SURFACE TREATMENT PAD AND APPLIANCE

Abstract

A surface treatment pad arrangement for cleaning appliance includes first and second treatment pads with first and second surface-facing sides, respectively. The first surface-facing side may include at least one absorbent section and the second surface-facing side may include at least one absorbent section and at least one scrubbing section. The absorbent section of the first surface-facing side may be a shag material, the absorbent section of the second pad may be a terry knit material, and the scrubbing section may include olefin loops. The first and second pads may be connected to one another by one or more connectors.

Description

FIELD

The invention relates generally to surface treatment such as the cleaning of household surfaces, and more specifically to a surface treatment pad arrangement which is attachable to an appliance to treat a surface.

DISCUSSION OF THE RELATED ART

Surface treatment appliances are used in the home and office to clean and treat floors and other surfaces. Various types of surface treating appliances are known, including reciprocating cleaning appliances.

SUMMARY

A surface treatment pad arrangement includes a first treatment pad with a first surface-facing side configured to treat a surface and a second treatment pad with a second surface-facing side configured to treat the surface. The arrangement also includes at least one connector connecting the first treatment pad to the second treatment pad. The first surface-facing side includes a first absorbent section, and the second surface-facing side includes a second absorbent section and a first scrubbing section.

A surface treatment appliance includes an appliance head having first and second moveable members which are moveable relative to the appliance head. Also included are a first treatment pad with a first surface-facing side configured to treat a surface, the first treatment pad being attachable to the first moveable member, and a second treatment pad with a second surface-facing side configured to treat a surface, the second treatment pad being attachable to the second moveable member. The first surface-facing side comprises a first absorbent section, and the second surface-facing side comprises an second absorbent section and a first scrubbing section.

A surface treatment pad includes a surface-facing side configured to treat a surface, the surface-facing side having an absorbent section and a scrubbing section positioned in the middle of the pad. The absorbent section includes a terry knit material and the scrubbing section includes olefin.

It should be appreciated that the foregoing concepts, and additional concepts discussed below, may be arranged in any suitable combination, as the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

The foregoing and other aspects, embodiments, and features of the present teachings can be more fully understood from the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are not intended to be drawn to scale. In the drawings, each identical or nearly identical component that is illustrated in various figures is represented by a like numeral. For purposes of clarity, not every component may be labeled in every drawing. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a surface treatment appliance according to one embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the top of a surface treatment pad arrangement according to one embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the bottom of a surface treatment pad arrangement according to one embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the bottom of a surface treatment pad arrangement according to one embodiment; and

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the surface pad arrangement of FIG. 4 taken along a shorter side of the surface treatment pad.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Surface treatment appliances, such as cleaning appliances which include reciprocating cleaning heads, are used to clean floors in the home, office, and so on. Applicant has recognized that by providing one or more pads with absorbent and/or scrubbing sections, various advantages may be realized.

According to one aspect of the invention, a pad arrangement includes first and second treatment pads, each with a surface-facing side configured to treat a surface. The pads may be connected by one more connectors. In one embodiment, a first surface-facing side includes at least one absorbent section and a second surface-facing side includes at least one absorbent section and at least one scrubbing section. The presence of scrubbing and/or absorbent sections on the surface-facing sides of the pads allows a user to clean a surface with both sections at the same time. Thus, a user does not have to switch pads, or adjust an appliance to which the pads are removably attachable, to clean different surfaces or to effectuate different types of cleaning. Further, the simultaneous use of different floor-contacting materials (e.g., a scrubbing material and an absorbent materials) can provide effective cleaning. For example, using embodiments of the pad disclosed herein with a reciprocating cleaning appliance, dirt or other particles may be scrubbed from a floor with a scrubbing section, and quickly absorbed by an absorbent section. In a conventional pad mop having a pad with only a scrubbing section, dirt that is loosened may be rubbed on the floor as further scrubbing is conducted.

In one embodiment, the absorbent section of the first surface-treatment side has a different absorbent material than the absorbent section of the second surface-facing side. In one embodiment, the absorbent section of the first surface-facing side is a shag material and the absorbent section of the second surface-facing side includes a terry knit material. This combination of materials provides a high overall absorbency and scrubbing capabilities, while allowing the pad to penetrate small areas to pick up dirt with the shag material.

