Absorbent pad with cleaning cuffs and method of making the same

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an absorbent pad with cleaning cuffs and to a method for fabricating the absorbent pad.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Conventional floor mops comprise a handle rotatably connected to a mop head and a disposable absorbent cleaning pad coupled to the mop head. One side of the disposable absorbent cleaning pad is placed in direct contact with a surface to be cleaned and the opposing side of the cleaning pad is coupled to the mop head. The absorbent pad absorbs and retains fluids, and loosens and traps dirt particles on the cleaning surface.

Several features have been proposed for cleaning pads in order to improve the cleaning performance of the cleaning pad in terms of particulates being picked-up by the pad. For example, United States Patent Application Publication No. 20040128786 proposes a cleaning pad that can have one or more “free-floating” functional cuffs which can be attached to the leading edge and/or the trailing edge of a cleaning pad. As a cleaning pad comprising such functional cuff(s) is wiped back and forth across a hard surface, the functional cuff(s) “flip” from side to side, purportedly picking-up and trapping particulate matters.

Nevertheless, there continues to be a need to further refine and improve absorbent pads such as those that can be used with floor mops.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of this invention, a surface cleaning pad includes a pad body configured for attachment to a cleaning implement. The surface cleaning pad also includes a cuff coupled to the pad body and extending along a longitudinal extent of the pad body. The cuff has an edge portion having a length dimension that is greater than the longitudinal extent of the pad body.

According to another aspect of the invention, a method is provided for forming a surface cleaning pad. The method includes coupling a cuff along a longitudinal extent of a pad body. Before or after coupling the cuff to the pad body, an edge portion having a length dimension that is greater than the longitudinal extent of the pad body is defined on the cuff.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Exemplary embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a bottom view of an absorbent cleaning pad in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an end view of the absorbent cleaning pad illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of an absorbent cleaning pad in accordance with another exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a right side view of the absorbent cleaning pad illustrated in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an end view of the absorbent cleaning pad illustrated in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is an end view of an absorbent cleaning pad in accordance with yet another exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 7-16 illustrate exemplary assembly and fabrication steps for making the absorbent cleaning pad illustrated in FIG. 6;

FIG. 17 is an end view of an absorbent cleaning pad in accordance with still another exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 18 is a top view of the absorbent cleaning pad illustrated in FIG. 17;

FIG. 19 is an end view of an absorbent cleaning pad in accordance with another exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 20 is a top view of the absorbent cleaning pad illustrated in FIG. 19;

FIGS. 21-25 illustrate exemplary assembly and fabrication steps used to make the absorbent cleaning pad illustrated in FIGS. 19 and 20;

FIG. 26 is an end view of an absorbent cleaning pad in accordance with yet another exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 27 is a top view of the absorbent cleaning pad illustrated in FIG. 26;

FIG. 28 is a top view of an absorbent cleaning pad in accordance with still another exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 29 is a partial end view of the absorbent cleaning pad illustrated in FIG. 28, showing an overlapping flap portion;

FIG. 30 is a right side view of an absorbent cleaning pad in accordance with another exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 31 is a top view of an absorbent cleaning pad in accordance with another exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 32 through 35 are top views of absorbent cleaning pads in accordance with additional exemplary embodiments of the present invention; and

FIGS. 36 through 40 are partial top views of exemplary cuff components that can be utilized according to aspects of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Although the invention is illustrated and described herein with reference to specific embodiments, the invention is not intended to be limited to the details shown. Rather, various modifications may be made in the details within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims and without departing from the invention. Also, the embodiments selected for illustration in the figures are not shown to scale and are not limited to the proportions shown.

Referring to the overall structure of one exemplary embodiment, FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate an absorbent cleaning pad designated generally by the numeral “10”. Generally, the absorbent cleaning pad 10 has a pad body formed from an airlaid composite and having a cleansing surface configured for cleansing contact with a surface to be cleaned and an opposite surface configured to be positioned facing a cleaning implement. The surface cleaning pad also has a barrier adhered to and substantially covering the opposite surface of the pad body and a pair of dirt entrapment members adhered to the cleansing surface of the pad body.

More specifically, the exemplary absorbent cleaning pad 10 is provided with an absorbent layer in the form of an airlaid composite 20, dirt entrapment surfaces in the form of two lofty cuffs 25, a barrier layer 40, and two attachment members 45.

Each lofty cuff 25 is folded into two equal segments and positioned along the length “B” of the airlaid composite 20. A single 3-D apertured film strip 35 is sandwiched between the folded layers of each lofty cuff 25. An adhesive 30 binds both sides of the 3-D apertured film strip 35 to the inner surfaces of the lofty cuff 25. A portion of the width of each lofty cuff 25 is bonded to a cleaning side 21 of the airlaid composite 20 using an adhesive 30. The lofty cuffs 25 are positioned so that the closed-face folded ends 26 face each other. The barrier layer 40 is adhered to the backing side 22 of the airlaid composite 20 using an adhesive 30.

