U.S. patent application number 10/528707 was filed with the patent office on 2006-06-15 for odour absorbing clothes cover.
This patent application is currently assigned to Reckitt Benckiser (UK) Limited. Invention is credited to Gay Joyce Cornelius, Stuart Michael Ruan Jones.
Application Number | 20060124477 10/528707 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 9944811 |
Filed Date | 2006-06-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060124477 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Cornelius; Gay Joyce ; et
al. |
June 15, 2006 |
Odour absorbing clothes cover
Abstract
The invention provides an odour-absorbing clothes cover (2)
comprising an odour-absorbing sheet material (4), the sheet
material defining an enclosure, arranged, in use, to receive an
item of clothing (22), the enclosure comprising an opening formed
in the front surface of the enclosure. The invention also extends
to a method of removing or mitigating odours from an item of
clothing.
Inventors: |
Cornelius; Gay Joyce;
(Cottingham, GB) ; Jones; Stuart Michael Ruan;
(Royston Hertfordshire, GB) |
Correspondence
Address: |
NORRIS, MCLAUGHLIN & MARCUS
875 THIRD AVE
18TH FLOOR
NEW YORK
NY
10022
US
|
Assignee: |
Reckitt Benckiser (UK)
Limited
103-105 Bath Road
Slough, Berkshire
GB
SL1 3UH
|
Family ID: |
9944811 |
Appl. No.: |
10/528707 |
Filed: |
September 19, 2003 |
PCT Filed: |
September 19, 2003 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/GB03/04025 |
371 Date: |
January 12, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
206/278 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61L 9/16 20130101; A47G
25/58 20130101; A61L 9/014 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
206/278 |
International
Class: |
B65D 85/18 20060101
B65D085/18 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Sep 26, 2002 |
GB |
0222359.2 |
Claims
1. An odour-absorbing clothes cover comprising an odour-absorbing
sheet material, the sheet material defining an enclosure arranged,
in use, to receive an item of clothing, the enclosure comprising
front and rear surfaces connected or folded together along their
side and upper peripheral edges but not along their lowermost
peripheral edges such that, in use, an item of clothing placed into
the enclosure defined between the front and rear surfaces may
protrude through the lowermost peripheral opening thereby provided;
wherein an opening is formed in the front surface of the enclosure,
such opening extending directly from the lowermost peripheral
opening, thus forming a pair of flaps in the front surface, which
flaps may be drawn back by a user to aid insertion of an item of
clothing into the enclosure.
2. A clothes cover as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sheet
material is a non-woven fibrous sheet material.
3. A clothes cover as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sheet
material is an air permeable sheet material.
4. A clothes cover according to claim 1, wherein the sheet material
is selected from a polyester, a polyamide, a polyvinyl alcohol,
cellulose, nylon, and mixtures thereof.
5. A clothes cover according to claim 1, wherein the odour
absorbing materials is selected from activated carbon, a zeolite,
titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, aluminium, and mixtures thereof.
6. A clothes cover as claimed in claim 5, wherein the odour
absorbing material is particulate activated carbon.
7. A clothes cover according to claim 1, wherein the
odour-absorbing material is present in the sheet material in an
amount of at least 5% (w/w), preferably at least 30% (w/w), of the
total weight of the sheet material.
8. A clothes cover according to claim 1, wherein the
odour-absorbing material is present in the sheet material in an
amount of no more than 60% (w/w) of the total weight of the sheet
material, preferably no more than 40% (w/w).
9. A clothes cover according to claim 1, wherein the
odour-absorbing material comprises a fixing agent arranged to
inhibit or substantially avoid shedding of the odour-absorbing
material from the sheet material.
10. A clothes cover according to claim 1, wherein the opening in
the surface of the enclosure comprises an elongate slit formed in
the surface.
11. A clothes cover as claimed in claim 10, wherein the slit
extends in one direction at least in the region of the peripheral
edge of the surface.
12. A clothes cover according to claim 1, wherein the opening
comprises a cover member, arranged, in use, to close the opening
intermittently.
13. A clothes cover as claimed in claim 12, wherein the opening is
an elongate slit, and the cover member comprises a flap of sheet
material connected at one side of the slit and extending across the
slit, being securable at that position but releasable
therefrom.
