CN1318118A - Apparatus and method for cleaning and refreshing fabrics with supplemental heat source - Google Patents

Abstract

The apparatus for treating textiles comprises a treatment bag provided with side panels which define the size of the inner chamber of the disposal bag and are capable of suspending at least one textile article in the inner chamber. A liquid cleansing refresher is placed in or near the fabric disposal bag so that vapors from the cleansing refresher can enter the inner chamber of the disposal bag. The disposal bag is subject to an auxiliary heat source. Passive auxiliary heat sources are preferred, more passive auxiliary heat sources are selected from the group consisting of solar radiation, a particulate heat generating agent, and mixtures of the two. Also provided are methods of cleaning and refreshing textile items using the apparatus of the invention.

Description

Apparatus and method for cleaning and refreshing textiles using an auxiliary heat source

technical field

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for cleaning and refreshing textiles by non-immersion means. It uses an auxiliary heat source, preferably a passive heat source.

Background of the invention

Some delicate textiles are not suitable for cleaning by traditional domestic immersion cleaning methods. While domestic washing machines already provide excellent cleaning results for many textiles in today's society, at some point it can cause silk, linen, wool and some other delicate textiles to shrink or otherwise damage . Consumers generally take their delicate textiles to 'dry cleaning'. However, dry cleaning generally involves immersing textiles in several hydrocarbon and halocarbon solvents, which require specialized operations, and the solvents must be recovered. As a result, this mode is not suitable for home use. Thus, dry cleaning has traditionally been operated by shops and is inconvenient and expensive compared to home cleaning.

Many attempts have been made to provide a home dry cleaning system which combines the cleaning and renewal of fabrics by home immersion with the advantages of fabric protection by dry cleaning. One such home cleaning refreshment system consists of a substrate containing several liquid or gelled cleaning agents and a plastic bag. The garment is placed in the bag with the substrate and then tumbled in a conventional tumble dryer. In the current commercial embodiment, a plurality of single-use substrates containing a cleaning refresher are packaged together in a reusable plastic bag for sale.

Unfortunately, this home method is designed to be used in a conventional clothes dryer or similar. Such equipment is not always readily available and is often uneconomical. And in many countries clothes dryers are not needed. For example, in many tropical regions, people do not go out of their way to own clothes dryers because hanging their clothes outside in the sun will dry them no matter what the season. In parts of the world where people don't exclusively own clothes dryers, products that require heat source equipment (like clothes dryers) are of little or no value.

Therefore, there is a need to develop a household non-immersion cleaning refreshment method and cleaning refresher that provides acceptable cleaning without the need for a mechanical, electrical or combustion heat source.

It has now been inadvertently discovered that certain heat sources, such as solar radiation and chemical oxidation reactions, are used in conjunction with a cleaning refresher and a fabric treatment bag to effectively clean and refresh fabrics in a domestic non-immersion cleaning refreshment operation. The present invention provides apparatus; methods of using the apparatus; and kits of means for cleaning and refreshing textiles that do not require the use of mechanical, electrical, or combustion heat sources.

Summary of the invention

An aspect of the present invention is to provide some equipment for processing textiles, they include:

a) a disposal bag equipped with side panels that define the size of the inner chamber of the disposal bag and allow at least one textile article to be suspended within the inner chamber;

b) a liquid cleaning and updating agent; and

c) A passive heat source.

The passive heat source is preferably selected from the group consisting of: solar radiation; a particulate exothermic agent and mixtures of the two. A preferred particulate exothermic agent is composed of iron powder, carbon, at least one metal salt and water.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the cleaning refresher is releasably absorbed on the adsorbent carrier or substrate. In another aspect of the invention, the apparatus further includes a dosing device containing a cleaning agent.

The present invention also provides a non-immersion method for cleaning and renewing textile items, the steps of which are as follows:

a) Place the textile items together with the cleaning and updating agent in the inner chamber of the fabric disposal bag;

b) subjecting the fabric treatment bag to a passive heat source;

c) Remove the fabric from the disposal bag.

During step (b) of the above method, steam is preferably vented from the fabric treatment bag. Another advantage of this operation is that the fabric has both front and back sides, this operation further consists of the following steps:

a) Apply the topical cleaner in the bottle to the contaminated area on the front of the fabric;

b) at the same time as or immediately following step (a), applying a co-processor to the front side of the textile around the contaminated area; and

c) use a stain receiver to touch around the stained area on the reverse side of the textile;

The advantage of the present invention over earlier technologies is that fabrics can be cleaned and renewed without the use of expensive mechanical equipment such as clothes dryers. Furthermore, when solar energy is used as a passive heat source, there is no monetary expenditure on energy for the consumer.

Brief description of the drawings

Although the description ends with clearly defining the claims of the present invention, it is believed that the claims of the present invention will be better explained with reference to the detailed description and accompanying drawings of the present invention, wherein

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a fabric disposal bag of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a schematic illustration of the fabric disposal bag of the present invention with a corner of the disposal bag cut away for a substrate view;

Figure 3 is a partial schematic view of the lower half of the fabric treatment bag of the present invention, in which an auxiliary heat source is placed under a substrate;

Figure 4 is a partial schematic view near the bottom of a fabric processing bag of the present invention in which a pocket for receiving a substrate is disposed on one side panel of the bag;

Figure 5 is a schematic view of the fabric disposal bag of the present invention, in which the side panels are transparent without any vent openings disposed in the lower portion of the disposal bag.

Detailed Description of the Invention

The present invention provides an apparatus for cleaning and renewing textile items in the home in a non-immersion manner, using an auxiliary heat source, preferably a passive heat source. The process of cleaning and refreshing is done with the textile items together with cleaning and refreshing agent in a fabric treatment bag. The cleaning refresher can be added directly to the disposal bag, for example by pouring it into a pocket, spraying it, or pouring it into a meter housed in the disposal bag. Alternatively, it can be added to the processing bag through the substrate, the cleaning refresher being drawn into the substrate in a releasable manner.