Two attachment members 45 are adhered to the barrier layer 40 using an adhesive 30. In this embodiment, the attachment members 45 are composed of hook or loop material such as VELCRO loop material available from Velcro USA Inc. of Manchester, N.H. The functional side of the VELCRO loop material faces away from the barrier layer 40. The attachment members 45 are optionally positioned along the entire length of the barrier layer 40 and are separated by a distance “C” from the side edges of the barrier layer 40, as illustrated in FIG. 2.

In functional terms, the airlaid composite 20 of the exemplary embodiment absorbs and retains fluids and/or other matter residing on a surface to be cleaned. The lofty cuff 25 serves to facilitate the removal of soils from the surface being cleaned by contacting and trapping larger soil particles. The lofty cuff 25 may provide structural integrity and rigidity by being folded and adhered to itself or a single ply of lofty cuff material could be selected to provide these properties. The 3-D apertured film strip 35 within each cuff 25 provides structural integrity and improved rigidity to the lofty cuff 25 and further traps particles from small solid particles to those suspended in liquid. However, the use of 3-D apertured film strip 35 within each cuff 25 is optional. The barrier layer 40 substantially prevents fluid from passing from the airlaid composite 20 to the mop head or other structure to which the cleaning pad 10 may be attached. If the cleaning pad 10 is configured to be attached to a mop head, the barrier is configured to keep the mop head substantially free of fluid.

The attachment members 45 provide a single attachment mechanism to temporarily couple the absorbent cleaning pad 10 to the mop head. In other words, the attachment members 45 facilitate releasable engagement of the cleaning pad 10 to a surface of a cleaning implement. That surface may be the bottom side surface of a mop head or another portion of a cleaning implement.

In the exemplary embodiment and still referring to FIG. 1 and 2, the attachment members 45 are VELCRO loop fasteners adhered to the barrier layer and optionally configured to couple with hook fasteners such as a VELCRO hook fastener(s) on a bottom-side surface of a commercially available mop head. The VELCRO loop and hook fasteners are configured to withstand the pressure and stress associated with typical mopping and scrubbing motions against a surface being cleaned. The VELCRO loop and hook fasteners substantially limit the absorbent cleaning pad 10 from shifting, bunching, or otherwise becoming unattached, either partially or in whole, from the mop head. The attachment member(s) 45 may optionally be designed in such a way as to allow for attachment to multiple types of commercially available mop systems as described in further detail later.

While the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 utilizes a loop fastener for attachment to a hook fastener of another component, the cleaning pad is alternatively provided with a hook fastener for attachment to a loop fastener of another component. Also, other forms of fasteners are contemplated as well, including adhesives, co-adhesives, and other known fastening mechanisms.

Referring now to the material composition of the exemplary embodiment, the airlaid composite 20 is a unitized body with an absorbent core optionally composed of wood pulp and binder fibers. The binder fibers form the overall structure of the airlaid composite 20, and the wood fibers provide absorbency. The term “unitized” refers to the airlaid as being composed of one material composite. However, the airlaid composite 20 may be composed of multiple material layers adhered to one another.

The airlaid composite 20 is commonly fabricated using an airlaying process, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,172,276, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. According to U.S. Pat. No. 6,172,276, airlaying is a process by which a fibrous non-woven layer is formed. In the airlaying process, bundles of small fibers, i.e. binder fibers according to the exemplary embodiment, are separated and entrained in an air supply and then deposited by a forming head onto a forming screen in multiple stages, usually with the assistance of a vacuum supply. The randomly deposited fibers then are bonded to one another using, for example, hot air or a spray adhesive.

Additional benefits and features of an airlaid composite construction are disclosed in U.S. application Ser. No. xx/xxx,xxx, filed concurrently herewith (Attorney Docket No. TC04-118US). The disclosure of U.S. application Ser. No. xx/xxx,xxx is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Although this embodiment includes a absorbent pad body formed from an airlaid composite, this invention is not limited to an absorbent pad body having an airlaid structure. Other absorbent pad body materials, structures and/or processes are contemplated as well. For example, an absorbent core made of long polymeric filaments prepared by expanding a polymer tow, disclosed in International Publication No. WO 2004/017883, is also contemplated for use as an absorbent pad. The disclosure of International Publication No. WO 2004/017883 is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

The barrier layer 40 may be composed of a semi-pervious or impervious material. The barrier layer 40 can be made of any material known in the art, which substantially limits the passage of fluid. Non-limiting examples of suitable materials include plastics such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyester, and similar materials, as well as hydrophobic foams, airlaids, wetlaids, and laminations thereof. The barrier optionally takes the form of a film, sheet, or similar substrate.

