ROTOR WIPE

Abstract

One or more techniques, systems, or both are disclosed for an automotive container comprising a water dispersible, pre-moistened wiping product for an associated rotor. The wiping product may comprise a flexible substrate carrying a cleaning composition wherein the cleaning composition may comprise 1) about 70% to about 90% water; 2) about 1% to about 10% corrosion inhibitor; and 3) about 10% to about 25% surfactant. A single wiping product may be in the automotive container for single use application and may then be discarded with the automotive container through ordinary disposal means. A single use lubricating product may be carried in a separate pocket or container for use after the wiping product.

Description

This application claims priority to provisional patent U.S. Ser. No 61/760,484, entitled “Rotor Wipe” and “Rotor Wipe”/DBC Lube-Pak® Tandem, filed Feb. 4, 2013, which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Rotors and braking systems require inspection, maintenance and replacement. New disc brake rotors for vehicles and other machinery may be covered by a protective anti-corrosion coating. During installation or maintenance, there is a risk of contaminating the brake pad if the rotor surface has not been cleaned properly or if dirt or other particles have been unintentionally introduced. To remove debris, particles or protective coatings, from rotors and braking system components, environmentally unfriendly solvent-based products in bottles or aerosol cans are used. Clean cloths, usually rags or towels, are needed to apply these products, requiring that the cloths be washed repeatedly. Further, solvents provided for in bottles or aerosol cans may be wasted since the amount of solvent used is simply measured by trial and error.

After the brake cleaner is used, lubrication may be applied. The proper disc brake caliper lube or grease is needed to properly lubricate the braking system. Again, more clean cloths need to be available for application. Further, using cloths in either application could result in undesired lint or other fine debris being deposited on the rotor or brake system components.

SUMMARY

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key factors or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

In one implementation an automotive container may comprise a water dispersible, pre-moistened wiping product for an associated rotor. The wiping product may comprise a flexible substrate carrying a cleaning composition wherein the cleaning composition may comprise: 1) about 70% to about 90% water; 2) about 1% to about 10% corrosion inhibitor; and 3) about 10% to about 25% surfactant.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the following description and annexed drawings set forth certain illustrative aspects and implementations. These are indicative of but a few of the various ways in which one or more aspects may be employed. Other aspects, advantages and novel features of the disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the annexed drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

What is disclosed herein may take physical form in certain parts and arrangement of parts, and will be described in detail in this specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a brake assembly rotor, according to one implementation.

FIG. 2A is front view of an automotive container, according to one implementation.

FIG. 2B is perspective view of an automotive container, according to one implementation.

FIG. 3 is a front view of an automotive container, according to one implementation.

FIG. 4 is a front view of an automotive container, according to one implementation.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another implementation of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The claimed subject matter is now described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are generally used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the claimed subject matter. It may be evident, however, that the claimed subject matter may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to facilitate describing the claimed subject matter.

Without limitation to the foregoing description, the present invention relates in one implementation, to an apparatus and method directed to a single use wiping product having a premeasured amount of a cleaning combination for removing debris from rotors and other automotive components. After use, which the wiping product is used by the user until all desired components are clean or the wiping product becomes ineffective, the spent wiping product and its container may be discarded after application without concern for special handling or environmental concerns. A single use lubricating product may also be utilized to apply grease to brake components.

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a brake rotor assembly 109 which may include a caliper assembly 103 and a rotor 101. The caliper assembly 103 may include first and second brake pads 102, 104, which are supported by a bracket 105. The rotor 101 in the implementation depicted may include an inner portion 110 that is generally circular. The inner portion 110 defines a center hole 106 at which the rotor 101 may be mountable to an axle (not shown), as understood by those skilled in the art. The inner diameter of the rotor 101 at the hole 106 may include splines as shown for engagement with complementary splines on the axle. The inner portion 110 also may have a plurality of threaded studs 108 protruding therefrom. As understood by those skilled in the art, a wheel (not shown) may be mountable to the rotor 101 using the studs 108 such that the wheel and rotor 101 rotate as a unit.

The rotor 101 may also include an outer portion 111, which may be generally circular and may concentrically surround the inner portion 110. Each of the brake pads 102, 104 may overlie a respective rotor cheek braking surface 112, 113, i.e., the pads 102, 104 may be positioned such that portions of the rotor cheeks 114, 115 are there in between. Normally, the caliper assembly 103 may keep the pads 102, 104 separated from the braking surfaces 112, 113 of the rotor 101. The pads 102, 104 may be selectively movable between engaged and disengaged positions, as understood by those skilled in the art. When the pads 102, 104 are in their disengaged positions, they may not contact the braking surfaces 112, 113, and therefore may not cause any resistance to the rotation of the rotor 101 and the wheel attached thereto. When the pads 102, 104 are in their engaged positions, each of the pads 102, 104 may contact a respective braking surface 112, 113, thereby resisting rotation of the rotor 101 and the wheel attached thereto. The pads 102, 104 may be moved to their engaged positions through hydraulic actuation, electronic actuation, etc., as understood by those skilled in the art. The rate of braking may be dependent upon the pressure of the brake pads 102, 104 against the braking surfaces 112, 113.