In some embodiments, the absorbent sections of the first and second surface-facing sides include the same absorbent material. The scrubbing section may include olefin loops to provided scrubbing capabilities. In one embodiment, the second-surface facing side includes a scrubbing section positioned in the center of the pad and absorbent sections adjacent the scrubbing section on two sides. The absorbent sections and the scrubbing section may be perpendicular to an edge of a shorter side of the second pad. Or, the scrubbing section and the absorbent sections may be positioned parallel to a longer side of the second pad.

According to another aspect of the invention, a surface treatment appliance includes an appliance head with moveable members that move relative to the appliance head, and first and second treatment pads with first and second surface-facing sides configured to treat a surface. In one embodiment, the first surface-facing side includes an absorbent section and the second surface-facing side includes an absorbent section and a scrubbing section. In another embodiment, the first and second treatment pads are connected to each other by one or more connectors.

FIG. 1 shows a cleaning appliance 2 according to one embodiment, the appliance including an elongated appliance body 4 and an appliance head, such as a cleaning head 6. The cleaning head 6 includes two moveable members 8 to which the surface cleaning pad 10 is removably attachable by an attachment side 12. The moveable members 8 may be driven by an electric motor via a gear drive, belt drive, or other drive system. The appliance 2 also may include a liquid reservoir 13 on the appliance body 4 that communicates with a liquid applicator 15 on the cleaning head 6 to apply a cleaning solution (such as a solution including cleaning agents). Although one liquid reservoir 13 is shown in this embodiment, other embodiments may include two or more liquid reservoirs 13. Additionally, while the liquid applicator 15 is shown on only the front of the cleaning head 6 in this embodiment, one or more applicators 15 may be positioned on the sides of the cleaning head 6 and/or on the back of the cleaning head 6 so as to allow multi-directional use of the cleaning appliance 2. In some embodiments, the applicators 15 are positioned on the appliance body 4 or at the base of the cleaning head 6.

FIG. 2 shows an enlarged view of the pad arrangement 10 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, which includes a first treatment pad 14 with an attachment side 12a, a second treatment pad 16 with an attachment side 12b, and one or more connectors 18 that connect the first treatment pad 14 to the second treatment pad 16. In this embodiment, the connectors are attached to the attachment sides 12a, 12b of the first and second pads 14, 16.

The attachment sides 12a, 12b are configured to removably attach the pads 14, 16 to the appliance head 6 in some embodiments. The attachment sides may include a hook and loop fastening material, which attaches to complementary hook and loop fastening material on the appliance head 6. The attachment sides 12a, 12b instead may include any other suitable material for attaching the pads 14, 16 to the appliance head 6 as this aspect of the disclosure is not limiting. In some embodiments, the pad arrangement and the moveable members may be configured such that the pad arrangement wraps around the sides of the moveable members for attachment. Fastening devices such as clips, screws, snaps or interference fit arrangement may be used to removably attach the pads to the moveable members such that the attachment sides are removably attached to the moveable members even though, in some cases, the attachment sides themselves do not play a direct role in their attachment to the moveable members.

Though the pads 14, 16 shown in this embodiment are rectangular, it should be appreciated that first and second pads 14, 16 may be any suitable shape. The first pad 14 and the second pad 16 also may be different sizes from one another, though they are shown to be the same size in the illustrated embodiment. It should also be appreciated that the first and second pads 14, 16 need not be connected even though the pads 14, 16 are shown connected by connectors 18 in FIGS. 2-4.

FIG. 3 shows the bottom of the surface treatment pad arrangement 10, which includes a first treatment pad 14 with a first surface-facing side 20a, a second treatment pad 16 with a second surface-facing side 20b, and connectors 18. The surface-facing sides 20a, 20b may include any of a number of types of materials for treating a variety of surfaces. In some embodiments, the surface-facing sides 20a, 20b are configured to treat a hard surface, such as hardwood flooring, by cleaning and/or polishing. In some embodiments, such as the one illustrated in FIG. 3, the surface-facing sides 20a, 20b have the same configuration. In one embodiment, the surface-facing sides 20a, 20b include nylon loops. The nylon loops may be 2 mm long, though any suitable size may be used. The surface-facing sides 20a, 20b also may include a microfiber material, which in some embodiments is a synthetic polyester or polyester blend microfiber. The surface-facing sides 20a, 20b also may include a terry knit material, a lamb's wool material, or any other material suitable for treating a hard surface as this aspect of the disclosure is not limiting. In one embodiment, the surface-facing sides 20a, 20b include a sherpa material for polishing the floor. There also may be an inner layer of a non-woven material (not shown), which in some embodiments is a stiff material that provides the pad with structural stability.

