MX2008007402A - Cleaning wipe with textured surface - Google Patents

Abstract

A cleaning wipe for use in cleaning a surface may be used as a stand-alone product or incorporated with any manner of cleaning tool. The wipe includes a base material having an application face and a plurality of projections extending generally transversely from the application face. The projections may have various shapes, including a mushroom-shape. A high friction element is applied to at least a portion of the projections such that the projections provide the cleaning wipe with an enhanced abrasive scrubbing functionality.

Description

CLEANING CLOTH WITH TEXTURED SURFACE Background Various types of disposable cleaning wipes are well known in the art as stand-alone products, or for attachment in any way to a cleaning tool, such as a mop, hand held mopping device, etc. With many types of conventional mops, a disposable cleaning cloth or pad component can be attached to the mop head and configured to pick up dirt, lint, fluid, and other materials from a surface when the scrub head is moved over the surface . The disposable cleaning cloth can be designed to pick up these materials in a dry or wet state. Once the disposable cleaning cloth reaches the end of its designed life, the user can remove the cleaning cloth from the scrubbing head and subsequently dispose of the cleaning cloth. At such a time, a new disposable cleaning cloth can be applied to the scrubbing head in order to resume or initiate cleaning. Other disposable cleaning devices are also known in the art, such as disposable industrial cleaning wipes, or pads, sponges, or foam blocks, and other devices held in the hand that are designed with a particular cleaning functionality. Once the products are beyond their useful life and have been degraded to a point where the cleaning functionality is not already achieved, the products are discarded.

The bottom surface of a conventional scrubbing head is generally flat and the disposable wiping cloth is pressed flat against the surface to be cleaned, which is typically also a substantially uniform flat surface. While smaller particles can be adequately removed and retained by the scrubbing head, cleaning in this manner is often ineffective in capturing and retaining larger particles, such as hair and dust or lint accumulation, from the surface to be cleaned. For example, dust and / or lint balls may be detached from the disposable cleaning cloth either during cleaning, or after the scrub head has been lifted from the surface that was freshly cleaned. Also, various types of surface dirt can only be removed with at least some degree of abrasive scrubbing action. In this regard, it has also been proposed in the art to configure cleaning pads or disposable pads intended for use with mops with multiple cleaning functions, including an "abrasive" or scrubbing feature. For example, the cleaning surface of the cleaning cloth may include raised areas or "tufts" of increased density to provide the cleaning cloth with an abrasive characteristic, as well as a desired degree of absorbency. Reference is made, for example to U.S. Patent No. 6,797,357, which discloses a disposable cleaning cloth that can be used with a scrubbing head, wherein the cleaning cloth has a macroscopic three-dimensional surface topography created by peaks. formed in the cleaning cloth material. It is alleged that this structure provides the cleaning cloth with the improved ability to lift and retain particles of particulate dirt.

UK Patent GB 2031039, discloses a disposable scouring cloth for dusting made of a non-woven fabric having areas of various degrees of etching. These areas have different degrees of structural integrity and a desired cleaning characteristic for the working view of the cleaning cloth.

U.S. Patent No. 4,741,941, entitled "Non-woven Fabric With Projections", incorporated herein by reference for all purposes, discloses a non-woven fabric useful as a cleaning wiping cloth having separate projections by the laying areas . The projections make cleaning cloths particularly useful for scrubbing applications.

The art is continually seeking improvements in the structure and functionality of disposable cleaning wipes that can be used as a self-supporting product, or by the attachment of any form of cleaning implement, such as a mop head. The present invention relates just to such an improvement.

Synthesis Various features and advantages of the invention will be pointed out in part in the following description, or may be obvious from the description, or may be learned through the practice of the invention.

The present invention relates to a disposable cleaning wipe that can be used as an erect product alone or attached to any form of cleaning implement such as a mop. The cleaning cleaning cloth provides a single textured surface that provides a cleaning cloth with multiple cleaning functions, including abrasive or scrubbing functionality. The cleaning wiper cloth is therefore useful for cleaning surfaces that require more than the cleaning action of the cloth from a soft cleaning cloth to remove all the undesired materials. For example, the cleaning wiper cloth can provide a generally aggressive scouring or abrasive functionality to remove large adhering matter, as well as a cleaning functionality to remove particles from finer surfaces, dust, etc.

The invention encompasses any form of cleaning tool or implement that incorporates the single textured surface as a removable cleaning cloth or the integral component thereof.

In accordance with aspects of the invention, a cleaning cleaning cloth for use in cleaning any form of surface includes a base material having an application face. This base material may be any one or combinations of suitable materials, including a nonwoven material. A plurality of projections is defined on the base material and extend generally transversely from the application face, the projections having a base part and a head part. The projections provide the cleaning cleaning cloth with additional cleaning functionality, namely an abrasive scrubbing function. To further improve the scouring ability of the projections, a high friction element is applied to at least a portion of the projections.

