Cleaning article with irregularly spaced tow tufts

#The present invention relates to cleaning articles having irregularly spaced tufts of tow fibers for cleaning.

#Various cleaning articles have been created for dusting and light cleaning. For example, cloth rags and paper towels used dry or wetted with polishing and cleaning compositions have been used on relatively flat surfaces such as countertops, showers, sinks and floors. Laminiferous wipes have been proposed, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 9,296,176. But, rags, wipes, and paper towels are problematic for reasons such as hygiene (the user's hands may touch chemicals, dirt or the surface during cleaning), reach (it may be difficult to insert the user's hand with the rag, wipe or paper towel into hard-to-reach places) and inconvenience (cleaning between closely-spaced articles typically requires moving the articles).

#To overcome the problems associated with using rags and paper towels, various reusable dust gathering devices using felt and hair have been utilized for more than a century, as illustrated by U.S. Pat. No. 823,725 issued in 1906 to Hayden and using yarns as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,145,787. To address the problems with reusable dust gathering devices, disposable cleaning articles have been developed which have limited re-usability. These disposable cleaning articles may include synthetic fiber tufts, called tow fibers, attached to a sheet as shown in 2006/0171764; U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,143,393; 6,241,835; 6,319,593; 6,329,308; 6,554,937; 6,774,070; 6,813,801; 6,830,801; 6,984,615; 7,003,856; 7,566,671; 7,712,178; 7,779,502; 7,870,635; 7,937,797; 8,146,197; 8,151,402; 8,161,594, 8,186,001; 8,225,453; 8,245,349; 8,646,144; 8,528,151; 8,617,685; 8,646,144; 8,752,232; 8,756,746; 8,763,197; 8,793,832; 9,113,768; 9,198,553 and in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 8,075,977.

#FIG. 1 is a schematic top view of a cleaning article according to the present invention and having discrete tufts, spaced in rows.

#FIG. 1A is a schematic flow chart of a process usable to produce the cleaning article of FIG. 1.

#FIG. 2 is a schematic top view of a cleaning article according to the present invention and having discrete tufts, with tapered intra-tuft spaces therebetween.

#Referring to FIGS. 1-5.2, the cleaning article 10 may be generally elongate, and rectangular, although other shapes are contemplated and feasible. The cleaning article 10 may comprise two or more components joined in a laminate form to provide cleaning article 10 suitable for floor cleaning. The cleaning article 10 may have a carrier sheet 12, which forms a chassis for attachment of other components thereto. The cleaning article 10 has a plurality of tufts 15. The tufts 15 are disposed in rows 30, with spaces 31 between the rows 30. The spaces 31 may be arranged in lanes, providing distance between the rows 30 of tufts 15. This arrangement provides for advantageous debris collection and retention over the uniform tuft 15 geometry found in the prior art.

#The cleaning article 10 may be disposable. By disposable it is meant that the cleaning article 10 may be used for one cleaning task, or generally for not more than several square meters, then discarded. In contrast, a reusable cleaning article 10 is laundered or otherwise restored after use.

#The cleaning article 10 may have a longitudinal axis LA and a transverse axis TA orthogonal thereto. The cleaning article 10, and respective components thereof, may have two longitudinal edges 20 parallel to the longitudinal axis LA and two transverse edges 22 parallel to the transverse axis TA.