The lofty cuff 25 material has a relatively large and open pore structure to trap particles and is configured to be flexible, sustain multiple uses and resist tearing or deformation. The lofty cuff 25 may optionally be composed of apertured polyethylene or polypropylene films, foams, airlaids, wetlaids, or laminations and combinations thereof. The lofty cuff 25 component may be either hydrophilic or hydrophobic.

The attachment member 45 may be composed of any structure or material providing an attachment mechanism to a cleaning implement such as a commercial mop head. Some examples include hook and loop fasteners, adhesives, cohesives, snap-in structures, magnetic elements or any other attachment mechanism commonly known in the art. These materials may optionally have elastic functionality.

The 3-D apertured film strip 35 may optionally be composed of polyethylene or polypropylene films. The adhesive 30 of the exemplary embodiment may be composed of any material sufficient to provide a bond between the absorbent cleaning pad components. In the exemplary embodiment and by way of non-limiting example, one exemplary adhesive is manufactured by H.B. Fuller Company of St. Paul, Minn., e.g., Part Number 1696. However, one skilled in the art will recognize that other types of adhesive and other fastener mechanisms are suitable for this application.

Referring to the size of the exemplary embodiment components as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the width “A” of the airlaid composite 20 may be any dimension sufficient to cover all or a portion of the width of a surface of a cleaning implement, such as a mop head for example. For the purposes of illustration only, the width “A” may be about 5.7 inches. The length “B” of the airlaid composite 20, as illustrated in FIG. 1, may be any dimension sufficient to cover all or a portion of the length of the cleaning implement. For the purposes of illustration only, the length “B” may be about 11.6 inches.

The thickness “E” of the airlaid composite 20, as illustrated in FIG. 2, may be any dimension sufficient to absorb an appropriate volume of fluid and retain its structural integrity when wet. The length and width of the attachment member 45 may be any dimension suitable to adequately couple with another structure such as a mop head. The distance “C” separating the side of the airlaid composite 20 and the side of the attachment member 45 may be any dimension suitable to adequately couple the attachment member with the cleaning implement. The length and width of the barrier layer 40 may be any dimension sufficient to cover all or a portion of the airlaid composite 20.

The length of the lofty cuff 25 may be any dimension sufficient to cover all or a portion of the length “B” of the airlaid composite 20. The width “D” of the folded lofty cuff 25 may be any dimension sufficient to cover a portion of the width “A” of the airlaid composite 20. The width “D” should be small enough to provide adequate surface area for the airlaid composite 20 and large enough to provide an adequate scrubbing surface area to remove particles from the cleaning surface.

Similar to the absorbent cleaning pad embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, an exemplary embodiment of an absorbent cleaning pad 110 is shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5. The absorbent cleaning pad 110 is provided with an airlaid composite 120, two lofty cuffs 125, a barrier layer 140, and two attachment members 145. The absorbent cleaning pad 110 is additionally provided with Super Absorbent Particles (SAP) 150 dispersed throughout at least a discrete zone of the airlaid composite 120. In other words, the SAP 150 may be “zoned” as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3. Alternatively the SAP 150 may be dispersed evenly throughout the body of the airlaid composite 120.

Resulting from the addition of SAP 150, the barrier layer 140 illustrated in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 is especially advantageous. To prevent the escapement of the zoned SAP 150 during usage, handling, or shipping of the cleaning pad 110, the barrier layer 140 is folded over the two width-wise sides or edges 124 of the airlaid composite 120. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the folded sides 141 of the barrier layer 140 are adhered to the airlaid composite 120, using an adhesive 130.

The SAP 150 in this embodiment is concentrated in the center of the width of the airlaid composite 120 designated by dimension “F”, and is isolated from the open and exposed length-wise sides 123. The SAP 150 is substantially concentrated in the center of the width of the airlaid composite 120 to prevent the SAP 150 from escaping out of the exposed length-wise sides 123 of the airlaid composite 120. Though not illustrated, it is also envisioned that the SAP 150 may be concentrated in the center of the width “A₁” and the length “B₁” of the airlaid composite 120, thereby isolating SAP 150 from the entire periphery of the airlaid composite 120. In such case, the barrier layer 140 is not required to cover the length-wise sides 123 or the width-wise sides 124 to prevent the escapement of SAP 150 along the periphery of the airlaid composite 120.