A passive heat source may be placed inside, outside, or near the disposal bag, which induces at least partial evaporation of the cleaning refresher. The steam is then mixed with the textile items to clean and refresh the textiles. The evaporated cleaning refresher, along with odorous compounds and other volatiles, is discharged through the upper portion of the disposal bag. The disposal bag, cleaning refresher, passive heat source, and method of using these items in a home non-immersion cleaning and refreshing operation are described in detail below. fabric disposal bag

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a fabric disposal bag 10 of the present invention, wherein the disposal bag 10 has a height 12 , a width 13 , and a thickness 14 . Although the disposal bag 10 is shown in the shape of a rectangular box, the invention is not meant to be limited thereto. Other structural shapes are also suitable for use with the present invention, such as pyramidal, spherical, hemispherical, double-sided garment bags, and other shapes. The disposal bag can be of any suitable size. The preferred dimensions of the disposal bag 10 are as follows: the height 12 is preferably from about 40 cm to 200 cm, more preferably from 50 cm to 150 cm; the width 13 is preferably from about 30 cm to about 100 cm, preferably from about 40 cm More preferably, the thickness 14 is from about 0 cm to about 100 cm, more preferably from about 10 cm to about 80 cm.

The processing bag 10 is preferably composed of side panels 21 , which determine the scope of an inner chamber 23 , which can be entered through the entrance 15 . During operation of the disposal bag 10, the inlet 15 is to be concealed. This can be done using the inlet panel 19 attached to the side panel 21 with the seal 17 attached. Those experienced experts will know that there are many ways to enter the inner chamber 23 of the disposal bag of the present invention, one of which is shown in FIG. 2 . The seal 17 can be made of any known closure means, such as zippers, adhesive tape, ZIP LOCK ^_ seals, hooks, ring buttons, such as VELCRO ^_ .

Disposal bag 10 may be constructed of any suitable material, such as plastic, fabric, metal and the like. Plastic sheets like polyethylene and polypropylene are recommended for the manufacture of side panels 21 , top panel 30 and bottom panel 36 . Such sheets can be rigid or elastic. Panels 21, 30 and 36 may be transparent, or a material selected from the group consisting of: opaque materials, UV blocking materials and combinations of the two. As shown in FIG. 1, the disposal bag 10 has an opaque middle section 27 with a height of 18, a transparent lower section 29 with a height of 20, and a transparent upper section 31 with a height of 16. Figure 5 shows that the central section 42 of the disposal bag 100 is transparent. The remainder of the disposal bag is also transparent.

It is recognized by professionals that virtually all textiles will fade to some extent in the presence of ultraviolet radiation, but to a lesser extent in the presence of visible light. Because in a preferred embodiment of the present invention it is necessary to expose the disposal bag to sunlight consisting of both ultraviolet radiation and visible light, some means of preventing fading of the fabric is required. Protection against fading can be provided by a barrier material, such as a UV blocking material or an opaque material. As used herein, "opaque material" means any material such as: fabrics, plastics, thin metals, coatings such as sunscreens and paints, and others. These materials absorb or reflect at least 50%, preferably up to 75%, and up to 90% of the ultraviolet radiation, visible light, or both, that impinges on them. The entire disposal bag or just the portion as shown in FIG. 1 can be made from the barrier material. Professionals will know to use materials that block UV radiation, as one example is polyethylene naphthalate, "PEN".

The fabric disposal bag 10 optionally includes an upper frame 28 ; a bottom frame 34 and side frames 25 . These skeletal frames can be separated from each other, or they can be an integral structure. Skeleton frames 28 are highly recommended, but one or more of these skeletal frames may not be installed. Rigid side panels can be used to construct the disposal bag of the present invention, and hinges can be used to make the disposal bag collapsible.

If a skeleton frame is used, it is preferably constructed of a flexible, foldable material. When unfolded, it forms a semi-rigid three-dimensional structure. Examples of foldable structures exist, such as in U.S. Patent No. 5,038,812, issued to Norman on August 13, 1991, which is hereby incorporated by reference. In general, flexible collapsible carcass frames such as those described in the Norman patent are constructed of materials that are relatively strong but flexible enough to allow them to be folded. A typical frame material is flat spring steel with a rectangular cross-section 1.6 mm wide and 76 mm long. The skeleton or skeleton frame can be riveted, glued, or otherwise attached to the interior or exterior of the disposal bag. Likewise, the bag material may be loosely hung on or spread out from the frame or frame.

Turning now to FIG. 3, it is a cutaway view of the lower portion 29 of the disposal bag 10. As shown in FIG. It shows a substrate 40 overlying an optional auxiliary heat source 50 . The substrate 40 is a preferred method of delivering cleaning refreshment agents to the interior chamber 23 of the treatment bag 10. As shown in FIG. Here the cleaning and refreshing agent is drawn into the substrate in a releasable manner. Other methods of adding cleaning and refreshing agents to the treatment bag 10 include: direct addition and feeding devices known to those skilled in the art, and other methods used by those skilled in the art. The optional auxiliary heat source 50 may be a heat pool of particulate exothermic agent as described below. In addition, the auxiliary heat source 50 can also be a heat sink, such as a dark material that can increase the surface temperature after absorbing sunlight radiation, and it can increase the temperature of the substrate 40 containing the cleaning and updating agent through heat transfer. Auxiliary heat source 50 may be of any suitable size. However, if the purpose of the auxiliary heat source 50 is to absorb solar radiation, then the auxiliary heat source 50 needs to have a larger surface area than the substrate 40 . In this way, when the substrate 40 is directly placed on the auxiliary heat source 50 , at least a part of the auxiliary heat source 50 will exceed the edge of the substrate 40 .

