Patent Application
20050026759
I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to rollers used for detritus removal.
II. Description of Related Art
Lint rollers have been long known and widely used for removing foreign particles, such as pet hair, lint and other detritus from flooring, clothing and the like. These previously known lint rollers typically comprise a handle having a tubular and cylindrical tape roll rotatably mounted to the handle.
Many of the previously known adhesive rollers for lint removal comprise a continuous strip having a paper backing layer with adhesive provided along one side of the backing. The strip is wound into a cylindrical roll, typically around a core, so that the adhesive faces outwardly. As the adhesive becomes depleted from use, a portion of the strip is torn from the roll to expose fresh adhesive on the next inner layer of the strip. This process continues until the entire roll has been depleted, at which time a new roll is mounted onto the handle.
One disadvantage of these previously known adhesive rollers is that the roller itself is relatively rigid in construction. As such, the roller is unable to conform to non-planar surfaces, such as a tile floor. Furthermore, unless the adhesive actually contacts the detritus desired to be removed from the surface, the detritus will remain on that surface.
A still further disadvantage of these previously known adhesive rollers is that the paper backing used for the strip does not retain an electrostatic charge. Such an electrostatic charge, however, is highly desirable for detritus removal.
A still further disadvantage of these previously known adhesive rollers is that the paper backing used with these adhesive rollers does not form an adequate carrier for certain coatings. Such coatings include, for example, antimicrobial coatings and fragrance coatings.
The present invention provides a roller for detritus removal which overcomes all of the above-mentioned disadvantages of the previously known devices.
In brief, in a first embodiment of the invention the roller comprises an elongated strip having a backing layer, an adhesive layer overlying at least a portion of one side of the backing layer, and potentially a further backing or series of backings to add rigidity and prevent shredding. The strip has a first end, a second end and two spaced apart sides and is wound from its first end to its second end into a tubular cylindrical roll preferably around a core. In doing so, the roll includes multiple layers of overlying portions of the elongated strip with the adhesive facing outwardly.
Unlike the previously known adhesive rollers, however, the backing layer for the adhesive roller of the present invention is made of a material which retains or creates an electrostatic charge, such as foam and preferably a closed-cell foam or a non-woven static retaining material, such as polyethylene, proproplyene or polyolefan. A backing of a low-density or bi-density polyethylene film would help add strength to each layer and minimize shredding. The use of foam and/or non-woven material for the backing strip provides several advantages.
First, the backing layer is compressible and flexible unlike the previously known adhesive rollers so that the adhesive roller can conform to non-planar surfaces, such as a tile floor. In doing so, the compressibility and flexibility of the backing layer ensures that the adhesive roller maintains contact with the entire surface of non-planar surfaces thus effectively removing detritus from that surface.
A still further advantage of these backing layers is that the backing layer provides a better carrier for certain coatings and infusion layers. These coatings and infusion layers include, for example, antimicrobial coatings and fragrance coatings.
A still further advantage of these backing layers is that the backing layer retains and/or creates an electrostatic charge in use. As such, when the roller enjoys enhanced detritus removal with respect to the previously known rollers. In a different embodiment, the backing layer is coated or impregnated with an antistatic agent that minimizes or eliminates static from the surface being cleaned.
Preferably, perforations or a cut are formed at predetermined intervals along the strip so that the interval between adjacent perforations corresponds substantially to one full revolution of the strip around the roll. Thus, when the adhesive on the outermost layer becomes depleted, a single layer is easily removed from the roll thus exposing fresh adhesive. Furthermore, the use of the foam or non-woven material as the backing layer also minimizes the likelihood of tearing of the strip during removal of the outermost layer except along the desired perforation line.
In a still further embodiment of the invention, the detritus removal roller comprises an elongated strip of non-woven electrostatic charge retaining material wound into a cylindrical roll but without an adhesive coating on the outwardly facing surface of the roll. In this embodiment the detritus removal is achieved by the electrostatic attraction between the roll and the detritus rather than by adhesive retention. Perforations, or a cut line, are preferably provided at spaced intervals along the strip corresponding substantially to one revolution of the roll to facilitate the removal of individual layers of the roll.
A better understanding of the present invention will be had with reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views, and in which:
With reference first to
With reference now to
Still referring to
With reference now particularly to
Optionally, a further coating or infusion layer (hereafter collectively referred to as “coating”) 34 is applied to one or both sides of the backing layer 22. This coating 34 may comprise an antimicrobial coating, a fragrance coating, an anti-static coating or the like.
As best shown in
With reference now to
In lieu of the perforations 40, a single cut may be formed through the roll after the strip 14 is wound into a cylindrical roll. Such a cut preferably terminates short of each side 20 in order to maintain the structural integrity of the roll.
In operation, the adhesive roller construction 10 is mounted to a handle 12 and moved along the surface to be cleaned. In doing so, the exposed adhesive 24 adhesively removes lint, pet hair and other detritus from the surface being cleaned. Furthermore, due to the flexibility, resiliency and compressibility of the backing layer 24, the roll 42 may be pressed downwardly along non-planar surfaces so that, in doing so, the adhesive roll 42 conforms to the non-planar surface thus ensuring that the entire surface is cleaned.
After extended use, the adhesive on the outermost layer or sheet of the adhesive roll 42 becomes spent and fails to adequately remove the detritus from the surface to be cleaned. When this occurs, the outermost layer or sheet of the roll 42 is simply removed from the roll 42 by tearing the sheet along the perforations 40 thereby exposing fresh adhesive on the outer surface of the roll 42.
When removing the outermost layer or sheet from the roll 42, the backing layer 22, due to its enhanced strength over the previously known paper backings, minimizes the likelihood of tearing of the backing layer 22 except along the line of perforations 40. Additionally, strength is improved with the potential of a second backing 23 (
The backing layer 22 is also further advantageous in that it represents a better carrier for certain coatings, such as antimicrobial coatings and fragrance coatings, than the previously known paper backings. Additionally, the backing layer 22 retains and/or creates an electrostatic charge during use, unlike the previously known paper backing layers, thus increasing the efficacy of the detritus removal.
With reference now to
Unlike the previously described embodiment of the invention, the roller construction 50 does not have an adhesive layer on its outwardly facing side, but rather relies on electrostatic attraction to remove detritus. Perforations 56 are preferably provided at spaced intervals along the strip corresponding to one circumference of the roll 54 to facilitate the removal of individual layers of the roll 54.
Having described my invention, however, many modifications thereto will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which it pertains without deviation from the spirit of the invention as defined by the scope of the appended claims.