The high friction element can be applied to several areas of the projections or over the entire surface of the projections. For example, in one embodiment, the high friction element is applied to an upper surface of the parts of the projection head. In an alternative embodiment, the high friction element can be applied to the sides of the base part, or to selected areas of the sides of the base part and the head parts.

The high friction element may be any one or a combination of materials. In one embodiment, the high friction element comprises a thermoplastic or silicone elastomer. In a particular embodiment, this element is a coated elastomer applied to various surfaces of the projections by any conventional application methods. The coating may be, for example, rubber, neoprene, polyurethanes, polyisoprenes, synthetic or natural latex, or silicone. Various known coatings can be selected by those skilled in the art to improve the ability of the functional gripping projections of the surface to be cleaned as the wiper cloth is moved across the surface. For many relatively soft surfaces, such as tiles, or highly polished surfaces, without the high friction element, the projections may tend to merely glide across the surface without providing desired scrubbing functionality. Suitable coatings of the high friction element can also include fluoro-polymers, self-cohesion polymers, low agglutinated elastomers, elastomer mixtures, and the like. By way of example, high friction coatings may include ENDUR HEG silicone coatings from Rogers Corporation (of Rogers, Connecticut). Also by way of example, methods for coating silicone elastomers in fibrous materials are described in U.S. Patent No. 6,200,915. High friction materials may also be applied uniformly or non-uniformly to a surface or selected parts of a surface using atomized deposition or dripping of a liquid that is subsequently cured or by known spraying techniques, by coating contact, by printing such as by printing of ink jet, flexographic printing, or printing by engraving, or by other known methods.

The high friction element may comprise or substantially consist of an elastomeric compound with a Shore A hardness of 90 or less, of 75 or less, of 60 or less, or of about 50 or less. Alternatively, or in addition to, the elastomeric compound may have a coefficient of friction (COF) in accordance with Test D-1894 of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) of at least one of the following: 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, or 0.7, such as from 0.4 to 2.5 or from 0.5 to 2. The test should be done against a medium steel surface with a sliding mass of 200 grams. The static coefficient of friction for a substantially smooth, flat sample of 0.5 millimeters thick of the elastomeric material may be one of the following: 0.35, 0.45, 0.55 or 0.75. The friction kinetic coefficient of the high friction element (or of a high friction material added to the projections) may be at least 30% greater than that of the base material, and may be at least 50% larger, at least 70% higher, or at least 100% higher than the coefficient of friction of the base material. In one embodiment, the high friction element comprises a coating applied to parts of a cleaning cloth wherein the treated surface of the cleaning cloth has a coefficient of friction of at least 30% greater or at least 50% greater than the cleaning cloth original untreated The coefficient of kinetic friction (COF) for a dry cleaning cloth comprises high friction elements as measured in accordance with Test D 1804 of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) which may be of at least one of the following : 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, or 0.7, such as from 0.35 to 2.5, or from 0.5 to 2.

In yet another embodiment, the high friction element may be in the form of discrete elements attached to the surface of the projections, or mixed uniformly or heterogeneously throughout the base material. For example, particularly in the case of a nonwoven fabric base material, the high friction element may comprise a resistor (discrete particles of high friction material) adhered to the projections, or distributed throughout the base material. The elastomeric fibers can be a component of the nonwoven material and also serve as the high friction element where the projections are exposed.

It may be desired that the areas of placement of the base material between the projections remain substantially empty of the high friction element, particularly if the placement areas provide a different cleaning functionality as compared to the projections.

The projections can take several sizes, shapes, and spacings on the application face. Depending on the desired cleaning functionality, the projections may have a height relative to the base material placement areas of at least about 1 millimeter, 2 millimeters, or 3 millimeters. The projections may have a conical or dome shape in the cross section and spaced such that the base portions of the projections are generally in contact and continuous on the application face. Alternatively, the projections can be spaced apart in such a way that the placement areas are defined between the projections. The spacing, size and shape of the projections can be varied widely as a function of the desired cleaning functionality to be provided by the cleaning wiper cloth.

In a desired embodiment, the projections have a shape in the cross section such that the head part extends laterally beyond and over hangs the base part. An example of such a configuration is a mushroom-shaped projection. This incorporation is unique in that the voids or spaces between the projections are particularly suitable for trapping hair and other difficult materials to retain the surface being cleaned.