14. A clothes cover as cover according to claim 1, wherein the
clothes cover comprises an uppermost peripheral opening,
dimensioned to allow the hook of a clothes hanger to be inserted
through it, in use.
15. A method of removing an odour from an item of clothing, the
method comprising: (a) providing an odour-absorbing clothes cover
according to claim 1; and inserting an item of clothing through the
opening of the sheet material, into the enclosure.
Description
[0001] This invention relates to odour absorbing clothes covers and
methods of removing or mitigating odours from clothes.
[0002] Through everyday use, unpleasant or unwanted odours may
become absorbed by clothing. Odours from sweat and smoke absorbed
by clothing are a common problem. In many instances an item of
clothing will be worn by a person, during which time odours are
absorbed, and after which the item of clothing will be stored
without washing it to remove the odours. When the item of clothing
is worn for a second or subsequent occasion, very often the
unpleasant or unwanted absorbed odours can be detected by the
wearer or other persons close by. Generally items of clothing are
stored in close proximity to one another, permitting odours to be
transferred from an odour-emitting item of clothing to adjoining
items of clothing (which may be clean items of clothing). Clothes
which are often stored without washing between uses, and which tend
to have absorbed odours, include suits, coats and knitwear.
[0003] There are products on the market such as spray and aerosol
compositions which may be sprayed onto clothing to mask unpleasant
or unwanted odours before storing the clothing. Such compositions
only serve to hide the odours for a limited period of time and can,
themselves, cause the clothing to take on an unwanted perfumed
smell.
[0004] For footwear, products are known in the form of removable
insoles, which include an odour absorbing substrate. When placed
inside footwear, such insoles serve to absorb odours, as opposed to
simply masking them.
[0005] There have been proposals, for example U.S. Pat. No.
5,585,107, to provide odour absorbing bags for the receipt of
clothing. The enclosed construction of such bags is not well suited
for the receipt of larger items of clothing such as jackets and
coats.
[0006] It would be advantageous for a user to be able to remove
unwanted or unpleasant odours from an item of clothing previously
worn by the user, in a convenient manner, without the need to wash
or dry clean the item of clothing before further use of the
item.
[0007] It is therefore an aim of preferred embodiments of the
present invention to overcome or mitigate problems of the prior
art.
[0008] According to a first aspect of the invention there is
provided an odour-absorbing clothes cover comprising an
odour-absorbing sheet material, the sheet material defining an
enclosure arranged, in use, to receive an item of clothing, the
enclosure comprising front and rear surfaces connected or folded
together along their side and upper peripheral edges but not along
their lowermost peripheral edges such that, in use, an item of
clothing placed into the enclosure defined between the front and
rear surfaces may protrude through the lowermost peripheral opening
thereby provided; wherein an opening is formed in the front surface
of the enclosure, such opening extending directly from the
lowermost peripheral opening, thus forming a pair of flaps in the
front surface, which flaps may be drawn back by a user to aid
insertion of an item of clothing into the enclosure.
[0009] Thus the flaps are not attached to the clothes cover at its
lowermost periphery. Accordingly they may be drawn back to provide
a wide opening through which large items of clothing, for example
jackets and coats, may be passed.
[0010] The opening preferably extends to the uppermost peripheral
edge, so that the flaps are entirely separate from each other.
Alternatively the opening may terminate before reaching the
uppermost peripheral edge, leaving a bridge or web of material
between the flaps, extending between the uppermost peripheral edge
and the upper end of the opening.
[0011] Suitably the sheet material is a non-woven sheet material,
and is preferably a non-woven fibrous sheet material.
[0012] The sheet material is preferably a fibrous web or mat.
[0013] The sheet material is preferably an air permeable sheet
material.
[0014] Suitable sheet materials include polyesters, polyamides,
polyvinyl alcohols, cellulosics (for example rayon, viscose) and
nylon, or mixtures thereof for example. The sheet material may
alternatively comprise natural fibres, such as cotton, linen, flax
and wool, or mixtures thereof, for example. The sheet material may
comprise a mixture of synthetic and natural fibres.
[0015] Suitably the sheet material is comprised of synthetic fibres
formed into a web, mat or similar flexible sheet-form substrate.
The sheet material may be a laminar composite material of layers of
non-woven fibres, woven fibres or mixtures thereof which layers may
comprise the same or different materials.
