Sanitary floor covering device

Abstract

The invention relates to a sanitary floor covering device and a method for producing such a device. The latter comprises a textile support (16) having two opposite faces and a layer of a tacky polymer material (12) secured to one of the two opposite faces in order to be able to retain the impurities carried at a floor wall when said textile support (16) is applied to said floor wall, while said layer of said tacky polymer material (12) is oriented away from said floor wall with respect to said textile support (16). The device further comprises a layer of an adhesive polyurethane material (25) secured to the other of said two opposite faces of said textile support, in order to be able to maintain said textile support (16) in a fixed position on said floor wall. Figure to be published with the abstract: Fig. 3

Description

Title of the invention: Sanitary floor covering device

[0001] The present invention relates to a sanitary floor covering device for retaining at least part of the contaminants between two zones, at floor level.

[0002] The present invention also relates to a method of producing such a sanitary floor covering device.

[0003] Known floor covering devices are suitable for application to the floor, at the entrance to clean rooms, for example, inside which the particle concentration is to be controlled.

[0004] These devices comprise a textile support having two opposite faces and a layer of poly(vinyl chloride) coated on one of the two faces. The coating is made from a plastisol, i.e. a dispersion of poly(vinyl chloride) in a plasticizer. Such a plastisol is coated on one of the faces of the textile support and is then gelled under heat. This produces a tacky, in other words sticky, layer on the surface of the textile support. It is nevertheless integral with said support.

[0005] And it is thanks to this sticky layer that the device can retain, in particular, dust and impurities, when it is applied to the ground.

[0006] Indeed, the device is applied to the floor wall at the entrance to a clean room for example, the uncoated face against the floor. And when a pedestrian enters the clean room, the impurities and particles that he carries with his feet are likely to adhere to the layer of sticky material. In this way, these impurities and particles are retained on the sanitary floor covering device and are not carried inside the clean room.

[0007] Reference may be made to document GB2025319, which describes such a sanitary floor covering device.

[0008] Usually, rolling carts are driven on these floor covering devices. In the same way, the particles carried by the wheels of the rolling cart adhere to the device. These floor covering devices can also be loaded by motorized rolling carts.

[0009] Such sanitary floor covering devices are advantageously implemented in the pharmaceutical industry, and also in the medical field in hospitals at the entrance to operating rooms for example.

[0010] In certain industries, for example in the food industry, floor covering devices must support relatively heavy loads. and they are applied in wet areas. Therefore, they tend to be dragged along the floor wall on which they are applied.

[0011] Also, a problem which arises and which the present invention aims to solve is to provide a sanitary floor covering device which remains perfectly engaged on the ground despite the hostile environment in which it is implemented and the loads which it supports.

[0012] In order to solve this problem, and according to a first object, a sanitary floor covering device is proposed comprising a textile support having two opposite faces and a layer of a sticky polymer material secured to one of the two opposite faces in order to be able to retain the impurities carried at the level of a floor wall when said textile support is applied to said floor wall, while said layer of said sticky polymer material is oriented opposite said floor wall relative to said textile support. Said floor covering device further comprises a layer of an adhesive polyurethane material secured to the other of said two opposite faces of said textile support, in order to be able to maintain said textile support in a fixed position on said floor wall.

[0013] Thus, a feature of the invention lies in the implementation of a floor covering device provided, in addition to a layer of a sticky polymer material on one of its faces, with a layer of an adhesive polyurethane material on the other face. In this way, the floor covering device can be made integral with a floor wall continuously over its entire surface. Consequently, such a floor covering device can be held in a fixed position at the entrance to a clean room for example or any other area requiring the retention of impurities and dust at floor level. Thanks to its adhesion to the floor, the floor covering device can withstand heavy loads, for example the rolling of a heavy trolley or even a forklift, without the risk of being pulled along.Furthermore, there is no need to apply threshold bars at the edge of the floor covering device as will be explained in more detail later in the description.

[0014] Furthermore, thanks to the implementation of the adhesive polyurethane material, the floor covering device remains attached to the floor wall on which it is applied in the presence of high humidity. In addition, such a device can be detached from the floor wall so that it can be rolled up on itself and then unrolled on another surface while adhering to this other surface.

[0015] Furthermore, and according to a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, said tacky polymer material is based on poly(vinyl chloride). Usually, this material is referred to by the acronym PVC. Also, thanks to its adhesive properties, this material easily retains dust and other contaminants carried along at the floor wall level. In addition, this material can be implemented very cheaply as will be explained below.

[0016] Furthermore, said adhesive polyurethane material of said layer has free hydroxyl functions. These free hydroxyl functions give it its adhesiveness.

[0017] According to a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, said textile support comprises two textile layers connected together by a layer of a connecting material.

