US3633294A

US3633294A - Cleaning reminder

Info

Publication number: US3633294A
Application number: US696333A
Authority: US
Inventors: Warren L Burmeister
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1968-01-08
Filing date: 1968-01-08
Publication date: 1972-01-11
Anticipated expiration: 1989-01-11

Abstract

A patch of paper or cloth adapted to be attached to a fabric material, one portion of the face thereof having a soil receptive surface and another portion of the face thereof having a soil resistant surface.

Description

United States Patent [56] References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS 7/1897 Little.....................

[72] Inventor Warren L. Burmeister 586,386 735,749 8/1903 Glidden. 1,059,860 4/1913 Geer...... 1,523,064 2,495,200

Jan. 8, 1968 [45] Patented Jan. 11, 1972 l/l950 Sands Q 4 J h ".m M e w .mn oe w R i He /.m m m ME AN Z 3 in F N8 n m 8 Rr D 2 m n El LC C4 4 Assistant Examiner-Wenceslao .1. Contreras Attorney-Gradolph, Love, Rogers & Van Sciver 35/49 A44c 3/00 ...40/2, F,

ABSTRACT: A patch of paper or cloth adapted to be attached to a fabric material,

[50] Field of Search............

5/4 one portion of the face thereof having a e and another portion of the face thereof soil receptive surfac having a soil resistant surface.

16 CL FAA/6'0 mv JOHN DOE CLEH/VFES f 5 m f vi 4; ZN 5- f A I. 4A 2 CLEANING REMINDER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION With the advent of the new fabrics which hold a press permanently or semipermanently, mens dark suits can often become quite dirty before there is any noticeable need for dry cleaning. In earlier days, of course, suits and trousers lost their press sufficiently quickly so that a trip to the cleaners every four or five wearings was more or less routine. Dirty suits, even through not visibly so, can soil upholstered furniture and other articles of apparel such as shirts and the like. Accordingly, there would be value to a device which could be affixed to a dark suit and would give an indication as to the amount of actual soil in the suit, and thus notify the owner as to when the suit is due for a cleaning. Incidental but substantial benefits, of course, would be felt by the cleaners who might expect a greatly augmented volume of business from the use of this invention.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention, as started, is directed to an indicator for the amount of soil which may be present in the fabric. To this end, a backing material which may be of cloth or paper is equipped with means such as adhesive, pins, clips, etc., for securing the backing to the fabric under surveillance. The face of the backing will have a soil-receptive area desirably in immediate juxtaposition with a soil-repellent or resistant area. The soilreceptive area may be natural cloth, unsized rough paper, flocking, tacky coatings, etc. The soil-repellent or resistant area may be a coating on the paper or cloth of sizing, lacquer, a plastic impregnant, or a sheet of smooth plastic overlying the backing. In any case, it should have a smooth surface. Both of these surfaces will have the same color and that color should be desirably white or, certainly, light. As soil accumulates on the soil-receptive area, the line of distinction or the contrast between the areas will become more and more distinct and thus provide a visual indication as to the amount of soil present in the fabric. Although this invention was discussed above in terms of mendark suits, it will be appreciated that it is applicable to any fabric including all clothing, draperies, upholstery materials, bedspreads, etc. Likewise the device may be adapted for permanent or temporary attachment to the fabric.

In an indicator to be permanently attached, the soil-receptive surface should be cleanable along with the fabric so as to restore the indicator to its clean condition. Generally, however, it is preferred that the indicator be replaced by the laundry or dry cleaner upon each cleaning.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a plan view of a cleaning tag incorporating the invention; and

FIG. 2 is a section taken along the line 2-2 ofFIg. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The illustrated embodiment of this invention consists of a rectangle of light cloth 12 having a heat or pressure sensitive adhesive 14 on the backside thereof by which the rectangle is secured to a garment. The indicator strip 16 is desirably considerably smaller than the rectangle so as to leave margins 18 thereabout on which the name of the cleaner may be placed as at 20 and, desirably, the date of last cleaning as at 22.

The indicator strip 16 is a white sheet of fabric adhesively secured to the base rectangle l2 and incorporates a heavily sized central portion 24 which is smooth and glossy and essentially soil resistant and unsized end portions 26 which are soil receptive.