[0016] Preferred sheet materials comprise fibres of polyester or
cellulose, including viscose and rayon.
[0017] Odour absorbing materials may be selected according to the
intended use and odours to be absorbed, and include activated
carbon, zeolites, inorganic compounds such as silica and metal
oxides e.g. of titanium (TiO.sub.2), zinc (ZnO) and aluminium and
mixtures thereof, and may be in crystalline, microcrystalline,
granular or other particulate form, for example.
[0018] Most preferred as an odour absorbing material is activated
carbon, preferably in particulate form. The activated carbon may
take the form of charcoal, peat, coconut shell, lignite or wood,
for example but is preferably charcoal.
[0019] Particle sizes may depend on the material selected but will
typically be between about 0.1 .mu.m to about 300 .mu.m, preferably
up to about 75 .mu.m, and preferably not less than 1 .mu.m, more
preferably not less than 25 .mu.m, these values being nominal
(mean) diameters.
[0020] Suitably the odour-absorbing material is present in the
sheet material in an amount of at least 5% (w/w), preferably at
least 10% (w/w), more preferably at least 15% (w/w), still more
preferably at least 20% (w/w), yet more preferably at least 25%
(w/w), and most preferably at least 30% (w/w), of the total weight
of the sheet material.
[0021] Suitably the odour-absorbing material is present in the
sheet material in an amount of no more than 60% (w/w), preferably
no more than 50% (w/w), more preferably no more than 45% (w/w), and
most preferably no more than 40% (w/w), of the total weight of the
sheet material.
[0022] Suitably the odour-absorbing material is retained or
impregnated within the sheet material, preferably using a fixing
agent, and whereby in use shedding of the odour-absorbing material
is inhibited, preferably substantially avoided.
[0023] Suitably the fixing agent comprises a binder, and preferably
a film-forming agent. Suitable binders include a latex, such as an
acrylics or styrene butadiene latex or natural rubber based binder,
especially containing a film former and/or an anti-foaming agent.
The term film former means a material capable of forming a film
when dry at ambient temperature and pressure. Suitable film-formers
include polyvinyl alcohol or polyvinyl alcohol/vinyl acetate
copolymers, and quaternary ammonium salts of
polyvinylpyrrolidone/vinyl acetate copolymers.
[0024] Suitably impregnation of the sheet material with the
odour-absorbing material is carried out using an odour-absorbing
material-containing liquid preferably also comprising a fixing
agent, by any one or more of the following methods:
[0025] saturation by soaking in a convenient manner e.g. simply
delivery of the appropriate chemical treatment liquor from a hose
over the sheet material;
[0026] impregnation by immersion of the sheet material in a bath of
the treatment liquor;
[0027] forced impregnation into the sheet material by application
of the liquor under pressure;
[0028] pouring of the treatment liquor over the sheet material by a
curtain-coating device situated over a progressively advancing web
of sheet material to drench the sheet material;
[0029] spraying the treatment liquor upon the fibrous material;
[0030] or an equivalent treatment of a web or mat of the sheet
material.
[0031] Suitably the fixing agent comprises at least 5% (w/w) of the
total weight of the sheet material, preferably at least 10% (w/w),
more preferably at least 15% (w/w) yet more preferably at least 20%
(w/w)and most preferably at least 25% (w/w).
[0032] Suitably the fixing agent comprises up to 60% (w/w) of the
total weight of the sheet material, preferably up to 50% (w/w),
more preferably up to 45% (w/w), and most preferably up to 40%
(w/w).
[0033] The sheet material and/or odour-absorbing agent may be as
described in WO 98/303026.
[0034] Suitably the opening is sufficiently large to pass a large
item of clothing, such as a jacket, without folding it.
[0035] Preferably the opening is at least 40 cm, more preferably at
least 50 cm in length.
[0036] The opening in the front surface of the enclosure may
comprise an elongate slit.
[0037] The opening may comprise a cover portion, arranged, in use,
to conceal the opening but allow access to the opening.
[0038] When the opening is an elongate slit the cover portion may
comprise a flap of sheet material connected at one side of the slit
and extending across the slit. The cover member is preferably
substantially equal in length to the slit. The cover member may
comprise releasable fastening means to fasten the cover member
across the opening, until such time in use when it is desired to
access the opening. The fastening means may comprise press studs,
buttons, micro hooks/eyes (eg trade mark VELCRO) or adhesive
(including low tack adhesive, and including single or double
layer--ie adhesive-to-sheet material or adhesive-to-adhesive).
