Multilayer scrub pad

• US 20030028985A1
• Filed: 06/04/2002
• Published: 02/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Original Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Inventors: Ostendorf, Ward William, Zink, Ronald Joseph, Prodoehl, Michael Scott, Dugas, Michael Bernard, Douglas, Brian David, Blanton, Lisa Craft, Brown, Jennifer Lynne
• Granted Patent: US 6,993,805 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 15/118
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 17/08 Pads; Balls of steel wool, wire, or plastic meshes

Abstract

This invention relates to a scrub pad comprising a scrubbing layer having a periphery along the edges of the layer; a wiping layer having a periphery along the edges of the layer; and an absorbent core layer having a periphery along the edges of the layer comprising at least one absorbent material selected from the group consisting of short-fiber, air-laid nonwoven material, nonwoven plastic batting, cellulosic fibrous web materials, wax coated paper, corrugated paper, fluff pulp, cotton balls, cotton batting, or mixture thereof; wherein the absorbent core layer is located intermediate to the scrubbing layer and the wiping layer and wherein the scrubbing layer, the absorbent core layer and the wiping layer are joined at the periphery of each layer.

Claims

1. A scrub pad comprising:

a) a scrubbing layer having a periphery along the edges of the layer;

b) a wiping layer having a periphery along the edges of the layer; and

c) an absorbent core layer having a periphery along the edges of the layer comprising at least one absorbent material selected from the group consisting of short-fiber, air-laid nonwoven material, nonwoven plastic batting, cellulosic fibrous web materials, wax coated paper, corrugated paper, fluff pulp, cotton balls, cotton batting, or mixture thereof,

wherein the absorbent core layer is located intermediate to the scrubbing layer and the wiping layer and wherein the scrubbing layer, the absorbent core layer and the wiping layer are joined at the periphery of each layer to form a bonded edge.

2. A scrub pad according to claim 1 wherein the absorbent core layer has a basis weight of from about 100 gsm to about 2000 gsm and a dry caliper thickness of from about 100 mils to about 1000 mils.

3. A scrub pad according to claim 2 wherein the absorbent core layer comprises from 1 to 15 layers of absorbent material selected from the group consisting of short-fiber airlaid nonwoven material, nonwoven plastic batting, cellulosic fibrous materials, and mixtures thereof.

4. A scrub pad according to claim 3 wherein the absorbent core layer comprises from 1 to 4 layers of thermally bonded airlaid nonwoven material consisting of hardwood pulp fibers, softwood pulp fibers or mixtures thereof.

5. A scrub pad according to claim 6 wherein the thermal bonded air-laid nonwoven material also comprises a binder material.

6. A scrub pad according to claim 7 wherein the thermal bonded air-laid nonwoven material also comprises a superabsorbent material.

7. A scrub pad according to claim 1 wherein the wiping layer is selected from the group consisting of cellulosic fibrous webs material, laminated thermoplastic/cellulosic webs;

and hydroentangled, spunbond, carded, or apertured nonwoven materials.

8. A scrub pad according to claim 7 wherein the wiping layer comprises an apertured laminate web comprising

a) a first outer layer comprises a nonwoven web comprising a sufficient quantity of thermoplastic material;

b) a second outer layer comprises a nonwoven web comprising a sufficient quantity of thermoplastic material; and

c) a third central absorbent layer;

disposed in a layered face-to-face relationship with the central absorbent layer disposed between the outer layers.

9. A scrub pad according to claim 8 wherein the first outer layer of the apertured laminate web comprises an apertured thermoplastic film, the second outer layer comprises an apertured thermoplastic film and the third central absorbent layer comprises paper.

10. A scrub pad according to claim 1 wherein the scrubbing layer comprises at least one ply each comprising a material selected from the group consisting of polyethylene, polypropylene, nylon, cellulose, and mixtures thereof and is in the shape selected from the group consisting of meshes or scrims of filaments, woven substrates, ribbons, ribbons interwoven with filaments, slitted films, airblown substrates, and through-air dried substrates.

12. A scrub pad comprising:

a) a scrubbing layer having a periphery along the edges of the layer comprising at least one ply each comprising a material selected from the group consisting of polyethylene, polypropylene, nylon, cellulose, and mixtures thereof and is in the shape selected from the group consisting of meshes or scrims of filaments, woven substrates, ribbons, ribbons interwoven with filaments, slitted films, airblown substrates, and through-air dried substrates;

b) an absorbent core layer having a periphery along the edges of the layer comprising comprises from 1 to 4 layers of absorbent material selected from the group consisting of short-fiber airlaid nonwoven material, nonwoven plastic batting, cellulosic fibrous materials, and mixtures thereof, having a basis weight of from about 100 gsm to about 2000 gsm and a caliper thickness of from about 100 mils to about 1000 mils; and

c) a wiping layer having a periphery along the edges of the layer comprising selected from the group consisting of heavy-duty paper towel material, apertured laminated thermoplastic/cellulosic webs, hydrophilic nonwoven materials, and mixtures thereof.

11. A scrub pad according to claim 12 wherein the scrubbing layer comprises 1, 2, 3, or 4 plies of a mesh of filaments wherein:

a) the filaments comprise a material selected from the group consisting of polyethylene, polypropylene, nylon, or mixtures thereof, have a diameter of from about 0.10 mm to about 1.0 mm and have a total tensile strength of from about 2000 grams per inch to about 30,000 grams per inch;

b) the mesh ahs a basis weight of from about 7 gsm to about 120 gsm;

c) the filaments of the mesh form cells having a cell size from about 2 mm² to about 25 mm²; and

d) a node is formed at the intersection of the filaments by sealing the filaments together having a node size of from about 0.2 mm to about 1.0 mm.

13. A scrub pad according to claim 12 wherein:

a) the scrubbing layer comprises an outer mesh ply and an inner mesh ply, wherein the outer ply, disposed on the outside of the scrub pad and has a basis weight of from about 20 gsm to about 50 gsm; and

an inner ply having a basis weight of from about 50 gsm to about 100 gsm;

b) an absorbent core layer having a periphery along the edges of the layer comprising two webs of thermally bonded air-laid nonwoven material comprising 70% softwood pulp fibers and 30% bicomponent polyethylene/polypropylene binding fibers, each web having a basis weight of from about 250 gsm to about 350 gsm and a caliper thickness of from about 200 mils to about 250 mils; and

c) a wiping layer having a periphery along the edges of the layer comprising an apertured laminate web comprising;

a) a first outer layer comprising a carded nonwoven web of low density polypropylene having a basis weight of from about 10 gsm to about 75 gsm;

b) a second outer layer comprising a carded nonwoven web of low density polypropylene having a basis weight of from about 10 gsm to about 75 gsm; and

c) a third central absorbent layer comprising a absorbent cellulosic fibrous web have a basis weight of from about 15 gsm to about 50 gsm;

disposed in a layered face-to-face relationship with the central absorbent layer disposed between the outer layers

wherein the absorbent core layer is located intermediate to the scrubbing layer and the wiping layer and wherein the scrubbing layer, the absorbent core layer and the wiping layer are joined at the periphery of each layer.