Additional benefits and features of a “zoned” SAP construction are disclosed in U.S. application Ser. No. xx/xxx,xxx, filed concurrently herewith (Attorney Docket No. TC04-119US). The disclosure of U.S. application Ser. No. xx/xxx,xxx is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Additional, optional features of absorbent cleaning pads are also disclosed in U.S. application Ser. No. xx/xxx,xxx and U.S. application Ser. No. xx/xxx,xxx, filed concurrently herewith (Attorney Docket Nos. TC04-115US and TC04-122US, respectively), the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

Similar to the absorbent cleaning pad embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, the exemplary embodiment of an absorbent cleaning pad 210 shown in FIG. 6 is provided with an airlaid composite 220, two lofty cuffs 225, a barrier layer 240, two attachment members 245, and super absorbent particles (SAP) 250. In this exemplary embodiment, the Super Absorbent Particles (SAP) 250 are dispersed throughout the entire airlaid composite 220. Accordingly, to reduce or prevent the escapement of SAP 250 from the exposed sides of the airlaid composite 220, the barrier layer 240 is especially advantageous. The barrier layer 240 is folded over the length-wise and the width-wise sides of the airlaid composite 220 to prevent the SAP 250 from escaping along the periphery of the airlaid composite 220.

Exemplary steps used to fabricate the embodiment of cleaning pad 210 shown in FIG. 6 are illustrated in FIGS. 7-16. Many of the following steps illustrated in FIGS. 7-16 are also relevant to the fabrication of the prior exemplary embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 1-5. As illustrated in FIG. 7, the material used to form lofty cuff 225 is unwound and cut (designated by the triangle symbol) to a predetermined length and width. An adhesive 230 is then applied to a single side of the lofty cuff 225. The lofty cuff 225 is folded over itself, maintaining the adhesive 230 on the interior of the fold, as illustrated in FIG. 8.

A portion of the width of the lofty cuff 225 is adhered to the airlaid composite 220 using an adhesive 230, as illustrated in FIG. 9. An adhesive 230 is then applied to the barrier side 222 of the airlaid composite 220, before the barrier side 222 is centered and applied to the sheet used to form barrier layer 240, as illustrated in FIG. 10. At this stage, a plurality of airlaid composites 220 are centered and applied to the sheet forming barrier layer 240, and the airlaid composites 220 are separated by a distance “G”, also illustrated in FIG. 10.

An adhesive 230 is applied to a single side of a “cut-and-place” barrier layer 260 (FIG. 11) that is cut to a predetermined length and width. The width “H” of the cut-and-place barrier layer 260 may optionally be smaller than the width “J” of the barrier layer 240. The adhesive side of the cut-and-place barrier layer 260 is centered and applied over the width-wise ends of adjacent airlaid composites 220, as illustrated in FIG. 11. The adhesive 230 on the underside of the cut-and-place barrier layer 260 bonds the cut-and-place barrier layer 260 to the airlaid composite 220 and the sheet forming barrier layer 240. In other words, the cut-and-place barrier layer 260 traverses the gap “G” between two adjacent airlaid composites 220 and overlaps the width-wise ends of the airlaid composites 220.

Referring now to FIG. 12, the material forming attachment member 245 is unwound and cut (designated by the triangle symbol) to a predetermined length and width, as illustrated schematically in FIG. 12. An adhesive 230 is then applied to the non-functional side of the attachment member 245, as illustrated in FIG. 13. The non-functional, adhesive side of the attachment member 245 is applied to the barrier layer 240, as illustrated in FIG. 14. The free ends of the barrier layer 240 extending along the length of the airlaid composite 220 are each folded over and adhered to the cut-and-place barrier layer 260 and the lofty cuff 225, as illustrated in FIG. 15. The barrier layer 240 partially overlaps the lofty cuffs 225, thereby encapsulating a portion of the lofty cuffs 225. The absorbent cleaning pads 210 are finally cut and separated from one another, as illustrated in FIG. 16.

Similar to the absorbent cleaning pad embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6, the exemplary embodiment of an absorbent cleaning pad 310 illustrated in FIGS. 17 and 18 is provided with an airlaid composite 320, two lofty cuffs 325, a barrier layer 340, and two attachment member strips 345. In this exemplary embodiment, the airlaid composite 320 does not include Super Absorbent Particles (SAP), and the periphery of the airlaid composite 320 need not be sealed. However, it is envisioned that SAP is optionally concentrated in the center of the airlaid composite 320, to prevent SAP from escaping from the airlaid composite.

The barrier layer 340 differs from the barrier layer illustrated in the previous exemplary embodiment. The barrier layer 340 of this exemplary embodiment serves two purposes, i.e. preventing fluid from contacting the cleaning implement to which it is attached and providing an attachment mechanism to fasten the absorbent cleaning pad 310 to the cleaning implement.

The exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 17 and 18 provides attachment members 345 (e.g., loop strips) configured to couple with an attachment member(s) on the underside of a cleaning implement such as a mop head (not shown). By way of non-limiting example, the attachment members 345 may be VELCRO loop strips and the attachment members on the underside of the mop head may be VELCRO hook strips, or visa versa.

