JP2005066085A - Mat for wiping feet - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a mat for wiping feet capable of maintaining excellence in moisture absorption and dryness for a long period even the use by a great many people. <P>SOLUTION: The mat for wiping the feet comprises at least three-layered material integrally connected. A fiber density of a first sheet 1 of the outermost layer is coarser than that of a second layer sheet material 2 and has a gas permeability of at least 50 cc/cm<SP>2</SP>/sec. A second layer sheet material 2 consists essentially of a synthetic fiber with a fineness of 0.01-2 dtex, having a thickness of 0.5-10 mm and a void amount of at least 10 cc per 100 cm<SP>2</SP>. A third layer sheet material 3 has a thickness of 2-20 mm and a fiber density of at least 0.05 g/cc. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a foot-wiping mat, and more particularly, to a foot-wiping mat having excellent texture while wiping off moisture efficiently from wet feet or footwear.

  Traditionally, towel mats and tufting mats are often used for foot wipe mats placed at the entrances and exits of bathrooms. However, when it was used continuously, a wet feeling was generated, and it was inevitable that it would be very uncomfortable.

As a foot-wiping mat that solves such a problem, a mat with a three-dimensional mesh structure has been proposed (see Patent Document 1, Patent Document 2, etc.). However, even if many people use it, not only does it have excellent moisture absorption over a long period of time and can maintain a dry feeling, but it also does not improve the comfortable texture, and many people use it. It was not yet perfect as a mat to wipe.
JP 2002-209709 A JP 2003-10031 A

  An object of the present invention is to provide a foot-wiping mat that solves the above-described conventional problems, maintains an excellent dry feeling over a long period of time even when used by a large number of people, and has an excellent texture. It is in.

In order to achieve the above object, the foot-wiping mat of the present invention has a structure in which at least three layers of sheet-like materials are integrally bonded, and the fiber density of the outermost first sheet-like material is the second layer. It is coarser than the sheet material of the eye, the air flow rate is 50 cc / cm ² / sec or more, and the sheet material of the second layer is composed mainly of synthetic fibers having a fineness of 0.01 to 2 dtex, and is thick. Is 0.5 to 10 mm, the amount of voids per 100 cm ² is 10 cc or more, and the sheet material of the third layer is 2 to 20 mm in thickness and the fiber density is 0.05 g / cc or more. It is characterized by this.

  According to the foot-wiping mat of the present invention, by combining at least three layers of sheet-like materials in the above-mentioned configuration, excellent moisture even when laid in a place where many people use such as a bathroom By having an absorptivity, a good dry feeling can be maintained over a long period of time, and an excellent texture such as waist, tension and elasticity can be provided.

  FIG.1 and FIG.2 illustrates the foot-wiping mat which consists of embodiment of this invention.

  As shown in the figure, the foot-wiping mat 10 has a first-layer sheet-like material 1 arranged on the outermost layer, and a second-layer sheet-like material 2 below the first-layer sheet-like material 1. A sheet material 3 of the third layer and a sheet material 4 of the fourth layer which is the backmost layer are laminated in order, and the periphery thereof is integrally stitched with a sewing thread 5. In this laminated structure, the sheet material 1 of the first layer has a dry feeling, the sheet material 2 of the second layer has water retention, and the sheet material 3 of the third layer has a waist. The fourth layer sheet 4 functions so as not to wet the floor.

  In the present invention, the sheet material of the first layer has a fabric structure with a fiber density that is coarser than that of the sheet material of the lower second layer in order to give a dry feeling. Moisture received by the sheet material of the eye is easily moved to the sheet material of the second layer. Such a rough sheet-like structure is not particularly limited, but it is preferable to use a fabric in which the fineness of the first-layer fibers is larger than the fineness of the second-layer fibers.

  The greater the difference in thickness, the better the dry feeling. The fineness of the first layer fibers should be at least 1.5 times the fineness of the second layer fibers, more preferably 3 times or more. The upper limit can be increased up to 100,000 times. If the fineness of the first-layer fibers is more than 100,000 times, the outermost sheet-like material will have a rough and rigid feeling, which is not preferable.

