioned state (FIG. 2A), creating a flap region 250. Portions of beams 230 move or buckle downward relative to the plane of the foil 200 in its pretensioned state (FIG. 2A), forming an opening portion 222. The material 220 between adjacent slits 210 in a row 212 primarily experiences tension perpendicular to the tension axis T. This region or area does not move substantially out of the original plane and instead bends slightly as compared to the pretensioned form of FIG. 2A.

FIG. 2B is a perspective view drawing from a photograph of the slit pattern shown in FIG. 2A formed in a metal foil and exposed to tension along the tension axis. The flap regions 250 become raised out of the original plane of the foil 200, as shown, with their edges acting as abrading structures in a scrubbing operation. In some embodiments, the opposing side of the foil can include concave edges raised the opposite direction, which can be less aggressive in abrading a substrate than convex edges or flaps.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various changes may be made to the pattern while still falling within the scope of the present disclosure. For example, in the embodiments described thus far, the slits are “simple slits,” which are defined herein as slits having exactly two terminal ends. In alternative embodiments, at least a portion of the slits can be “compound slits,” which are slits having more than two terminal ends. In the current example, a straight, imaginary line extends between and connects these terminal ends. In this embodiment, the straight, imaginary line extending between and connecting the terminal ends of a first slit is substantially colinear with the straight, imaginary line extending between and connecting the terminal ends of a directly adjacent slit. In this exemplary embodiment, all of the straight, imaginary lines extending between and connecting the slit terminal ends in a single row are approximately colinear. However, a region of each of the slits between the terminal ends are not colinear with the imaginary straight line connecting the slit terminal ends in each row.

As another example, in some embodiments, the shapes of the slits could be elliptical. Alternatively, the slit length, row size or shape, and beam size or shape can vary. Further, the degrees of offset or phase offset can vary from what is shown.

As used herein, a “multi-slit pattern” is defined as a pattern of individual slits that form a first set of adjacent rows across the transverse direction of the sheet, where the individual slits within the first set of adjacent rows are aligned in the transverse direction. In a multi-slit pattern, the first set of adjacent rows form a repeating pattern with at least a second row along the axial length of the sheet, where the slits in the first set of adjacent identical rows are offset from the slits in the second row in the transverse direction. The term “multi-slit pattern” can include double slit patterns, triple slit patterns, and quadruple slit patterns, for example.

FIG. 3A shows a top view schematic drawing of an article that includes a double slit pattern. Foil 300 includes rows of slits 310a, 310b, 310c, 3 lOd. Together, slits 310a and 310b form a double slit. Further, slits 310c and 3 lOd collectively form another double slit. Slits 310a and 310b form sides or edges of a portion of a first transverse beam 330a. Slits 310b and 310c form sides or edges of a portion of overlap beam 336. Slits 310c and 3 lOd form sides or edges of a portion of a second transverse beam 330b. A first transverse beam 330a is directly adjacent to an overlap beam 336. The overlap beam 336 is directly adjacent to a second transverse beam 330b. Slits 310a and 310b are substantially aligned with one another, while slits 310c and 3 lOd are substantially aligned with one another. Notably, slits 310b and 310c are not aligned with each other and instead are phase- separated or spaced apart from one another along their length dimension. In the embodiment of FIG. 3 A, slits 310a-d are substantially perpendicular to the tension axis T.

Further options and associated advantages of the foil 300 are described in International Patent Publication No. WO 2021/130628 (Corrigan et al.).

FIG. 3B is a photograph of a foil having the slit pattern of FIG. 3A subjected to tension along tension axis T. When foil 300 is tension activated or deployed along tension axis T, portions of foil 300 experience tension and/or compression that causes foil 300 to move out of the original plane of foil 300 in its non-tensioned format. When exposed to tension along the tension axis, terminal ends 314, 316 experience compression and are drawn toward one another, causing regions of the foil 300 to move or buckle upward relative to the plane of the foil 300 in its pretensioned state (FIG. 3A). In this configuration, the edges of the slits 310a, 310b, 310c, 3 lOd functionally become the abrading edges of a scrubbing article.