In addition to the attachment mechanism provided by the attachment members 345, the exemplary embodiment shown in FIGS. 17 and 18 provides a secondary mop head attachment mechanism. The barrier layer forms two tab portions 355 that may be inserted into retaining structures of an cleaning implement, such as the ones described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,305,046. However, one skilled in the art will understand that a wide variety of other types of retaining structures are suitable to retain an absorbent cleaning pad and provide the same benefits.

The retaining means located on the top surface of a cleaning implement such as a mop head are suitable for mechanically engaging and retaining a sheet of material incorporated with or attached to an absorbent cleaning pad. Non-limiting examples of retaining means located on the top surface of a mop head include clamps, clips, mechanical fasteners such as hook or loop fasteners, pins and the like such as the ones described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,991,250 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,698,030. One skilled in the art will also understand that the previously described retaining means can also be located on the sides or other surfaces of a mop head and still provide the same benefits.

Referring still to FIGS. 17 and 18, the barrier layer 340 is adhered to the barrier side 324 of the airlaid composite 320 using an adhesive 330. Both side edges of the barrier layer 340 are folded a first time forming two wing portions 356. A portion of each wing portion 356 is adhered to the barrier layer 340 using an adhesive 330. The barrier layer 340 is folded a second time to form four tab portions 355, as illustrated in FIGS. 17 and 18. The tab portions 355 are adhered to the wing portions 356 using an adhesive or cohesive strip 330. The four tab portions 355 are free to separate from the airlaid composite 320, as illustrated by the dotted line segment in FIG. 17. The tab portions 355 are configured to insert into retaining structures on the top or side of a mop head.

Referring now to FIGS. 19 and 20, similar to the absorbent cleaning pad embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6, the exemplary embodiment of an absorbent cleaning pad 410 is provided with an airlaid composite 420, two lofty cuffs 425, a barrier layer 440, Super Absorbent Particles (SAP) 450 dispersed throughout the airlaid composite 420, and two attachment members 445 configured to couple with a portion of a cleaning implement such as a mop head.

In this exemplary embodiment, the SAP 450 are dispersed throughout the entire airlaid composite 420. Similar to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6, the barrier layer 440 is folded over the length-wise sides of the airlaid composite 420 to prevent the SAP 450 from escaping along the longitudinal periphery of the airlaid composite 420. The cut-and-place barrier layer 460 prevents the SAP 450 from escaping along the transverse periphery of the airlaid composite 420.

In addition to the mop head attachment mechanism provided by the attachment members 445, this exemplary embodiment provides a secondary means for attachment. The exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 19 and 20 is provided with four flap portions 470. The tab portions 470 are free to separate from the airlaid composite 420, as illustrated by the dotted line segment in FIG. 19. The four flap portions 470 can be inserted into retaining structures positioned on the top or side of a mop head, such as the ones described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,305,046. However, one skilled in the art will recognize that many other types of retaining means are suitable to retain an absorbent cleaning pad and provide the same benefits.

The flap portions 470 are configured to withstand the pressure and stress associated with typical mopping and scrubbing motions against a surface being cleaned and are configured to limit the absorbent cleaning pad 410 from shifting, bunching, or otherwise becoming unattached, either partially or in whole, from the mop head. In this exemplary embodiment, the length “K”, width “L” and thickness of the flap portions 470 may be any dimension sufficient to reach and be adequately retained by the retaining structures disposed on the cleaning implement.

The flap portions 470 may be composed of numerous materials. Some examples include loop material, polyethylene or polypropylene films, wetlaids, wovens, nonwovens, airlaids, polyester films, or laminations and combinations thereof. These materials may be either hydrophilic or hydrophobic and optionally have elastic functionality.

The four flap portions 470 may be individually adhered to the barrier layer 440 using adhesive 430. The four flap portions 470 may also provide an optional attachment member 465 configured to couple with the attachment members 445. As a non-limiting example, the attachment member 445 may be a loop fastener and the attachment member 465 may be a hook fastener (or visa versa), but one skilled in the art will understand that other kinds of retaining means are suitable to retain the flap portions 470 to the absorbent cleaning pad 410.

Exemplary steps that can be used to fabricate cleaning pad 410 of the exemplary embodiment shown in FIGS. 19 and 20 are illustrated in FIGS. 7-16 and 21-25. FIGS. 7-16 were previously described with reference to another exemplary cleaning pad embodiment. Referring now to FIG. 21, material used to form each of the four attachment members 465 is unwound and cut to a predetermined length. An adhesive 430 is then applied to the non-functional side of each attachment member 465. The material used to form each flap portion 470 is unwound and cut to a predetermined length and width, as illustrated in FIG. 22.