Further, the sheet-like material of the first layer needs to have a rough structure as described above and an air flow rate of 50 cc / cm ² / sec or more. The greater the air flow rate of the sheet-like material, the faster the movement of moisture and the faster the drying, which is advantageous for improving the dry feeling. However, the upper limit of the air flow rate is desirably up to 5000 cc / cm ² / sec. Here, the air flow rate is a value measured according to the measurement method A defined in JIS L1096.

  The type of the sheet-like material in the first layer may be any of a woven fabric, a knitted fabric and a non-woven fabric, and is not particularly limited, but preferably a knitted fabric having excellent flexibility is used. In particular, when the surface is brushed or has a pile structure, a better dry feeling can be obtained.

  Further, it is more preferable that the first-layer sheet-like material has a two-layered dense structure in which the front side is rough and the back side is dense. The structural difference between the coarse and the dense is preferably given by the difference in the thickness of the used fibers as in the case of the first layer and the second layer. As a difference in thickness, the thickness of the coarse fiber is preferably 1.5 times or more that of the dense fiber, and preferably 3 to 50 times. The upper limit is 100 times, and if it is larger than 100 times, processing becomes difficult.

  In the present invention, the sheet material of the second layer is configured to have a denser fiber density than the sheet material of the first layer in order to maintain the water retention function. With such a dense structure, moisture can be absorbed by capillarity and retained. In addition, it is important that the sheet-like material is composed mainly of synthetic fibers. Since synthetic fibers are hydrophobic, they can easily cause capillary action when formed into a dense structure. Although the kind of synthetic fiber which can be used is not specifically limited, For example, polyester, polyamide, an acryl, a polypropylene etc. can be illustrated.

  The fineness of the synthetic fiber is preferably thin. The thinner the fiber, the larger the fiber surface area, and the smaller the space between the fibers, so that capillary action is improved and moisture retention is improved. Therefore, the fineness of the fiber is used in the range of 0.01 to 2 dtex. If it is thinner than 0.01 dtex, the water retainability is too good, and the washability and drying properties are deteriorated. Moreover, since the rigidity of a single fiber becomes small, the formation property of a space | gap is worsened. If it is thicker than 2 dtex, the space between the fibers becomes too large, and the moisture retention deteriorates. In addition, it tends to cause moisture oozing during use.

  The cross section of such fibers may be solid or hollow. Further, the cross-sectional shape is not limited to a round shape, but may be an irregular cross-section such as a T shape, a flat shape, or a tear shape. In particular, complicated cross-sectional shapes such as T-shape, Y-shape, H-shape, π-shape, and teardrop shape are preferable because they increase the fiber surface area and improve the moisture retention.

  In the case of natural fibers, the fibers themselves have a water absorption property, so that the fibers themselves feel wet, and when they are used repeatedly, they are quickly deteriorated by washing, so they cannot be used as a main component. However, it is possible to use a water-absorbing / hygroscopic natural fiber for the intermediate layer in the case of a plurality of layers. Examples of such natural fibers include cotton, wool, hemp and the like.

Further, the sheet-like material of the second layer needs to be 10 cc or more per 100 cm ² area as the void amount. Since the amount of voids is the amount of moisture absorbed by capillary action, the larger the amount, the better. If the void amount is less than 10 cc / 100 cm ^2, it is too small to make the sheet-like material into a water-absorbing state. The void amount may be up to 500 cc / 100 cm ² as the upper limit. If the amount of voids is more than this, it is difficult for capillary action to occur, and since the amount of compression when pressed is large, moisture contained in water will be pushed out.

Here, the void amount of the sheet-like material (fabric) means an amount given by the following equation by measuring the volume per area of the fabric.
(Void amount of sheet-like material) = (volume of fabric) − (volume of fibers constituting the fabric)

  The thickness of the sheet material of the second layer is preferably thinner from the viewpoint of handleability, but it is preferably thicker from the viewpoint of securing the void amount. For this reason, the thickness is 0.5 to 20 mm, preferably 1 to 15 mm. If the thickness is less than 0.5 mm, the amount of voids is insufficient, so that the water absorption targeted by the present invention cannot be ensured. Moreover, when larger than 20 mm, although water absorption will become large, handleability will deteriorate.