The projections can be defined as individual points structures of the tip type on the application face. In an alternative embodiment, the projections are defined in elongated structures that extend longitudinally such that an elongate channel is defined between the adjacent projections. This incorporation can be particularly useful when the cleaning cloth is configured as a junction of the head of the disposable mop. For example, the projections may be oriented such that they extend longitudinally across the width of the mop head in a direction transverse to a cleaning direction of the mop cleaning head. In an alternative embodiment, the projections are oriented so as to extend longitudinally along the mop head in a direction generally aligned with a direction of cleaning said cleaning head (eg, aligned with the shorter dimension of the head of the head). the mop). In this embodiment, the channels between the adjacent elongate projections may be thinned across and along the length of the projections. In this way, particles of dust, hair, or other particulate matter is pushed along the channels and is tightened in the thinned regions of the channels in use of the mop.

The base material can be any material suitable for a cleaning wiping cloth having any combination of desired cleaning functionalities and capable of forming in and retaining the three dimensional projections. In a particular embodiment, the base material is a non-woven material in which the projections are hydroentangled in the fabric with use of a porous forming substrate having cavities with desired shape of the projections. Water jets in the hydroentanglement process redistribute the fibers in the fabric to create a textured fabric that corresponds to the negative image of the substrate being formed. In this incorporation, the projections will be composed essentially entirely of fibers and will have a greater basis weight in comparison to the areas of placement of the base material between the projections. The principles of formation of hydroentangled fabrics are given in U.S. Patent No. 4,939,016, "Hydraulically Tangled Non Woven Elastomeric Fabric and the Method to Form Same," issued July 3, 1990 to Radwanski et al.

In alternative embodiments, the projections can be formed by any known process by texturing a fabric, including engraving, folding, molding, etc. With these types of methods, the projections can have essentially the same thickness and basis weight as the placement areas between the projections, and be essentially "hollow" and therefore highly compressible. In certain cleaning situations, it is a desirable cleaning functionality.

It should be appreciated that the type of base material and the processes used to form the projections can vary widely within the scope and spirit of the invention.

The projections can be defined in various patterns on the application side of the cleaning wiper cloth. For example, the projections can be defined in a uniform pattern over generally the entire surface area of the application face. The spacing and aspect ratio of the projections can vary widely depending on the desired degree of abrasion for the cleaning wiper cloth. In an alternative embodiment, the projections may be defined in discrete regions on the application face, for example, along the edges of the application face, particularly along the front or side edges of a mop head, or in a discrete middle region. The projections can have the same or different configuration within the different discrete regions depending on the desired cleaning functionalities of the different regions. For example, the projections may have a first configuration and spacing along the side loading and side edges of the application face to provide more intensive scrubbing functionality as compared to a middle region of the application face that can be a void of projections, or have similar projections in a diminished aspect ratio.

It should be appreciated that the cleaning wipes according to the invention can be configured for attachment to any form of cleaning tool, such as a mop, tool held in the hand, energized machine such as a shock absorber, etc. In still alternative embodiments, the single textured surface according to the invention can be formed as a non-removable integral component of a cleaning device. For example, the textured surface can be formed directly on the application face of a cleaning sponge held in the disposable hand or a foam pad. A layer of material having the textured surface can be permanently adhered to the face of such a device. In this regard, the invention encompasses any manner of tool or cleaning implement that incorporates the new textured surface.

Aspects of the invention will be described in more detail below by reference to particular non-limiting embodiments illustrated in the drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of a cleaning tool configured as a mop incorporating aspects of the present invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a part of the cleaning cloth of Figure 1 particularly illustrating the projections on the application face of the cleaning cloth.

Figures 3A to 3C are cross-sectional views of an alternative embodiment of a cleaning cloth and particularly illustrate the effect of high friction elements on the projection surfaces.

Figure 4A is a perspective view of the application face of a mop head and particularly illustrates discrete regions of projections on the application face of the wiper cloth.

Figures 4B and 4C are views of the cross section of the projection configurations of the embodiment of Figure 4A.

Figure 5A is a perspective view of an application face of a mop head and particularly illustrates projections extending longitudinally at the leading edge of the mop head.

Figure 5B is a cross-sectional view of the projection configurations of the embodiment of Figure 5A.

Figure 6A is a perspective view of the application face of a mop head and particularly illustrates projections extending longitudinally along the side edges of the mop head oriented in a direction corresponding to a cleaning direction of the mop head.

Figure 6B is a cross-sectional view of the projection configurations of the embodiment of Figure 6A.

Figure 7 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the cleaning wiper according to the invention that can be used as an erect cleaning implement alone.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of a cleaning sponge held in the hand incorporating a layer of cleaning cloth material in accordance with aspects of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention, and is not meant as a limitation of the invention. For example, the features illustrated or described as part of an embodiment may be used with another embodiment to still produce a third embodiment. It is intended that the present invention include these and other modifications and variations.

With reference to the figures in general, the present invention relates to a single cleaning cleaning cloth intended as a product that stands alone or by incorporation with any form of conventional cleaning tool, such as a mop. Various mop constructions are well known in the art and do not need to be described in detail here for an appreciation or understanding of the present invention. It should also be appreciated that several other cleaning tools can take advantage of the invention, such as implements held in the hand, energized machines (for example a shock absorber or scrubbing brush), etc. In a particular embodiment, the cleaning cloth 10 can be incorporated in a useful cleaning glove, for example, to fix animals or clean dirty carpets.