The adhesive side of the attachment member 465 is positioned and applied to each flap portion 470, as illustrated in FIG. 23. An additional bead of adhesive 430 is applied to the ends of the four flap portions 470, as illustrated in FIG. 24. The flap portions 470 are each adhered to the barrier layer 440 using the adhesive 430 as illustrated in FIG. 25. The optional attachment members 465 are coupled with the attachment members 445. The final fabrication steps are illustrated in FIGS. 15 and 16.

Similar to the absorbent cleaning pad embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 19 and 20, the exemplary embodiment of an absorbent cleaning pad 510 illustrated in FIGS. 26 and 27 is provided with an airlaid composite 520, two lofty cuffs 525, a barrier layer 540 folded over the length-wise sides of the airlaid composite 520, and Super Absorbent Particles (SAP) 550 dispersed throughout the entire airlaid composite 520. The cut-and-place barrier layer 560 prevents the SAP 550 from escaping along the transverse periphery of the airlaid composite 520.

The exemplary embodiment of the absorbent cleaning pad provides two means for attachment to a conventional mop head, as the perforated flap portions 570 are capable of separating along the perforation line 574. In a united state, the two perforated flap portions 570 are configured to couple with the bottom side of a mop head. In a separated state, the de-perforated flap portions 570 form four flap portions 570. The separate flap portions 570 can be inserted into retaining structures on the top or side of a mop head, such as the ones described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,305,046.

Two tab portions 575, optionally contiguous with the flap portions 570, are provided to ease the removal of the absorbent cleaning pad 510 from the mop head. In use, the user tugs on the two tab portions 575 to remove the absorbent cleaning pad 510 from the mop head without having to contact dirty airlaid composite 520, dirty lofty cuff 525 or the mop head. The two tab portions 575 extend outward from the airlaid composite 520, lofty cuff 525 and mop head. It is optional that only one tab portion may be provided on flap portion 570 and the tab portions 575 could be positioned on any longitudinal side of the absorbent cleaning pad 510. The tab portion 575 may also extend outward at each or one transverse end 580 of the absorbent cleaning pad 510, if so desired.

The length “M”, width “N” and thickness of the flap portions 570 may be any dimension suitable to permit the user to remove the absorbent cleaning pad 510. The flap portions 570 may be composed of many different materials. Some examples include loop material, polyethylene or polypropylene films, wetlaids, wovens, nonwovens, airlaids, polyester films, or laminations and combinations thereof. These materials may be either hydrophilic or hydrophobic and optionally have elastic functionality.

Similar to the absorbent cleaning pad embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 26 and 27, the exemplary embodiment of an absorbent cleaning pad 610 illustrated in FIGS. 28 and 29 is provided with an airlaid composite, two lofty cuffs, a barrier layer folded over the length-wise and the width-wise sides of the airlaid composite, Super Absorbent Particles (SAP) dispersed throughout the entire airlaid composite, and two attachment members 645 configured to couple with a mop head 680.

In addition to the mop head attachment mechanism provided by the attachment members 645, this exemplary embodiment provides a secondary means for attachment. The four overlapping flap portions 670 are configured to engage a mop head 680. In use, the flap portions 670 wrap around the mop head 680 and attach to each other, thereby coupling the absorbent cleaning pad 610 to the mop head, as illustrated in FIG. 29. The flap portions 670 may be composed of VELCRO fasteners, or any other material capable of coupling one flap portion 670 to another.

A third attachment member 645 adhered to the barrier layer 640 is optionally provided to couple with the mop head to further limit the absorbent cleaning pad 610 from shifting, bunching, or otherwise becoming unattached, either partially or in whole, from the mop head.

Similar to the absorbent cleaning pad embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 19 and 20, an exemplary embodiment of an absorbent cleaning pad 710 illustrated in FIG. 30 is additionally provided with an extendable tab portion 770. The extendable tab portion 770 has a “Z” shape when viewed from the side and is configured to unfold and extend in the indicated direction. The extended tab portion 770 unfolds to provide a greater distance between the user and the dirty cleaning pad and mop head. The extendable tab portions 770 could optionally be positioned on any side of the absorbent cleaning pad 710.

In use, the extendable tab portion 770 is stored in a Z-shape position as shown to avoid contact with the dirty cleaning surface. To separate the absorbent cleaning pad 710 from the mop head, the user pulls and extends the tab portion 770 until the absorbent cleaning pad 710 separates from the mop head.

Similar to the absorbent cleaning pad embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 26 and 27, an exemplary embodiment of an absorbent cleaning pad 810 illustrated in FIG. 31 is additionally provided with a mechanism for engaging the hand of a user such that the cleaning pad can be used, without the need for a cleaning implement, for hand-cleaning a surface. In this embodiment, the cleaning pad 810 is provided with a hand strap 880, for example. The material used to form hand strap 880 is optionally elastic, though a wide variety of materials can be used.

