KR20080100475A - Scouring products - Google Patents

Abstract

A hand-held scouring product is disclosed. The hand-held scouring product is hand-sized in three dimensions and, throughout. The hand-held scouring product consists essentially of abrasive material comprising non-woven, autogenously-bonded fibres.

Description

Scouring Products {SCOURING PRODUCTS}

The present invention relates to a scouring product suitable for handheld use in a variety of environments, including but not limited to home environments.

Substrates that provide a scouring action are widely used for cleaning in home environments and are most frequently employed for cleaning cooking utensils and for cleaning surfaces of kitchens and bathrooms. Scouring substrates already known for such applications include fibrous nonwoven materials that may include abrasive particles to enhance abrasive action. Relatively thin, resin-bonded nonwoven webs of that type are often cut into hand pads that provide scouring action on both sides, and thinner webs of that type are often laminated to a layer of sponge to one side It is cut with a hand pad that provides a scouring action on the surface and a wiping action on the other side. For example, US Pat. No. 2,958,593 (Hoover et al.) Describes a scouring pad for use in the kitchen, formed from a lofty nonwoven three-dimensional web of autogenously-bonded fibers, Abrasive particles are distributed within the web and bonded to the web fibers. The pads are approximately 10.8 x 17.8 x 0.65 cm (4.25 x 7.0 x 0.25 inches).

Other hand-held scouring articles are described, for example, in International Application Publication No. WO 92/01536, International Application Publication WO 95/34239, European Patent A-0 808 602, British Patent A-1 143 238, British Patent A-1 171 980, US Patent 3,175,331, US Patent 4,856,134 and US Patent 5,363,604. U. S. Patent No. 3,345, 668 describes an abrasive article for hand scouring operations comprising a pad-type structure formed from entangled strips of a plurality of plastic films.

The present invention relates to the provision of alternative scouring products comprising fibrous nonwoven webs for the purpose of providing consumers with a wider choice of products that are easy to handle and suitable for use in different situations.

The present invention provides a handheld scouring product that is handheld in three dimensions and consists essentially of abrasive material comprising entirely self-bonded nonwoven fibers. In the embodiments of the invention described herein, the article may be substantially cuboidal or spherical in shape but may be, for example, substantially oval or cylindrical.

For illustrative purposes, the scouring product according to the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a perspective view of a scouring product according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a modified form of the scouring product of Figure 1;

3 is a perspective view of another scouring product according to the invention.

4 is a side view of one form of the scouring product of the general type shown in FIG.

5 is a schematic representation of another form of scouring product of the type shown in FIG.

6 is a perspective view of another scouring product in accordance with the present invention.

The products according to the embodiments of the present invention described below are all of a size that is hand-held in three dimensions, and are made of abrasive material comprising entirely self-bonded nonwoven fibers (ie, fibers bonded to each other at mutual contact points). It's essentially done. The abrasive material has virtually lofty properties. In other words, the abrasive material has a relatively high opening or relatively low density due to the presence of many relatively large interconnecting voids in the network. In the context of the present invention, the term "lofty" refers to the bonded web preferably having a density of about 60 kg / m 3 or less.

Three-dimensional matrices (eg, webs) of nonwoven fibers may be formed in different ways using known equipment specially provided for that purpose, and the bonding of the fibers may also be achieved by spraying a bonding resin on the matrix, for example, It can be done in different ways, including incorporating thermal bonding fibers in the matrix being formed, or incorporating powder bonding resin in the matrix being formed.

1 shows a handheld scouring product 1 comprising a generally cuboidal piece of fibrous nonwoven web material. Fiber webs are air laid webs formed from a mixture of relatively coarse polymer fibers and thermally bonded fibers using a Rando-Webber web making machine. The relatively coarse fibers have titers in the range of about 200 to about 500 dtex. The web making machine is adjusted to form relatively thick webs (eg, about 5 cm thick) with relatively low fiber weights (eg, in the range of 500-2000 g / m 2). The fiber web is prebonded by passing an oven operated at a temperature sufficient to soften the heat bond fibers and bond them to other fibers in the web. The prebonded web is then roll-coated with a suitable resin in an amount sufficient to saturate the web, and once the web passes through the oven, the resin cures to a bonding web having a density in the range of 40 to 60 kg / m 3. To form. The joining webs are then cut into cubes, each as shown in FIG. 1.

