U.S. patent application number 17/331060 was filed with the patent office on 2021-12-02 for disposable cleaning cloths and associated methods.
The applicant listed for this patent is Rubbermaid Commercial Products LLC. Invention is credited to Weidong Wu.
Application Number | 20210369075 17/331060 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005779001 |
Filed Date | 2021-12-02 |
United States Patent
Application |
20210369075 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Wu; Weidong |
December 2, 2021 |
Disposable Cleaning Cloths and Associated Methods
Abstract
A disposable cleaning cloth includes a low weight substrate
having a first face and an opposed second face. The disposable
cleaning cloth further includes microfiber yarn sewn to the low
weight substrate in a plurality of parallel rows of straight
stiches. The straight stitches are substantially flush with the
first and second faces of the substrate. A method of making a
disposable cleaning cloth includes providing a low weight substrate
having a first face and an opposed second face. The method further
includes sewing a microfiber yarn to the low weight substrate in a
plurality of parallel rows of straight stiches, such that the
straight stitches are substantially flush with the first and second
faces of the substrate.
Inventors: |
Wu; Weidong; (Charlotte,
NC) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Rubbermaid Commercial Products LLC |
Atlanta |
GA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000005779001 |
Appl. No.: |
17/331060 |
Filed: |
May 26, 2021 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
63031669 |
May 29, 2020 |
|
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|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
D10B 2503/00 20130101;
D04H 1/435 20130101; A47L 13/16 20130101; D04H 1/46 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A47L 13/16 20060101
A47L013/16; D04H 1/46 20060101 D04H001/46; D04H 1/435 20060101
D04H001/435 |
Claims
1. A disposable cleaning cloth, comprising: a low weight substrate
having a first face and an opposed second face; and microfiber yarn
sewn to the low weight substrate in a plurality of parallel rows of
straight stiches, such that the straight stitches are substantially
flush with the first and second faces of the substrate.
2. The disposable cleaning cloth of claim 1, wherein the low weight
substrate has a weight of 70 g/m.sup.2 or less.
3. The disposable cleaning cloth of claim 1, wherein the low weight
substrate comprises a nonwoven fabric.
4. The disposable cleaning cloth of claim 3, wherein the nonwoven
fabric comprises nonwoven polyester, polypropylene, nylon, acrylic,
cotton, rayon, or blend of any of these materials.
5. The disposable cleaning cloth of claim 1, wherein the microfiber
yarn comprises microfibers of polyester, polypropylene, nylon, or a
blend of any of these materials.
6. The disposable cleaning cloth of claim 5, wherein the
microfibers each have a denier of from about 0.36 to about 1.
7. The disposable claim cloth of claim 1, wherein the microfiber
yarn has a denier of from about 100 to about 200.
8. The disposable cleaning cloth of claim 1, wherein the microfiber
yarn is formed of from about 250 to about 350 microfiber
filaments.
9. The disposable cleaning cloth of claim 1, wherein the straight
stitches of the microfiber yarn are present in about 150 to about
250 stiches per square inch.
10. The disposable cleaning cloth of claim 1, further comprising a
fiber yarn sewn to the low weight substrate in a plurality of
parallel rows of straight stiches, such that the straight stitches
are substantially flush with the first and second faces of the
substrate, the fiber yarn stiches being substantially parallel to
the microfiber yarn stiches.
11. A method of making a disposable cleaning cloth, comprising:
providing a low weight substrate having a first face and an opposed
second face; and sewing a microfiber yarn to the low weight
substrate in a plurality of parallel rows of straight stiches, such
that the straight stitches are substantially flush with the first
and second faces of the substrate.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein the low weight substrate has a
weight of 70 g/m.sup.2 or less.
13. The method of claim 11, wherein the low weight substrate
comprises a nonwoven fabric.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein the nonwoven fabric is a
nonwoven polyester, polypropylene, nylon, acrylic, cotton, rayon,
or blend of any of these materials.
15. The method of claim 11, wherein the microfiber yarn comprises
microfibers of polyester, polypropylene, nylon, or a blend of any
of these materials.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein the microfibers each have a
denier of from about 0.36 to about 1.
17. The method of claim 11, wherein the microfiber yarn has a
denier of from about 100 to about 200.
18. The method of claim 11, wherein the microfiber yarn is formed
of from about 250 to about 350 microfiber filaments.
19. The method of claim 11, wherein the straight stitches of the
microfiber yarn are sewn in about 150 to about 250 stiches per
square inch.
