Claims
- 1. A wiper for disinfecting hard surfaces comprising:
a fibrous laminate layer, said fibrous laminate layer being capable of absorbing a liquid when contacted therewith; a fibrous substrate layer, said fibrous substrate layer being adhered to said fibrous laminate layer; and an anti-microbial agent adhered to said fibrous substrate layer, said anti-microbial agent being capable of activation when contacted with a liquid, said activation including the release of a portion of said anti-microbial agent into said liquid that is contained within the wiper such that an anti-microbial solution forms therefrom, the anti-microbial agent being adapted to provide that the rate of said release is sufficient to ensure that an anti-microbial solution is formed in the liquid within the wiper after said wiper has been subjected to at least five rinsing cycles.
- 2. A wiper as defined in claim 1, wherein said anti-microbial agent comprises hypochlorite particles.
- 3. A wiper as defined in claim 2, wherein said hypochlorite particles are at least partially encapsulated to provide further control over said release into said liquid.
- 4. A wiper as defined in claim 2, wherein said hypochlorite particles are at least partially coated with a polymer to provide further control over said release into said liquid.
- 5. A wiper as defined in claim 2, wherein said hypochlorite particles comprise calcium hypochlorite.
- 6. A wiper as defined in claim 1, further including anti-microbial agents in the form of particles, wherein said particles have different particle sizes such that release of said anti-microbial agent is controlled by the presence of different sizes of anti-microbial agent particles.
- 7. A wiper as defined in claim 1, wherein the fibrous substrate layer comprises a hydrophobic material.
- 8. A wiper as defined in claim 1, wherein said fibrous substrate layer comprises a meltblown material selected from the group consisting of poly(ethylene vinyl acetate), polypropylene and polyethylene.
- 9. A wiper as defined in claim 1, wherein said fibrous laminate layer comprises a nonwoven fabric.
- 10. A wiper as defined in claim 9, wherein said nonwoven fabric includes pulp fibers.
- 11. A wiper as defined in claim 1, wherein said anti-microbial agent comprises a chlorine dioxide-generating formulation.
- 12. A wiper as defined in claim 11, wherein said anti-microbial agent comprises sodium chlorate and an acid moiety.
- 13. A wiper as defined in claim 1, wherein said anti-microbial agent comprises a silver-containing additive.
- 14. A wiper as defined in claim 13, wherein said anti-microbial agent comprises silver zeolite.
- 15. A wiper as defined in claim 1, wherein said anti-microbial agent comprises quaternary amines.
- 16. A wiper as defined in claim 1, wherein said anti-microbial agent comprises a peroxide.
- 17. A wiper as defined in claim 1, wherein said anti-microbial agent is encapsulated to provide further control over the release of said anti-microbial agent.
- 18. A wiper as defined in claim 1, wherein said anti-microbial agent is polymer-encapsulated to provide further control over the release of said anti-microbial agent.
- 19. A wiper as defined in claim 1, wherein said wiper further comprises a surfactant.
- 20. A wiper as defined in claim 1, wherein said wiper further comprises a saponin.
- 21. A wiper as defined in claim 1, wherein said wiper further comprises a visual sensor to detect the exhaustion of said anti-microbial agent.
- 22. A wiper as defined in claim 1, comprising an additional fibrous laminate layer adhered to said fibrous substrate layer such that said fibrous substrate layer is positioned between two fibrous laminate layers.
- 23. A wiper as defined in claim 1, wherein said fibrous laminate layer has a basis weight of more than about 10 grams per square meter.
- 24. A wiper for disinfecting hard surfaces comprising:
a first fibrous laminate layer, said first fibrous laminate layer being capable of absorbing a liquid when contacted therewith, said first fibrous laminate layer being made from a nonwoven fabric having a basis weight of more than about 10 grams per square meter; a second fibrous laminate layer, said second fibrous laminate layer being capable of absorbing a liquid when contacted therewith, said second fibrous laminate layer being made from a nonwoven fabric having a basis weight of more than about 10 grams per square meter; a fibrous substrate layer, said fibrous substrate layer being positioned between and adhered to said first fibrous laminate layer and said second fibrous laminate layer, said fibrous substrate layer being hydrophobic; and an anti-microbial agent incorporated in a stabilized solid state within said fibrous substrate layer, said anti-microbial agent being capable of activation when contacted with water, said activation including the release of a portion of said anti-microbial agent into said liquid that is contained within the wiper such that an anti-microbial solution forms therefrom, the anti-microbial agent being adapted to provide that the rate of said release is such that said anti-microbial agent is released into said liquid in an amount sufficient to form an anti-microbial solution of the liquid within the wiper after said wiper has been repeatedly contacted with water.
- 25. A wiper as defined in claim 24, wherein said fibrous substrate layer comprises meltblown poly(ethylene vinyl acetate).
- 26. A wiper as defined in claim 24, wherein said anti-microbial agent comprises calcium hypochlorite.
- 27. A method of forming an anti-microbial wiper for disinfecting hard surfaces, said method comprising the steps of:
providing fibers that are capable of forming a web; adding an anti-microbial agent to said fibers while said fibers are in an unsolidified state; allowing said fibers to solidify into a fibrous web, wherein said anti-microbial agent is adhered to said fibrous web, said anti-microbial agent being capable of activation when contacted with water, said activation including the release of a portion of said anti-microbial agent into water contained in said fibrous web such that an anti-microbial solution forms therefrom after a normal rinse cycle, said anti-microbial agent being capable of forming said anti-microbial solution after numerous rinse cycles; and laminating said fibrous web containing said anti-microbial agent to a laminate layer, wherein said laminate layer is capable of absorbing a liquid when contacted therewith.
- 28. A method as defined in claim 27, wherein said fibers are hydrophobic.
- 29. A method as defined in claim 28, wherein said hydrophobic fibers comprise poly(ethylene vinyl acetate).
- 30. A method as defined in claim 28, wherein said fibrous web comprising meltblown hydrophobic fibers.
- 31. A wiper as defined in claim 27, wherein said laminate layer is made from a nonwoven composite fabric, said nonwoven composite fabric comprising pulp fibers.
- 32. A wiper having at least two layers, one of said layers being a fibrous hydrophobic sheet comprising fibers, said sheet having an anti-microbial agent bonded to said fibers with sufficient adhesion so that said anti-microbial agent will remain substantially bonded within said sheet until contacted repeatedly with a liquid, the other of said layers being an absorbent fibrous sheet laminated to said fibrous hydrophobic sheet.
- 33. A wiper as defined in claim 32, further comprising an additional sheet laminated to said fibrous hydrophobic sheet.
- 34. A wiper as defined in claim 33, wherein said additional sheet is absorbent.
- 35. A wiper as defined in claim 33, wherein said additional sheet is hydrophobic.
- 36. A wiper as defined in claim 1, wherein said substrate layer is self-adhered to said laminate layer.
- 37. A wiper as defined in claim 1 that will withstand at least 10 rinse cycles without substantially losing its ability to cause the liquid within the wiper after a rinse cycle to become an anti-microbial solution.
- 38. A wiper as defined in claim 1 that will withstand at least 20 rinse cycles without substantially losing its ability to cause the liquid within the wiper after a rinse cycle to become an anti-microbial solution.
Parent Case Info
[0001] The present invention is based on provisional patent application Serial Number 60/173,224 filed Dec. 28, 1999, and priority is hereby claimed therefrom.
Provisional Applications (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60173224 |
Dec 1999 |
US |