The relatively coarse fibers may be polymer fibers, including, for example, polyamide, polyester and / or polypropylene fibers. Alternatively, the relatively coarse fibers may be natural fibers, including, for example, coco palm and / or sisal fibers. The thermal bond fibers may be polyester or polypropylene fibers and may be in bi-component form. The roll coating resin may be an acrylic latex resin or a rubber latex resin that is a relatively flexible web. However, any other suitable material can be used.

If desired, the polishing effect of the scouring product 1 can be increased by including the abrasive particles in the roll coating resin. These particles may be of any type known to be suitable for use in scouring materials and may include mineral and / or polymer particles. Alternatively, the polishing effect of the scouring product 1 can be increased by including some very coarse (eg, having a titer of about 1000 dtex) into the web.

In a first example, the nonwoven web used for the scouring product 1 comprises a fiber mixture comprising nylon 6.6 fiber with a titer of about 200 dtex and a polyester bicomponent thermal bond fiber with a titer of about 20 dtex. And the amount of heat bonded fibers is 20% by weight of the amount of nylon fibers. The fiber web is formed to have a thickness of 5 cm and a fiber basis weight of 1000 g / m 2.

In a second example, the nonwoven web used for the scouring product 1 comprises a fiber comprising nylon 6.6 fiber with a titer of about 500 dtex and a polyester bicomponent thermal bond fiber with a titer of about 20 dtex. Formed of a mixture, and the amount of thermal bonding fibers is 20% by weight of the amount of nylon fibers. The fiber web is formed to have a thickness of 5 cm and a fiber basis weight of 1300 gsm.

In a third example, the nonwoven web used for the scouring product 1 is a nylon 6.6 fiber having a titer of about 500 dtex, a fiber of different color, which is also nylon 6.6 but about 1000 dtex titer, and about 20 formed from a fiber mixture comprising a polyester bicomponent thermal bonded fiber with a titer of dtex, the amount of 1000 dtex fiber is 25% by weight of the 500 dtex fiber amount and the amount of heat bonded fiber is 28% by weight of the 500 dtex fiber amount . The fiber web is formed to have a thickness of 5 cm and a fiber basis weight of 1100 gsm.

In each of the above examples, the web is pre-bonded with an acrylic latex resin, specifically a resin available under the trade name "Primal HA 12S" from the Rohm & Haas company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Roll is coated.

Of course, the relatively thick web cut into the scouring product 1 can be formed in any other way known to be suitable for that purpose. For example, the thermal bonding fibers can be replaced with powder bonding resins, or the bonding resin can be sprayed onto the fiber web.

If desired, one or more sides of the scouring product may be coated with a layer of abrasive particles to provide an alternative scouring effect. To achieve a visually appealing appearance, these particles can be colored polymer particles such as, for example, multicolored PVC (polyvinylchloride) or melamine particles. FIG. 2 shows a scouring product similar to, for example, FIG. 1, in which abrasive particles 1A are applied to one of the faces. This product coated one side of the prebonded fiber web with resin, applied abrasive particles 1A while the resin was still wet, and before the web was cut into cubes as shown in FIG. It can be formed by allowing it to cure. Alternatively, the resin and abrasive particles 1A can be combined to form a slurry that is sprayed onto the web.

Another handheld scouring product 2, also in the shape of a cube, is shown in FIG. 3. In this case, the scouring product is a layered configuration and comprises an approximately square piece 3 of fibrous nonwoven web material, one arranged on top of the other to form a cube. The flap 3 can be, for example, approximately 7.0 square cm and 1.0 cm thick, and any suitable grade of "Scotch-Brite ™" scouring material available from 3M Company, St. Paul, Minn. It can be formed as.