With reference to Figure 1, a cleaning wiping cloth 10 is illustrated as it may be incorporated with a cleaning tool 46, for example a conventional mop 40 having a handle 42 attached to the cleaning head 32 by any conventional pivot connection 44 The cleaning cloth 10 can be held on the cleaning head 32 by any conventional means such as clasps 43, grooves defined in the upper part of the cleaning head 32, releasable adhesives, hook and loop material, etc. In this particular embodiment, the cleaning wiper cloth 10 is intended as a disposable item that can be promptly removed from the mop 44 and replaced with an additional wiper cloth 10.

The cleaning cloth 10 includes a base material 12 and a plurality of projections 14 defined on the base material as to extend generally transversely from the application face 15 of the cleaning cloth 10. An incorporation of the projections 14 is illustrated particularly in Figure 2 The projections 14 generally include a head portion 20, and a base portion 22. As described in more detail below, the projections 14 can be defined in any desired pattern, spacing, etc., as to provide the cleaning cloth 10 with particularly desired cleaning functions, namely an abrasive or scrubbing function.

For illustrative purposes, the base material 12 is illustrated in the figures as a non-woven material having integral projections 14 on the application face 15. Various embodiments of a suitable base material 12 are described in greater detail below. Also, various methods for forming the projections 14 on the base material 12 are also described in detail below.

For further improved scrubbing ability of the projections 14, a high friction element 24 is applied to at least a portion of the projections 14. For example, with reference to Figure 2, the high friction element 24 is generally applied on the sides of the projections 14, with the head portion 20 of the projections 14 being essentially free of the high friction element 24. In the embodiment of Figure 4B, the high friction element 24 essentially covers the head part 20 and the sides of the base part 22. In the embodiment of Figure 6B, the high friction element 24 is provided on the head part 20 and a limited area of the sides of the base part 22. In the embodiment of the Figure 3A, the high friction element 24 is applied to only greased base part 22, as described in more detail below. It should be appreciated that the high friction element 24 can be provided on the protuberances 14 in any desired shape or pattern.

With reference to Figures 4B and 4C, the base material 12 defines a placement area 18 between the projections 14. The placement areas 18 may be thought to be the regions of the base material 12 that are voids of projections 14. It may be desired that these Placement areas 18 are empty of the high friction element 24 as for a desired functionality separate from the base material (separate from the projections 14) it is not inhibited by the high friction element 24. For example, it may be desired that the base material 12 be a highly absorbent material. It may therefore not be desired to cover the surface area of the base material 12 with the high friction element 24.

The high friction element 24 may be any one or combinations of materials. In a particular embodiment, this element 24 is an elastomeric coating applied to various surfaces of the projections 14 by any conventional method of application such as spraying, dipping, coating, etc. The coating may be, for example, rubber, neoprene, natural or synthetic latex, or silicone. Suitable high-friction elements 24 may also include fluoropolymer coatings, self-cohesive polymers, low-bonded elastomers, elastomer blends, and the like.

In still an alternative embodiment, the high friction elements 24 can be discrete elements attached to the surface of the projections 14, or mixed uniformly or heterogeneously throughout the base material 12. For example, particularly for a non-woven base material 12, the element of High friction 24 may be a grain of sand or other particulate matter adhered to the projections 14, or distributed throughout the base material. The high friction element 24 can also be defined by elastomeric fibers that constitute a component of the nonwoven material. These fibers can be homogeneous throughout the material 12, or selectively present themselves near the application face 15 of the base material 12.

The high friction material 24 provides the protuberances 14 with the ability to more surely "scrub" the surface being cleaned as the wiper cloth is moved in a forward and backward direction. For example, with reference to the embodiment illustrated in Figures 3A through 3C, the protuberances 14 are illustrated with the high friction element 24 applied along one side of the base portion 22 of the protuberances. Figure 3B illustrates the cleaning head 32 being moved in the direction of the arrow. Because the high friction element 24 is not present on the sides of the leading edge of the protuberances 14, the protuberances will move along the surface with a first degree of friction interface. With reference to Figure 3C, the cleaning head 32 is moved in an opposite direction where the high friction elements 24 are now on the leading edge of the protuberances 14. The high friction elements 24 frictionally engage with the surface being cleaned with a second degree of friction interface that is larger than the uncoated protuberances 14, as shown in Figure 3B. This increased friction interface results in improved scrubbing or abrasive functionality. This can be particularly useful for cleaning relatively soft surfaces, such as tiles or highly polished surfaces. Without the high friction elements 24, the projections 14 may tend to slide across the surface without providing the desired scrubbing or abrasive functionality.