Referring now to FIG. 4, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the disposal bag 10 further includes a pocket 54 for receiving cleaning refresher. The cleaning refresher can be poured directly into the pocket 54, or preferably the cleaning refresher is drawn into the substrate 40 disposed in the pocket 54 in a releasable manner. The pocket 54 can be inside the inner chamber 23 of the disposal bag 10, or it can be attached to the outside of the disposal bag 10, but the pocket 54 is preferably on the side panel 21 to increase the exposure of the solar radiation 60 to the cleaning refresher. The pocket 54 needs to be in fluid communication with the inner chamber 23 of the disposal bag 10 so that the evaporated cleaning refresher mixes with the textile items suspended in the disposal bag. In FIG. 4 , the pocket 54 is shown with an optional auxiliary heat source 52 . The auxiliary heat source 52 can be a kind of dark material, when it absorbs the sunlight radiation, the temperature of the auxiliary heat source 52 can be increased, and the substrate 40 containing the cleaning and refreshing agent can be heated by heat transfer. Auxiliary heat source 52 may also be a heat bath containing a particulate exothermic agent as described below.

A preferred embodiment of the disposal bag of the present invention utilizes at least one vent, which need not be a separate component, as described below. The upper exhaust port 32 is shown in FIGS. 1 , 2 and 5 , while the lower exhaust port 38 is shown in FIGS. 1-4 . Exhaust ports 32 and 38 are shown proximate to upper panel 30 and bottom panel 36, respectively, but this is not meant to limit the invention thereto. The vent can be located anywhere on the side panel and the vent need not be a separate component. In particular, the disposal bag 10 can be vented through natural leaks around the inlet and seals, such as the seal 17 around the inlet 15 . It is also possible to use a fully enclosed inner chamber to specifically enhance the temperature or steam concentration of the inner chamber.

The textile items may be suspended within the interior chamber 23 of the disposal bag 10 using any suitable method. One of these methods is shown in Figures 1, 2 and 5, where a rail 10 is provided for hanging a clothes hanger 26. In one embodiment of the present invention, the substrate 40 may be hung inside the disposal bag 10, for example, by hanging the substrate 40 from the hanger 26. As mentioned above, the processing bag 10 can stand freely under the support of a rigid skeleton frame, or it can be hung on a support by the hanger 22 (not shown in the figure). Although the skeleton frame is generally preferred to control and maintain the shape and volume of the inner chamber 23, if the hanger 22 is used to hang the processing bag 10 for use, any skeleton may not be used.

Turning now to FIG. 2, which is a schematic illustration of a fabric disposal bag 10, a portion of the bag has been cut away in order to more fully show the substrate 40. As shown in FIG. It can be seen that the side panels 21 are in contact with the solar radiation 60 . The temperature in the inner chamber 23 is raised by the well-known greenhouse effect and radiant heat due to solar radiation 60 impinging on the processing bag 10 . The increase in temperature causes the cleaning refresher releasably absorbed on the substrate 40 to evaporate as vapor 46 . The increase in temperature in the inner chamber 23 also leads to another phenomenon known as the "chimney effect". This chimney effect causes outside air 44 to be sucked in through the lower exhaust port 38 where it mixes with the vapors of cleaning and refreshing agent evaporated from the substrate 40 and travels up through the inner chamber 23 together, in the process , the mixture of air and steam mixes with any fabric that is hung there like the clothes 33 shown in FIG. 5 . The air/steam mixture 48 is then exhausted through the upper exhaust port 32 to the atmosphere. The air/steam mixture 48 typically contains odorous compounds from the fabric, such as cigarette smoke and other volatile compounds that may be attached to the fabric. The disposal bag 100 shown in FIG. 5 operates substantially as described above except that there is no vent on the bottom panel 36 .

Another substrate 40 is shown in FIG. As described herein, one or more substrates may be used in a fabric treatment cleaning process which contain the cleaning refresher of the present invention in releasable form. Additionally, the substrate may be placed in virtually any location within the processing bag, or as described above adjacent to the exterior of the processing bag. Also shown in FIG. 2 is an alternative channel 19 for accessing the inner chamber of the disposal bag 10 .

Turbulent air flow through a fabric like the garment 33 shown in Figure 5 improves the contact between the fabric and the air, thereby enhancing the odor removal effect from the textile item. The violent air flow can be achieved by any method known to those skilled in the art. Methods of creating turbulent flow in the treatment bag chamber include: special bag design; bag internal baffles; batteries, solar cells, or other available or a fan powered by the rising thermals generated by the chimney effect discussed above.

heat source

Disposal bags of the present invention generally require an auxiliary heat source, a more suitable heat source being passive. Here 'passive' means not passing. A heat source that provides heat mechanically, electrically, or by combustion. Those non-passive auxiliary heat sources that can be considered for use in the present invention include, for example, a conventional hair dryer partly inserted into the treatment bag, the operation of which creates a hot air flow within the treatment bag. Solar radiation and heat-generating chemicals are particularly preferred as passive heat sources. Suggested exothermic chemicals may come from eg granular exothermic agents consisting of iron powder, carbon, metal salts and water.

Thermal cells composed of particulate exothermic agents are described in U.S. Patent Application No. 08/604,694, filed February 21, 1996 in the name of Timothy Alan Burkett and titled HEAT CELL. The entire contents of Application No. 08/604,694 are incorporated herein by reference. As noted above, FIG. 3 is a partial schematic view of the lower portion 29 of a fabric processing bag 10 where an auxiliary heat source 50 is positioned beneath the substrate 40. As shown in FIG. Auxiliary heat source 50 may be, for example, one or more heat sinks of the type disclosed in US Patent Application Serial No. 08/604,694. A preferred particulate exothermic agent is composed of iron powder, carbon, at least one metal salt and water. Details of each of these ingredients are described below.

iron powder

The anode used for the electrochemical reaction in the exothermic oxidation of iron is iron. Suitable iron sources include cast iron fines, reduced iron fines, electrolytic fine iron, scrap iron fines, pig iron, wrought iron, various steels, ferroalloys, and the like and various processed varieties of such iron fines. There are no particular limitations on their purity, kind, etc. as long as they can generate heat with electrically conductive water and air.