The layers 3 of web material forming the scouring product 2 can be permanently bonded to each other using a suitable adhesive. In order to produce such a scouring product, web materials of a predetermined length will be joined together to form the required number of layers and the layered material will then be cut into a cube shaped article. Suitable adhesives include hot melt urethane adhesives. The adhesive can be applied continuously over the entire surface of the web, for example in the form of a film. Alternatively, the adhesive may be applied only to discrete areas spaced at regular intervals across the surface of the web sufficient to ensure effective bonding to adjacent webs.

Alternatively, the layers 3 of web material forming the scouring product 2 can be temporarily attached to one another so that they can be separated, if necessary. In that way, if the top or bottom side of the product is contaminated or damaged, a clean, unused surface can be removed to expose it. The layer can be, for example, using a suitable peelable adhesive, using an adhesive in discrete areas that can be easily separated, providing a hook member over one layer engaged in the web material of adjacent layers, or replacing one layer with another. They may be attached to one another by lightly needlening the layers or by using web materials that inherently cling to each other.

Adjacent layers 3 of the web material may be of different colors to enhance the appearance of the scouring product 2, but this is not essential. It is also possible to provide two different scouring actions to the scouring product by forming half of the layer with one grade of abrasive material at the top of the stack and the other half of the layer with different grades of abrasive material at the bottom of the stack. . In that case, different grades of material may be of different colors to provide a visual indication to the user.

An alternative method of forming the scouring product 2 is illustrated in FIG. 4. In this case, adjacent layers 3 of the web material are bonded only at one edge 4 without bonding to each other throughout the surface area. In addition, the edges 4 with adjacent layers 3 attached to each other are alternately located on opposite sides of the cube. As shown in FIG. 4, the result is that the scouring product can be opened in a somewhat concertina manner, and thus is more flexible than the product described above with reference to FIG. 3.

As described above, the attachment between adjacent layers 3 of the scouring product of FIG. 4 may be permanent or temporary, the adjacent layers 3 may be of different colors, and the layers 3 of one end half of the stack ) May be formed of a different grade of abrasive material than the layer of the other half of the stack.

Another alternative method of forming the scouring product 2 is illustrated in FIG. 5. In this case, the product is formed of a nonwoven web material 5 of predetermined length that is folded into a "Z" shape as shown to form a cube. If desired, a partial cut may be formed on the outermost surface of the web material at the location of the fold 6 to facilitate folding and also to make the fold less clear in terms of the final product. The length of the material 5 can be, for example, approximately 7.0 cm in width, and a sufficient number of times (about 7.0 cm apart along the length) to produce a stack folded in a “Z” shape of approximately 7.0 cm in height. In position). A configuration folded in a “Z” shape, similar to the concertina configuration in FIG. 4, also provides a more flexible scouring product.

Adjacent layers of the article of FIG. 5 may be permanently or temporarily attached to each other as described above with reference to FIG. 4.

The web material 5 of FIG. 5 may be any suitable grade of “Scotch Bright ™” scouring material mentioned above, available for example from 3M Company, St. Paul, Minn., USA. Alternatively, the web material 5 may be an open material having a density of 60 kg / m 3 or less (preferably 50 kg / m 3 or less) and may be colored to give the product an attractive appearance as desired. For example, it can be formed from relatively coarse fibers such as polypropylene or polyester fibers. These fibers are preferably bonded to one another by, for example, transparent resins selected from polyester, epoxy and latex resins. The web material 5 may further comprise abrasive particles bonded to the fibers, the particles to impart an attractive appearance to the product and also to ensure that the presence of the particles is clearly clear to the user through the open fiber web (eg For example, the diameter may range from 60 to 500 μm or more, and may be relatively large and / or color contrasted with the fibers. Since the scouring article of FIG. 5 is effectively formed from several layers of thinner web material, the construction of the article will be substantially uniform throughout, and in particular abrasive particles will be distributed substantially uniformly throughout the article and will not concentrate only on the surface. You will recognize that.