The absorbent cleaning pad 810 also provides perforated flap portions 870 that can be used to couple with a top or bottom side of a mop head. In this manner, the absorbent cleaning pad 810 is similar to several embodiments described previously.

The elastic hand strap 880 is configured to permit the user to operate the absorbent cleaning pad 810 independent from a cleaning implement such as a mop. The elastic hand strap 880 provided on the absorbent cleaning pad 810 may be useful for cleaning any small, delicate, or non-planar surface that a mop head can not clean or is unable to access.

The elastic hand strap 880 may be composed of any elastic material flexible enough to stretch around a child and an adult-sized hand and rigid enough to firmly grip a child and an adult-sized hand. In another embodiment (not shown), the perforated flap portions 870 themselves are optionally composed of an elastic material to provide a hand strap to permit the user to operate the absorbent cleaning pad 810 independent from a mop. In such an embodiment, the hand strap 880 can be eliminated.

Referring generally to FIGS. 32 to 40, additional embodiments of a surface cleaning pad will be described. According to these embodiments, a surface cleaning pad is configured for attachment to a cleaning implement and includes a pad body and a cuff (or cuffs) coupled to the pad body. The cuffs extend along a longitudinal extent of the pad body, wherein the cuff has an edge portion having a length dimension that is greater than the longitudinal extent of the pad body. The longitudinal extent of the pad body may be equal to or less than the entire end-to-end length of the pad body. It should be understood that the longitudinal extent of the pad body represents the straight length of the cuff coupled to the pad body.

Optionally, the width of the cuff component may be narrow, with respect to the previous cuff embodiments, thereby increasing the overall available absorbent cleaning surface of the pad body. For example, and according to one embodiment, the cuffs for an absorbent pad can be formed from a 60 mm wide material whereby the resulting width of each cuff is about 30 mm.

Also, by virtue of the increased cuff edge (provided by having an edge length dimension that is larger than the longitudinal extent of the pad body to which it is coupled), the cuff has a greater potential to grab and trap more dirt than a cuff with a shorter edge. A cuff having a relatively shorter edge is illustrated in FIG. 3, for example.

The edge portion of the cuff is optionally curved to maintain the length dimension larger than the longitudinal extent of the pad body, and the edge portion can have a wave form extending along the cuff edge. Optionally, the wave form comprises a sinusoidal wave.

In another embodiment, the edge portion of the cuff is slit in multiple locations to maintain the length dimension larger than the longitudinal extent to which the cuff is coupled to the pad body. The slits can be substantially evenly spaced. At least some of the slits can be oriented transverse to the longitudinal extent of the pad body, either oriented substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal extent of the pad body, at an acute angle with respect to the longitudinal extent of the pad body, or in some other configuration. For example, at least some of the slits can be oriented at an angle between about 30 and about 60 degrees with respect to the longitudinal extent of the pad body. An angle of about 45 degrees is optionally selected.

In other embodiments, the cuff can include a repeating pattern of slits oriented at an acute angle with respect to the longitudinal extent of the pad body and slits oriented substantially perpendicular with respect to the longitudinal extent of the pad body. Also, at least some of the slits along the edge portion of the cuff can be oriented generally toward an end of the pad body while at least some of the slits are oriented generally toward an opposite end of the pad body.

To fabricate such embodiments of a surface cleaning pad, a cuff that is optionally formed from a high loft material is coupled along a longitudinal extent of a pad body, and an edge portion having a length dimension that is larger than the longitudinal extent to which the cuff is coupled to the pad body is defined on the cuff. The step of coupling the cuff to the pad body is preferably performed after the step of defining the edge portion on the cuff, but the coupling step may be performed before the defining step.

For embodiments in which a wave form such as a sinusoidal wave is provided along the edge portion of the cuff, the wavy pattern may help to grab and trap additional dirt as compared to a cuff having a straight line cut.

The embodiments such as those shown in FIGS. 32 through 40 are advantageous in that they may require less overall use of a cuff material (e.g., a narrower width). Also, such embodiments make it possible to optimize or maximize the surface area of the pad body that is available for floor or cleaning surface contact. Additionally, the greater length of the edge of the cuff (e.g., provided by the wave form or slits or other features) provides a potential for improved and faster cleaning. Also, the improved cuff configuration is better suited for the entrapment of common household dirt such as hair and fur.

Referring specifically to the cleaning pad embodiment illustrated in FIG. 32, the absorbent cleaning pad 1010 includes a pair of cuffs 1025, the ends of which are adhered to and positioned beneath opposing cut-and-place barrier layers 1024. The cuffs 1025 are therefore constrained with respect to the pad body such as airlaid 1020 at the outward edges of the cuffs 1025 and the terminal ends of the cuffs 1025 proximal to the sides 1024 of cleaning pad 1010.