FIG. 2A illustrates a front view of an automotive container 201, and FIG. 2B illustrates a perspective view of the automotive container 201. The automotive container 201 may have a have a front portion 203 and a back portion 205. The automotive container 201 may have an interior or first pocket 207 for holding a wiping product 302 for use with the rotor 101, as shown in FIG. 3. The automotive container 201 may also have a second pocket 209 for holding a lubricating product 403, as shown in FIG. 4, for use with brake components. In one implementation, the automotive container 201 may be made of a material such that it may be torn open by the user to access its contents, such as the wiping product 302 or the lubricating product 403. The automotive container 201 may have a notched portion 210, perforated portion 212, or other weakened area for opening the automotive container 201. The automotive container 201 should be of a material to maintain the integrity of the wiping product 302 or the lubricating product 403 over time. The automotive container 201 may be leak proof, resist delaminating, or otherwise experience a failure as a result of the cleaning composition or the lubrication product disposed inside the pocket 207, 209.

The automotive container 201, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, may hold a single product such as one wiping product 302 or one lubricating product 403. The automotive container 201 may also hold multiple products such as multiple wiping products 302 or multiple lubricating products 403.

FIG. 3 illustrates a front view of another implementation of the automotive container 201 and the wiping product 302, which may be selectively removable from the automotive container 201. The wiping product 302 may be flexible, and it may be a towelette or a wipe. The wiping product 302 may be comprised of a flexible substrate 312. Furthermore, the flexible substrate used in the wiping product 302 may be a fabric. The fabric may be a non-woven fabric. For example, the nonwoven fabric may be comprised of polypropylene. Also, the flexible substrate 312 may be a substantially lintless fabric.

With continued reference to FIGS. 2-4, the automotive container 201 may contain a single, water dispersible, pre-moistened wiping product 302 or a plurality of wiping products 322. The wiping product 302 may comprise the flexible substrate 312 carrying the cleaning composition. The cleaning composition may comprise: 1) about 70% to about 90% water; 2) about 1% to about 10% corrosion inhibitor; and 3) about 10% to about 25% surfactant. The cleaning composition may be biodegradable. The cleaning composition may have a shelf life of about 36 months. The cleaning composition may be effective to remove the anti-corrosion coating, metal particles, and any other contaminants on rotors 101, drums or other components and yet not adversely affect the integrity of the automotive container 201 or the flexible substrate 312 prior to use.

For the wiping product 302, the flexible substrate 312 may have a premeasured amount of the cleaning composition. The flexible substrate 312 may have a fluid capacity between about 5.8 grams and about 6 grams of the cleaning composition per 1 gram of the flexible substrate. The flexible substrate may absorb the premeasured amount of cleaning composition to be used, leaving little or no cleaning composition behind when removed from the automotive container 201.

During manufacture, the order of combining the flexible substrate 312 and the cleaning composition may be varied. The flexible substrate 312 and the cleaning composition may be combined before being added to the pocket 207 of the automotive container 201. Alternatively, the pocket 207 of the automotive container 201 may be filled with the cleaning composition before the flexible substrate 312 is disposed therein; or the pocket 207 of the automotive container 201 may be filled with the cleaning composition after the flexible substrate 312 is deposited in the pocket 207. The pocket 207 of the automotive container 201 may be partially filled with the cleaning composition before the flexible substrate is positioned therein and then have the remaining cleaning composition added before the automotive container 201 is closed. This may also apply to the order of application for the flexible substrate 312 combining with grease to form the lubricating product 403.

FIG. 4 illustrates another implementation of the present invention. The automotive container 201 can be provided as a kit 400 for treating the rotor 101. The kit 400 may comprise the automotive container 201 having the first pocket 207 and the second pocket 209. In another implementation, multiple automotive containers may be joined together each having a pocket. The first pocket 207 may comprise the wiping product 302 and the second pocket 209 may comprise the lubricating product 403 for the brake component. The lubricating product 403 may comprises the flexible substrate 312 and a lubricant. The lubricant may be grease. The automotive container 201 comprising both the first pocket 207 and second pocket 209 may have the wiping product 302 and the lubricating product 403 separately and selectively accessible. The automotive container 201 may comprise both the first pocket 207 and second pocket 209 without leaking or delaminating. Both the wiping product 302 and lubricating product 403 may provide single use products that may reduce or eliminate contamination during installation of the rotor 101. The automotive container 201 may also hold a single lubricating product 403 or multiple lubricating products 322, as shown in FIG. 5.