As can be seen in the various figures, the protections 14 can take various sizes, shapes, and spacings on the application face 15 of the cleaning cloth 10. All such features will affect the cleaning functionality provided by the projections 14. The projections 14 can having any desired height relative to the placement areas 18 of the base material 12. In a particular embodiment, the head portions 20 of the projections 14 extend at least about 2 millimeters above the placement areas 18.

The projections 14 may have a dome or conical cross section, as illustrated in Figures 3A and 3B. In addition, the sides of the projections 14 can be fused in such a way that the base portions 22 of the projections are generally in contact and continuous on the application face 15. In other words, different contact areas 18 may not be present between the projections 14. Alternatively, the projections 14 can be spaced apart in such a way that the placement areas 18 are defined between the projections 14.

In a particularly desirable embodiment, the projections 14 have a cross-sectional shape such that the head portion 20 extends laterally beyond and protrudes from the base portion 22. With reference to Figures 2 and 4C, such configuration it can be, for example, a projection in the form of a mushroom. This embodiment is particularly unique in that the voids or spaces between the projections 14 are particularly well suited for trapping hair and other materials difficult to retain from the surface being cleaned. The thinned voids (thinned from the head part of the projections 14 towards the placement areas 18) allow for the hair and other relatively larger matter to become essentially "tight" in the empty spaces, with the thinned profile of the projections serving to "enclose" the particulate matter within the voids.

The projections 14 can be defined as individual points or tip-like structures on the surface of the application face 15, as illustrated in Figure 1. In an alternative embodiment illustrated for example in Figures 5A and 6A, the projections 14 are defined as longitudinally extending elongated structures defining an elongated channel 26 between the adjacent projections 14. This embodiment can be particularly useful when the cleaning cloth 10 is configured as a disposable joint to a cleaning head 32 of a mop 40, as shown in FIG. illustrated in the figures. For example, with reference to Figure 5A, the projections 14 can be oriented so as to extend longitudinally across the width of the mop head 32 in a direction that is transverse to the direction of cleaning of the head 32. In other words, the projections 14 can extend transversely between the lateral sides 36 of the mop head 32. The projections 14 can be oriented at the leading edge 34 of the mop head 32 as to provide an initial scraping functionality as the mop head 32 is pushed in a forward direction. In an alternative embodiment, the projections 14 can be arranged along the tail edge 38 of the mop head 32 to provide a tightening-type functionality. Figure 5B illustrates a view of the cross section of the projections 14 that can be used to define the channels 26.

In an alternative embodiment illustrated in Figure 6A, the projections 14 are oriented on the side sides of the mop head 32 so as to extend longitudinally along the mop head in a direction generally aligned with the direction of head cleaning 32. For example, the projections 14 may extend longitudinally between the leading edge 34 and the tail edge 38 of the mop head 32. This embodiment may be desired in that the formed channels 26 may tend to collect and retain particulate matter and hair that accumulates along, for example, along the floor. With reference to Figure 6A, the channels 26 can be thinned across and along the length of the projections 14 to define a thinned region 28. In these thinned regions 28, the particles of dust, hair, or other matter in particles are pushed along the channels and become essentially compressed in the thinned-up portions of the channels 26.

The composition of this base material 12 can vary widely within the scope and spirit of the invention depending on the desired cleaning functionality of the material, including softness and foaming, abrasion, absorbency, particle retention properties, etc. In certain embodiments, the base material 12 can be a material formed in an open, porous structure having sufficient structural integrity to be used as a cleaning wipe and also to maintain the shape and integrity of the projections 14 formed therein. Suitable materials are plentiful and can be either natural or synthetic materials. Possible exemplary materials can include any known abrasive materials formed in the desired open structure. Possible synthetic materials can be polymeric materials, such as, for example, spunbond non-woven fabrics formed of molten or uncured polymer which can then be cured to form the desired abrasive layer.

Other materials used in known commercial scouring products may also be used, such as perforated nylon covers, nylon webs, and materials similar to those found in other abrasive products such as, for example, SCOTCHBRITE pads from 3M Corp. (of Minneapolis, Minnesota).

In one embodiment, the base material 12 may include a melted spun fabric, as can be formed using a thermoplastic polymer material. Generally, any suitable thermoplastic polymer that can be used to form non-woven fabrics blown with melt can be used for the abrasive layer of the scrub pads. For example, in one embodiment, the material may include melt blown nonwoven fabrics formed with a polyethylene or a polypropylene thermoplastic polymer. Polymer alloys can also be used in the abrasive layer, such as polypropylene alloy fibers and other polymers such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Compatibilizers may be needed for some polymer combinations to provide an effective mixture. In one embodiment, the abrasive polymer is substantially free of halogenated compounds. In another embodiment, the abrasive polymer is not a polyolefin, but comprises a material that is more abrasive than say, polypropylene or polyethylene (for example, it has flexural moduli of about 1200 mPa and greater, or a Shore D hardness of 85 or higher) .

