Lint remover

Abstract

The lint removal assembly of the present invention comprises a stack of lint remover sheets and a support package. Each sheet comprises a top surface, a bottom surface opposite the top surface, an adhesive on a portion of the top surface, and a non-adhesive region on a portion of the top surface. The bottom surface of at least one sheet adheres to the top surface of a subsequent sheet to form the stack of lint remover sheets having a top surface, bottom surface, and sidewall. The support package comprises a backing for receiving the bottom surface of the stack, a first side support capable of covering a portion of the sidewall of the stack and a portion of the top surface of the stack, a second side support capable of covering a portion of the sidewall of the stack and a portion of the top surface of the stack, wherein at least a portion of the first side support or the second side support includes a release treatment on a side adjacent the top surface of the stack.

Description

FIELD

The present invention relates to a stacked adhesive pad for removing particular matter from various surfaces. In particular, the present invention relates to a portable lint remover for removing dust, lint, dandruff, hair and other such material from various surfaces.

BACKGROUND

Particulate matter such as dust, lint, dandruff, and hair tends to attach to clothing, furniture, carpet and other fabric surfaces. Felted handled tools, adhesive lint rollers, and stacked adhesive lint pads have been developed to remove this particulate matter from such surfaces.

The handled tools, including lint rollers are effective in removing the particulate matter from the fabric surfaces. However, it is often desirable to be able to remove this particulate matter while away from home such as in the car or at work. The handled tools tend to be large and rigid, and therefore are not easily carried during travel. Also, with the adhesive lint rollers, the outer release lining must be retained in order to prevent the exposed adhesive tape from sticking to things within a desk, bag, or purse.

Stacked adhesive lint pads have also been developed. These stacked pads are often packaged with the adhesive side down, which requires the user remove a new sheet for each use and then discard the sheet. Removing each sheet is undesirable because the sheet is typically a thin coated film and is therefore difficult to handle. The sheet tends to fold and adhere to itself. Further, discarding each used sheet is undesirable because the sheet may have only picked up a small amount of particulate matter and could be reused on another occasion. Once the sheet has been removed from the stack, it is difficult to easily and cleanly re-adhere the sheet to the stack.

Another problem associated with stacked adhesive lint pads is that the adhesive on the stack extends to the edges of the stack. These edges will tend to pick up dirt and debris at the edges of the stack making the stack appear dirty.

Finally, stacked adhesive pads tend to be connected to each other at a header and separable from the header by a perforation line. This requires the user to remove each sheet by tearing it from the whole stack. Without a clean tear, the sheet may tear in an undesirable manner making use of such a sheet difficult.

SUMMARY

The present invention is related to a lint remover assembly. The lint remover assembly is portable and includes a stack of adhesive sheets that are cleanly and easily removed from one another. In use, the lint removal assembly of the present invention utilizes the support package to remove debris from a surface. When not in use, the support package covers the exposed adhesive surfaces from contact with other surfaces.

The lint removal assembly of the present invention comprises a stack of lint removal sheets and a support package. Each sheet comprises a top surface, a bottom surface opposite the top surface, an adhesive on a portion of the top surface, and a non-adhesive region on a portion of the top surface. The bottom surface of at least one sheet adheres to the top surface of a subsequent sheet to form the stack of lint remover sheets having a top surface, bottom surface, and sidewall. The support package comprises a backing for receiving the bottom surface of the stack, a first side support capable of covering a portion of the sidewall of the stack and a portion of the top surface of the stack, a second side support capable of covering a portion of the sidewall of the stack and a portion of the top surface of the stack, wherein at least a portion of the first side support or the second side support includes a release treatment on a side adjacent the top surface of the stack.

In another embodiment, the lint remover assembly comprises a stack of lint removal sheets and a support package. Each sheet comprises a top surface, a bottom surface opposite the top surface, an adhesive on a portion of the top surface, a non-adhesive region on a portion of the top surface, wherein the sheets attach to one another by the bottom surface of at least one sheet adhering to the top surface of a subsequent sheet to form the stack of lint remover sheets having a top surface, bottom surface, and sidewall. The support package comprises a backing for receiving the bottom surface of the stack, a side support capable of covering a portion of the sidewall of the stack and a portion of the top surface of the stack, wherein at least a portion of the side support includes a release treatment on a side adjacent the top surface of the stack.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a lint remover assembly in an open position.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the lint remover assembly of FIG. 1 through line 2-2.

