Pre-Loaded Floor Wipe Substrate for High Aspect Ratio Particle Pickup
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing floor cleaning systems are ineffective in picking up and retaining high aspect ratio particles, such as long hairs, due to their complex structures and high manufacturing costs, which result in poor debris pickup and particle retention.
Innovation Solution
A pre-loaded cleaning substrate with specific characteristics, including basis weight greater than 100 g/m², air permeability greater than 45 ft³/min, fiber diameter of 10-15 μm, and a cleaning composition with a surface tension modifier, enables efficient pickup and retention of high aspect ratio particles by providing an open, wavy texture and low surface tension, allowing for effective entanglement and adhesion of particles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If existing floor cleaning systems use complex multi-layer structures to tackle tough dirt and grime, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but manufacturing costs increase and particle retention capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the complex multi-layer structure from existing floor cleaning systems, replacing it with a single-layer substrate that achieves superior particle retention through optimized fiber diameter (10-15 μm) and basis weight (100-200 g/m²) characteristics
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes key substrate parameters including fiber diameter (10-15 μm), basis weight (100-200 g/m²), and air permeability (45-75 ft³/min) to optimize the balance between cleaning effectiveness and particle retention, eliminating the need for complex multi-layer constructions
2Reliability
If existing floor cleaning systems use complex multi-layer structures, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the complex multi-layer structure from existing floor cleaning systems, replacing it with a single-layer substrate that achieves superior particle retention through optimized fiber diameter (10-15 μm) and basis weight (100-200 g/m²) characteristics
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a disposable single-layer substrate that is optimized for performance, eliminating the need for expensive multi-layer constructions while maintaining effective cleaning capability through proper material selection and parameter optimization
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 substrate achieves over 60% pickup and retention of particles with L/D aspect ratios of at least 1200 or 3000, significantly outperforming existing systems in hair pick-up and retention capabilities, while maintaining simplicity and lower manufacturing costs.
Implementation Method 1
a cleaning composition with a surface tension modifier, enables efficient pickup and retention of high aspect ratio particles by providing an open, wavy texture and low surface tension, allowing for effective entanglement and adhesion of particles
Implementation Method 2
air permeability greater than 45 ft³/min
Data Source
AI summary
A pre-loaded cleaning substrate, and related systems and methods for picking up particles with an aspect ratio (L/D) greater than 300 (e.g., hair), or greater than 1200 (e.g., particularly long hairs). The substrate (e.g., a nonwoven) may include only a single layer of material. The pre-loaded substrate is loaded (e.g., during manufacture) with a cleaning composition. The fibers of the substrate may have an average diameter less than 15 μm, the substrate may have an air permeability of 35 ft3/min to 75 ft3/min, and the liquid cleaning composition may have a surface tension of less than about 50 dynes/cm. Together, the combination of the particular substrate and cleaning composition may facilitate markedly improved ability to pick up high L/D aspect ratio particle debris (e.g., such as hair), while retaining such particles (e.g., providing hair retention index values of at least 20).