Thermo-fixed polymers can also be used, as well as photo-curable polymers and other curable polymers.

The base material layer 12 may be a fabric comprising fibers of any suitable cross-section. For example, the fibers of the abrasive layer may include rough fibers with circular or non-circular cross sections. In addition, fibers of the non-circular cross-section may include fibers in grooves or multi-lobed fibers such as, for example, "4DG" fibers (especially fibers with deep grooves of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) with a cross-sectional shape of eight legs) . Additionally, the fibers can be single component fibers, formed from a single polymer or copolymer, or they can be multi-component fibers.

In an effort to produce an abrasive layer having desirable combinations of physical properties, in one embodiment, polymeric non-woven fabrics made of multicomponent or bicomponent filaments and fibers can be used. The bicomponent or multi-component polymer fibers or filaments include two or more polymeric components that remain distinct. The multi-component or multi-component filaments are arranged in substantially different zones through the cross-section of the filaments and extend continuously along the length of the filaments. For example, bicomponent filaments may have a side-by-side or core and sheath arrangement. Typically, one component exhibits different properties than the other such that the filaments exhibit properties of the two components. For example, one component can be polypropylene which is relatively strong and the other component can be polyethylene which is relatively soft. The final result is a strong yet non-woven fabric.

In one embodiment, the base material layer 12 comprises metallocene polypropylene, or single-site polyolefins for improved strength and abrasion. Single-issue materials are available from H. B. Fuller Company, Vadnais Heights, Minnesota.

In another embodiment, the base material layer 12 can include a precursor fabric comprising a planar nonwoven substrate having a distribution of attenuated meltable thermoplastic fibers such as polypropylene fibers therein. The precursor fabric can be heated to cause the thermoplastic fibers to shrink and form remnants of nodulated fiber imparting an abrasive character to the resulting fabric material. The remnants of nodulated fiber may comprise between about 10% and about 50% by weight of the total fiber content of the fabric and may have an average particle size of about 100 macrometers or greater. In addition to the fibers that are used to form the nodular remnants, the precursor fabric may contain cellulose fibers and synthetic fibers having at least one component with a melting point higher than the polypropylene to provide strength. The precursor tissue can be placed wet, placed by air, or made by other methods. In one embodiment, the precursor fabric is substantially free of papermaking fibers. For example, the precursor fabric may be a fibrous nylon fabric containing polypropylene fibers (eg, bonded and bonded fabric comprising both nylon fibers and polypropylene fibers).

The material used to form the base material layer 12 may also contain various additives as desired. For example, various stabilizers may be added to a polymer, such as light stabilizers, heat stabilizers, processing aids, and additives that increase the thermal aging stability of the polymer. In addition, auxiliary wetting agents, such as hexanol, antistatic agents such as alkyl potassium phosphate, and alcohol repellents such as various fluoropolymers (e.g., DuPont Repellents 9356H) may also be present. Desirable additives may be included in the abrasive layer either through the inclusion of the additive to a polymer in the matrix, or alternatively through addition to the abrasive layer after formation, such as through a spraying process.

It should be appreciated that the invention also encompasses any form of multiple layer construction wherein one or more layers of material form a composite structure, with at least one of the layers incorporating the single textured surface. For example, the base material 12 may be a high-fluff nonwoven material adhered to a relatively dense, high-strength layer, such as a sponge, foam or the like. The base material 12 can be perforated to expose the underlying layer.

Various means can be used to form the projections 14 in the base material 12, including any known conventional method for texturizing a fabric of material, such as folding, engraving, molding, etc. A particularly efficient method involves forming a porous hydroentangled substrate as it has a cavities pattern formed therein which corresponds to the negative image of the protuberances. The fabric of the base material is placed adjacent to this substrate and then subjected to a hydroentanglement process in which jets of water cause a redistribution of fibers in the tissue in the cavities in the substrate to create the projections in the fabric. As described above with respect to Figure 2, the resulting projections are composed entirely of the redistributed fibers and will have a higher basis weight than the adjacent placement areas of the base material.

