TEXTURED COMPOSITE CLEANING DEVICE

Abstract

A multi-material composite, the materials being positioned at raised regions (120/220/320/420) and recessed regions (130/230/330/430) on the working surface (110/210/310,315/410), provides a cleaning device (100/200/300/400) with both scouring and wiping on a single surface. By recessing certain material (s) from the working surface, the user can control, with pressure, the extent to which the recessed region makes contact with a surface to be cleaned (170/270). The composite may have at least a first substrate (140/240/340/440) that is a compressible material, and a second substrate (150/250/350/450) that is a compressible material.

Description

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to a textured composite cleaning device. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a cleaning device that comprises a combination of materials with the materials providing a raised region and a recessed region.

When cleaning or washing surfaces such as kitchen countertop, bathroom tile, dishes, or pots and pans, it is often necessary to scour from the surface stuck-on food, grease, dirt, or other debris. However, it is often also necessary to wipe the surface clean of the removed food, grease, dirt, or debris following scouring. Also, it may be necessary to wipe the surface clean of excess liquid. It is common to use scrub sponges, such as a Scotch-Brite® Scrub Sponge, for scouring and wiping a surface. Such scrub sponges are highly effective at scouring and wiping. However, the scouring and wiping surfaces are opposite to one another and require changing between the surfaces to facilitate both scouring and wiping.

SUMMARY

A multi-material composite with appropriately positioning the materials at a raised region and a recessed region on the working surface can provide a cleaning tool with both scouring and wiping on a single surface. By recessing certain materials from the working surface, the user can control, with pressure, the extent to which the recessed surface can make contact with the surface to be cleaned.

In general, the cleaning device comprises a composite having at least first and second substrates, wherein at least one of the substrates is a compressible material, and the other substrate is a compressible material or an incompressible material. In one embodiment, the cleaning device comprises a composite having at least a first substrate that is a compressible material and a second substrate that is a compressible material. In another embodiment, the cleaning device comprises a composite having at least a first substrate that is a compressible material and a second substrate that is an incompressible material. In yet another embodiment, the cleaning device comprises a composite having at least a first substrate that is an incompressible material and a second substrate that is a compressible material.

In general, the composite includes a working surface including a plurality of recessed regions and a plurality of raised regions. At least a portion of the first substrate is exposed at the recessed region of the working surface. At least a portion of the second substrate is exposed at the raised region of the working surface.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of a first embodiment of a cleaning device;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the first embodiment in use;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a cleaning device;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the second embodiment in use;

FIG. 5 is a side view of a third embodiment of a cleaning device;

FIG. 6 is a side view of a fourth embodiment of a cleaning device

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 side view of a first embodiment of a cleaning device 100. FIG. 2 is a side view of the cleaning device 100 shown while being used to wipe a surface 170. The cleaning device 100 is a composite comprising at least a first substrate 140 and a second substrate 150. The cleaning device 100 includes a working surface 110 that is textured having a plurality of raised regions 120 and a plurality of recessed regions 130.

The first substrate 140 and second substrate 150 are connected to one another in such a way to form a composite. In this embodiment, the first substrate 140 forms a layer while the second substrate 150 forms another layer, that is directly adjacent the layer of the first substrate. In one embodiment, the first and second substrates are connected through adhesive, lamination, or heat fusion. In this embodiment, the first substrate 140 forms the raised regions 120, while the second substrate 150 forms the recessed regions 130.

The first substrate 140 is a solid, compressible material having a working, compressible thickness. The second substrate 150 is a solid, compressible material having a working, compressible thickness. Therefore, very thin films or thin woven, nonwoven, or knitted wipes are not suitable for the first or second substrate. In one embodiment, the cleaning device 100 has a thickness of at least 1 cm.

Suitable materials that are solid, compressible materials useful for the first and second substrates include all types of foams and compressible scouring materials, such as lofty fiber webs. The first substrate 140 and second substrate 150 may both be foams, both be scouring materials, or one may be a foam and one may be a scouring material. When both are foams or both are scouring materials, the first and second substrates may comprise foams different from one another or scouring materials different from one another.