[0018] And preferably, said bonding material is made of said tacky polymer material. In other words, the textile support is made of two double layers, textiles, tacky polymer material connected together by the tacky polymer. An embodiment of such a textile support will be explained below.

[0019] According to another object, there is provided a method for producing a sanitary floor covering device comprising the following steps: a textile support having two opposite faces is provided; a layer of a tacky polymer material is provided and one of the two opposite faces of said textile support and said layer of tacky polymer material is secured. And, an adhesive polyurethane material is further provided, then a layer of said adhesive polyurethane material is secured to the other of said two opposite faces of said textile support.

[0020] Also, in a particularly advantageous manner, the layer of tacky polymer material is first produced, then it is transferred to one of the faces of the textile support to which it adheres. Then, a layer of the adhesive polymer material is formed directly on the other face of the textile support. Preferably, thermal energy is supplied to the layer of adhesive polymer material in order to accelerate the reaction of the chemical functions, isocyanates and hydroxyls which it contains.

[0021] Also, advantageously, a poly(vinyl chloride)-based material is provided as a tacky polymer material. More specifically, a plastisol composition is produced, i.e. a dispersion of poly(vinyl chloride) in a plasticizer, and a layer of this dispersion is applied by transfer to the textile. Then, a hot gelation of the composition is carried out in order to obtain the tacky polymer material.

[0022] According to a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, a prepolymer of diphenylmethylene diisocyanate and polyether polyol having isocyanate functions and a polyether polyol having hydroxyl functions are provided, and said prepolymer and said polyether polyol are mixed in such a way that the amount of hydroxyl function is greater than the amount of isocyanate function to form said adhesive polyurethane material. In other words, care is taken to ensure that the hydroxyl functions are in excess of the functions isocyanates so that, after all the isocyanate functions have reacted with a hydroxyl function, they remain free hydroxyl functions. In this way, an adhesive material is obtained. The property of such a material is that it can adhere to a surface, and in particular a floor wall, and be detached from it so that it can be reattached to a new wall.

[0023] According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, two textile layers are provided, and said two textile layers are connected together by a layer of a connecting material to provide said textile support.

[0024] And preferably, said two textile layers are connected together by another layer of said tacky polymer material to provide said textile support.

[0025] Other features and advantages of the invention will emerge from reading the description given below of particular embodiments of the invention, given for informational but non-limiting purposes, with reference to the appended drawings in which:

[0026] [Fig. 1] is a partial schematic perspective view of an element of the floor covering device according to the invention;

[0027] [Fig.2] is a schematic view showing the implementation of one of the steps of production of the floor covering device in accordance with the invention;

[0028] [Fig.3] is a partial schematic perspective view of the subject of the invention; and,

[0029] [Fig.4] is a flowchart of the steps involved in implementing the production process of the floor covering device according to the invention.

[0030] The method for producing a sanitary floor covering device in accordance with the invention will first be described.

[0031] According to a first formulation step 10 illustrated in [Fig.4], a plastisol is cold formulated including a poly(vinyl chloride) and a plasticizer. This formulation is then deposited on a carpet, for example a Teflon carpet, at a constant low thickness.

[0032] Then, according to a transfer step 11, the plastisol is transferred in the form of a layer 12 onto one of the faces 14 of a woven textile support 16 which is found in [Fig.l].

[0033] For example, a textile woven from polyester threads is chosen, with a density of, according to a particular implementation method, between 150 g / m2 and 250 g / m2. The plastisol is sufficiently viscous to impregnate the textile and coat the fibers of the surface 14.

[0034] The textile support 16 thus coated with the layer 12 of plastisol is then exposed to a temperature of, for example, between 135°C and 160°C, in a cooking step 15.

[0035] In this way, the plastisol tends to harden and trap the fibers it impregnates while the surface of the layer 12 remains sticky. This stickiness is due to the formulation of the plastisol.

[0036] The thickness of the layer 12 on the textile support 16 is for example between 1.5 mm and 2.5 mm. And the density of the assembly is between 2300 g / m2 and 2900 g / m2 for example.

[0037] Also, the layer 12 is integral with the textile support 16. And the force necessary for the delamination of the two layers is greater than 4.5 daN / 5 cm.

[0038] According to a second formulation step 18, illustrated in [Fig.4], a prepolymer of diphenylmethylene diisocyanate and polyether polyol is produced. The prepolymer defined here is an example of implementation. And other formulations are obviously conceivable.

[0039] The polyether polyol has an average molecular weight of 4800 g and a functionality of 3. In other words, each polyether polyol molecule has on average three hydroxyl functions: “OH”.

[0040] As for diphenylmethylene diisocyanate, it has a molecular weight of 250 and a functionality of 2.1. In other words, each molecule of diphenylmethylene diisocyanate has on average 2.1 isocyanate functions: “NCO”.