FIG. 3 is a top view of a lint remover sheet from the lint remover assembly of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the lint remover assembly of FIG. 1 in a closed position.

While the above-identified drawings and figures set forth embodiments of the invention, other embodiments are also contemplated, as noted in the discussion. In all cases, this disclosure presents the invention by way of representation and not limitation. It should be understood that numerous other modifications and embodiments can be devised by those skilled in the art, which fall within the scope and spirit of this invention. The figures may not be drawn to scale.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a lint remover assembly 100 in an open position. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the lint remover assembly of FIG. 1 through line 2-2. The lint remover assembly 100 includes a package 200, which supports a stack 300 of lint remover sheets. The stack of sheets 300 includes a top surface 302, a bottom surface 303 and a sidewall 304. The bottom surface 303 of the stack 300 attaches to the package 200.

The stack of sheets 300 comprises a plurality of individual sheets 306. Generally, the individual sheets 306 only attach to one another by a bottom surface 310 of one sheet 306 adhering to a top surface 308 of a subsequent sheet 306. Separate attachment mechanisms are not necessary for forming the stack of sheets 300 such as a hot melt adhesive line at one sidewall 304 or mechanical fasteners.

FIG. 3 shows a top view of a lint remover sheet 306 as shown in the lint remover assembly 100 of FIGS. 1 and 2. The sheet 306 includes a top surface 308 having an exposed adhesive coating 320 and a bottom surface 310 (see FIG. 2) opposite the top surface 308. As shown in the embodiment of FIG. 3, each sheet 306 includes a first edge 312, a second edge 314, a third edge 316, and a fourth edge 318. The first edge 312 and second edge 314 are opposite one another, while the third edge 316 and fourth edge 318 are opposite one another. Overall, each sheet is generally rectangular and forms a generally rectangular stack 300. However, other shapes of sheets, and therefore stacks of sheets are within the scope of the present invention. The sheets 306 may be circular, oval, heart shaped, diamond shaped, square or other such geometric shape.

The adhesive 320 is on the top surface 308 of each sheet 306 and as shown in FIG. 3 extends from the first edge 312 to the second edge 314. Other embodiments of the arrangement of the adhesive 320 are contemplated. The adhesive may be continuous, discontinuous or interrupted. The top surface 308 of each sheet 306 includes at least one non-adhesive region at an edge which assists a user in manually grasping a sheet 306 and separating it from the stack 300. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, each sheet 306 includes a first non-adhesive region 322 along the third edge 316 and a second non-adhesive region 324 along the fourth edge 318, which are opposite one another. Other positions and arrangements of the non-adhesive regions are contemplated so long as at least one non-adhesive region is near an edge. The non-adhesive region may be formed from pattern coating the adhesive 320 to specific areas only or if adhesive 320 is coated then the adhesive may be detackified.

The bottom surface 310 of the sheet 306 does not include an adhesive. In some embodiments the bottom surface 310 includes a release treatment such as flame treatment, corona treatment, roughening, release liner, and release coatings such as silicones, organo-modified silicones, fluorochemicals, acrylates, polyurethanes, and polyvinylacetates that can be cured via thermal, ultraviolet, or electron beam mechanisms.

A plurality of sheets 306 are stacked one on top of the other such that the adhesive 320 on the top surface 308 contacts the bottom surface 310 of the subsequent sheet 306 to form a stack 300. The stack 300 is attached to the package 200 such that the top 302 of the stack 300 including the adhesive 320 is exposed. The stack 300 may be permanently attached to the package 200 such that when the stack 300 is entirely consumed, the entire package is discarded. Alternatively, the stack 300 may be removably attached to the package 200 such that when the stack 300 is consumed, a new stack 300 may be placed in the package 200.