Although the surface-facing sides 20a, 20b of the hard-surface cleaning pads 14, 16 are shown to be similar in FIG. 3, in other embodiments, the surface-facing sides 20a, 20b are different from one another. In some embodiments, the first surface facing sides 20a includes a different material than the second surface-facing side 20b. For example, the first surface-facing side 20a may include a shag material while the second surface-facing side 20b includes a terry knit material.

In some embodiments, the surface-facing sides 20a, 20b includes a combination of absorbent sections 22 and scrubbing sections 24. In one embodiment, as depicted in FIG. 4, for example, the first surface-facing side 20a includes only absorbent sections 22 while the second surface-facing side 20b includes an absorbent section 22 and a scrubbing section 24 positioned in the middle of the pad 16. In one embodiment, the absorbent section 22 of the first surface-facing side 20a is a mini-shag material, the absorbent section 22 of the second surface-facing side 20b is a terry knit material, and the scrubbing portion 24 of the second surface-facing side 20b is olefin loops. In one embodiment, the scrubbing portion 24 includes monofilament loops, such as olefin loops for example. In other embodiments, the scrubbing section 24 may include polyester, polypropylene, or any other suitable material as this disclosure is not limited in this regard. In some embodiments, the first surface-facing 20a side includes an absorbent section 22 and a scrubbing section 24, while the second surface-facing side 20b includes only absorbent sections 22. It should be appreciated that the number and position of the scrubbing sections 24 and the absorbent sections 22 in these embodiments may vary, as this aspect of the disclosure is not necessarily limiting. It should also be appreciated that the shape of the absorbent and scrubbing sections 22, 24 on the surface-facing sides 20a, 20b may vary.

The absorbent section 22 may include nylon loops, although absorbent sections 22 may be any other material suitable for absorption. In one embodiment, the absorbent sections 22 include a mini-shag material with a plurality of strands or loops having a pile length P of at least 5 mm, as shown in FIG. 5, a side view of the pad arrangement in FIG. 4 along a shorter side 30 of the pads 14, 16. In some embodiments, the strands or loops have a pile length P of between 6 mm and 9 mm. In some embodiments, the strands or loops may have a pile length P of between 2 mm and 10 mm. In still further embodiments, the strands or loops may have a pile length P of between 1 mm and 15 mm, or any other suitable length. In one embodiment, the mini-shag material is 100% polyester, 15.45 oz/yd², with 20 wales by 26 courses per inch. In some embodiments, the mini-shag material is weft terry knit on a course gauge machine 8 to 14 gauge. In one embodiment, the mini-shag material is 100% microfiber polyester, 8 oz. In some embodiments, the microfiber lengths are twisted together to form strands or loops. In one embodiment, the absorbent sections 22 include an absorbent material that has any suitable density, for example a density of between 0.01 grams per cm³ and 0.2 grams per cm³, though any other density may be used. In some embodiments, the absorbent sections 22 include a quilted absorbent material. The absorbent section 22 may also be a terry knit material, although other absorbent material may be used as this disclosure is not limited in this regard.

The scrubbing sections 24 may include a non-absorbent material. In one embodiment, the scrubbing sections 24 include olefin and in another embodiment, the scrubbing sections 24 include a plastic material. In one embodiment, the olefin is 100% olefin, 489.9 g/m, with 16.5 wales by 27.0 courses per inch. In some embodiments, the wales are parallel to the edge of the longer side 28 of each pad 14, 16. In other embodiments, the wales are parallel to the edge of the shorter side 30 of each pad 14, 16. In one embodiment, the olefin loops have a height O of at least 1mm, as shown in FIG. 5. The olefin loops may be configured to be parallel to the edge of the longer side 28 of the pads 14, 16, or parallel to the shorter side 30 of the pads 14, 16. In other embodiments, the scrubbing section 24 may include polyester, polypropylene, or any other material suitable for agitation as this disclosure is not limiting. In some embodiments, the scrubbing sections 24 have a low coefficient of friction. In one embodiment, the scrubbing sections 24 are quilted. The scrubbing section 24 also may include any other suitable material for agitating a carpet, such as a material having a rake or teeth. In some embodiments, the scrubbing section 24 may include an abrasive sanding material such as sandpaper.

