Patent Application
20240415215
People often need to clean up loose lint, dirt, or hair, which can accumulate on surfaces and clothing. Conventionally, people are limited to using lint rollers for this task. A lint roller includes multiple layers of adhesive material wrapped around a handle, which can be rolled over a surface to pick up loose debris. As the adhesive becomes saturated with lint and other debris, a layer can be peeled off to expose fresh adhesive.
Conventional lint rollers have many problems, however. First, the rigid, cylindrical shape limits their effectiveness over material with rough or irregular shapes, such as clothes or furniture, since the lint roller cannot fit into every space. Second, the lint roller is commonly made small to make it easy to store, but this small size means the roller can only pick up debris from a limited area, so the user must use the roller for an extended time to pick up debris. Third, the multiple layers of adhesive material tend to stick to one another, such that they do not peel away smoothly but rather tear away in chunks, resulting in wasted material and also breaking up the shape of the lint roller, leading to voids where the roller picks up nothing at all.
There is accordingly a need for a way to pick up debris that addresses one or more of the above issues.
Exemplary embodiments of the present general inventive concept provide an adhesive mitt configured to pick up loose debris.
The foregoing and/or other features and utilities of the present general inventive concept may be achieved by providing a mitt including a first flexible surface, a second flexible surface disposed opposite the first surface and connected thereto to form a pocket between the first surface and the second surface, and an adhesive layer disposed on the second surface and facing away from the first surface. The first surface and the second surface may be configured to follow the shape of a user's hand inside of the pocket.
In an exemplary embodiment, a cover layer may be removably attached to the adhesive layer, the cover layer including a release coating configured to be affixed to the adhesive layer and removed therefrom without damaging the adhesive layer or removing the adhesive layer from the second surface.
In an exemplary embodiment, at least one of the first surface and the second surface may be transparent.
In an exemplary embodiment, the pocket may include a main enclosure configured to accommodate the user's hand, and a thumb enclosure attached to one side of the main enclosure, the thumb enclosure being configured to accommodate a user's thumb.
In an exemplary embodiment, the pocket may include an opening configured to admit the user's hand therethrough.
In an exemplary embodiment, the opening may be configured to secure the mitt to the user's hand when the user's hand is disposed in the pocket.
In an exemplary embodiment, the pocket may have a shape approximately matching the contour of the user's hand.
In an exemplary embodiment, the first surface and the second surface may have a shape approximately matching the contour of the user's hand.
In an exemplary embodiment, the adhesive layer may be disposed only on the second surface.
In an exemplary embodiment, the first surface and the second surface may be configured to maintain a default shape when the pocket is empty.
Additional features and utilities of the present general inventive concept will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the general inventive concept.
These and/or other features and utilities of the present general inventive concept will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:
Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the present general inventive concept, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout. The embodiments are described below in order to explain the present general inventive concept while referring to the figures. Also, while describing the present general inventive concept, detailed descriptions about related well-known functions or configurations that may diminish the clarity of the points of the present general inventive concept are omitted.
Expressions such as “at least one of,” when preceding a list of elements, modify the entire list of elements and do not modify the individual elements of the list.
All terms including descriptive or technical terms which are used herein should be construed as having meanings that are obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art. However, the terms may have different meanings according to an intention of one of ordinary skill in the art, case precedents, or the appearance of new technologies. Also, some terms may be arbitrarily selected by the applicant, and in this case, the meaning of the selected terms will be described in detail in the detailed description of the invention. Thus, the terms used herein have to be defined based on the meaning of the terms together with the description throughout the specification.
Also, when a part “includes” or “comprises” an element, unless there is a particular description contrary thereto, the part can further include other elements, not excluding the other elements.
Hereinafter, one or more exemplary embodiments of the present general inventive concept will be described in detail with reference to accompanying drawings.
Exemplary embodiments of the present general inventive concept provide an adhesive mitt configured to pick up loose debris including, for example, dirt, loose hairs, and lint. It will be understood that this list is not limiting, and exemplary embodiments of the present general inventive concept may be configured to pick up any form of loose debris.
The first surface 100 may be attached to the second surface 200 to form a pocket 250 therebetween. An exemplary embodiment of the pocket 250 is illustrated in dashed lines in
According to exemplary embodiments of the present general inventive concept, the second surface 200 may include an adhesive layer 300. The adhesive layer 300 may include a low-strength adhesive that is suitable to pick up loose debris without bonding to larger surfaces, e.g., furniture. It will be understood that the particular kind of adhesive may vary according to exemplary embodiments of the present general inventive concept. According to exemplary embodiments of the present general inventive concept, the adhesive layer 300 may comprise a biodegradable and/or plant-based adhesive. The adhesive layer 300 may be formed on part or all of an outward face of the second surface 200, such that the adhesive layer 300 faces away from the first surface 100. Furthermore, according to exemplary embodiments of the present general inventive concept the adhesive layer 300 may be disposed only on the second surface 200, i.e., the first surface 100 may lack an adhesive layer.