Examples of suitable foams include synthetic foams or cellulose sponge. Synthetic foams are particularly well suited because the foam is a flexible, compliant material that can contour over the surface being cleaned and can absorb liquid. The synthetic foam could be an open cell foam or a closed cell foam. Synthetic foams, particularly open cell synthetic foams, are less hydrophilic and have a low ability to retain liquid within the structure as compared to cellulose sponge. Therefore, although fluid is easily absorbed in the material, the fluid is also easily flushed from the less hydrophilic foam. It is believed that the fast flushing through the pores of the less hydrophilic foam causes soap to become very sudsy as it passes in and out of the foam. Further, because the less hydrophilic foam does not readily retain liquid within the structure, a synthetic foam will dry faster than a more hydrophilic material such as cellulose sponge.

Synthetic sponge may be made from rubber, polyether, polyester, melamine, neoprene, SBR, butadiene, nitrile, EPDM, ECH, polystyrene, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyurethane, EVA, EMA, metallocene resin, PVC, melamine or blends of any of the above, and the like. It is understood that different materials for a synthetic sponge or even different properties within a synthetic sponge can result in synthetic sponges having different compressibility. Therefore, for example, a PVC sponge with large pores may be used as the first substrate, while a PVC sponge with small pores may be used as the second substrate because each of these PVC sponges has different properties such as compressibility.

Cellulose-based sponges can be used as one of the first or second substrates. Cellulose-based sponges can include those which are derived from plant products for example. Cellulose sponge provides a particularly unique wiping surface because cellulose sponge is flexible and conformable and is a hydrophilic sponge that is capable of absorbing and retaining fluids. Therefore, when a damp cellulose sponge is wiped over a surface, large amounts of liquid are not deposited onto the surface being wiped. Further, spills of liquids can be absorbed and retained in the cellulose sponge until the cellulose sponge is squeezed.

Compressible scouring materials may be used for the substrates. Examples of compressible scouring materials include compressible, interconnected fibers. Fibers can be interconnected as knitted, woven, or nonwoven webs of fibers. The fibers may be natural, synthetic or a combination of natural and synthetic fibers. Typically a compressible scouring material is relatively rigid. To achieve the rigidity, stiff fibers may be used and/or the fibers may be coated with a binder. It is understood that certain foams having sufficient rigidity may also function as a compressible scouring material. For example, foamed melamine is well suited for scouring.

Second substrate 150 may comprise an incompressible material in combination with first substrate 140 comprising a compressible material. In general, incompressible materials are those which, when subjected to manual compression by a typical user, do not change significantly in volume at least to the eye of the user. Exemplary incompressible materials include rigid foams and various types of rigid abrasive webs.

The side view in FIG. 1 shows a first row 111 of raised regions 120 and behind the first row is a second row 112 of raised regions. This surface topography is commonly referred to a “convoluted.” In this embodiment, the raised regions 120 are discrete and are spaced from one another, and the recessed regions 120 are discrete and are spaced from one another. Typically, a convoluted surface topography has a “mirror image” of the raised regions and recessed regions. The raised regions 120 are aligned generally linearly; however, from row to row, as can be seen in FIG. 1, the raised regions 120 are off set from one another. Macroscopically, this arrangement of raised regions 120 and recessed regions 130 provides both the first substrate and second substrate across the entire working surface. Therefore, both the first substrate and second substrate are readily accessible to the user.