The granular exothermic composition in the present invention generally contains 30% to 80% by weight of iron powder, preferably 50% to 70% by weight.

Although oxygen is required for iron oxidation to occur, a built-in source of oxygen is not required in the thermal cell of the present invention because oxygen-generating chemicals are incorporated in the preparation of the particulate exothermic composition. This does not change the scope of the invention. Oxygen sources used in the present invention for this purpose include air and artificially produced oxygen of varying purities. Of these oxygen sources, air is preferred because it is the most convenient and inexpensive.

Activated and Non-Activated Carbon

The cathode of the electrochemical reaction in the exothermic oxidation of iron is acted by activated carbon. Due to the highly porous internal structure of activated charcoal, it has a particularly good water retention capacity. Activated carbon not only absorbs water well but also absorbs water vapor vaporized by the heat emitted by exothermic components without letting it escape. So it can act as a water-retaining material. What's more, activated carbon can also absorb the odor produced by the oxidation of iron powder.

Activated carbons made from coconut shells, wood, charcoal, coal, bone char, etc. are useful, as are other sources such as animal products, natural gas, oils and resins, which are also suitable for use in the thermal pools of the present invention. The type of activated carbon that can be used is not limited, but the preferred activated carbon should have a good water retention capacity. The function of the cathode can also be extended by choosing non-activated carbon powder, that is, the cost can be reduced by mixing carbon. Therefore, the various charcoals mentioned above can also be mixed and used in the present invention.

Typically, activated carbon, non-activated carbon, and mixtures thereof comprise from about 3% to about 25% by weight of the exothermic ingredients of the present invention, preferably from about 8% to about 20%, most preferably from about 9% to about 15% by weight. %weight ratio.

metal salt

The metal salt acts as an accelerator for activating the surface reaction of the iron powder. It facilitates the oxidation reaction of iron powder with air and provides conductivity to the exothermic components to resist corrosion reactions. Available metal salts include various sulfates such as ferric sulfate, potassium sulfate, sodium sulfate, manganese sulfate, magnesium sulfate, etc., various chlorides such as copper chloride, potassium chloride, sodium chloride, calcium chloride, manganese chloride , magnesium chloride and cuprous chloride. Likewise, carbonates, acetates, nitrates, nitrites and other salts can be used.

Among these metal salts, some easily deliquescent salts such as calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, etc. are very hygroscopic, so even a small amount of these compounds can effectively inhibit the escape of water vapor. Sodium chloride has a low temperature dependence of solubility, so it will not crystallize and precipitate at low temperatures, while providing appropriate heat. In this way, no deviation of the heating effect due to the temperature change of the air in the atmosphere will occur. In general, several suitable salts of alkali metals, alkaline earth metals and transition metals can also be used alone or in combination to resist the corrosion reaction of iron.

The three metal salts preferred in the present invention are sodium chloride, copper chloride and mixtures thereof.

Typically, the particulate exothermic agents of the present invention contain from about 0.5% to about 10% by weight metal salt, preferably from about 1.0% to 5% by weight metal salt.

water

Water used herein may be obtained from any suitable source. There are no particular restrictions on the purity, kind, etc. of the water. Typically the particulate exothermic agents of the present invention contain from about 1% to about 40% by weight water, preferably from about 10% to about 30% by weight water.

other components

In addition to the above-mentioned components, the granular exothermic agent of the present invention may also be added with other appropriate components.

Other water-retaining materials like carbon can also absorb the aqueous solution of the reaction accelerator and can accomplish the gradual supply of the accelerator and water to the coexisting iron powder. Other water-retaining ingredients that may be used include: vermiculite, porous silicates, wood flour, wood dust, cotton cloth with a lot of fluff, short fibers of cotton, paper scraps, vegetable matter, superabsorbent swellable or water soluble Resins or polymers, carboxymethylcellulose salts, and other porous materials with large capillary function and hydrophilicity.

Typically, the particulate exothermic agents of the present invention comprise from about 0.1% to 30% by weight of other water retaining materials, preferably from about 0.5% to 20% by weight, most preferably from about 1% to 10% .

Other components also include oxidation reaction enhancers, such as elemental chromium, manganese, or copper compounds containing the above elements or their mixtures; hydrogen inhibitors, such as inorganic or organic base compounds or weak acid salts of bases include: sodium hydroxide , Potassium Hydroxide, Sodium Bicarbonate, Sodium Carbonate, Calcium Hydroxide, Calcium Carbonate, and Sodium Propionate; fillers such as natural fiber chips including wood chips, cotton wool, and cellulose, synthetic fiber chips including: polyester fibers; foam Synthetic resins such as foamed polystyrene and foamed polyurethane; inorganic compounds including: silica powder, porous silica gel, sodium sulfate, barium sulfate, iron oxide and aluminum oxide; anti-caking agents such as tricalcium phosphate and sodium aluminosilicate. Such components also include thickeners such as corn starch, potato starch, carboxymethylcellulose, and alpha-starch; surfactants such as those included in anionic, cationic, nonionic, and zwitterionic types . The preferred surfactants, if used, are nonionic. The particulate exothermic agents of the present invention may optionally contain other components including extenders such as silicates, zirconium and ceramics.

Granularity range

At least 50% by weight of the particles in the granular exothermic agent of the present invention, more preferably 70%, more preferably 80%, and most preferably 90% have an average particle size of less than 200 μm, preferably less than 150 μm.