  The mass of the sheet is preferably in the range of 0.07 to 0.5 g / cc, more preferably in the range of 0.1 to 0.4 g / cc. If it is less than 0.07 g / cc, the amount of voids is increased, but it is not preferable because the amount of water oozing out during crushing due to an increase in the retention and compression rate for several minutes due to capillary action increases. On the other hand, if it is larger than 0.5 g / cc, the occupied volume of fibers in the sheet-like material is increased, so that the amount of water held is reduced, and it becomes heavy and hard.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the sheet-like material of the second layer is composed of a plurality of layers under the conditions having the necessary functions described above. This is because by adjusting the lamination according to the required performance of the product, it becomes possible to easily cope with the required amount of water absorption. In order to be able to cope with the required performance in detail, the number of layers is preferably in the range of 2 to 20 layers.

  Any kind of sheet-like material of the second layer can be used as long as it is configured in a sheet shape such as a nonwoven fabric, a woven fabric, and a knitted fabric. Among these, non-woven fabrics are preferable, and it is easy to select a thickness and a porosity, and to easily obtain a sheet-like material that easily causes capillary action and retains moisture.

  The method for forming the nonwoven fabric is not particularly limited. For example, there is a method for bonding fibers by needle punching, water punching, heat fixing, adhesive fixing, or the like. Examples of a method for obtaining a nonwoven fabric composed of fine fibers of 1 dtex or less include melt blow and spun bond. In addition, as a method of obtaining a nonwoven fabric of fine fibers of 1 dtex or less, a nonwoven fabric formed of sea-island composite fibers is treated with a solvent to elute sea components, or a high-pressure water stream is made to collide with the nonwoven fabric formed of composite fibers. There is a method to divide. Among these, the method of splitting the composite fiber by colliding the high-pressure water flow against the nonwoven fabric made of the composite fiber is particularly preferable, and the operation of splitting the stable nonwoven fabric structure and the composite fiber can be efficiently performed at a time.

  The water pressure when dividing the composite fiber with the high-pressure water flow is preferably as low as possible, but 5 MPa or more is necessary. When the pressure is lower than this, it is necessary to produce the yarn so that the composite fiber itself can be easily divided. The upper limit of the water pressure is 25 MPa, and if it is more than this, the sheet is too tight and the amount of voids is reduced, which is not preferable.

  It is preferable that at least one of the first-layer and second-layer sheet-like materials described above, preferably both, is coated with a water-absorbing agent on the fiber surface to further improve water absorption. As the water-absorbing agent, silicone-based, polyester-based, and polyamide-based are preferably used, and are made to adhere to the fiber surface with an adhesive. It is preferable that the water absorption performance provided in this way is 50 mm or more in terms of the water absorption value according to the Pyreck method of the water absorption measurement method B defined in JIS L1096. If it is less than 50 mm, the water absorption is poor due to poor moisture diffusion, and a dry feeling cannot be obtained.

  In addition, at least one of the first layer and the second layer, and preferably both, the density is preferably 0.05 g / cc or more. If it is less than 0.05 g / cc, shape deformation tends to occur, which is not preferable in terms of practicality. However, if the density is too high, the mat is difficult to bend, becomes plate-like, and increases in weight.

  Moreover, it is preferable that at least one of the sheet-like materials of the first layer and the second layer, and preferably both, antibacterial properties are imparted to the fibers. For example, an organic or inorganic antibacterial agent may be added so as to prevent the growth of Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, ringworm, etc.

  The antibacterial agent that can be used is not particularly limited. For example, an organic antibacterial agent can use a quaternary ammonium chloride compound or chlorhexidine, and an inorganic antibacterial agent can use silver zeolite, copper sulfide, or the like. Further, imparting antibacterial properties is preferable because it can prevent odors generated by bacteria. Such antibacterial agent application methods include kneading into a synthetic fiber and a method of adhering to the surface together with an adhesive during post-processing. The antibacterial measurement method may be a measurement by the unified test method prescribed by the New Functional Evaluation Council for Textile Products, and it is sufficient that the bacteriostatic activity value is 2 or more.