In this embodiment, the uppermost portion 124 of the raised regions 120 are convexly curved, while the lowermost portion 134 of the recessed regions 130 are concavely curved. Therefore, the side walls between the uppermost portion 124 and the lowermost portion 134 are sloping and have an inflection point. In this embodiment, the inflection point is approximately midway between the uppermost portion 124 of the raised region 120 and the lowermost portion 134 of the recessed region 130. With the sloping side walls, the perimeter of the raised region 120 gets larger closer to the recessed region 130. Therefore, upon compression of the first substrate 140, the underlying second substrate 150, having a larger diameter, becomes more readily available to the working surface 110. Also, when compressing the raised region, it is believed that slightly less force is required to compress the first substrate because less material will stack against itself as compared to a more cube shaped raised region with linear side walls. It is understood that the side walls may be straight lines and not curved and that the surfaces of the raised region and/or the recessed region may also be flat and not curved.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the first substrate 140 forming the raised region 120 is a foam and the second substrate 150 forming the recessed region 130 is a compressible scouring material that is shown as a nonwoven web of fibers. In this embodiment, the foam is more compressible than the nonwoven web. This combination of materials for the raised regions and recessed regions provides a working surface that can wipe with the foam when light pressure is applied and can scour with the nonwoven web when heavy pressure is applied to compress the foam. With light pressure, the side walls can provide additional surface area for wiping or slight scouring. FIG. 2 (where the second row 112 has been removed for clarity in viewing) clearly shows that under heavy pressure the foam raised regions 120 are compressed to bring the recessed regions 130 into contact with the surface 170 being cleaned. Therefore, a single working surface 110 can provide both wiping and scouring through the selective engagement of the raised regions 120 and the recessed regions 130.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a cleaning device 200. FIG. 4 is a side view of the cleaning device 200 shown in FIG. 3 while being used to wipe a surface 270. The cleaning device 200 is a composite comprising at least a first substrate 240 and a second substrate 250. As in FIG. 1, the first substrate 240 is a layer and the second substrate 250 is an adjacent layer. The cleaning device 200 includes a working surface 210 that is textured having a plurality of raised regions 220 and a plurality of recessed regions 230. The cleaning device 200 is shown in FIG. 3 as a square-shaped device. It is understood that the other embodiments disclosed herein could have a similar to that shown in FIG. 3. It is also understood that any other shapes could be used.

The first substrate 240 forms the raised regions 220, while the second substrate 250 forms the recessed regions 230. In this embodiment, the raised regions 220 are discrete and are spaced from one another by recessed regions 230. The raised regions 220 extend from one end of the cleaning device 200 to another end. In this embodiment, the raised regions 220 are linear and are parallel to one another. Therefore, the recessed regions 230 are linear and are parallel to one another but separated from one another by the raised regions 220.

The uppermost portion 224 of the raised regions 220 are convexly curved, while the lowermost portion 232 of the recessed regions 230 are concavely curved. Therefore, the side walls are sloping and have an inflection point. In this embodiment, the inflection point is approximately midway between the uppermost portion 224 of the raised region 220 and the lowermost portion 232 of the recessed region 230. With the sloping side walls, the perimeter of the raised region 220 gets larger closer to the recessed region 230. Therefore, upon compression of the first substrate 240, it is believed that slightly less force is required to compress the first substrate because less material will stack against itself as compared to a more cube shaped raised region with linear side walls. Also, the side walls are more accessible for wiping or scouring to provide cleaning surface area for material projecting upward from the surface 270 being cleaned.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the first substrate 240 forming the raised region 220 is a compressible scouring material that is shown as a nonwoven web, and the second substrate 250 forming the recessed region 230 is a foam. In this embodiment, the foam is more compressible than the nonwoven web. This combination of materials for the raised regions 220 and recessed regions 230 provides a working surface that is highly effective for scouring. With light pressure applied, the uppermost portion 224 of the raised region 220 can scour. With heavy pressure, the raised regions 220 will slightly compress providing an even stiffer, more rigid material for scouring. Also, the side walls are useful to scouring away material projecting upward from the surface being cleaned. The recessed region 230 being a compressible foam provides for overall flexibility of the cleaning device 200. With the more rigid second substrate 250 disconnected in areas, the cleaning device can easily flex, bend, and contour over a surface 270 to be cleaned. Also, the recessed region 230 being a compressible foam provides a conformable and comfortable surface for holding. In addition, with heavy pressure applied, the foam can make contact or near contact with the surface 270 being cleaned to wipe or absorb liquid on the surface. Therefore, a single working surface 210 can provide both wiping and scouring through the selective engagement of the raised regions 220 and recessed regions 230. It is also contemplated that first substrate 240 may comprise an incompressible material in combination with second substrate 250 comprising a compressible material.