Examples of suitable material for the sheet 306 include paper, polymeric and plastic film materials including polyolefins such as polyethylene, polypropylene, copolymers of ethylene or propylene, halogenated polymers such as poly(vinyl chloride) and poly(vinylidene chloride), polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate, polyurethanes, and poly(vinyl acetate) and vinyl acetate copolymers. Polypropylenes can include monoaxially oriented polypropylene, biaxially oriented polypropylene, simultaneously biaxially oriented polypropylene, and untensilized polypropylene including untensilized isotactic polypropylene. Various types of non-woven synthetic polymeric backings including spun-bond polyethylene could be used. The sheet material can be compostible or degradable, can be colored, can be printed, can be fragranced, and can be of different surface textures or embossed. Each sheet may include a textured adhesive surface having raised portions and recessed portions. A textured adhesive surface is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,865,765 the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference.

Suitable adhesives for the layer of adhesive 320 include hot melt-coated formulations, transfer-coated formulations, solvent-coated formulations, and latex formulations. Preferably, the layer of adhesive is a pressure-sensitive adhesive. General categories of pressure-sensitive adhesives can be based on natural rubber, styrene butadiene, butyl rubber and polyisobutylene, styrenic block copolymers, ethylene-vinyl acetate and related copolymers, poly-alpha olefins, acrylic adhesives, silicone, butadiene-acrylonitrile, polychloroprene, polybutadiene, atactic polypropylene, or repulpable pressure-sensitive adhesive. (From the Handbook of Pressure Sensitive Adhesive Technology, Third Edition, Edited by Donatas Satas, Satas & Associates, 1999.) However, other pressure-sensitive adhesives may be used for adhesive layer 320, such as those with the properties described in Adhesion and Adhesives Technology an Introduction, p. 216, Alphonsus V. Pocius, Hanser Gardner Publications, Inc., 1997. The Pressure-Sensitive Tape Council has defined pressure-sensitive adhesives as materials with the following properties: 1) aggressive and permanent tack; 2) adheres with no more than finger pressure; 3) requires no activation by any energy source; 4) has sufficient ability to hold onto the adherend; and 5) has enough cohesive strength to be able to be removed cleanly from the adherend.

Examples of adhesives useful for the layer of adhesive 320 include those based on general compositions of polyacrylates; polyvinyl ethers; diene-containing rubbers such as natural rubber, polyisoprene, and polyisobutylene; polychloroprene; butyl rubber; butadiene-acrylonitrile polymer; thermoplastic elastomers; block copolymers such as styrene-isoprene and styrene-isoprene-styrene block copolymers, styrene-diene type block copolymers such as SBS, SIBS, SEBS, and SEPS, or styrene-ethylene-butylene, hydrogenated SBS, hydrogenated SIS, styrene-ethylene-propylene-styrene, ethylene-propylene-diene polymers, and styrene-butadiene polymer; poly-alpha-olefin; amorphous polyolefins; silicones; ethylene-containing copolymers such as those prepared from ethylene vinyl acetate, ethylacrylate, and ethyl methacrylate; polyurethanes; polyamides; epoxies; polyvinylpyrrolidone and vinylpyrrolidone copolymers; polyesters; and mixtures of the above. Additionally, the adhesives can contain additives such as tackifiers, plasticizers, fillers, antioxidants, stabilizers, pigments, diffusing particles, curatives, fragrance, and solvents.

The bottom side 310 of each sheet 306 may include a release treatment to facilitate removing one sheet 306 from the next sheet 306. Examples of release treatment include flame treatment, corona treatment, roughening, release liners, and release coatings such as silicones, organo-modified silicones, fluorochemicals, acrylates, polyurethanes, and polyvinylacetates that can be cured via thermal, ultraviolet, or electron beam mechanisms.

The top sheet in the stack 300 may be provided with a removable release liner. This release liner protects the exposed adhesive 320 from contacting surfaces until the release liner is removed.

Other layers can be added to the sheet 306, such as a primer layer, to increase the adhesion of adhesive 320 to the sheet 306. Also, printed material can be located on the first side of the backing layer under the adhesive. This printed material can be advertising instruction, or other information. Also, the sheet may contain deodorants, perfumes, antistatic materials, and encapsulated cleaning chemical.