Portions of transverse beams 330a, 330b directly between substantially aligned adjacent beams undulate out of the original plane of the foil 300 in its pretensioned state, forming loops while staying nominally parallel to the tension axis. The axial beam 320 between adjacent slits in row 312 in combination with the adjacent portions of the transverse beam 330a, 330b stays substantially parallel to the original plane of foil 300 in its pretensioned state. Overlap beams 336 buckle and rotate out of the plane of the original material or sheet. The motion of the flap region in combination with the undulation of the transverse beams 330a, 330b creates open portions. One advantage of these undulations created by the multi-slit pattern is that they are symmetric, so they can provide a similar or identical scrubbing effect when moved back and forth along a given direction.

Another type of slit pattern is shown in FIG. 4A, which is a top view schematic drawing of a metal foil 400 bearing some similarities to that shown in FIG. 3A except that this embodiment uses multibeam slits. The beam region, and more specifically the direct path between the closest terminal ends of two adjacent slits in adjacent rows such as ends 416a and 414a of FIG. 4 A, experience the highest concentration of forces when tension is applied to a single slit patterned material. As such, these beam regions experience the greatest stress concentration during deployment. An exemplary configuration of the foil 400 in its deployed configuration is shown in FIG. 4B.

Additional slits added in the beam region that cross through the direct path between closest terminal ends in adjacent rows can create one or more additional forcecarrying paths, or additional beams, which have additional stress concentrating terminal ends that can increase the maximum force bearing capacity of the material. Materials or articles that include multibeam slit patterns have a greater maximum tension force as compared to a material or article with the same pattern of beams but without multibeams.

As used herein, the term “maximum tension force” refers to the maximum tensile force that can be applied to a sample of slit-patterned material before it tears. Generally, the maximum tension force occurs just before a slit-patterned material tears. A test method for measuring the maximum tension force is described in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2022/0379576 (Corrigan et al.). The Maximum Tension Force (e.g., tear force), is the maximum force measured by the load cell as the sample is stretched. This is typically just before the material begins to tear. Advantageously, it is possible for materials or articles that include a multibeam slit pattern to be capable of withstanding larger tension forces without tearing as compared to a material or article with the same pattern except without multibeams.

In some embodiments, materials or articles with multibeam slit patterns have the same or lower deployment force. As used herein, the term “deployment force” refers to the force required to substantially deploy the slitted foil. FIG. 5A shows an alternative slit configuration referred to as a biaxial multi-slit pattern. While the plurality of slits in previously described multi-slit patterns, such as the double slit pattern of FIG. 3 A, were parallel to one another, it is possible for some slits to have an orientation that is non-parallel with that of other slits in the pattern. This is the case in FIG. 5A, which shows a metal foil 500 having a slit pattern in which half of the slits 510 (slits 510a) are oriented along an axial direction x and the remaining half of the slits 510 (slits 510b) are oriented along the transverse direction y, in each case within the plane of the metal foil 500. The slits 510a, 510b otherwise collectively provide a multi-slit pattern as previously described.

Use of a biaxial multi-slit pattern can provide for undulations in the deployed scrubbing surface that are non-parallel, conferring certain technical benefits. The biaxial multi-slit pattern of FIG. 5 A enables the foil 500 to be deployed into a three-dimensional, expanded configuration as illustrated in FIG. 5B. The expanded configuration of FIG. 5B was obtained by tensioning the foil 500 of FIG. 5 A along both of the orthogonal tension axes Ti and T2 shown in FIG. 5 A.

