Floor Cleaning Article with Gather Strips for Dynamic Surface Area
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cleaning articles, such as rags and disposable dusters, are inadequate for cleaning large or heavily wetted surfaces like floors, as they can redeposit dirt and fail to effectively clean crevices or grout lines due to their flat design and material limitations.
Innovation Solution
A laminate construction cleaning article with an absorbent core and hydrophilic gather strip elements, where the gather strip width is greater than the core width, providing a dynamic surface area that changes during use, allowing for effective absorption and retention of liquids while maintaining mobility and preventing re-deposition of dirt.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a generally flat floor sheet is used for cleaning, then liquid absorption capacity is improved, but dirt re-deposition occurs and cleaning effectiveness in crevices is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The floor cleaning article transitions from a static flat sheet to a dynamic structure with movable strips that can independently move and present different surface areas to the floor during cleaning, preventing dirt re-deposition and enhancing crevice cleaning
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning article is divided into multiple functional segments including a sheet portion, gather strip element with strips, and absorbent core, where each segment performs a specific function and can move independently to adapt to different cleaning needs
2Ease of operation
If tow fibers are used for wet cleaning, then cleaning capability is improved, but fibers become matted and are unsuitable for large or heavily wetted surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the material parameter from traditional tow fibers to a non-matting gather strip material that maintains its structural integrity and cleaning effectiveness even when heavily wetted or used on large surfaces
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning article uses a composite structure combining a sheet portion, absorbent core, and gather strip element with strips, where the gather strip material is specifically selected to resist matting while providing effective cleaning capability
3Area of moving object
If the gather strip width is greater than the core width, then dynamic surface area is increased for better cleaning, but structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The gather strip element extends beyond the core boundaries in the lateral dimension, creating a wider effective cleaning surface area while maintaining a simple layered construction that does not significantly increase structural complexity
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 cleaning article effectively absorbs and retains liquids, reduces re-deposition of dirt, and enhances cleaning efficiency in crevices and grout lines, minimizing surface damage and maintaining effective cleaning performance over multiple cycles.
Implementation Method 1
The core has a core width and the gather strip element has a gather strip width which is greater than the core width
Implementation Method 2
Floor sheets may contain large amounts of absorbent cellulose
Implementation Method 3
A hydrophilic gather strip element having strips is joined to the sheet
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3
AI summary
A cleaning article. The cleaning article has a laminate construction. The cleaning article has a width and comprises a sheet, having an inwardly oriented face and an outwardly oriented face opposed thereto. An absorbent core is joined to one face of the sheet. A hydrophilic gather strip element having strips is joined to the sheet. The core has a core width and the gather strip element has a gather strip width which is greater than the core width. The differential widths provide a construction which allows the strips to advantageously present a dynamically changing area to the target surface during cleaning, under normal usage conditions. By changing the surface area, more liquids, and associated debris, can be cleaned from the target surface.