Mixing method

Each component in the above-mentioned exothermic agent can be carried out under the condition of isolating air by classical mixing technology. Suitable methods for mixing these components are described in detail in U.S. Patent No. 4,649,895, issued March 17, 1987 to Yasuki et al., which patent is hereby incorporated by reference. The particulate exothermic agent may be placed in any suitable container, such as that described in U.S. Patent No. 4,649,895, incorporated herein. The assembled thermal cell is enclosed in an airtight secondary packaging to prevent oxidation reactions from occurring when they should not. This is also described in U.S. Patent No. 4,649,895. Another method is to seal an airtight and removable adhesive tape over the vent hole of the hot pool, so that once the adhesive tape is removed, air can enter the hot pool and activate the oxidation reaction of the iron powder.

cleaning update potion

The cleansing refreshment agent preferably contains water and another ingredient which can be selected from the following group of substances. They include: surfactants, perfumes, preservatives, bleaches, cleaning aids, anti-shrinkage agents, organic solvents, and mixtures thereof. Preferred organic solvents are glycol ethers, especially methoxypropoxypropanol, ethoxypropoxypropanol, propoxypropoxypropanol, butoxypropoxypropanol, butoxy propanol, ethanol, isopropanol and mixtures thereof. The fabric antishrink agent used in the present invention is selected from the following group of materials, which are ethylene glycol, all isomers of propylene glycol, butylene glycol, pentylene glycol, hexylene glycol, and mixtures thereof. The fabric anti-shrinkage agent can more preferably be selected from the following materials, which are neopentyl glycol, polyethylene glycol, 1,2-propylene glycol, 1,3-butanediol, 1-octanol and their mixtures. Preferred surfactants are nonionic such as an ethoxylated alcohol or ethoxylated alkylphenol. Their weight fraction in the rinse freshener can be as high as 2%. Typical cleanser refreshers contain at least about 80%, more preferably at least about 90%, and most preferably at least about 95% water by weight.

The following examples give specific ranges for the components of the rinse and fresheners used herein. A more detailed content of each component in the cleaning and updating agent, including organic solvents, surfactants, fragrances, preservatives, bleaching agents and auxiliary cleaning agents, etc. Information can be found in U.S. Patent No. 5,789,368 issued to You et al. on August 4, 1998, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In addition, cleaning fresheners are described in U.S. Patent Application No. 08/789,171, filed January 24, 1997 in the name of Trinh et al. The entire contents of the Trinh et al. application are also incorporated herein by reference. The anti-shrinkage agent used in the present invention can be found in U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/___, its title is "cleaning agent that can reduce fabric shrinkage", it was Strang and Siklosi on August 24, 1998 date of submission of the application. The entire contents of the Strang and Siklosi application are also incorporated herein by reference.

Substrate

In one embodiment of the present invention, the cleaning and refreshing agent can be adsorbed on the adsorbent substrate (hereinafter referred to as the substrate) in a releasable manner. This substrate contains the cleaning refresher in releasable form. "Releasably contained" means that the agent can be effectively released from the substrate onto the soiled fabric as part of the fabric cleaning refreshment process. This release is mainly achieved by the vaporization of the medicament caused by the heat released by the auxiliary heat source.

The carrier or substrate can have various shapes such as granules, flakes, chips and the like. However, it is preferred that the substrate is in the form of a complete pad or sheet so that it maintains its structural integrity throughout the process. The substrates and sheets of the present invention are sometimes referred to in the literature as "carriers" or "absorbent carrier sheets"; it is understood that all these designations refer to liquid-absorbent materials which may conveniently be used to transport liquids. Such substrates are described in detail in U.S. Patent No. 5,789,368 to You et al., which is incorporated herein by reference. The manufacture of these substrates is not described in the present invention, since they have already been published in the literature. See U.S. Patent No. 5,009,747, April 23, 1991, and U.S. Patent No. 5,292,581, March 8, 1994, to Viazmensky et al., which are incorporated herein by reference.

The substrate should contain a sufficient amount of cleaning refresher to be effective for its intended purpose. Change the capacity of the substrate and the medicament according to different application purposes. The size of the substrate should not be so large that it is inconvenient for the user to handle. Typical substrates have a combined macroscopic surface area of at least about 360 square centimeters, preferably from about 360 square centimeters to about 3000 square centimeters. For example, a rectangular substrate may have an X-direction length of about 10 cm to about 35 cm and a Y-direction length of about 18 cm to about 45 cm.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the substrate is either a dark material, or

A dark material, such as a black fabric. It is well known that dark materials absorb heat more easily than white materials. Therefore, if sunlight is used as an auxiliary heat source, the dark material will absorb more heat and vaporize the cleaning and updating agent more. As already discussed, the substrate can also optionally be covered with a cover sheet, which will be described below.

cover sheet

The cover sheet used here is different from the substrate in that the cover sheet, unlike the substrate, is relatively not an absorbent for the cleaning and refreshing agent. The cover sheet is made of hydrophobic fibers, which do not absorb fluids and do not facilitate fluid transport. But when more pressure is applied to the object, the liquid can be allowed to pass through the empty space in the middle of the single fiber of the cover. Thus under conditions of typical use, the drapes will provide a physical barrier to prevent direct contact of the substrate dampened with the cleaning freshener from the fabric being refreshed. However, the cover sheet can still transfer the steam of the cleaning freshener through it to the fabric treatment bag so that the fabric can be washed and refreshed. If desired, the cover sheet can be provided with macroscopic channels through which lint, fibers or soil particles can pass, thus further assisting in capturing such debris within the article.