Other fastening means may be employed. When the opening is an
elongate slit, suitably one edge of the slit overlaps the other
edge of the slit to form an integral cover member over the slit.
The fastening means is then suitably beneath the cover member.
[0039] Alternatively the opening may include a slide fastener, for
example an interlocking teeth (zip) fastener.
[0040] The front and rear surfaces may be integrally formed from
the same sheet material, folded about a fold line, or fold lines,
to form the surfaces, and connected together as required to form
the enclosure. In a convenient arrangement having a slit which
extends from the top to the bottom of the front surface, and the
front surface is this divided into two panels or lapels, a single
sheet may be cut and the panels and lapels formed by folding them
against the rear surface.
[0041] Alternatively the front and rear surfaces are separate
surfaces, connected together to form the enclosure.
[0042] Preferably the front and rear together define a slim
enclosure in which the front and rear surfaces bear against an item
of clothing within the enclosure.
[0043] Where the front and rear surfaces are connected together (as
distinct from being co-formed) they may be heat sealed, stitched,
stapled, glued, pinned or woven together, for example.
[0044] The front and rear surfaces may be connected or folded
together along a portion of each of the side and upper peripheral
edges, or along the entire length of such edges.
[0045] Preferably there is provided an uppermost peripheral opening
dimensioned to allow the hook of a clothes hanger to be inserted
through this peripheral opening in use. Whilst the peripheral
opening is dimensioned to allow a large hook to be inserted through
it, it is preferably smaller than head-sized. Thus, suitably the
enclosure has no usable head hole.
[0046] Suitably the front and rear surfaces have a peripheral shape
generally corresponding to the outline of an item of clothing to be
covered by the clothes cover. Preferably the front and rear
surfaces generally conform in shape to the peripheral shape of a
jacket, coat, shirt or jumper. Preferably, however, the front and
rear surfaces do not include sleeve shaped portions.
[0047] Preferably the cover is of similar size to, or preferably
somewhat larger than, a jacket or jumper. Suitably it is at least
40 cm, preferably at least 50 cm, and most preferably at least 60
cm wide (at its maximum). Suitably it is at least 40 cm, preferably
at least 60 cm, more preferably at least 70 cm, and most preferably
at least 80 cm long (at its maximum).
[0048] Preferably the cover is not itself a garment or item of
clothing.
[0049] According to a second aspect of the invention there is
provided a method of removing an odour from an item of clothing,
the method comprising: [0050] (a) providing an odour-absorbing
clothes cover of the first aspect of the invention; and [0051] (b)
inserting an item of clothing through the opening of the sheet
material, into the enclosure.
[0052] When a peripheral opening suitable for a hook is present,
the method may comprise placing the item of clothing on a clothes
hanger before step (b), and inserting the hook of the clothes
hanger through the uppermost peripheral opening, when present, to
protrude outside of the cover.
[0053] Thus the cover, enclosing the item of clothing may then be
hung on a suitable item, such as a rail in a wardrobe.
[0054] Before or after use the cover may be stored in an outer
packaging cover. The outer packaging cover may be constructed from
a resealable plastics material, for example, and may be constructed
to prevent odours, moisture or dust in the air from being absorbed
by the odour-absorbing material of the clothes cover, prior to its
use, or between uses.
[0055] In order to better understand the various aspects of the
invention and to show how embodiments of the same may be put into
effect, the invention will now be described by way of example, with
reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
[0056] FIG. 1 is a front view of a first embodiment of an
odour-absorbing clothes cover of the invention;
[0057] FIG. 2 is a rear view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1;
[0058] FIG. 3 is a view corresponding to that of FIG. 1, with the
opening thereinto partially exposed;
[0059] FIG. 4 is a view of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1,
into which a jacket has been partly inserted into the enclosure
through an opening in the front surface of the cover; and
[0060] FIG. 5 is a view corresponding to that of FIG. 4, but with
the jacket fully inserted within the enclosure.