FIG. 5 is a side view of a third embodiment of a cleaning device 300. The cleaning device 300 is a composite comprising at least a first substrate 340 and a second substrate 350. In this embodiment, the second substrate 350 is embedded with and distributed throughout the first substrate 340.

The cleaning device 300 includes a first working surface 310 that is textured having a plurality of raised regions 320 and a plurality of recessed regions 330 and a second working surface 315 that is textured having a plurality of raised regions 320 and a plurality of recessed regions 330. Therefore, it is understood that a single cleaning device 300 can have a single textured working surface (FIGS. 1-4) or more than one textured working surface (FIG. 5).

Also, although the second working surface 315 is shown to have similar raised regions 320 and recessed regions 330. However, in this embodiment, the raised regions 320 of the second working surface 315 are offset from the raised regions 320 of the first working surface 310. In this embodiment, a third substrate 360 in included at the raised region 320 on the second working surface 315. It is understood that the substrates used for the different working surface may be the same or different from one another and the arrangement and configuration of the different working surface may be the same or different from one another. For example, a cleaning device may have a first working surface as shown by working surface 310 in FIG. 5 and a second working surface as shown by working surface 210 in FIG. 3.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the second substrate 350 is embedded and distributed throughout the first substrate 340. Therefore, at the first working surface 310 a portion of the first substrate 340 forms the raised regions 320 and the recessed region 330, and a portion of the second substrate 350 forms the raised regions 320 and the recessed regions 330. At the second working surface 315 the third substrate 360 forms the raised regions 320 and a portion of the first substrate 340 and a portion of the second substrate 350 forms the recessed region 330. In this embodiment, the raised regions 320 are discrete and are spaced from one another by recessed regions 330 and the recessed regions 330 are discrete and are spaced from one another by raised regions 320. The shape and configuration of the raised regions 320 and recessed regions 330 at both the first working surface 310 and second working surface 315 is “convoluted” as shown and described for FIGS. 1 and 2. Raised regions 320 in this embodiment include side walls that are generally sloping. The uppermost portion 324 of the raised region 320 is a convex curved surface. The lowermost portion 332 of the recessed region 330 is concavely curved.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the first substrate 340 is a foam and the second substrate 350 is a fiber cluster embedded within the foam. The fiber cluster is less compressible than the foam. Such a material is shown and described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/421,753 titled “Cleaning Sponge” filed on Apr. 10, 2009. Therefore, overall the cleaning device 300 is compressible wherein when force is applied the foam is compressed and the fiber clusters provide scouring over a surface being cleaned. The third substrate 360 is a compressible scouring material shown as a nonwoven web of fibers. This combination of materials, wherein the first substrate 340 and second substrate 350 comprise both the raised regions 320 and recessed regions 330 provides a working surface that is highly effective for wiping because the foam is throughout the entire working surface. In addition, with application of light and firm pressure the working surface is effective for scouring. By controlling the pressure applied to the cleaning device 300, the user can control the extent to which the fiber clusters of the second substrate 350 are pressed against the surface being cleaned. As with the other embodiments, the side walls of the raised region, which includes the first substrate 340 and second substrate 350, can be effective for scouring material raised from a surface to be cleaned and also provide additional surface area to absorb liquid extending from a surface to be cleaned. As with the other embodiments, a single working surface 310 or 315 can provide both wiping and scouring through the selective engagement of the raised regions 320 and recessed regions 330.

The third substrate 360, forming the raised region 320 at the second working surface 315 that is aligned with the recessed region 330 of the first working surface 310, aids in pressing the recessed region 330 at the first working surface into contact with a surface to be cleaned because more material is forced under pressure into the backside of the recessed region 330 at the first working surface 310. This is true for the opposite: the second working surface 315.