The package 200 includes a backing portion 204 for directly supporting the stack 300 of lint remover sheets. The stack 300 of lint remover sheets may be attached to the backing 204 by any known mechanism. Such attachment may be for permanent attachment of the stack 300 or removable attachment of the stack 300. FIG. 2 shows the stack 300 attached to the backing 204 by adhesive strips 340. Adhesive strips 340 may be hot melt-coated formulations, transfer-coated formulations, solvent-coated formulations, latex formulations, and pressure-sensitive adhesives. The adhesive strips 340 should have enough adhesion to retain the stack 300 in the package without inadvertently releasing from the bottom 303 of the stack 300 when a sheet is removed from the stack 300. Although adhesive strips are shown any pattern of adhesive 340 may be used including a full coating of adhesive. Other attachment mechanisms may be used such as hook and loop, stretch-release adhesive, or mechanical fasteners to provide either a permanent or releasable attachment of the stack 300 to the package 200.

FIG. 1 shows the lint remover assembly 100 with the package 200 in an open position, while FIG. 4 shows the lint remover assembly 100 with the package 200 in a closed position. When in the open position, as shown in FIG. 1, the adhesive 320 from the stack 300 is exposed. When in the close d position, as shown in FIG. 4, the adhesive 320 from the stack 300 is covered.

In the embodiment shown, attached to the backing 204 is a first side support 210 and a second side support 220. The first side support 210 and second side support 220 are flexible relative to the backing 204 such that the package 200 is able to move between the open position and the closed position. Each side support includes a portion that extends in overlapping relation with the sidewall 304 of the stack 300 and a portion that extends in overlapping relation with the top 302 of the stack 300. The first side support 210 includes a first edge cover 212 and a stack cover 214. The second side support 220 includes a second edge cover 222 and a stack cover 224. The first side support 210 and second side support 220 may be larger than the stack 300 such that there is an overhang of the first side support 210 and second side support 220 to facilitate removal of the side supports 210, 220 from the stack 300. The overhang may also serve to protect the sidewall 304 from directly contacting another surface, preventing damage to the sidewall and making it less likely to pick up particle debris that could made the side wall appear dirty.

As shown in FIG. 4, the first edge cover 212 extends adjacent the sidewall 304 of the stack 300. In particular, the first edge cover 212 extends over the first edge 312 of the plurality of sheets 306. Stack cover 214 of the first side support 210 extends directly over the top 302 of the stack 300. In this embodiment, the stack cover 214 extends over substantially all of the top 302 of the stack 300.

The second edge cover 222 extends over the sidewall 304 of the stack 300. In particular, the second edge cover 222 extends over the second edge 314 of the plurality of sheets 306. Stack cover 224 of the second side support 220 extends directly over stack cover 214 of the first side support 210. In this embodiment, the stack cover 224 extends over approximately half of the stack cover 214.

When in the closed position, the stack covers 214, 224 come into contact with the exposed adhesive 320 on the top 302 of the stack 300. So the package 200 may be opened without damaging the package 200, a release treatment 230 is applied to the package 200. The release treatment 230 is at least applied to the portion of the package 200 in direct contact with the adhesive 320. As shown in FIG. 4, the release treatment 230 is applied to the stack cover 214 on the side facing the adhesive 320. However, because the package may be closed first with the stack cover 224, the release treatment 230 may also be applied to the stack cover 224 of the second side support 220. Additionally, the release treatment 230 may be applied to the first edge cover 212 and second edge cover 222 because the sidewalls 304 may have adhesive 320 exposed and in contact with the edge covers.

Examples of release treatment 230 applied to the package 200 include flame treatment, corona treatment, roughening, a release liner, and release coatings such as silicones, organo-modified silicones, fluorochemicals, acrylates, polyurethanes, and polyvinylacetates that can be cured via thermal, ultraviolet, or electron beam mechanisms. Additional layers may be included on the packaging like primers to assist with adherence of the release treatment to the package. Printed material, such as advertising, instructions, or decorative accents can be located on the package 200.