[0061] An odour-absorbing clothes cover 2 comprises a sheet
material 4 formed from connected front 6 and rear 8 surfaces. The
front 6 and rear 8 surfaces are produced by folding a single sheet
about two fold lines, which ultimately are the peripheral side
edges of the cover. The peripheral edges are stitched together only
at the shoulders. The result is a slim enclosure into which an item
of clothing can be placed. An opening 10 is formed in the front
surface 4, in the form of an elongate slit extending from the top
of the front surface down to the lowermost peripheral edge thereof,
and bisecting the front surface. The opening is overlapped by a
covering flap 12. Beneath the covering flap 12 there is a single
hook and loop (VELCRO trade mark) fastener (not shown) about half
way up the covering flap.
[0062] The cover has an uppermost, short peripheral opening 14 cut
from the junction between the front 6 and rear 8 surfaces at the
upper edge of the sheet material 4, and a lowermost, long,
peripheral opening 16. The lowermost edge 20 of the front surface
is not connected to the lowermost edge 21 of the rear surface.
Accordingly the lowermost opening 16 extends across the entire
width of the cover.
[0063] The opening 10 bisects the uppermost opening 14 and also
bisects the lowermost opening 16. Thus, the opening 10 forms a
curtain-like pair of flaps 18 and 20 in the front surface 6, which
may be drawn aside (see FIGS. 3 and 4). This embodiment is useful
for items of clothing which are relatively long, such as coats,
dresses and jackets, which may be inserted into the opening 10 by
pulling back the flaps 18 and 20 and pushing the item of clothing
into the enclosure through the opening 10. The lowermost end of the
item can protrude through the lowermost opening 16 thus preventing
the item from becoming creased or crumpled whilst in the cover
2.
[0064] The clothes cover is 85 cm long and 65 cm wide (maximum
length and width).
[0065] The uppermost peripheral opening 14 is sufficiently large to
take the hook of a clothes hanger, but not so large that the cover
does not cover the shoulders of an appropriate item of
clothing--for example a jacket, jumper or shirt--inside the
enclosure. Typically it is about 8-15 cm in width
[0066] The sheet material is constructed from polyester fibres
having a length of 30-50 mm formed into sheet material comprising a
fibrous web, using the carding process of GB-A-2151667 and
impregnated with a carbon-based odour-absorbing material, such as
charcoal.
[0067] The sheet material is impregnated with activated charcoal by
a process of immersing the sheet in a bath of treatment liquor in
which activated charcoal is present. The treatment liquor, based on
the dry weight under ambient temperature and pressure, comprises
25% (w/w) of an acrylic butadiene binder, 2% (w/w) of a polyvinyl
alcohol film former, together forming a fixing agent, and an
anti-foaming agent in a suitable organic carrier medium. The bulk
of the liquor is made up of the particulate charcoal. During
immersion of the sheet the charcoal is taken up into the fibrous
web and held in place by the fixing agent to prevent future
shedding. The sheet is then cut into appropriate shaped sheets in
order to form enclosures. Activated charcoal constitutes 35% (w/w)
of the finished sheet material. Fixing agent constitutes about 35%
(w/w) of the finished sheet material.
[0068] In use, an item of clothing, in the form of a jacket 22, for
example, is inserted into the enclosure formed by the connected
front 6 and rear 8 surfaces by lifting the covering flap 12 of the
opening 10 and inserting the jacket into the enclosure through the
opening 10. If the jacket is mounted on a clothes hanger 24, as
shown in FIG. 4, the clothes hanger is also inserted through the
opening 10 and the hook 26 of the clothes hanger pushed through the
uppermost peripheral opening 14. Thus when the jacket 22 is fully
inserted into the cover 2 the hook 26 protrudes from the uppermost
peripheral opening 14 and the cover 2 and jacket 22 can be hung on
a clothes rail, for example. It will be seen that in this
embodiment the jacket hangs below the lowermost edge of the
enclosure at 28, this edge being left unsewn to leave the opening
16.
[0069] In alternative embodiments the cover 2 may include a
separate outer packaging cover (not shown) made from an impermeable
plastics material, for example, and having a resealable opening.
The packaging cover can protect the cover 2 and enclosed item from
moisture, odours or dust in the atmosphere, at the point of sale
and/or between uses. This can have the effect of prolonging the
life-time of the odour-absorbing material in the cover 2 by
preventing unnecessary odour-absorption or other absorption from
the atmosphere, which may otherwise saturate the odour-absorbing
material prematurely.
* * * * *