Optionally and as shown, the tension axes Ti and T2 exactly correspond to the axial and transverse directions x and y, respectively. The application of tension along the axes Ti and T2 can occur simultaneously or sequentially. In some cases, tensioning along a single axis is sufficient to expand the foil, especially if that axis is at an angle to both Ti and T2, and preferably at a 45 degree angle to both of them. Advantageously, a scrubbing article made from foil 500 in its expanded configuration has protruding beams and associated abrading edges aligned along two orthogonal directions. Conveniently, this aspect allows the foil 500 to abrade a substrate equally effectively whether wiped over a substrate along either the x or y directions.

In some embodiments, the foil 500 with the biaxial multi-slit pattern is auxetic — that is, when stretched along one axis, it will expand along an orthogonal axis. Deployment can also be achieved by applying tension along any axis including a combination of those two vectors — for example, tension applied along a 45 degree angle can be effective. FIG. 5C illustrates how this particular pattern deploys into biaxial undulations when tension is applied. As shown, the pattern of slits creates a series of rectangular ribbon regions 513 and square regions 515. When tension is applied along axis T2, the highest stress areas transmitting the tension are aligned with the tension lines 517 in FIG. 5C. As tension is applied, the foil 500 rotates and buckles in an attempt to straighten the tension lines 517, resulting in the square regions 515 rotating, as shown by the semi-circular arrows in FIG. 5D. With this rotation, the comers of these regions 515 move closer together, with each set of four adjacent squares shrinking the surrounded ribbon region 513, such that the ribbon region 513 buckles and undulates out of the plane of the foil 500. Given the symmetry of the foil 500, similar tension lines 517 exist when the foil 500 is rotated by 90 degrees (although these were omitted from FIGS. 5C and 5D for simplicity). Application of tension at 45 degrees (or other angles) can effectively activate rotation along both sets of tension lines 517 simultaneously.

The rotation of those square regions can require significant tension. The required tensile force can be reduced if the square rotating regions are modified to turn the single hinge points of the square region into longer beam regions that can more easily rotate to align with the applied tension forces. A modified version of the foil 500 is provided as foil 500’ in FIG. 5E. In this figure, the square regions are converted into cross-shaped regions 515’ that can more easily align with the tension applied. In this embodiment, the rectangular regions 513 are replaced by lobed regions 513’ as shown, which undulate and protrude out of the original plane of the foil 500’ . In practice, it was discovered that it can be significantly easier to deploy this shape than the basic straight line biaxial undulating pattern.

The family of multi-slit patterns can have broad applications beyond scrubbing. The pattern could be cut into many materials, such as plastics, fiber based films like paper, composites, or even multilayered films or sheets.

Further variants of the above concept are also possible. FIG. 6A, for example, depicts a metal foil 600 having a triaxial multi-slit pattern in which slits 610 are aligned along three different directions along the plane of the foil 600, each direction forming an angle of 120° relative to each of the other two directions, corresponding to slits 610a, 610b, 610c. Each pattern of slits 610a, 610b, 610c aligned along a given direction is comprised of a double slit pattern in which the double slits within one row are out of phase with the double slits within an adjacent row. Optionally and as shown, the slits 610a, slits 610b, and slits 610c intersect with each other at their terminal ends to form a repeating patern of compound slits each comprised of a pair of slits oriented at an angle of 120° relative to each other.

FIG. 6B shows the foil 600 partially deployed through the application of tension, where tension components are aligned along all three tension axes Ti, T2, and T3 shown in FIG. 6A. In its expanded configuration, the foil 600 can form an arching bridged shape that has raised edges along different angles. The wide distribution of orientations for the abrading edges can further improve scrubbing efficiency in instances where the wiping angle is uncertain or not easily controlled.

FIG. 7A shows another embodiment that uses a metal foil 700 with an alternative biaxial multi-slit patern similar to that shown in FIG. 5 but comprising triple slits instead of double slits. Similar to the prior example, the replicated slits 610a, 610b, 610c provide for a deployment of beams extending outwardly from the original plane of the foil 600 that are aligned along two different directions, thereby providing enhanced versatility when cleaning or otherwise abrading a substrate.

