Cleaning Wipe Sleeve Structure for Consistent Finger Coverage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cleaning wipes often fail to consistently cover a person's fingers or hand while wiping, exposing them to surfaces and substances, especially when maneuvering in small spaces or at angles.
Innovation Solution
The cleaning wipes feature a sleeve portion formed by folding and adhering parts of the wipe to create a conical, ring, or partial ring shape, allowing a person's fingers or hand to fit inside, secured by adhesive or elastic, ensuring coverage during use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional flat cleaning wipe is used, then the wipe structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the wipe cannot consistently cover the person's fingers or hand during use, exposing them to surfaces and substances
Solution Approach 1:
The wipe is segmented into distinct functional zones: a sleeve portion that covers the user's fingers/hand and a wiping portion that contacts the surface being cleaned. This segmentation allows the wipe to simultaneously protect the user and perform cleaning functions, resolving the contradiction between coverage reliability and structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The wipe transitions from a traditional two-dimensional flat structure to a three-dimensional form with a folded sleeve portion. This dimensional change enables the wipe to envelop the user's fingers or hand, providing consistent coverage and protection while maintaining ease of manufacture through folding techniques.
2Reliability
If the wipe is folded to create a sleeve portion, then finger and hand coverage is improved, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The wipe structure is designed to be self-forming through folding, where the material itself creates the sleeve portion without requiring external tools or complex assembly processes. The adhesive portions are pre-applied or easily applied during the folding process, making the manufacturing enhancement minimal while achieving reliable finger coverage.
3Ease of operation
If adhesive material is used to secure the sleeve portion, then the wipe stays in place on fingers and hands, but the manufacturing process requires additional adhesive application steps
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of requiring complete coverage with adhesive throughout the sleeve portion, the design uses adhesive only at specific strategic locations where it provides maximum retention benefit. This partial application approach ensures the wipe stays in place on fingers and hands while minimizing the complexity and time required for adhesive application during manufacturing.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The sleeve design keeps fingers and hands covered, enhancing user safety and comfort by preventing direct contact with surfaces and substances during cleaning.
Implementation Method 1
An adhesive or elastic material may be used to create the sleeve portions
Implementation Method 2
An adhesive or elastic material may be used to create the sleeve portions
Data Source
AI summary
This disclosure describes cleaning wipes that can be used on surfaces and skin. The cleaning wipes may include a base sheet, and a sleeve portion with at least one of an adhesive portion or an elastic portion, wherein the sleeve portion is formed by folding at least a first portion of the base sheet and is configured to cover at least a portion of a person's fingers or hand while holding the cleaning wipe.