20. The method of claim 11, further comprising sewing a fiber yarn
to the low weight substrate in a plurality of parallel rows of
straight stiches, such that the straight stitches are substantially
flush with the first and second faces of the substrate, the fiber
yarn stiches being substantially parallel to the microfiber yarn
stiches.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority benefit of U.S. Provisional
Application No. 63/031,669, filed May 29, 2020, the disclosure of
which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND
[0002] This disclosure generally relates to disposable cleaning
cloths and methods for manufacturing the same, and more
specifically relates to disposable cleaning cloths having a
relatively low weight substrate with microfiber yarns sewn
thereon.
[0003] Disposable cleaning wipe products have recently gained
popularity. Such wipe products typically incorporate a nonwoven
sheet that is saturated with a cleaning and sanitizing solution.
Flat or textured nonwoven sheets have been used successfully, but
such nonwoven sheets must have a relatively substantial weight to
avoid falling apart during use.
[0004] Thus, it would be desirable to provide improved
constructions of disposable cleaning wipe or cloth products.
SUMMARY
[0005] Disposable cleaning cloths and methods for manufacturing
disposable cleaning cloths are described.
[0006] In embodiments, a disposable cleaning cloth includes a low
weight substrate having a first face and an opposed second face.
The disposable cleaning cloth further includes microfiber yarn sewn
to the low weight substrate in a plurality of parallel rows of
straight stiches. The straight stitches are substantially flush
with the first and second faces of the substrate.
[0007] In embodiments, a method of making a disposable cleaning
cloth includes providing a low weight substrate having a first face
and an opposed second face. The method further includes sewing a
microfiber yarn to the low weight substrate in a plurality of
parallel rows of straight stiches, such that the straight stitches
are substantially flush with the first and second faces of the
substrate.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] The detailed description is set forth with reference to the
accompanying drawings. The use of the same reference numerals may
indicate similar to identical items. Various embodiments may
utilize elements and/or components other than those illustrated in
the drawings, and some elements and/or components may not be
present in various embodiments. Elements and/or components in the
figures are not necessarily drawn to scale.
[0009] FIG. 1 is a photograph showing one embodiment of a
disposable cleaning cloth, in accordance with the present
disclosure
[0010] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional illustration of one row of
straight stitched yarn, in accordance with the present
disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0011] The present disclosure includes non-limiting embodiments of
disposable cleaning cloths and methods for manufacturing the same.
The embodiments are described in detail herein to enable one of
ordinary skill in the art to practice the disposable cleaning
cloths and associated methods of making, although it is to be
understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that logical
changes may be made without departing from the scope of the
disclosure. Throughout the disclosure, depending on the context,
singular and plural terminology may be used interchangeably.
[0012] Disposable cleaning cloths (also referred to interchangeably
herein as "wipes") have been developed that utilize a relatively
low weight substrate material, as compared to commercially
available textured and flat nonwoven wipes. A microfiber yarn is
sewn to the low weight substrate in parallel rows of straight
stitches, in a pattern and amount effective to provide additional
structural stability to the cloth. In certain embodiments, the yarn
stitches also provide a textured surface to aid in cleaning
effectiveness of debris particles, for both consumer and commercial
cleaning applications. Thus, the disposable cleaning cloths
described herein may be relatively lightweight, while providing
superior cloth strength and cleaning ability in a disposable
format.
[0013] The disposable cleaning cloths described herein may provide
strong cleaning performance, high water/liquid absorbency, good
dust and particle trapping, 99.9% microorganism removal, and/or not
chemically bind quaternary ammonium chloride (QUAT) or chlorine
bleach, as described below. Thus, these disposable cloths may
provide an improved level of cleaning performance for a disposable
cloth while being formed of lightweight materials.
[0014] Particularly in healthcare environments, such as hospitals,
quaternary ammonium chlorides are frequently used with mops and
cloths as disinfectants. However, these disinfectants are often
absorbed by or bound to traditional microfibers, such as those
contained in microfiber mops and cleaning cloths, when the
microfibers are immersed in disinfectant solutions during cleaning,
thereby reducing the concentration of any quaternary ammonium
chloride-based disinfectant used with these microfibers, and
reducing the killing effectiveness of the quaternary ammonium
chloride-based disinfectant solution.
[0015] In some embodiments described herein, the disposable
cleaning cloth does not chemically bind QUAT or chlorine bleach.