Such fibrous coverings are preferably heat resistant and water repellent. It is described in detail in U.S. Patent No. 5,789,368 to You et al., cited above. Additionally, Wise et al. describe improvements to the cover sheet of the present invention in co-pending U.S. Provisional application 60/077,556, filed March 11, 1998. The entire contents of Wise et al. are also incorporated herein by reference. According to the hope of the producer, the technology related to the cover sheet of You, etc. can be properly combined with the improvement of Wise, etc. without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

spot cleanser

A variety of topical cleansers are available to the user of the present method for use in the optional topical pretreatment step of the present invention. These agents are used to remove spot stains from treated fabrics before or after washing. Of course, the spot cleaner must be harmless to the fabric being cleaned, that is to say it does not substantially discolor the fabric or leave visible stains on the fabric when spot cleaning. It is therefore an advantage of the present invention that it provides a spot cleaner which does not contain materials which leave visible residues on the fabrics being cleaned. This means that a good pharmaceutical contains the highest possible percentage of volatile matter - water - in its formulation. Typically it contains 95%, preferably 97.7% water and about 0.1% to 0.7% surfactant. A preferred spot cleaner will also contain a small but effective cleaning solvent such as butoxypropoxypropanol (BPP). Its typical level is from about 1% to about 4%, preferably about 2%.

Preferred topical cleansers are exemplified below and described in detail in U.S. Patent No. 5,789,368 to You et al., incorporated herein by reference. In addition, it is also described in U.S. Patent No. 5,630,847 issued to Roetker on May 20, 1997. The Roetker patent is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

coprocessor

In one embodiment, a co-processor is provided to aid in the removal of spot stains from fabrics. An advantage of the present invention is that the topical cleanser is provided in a dispenser, such as a bottle. The dispenser has a long tip that acts as a co-processor. Alternatively, the co-processor may comprise an absorbent substrate, which may be, for example, a natural or synthetic sponge, a cellulosic absorbent sheet or pad, or the like. A plurality of bumps contact the substrate and extend outwardly. Several special cases for coprocessors are given in U.S. Patent No. 5,789,368 to You et al., incorporated herein by reference.

Absorbent Stain Receiver

An absorbent stain catcher, sometimes referred to simply as a stain catcher, may optionally be employed in optional pre-spot cleaning operations. Such stain receivers may be made of any absorbent material provided they are capable of absorbing the liquid medicament used in the spot cleaning operation. Disposable paper towels, cloth towels such as BOUNTY™, cleaning rags, etc. can be used. However in a preferred situation the stain receiver is specifically designed to drain the liquid agent away from the stained area. A good variety of stain catchers consists of a nonwoven pad, such as a thermally bonded airlaid fabric ("TBAL"). Another popular stain catcher consists of a polymeric foam containing a polymerized water-in-oil emulsion, sometimes referred to as "poly-HIPE". The preparation of polymeric foams is widely reported in the literature. See U.S. Patent No. 5,260,345 of DesMarais, Stone, Thompson, Young, LaVon and Dyer published on November 9, 1993; U.S. Patent No. 5,550,167 of DesMarais published on August 27, 1996; U.S. Patent No. 5,650,222 to DesMarais et al., published July 22. All of these are incorporated herein by reference. Typical preparation conditions for the polymeric foams of the present invention are described in co-applied U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 09/042,418, filed March 13, 1998 by T.A. DesMarais et al. Its title is "Absorbent material for distributing aqueous solutions". Its disclosure is incorporated herein by reference. Additional disclosures of conditions for the preparation of polymeric foams useful in the present invention are described in co-applied U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/077,955, filed March 13, 1998 by T.A. DesMarais et al. It's titled "Abrasion-resistant polymer foams and stain receivers made from them." Its disclosure is incorporated herein by reference.

Either the stain receivers described herein or the stain receivers described in the documents attached hereto preferably comprise a liquid impermeable backsheet or backsheet. This substrate can be a thin layer of polypropylene, polyethylene and the like. This substrate provides protection from spot cleaning agents to the surface on which the stain receiver is placed. For example, spot cleaning operations are generally performed on a hard surface, such as a table top, with the stain catcher placed on the table and the fabric being cleaned placed on the stain catcher. After the spot cleaner is placed on the stained area of the fabric, it is introduced into the stain receiver. Without a substrate, spot cleaners can leak onto the tabletop and possibly cause damage.

The substrate covers only one side of the absorbent stain receiver leaving the other side exposed to and accepting the spot cleaner, the substrate may extend across all sides of the receiver in order to avoid spot cleaner from the sides of the stain receiver leak out. However, if the substrate is extended beyond the edge of the stain receiver to its other side, the area available for contact with the topical cleaner is reduced. According to this principle, the above-mentioned problem can be solved by making a part of the substrate extend like a wing out of one or more corners of the stain receiver. These wings can provide further protection to ensure that the spot cleaner is retained in the stain receiver and does not leak from its sides. This also simultaneously maximizes the absorbent surface area of the stain receiver.

How to clean and update

Cleaning and renewing agents must be able to enter the disposal bag in vapor or liquid form, that is, liquid agents are always near the outside of the disposal bag as long as vapor can freely enter the disposal bag. Therefore, the cleaning and refreshing agent can be directly added to the treatment bag, for example, directly poured, sprayed, or put into a base sheet containing the cleaning and refreshing agent that can be released; or put into a breathable feeding device containing the agent. It is also possible to place the cleaning and renewing agent near the outside of the processing bag by any of the above methods, so that the vapor of the agent can enter the inner chamber of the processing bag. The fabric to be cleaned and renewed can be placed in the disposal bag at any convenient time, that is, before, during or after adding the cleaning and refreshing agent.

In order to increase the temperature of the treatment bag in which the cleaning and refreshing agent is at least partially vaporized, the treatment bag can be brought into contact with an auxiliary heat source. This can be accomplished by sub-methods such as placing the bag in a location where it will be exposed to sunlight, or by placing one or more thermal baths inside the bag or near the outside of the bag so that the pools can heat Cleaning and updating agent; also can partly put an ordinary hair dryer into the treatment bag to blow hot air to the bag; also can use other methods to make the inside of the bag warm.