Additional embodiments of the cleaning device shown in FIG. 5 are contemplated in which the first and third substrates, 340 and 360, respectively, are either compressible or incompressible, as long as one of the two substrates is compressible. For example, first substrate 340 may be a compressible material, and third substrate 360 an incompressible material. For another example, first substrate 340 may be an incompressible material, and third substrate 360 a compressible material.

FIG. 6 is a side view of a fourth embodiment of a cleaning device 400. The cleaning device 400 is a composite comprising a first substrate 440, a second substrate 450, and a third substrate 460. The cleaning device 400 includes a working surface 410 that is textured having a plurality of raised regions 420 and a plurality of recessed regions 430.

The first substrate 440, second substrate 450, and third substrate 460 are connected to one another in such a way to form a composite. In this embodiment, each of the substrates forms a layer. In this embodiment, the first substrate 440 forms the uppermost portion 424 of the raised regions 420, the second substrate 450 forms the recessed regions 430, and the third substrate 460 is positioned between the first substrate 440 and the second substrate 450 and is in a midportion of the raised region 420. Adjacent materials are different from one another; however separated materials, such as first substrate 440 and second substrate 450 can be the same as one another or can be different from one another.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the raised regions 420 are discrete and are spaced from one another by the recessed regions 430. The recessed regions 430 are discrete and are spaced from one another by the raised regions 420. Generally, the arrangement of the “convoluted” raised regions and recessed regions is similar to that shown in FIGS. 1-2. Raised regions 420 in this embodiment include side walls that are generally sloping. The uppermost portion 424 of the raised region 420 is a convex curved surface. The lowermost portion 432 of the recessed region 430 is concavely curved. The curvature is nearly continuous such and the side walls generally do not form a straight line. It is believed that this sloping of the side walls provides more surface area available for contact with a surface being cleaned when the cleaning device 400 is passed over the surface and pressure is applied. With very slight pressure applied to the cleaning device 400, the underlying third substrate 460, being larger in diameter than the upper most first substrate 440 can come into contact with a surface being cleaned.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the first substrate 440 forming the raised region 420 is a foam, the second substrate 450 forming the recessed region 430 is a foam, and the third substrate 460 forming at the midportion of the raised region 420 is a compressible scouring material shown as a nonwoven web of fibers. In this embodiment, the foam is more compressible than the nonwoven web. This combination of materials for the raised regions and recessed regions provides a working surface that can wipe with the foam at the uppermost portion 424 of the raised region and when pressure is applied, the first substrate 440 compresses to provide the larger diameter third substrate 460 available for scouring. Therefore, a single working surface 410 can provide both wiping and scouring through the selective engagement of the raised regions 420 and recessed regions 430.

Additional embodiments of the cleaning device shown in FIG. 6 are contemplated in which the first, second and third substrates are some combination of compressible and incompressible materials, as long as one of the three substrates is compressible. For example, first and third substrates, 440 and 450 respectively, may be compressible materials, and third substrate 460 an incompressible material. For another example, first and third substrates, 440 and 450 respectively, may be incompressible materials, and third substrate 460 a compressible material.

Another embodiment of the cleaning device is similar to the device described for FIG. 5, except that the first substrate forming the raised region is a compressible scouring material shown such as a nonwoven web of fibers, the second substrate forming the recessed region is a compressible scouring material such as a nonwoven web of fibers, and the third substrate forming at the midportion of the raised region is a foam. Adjacent materials are different from one another; however separated materials, such as first substrate and second substrate can be the same as one another or can be different from one another.

A variety of embodiment has been disclosed. It is understood any many different combinations of materials may be used for the different substrates so long as one material is more compressible than the second material. Also, it is understood that many different substrates may be included to form the composite of the cleaning device. As was shown with FIGS. 1, 3, and 6, multilayer arrangement of the substrates may be used to provide the composite and resulting arrangement of the substrates at specified locations on the raised region and recessed region. It is understood that the entire raised portion may include the first substrate while only the lowermost portion of the recessed region may include the second substrate. It is understood that the uppermost portion may include the first substrate, while the lowermost portion and nearly the entire remaining raised region may include the second substrate. One or more working surfaces may be included having a variety of shapes, configurations, and arrangements of the raised region and recessed region.