The stack cover 214 of the first side support 210 includes a cutout 232 approximately midway through the stack cover 214. Cutout 232 interacts with the stack cover 224 of the second side support 220 to retain the stack cover 224 in a closed position, as shown in FIG. 4. The cutout 232 is shown to be substantially half-moon shaped but could be any other shape such as partially rectangular, triangular, heart, diamond, or other such geometric shape.

As an alternative to the cutout 232 the stack covers 214 and 224 may include other mechanisms for facilitating closure of the stack covers 214 and 224. Use of a repositionable pressure sensitive adhesive, hook and loop connection, or other types of cutout and folding mechanism may be used to retain the package in a closed position.

The package 200 may be constructed from a continuous sheet of material that is flexible such that the side supports may move between an open position and a closed position. Alternatively, the package 200 may be constructed from discrete sections attached to one another that flex between an open position and a closed position. The package 200 may be constructed from paper, plastic, metal, fabric, or other similar material. The package 200 may include a fragrance.

The lint remover assembly 100 is used to remove particle debris such as but not limited to dust, dirt, hair, dandruff, and lint from such surfaces as clothing, carpet, furniture, or other such fabric surfaces. To use the lint remover assembly 100 a user opens the packaging, similar to that shown in FIG. 1, to expose the adhesive 320. The first and second side supports 210, 220 may be left open as shown in FIG. 1 or may be wrapped entirely behind the backing 204 of the package 200 to form a loop that the user can hold onto or insert their hand into. A user holds onto the backing 204 of the package and pats the surface to be cleaned with the exposed adhesive 320. The adhesive 320 picks up the debris from the surface to be cleaned.

When finished, the user may close the package 200, similar to that shown in FIG. 4. Closing the package covers the adhesive 320. Also, the package covers the sidewalls 304 of the stack 300, which may contain a small amount of adhesive. When the package is closed, all of the surfaces containing adhesive are covered by the package. Therefore, the package 200 can be stored in a bag, purse, pocket, drawer without the adhesive inadvertently contacting material.

To use again, the user will reopen the package 200. Because the package 200 has a release treatment on it, the first or second side support 210, 220, which ever is contacting the adhesive 320, will release from contact with the adhesive 320. The prior used sheet 306 may be reused if sufficiently tacky. However, if the prior used sheet 306 is dirty following use, the user will pull the dirty sheet from the stack and discard it. The user will grab the sheet 306 at the non-adhesive region 322, 324 to pull it from the stack 300. Alternatively, following use, the user may immediately remove the dirty sheet 306 from the stack 300.

An alternative method of using the lint remover 100 is to remove the top sheet 306 from stack 300. Then, expose the adhesive 320 from the stack 300 over the surface to be cleaned. When finished, the sheet 306 can be discarded.

To make the lint remover assembly 100, a stack 300 of individual sheets containing an adhesive 320 surface is constructed. Methods for making a stack of adhesive coated sheets are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,842,919; 4,883,553; 5,484,499; and 5,827,591 the disclosures of which are herein incorporated by reference.

The package 200 is cut from a sheet of paper, fabric, plastic, film, or metal. Then the surfaces, which will come into contact with adhesive, are release treated. Alternatively, the package 200 may be release treated prior to cutting. The cutout 232 is cut into the package. Then, the stack 300 of sheets is fixed to the backing 204 of the package 200. The first side support 210 is closed over the top 302 of the stack, and the second side support 220 is closed over the first side support 210, see FIG. 4. The second side support 220 engages with the cutout 232 to close the package 200.

Although the package 200 and stack 300 have been shown as a generally rectangular arrangement, other sizes and shapes are within the scope of the present invention. Also, the side supports are included to cover adhesive when the package is in a closed position. The location of the adhesive layers on a top surface or sidewalls will determine the number and arrangement of side supports necessary. Two side supports are shown and described, however it is understood that only one side support is needed to provide a cover for the adhesive 320. As discussed above, if only one side support is included, that side support may be larger than the stack such that there is an overhang to facilitate removing the side support from the stack.

It is understood that one desirable arrangement includes the lint remover assembly without any exposed adhesive. One of skill in the art would recognize that varying arrangements of the non-adhesive regions, location of side supports, and cover would result in a lint remover assembly without exposed adhesive including at the top of the stack and the edges of the stack.