The disposal bag can be suspended from a support frame, or it can stand free standing. When using free standing, it is best not to place it directly on the ground or other surface that can be used as a heat sink. For example, using a simple shelf and base to support the bag allows it to be raised from surfaces that would absorb heat from the lower portion of the bag.

The auxiliary heat source creates a warm, moist environment inside the treatment bag where odorous compounds are 'steam distilled' to evaporate while wetting the fabric and stain. This wetted fabric allows previous wrinkles to disappear and does not create new wrinkles during subsequent drying steps to the final drying cycle. In the process of operation, proper selection of the dosage of cleaning freshener, clear water consumption, and more importantly, proper ventilation in the bag will reduce the wrinkles of the fabric. Furthermore, if the disposal bag is not vented, odorous substances removed by evaporation from the fabric may be re-deposited on the fabric.

More specifically, the cleaning and updating method here can be implemented in the following manner. Modifications may be made to the method steps without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

(i) a pre-spot method may optionally be applied to the localized stained area of the fabric as described below;

(ii) Place the entire fabric together with the cleaning refresher in a fabric disposal bag, preferably using a substrate containing the cleaning refresher in a releasable manner.

(iii) subjecting the bag to an auxiliary heat source, preferably a passive heat source, more suitably a heat source selected from the group consisting of: solar radiation, a particulate exothermic agent, and mixtures of both.

(iv) Take out the fabric in the disposal bag.

The treatment bag may be subjected to the auxiliary heat source for any suitable time frame. The time can be as short as 10 minutes or as long as the whole day. For example, when solar radiation is used as a heat source, the process can continue as long as sunlight is present. A shorter period of time may be more suitable if an other heat source is used. The time period for operating this step can be longer or shorter according to the user's needs, depending on things like the degree and type of soiling of the fabric, the type of stain, the type of fabric, the amount of fabric, the heat supply, and some similar factor.

In more detail, a prewash step can be performed in the following manner. Modifications may be made to the method steps without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

1. Turn the stained area of the fabric upside down and contact it with a poly-HIPE or TBAL stain catcher as described here, or you can use plain folded paper towels (e.g., white or non-printed for a better fit, this avoids transferring the dye from the paper towel. eg ^BOUNTY_ brand). The whole thing can be done in a dish or something like that.

2. From a spot cleanser dispensing bottle with a pointed tip that guides the dose, place enough spot cleanser directly on the stain (without creating unnecessary saturation around the stained area of the fabric) to make the spot cleanser About 10 drops are needed to saturate the stained area, more may be needed for larger stains.

3. Optionally allow the agent to soak into the stain for 3 to 5 minutes.

4. Optionally add additional agent - about 10 drops; more drops may be required for larger stains.

5. Use a co-processor, like a medicine bottle tip, to get the stain out completely. For lighter stains, this can range from 1 to 60 seconds; for heavier and stubborn stains, it will take 1 to 5 minutes.

6. Optionally, excess agent is blotted from the fabric, for example, by placing the fabric between paper towels. Alternatively, use a damp sponge or other absorbent medium to scrub the fabric of the treated area to remove excess agent.

The following examples further illustrate the invention, but are not meant to limit it.

Example 1 Cleaning and updating agent

The used cleaning and updating agent of the fabric treatment bag of the present invention is composed as follows:

Composition Weight Ratio (%)

Emulsifier (TWEEN 20) ^* 0.5

Fragrance 0.5

^{KATHON_0.0003}

Sodium Benzoate 0.1

Water Balance ^* Polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monolaurate is available from ICI Surfactants.

In addition, the preferred ingredients in the fabric treatment bag in this operation are as follows:

Composition Weight (%) Range (weight %)

Water 99.0 95.1-99.9

Fragrance 0.5 0.05-1.5

Surfactant* 0.5 0.05-2.0

Ethanol or isopropanol 0 Optional to 4%

Solvent (such as BPP) 0 Optional up to 4%

Hydrogen peroxide 0 optional up to 4%

pH range from about 6 to about 8

Example 2

Process for the preparation of substrates containing a cleaning/refreshing agent

A sheet-like substrate made of ^HYDRASPUN® material from Dexter Corp. has dimensions of 10 1/4 inches by 14 1/4 inches (26 cm by 36 cm). Both sides of the substrate were masked with top and bottom masks of Reemay's 8 mil (0.2 mm) thick fiber mask single material. The cover sheet (whether the top cover or the bottom cover) is bonded to the substrate using a ^Vertrod® or other standard heat sealing equipment such as a conventional ultrasonic sealer such that the multilayer structure around the perimeter of the substrate is bonded together. Glue is inserted between the top cover and the bottom cover at each edge of the substrate periphery. As mentioned above, the bond width should be as small as possible, about 0.25 inches (6.4 mm).

The bonded composite substrate thus prepared was folded and placed in a pouch. Any plastic sachet will work as long as it doesn't leak. For example, a laminated foil pouch of the type commonly used in the food service industry can be used. Such pouches are well known in the industry and are made of materials that do not absorb food aromas. Here again the formulator wanted to use a sachet that would not absorb the scent of the cleansing/renewing agent. A variety of commercially available sachets are usually available.

Put the folded base sheet/cover sheet into a pouch. There are many ways to fold, such as accordion folds or double folds after being rolled. The folded size doesn't matter as long as it fits easily in the pouch.

Pour 23 grams of cleaning/refreshing agent onto the substrate/mask and allow the substrate to absorb the agent. Seal the sachet immediately after the liquid medicine is placed in the sachet. Store for later use.

