| Disposable cleaning sheets comprising a plurality of protrusions for removing debris from surfaces -> Monitor Keywords |
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Disposable cleaning sheets comprising a plurality of protrusions for removing debris from surfacesRelated Patent Categories: Brushing, Scrubbing, And General Cleaning, Implements, Fabric, Wiper, Dauber, Or PolisherDisposable cleaning sheets comprising a plurality of protrusions for removing debris from surfaces description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070107155, Disposable cleaning sheets comprising a plurality of protrusions for removing debris from surfaces. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a Continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/418,608, filed May 5, 2006 which is a Continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/161,444, filed Jun. 3, 2002, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/300,760, filed Jun. 25, 2001; and U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/370,715, filed Apr. 8, 2002. TECHNICAL FIELD [0002] The present invention relates to cleaning sheets comprising protrusions for removing debris, such as human hair, pet hair, dirt, dust, and the like, from soft surfaces, such as carpeting, upholstery, and the like. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] It is often difficult to remove unwanted debris from surfaces, especially from soft surfaces. For example, it is difficult to remove pet hair from carpeting. Conventional vacuum cleaners often do not do a sufficient job in removing pet hair from carpeting. Even though vacuum cleaners are capable of removing some pet hair from carpeting, it can be inconvenient to repeatedly use a vacuum cleaner because of its weight and power requirements. In addition, pet hair can become entangled in the roller brush of the vacuum cleaner requiring either cleaning or repair of the vacuum. [0004] A number of devices have been disclosed to address the problem of removing debris from soft surfaces. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,703,538 issued to Silverstrone discloses a cleaning tool suited for picking up dirt, lint, and the like from rugs, floors, upholstered furniture and other surfaces. The cleaning tool of Silverstrone consists of an elongated handle having a pair of legs extending outwardly to engage a cylindrically shaped cleaning element having an external surface made of Velcro. Discs are fitted between the ends of the cylinder and the legs of the handle to fixedly mount the cylinder to the legs of the handle. The cleaning tool can then be pushed over the surface to be cleaned to pick up dirt, lint, and the like. However, this cleaning tool is inconvenient in that the consumer must manually clean the cylinder cleaning element after the cleaning element accumulates dirt, lint, and the like. Since the cylinder is fixedly mounted to the legs of the handle, the cleaning tool must be manually cleaned every time debris accumulates in the Velcro. [0005] A tool for removing animal hair from carpeting is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,042,995 issued to Varon. The tool of Varon contains a field of smooth tapered polyethylene bristles extending down from a head attached to a broom handle. The density of the bristles at the trailing edge is greater than elsewhere and the bristles are arranged in a saw-tooth leading edge pattern. As the tool is pulled through carpeting, the bristles pick up animal hair. The bristles are permanently attached to the head of the broom handle. As with the cleaning tool of Silverstrone, the tool of Varon suffers from the problem of having to manually clean out the bristles of the tool every time the bristles accumulate debris. [0006] A device for removing fiber pills and lint from fabrics is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,036,561 issued to Calafut. The device of Calafut contains a supporting substrate, such as a pliant foam sheet, that has on one surface an abrasive coating of substantially uniform particles having 280-600 grit size for removing pills from fabrics and has on its other surface a fabric with slant, hook, or loop pile to remove lint from fabrics. The device is sized to fit in one's pocket or purse. The abrasive side of device is rubbed against the fabric to remove pills. The lint removing side of the device is a pile fabric having free ends disposed in a common angular direction and demonstrates relatively good gripping and holding ability of lint when drawn in one direction and then readily releases the lint when drawn in the opposite direction. One issue which is apparently not addressed in Calafut, is that some types of hooks can potentially damage certain types of soft surfaces. Calafut does not make any distinction between the different types of hooks which can be used on a soft surface. In particular, Calafut does not disclose hooks which can provide both lint removal and surface safety. In addition, it has been observed that a soft surface, such as for example a carpet, can typically comprise a greater volume of hair as opposed to lint. As a result, efficient hair removal and lint removal can be viewed as two different problems. Another