The lubricating product 403 for the associated brake component may properly lubricate the braking system when replacing the brake pads or caliper. The lubricating product 403 may be disc brake caliper grease. The lubricating product 403 may be applied per the manufacturer's instructions for lubricating the braking system. The lubricating product 403 may be a lubricant for all the braking system parts, including the brake pads or caliper. The lubricating product 403 may be the combination of the flexible substrate 312 and grease as shown in FIG. 4, or the lubricating product 403 may be grease alone without a substrate.

With reference to FIG. 5, the first pocket 207 may be of sufficient dimension to contain the plurality of wiping products 322, wherein the wiping products 322 are a configured in a roll with perforations for separating each wiping product 302. The second pocket 405 may be of sufficient dimension to contain a plurality of lubricating products 403, wherein the lubricating products 403 are a configured in a roll with perforations. Any other configuration may be utilized to have multiple wiping products 302 or multiple lubricating products 403 disposed in each pocket, 207, 209 of the automotive container 201. In another implementation, the wiping product 302 or lubricating product 403 may be folded or pleated for placement in the automotive container 201.

In another implementation of the invention, the automotive container 201 may be produced by any vertical or horizontal form fill and seal equipment. The form fill and seal equipment may form the automotive container 401. The form fill and seal equipment may fold or pleat the wiping product 302 so it could be inserted inside the automotive container 201. A predetermined amount of the cleaning composition may be then filled inside of the automotive container 201, on top of the flexible substrate 312 and absorbed. Likewise, a predetermined amount of lubricant may then be filled inside of the automotive container 401 on top of the flexible substrate 312. The lubricant may be absorbed by the flexible substrate 312. If the automotive container 201 has the first pocket 207, as shown in FIG. 3, or multiple pockets, as shown in FIG. 4, the pockets 207, 209 may then be closed and heat sealed.

As shown in FIG. 4, the kit 400 containing both the wiping product 302 and lubricating product 403 may also be formed using the form fill and seal equipment. A barrier 420 may be utilized between the pockets 207, 209 to prevent cross contamination of the wiping product 302 and the lubricating product 403. Within the kit 400, the first pocket 207 and the second pocket 209 may be created using the form fill and seal equipment. This method of preparing a kit with the wiping product 402 and lubricating product 403 may also be done by: 1) purchasing premade automotive containers 401, 2) folding and inserting the flexible substrate mechanically, electro-mechanically or manually, 3) filling the first pocket 404 with the cleaning composition, 4) filling the second pocket 209 with lubricant, and 5) heat sealing the automotive container 201 by hand with an impulse sealer or hot jaw sealer. The first pocket 404 and second pocket 405 may be sealed either at the same time or separately.

During use of the invention, the rotor 101, as described in FIG. 1, may have an exterior anti-corrosion coating on its surface prior to installation. This coating can be removed prior to installing the rotor 101 and pads 102, 104. The user opens the automotive container 201 and removes the wiping product 302 from the pocket 207. The wiping product 302 within the automotive container 201 may clean the rotor 101 and remove the anti-corrosion coating from the rotor 101. The wiping product 302 may also be used to clean brake components including any brake dust on mag wheels and rims. The wiping product 302 may clean the bearing race area of the rotor 101. Additionally, the wiping product 302 may remove metal particles left behind after resurfacing or grinding the face of the rotor 101 and any foreign particles from the rotors 101 and brake drums. As well, the wiping product 302 may safely remove stubborn oils, greases, tars, and other contaminants from various surfaces. The wiping product 302, including the flexible substrate 312 itself, may withstand the mechanical motion of cleaning the rotor 101 or other components. After cleaning is completed or the wiping product 302 is spent, the wiping product 302 can be thrown away in the regular trash collection since the cleaning composition is biodegradable. The rotor 101 or other components may then be blown off with clean air. A clean towel (not shown) may be used to dry the rotor 101 if desired. By removing any contaminants, brake noise may be reduced. The use of the wiping product 302 can provide a cleaner and easier method to removing the anti-corrosion coating and any other contaminants. The automotive container 201 comprising the water dispersible, pre-moistened wiping product for the rotor 101 may ensure the proper type and amount of cleaner is available to complete the rotor 101 installation.