For example, in some embodiments, the cleaning cloth, when immersed
in a solution comprising QUAT or chlorine bleach and subsequently
removed from the solution, does not substantially alter the
concentration of the QUAT or chlorine bleach. As used herein, a
cloth that does not substantially alter the concentration of the
QUAT or chlorine bleach refers to a cloth that does not
preferentially bind the QUAT or chlorine bleach, or to a cloth that
is QUAT and chlorine bleach safe and compatible. That is, the
concentration of any QUAT or chlorine bleach disinfectant solution
used with the cloth does not substantially differ over time from
the initial concentration of the liquid solution. For example, in
some embodiments, the concentration of QUAT or chlorine bleach
solution absorbed by the cloth differs by less than 5% from the
concentration of any remaining solution.
[0016] Various embodiments of disposable cleaning cloths and
methods for manufacture of the same are described below.
Disposable Cleaning Cloths
[0017] In one aspect, a disposable cleaning cloth is provided. As
shown in FIG. 1, the disposable cleaning cloth 100 includes a low
weight substrate 102, which has a first face and an opposed second
face, and a microfiber yarn 104 sewn to the low weight substrate in
a plurality of parallel rows of straight stiches, such that the
straight stitches are substantially flush with the first and second
faces of the substrate 102. As used herein, the phrase
"substantially flush with the first and second faces of the
substrate" refers to the straight stitches lying flat or level
along the respective surfaces of the substrate, such that no
visible gap is present between the face and the stitch when the
cloth is laid flat at rest. For example, the substantially flush
straight stitches are not looped or otherwise stitched to form a
gap between the yarn and the substrate. It has been discovered that
the substantially flush straight stitches described herein provide
a strong cleaning performance, including good dust and particle
trapping, despite lying flush with the surface.
[0018] The low weight substrate may be any suitable low weight
substrate, and may have a weight of 70 g/m.sup.2 or less. In
certain embodiments, the low weight substrate has a weight of about
10 g/m.sup.2 to about 50 g/m.sup.2, such as about 30 g/m.sup.2 to
about 45 g/m.sup.2. As used herein, the term "about" when used with
reference to a numerical value, refers to an amount that is plus or
minus up to 3 percent of the stated numerical value.
[0019] In certain embodiments, the low weight substrate has a paper
or fabric construction. The paper or fabric construction may
display suitable fluid absorbency. For example, the low weight
substrate may have an absorbency of from about 400% to about 800%
its weight. For example, the low weight substrate may be a cotton
cellulose or rayon cellulose paper. In other embodiments, the low
weight substrate is a nonwoven fabric. For example, the nonwoven
fabric may be formed of suitable materials, such as polyester,
polypropylene, nylon, acrylic, cotton, rayon, and blends of any of
these materials. For example, the nonwoven fabric may be formed via
suitable nonwoven fabrication methods, such as spun-bonding,
needle-punching, and hydro-entanglement. In one embodiment, the low
weight substrate is a needle-punched nonwoven polyester
configuration.
[0020] In certain embodiments, the disposable cleaning cloths
described herein contain a single nonwoven fabric or paper layer
forming the low weight substrate. In other embodiments, the low
weight substrate may be formed of multiple layers.
[0021] The microfiber yarn may be formed of suitable microfibers in
any suitable configuration. For example, the microfibers may be
sized with a relatively small diameter and deliver good water
absorbency. For example, the microfibers may have a size of about
0.36 to about 1 denier, such as about 0.52 denier. The microfibers
may be formed of suitable materials, such as polyesters,
polypropylene, nylon, and blends of any of these materials.
[0022] A microfiber yarn is formed of a plurality of microfibers,
i.e., microfiber filaments. For example, the microfiber yarn may be
formed of from about 250 to about 350 microfiber filaments, such as
from about 275 to about 300 filaments. In certain embodiments, the
microfiber yarn has a denier of from about 100 to about 200.
[0023] FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-section of a single row of
straight stitches of yarn 104 in the substrate 102 of a disposable
cleaning cloth 100. As shown, in certain embodiments of the yarn,
the straight stitch yarn pattern is formed by an upper yarn 104a
and a lower yarn 104b. The upper yarn 104a is sewn along the first,
upper surface of the substrate 102, while the lower yarn 104b is
sewn along the opposed, lower surface of the substrate 102. Such
straight stitch patterns are formed by standard sewing machines. As
described herein, both the upper and lower yarns may be a
microfiber yarn. In certain embodiments, the upper and lower yarns
are identical. In other embodiments, the upper and lower yarns are
different microfiber yarns. For example, the upper and lower yarns
may have different denier or different material.
