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  Wiping articles having a scouring surfaceUSPTO Application #: 20060286884Title: Wiping articles having a scouring surface Abstract: A wiping article (1), for cleaning surfaces, comprises a liquid-absorbent web material and, disposed on a liquid-absorbent surface thereof, abrasive areas (5) comprising at least cured particulate binder material, the abrasive areas being spaced apart by liquid-absorbent areas (4) of the web material. A method for making the wiping article, for cleaning surfaces, the method comprising the steps of: providing a liquid-absorbent web material; providing a dry particulate material that comprises at least particulate curable binder material; depositing spaced areas of the dry particulate material on a liquid-absorbent surface of the web material; and curing the binder material to form spaced abrasive areas on the surface of the web material, the said abrasive areas being spaced apart by liquid-absorbent areas of the web material. (end of abstract) Agent: 3m Innovative Properties Company - St. Paul, MN, US Inventors: Stephane Thioliere, Guy M. Pollaud, Laetitia A. Duchamp, Estrella Cabrero Gomez USPTO Applicaton #: 20060286884 - Class: 442314000 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Fabric (woven, Knitted, Or Nonwoven Textile Or Cloth, Etc.), Knit Fabric (i.e., Knit Strand Or Strip Material), Knit Fabric Is Characterized By A Particular Or Differential Knit Pattern Other Than Open Knit Fabric Or A Fabric In Which The Strand Denier Is Specified, Including Additional Strand Inserted Within Knit Fabric, Warp Knit Insert Strand The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060286884. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
[0001] The present invention relates to wiping articles that are suitable for consumer use in cleaning surfaces in various environments, including domestic, industrial, hospital and food industry environments. The invention relates, in particular, to wiping articles that have a scouring surface (also called a scrubbing surface), on at least one side. BACKGROUND [0002] Wiping articles are already widely used by consumers in the environments mentioned above for cleaning, for example, kitchen and bathroom surfaces, including floors. Many different wiping articles are currently available for domestic use, ranging from paper towels to conventional textile dish cloths and floor cloths, some being intended to be used dry (for example, to mop-up spilt liquid) and others being intended to be used in a damp or wet condition. It is also known to provide wiping articles that have a scouring action suitable for removing hardened soil and stains from a surface to be cleaned. [0003] Examples of wiping articles that have a scouring action are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,142,334 and 5,213,588, and in EP-A-0 211 664. Each of those documents describes wiping articles that, on one surface, carry an ordered pattern of abrasive areas formed by a printing process using a dispersion of abrasive particles in a liquid adhesive or binding agent that is subsequently allowed or caused to solidify. Wiping articles that have a mild scouring action without the use of abrasive particles are also known: for example, a mild scouring action can be achieved by spraying one side of a wiping substrate with molten polymer fibres that are subsequently allowed to harden. Generally, however, the provision of spaced abrasive areas on a wiping substrate is preferred since it enables the flexibility of the substrate to be retained to a large extent and provides a wiping article that is easier for the consumer to handle and use. SUMMARY [0004] The present invention provides a method of making a wiping article for cleaning surfaces, the method comprising the steps of [0005] (i) providing a liquid-absorbent web material; [0006] (ii) providing a dry particulate material that comprises at least particulate curable binder material; [0007] (iii) depositing spaced areas of the dry particulate material on a liquid-absorbent surface of the web material; and [0008] (iv) curing the binder material to form spaced abrasive areas on the surface of the web material, the said abrasive areas being spaced apart by liquid-absorbent areas of the web material The present invention also provides a wiping article for cleaning surfaces, comprising a liquid-absorbent web material and, disposed on a liquid-absorbent surface thereof, abrasive areas comprising at least cured particulate binder material, the said abrasive areas being spaced apart by liquid-absorbent areas of the web material. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0009] By way of example only, wiping articles in accordance with the present invention, and methods of making those articles, will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: [0010] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a wiping article in accordance with the invention; [0011] FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic cross-section of the article on the line I-I in FIG. 1; [0012] FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of a method of making the wiping article of FIGS. 1 and 2; and [0013] FIGS. 4 and 5 are plan views of the scouring surface of other wiping articles in accordance with the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION [0014] The present invention is directed to wiping articles that, at least on one surface, carry abrasive areas that provide the article with a scouring action, the remainder of the surface being available to provide the normal wiping action of the article. The present invention comprises a liquid-absorbent web material and, disposed on a liquid-absorbent surface thereof, abrasive areas comprising at least cured particulate binder material, the said abrasive areas being spaced apart by liquid-absorbent areas of the web material. As used herein, "particulate curable binder material" means a material that is solid at room temperature, has been processed to a particulate form, and which may be softened and cured either by heating and subsequent cooling (if thermoplastic) or by sufficient exposure to heat or other form of energy (if thermosetting or cross-linkable). [0015] The invention is concerned with providing a method of making such wiping articles that has less environmental impact than methods that are currently employed. The use of a particulate binder material in a method in accordance with the invention enables the abrasive areas to be produced on the surface of the web material without producing volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and may also result in the energy requirements of the method being lower than those of methods that employ liquid binder materials. [0016] In a further aspect, the invention is concerned with providing wiping articles of that type with an attractive visual appearance in addition to an effective scouring action. The use of a particulate binder material enables the binder material to be deposited on the web material under the action of an electrostatic force: that, in turn, makes it possible to produce well-defined abrasive areas on the web material in a wide variety of patterns and thus provide consumers with an attractive choice of products. [0017] The wiping article 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 comprises a liquid-absorbent web material 3 and, adhered to the upper surface 4 of the web material (as seen in the drawings), abrasive areas 5 arranged in an ordered pattern. The abrasive areas 5 comprise abrasive particles together with a cured particulate binder material that adheres the abrasive particles to each other and to the surface of the web material 3. Between the abrasive areas 5, the liquid-absorbent surface 4 of the web material 3 is exposed. The abrasive areas 5 are shown in FIG. 1 as being in the form of bars: that is not essential, however, and other shapes can be used as will be described below. It is also not essential that the abrasive areas 5 should be arranged in an ordered pattern. [0018] A method of making the wiping article 1 is illustrated diagrammatically in FIG. 3. A continuous length of the web material 3 is fed from a roll 7 through a powder coating booth 9. The web material 3 is conveyed through the powder coating booth 9 on a flat surface provided by a grounded, electrically-conductive, conveyor 11 and, within the booth 9, the upper surface 4 of the web material is closely contacted by a stencil or mask 13, into which the pattern for the abrasive areas 5 has been cut in known manner. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the stencil is a continuous band that is moved through the powder coating booth 9 at the same speed as the web material 3. Dry particulate material (comprising at least abrasive particles 14 and a curable particulate binder material 15) is supplied from a hopper 16 to an electrostatic spray gun 17 located in the upper part of the coating booth 9. [0019] Electrostatic spray guns are known from the powder coating art, where they are used in electrostatic powder coating systems to apply electrically-charged powder coating material to an electrically-grounded workpiece. A typical known electrostatic powder coating system consists of a powder hopper, a high voltage power supply (generating, for example, up to 100 kV), an electrostatic spray gun and a powder recovery system. The powder is fluidized in the hopper and then fed to the spray gun, which directs it towards the workpiece to be coated. An electrode at the front of the spray gun is connected to the power supply and causes an electrostatic charge to be imparted to the powder coating material as it is being propelled toward the grounded workpiece. The charge causes the powder particles to be drawn towards, and to attach themselves to, the grounded workpiece. Powder that is not deposited on the workpiece can be recovered and re-used. [0020] In the method illustrated in FIG. 3, the electrostatic spray gun 17 is operated to direct the dry particulate material 14, 15 downwards onto the stencil 13 and (through the cut-out arts of the stencil) the upper surface 4 of the web material 3 under the combined effects of electrostatic attraction, gravity, and the flow of atomizing air from the spray gun 17. The stencil 13 is then moved away from the web 3 leaving spaced areas 5 of the particulate material 14, 15 on the surface of the web, in the pattern defined by the stencil. The particulate material 14, 15 that remains on the stencil 13 is collected in any suitable way, as is any particulate material that falls to the bottom of the booth 9, and can be re-used. Continue reading... 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