Example 3

spot cleaner

A topical cleansing agent for use in the present invention, preferably equipped with a delivery device as described above and a stain receiver of TBAL or high impact polyethylene (poly-HIPE) foam, can be prepared as follows:

Composition Weight % (Non-ionic) Range (Wt%)

Hydrogen peroxide 1.000 0-2

Aminotrimethylenephosphonic acid ^* 0.040 0-0.06

Butoxypropoxypropanol (BPP) 2.000 1-6

Neodol23 6.5 0.250 0-1

Kathon Preservative 0.0003 Optional**

Water 96.710 balance

pH target is 7; range 6-8

^* Stabilizer for hydrogen peroxide

^** Sufficient amount to provide anti-corrosion function.

Another preferred high water content, low spot cleanser residue spot cleanser formulation for use in the spot cleansing step herein is as follows:

Ingredient Anionic agent%

Hydrogen peroxide 1.000

Amino tri(methylene phosphonic acid) ^* 0.0400

Butoxypropoxypropanol (BPP) 2.000

NH4 coconut E1S 0.285

Dodecyldimethylamine oxide 0.031

Magnesium chloride 0.018

Magnesium Sulfate 0.019

Co-solvents, fragrances and other excipients 0.101

Kathon preservative 0.0003

Water (deionized or distilled water) 96.5

pH target value 6.0

^* Stabilizer for hydrogen peroxide

To reduce dye damage as stated above, pre-spot cleansers containing _{H2O2 should} contain less anionic or nonionic surfactant by weight percent than the amount _{of H2O2} . Preferably the weight ratio of surfactant to _H2O2 is from about 1:10 to about 1:15, most preferably from about 1:4 to about 1:3 _.

Another formulation of the high water content, low residue spot cleanser used in the pre-spot cleansing step here is as follows:

Ingredient Anionic agent %

Butoxypropoxypropanol (BPP) 2.000

NH4 coconut E1S 0.285

Dodecyldimethylamine oxide 0.031

Magnesium chloride 0.018

Magnesium Sulfate 0.019

Co-solvents, fragrances and other excipients 0.101

Kathon preservative 0.0003

Water (deionized or distilled water) 97.5

pH target value 6.0

Claims (14)

1. equipment of handling textiles comprises:

A) fabric treating bag that disposes the limit panel defines the scope of handling the bag inner room by the limit panel, has at least a fabric can be suspended in the inner room;

B) new medicament of a kind of cleaning of liquid state/more; And

C) passive thermal source.

2. equipment as claimed in claim 1, passive thermal source wherein is selected from as next group: solar irradiation, a kind of particle exothermic mixture and the mixture of the two.

3. equipment as claimed in claim 1, cleaning wherein/renewal agent includes water and is selected from down the another kind of material composition of group: surfactant, spices, preservative agent, bleaching agent, auxiliary cleaning agent, anti-piping compound, organic solvent, and their mixture, preferred organic is a glycol ether, and preferred organic solvent is to be selected from down the group material: methoxy propoxy propanol, ethyoxyl propoxyl group propyl alcohol, propoxyl group propoxyl group propyl alcohol, butoxy propoxyl group propyl alcohol, butoxy propyl alcohol, ethanol, isopropyl alcohol and their mixture.

4. equipment as claimed in claim 1, cleaning wherein/renewal agent is to be inhaled in the substrate in the mode that can disengage.

5. equipment as claimed in claim 1 further also comprises a dosing metering device that contains cleaning/renewal agent.

6. equipment as claimed in claim 2, particle exothermic mixture wherein contain iron powder, carbon, at least a slaine and water.

7. equipment as claimed in claim 1, the part of limit panel wherein are to be selected from down the group material: opaque material, can shielding of ultraviolet radiation material and their mixture.

8. equipment as claimed in claim 1, fabric treating bag has wherein further also comprised one the flexible skeleton frame that can fold, when launching, the skeleton frame forms a semirigid three-dimensional structure, the preferred process bag has also further comprised a pocket that is used for receiving cleaning/renewal agent, this pocket will and fabric treating bag inner room between keep fluid communication, more preferably the fabric treating bag further comprises at least one exhaust outlet.

9. cleaning/method for updating of handling the non-steeped formula of textile fabric comprises following each step:

(a) textile fabric is upgraded the inner room that a fabric treating bag is put in agent together with cleaning;

(b) make the fabric treating bag be limited by a passive thermal source;

(c) textiles is taken out from the fabric treating bag.

10. non-steeped formula as claimed in claim 9 is cleaned update method, wherein cleaning/renewal agent is to be inhaled in the substrate in the mode that can disengage, cleaning/renewal agent includes water and another kind of composition, this composition is to be selected from down the group material: surfactant, spices, preservative agent, bleaching agent, auxiliary cleaning agent, anti-piping compound, organic solvent, and their mixture, preferred organic is a glycol ether, and preferred organic solvent is to be selected from down the group material: methoxy propoxy propanol, ethyoxyl propoxyl group propyl alcohol, propoxyl group propoxyl group propyl alcohol, butoxy propoxyl group propyl alcohol, the butoxy propyl alcohol, ethanol, isopropyl alcohol, and their mixture.

11. method as claimed in claim 9, steam wherein are to be discharged out the processing bag in the process that (b) step is carried out.

12. method as claimed in claim 10, wherein textile fabric and substrate are to be suspended in the fabric treating bag.

13. method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the fabric treating bag has further also contained a pocket that is used for receiving cleaning/renewal agent, is keeping fluid communication between it and the fabric treating bag inner room.

14. method as claimed in claim 9, wherein textile fabric has obverse and reverse, and further comprises following each step:

(a) give the poluted region that the medicine bottle local cleaning agent is put on the front of textiles from one;

(b) when step (a) is carried out or and then it, use one to help near the positive contaminated zone of processor contact fabric; And

(c) use one to absorb near the spot recipient contact fabric reverse side poluted region.

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