PGI Polymer Group Inc., of Charleston, South Carolina, United States of America, has developed custom hydroentanglement substrate technology that can be useful in the training processes described above. In particular, the PGI technology allows the creation of complex hydroentangled textures in fabrics based on CAD drawings used to create a porous molten spun substrate in which the fabric is hydroentangled. The use of the melted spinning technology to create three-dimensional fabrics is described in the following United States of America patents assigned to PGI: numbers 5,098,764 entitled "Non-woven Fabric and Method and Apparatus for Making Same"; 5,244,711, entitled "Perforated Non Woven Fabric"; 5,670,234 entitled "Nonwoven Fabric of Tricot"; 5,674,587 entitled "Apparatus for Making Non Woven Fabrics Having Raised Parts"; 5,674,591 entitled "Non Woven Fabrics Having Raised Parts"; 5,736,219 entitled "Absorbent Non Woven Fabric"; 6,306,234 entitled "A Merged Unbound Fabric Chemically Treated with Stretching and Recovery in the Cross Direction"; 6,375,889 entitled "Non Woven Fabric Capable of Stretching in the Direction to the Machine and the Method to Do It"; 6,502,288 entitled "Reflected Nonwoven Fabric"; 6,671,936 entitled "Method for Fabricating Fibrous Laminate Structures with Variable Color"; and 6,675,429 entitled "Non-woven Fabric Reflected to Deliver Improved Aesthetic Texture to Surfaces".

An example of an existing nonwoven fused spunbond fabric that can be modified to incorporate a high friction element in accordance with aspects of the invention is the CLC-248 NOB fabric of the PGI (a PFT woven material of 3.5 ounces per square yard). This material includes a uniform pattern of dome-shaped projections that can be coated on any part of it with a suitable high friction element. Additionally, the dome-shaped projections can be flattened by, for example, a calendering process, to form mushroom shaped protuberances. In the alternative, a "cap" structure can be added to the domes to create mushroom shaped protuberances.

Complex hydroentanglement geometries can be incorporated in a cleaning cloth for dry or wet weaving applications where the resulting melted spun fabric has a macroscopic heterogeneous fabricated structure with regions adapted for the retention of large particles or dust balls, and other regions adapted for retention of smaller particles. As described above with respect to Figures 5A and 6A, for use with a mop, three-dimensional structures can include relatively deep channels near the leading edge to receive and retain large particles, with a deep, lower textured surface in the central part of the mop head for better fluid intake, cleaned of sticky or viscous materials, scrubbing, etc. The structure of the leading edge may also have a higher basis weight or other reinforcing means increased stiffness and flexibility. Side edges of the application face can also be provided with different projection structures to assist in cleaning corners or side plates.

In addition to the melt spinning technology, non-woven fabrics and air-laid fabrics can be modified to have a variety of cross-sectional shapes suitable for cleaning cloths 10. For example, a non-woven fabric comprising an activated binder material Thermally and / or thermoplastic fibers can be molded into a desired mop configuration using heated molding plates or porous molding surfaces, as described in U.S. Patent No. 6,692,603 entitled "Method for Making Molded Cellulose Fabrics for Use in Absorbent Articles ", and U.S. Patent No. 6,617,490 entitled" Absorbent Articles with Molded Cellulose Fabrics ". The cleaning cloth can be formed by being molded with cast yarn technology on a three dimensional porous mesh that has a suitable shape. Formation of shaped tissues useful for the present invention can also be achieved by adapting the techniques for forming tissue with formed elements described in U.S. Patent No. 6,660,362, entitled "Deviation Members for Tissue Production", and U.S. Patent No. 6,610,173 entitled "Three-Dimensional Tissue and Method for Making Them". Other texturized non-woven fabrics that can be modified to have structures of the present invention include those of U.S. Patent No. 4,741,941, entitled "Nonwoven Fabric with Projections".

The cleaning wiper cloth 10 can provide various functionalities in addition to presenting a surface having a desired cleaning functionality. For example, the cleaning cloth 10 can be configured to supply any form of agent to the surface to be cleaned. In a particular embodiment, the agent is a cleaning agent, such as a disinfectant, bleach, or other cleaning compound, which is contained within the cleaning cloth material and released with the use of the cleaning tool. This can be achieved in several ways. For example, it can be a powder, a granular composition, distributed throughout the cleaning cloth material. Several examples of agents that can be supplied by the cleaning cloth 10 include cleaning agents such as floor wax, scrubbing agents, disinfectants, deodorants, bleaches, etc. The agent can also act as a biosensor to indicate the presence of a biological agent, such as anthrax, or chemical agents. In one such luminescent system, the agent includes B lymphocytes containing antibodies to the target analytes and a green jellyfish fluorescent protein that becomes active when the antibodies contact the target analytes. Various types of biosensors are described in the patent application of the United States of America serial number 10 / 277,170 filed on October 21, 2002 and entitled "Networks for Health Care with Biosensors", which is assigned to the transferee. of the present application. The total contents of the patent application of the United States of America number 10 / 277,170 are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety for all purposes. The biosensor can be a fluorescent protein or a genetically made cell in a pathogen identification sensor that shines when the biosensor detects the presence of the particular bacterium or chemical agent. An example of a fluorescent protein can be found in the patent of the United States of America number 6,197, 928 entitled "Fluorescent Protein Sensors for the Detection of Analytes", which was granted on March 6, 2001. The complete contents of the U.S. Patent No. 6,197,928 are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes.