[0024] As described herein, the microfiber yarn 104 is sewn to the
substrate 102 in a plurality of parallel rows of stiches. For
example, the parallel rows may be straight lines, or other
patterns, such as serpentine or zig-zag shaped. For example, the
parallel rows may be substantially continuous over the width and
length of the cleaning cloth. The stitches may be sewn in a
suitable stitch density per area to provide the desired strength
reinforcement to the substrate and to provide the desired cleaning
performance. For example, the parallel rows of stitches may be
spaced from one another by about 0.5 mm to about 5 mm, such as from
about 1 mm to about 3 mm. In certain embodiments, the straight
stitches of the microfiber yarn are present in an amount of about
50 to about 500 stitches per square inch, such as about 100 to
about 300 stiches per square inch, such as from 150 to about 250
stiches per square inch, or about 150 to about 200 stiches per
square inch, such as about 180 or 200 stiches per square inch.
[0025] In certain embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1, a cleaning cloth
100 includes a fiber yarn 106 sewn to the low weight substrate 102
in a plurality of parallel rows of straight stiches, such that the
straight stitches are substantially flush with the first and second
faces of the substrate, the fiber yarn stiches being substantially
parallel to the microfiber yarn 104 stiches. For example, the fiber
yarn may not be a microfiber yarn, but may be a yarn formed of
larger filaments, such as filaments having a size of greater than 1
denier. In certain embodiments, one, two, three or more of the
fiber yarns are provided between sets of parallel rows of straight
microfiber yarn stitches (e.g., sets of two, three, four, five,
six, seven, eight, nine, ten or more rows). For example, the
interspersed fiber yarns 106 may provide enhanced strength and
stiffness for the cleaning cloth.
Methods of Manufacture
[0026] In another aspect, methods of making a disposable cleaning
cloth 100 are provided. These methods may be used to make cleaning
cloths having any of the features, or any combination of the
features, described herein. In one embodiment, a method includes
providing a low weight substrate 102 having a first face and an
opposed second face, and sewing a microfiber yarn 104 to the low
weight substrate 102 in a plurality of parallel rows of straight
stiches, such that the straight stitches are substantially flush
with the first and second faces of the substrate.
[0027] In certain embodiments, the sewing is performed on a
multiline sewing machine.
[0028] In certain embodiments, the method also includes sewing a
fiber yarn 106 to the low weight substrate 102 in a plurality of
parallel rows of straight stiches, such that the straight stitches
are substantially flush with the first and second faces of the
substrate 102, the fiber yarn 106 stiches being substantially
parallel to the microfiber yarn 104 stiches.
EXAMPLES
[0029] Sample cleaning cloths were manufactured in accordance with
the present disclosure. In particular, disposable cleaning cloths
having a single layer of nonwoven, needle-punched polyester
substrate with a weight in the range of 30 g/m.sup.2-45 g/m.sup.2
with polyester microfiber upper and lower yarns sewn to the
substrate in a plurality of parallel rows of straight stiches, such
that the straight stitches are substantially flush with the first
and second faces of the substrate, were manufactured. The cloths
were tested for cleaning performance and water absorbency.
[0030] Specifically, the cloths were used in standardized tests to
clean chocolate powder, milk, and cream in a simulated spill on
tile and ranked based on strokes required to clean the spill.
Generally, the cloths performed substantially as well as
commercially available cleaning cloths. The cloths displayed an
average water absorbency of 640% of the cloth weight.
[0031] Thus, it has been discovered that lightweight disposable
cleaning cloths can be manufactured using relatively low weight and
low cost materials, but that provide high cloth strength and
cleaning performance. Additionally, it was found that competitive
cleaning performance could be achieved using flat or flush stitches
on the face of the substrate, instead of raised or looped stitches,
allowing for reduced materials to be used in fabrication.
[0032] While the disclosure has been described with reference to a
number of embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in
the art that the disclosure is not limited to such disclosed
embodiments. Rather, the disclosure can be modified to incorporate
any number of variations, alterations, substitutions, or equivalent
arrangements not described herein, but which are commensurate with
the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Conditional language used
herein, such as "can," "could," "might," or "may," unless
specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the
context as used, generally is intended to convey that certain
embodiments include, while other embodiments do not include,
certain features, elements or functional capabilities.
Additionally, while various embodiments of the disclosure have been
described, it is to be understood that aspects of the disclosure
may include only some of the described embodiments. Accordingly,
the disclosure is not to be seen as limited by the foregoing
description, but is only limited by the scope of the appended
claims.
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