The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean serving as an example, instance or illustration. Any aspect or design described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as advantageous over other aspects or designs. Rather, use of the word exemplary is intended to present concepts in a concrete fashion. As used in this application, the term “or” is intended to mean an inclusive “or” rather than an exclusive “or.” That is, unless specified otherwise, or clear from context, “X employs A or B” is intended to mean any of the natural inclusive permutations. That is, if X employs A; X employs B; or X employs both A and B, then “X employs A or B” is satisfied under any of the foregoing instances. Further, at least one of A and B and the like generally means A or B or both A and B. In addition, the articles “a” and “an” as used in this application and the appended claims may generally be construed to mean “one or more” unless specified otherwise or clear from context to be directed to a singular form.

Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features, methodological acts, or both, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims. Of course, those skilled in the art will recognize many modifications may be made to this configuration without departing from the scope or spirit of the claimed subject matter.

Also, although the disclosure has been shown and described with respect to one or more implementations, equivalent alterations and modifications will occur to others skilled in the art based upon a reading and understanding of this specification and the annexed drawings. The disclosure includes all such modifications and alterations and is limited only by the scope of the following claims. In particular regard to the various functions performed by the above described components (e.g., elements, resources, etc.), the terms used to describe such components are intended to correspond, unless otherwise indicated, to any component which performs the specified function of the described component (e.g., that is functionally equivalent), even though not structurally equivalent to the disclosed structure which performs the function in the herein illustrated exemplary implementations of the disclosure.

In addition, while a particular feature of the disclosure may have been disclosed with respect to only one of several implementations, such feature may be combined with one or more other features of the other implementations as may be desired and advantageous for any given or particular application. Furthermore, to the extent that the terms “includes,” “having,” “has,” “with,” or variants thereof are used in either the detailed description or the claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising.”

The implementations have been described, hereinabove. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the above methods and apparatuses may incorporate changes and modifications without departing from the general scope of this invention. It is intended to include all such modifications and alterations in so far as they come within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.

Claims

1. An automotive container, comprising:

a water dispersible, pre-moistened wiping product for an associated rotor, the wiping product configured for a single use, the wiping product comprising a flexible substrate carrying a premeasured amount of a cleaning composition wherein the cleaning composition comprises: about 70% to about 90% water; about 1% to about 10% corrosion inhibitor; and about 10% to about 25% surfactant.

2. The automotive container of claim 1, wherein the flexible substrate is a fabric.

3. The automotive container of claim 2, wherein the fabric is a non-woven fabric.

4. The automotive container of claim 1, wherein the flexible substrate has a fluid capacity between about 5.8 grams and about 6 grams of the cleaning composition per gram of the flexible substrate.

5. The automotive container of claim 1, wherein the cleaning composition is biodegradable.

6. The automotive container of claim 1, further comprising a lubricating product for an associated brake component.

7. The automotive container of claim 1, further comprising a first pocket and a second pocket, the first pocket comprising the wiping product, and the second pocket comprising a lubricating product.

8. The automotive container of claim 7, wherein the wiping product and the lubricating product are separately and selectively accessible.

9. The automotive container of claim 7, wherein the lubricating product is grease.

10. A method of manufacturing an automotive product comprising the steps of:

making an automotive container having a first pocket for holding a wiping product,

forming the wiping product from a substrate and a cleaning composition, the wiping product configured for a single cleaning application of an associated automotive component, the cleaning composition comprising: about 70% to about 90% water; about 1% to about 10% corrosion inhibitor; and about 10% to about 25% surfactant; and

sealing the automotive container with the wiping product disposed in the first pocket.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the flexible substrate is a substantially lintless fabric.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the first pocket is of sufficient dimension to contain a plurality of wiping products, wherein the wiping products are a configured in a roll with perforations.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of:

adding the cleaning composition to the substrate before the substrate is disposed in the first pocket.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of:

adding the cleaning composition to the substrate after the substrate is disposed in the first pocket.

15. The method of claim 10, the step of making the automotive container having a first pocket for receiving a substrate, further comprises the steps of:

making the automotive container having a second pocket for receiving a lubricating product for an associated brake component, the lubricating product comprising a lubricant; and

disposing the lubricating product in the second pocket.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein said wiping product contains a predetermined amount of cleaning composition prior to sealing the automotive container.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the cleaning composition is biodegradable.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the lubricating product is grease.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the lubricant is provided on a substantially lintless, flexible substrate.

20. A kit for treating a rotor comprising:

a single container having a first pocket and a second pocket; the first pocket having a water dispersible, pre-moistened wiping product to clean the rotor comprising a flexible substrate carrying a cleaning composition wherein the cleaning composition comprises: about 70% to about 90% water; about 1% to about 10% corrosion inhibitor; and about 10% to about 25% surfactant; and the second pocket having a lubricating product to lubricate an associated brake component;

the container, wiping product and lubricating product configured to comprise a single application.