As was already discussed, the working surface is used over a surface to be cleaned to wipe or scour the surface. Various amounts of pressure are applied to the cleaning device to selectively engage portions of the raised region or the recessed region.

To make the cleaning device, first the composite is formed. This may be a layered structure with the layers secured together or may be a structure with embedded material (FIG. 5). Once the composite is formed, the material is then “convoluted.” By convoluting, the composite is passed through a nip between a pair of rollers having interdigitated projections to compress different portions of the layer of composite toward its opposite side surfaces and then slitting the compressed layer of composite with a blade to produce two halves of the layer of composite each with raised regions and recessed regions. Other types of cutting devices can be used to cut the substrates.

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

1-20. (canceled)

21. A cleaning device comprising:

a composite having at least a first substrate that is a compressible material and a second substrate that is a compressible material;

wherein the composite includes a working surface including a plurality of recessed regions and a plurality of raised regions;

wherein at least a portion of the first substrate is exposed at the recessed regions of the working surface;

wherein at least a portion of the second substrate is exposed at the raised regions of the working surface.

22. The cleaning device of claim 21, wherein the first substrate requires a higher force to compress than the second substrate.

23. The cleaning device of claim 21, wherein the first substrate is a nonwoven scouring web and the second substrate is a foam.

24. The cleaning device of claim 21, wherein the second substrate requires a higher force to compress than the first substrate.

25. The cleaning device of claim 21, wherein the first substrate is a foam and the second substrate is a nonwoven scouring web.

26. The cleaning device of claim 21, wherein the second substrate comprises a plurality of discrete fiber clusters embedded throughout the first substrate, wherein each fiber cluster comprises a matrix of interconnected fibers.

27. The cleaning device of claim 21, wherein an uppermost portion of the raised region is entirely the second substrate and the lowermost portion of the recessed region is entirely the first substrate.

28. The cleaning device of claim 21, wherein the second substrate is exposed in a middle portion of the raised region.

29. The cleaning device of claim 21, wherein the entire raised region comprises the second substrate.

30. The cleaning device of claim 21, wherein the raised regions have a concavely curved surface and the recessed regions having a convexly curved surface.

31. The cleaning device of claim 21, wherein the raised regions are discrete and separated from one another by recessed regions.

32. The cleaning device of claim 21, wherein the recessed regions are discrete and separated from one another by raised regions.

33. The cleaning device of claim 21, wherein the working surface comprises a plurality of discrete raised regions each extending from one edge of the cleaning device to another edge of the cleaning device and separated from one another by a recessed region extending from one edge of the cleaning device to another edge of the cleaning device.

34. The cleaning device of claim 21, wherein a first row of raised regions and recessed regions is offset from an adjacent second row of raised regions and recessed regions.

35. A cleaning device comprising:

a working surface having a plurality of raised regions each having a convexly curved surface and a plurality of recessed regions each having a concavely curved surface;

wherein a base layer forms the recessed regions;

wherein a top layer forms an upper portion of the raised regions;

wherein a third layer, between the base layer and top layer, forms a middle portion of the raised regions.

36. The cleaning device of claim 35, wherein the base layer and the top layer are foams, and the third layer is a nonwoven scouring web.

37. The cleaning device of claim 35, wherein the base layer and the top layer are nonwoven scouring webs, and the third layer is a foam.

38. A cleaning device comprising:

a sponge body with a plurality of discrete fiber clusters embedded within the sponge body, wherein each fiber cluster comprises a matrix of interconnected fibers, and wherein a working surface of the sponge body has a plurality of raised regions each having a convexly curved surface and a plurality of recessed regions each having a concavely curved surface.