FIG. 7B shows the foil of FIG. 7A in its expanded configuration. Here, the triple slits provided in a bi-axial arrangement form undulations along two axes, but each undulation is doubled. Advantageously, this provides twice the density of abrading edges that can be used in a scrubbing application.

FIG. 8A shows alternative scrubbing article made from a foil 800 that has the slit patern of foil 300 in FIG. 3 A but whose slit patern extends only along a central region 840 of the foil 800. Adjacent to the central region 840 are a pair of distal regions 842 of the foil 800, along which the foil 800 lacks any slit patern. Optionally and as shown, a plurality of apertures 844 extend through the distal regions 842, providing anchor points for securement of the foil 800 to another structure as will be described below.

Deployment of the foil 800 can take place by tensioning the foil 800 to causing the edges of the slits to rotate and protrude outside of the plane of the original foil 800 prior to deployment. It is preferable that tension is applied uniformly across the plane of the foil 800 such that deployment occurs evenly across the central region 840, while producing litle or no necking of the foil 800.

In various embodiments, the deployed metal foil can be coupled to a contoured gripping member to facilitate its use in abrading a substrate. Advantageously, the coupling between the gripping member and the foil can be configured to be releasable for convenient re-use of the gripping member. The shape of the gripping member need not be particularly limited, and may use a planar or convex engagement surface along which it is coupled the foil. The side of the gripping member facing away from the substrate can comprise a handle, or other structure that is contoured to fit the hand of an user.

FIGS. 8B and 8C show a scrubbing assembly 801 in which the scrubbing article of foil 800 is coupled to a gripping member 850 having the shape of a rectangular block in bottom and perspective views, respectively. The foil 800 is wrapped around the gripping member 850 in a partially encircling relation. While not explicitly shown here, fasteners, clips, hooks, or other engagement structures can extend through the apertures 844 to help secure the foil 800 to the gripping member 850. A tacky surface can also be provided on the gripping member 850 to assist in securement of the foil 800. As a further possibility, terminal edges of the distal regions 842 can be tucked into a pocket or other recess in the gripping member 850 to reduce likelihood of injury to the user.

FIG. 9 shows an alternative scrubbing article using a foil 900 having a central region 940 and a four distal regions 942. Here, the biaxial double slit pattern of FIG. 5 A is disposed along the central region 940 but not along the distal regions 942. This slit pattern is merely exemplary and any number of other slit patterns are possible. As in the prior embodiment, the distal regions 942 represent flaps that can be folded around the peripheral edges of a gripping member (not shown) and secured thereon to obtain a scrubbing assembly that is easily manipulated by a user.

FIG. 10 shows, in exploded view, a scrubbing assembly 1001 that includes a gripping member 1050 and a metal foil 1000 in its expanded configuration. The gripping member 1050 includes an elongated handle 1052 and a pad 1054 attached thereto. The pad 1054 is resiliently compressible and can be comprised of a non-woven fibrous web (optionally made from virgin or recycled fibers), an open-celled foam, closed-cell foam, or combination thereof. Woven, knitted, or non-woven materials can be made from natural, synthetic, or a combination of natural and synthetic fibers. Optionally but not shown, the pad 1054 could be made of the same material as the handle 1052, in which case they would be integral components.

As depicted, the pad 1054 includes a planar engagement surface for coupling to the foil 1000. Engagement between the gripping member 1050 and the foil 1000 can be achieved using any number of ways. In a preferred embodiment, the foil 1000 itself has structure to provide mechanical retention to the gripping member 1050. For example, where edges of the plurality of slits protrude outwardly along both major surfaces of the foil 1000, complemental features in the gripping member 1050 can create a hooking engagement between the two components, securing the foil 1000 and gripping member 1050 to each other. It is also possible to secure the foil 1000 to the gripping member 1050 using an adhesive or a separate fastening mechanism such as a clip or bail.

In this instance, the pad 1054 and foil 1000 are coextensive and have a rounded triangular shape in plan view to facilitate scrubbing surfaces near comers and other tight spaces. Various other shapes can be advantageous, depending on the application at hand.