In some embodiments, the absorbent sections 22 and/or the scrubbing sections 24 are stitched to further connect layers of the pad to one another and/or to provide a material surface with slightly varying height. In some embodiments, the stitching may form a pattern. The stiches may extend from the exterior edges of the first and second pads 14, 16 to the opposed fabric edges at a 30 degree angle, a 45 degree angle, a 60 degree angle, or any other suitable angle, and may form a pattern of crossing stitch lines. In one embodiment, the cross patterns form quadrilateral shapes such as diamonds, or other polygon shapes. In some embodiments, the stitching limits or prevents a sliding of the pad layers relative to one another. Such sliding, if not limited, may reduce a pad's effectiveness at transmitting motion to the carpet.

In some embodiments, the absorbent sections 22 are separate from the scrubbing sections 24. For purposes herein, a separate section does not necessarily mean that a first section is distanced from a second section. Instead, separate sections, such as sections 22 and 24 in one embodiment, may be immediately adjacent to one another and be considered separate sections. In some embodiments two types of material overlap one another, but if each material has a portion that does not overlap with the material, there would still be considered to be two separate sections.

The pad arrangement 10 includes one or more connectors to connect the pads in some embodiments. The connectors 18 may be made of elastic straps, elastic cords, or any other suitable material for connecting the pads and maintaining their relative positions. The connectors 18 also may be made of any other suitable material for permitting the first and second pads 14, 16 to move relative to one another when attached to the moveable members 8. In some embodiments the elasticity of the connectors 18 is greater than the elasticity of the first and second pads 14, 16. The elasticity of the connectors 18 also may be configured such that the first and second pads 14, 16 can move relative to one another, irrespective of the positions of the moveable members 8, when the pad arrangement 10 is attached to the appliance head 6. In some embodiments, the connectors 18 may not necessarily pull the treatment pads 14, 16 toward one another. For example, the connectors may be made of a non-elastic material such as string. In embodiments where the connector(s) do not include elastic material, the pad arrangement 10, and in particular the connector(s) 18, may be sized such that the arrangement 10 is sufficiently long to remain attached to the moveable members 8 when the moveable members 8 are in their outermost position on the appliance head 6. Although two connectors 18 are shown in FIGS. 2-4, in other embodiments one connector or more than two connectors may be used. In some embodiments, the connectors 18 may be made of the same material as the surface-facing sides 20a, 20b of the first and second treatment pads 14, 16. The connector(s) 18 also may be integral to the first and second pads 14, 16.

In some embodiment the pad arrangement 10 includes a binding 26 that extends around the edge of the shorter and longer sides 28, 30 of the pads 14, 16. In some embodiments the binding includes a twill material. The surface treatment pad arrangement 10 also may include a tab 32, that extends outwardly from either or both of the first and second pads 14, 16 to allow a user to remove the pad arrangement 10 from the appliance head 6. It should be appreciated that the tab 32 can be located on any of the exterior edges of the pad arrangement 10 and that the pad arrangement 10 can have more than one tab 32. In one embodiment, the tab 32 may be integrated as part of the pad itself. The pad arrangement 10 also may be oversized to provide an area on which a user can step. In such an embodiment, a portion of either or both of the first and second pad 14, 16 extends beyond the appliance head 6 to allow a user to remove the pad arrangement 10 from the appliance by grasping or stepping on the portion.

According to some embodiments, a method of treating a surface with the appliance 2, includes placing the pad arrangement 10 on a surface to be cleaned with the surface-facing sides 20a, 20b of each pad 14, 16 in contact with the surface, and placing the appliance head 6 on top of the attachment sides 12, 12b of the pad arrangement 10. In one embodiment, the scrubbing sections 24 the absorbent sections 22 on the surface-facing sides 20a, 20b treat the surface at the same time.