potential issue with the Calafut device is that it is apparently not intended to be disposable. Consequently, a user is required to clean out the lint removing side each time it is saturated with lint in order to be able to reuse this device. [0007] Other types of cleaning devices comprising an adhesive roller such as the one described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,014,788 issued to Jaffri, U.S. Pat. No. 5,878,034 issued to Cox et al. and U.S. Publication No. US20020023666A1 to Tawara et al., are known in the art to remove debris from carpets, upholstery and other types of fabric. However, the adhesive surface of these rollers is quickly covered with dust, rendering the "poisoned" surface covered with adhesive ineffective for extended cleaning, without requiring a frequent replacement of the adhesive surface. [0008] It has thus been desired to create a cleaning sheet that can remove debris, such as pet hair, from surfaces, such as soft surfaces, which can be conveniently disposed by the consumer after use. As a result, the cleaning sheet does not have to be manually cleaned out after each use, but instead is easily disposed of after use. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0009] The present invention relates to disposable cleaning sheets or mitts for removing debris, especially hair, from a surface, especially soft surfaces such as carpeting or upholstery. The cleaning sheets comprise a substrate and a plurality of protrusions affixed to the substrate. The protrusions are preferably selected from the group consisting of hooks, slanted fibers, bristles, and combinations thereof. In a preferred embodiment, the cleaning sheets are removably attachable to a cleaning implement. [0010] The present invention provides a convenient way for a consumer to remove debris from surfaces, especially soft surfaces such as carpet, where it is often difficult to remove debris such as hair, in particular pet hair. The protrusions of the present cleaning sheets or mitts are able to effectively dislodge the debris from the surface being cleaned, and have the ability to retain the removed debris in the cleaning sheet. Therefore, a consumer can simply wipe the surface with the present cleaning sheet or mitt and conveniently dispose of it after cleaning the surface, thus throwing away the debris along with the cleaning sheet or mitt. The cleaning sheets or mitts herein thus do not require to be cleaned themselves and are easily disposed of. [0011] The present invention further relates to methods of removing debris from a surface by contacting the surface with a cleaning sheet or mitt of the present invention. The surfaces cleaned by the present methods are preferably soft surfaces, such as carpet. [0012] All documents cited herein are, in relevant part, incorporated herein by reference; the citation of any document is not to be construed as an admission that it is prior art with respect to the present invention. [0013] It should be understood that every maximum numerical limitation given throughout this specification will include every lower numerical limitation, as if such lower numerical limitations were expressly written herein. Every minimum numerical limitation given throughout this specification will include every higher numerical limitation, as if such higher numerical limitations were expressly written herein. Every numerical range given throughout this specification will include every narrower numerical range that falls within such broader numerical range, as if such narrower numerical ranges were all expressly written herein. [0014] All parts, ratios, and percentages herein, in the Specification, Examples, and Claims, are by weight and all numerical limits are used with the normal degree of accuracy afforded by the art, unless otherwise specified. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0015] FIG. 1 is a top view of a disposable cleaning sheet of the present invention comprising two discrete zones of protrusions, each zone containing a plurality of protrusions. [0016] FIG. 2 is a cross-section of the disposable cleaning sheet of FIG. 1 along X-X'. [0017] FIG. 3 is a top view of a disposable cleaning sheet of the present invention comprising two discrete zones of protrusions, each zone containing a plurality of protrusions and polymeric additive material disposed in a checkerboard pattern. [0018] FIG. 4 is a cross-section of the disposable cleaning sheet of FIG. 3 along X-X'. [0019] FIG. 5 is a top view of a disposable cleaning sheet of the present invention comprising six discrete zones of protrusions, each zone containing a plurality of protrusions, and adhesive material disposed between the discrete zones of protrusions. Continue reading about Disposable cleaning sheets comprising a plurality of protrusions for removing debris from surfaces... Full patent description for Disposable cleaning sheets comprising a plurality of protrusions for removing debris from surfaces Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Disposable cleaning sheets comprising a plurality of protrusions for removing debris from surfaces patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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