[0041] According to one embodiment of the invention, the prepolymer is prepared hot in a reactor at a rate of one part by weight of diphenylmethylene diisocyanate for 0.8 to 1.2 parts by weight of polyether polyol, for example.

[0042] According to a third formulation step 20, illustrated in [Fig.4], the aforementioned prepolymer is formulated with the same polyether polyol, at a rate of one part by weight of the polyether polyol for between 0.2 and 0.3 parts by weight of the prepolymer.

[0043] Immediately after this third formulation step 20, according to a coating step 22, the fruit of this last formulation is coated according to a method called: “with a doctor blade”, as illustrated in [Fig.2].

[0044] In this [Fig.2], we find the textile support 16 secured to the layer 12, turned over with respect to their presentation in [Fig.l] and spread on a support roller 24. The PVC layer 12 is then supported on the support roller 24, while the other face 26 of the textile support 16 is covered with a thin layer 25 of said last formulation 28, thanks to the doctor blade 30 and the continuous movement of the textile support 16 in the direction V.

[0045] Preferably, to the formulation of the prepolymer with the polyether polyol according to the third formulation step 20, a catalyst, for example based on tin, is added.

[0046] In addition, and in a particularly advantageous manner, after the thin layer coating 25 of the last formulation 28, the entire support is carried along textile 16, PVC layer 12 and thin layer 25, in a tunnel oven not shown, so as to increase the reaction rate of the isocyanate functions and the hydroxyl functions. In this way, the almost complete reaction of the isocyanate functions is obtained with a fraction of the hydroxyl functions forming methane functions.

[0047] On the other hand, the formulation is such that the hydroxyl functions are in excess compared to the isocyanate functions.

[0048] Preferably, the percentage of hydroxyl functions is greater than the percentage of isocyanate functions. For example, the percentage of hydroxyl functions is between 55% and 65%, while the percentage of isocyanate functions is between 35% and 45%.

[0049] Therefore, when all the isocyanate functions have been able to react with the hydroxyl functions to form a polyurethane polymer, a significant quantity of free hydroxyl functions remains. These free hydroxyl functions give the thin layer 25, after crosslinking, significant adhesive power.

[0050] [Fig. 3] shows a partial sanitary floor covering device 32 obtained using the method described above. The textile support 16 is sandwiched between the sticky PVC layer 12 and the thin polyurethane layer 25.

[0051] Thus the sanitary floor covering device 32 can be applied, the thin layer 25 of polyurethane against a floor wall, at the entrance to a controlled zone so as to be able to retain, thanks to the sticky PVC layer, the dust and impurities carried at floor level.

[0052] And thanks to the layer of polyurethane material 25, the sanitary floor covering device 32 is perfectly secured to the floor wall. Its adhesive power is in no way affected by humidity.

[0053] In addition, such a device 12 can be detached to be cleaned, then reapplied again.

Claims

Claims

1. A sanitary floor covering device comprising a textile support (16) having two opposite faces (14, 26) and a layer of a tacky polymer material (12) secured to one (14) of the two opposite faces in order to be able to retain impurities carried at a floor wall when said textile support (16) is applied to said floor wall, while said layer of said tacky polymer material (12) is oriented away from said floor wall relative to said textile support (16), characterized in that it further comprises a layer of an adhesive polyurethane material (25) secured to the other (26) of said two opposite faces of said textile support, in order to be able to maintain said textile support (16) in a fixed position on said floor wall; and in that said textile support (16) comprises two textile layers connected together by a layer of a bonding material made of said tacky polymer material.

2. Sanitary floor covering device according to claim 1, characterized in that said tacky polymer material is based on poly(vinyl chloride).

3. Sanitary floor covering device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said adhesive polyurethane material of said layer (25) has free hydroxyl functions.

4. A method of producing a sanitary floor covering device comprising the following steps: - providing a textile support (16) having two opposite faces (14, 26); - providing a layer of a tacky polymer material (12) and securing one (14) of the two opposite faces of said textile support (16) and said layer of tacky polymer material; characterized in that two textile layers are provided and said two textile layers are connected together by another layer of said tacky polymer material to provide said textile support; and in that an adhesive polyurethane material is further provided, and securing one layer of said adhesive polyurethane material (25) to the other (26) of said two opposite faces of said textile support (16).

5. A method of producing a sanitary floor covering device according to claim 4, characterized in that a material is provided based on poly(vinyl chloride) as a tacky polymer material.

6. A method of producing a sanitary floor covering device according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that a prepolymer of diphenylmethylene diisocyanate and polyether polyol having isocyanate functions and a polyether polyol having hydroxyl functions are provided, and said prepolymer and said polyether polyol are mixed in such a way that the amount of hydroxyl function is greater than the amount of isocyanate function to form said adhesive polyurethane material.

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