While the present teachings have been described in conjunction with various embodiments and examples, it is not intended that the present teachings be limited to such embodiments or examples. On the contrary, the present teachings encompass various alternatives, modifications, and equivalents, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art. Accordingly, the foregoing description and drawings are by way of example only.

Claims

1. A surface treatment pad arrangement comprising:

a first treatment pad with a first surface-facing side configured to treat a surface;

a second treatment pad with a second surface-facing side configured to treat the surface; and

at least one connector connecting the first treatment pad to the second treatment pad;

wherein the first surface-facing side comprises a first absorbent section; and

wherein the second surface-facing side comprises a second absorbent section and a first scrubbing section.

2. The surface treatment pad arrangement of claim 1, wherein the first absorbent section of the first surface-facing side includes a first absorbent material that is not present in the second absorbent section of the second surface-facing.

3. The surface treatment pad arrangement of claim 2, wherein the first absorbent section of the first surface-facing side includes shag material with strands and/or loops, and the second absorbent section of the second surface-facing side includes a terry knit material.

4. The surface treatment pad arrangement of claim 3, wherein the shag material comprises pile at least 5 mm in length.

5. The surface treatment pad arrangement of claim 1, wherein the first absorbent section and the second absorbent section include a same material.

6. The surface treatment pad arrangement of claim 3, wherein the first scrubbing section comprises olefin loops.

7. The surface treatment pad of claim 6, wherein:

the second surface facing-side comprises a third absorbent section;

the first scrubbing section extends along a length of the second pad and is positioned substantially in the center of the second surface-facing side;

the second absorbent section is adjacent to a first side of the first scrubbing section and is positioned above the first scrubbing section towards a first longer side of the second pad;

the third absorbent section is adjacent to a second side of the first scrubbing section and is positioned below the first scrubbing section toward a second longer side of the second pad; and

each of the second absorbent section, the third absorbent section, and the first scrubbing section are perpendicular to an edge of the shorter side of the second pad.

8. The surface treatment pad of claim 7, wherein each of the second absorbent section, the third absorbent section, and the first scrubbing section are positioned parallel to an edge of each of the first and second longer sides of the second pad.

9. The surface treatment pad of claim 1, wherein the at least one connector comprises an elastic connector.

10. A surface treatment appliance comprising:

an appliance head having first and second moveable members which are moveable relative to the appliance head;

a first treatment pad with a first surface-facing side configured to treat a surface, the first treatment pad being attachable to the first moveable member; and

a second treatment pad with a second surface-facing side configured to treat a surface, the second treatment pad being attachable to the second moveable member;

wherein the first surface-facing side comprises a first absorbent section; and

the second surface-facing side comprises an second absorbent section and a first scrubbing section.

11. The surface treatment appliance of claim 10, wherein the first and second treatment pads are connected to each other by at least one elastic connector.

12. The surface treatment appliance of claim 11, wherein:

the first surface-facing side comprises a first absorbent section; and

the second surface-facing side comprises a second absorbent section and a first scrubbing section.

13. The surface treatment appliance of claim 12, wherein the first absorbent section of the first surface-facing side includes a first absorbent material that is not present in the second absorbent section of the second surface-facing side.

14. The surface treatment appliance of claim 13, wherein the first absorbent section of the first surface-facing side includes shag material with strands and/or loops, and the second absorbent section of the second surface-facing side includes a terry knit material.

15. The surface treatment appliance of claim 14, wherein the first scrubbing section comprises olefin loops.

16. The surface treatment appliance of claim 15, wherein

the second surface-facing side comprises a third absorbent section;

the first scrubbing section extends along a length of the second pad and is positioned substantially in the center of the second surface-facing side;

the second absorbent section is adjacent to a first side of the first scrubbing section and is positioned above the first scrubbing section towards a first longer side of the second pad;

the third absorbent section is adjacent to a second side of the first scrubbing section and is positioned below the first scrubbing section toward a second longer side of the second pad; and

each of the second absorbent section, the third absorbent section, and the first scrubbing section are perpendicular to an edge of the shorter side of the second pad.

17. The surface treatment appliance of claim 16, wherein each of the second absorbent section, the third absorbent section, and the first scrubbing section are positioned parallel to an edge of each of the first and second longer sides of the second pad.