FIG. 11 shows an alternative scrubbing assembly 1101 having a gripping member 1150 and deployed foil 1100 disposed thereon. As before, the gripping member 1150 has a connected handle 1152 and pad 1154, except in this case the handle 1152 and pad 1154 have a circular shape in plan view. Remaining aspects of the scrubbing assembly 1101 are generally analogous to that of assembly 1001 and shall not be repeated here.

FIG. 12 shows another scrubbing assembly 1201 in which the gripping member 1250 is comprised of a pad 1254 made from a compressible foam. While the assembly 1201 does not have a discrete handle, the pad 1254 could function as a handle if so desired. A metal foil 1200 in its expanded configuration (as shown in the inset) is disposed on an engagement surface of the pad 1254 to provide a scrubbing surface. Unlike the earlier described gripping members 1050, 1150, the gripping member 1250 has a generally convex engagement surface. Here, the interstices of the compressible foam can assist in providing mechanical retention with respect to slit edges in the deployed foil 1200.

Optionally and as shown, a notch 1256 is provided in the otherwise convex engagement surface, the notch 1256 extending from one peripheral edge of the pad 1254 to an opposing peripheral edge. The notch 1256 includes two acutely -angled scrubbing surfaces, which can help facilitate cleaning utensils.

Where tensioning of the foil is conducted by hand, deployment of the metal foil into its expanded configuration can be accomplished by tensioning the metal foil over the outer surface of the pad. Whether the outer surface has a planar surface, convex surface with a simple curvature, or convex surface with a compound curvature, such action can be used to tension the foil along multiple axes. Depending on the configuration and material used, the foil may or may not remain in its deployed (i.e., expanded) configuration after being tension activated. In some cases, for example, it may return partially or wholly back to its original shape prior to deployment. In these instances, it can be beneficial for the gripping member to have a sufficient strength and/or stiffness to maintain tension forces on the foil without buckling or other undue shape change for the gripping member.

EXAMPLES

Objects and advantages of this disclosure are further illustrated by the following non-limiting examples, but the particular materials and amounts thereof recited in these examples, as well as other conditions and details, should not be construed to unduly limit this disclosure. Unless otherwise noted, all parts, percentages, and ratios in the Examples and the rest of the specification are by weight.

Sample Preparation

Stainless steel scrubbing articles were fabricated from stainless steel foil stock having a thickness of 30 micrometers.

Slits were formed into the foil stock using a laser cutting process, implemented by a Mitsubishi Fiber Optic Laser, model number ML 3015 eX-F40 outfitted with an EX-F M800/LC30EF controller. Samples EXI to EX4 were made according to slit patterns called out in Table 1.

Scrubbing Test

To characterize their efficacy, stainless steel scrubbing articles were manually stretched to their fully deployed state and mounted to a backing, with tension maintained by the backing to keep them deployed. Stainless steel panels were cleaned using 99% isopropanol 3 times to ensure no oils or debris remain on the test surface. Three locations along the panel were then marked to define lanes roughly 2.54 cm (1 inch) wide on the panel to provide a consistent measurement. Measure each area using the gloss meter and optical profilometer to obtain a measurement of initial gloss G, and initial surface roughness Rai. The handheld gloss meter was oriented perpendicular to the panel for each test.

To prepare a scrubbing article sample fortesting, the sample was wrapped around a backing that has been chosen for that material and secured with double sided tape to the backing. To provide further securement, hook and loop tape was added to the back side of the sample. Using a 2.3 kg (5 lb.) weighted handle, the sample was wiped back and forth across the stainless steel panel for 25 cycles, representing a total of 50 passes. Gloss (including initial gloss G,) and R_a (including initial surface roughness R_a) were measured at the same 3 marked areas noted above. Repeat the wiping and measurements steps above until data has been collected every 25 cycles stopping at 100 cycles.