Another handheld scouring product 8 is shown in FIG. 6. In this case, the product is generally spherical, about 7.0 cm in diameter and less than 60 kg / m 3. The fibrous matrix forming the scouring product 8 may comprise fibers similar to the scouring product of FIGS. 1 to 4 described above, and the fibers may also be formed by spraying, for example, a binder resin on the matrix, It can be bonded to each other in a similar manner by incorporating thermal bonding fibers in the matrix in the middle, or by including powder bonding resin in the matrix in the middle being formed. The scouring product 8 may be formed individually into spherical flocks of fiber, or may be formed of existing fibrous webs before or after the bonding process is completed.

Advantageously, the scouring product 8 comprises relatively coarse fibers having a titer of at least 200 dtex, formed from a relatively open matrix. Two or more different colors and / or different titers of fibers may be used to enhance the appearance of the product and / or to adjust its polishing performance.

In one example, the spherical scouring product 8 is manufactured in the following manner. Airlaid fiber webs are formed of a mixture of relatively coarse polymer fibers and thermally bonded fibers using a Lando-webber web making machine. The relatively coarse fiber has a titer of at least 200 dtex. The web making machine is adjusted to form relatively thick webs (eg, about 5 cm thick) having a relatively low fiber basis weight (range of 500-2000 g / m 2). The fiber web is prebonded by passing an oven operated at a temperature sufficient to soften the heat bond fibers and bond them to other fibers in the web. While the web is still warm, it is formed by spherical piece with a density of about 40 kg / m 3 by hand.

Suitable fiber mixtures for the product 8 include white nylon 6.6 fibers with a titer of 500 dtex, blue nylon 6.6 fibers with a titer of 1000 dtex, and a titer of 20 dtex (to enhance the polishing effect of the product). And a polyester bicomponent thermally bonded fiber having an amount of blue fiber, wherein the amount of the blue fiber is 25% by weight of the white nylon fiber amount and the amount of the heat-bonded fiber is 28% by weight the amount of white nylon fiber.

Products similar to those shown in FIG. 6 may be provided with other shapes, such as, for example, generally oval or cylindrical shapes.

The various scouring products described above with reference to the figures are all convenient and comfortable to use because of their size, thus allowing the user to perform the scouring operation more efficiently. They provide the user with increased choice regarding both the overall form and composition of the scouring product and facilitate the user to select the product that is most suitable for a particular cleaning task. In addition, the construction of the product makes it relatively easy for manufacturers to change their appearance through the use of different colored fibers and abrasive particles (when present), thereby increasing purchasing power for the user.

Claims (16)

A handheld scouring product of three dimensions dimensioned at hand and consisting essentially of abrasive material comprising entirely self-bonded nonwoven fibers. The product of claim 1, wherein the size of the product is substantially the same in the three dimensions. The product of claim 1, wherein the size of the product is at least 5.0 cm in the three dimensions. The product of claim 1, wherein the size of the product ranges from 5.0 to 12.0 cm in the three dimensions. The article of claim 1, wherein the abrasive material comprises polymeric fibers or natural fibers. The article of claim 1, wherein the abrasive material comprises polymer fibers having a titer of at least 20 dtex. The article of claim 1, wherein the abrasive material is a Lofty material having a density of about 60 kg / m 3 or less. 8. The article of claim 1 comprising substantially the same abrasive material throughout. 9. The article of claim 1 comprising abrasive particles bonded to the fibers. The article of claim 1, wherein the article is substantially cubic in shape. The article of claim 10, wherein the article is formed from a single web of nonwoven material. 10. The article of claim 9, wherein the article is formed of a plurality of adjacent layers of abrasive material attached to each other. The article of claim 12, wherein at least some of the layers are separable from the other layers. The article of claim 10, wherein the article is formed of a nonwoven material of a predetermined length that is folded into a “Z” shape to form a cube shaped stack. 15. The article of any of claims 10-14, wherein abrasive particles are bonded to at least one side of the cube. The article of claim 1, wherein the article is substantially spherical, oval or cylindrical in shape.

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