Impregnated substrate incorporating an indicator dye

• US 4,678,704 A
• Filed: 07/24/1986
• Issued: 07/07/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/1985
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fibre Treatments Limited, PAL International Limited Sandhurst Street Oadby Leicester LE2 5LW
• Original Assignee: Fibre Treatments Limited
• Inventors: Fellows, Adrian N.
• Primary Examiner(s): McCamish, Marion C.
• Application Number:
  US06/889,793
• Time in Patent Office: 348 Days
• Field of Search: 428/289, 428/290
• US Class Current: 442/121
• CPC Class Codes: D06M 13/00 Treating fibres, threads, yarns, fabrics or fibrous goods made from such materials, with non-macromolecular organic compounds D06M10/00, D06M14/00 take precedence; treatment with complexes of organic amines with inorganic substances D06M11/59; Such treatment combined with mechanical treatment
• CPC Class Codes: D06M 16/00 Biochemical treatment of fibres, threads, yarns, fabrics, or fibrous goods made from such materials, e.g. enzymatic
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/2508 Coating or impregnation absorbs chemical material other than water
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/2525 Coating or impregnation functions biologically [e.g., insect repellent, antiseptic, insecticide, bactericide, etc.]

Abstract

An impregnated fabric material comprising a fabric substrate to which has been bonded an active cationic impregnant characterized in that there has also been applied to the substrate an anionic indicator dye in combination with a further cationic component, and in that the dye bonds to the further cationic component more readily than to the substrate and that the further cationic component competes with the impregnant for bonding to the dye. In the case of a wiping cloth, when the dye, which can act as an indicator, has been removed to indicate exhaustion of the active component, enough active component in fact remains on the cloth to provide a safety margin.

Claims

1. An impregnated fabric material comprising a fabric substrate to which has been bonded an active cationic impregnant characterised in that there has also been applied to the substrate an anionic indicator dye in combination with a further cationic component, and in that the dye bonds to the further cationic component more readily than to the substrate and that the further cationic component competes with the impregnant for bonding to the dye.

2. An impregnated fabric material according to claim 1, wherein the dye bonds to the further cationic component more readily than to the impregnant.

3. An impregnant fabric material according to claim 1 wherein the further cationic component is larger than the first, active, cationic component.

4. An impregnated fabric material according to claim 1 wherein the molecules of the further cationic component are larger than those of the dye.

5. An impregnated fabric material according to claim 1 in which the further cationic component is a cationic starch.

6. An impregnated fabric material according to claim 1 in which the impregnant is an antimicrobial composition.

7. An impregnated fabric material according to claim 6 in which the antimicrobial composition exhibits cationic character when in solution.

8. An impregnated fabric material according to claim 1 in which the impregnant has been uniformly applied to the substrate.

9. An impregnated fabric material according to claim 1 in which the indicator dye composition has been applied to the substrate in stripes.

10. An impregnated fabric material according to claim 1 wherein the substrate is a woven or nonwoven fabric, paper, tissue, sponge or laminate of foam and fabric.

11. An impregnated fabric material according to claim 1 wherein the cationic impregnant is a quaternary ammonium compound, bisguanide or polymeric bisguanide.