  In the present invention, the sheet-like material of the third layer is provided to impart a waist, tension and elasticity to the foot-wiping mat.

  The foot-wiping mat does not have a waist or tension and has poor elasticity only with the above-described first layer and second layer sheets. When folded, it remains bent and is difficult to handle as a rug. For this purpose, the thickness is 2 to 20 mm and the fiber density is 0.05 g / cc or more. If the thickness is less than 2 mm or the fiber density is less than 0.05 g / cc, it is difficult to obtain tension and waist, and elasticity is also difficult. If it is thicker than 20 mm, the weight increases and the handling becomes difficult. The upper limit of the fiber density is preferably 1 g / cc. If the fiber density is higher than 1 g / cc, it becomes hard and poor in elasticity.

  The sheet material of the third layer may be a knitted fabric, a woven fabric, a non-woven fabric, or the like. The constituting fiber may be a synthetic fiber or a natural fiber. The type of the synthetic fiber is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include polyester, nylon, polypropylene, and acrylic. The type of natural fiber is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include cotton, wool, hemp and the like. For the third-layer sheet-like material, synthetic resin foams such as polystyrene, polypropylene, and polyurethane can be used as an alternative, but it is preferable to use the above-mentioned sheet-like material.

  In the foot-wiping mat of the present invention, it is preferable to provide a sheet material of the fourth layer for the purpose of waterproofing below the sheet material of the third layer. This is because when a foot wiping mat is used by a large number of people, moisture may leak from the third-layer sheet to wet the floor.

  The sheet material of the fourth layer is not particularly limited as long as it has a waterproof function. For example, a resin film of polyurethane, polyethylene, polypropylene, nylon, polyester, or the like is attached to the sheet material. Or a sheet-like product such as a taffeta woven fabric or a knit fabric.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the first layer and the second layer sheet are stitched together by quilting. Thus, a dry feeling can be further emphasized by sticking both layers by quilting. In this case, pasting with an adhesive or fusing is not preferable because smooth movement of moisture between the two layers becomes impossible.

  It is necessary that at least the first-layer sheet material to the third-layer sheet material are integrally coupled. As the coupling means, stitching with a sewing thread is preferable. The stitching may be performed continuously or discontinuously around the laminated sheet-like material.

  Moreover, the foot-wiping mat of this invention is good to add a slip prevention function to a bottom face. The means for adding this anti-slip function is not particularly limited. For example, a resin such as acrylic or vinyl chloride is fixed to the bottom surface in a dot or sheet shape, or the resin is applied to a sheet material such as a nonwoven fabric. You can use what you spray as an underlay.

Example 1
As the first layer sheet material, two types of polyester yarn of 55 dtex × 12 filament and 55 tex × 46 filament are used, and the knitted fabric is knitted with a tricot knitting machine so that the former is the back and the latter is the front. made. Furthermore, after finishing this knitted fabric, it is immersed in an aqueous solution of a polyester-based water absorbent and an adhesive, squeezed so that the amount of the water absorbent adhering during drying is 0.3% by weight, and then dried by a dryer. Thus, a first layer sheet-like material was prepared.

  Further, the sheet material of the second layer is composed of a composite fiber having a mandarin-shaped cross section, in which nylon is arranged in six real parts, and polyester is arranged in the part of the separating skin between the real parts. A 9 dtex × 38 mm short fiber was spread on a card machine to create a sheet. This sheet was laminated and polymerized, and was passed through a total of 6 times so as to perform pre-punching once each on the front and back sides at a water pressure of 2 MPa using a water jet punch machine, and then punching twice each on the front and back sides at a water pressure of 10 MPa. Further, the obtained sheet was immersed in an aqueous solution of a polyester-based and polyamide-based water absorbent and an adhesive, and after squeezing so that the amount of the water absorbent adhering at the time of drying was 0.5% by weight, It was made to dry and the sheet-like material of the 2nd layer was created.

