Cleaning article with elastically contracted sheet
AssigneeThe Procter & Gamble Company
InventorNicola John Policicchio
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A cleaning article optionally removably attachable to a handle and comprising tow fibers and at least one sheet joined together in a layered construction. The cleaning article is generally planar. The sheet is elastically contracted. The sheet may be elastically contracted by heat shrinkable material, by elastic strands and/or may be elastomeric. This arrangement allows the sheet to entangle and thereby fluff the tow fibers. Such fluffing is believed to improve cleaning performance.
Claims20
A cleaning article for removable attachment to a handle and having a longitudinal axis, said cleaning article comprising:
- at least one layer of tow fibers, said tow fibers extending laterally outward from proximal ends juxtaposed with said longitudinal axis to distal ends laterally remote therefrom, said at least one layer further having first and second opposed faces and defining a tow fiber width across said longitudinal axis between said distal ends of said fibers;
- and
- a generally planar sheet disposed on said first face of said at least one layer of tow fibers, said sheet having first and second opposed longitudinal edges defining a sheet width therebetween, said sheet being elastically contracted at at least one discrete location cooperating with a longitudinal edge to have a sheet width predominantly less than said tow fiber width, wherein said distal ends of said tow fibers overhang the edges of said sheet providing a tow fiber overhang, the amount of said overhang varying along at least a portion of the longitudinal axis;
- and
- said cleaning article optionally comprising laterally extending gather strips.
A cleaning article for removable attachment to a handle and having a longitudinal axis, said cleaning article comprising:
- at least one layer of tow fibers, said tow fibers extending laterally outward from proximal ends juxtaposed with said longitudinal axis to distal ends laterally remote therefrom, said at least one layer further having first and second opposed faces and defining a tow fiber width across said longitudinal axis between said distal ends of said fibers;
- and
- a generally planar sheet disposed on said first face of said at least one layer of tow fibers, said sheet having first and second opposed longitudinal edges defining a sheet width therebetween, said sheet having at least one elastic strand joined thereto, so that said sheet is elastically contracted at at least one discrete location cooperating with at least one said longitudinal edge to have a sheet width predominantly less than said tow fiber width, wherein said distal ends of said tow fibers overhang the edges of said sheet providing a tow fiber overhang, the amount of said overhang varying along at least a portion of the longitudinal axis.
A cleaning article for removable attachment to a handle and having a longitudinal axis, said cleaning article comprising:
- at least one layer of tow fibers, said tow fibers extending laterally outward from proximal ends juxtaposed with said longitudinal axis to distal ends laterally remote therefrom, said at least one layer further having first and second opposed faces and defining a tow fiber width across said longitudinal axis between said distal ends of said fibers;
- and
- an elastic generally planar sheet disposed on said first face of said at least one layer of tow fibers, said sheet having first and second opposed longitudinal edges defining a sheet width therebetween, said sheet being elastically contracted at at least one discrete location cooperating with at least one said longitudinal edge to have a sheet width predominantly less than said tow fiber width, wherein said distal ends of said tow fibers overhang the edges of said sheet providing a tow fiber overhang, the amount of said overhang varying along at least a portion of the longitudinal axis.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.