Comparisons between samples will be done by looking at the difference between initial and final values as follows: Gloss =Gs (100 cycles) - G, (initial) \R = R_a5 (100 cycles) - R_w (initial)

The higher the change in gloss, the more the sample has abraded the surface. Further, the higher AR_a the more aggressively the sample has abraded the sample, on average. Results are presented in Table 1 below.

Table 1. Scrubbing Test results

All cited references, patents, and patent applications in the above application for letters patent are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety in a consistent manner. In the event of inconsistencies or contradictions between portions of the incorporated references and this application, the information in the preceding description shall control. The preceding description, given in order to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to practice the claimed disclosure, is not to be construed as limiting the scope of the disclosure, which is defined by the claims and all equivalents thereto.

Claims

CLAIMS: What is claimed is:

1. A method of making a scrubbing article, comprising: providing a plurality of slits cut into a metal foil extending across a given plane; deploying the metal foil into an expanded configuration by tensioning the metal foil along at least one axis within the given plane such that edges of the plurality of slits protrude outside of the given plane to provide the scrubbing article.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein deploying the metal foil comprises tensioning the metal foil along two orthogonal axes in the given plane.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, further comprising coupling the deployed metal foil to a gripping member.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the deployed metal foil is releasably coupled to the gripping member.

5. The method of claim 3 or 4, wherein the gripping member comprises a contoured handle.

6. The method of any one of claims 3-5, wherein the gripping member is resiliently compressible.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the gripping member comprises a non-woven fibrous web (optionally made from virgin or recycled fibers), an open-celled foam, closed-cell foam, or combination thereof.

8. The method of any one of claims 3-7, wherein the gripping member has an outer surface and deploying the metal foil into its expanded configuration comprises tensioning the metal foil over the outer surface, the outer surface optionally being a convex surface.

9. The method of any one of claims 1-8, wherein the metal foil including a plurality of slits that form a multi-slit pattern wherein the plurality of slits are arranged in rows.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the multi-slit pattern comprises a biaxial multi-slit pattern.

11. The method of claim 9 or 10, wherein each slit includes at least one of hook, loop, sine wave, square wave, or triangle wave.

12. The method of any one of claims 9-11, wherein the multi-slit pattern extends through one or more of the edges of the metal foil.

13. The method of any one of claims 1-8, wherein the metal foil includes a plurality of slits that form a single slit pattern, wherein the single slit pattern enables at least portions of the metal foil to rotate relative to the given plane when the metal foil is tensioned along the at least one axis.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein prior to deployment at least some of the plurality of slits includes multiple peaks and valleys in the given plane.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein each of the slits in the plurality of the slits includes one or more multibeams.

16. The method of any one of claims 1-8, wherein each of the slits in a row are spaced in a transverse direction from directly adjacent slits in the row to form an axial beam, wherein the axial beam extends between slits in adjacent rows, and wherein the plurality of slits include a repeating pattern of compound slits.

17. The method of any one of claims 1-16, wherein the metal foil is disposed on a polymeric sheet that is coextensive with the metal foil, the plurality of slits extending through both the metal foil and the polymeric sheet.

18. An expandable scrubbing article comprising: a metal foil extending across a given plane and including a plurality of slits that form a biaxial multi-slit pattern, wherein the biaxial multi-slit pattern of slits enables the metal foil to be deployed into an expanded configuration by tensioning the metal foil along at least one axis along the given plane such that edges of the plurality of slits protrude outside of the given plane to provide an expanded configuration.

19. A scrubbing article made by deploying the expandable scrubbing article of claim 18 into its expanded configuration.

20. The scrubbing article made using the method of any one of claims 1-17.

21. A method of scrubbing a substrate comprising: providing the scrubbing article of claim 19 or 20, wherein the scrubbing article includes a gripping member; and while holding the gripping member, wiping the scrubbing article against the substrate.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the substrate comprises a soiled surface.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the substrate comprises an abradable surface.