  The single fiber fineness of the fiber after the composite fiber was divided by the water jet punch was 0.2 dtex for the nylon part and 0.75 dtex for the polyester part.

  Further, as a sheet material of the third layer, a 6 dtex × 51 mm polyester short fiber is spread on a card machine to create a sheet, and then a needle punch nonwoven fabric in which the fiber is entangled with a needle punch machine It was created.

  Further, a taffeta woven fabric of polyester fibers (weave density 180/25 mm) was prepared as a sheet-like material for the back layer.

  The first, second, and third layer sheets obtained as described above are laminated with the back layer sheet, and the periphery thereof is sewn with 20 cotton count polyester multifilament yarns. By doing so, the foot-wiping mat of the present invention was manufactured. Table 1 shows the properties and performances of the first layer, the second layer, the third layer sheet, and the back layer sheet.

  As a result of using the obtained foot-wiping mat for bathrooms, even after multiple people used it for foot-wiping, the wet feeling was not remembered at all, and a dry feel could be maintained. Also, it was rich in waist, tension and elasticity, and had an excellent texture as a rug.

Comparative Example 1
Cut the sheet material of the first layer and the sheet material of the second layer prepared in Example 1 into a size of 65 cm × 45 cm, and further sew the periphery with a polyester multifilament yarn of 20 cotton counts. Thus, a foot-wiping mat of Comparative Example 1 was produced. Table 1 shows the characteristics and performance of each sheet-like material.

  When the foot-wiping mat of Comparative Example 1 was used in the same manner as in Example 1, the dry feeling was the same as in Example 1, but there was no elasticity, it felt directly attached to the floor, and there was no waist and tension. Therefore, it was difficult to treat as a rug.

Comparative Example 2
Cut the sheet material of the first layer and the sheet material of the third layer prepared in Example 1 into a size of 65 cm × 45 cm, and further sew the periphery with a polyester multifilament yarn of 20 cotton counts. Thus, a foot wiping mat of Comparative Example 2 was produced. Table 1 shows the characteristics and performance of each sheet-like material.

  When the foot-wiping mat of Comparative Example 2 was used in the same manner as in Example 1, there was a feeling of wetness, and since there was no dry feeling at all, there was much discomfort.

It is a perspective view showing a foot-wiping mat which consists of an embodiment of the present invention, partly fractured. It is sectional drawing of the foot-wiping mat of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 1st sheet-like thing 2 2nd sheet-like thing 3 3rd sheet-like thing 4 4th sheet-like thing 5 Sewing thread

Claims (9)

The sheet-like material of at least three layers is integrally bonded, and the first-layer sheet material of the outermost layer has a fiber density coarser than that of the second-layer sheet material, and the air flow rate is 50 cc / and in cm ² / sec or more, sheet of the second layer is fineness is constructed mainly of synthetic fibers 0.01～2Dtex, a thickness of 0.5 to 10 mm, the void volume per 100 cm ² Is a foot-wiping mat having a thickness of 2 to 20 mm and a fiber density of 0.05 g / cc or more.   The foot-wiping mat according to claim 1, wherein a water-absorbing agent is attached to the fibers constituting the first-layer sheet and / or the second-layer sheet.   The foot-wiping mat according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the sheet material of the second layer is composed of a nonwoven fabric of composite fibers, and the composite fibers have a characteristic of being divided into a plurality of fibers by a water pressure of 5 MPa or more.   The foot-wiping mat according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein at least one of the first-layer, second-layer, and third-layer sheets is made of antibacterial fibers.   The foot-wiping mat according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the second-layer sheet-like material is composed of a plurality of layers.   The foot-wiping mat according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a waterproof sheet is disposed on the back side of the third layer.   The foot-wiping mat according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the sheet material of the first layer and the sheet material of the second layer are integrally stitched by quilting.   The foot-wiping mat according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the means for integrally joining the at least three layers of sheet-like material is stitching with a sewing thread. The foot-wiping mat according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein an anti-slip is applied to the outermost surface.

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