Each of the cuffs 1025 includes an edge portion 1012 facing inwardly away from the long side edge of the absorbent cleaning pad 1010. Each edge portion 1012 includes a curve 1014, which in this particular embodiment is a sinusoidal wave that extends substantially from one end of the cuff 1025 to the other. As is apparent from FIG. 32, the length dimension (i.e. edge length) of the edge portion 1012 is greater than the longitudinal extent (i.e. length of the long side edge) to which the cuff 1025 is coupled to the pad body 1020. Put differently, the length of the edge portion 1012, if straightened, would extend farther than the straight length dimension of the cuff 1025.

Referring to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 33, an absorbent cleaning pad 1110 also includes cut-and-place barrier layers 1124 and a pair of cuffs 1125 extending therebetween. Each of the cuffs, like those illustrated in FIG. 32, include a series of curves 1114 extending along the length of the cuffs 1125.

Unlike the absorbent cleaning pad 1010 illustrated in FIG. 32, the cuffs 1125 of the absorbent cleaning pad 1110 further include a series of slits 1116 formed along the edge portion 1112, and along the curves 1114, thereby further increasing the length dimension of the edge portion as compared to the longitudinal extent to which the cuff 1125 is coupled to the pad body 1120. In other words, the length of the slits 1116, when combined with the length of the combined curves 1114 of the edge portion 1112 are substantially longer than the longitudinal extent to which the cuffs 1125 are attached to or otherwise positioned adjacent the pad body 1120.

Referring now to FIG. 34, the absorbent cleaning pad 1210 includes cut-and-place barrier layers 1224 positioned on opposing side of the pad and a pair of cuffs 1225 extending therebetween. Like the absorbent cleaning pad 1110 shown in FIG. 33, the absorbent cleaning pad 1210 includes a series of slits 1216 spaced along the length of the cuffs 1224. Unlike the absorbent cleaning pad 1110, however, absorbent cleaning pad 1210 has a substantially straight edge 1214 along edge portion 1212 of each cuff 1225. Again, because of the edges formed by slits 1216, the length dimension of the edge along the edge portion 1212 is greater than the longitudinal extent to which the cuffs 1225 are attached to the pad body 1220. This larger length is accomplished by the definition of slits 1216 in the cuffs 1225 even without defining curves, such as curves 1114 of the cuffs 1125 illustrated in FIG. 33.

Referring now to FIG. 35, the absorbent cleaning pad 1310 includes cut-and-place barrier layers 1324 positioned on opposing sides of the pad and a pair of cuffs 1325 extending therebetween. Similar to other embodiments, the edge portion 1312 includes a substantially straight edge 1314 and slits 1316. Unlike the prior embodiments, however, the slits are provided in a orientation that is transverse to the lengthwise dimension of the pad 1310. While a wide variety of angles can be selected, the angle of slit 1316 with respect to the length dimension of the pad is between about 30 and 60 degrees, and optionally about 45 degrees. The slits 1316 on opposed cuffs 1325 are optionally oriented in the same or opposite directions as compared to one another. As is illustrated in FIG. 35, for example, each of the slits 1316 on one cuff 1325 can be oriented in substantially the same direction (e.g., parallel to one another).

Referring now to FIGS. 36-40, a wide variety of geometric configurations are available for the slits 1316 provided in the cuffs 1325 of the absorbent pad 1310. For example, and for purposes of illustration only, the slits can be substantially perpendicular to the length of the cuffs and grouped in pairs, such as slits 1316a shown in FIG. 36. Furthermore, the slits may be oriented at acute, alternating angles, such as slits 1316b shown in FIG. 37. The slits may be patterned in alternating perpendicular and angled directions, such as slits 1316c and 1316d illustrated in FIGS. 38 and 39, respectively. The slits may also be grouped and patterned in opposing diagonal or angled directions, such as slits 1316e shown in FIG. 40.

While a variety of embodiments of absorbent cleaning pads have been selected for illustration in FIGS. 32 through 35, it will be recognized that a wide variety of configurations are available for cuffs having an edge portion with a length dimension that is larger than the corresponding longitudinal extent of the pad body. This includes the option to attach more than a pair of cuffs to the absorbent pad, which could each have different slit geometry if so desired. For example, a third cuff is optionally oriented along the length of the pad body and in a central region of the pad body between a spaced pair of cuffs. Alternatively, it is contemplated that only one cuff is provided. Also, while a variety of slit configurations are illustrated in FIGS. 36 through 40 for absorbent cleaning pads having slits in a cuffs, it will be recognized that a wide variety of configurations can be employed.

Absorbent pad with cleaning cuffs and method of making the same

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