According to exemplary embodiments of the present general inventive concept, the mitt 10 may further include a cover layer 400 removably attached to the adhesive layer 300. The cover layer 400 may include a surface with a release coating, for example silicone, that may be affixed to the adhesive layer 300 and then later removed therefrom without damaging or removing the adhesive layer 300 from the second surface 200 of the mitt 10. According to exemplary embodiments of the present general inventive concept, the cover layer 400 may be a sheet of flexible material, e.g., paper, including a release coating, and furthermore may comprise biodegradable, recycled, and/or plant-based materials. In operation, the cover layer 400 may be peeled away from second surface 200 to expose the adhesive layer 300. The cover layer 400 may therefore provide temporary protection to the adhesive layer 300, keeping the adhesive layer 300 from being contaminated with loose debris or getting stuck to another object, e.g., a user's clothes, until the user is ready to use the mitt 10.
As illustrated in
The pocket 250 may include a main enclosure 260 to hold a user's hand and fingers, and a thumb enclosure 270 to accommodate a user's thumb. The exemplary embodiments illustrated in
According to exemplary embodiments of the present general inventive concept, the first surface 100 may comprise a flexible material, meaning a material able to flex to match the shape of the user's hand in the pocket 250. According to exemplary embodiments of the present general inventive concept, the first surface 100 may comprise, for example, a transparent or opaque plastic sheet, fabric, paper, and other materials having sufficient flexibility to match the shape of a user's hand. If the first surface 100 is transparent, the user may more easily see the shape their hand is forming. If alternatively the first surface 100 is opaque, the first surface 100 may be printed with a design or other visual feature. According to exemplary embodiments of the present general inventive concept, the first surface 100 may comprise flexible biodegradable, recycled, and/or plant-based material. The second surface 200 may also comprise a flexible material, which may be the same or different than the material of the first surface 100, and may be biodegradable, recycled, and/or plant-based. According to exemplary embodiments of the present general inventive concept, the second surface 200 may be made of a transparent or opaque material. If the second surface 200 is made of a transparent material, for example clear plastic, the user may more readily see their hand and any loose debris stuck to the adhesive layer 300. The second surface 200 may be attached to the first surface 100 via any means suitable to the material the two surfaces 100, 200 are made from. Examples of these attachment means include but are not limited to glue, stitching, and/or the two surface 100, 200 being formed as a single piece.
According to exemplary embodiments of the present general inventive concept, the material of the first surface 100 and second surface 200 may be lightweight and tear-resistant. The material may also have a thickness or “weight” to give the mitt 10 enough stiffness to maintain its shape without a user's hand in the pocket 250, so that the mitt 10 does not collapse or stick to itself when the user is not wearing it. That is, the first surface 100 and second surface 200 may maintain a default shape, e.g., the mitt 10 lying flat, when the pocket 250 is empty. The stiffness of the first and second surfaces 100, 200 may also keep the mitt 10 from collapsing around the edges while a user is wearing the mitt 10, for example if the user has a smaller hand such that their hand does not completely fill the pocket 250.
In operation, a user may slide their hand through the opening 280 and into the pocket 250. Their fingers may be accommodated in the main enclosure 260, and their thumb may be accommodated in the thumb enclosure 270, if provided. The user may then remove the cover layer 400 to expose the adhesive layer 300. The user may at that point use the mitt 10 to pick up loose debris. Since the mitt 10 is worn on the user's hand and may be shaped to the contours thereof, the first and second surfaces 100 and 200 may follow the shape of the user's hand inside of the pocket 250. That is, a user may form the first and second surfaces 100 and 200 into any shape they can make with their hand, thereby accommodating external surfaces with irregular shapes and gaining better control over where the adhesive layer 300 is applied to pick up loose debris. Furthermore, since the mitt 10 covers the user's hand, the mitt 10 has a relatively large surface area as compared to a conventional lint roller. Even if the mitt 10 has a different shape, e.g., a rectangular or circular shape, fitting over a user's hand still gives the mitt 10 increased surface area relative to a conventional lint roller, while also allowing the user better control over where the adhesive layer 300 on the mitt 10 is applied.
The user may efficiently pick up loose debris from a large area by patting the mitt 10 over an object, e.g., clothes. Furthermore, since there are not multiple adhesive layers 300 on a single mitt 10, there is no risk of damaging the mitt 10 or wasting material trying to peel off the adhesive layer 300. If the adhesive layer 300 becomes saturated with loose debris due to use, the user may discard the mitt 10 and get a new one. Since the mitt 10 may lie flat when not accommodating a user's hand, the mitt 10 may be more space-efficient than a lint roller, thereby allowing multiple mitts 10 to be stored in a small area.
According to exemplary embodiments of the present general inventive concept, the mitt 10 may be a “one size fits all” configuration, made to be suitable to fit most or all human hands. According to other exemplary embodiments of the present general inventive concept, the mitt 10 may be made in a variety of sizes to more comfortably fit differently sized hands.
Although a few embodiments of the present general inventive concept have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the general inventive concept, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims and their equivalents.
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 120 from U.S. Provisional application No. 63/521,575, filed on Jun. 16, 2023 in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63521575 | Jun 2023 | US |