The cleaning cloth 10, or the tool incorporating such cleaning cloth, they can be charged electrostatically either uniformly or in a pattern, in order to aid in the capture and retention of particles of generally smaller size on it. The methods for providing the electrostatic charge (for example electret) in a nonwoven fabric are well known. Examples include U.S. Patent Nos. 6,365,088 issued April 2, 2003 to Knight et al. And 5,401,446 issued March 28, 1995 to Tsai et al., Both of which are incorporated herein by reference.

It should be understood that the present invention includes various modifications that can be made to the incorporations of the cleaning cloth or cleaning tools described herein as fall within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims (20)

R E I V I N D I C A C I O N S

1. A cleaning cloth for use in cleaning a surface, comprising: a base material having an application face; a plurality of projections extending generally transversely from said application load, said projections having a base portion and a head portion; Y a high friction element applied to at least a portion of said projections so that said projections provide said cleaning cleaning cloth with an improved abrasive scrubbing function.

2. The cleaning cloth as claimed in clause 1, characterized in that said high friction element is applied to at least one of an upper surface of said head parts or the lateral surfaces of said projections.

3. The cleaning cloth as claimed in clauses 1 or 2, characterized in that said high friction element comprises an elastomeric coating applied to said projections selected from the group consisting of rubber, neoprene, synthetic or natural latex, or silicone.

4. The cleaning cloth as claimed in any one of clauses 1 to 3, characterized in that the planar areas of said base material between said projections are essentially devoid of said high friction element.

5. The cleaning cloth as claimed in clause 1, characterized in that the base material comprises a nonwoven fabric, said high friction element comprises elastomeric fibers distributed in said fabric.

6. The cleaning cloth as claimed in clause 1, characterized in that said head part of said projections extends laterally beyond said base part so as to hang said base part, said projections comprise the longitudinally extending structures and elongated so that a channel is defined between the adjacent projections.

7. The cleaning cloth as claimed in any one of clauses 1 to 6, characterized in that said base material comprises a non-woven fabric, said projections being integral with said non-woven fabric.

8. The cleaning cloth as claimed in clause 7, characterized in that said projections are molded in said non-woven fabric and are generally hollow, said non-woven fabric comprising an essentially uniform basis weight along said projections and plain areas between said projections.

9. The cleaning cloth as claimed in clause 7, characterized in that said projections are formed completely of said non-woven fabric through its cross section and comprises a higher basis weight in comparison to the plain areas of said non-woven fabric between said projections.

10. The cleaning cloth as claimed in any one of clauses 1 to 9, characterized in that said projections are defined in a uniform pattern over essentially the entire surface area of said application face.

11. The cleaning cloth as claimed in any one of clauses 1 to 9, characterized in that said projections are defined in the discrete regions of said application face.

12. The cleaning cloth as claimed in any one of clauses 1 to 11, characterized in that said cleaning cloth is configured for attachment to a cleaning head or a cleaning tool.

13. The cleaning cloth as claimed in any one of clauses 1 to 12, characterized in that the high friction element comprises a polymer having a coefficient of kinetic friction of at least 0.5 as measured against a surface of Stainless steel according to ATSTM-D-1894 standard.

14. The cleaning cloth as claimed in clause 1, characterized in that the kinetic coefficient of the high friction element is at least 70% greater than the kinetic coefficient of the base material.

15. A cleaning tool for cleaning a surface, said tool comprises a cleaning head and a disposable cleaning cloth as claimed in any one of clauses 1 to 14 attached thereto.

16. The cleaning tool as claimed in clause 15, characterized in that said tool comprises a mop, said disposable cleaning cloth is removably attached to said cleaning head of said mop.

17. The cleaning tool as claimed in clauses 15 or 16, characterized in that said projections are oriented so as to extend longitudinally through said cleaning head in a direction transverse to a direction of cleaning said cleaning head.

18. The cleaning tool as claimed in clauses 15 or 16, characterized in that said projections are oriented so as to be extended longitudinally along said cleaning head in a direction generally aligned with the cleaning direction of said cleaning head.

19. The cleaning tool as claimed in clause 18 characterized in that the channels are defined between adjacent projections that are tapered in width along the length of said projections.

20. The cleaning tool as claimed in clauses 15 to 19, characterized in that said projections have a different configuration between at least two discrete regions, said discrete regions are configured to provide different cleaning functions to different areas of said head cleaning. SUMMARY A cleaning cloth for use in cleaning a surface can be used as a product that stands alone or incorporated in any manner of a cleaning tool. The cleaning cloth includes a base material having an application face and a plurality of projections which extend generally transversely from the application face. The projections can take several forms, including a mushroom shape. A high friction element is applied to at least a portion of the projections so that the projections provide the cleaning cloth with an improved abrasive scrubbing function.