Although specific embodiments of this invention have been shown and described herein, it is understood that these embodiments are merely illustrative of the many possible specific arrangements that can be devised in application of the principles of the invention. Numerous and varied other arrangements can be devised in accordance with these principles by those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the structures described in this application, but only by the structures described by the language of the claims and the equivalents of those structures.

Claims

1. A lint remover assembly comprising:

a stack of lint remover sheets, wherein each sheet comprises a top surface, a bottom surface opposite the top surface, an adhesive on a portion of the top surface, a non-adhesive region on a portion of the top surface, wherein the bottom surface of at least one sheet adheres to the top surface of a subsequent sheet to form the stack of lint remover sheets having a top surface, bottom surface, and sidewall; and

a support package comprising a backing for receiving the bottom surface of the stack, a first side support capable of covering a portion of the sidewall of the stack and a portion of the top surface of the stack, a second side support capable of covering a portion of the sidewall of the stack and a portion of the top surface of the stack, wherein at least a portion of the first side support or the second side support includes a release treatment on a side adjacent the top surface of the stack.

2. The lint remover assembly of claim 1, wherein each sheet comprises opposite first edge and second edge and opposite third edge and fourth edge, wherein the adhesive on the top surface extends from the first edge to the second edge.

3. The lint remover assembly of claim 2, wherein the non-adhesive region is at the third edge of the top surface.

4. The lint remover assembly of claim 3, wherein the non-adhesive region is at the fourth edge of the top surface.

5. The lint remover assembly of claim 2, wherein when the first side support covers the first edge of each sheet in the stack and the portion of the top surface of the stack and when the second side support covers the second edge of each sheet in the stack and the portion of the top surface of the stack such that no adhesive surfaces are exposed.

6. The lint remover assembly of claim 1, further comprising a third side support capable of covering the sidewall of the stack and a portion of the top surface of the stack.

7. The lint remover assembly of claim 7, further comprising a fourth side support capable of covering the sidewall of the stack and a portion of the top surface of the stack.

8. The lint remover assembly of claim 1, further comprising a removable release liner on the top surface of the stack of lint remover sheets.

9. The lint remover assembly of claim 1, further comprising a release treatment on the bottom surface of each sheet of the stack.

10. The lint remover assembly of claim 9, wherein the release treatment on the bottom surface of each sheet of the stack is selected from the group consisting of flame treatment, corona treatment, roughening, and release coatings.

11. The lint remover assembly of claim 1, wherein the stack of lint remover sheets is adhered to the backing.

12. The lint remover assembly of claim 1, wherein the support package is capable of entirely enclosing the stack of lint remover sheets.

13. The lint remover assembly of claim 1, wherein the adhesive is a pressure-sensitive adhesive.

14. The lint remover assembly of claim 1, wherein the release treatment on the support package is selected from the group consisting of flame treatment, corona treatment, roughening, and release coatings.

15. The lint remover assembly of claim 1, further comprising a primer layer on the portion of the support package including the release treatment.

16. The lint remover assembly of claim 1, wherein the support package is selected from the group consisting of paper, plastic, fabric and metal.

17. A lint remover assembly comprising:

a stack of lint remover sheets, wherein each sheet comprises a top surface, a bottom surface opposite the top surface, an adhesive surface on a portion of the top surface, a non-adhesive region on a portion of the top surface, wherein the sheets attach to one another by the bottom surface of at least one sheet adhering to the top surface of a subsequent sheet thereby to form the stack of lint remover sheets having a top surface, bottom surface, and sidewall; and

a support package comprising a backing for receiving the bottom surface of the stack, a side support capable of covering a portion of the sidewall of the stack and a portion of the top surface of the stack, wherein at least a portion of the side support includes a release treatment on a region adjacent the top surface of the stack.

18. The lint remover assembly of claim 17, wherein the support package comprises a first side support and a second side support.

19. The lint remover assembly of claim 18, wherein the first side support is capable of covering a portion of the sidewall of the stack and a portion of the top surface of the stack and the second side support is capable of covering a portion of the sidewall of the stack and a portion of the top surface of the stack.