The cleaners tag may be applied to mens trousers, for instance, by securing it to the inside of the waistband as by ironing or pressure. The tag may be secured to a mans jacket by attaching it to the lining in the vicinity of the inside breast pocket. It may be secured to such fabrics as draperies by placing it on the back side of the draperies adjacent an inconspicuous comer. It may be secured to upholstered furniture by attaching it to the underside of the article. In any of such positions it will obtain an exposure to soiling which is proportional, at least, to the exposure of the more visible area of the fabric. At any rate, even if the patch soils considerably more slowly than the fabric, it at least will show that the fabric is positively soiled when it might not otherwise be apparent from the appearance of the fabric itself.

It will be understood that the essential elements of this invention lie in an inexpensive patch of a white or a light color, a portion of the surface of which is soil resistant and the other portion the surface of which is soil receptive, and within this general concept many variations of practice are feasible. As indicated generally above, the device may be suited for permanent or temporary attachment to clothing. If it is to be permanent, the preferred structure would consist of a cloth backing with heat-sensitive adhesive for attachment to the fabric to be protected. The adhesive should, of course, be resistant to cleaning fluid. The glossy soil resistant area should have a durable surface not likely to be damaged by cleaning fluid or by pressing. The soil receptive area should be one which is capable of being cleaned to restore it to its initial white or light condition when the garment or fabric itself is cleaned.

On the other hand, where it is intended that the indicator be replaced upon each successive cleaning, the adhesive attachment should be somewhat less durable and may be pressure sensitive. A synthetic latex adhesive suggests itself in such applications in that the adhesive will be soluble in cleaning fluid and thus the tag will be lost in the cleaning process if it is not manually removed beforehand. A replaceable indicator of this character offers certain advantages in that the dating of the last cleaning can be carried by the garment, and the soilreceptive and resistant areas need not meet the requirements of reusability. Thus, a paper backing may be employed, and there need not be a separate strip for the indicator. If a backing of unsized cloth or white paper of rough and absorbent texture is employed, a spot of sizing can be printed on that same sheet so that the size area constitutes the soil-resistant patch and the remainder of the sheet constitutes the soil-receptive patch.

It is evident that although dry-cleaning establishments greatly prefer indicators providing sufficient room on the face thereof to record their identity, this consideration is not essential to the practice of the invention, and the patch or strip 16 along, as illustrated in the figures, could be applied to the fabric in any of the fashions indicated.

It will thus be appreciated that the structural variations possible in the practice of this invention are extensive. The tag can be applied to the fabric by heator pressure-sensitive adhesives or by staples or pins. The tag may be separate from the indicating patch or may in itself constitute the indicating patch. The tag may consist of paper, cloth, or indeed any inexpensive flexible material. The indicator patch may consist of any of these materials or a separate plastic tab. The smooth, soil-resistant portion of the indicator may consist of a filled or coated porous material but should have a smooth slick surface. The soil-receptive area may consist of an unfilled or uncoated portion of the same surface, but should be relatively rough. The two surfaces might also be provided from a plastic sheet one portion of which is smooth and the other of which is rough. A flocked coating for the rough portion suggests itself. In view of these extensive variations, it is therefore desired that this invention be regarded as being limited only as set forth in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A soil indicating patch of a pliant material in the nature of paper and cloth adapted to be attached to the surface of a fabric to indicate the soiling thereof having a rough soil-receptive area and a smooth soil-resistant area on that side thereof other than the side of attachment of substantially the same light color when clean, said areas being sufficiently near each soil-collecting area and a soil-resistant area on the outside surface thereof, and areas having substantially the same light color, and comparing said areas for contrast periodically.

4. The method as set forth in claim 3 wherein said soil-collecting area is smooth and said soil-resistant area isrough.

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Claims

1. A soil indicating patch of a pliant material in the nature of paper and cloth adapted to be attached to the surface of a fabric to indicate the soiling thereof having a rough soil-receptive area and a smooth soil-resistant area on that side thereof other than the side of attachment of substantially the same light color when clean, said areas being sufficiently near each other to permit ready visual comparison, and means for securing said side of attachment to a fabric.

2. The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein said securing means comprises an adhesive on the back of said patch.

3. A method for determining the soiling of a fabric which comprises attaching to said fabric a sheet of material having a soil-collecting area and a soil-resistant area on the outside surface thereof, and areas having substantially the same light color, and comparing said areas for contrast periodically.

4. The method as set forth in claim 3 wherein said soil-collecting area is smooth and said soil-resistant area is rough.