Carpet stain removal product which uses sonic or ultrasonic waves

• US 6,589,294 B2
• Filed: 05/20/2002
• Issued: 07/08/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Original Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Inventors: Hortel, Thomas Charles, Senapati, Nagabhusan
• Primary Examiner(s): Kopec, Mark
• Assistant Examiner(s): ELHILO, EISA B
• Application Number:
  US10/151,337
• Publication Number:
  US 20020189025A1
• Time in Patent Office: 414 Days
• Field of Search: 813/75, 510/278, 510/280, 510/432, 510/283, 510/406, 510/439, 134/32
• US Class Current: 8/137.5
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 13/26 Other cleaning devices with liquid supply arrangements such arrangements on floor-polishing machines A47L11/00, on scrapers A47L13/03, on mops A47L13/22; cloths, pads, or the like containing cleaning agents A47L13/17, A47L13/19
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 25/08 Pads or the like for cleaning clothes using adhesive surfaces A47L25/005
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 3/12 by sonic or ultrasonic vibrations washing or rinsing machines for crockery or tableware using sonic or ultrasonic waves A47L15/13; of natural teeth, of prostheses using ultrasonic techniques similar to those used for natural teeth A61C17/20; application of ultrasonic vibrations to chemical, physical or physico-chemical processes in general B01J19/10
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 2111/46 applying energy, e.g. irradiation
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 3/0031 Carpet, upholstery, fur or leather cleansers
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 3/43 Solvents

Abstract

A stain removal product and process is disclosed. The product includes a liquid cleaning composition which contains water, an organic solvent and a surfactant, an absorbent stain receiver, and a sonic or ultrasonic wave generating source for imparting sonic or ultrasonic waves onto stains on textiles. The sonic or ultrasonic wave source is, for example, a hand-held, pen-shaped device with a directed point to focus the sonic or ultrasonic waves at the stain to be removed.

Claims

1. A carpet stain removal kit comprising:

a) a cleaning composition; and

b) a hand-held, battery-operated device comprising a sonic or ultrasonic wave generating source.

2. The stain removal kit according to claim 1 wherein the cleaning composition is in liquid form.

3. The stain removal kit according to claim 1 wherein the cleaning composition comprises an ingredient selected from the group consisting of water, surfactants, organic solvents and mixtures thereof.

4. The stain removal kit according to claim 3 wherein the cleaning composition comprises an organic solvent comprising butoxy propoxy propanol.

5. The stain removal kit according to claim 3 wherein the cleaning composition comprises a surfactant selected from the group consisting of anionic surfactants, nonionic surfactants, cationic surfactants and mixtures thereof.

6. The stain removal kit according to claim 1 wherein the kit further comprises an absorbent stain receiver article.

7. The stain removal kit according to claim 6 wherein the absorbent stain receiver article comprises a material selected from the group consisting of:

comminuted wood pulp, creped cellulose wadding, hydrogel-forming polymer gelling agents, creped tissues, creped nonwovens containing fibers comprised of absorbent polymers, modified cross-linked cellulose fibers, capillary channel fibers, absorbent foams, thermally bonded airlaid materials, absorbent sponges, synthetic staple fibers, polymeric fibers, peat moss and mixtures thereof.

8. The stain removal kit according to claim 1 wherein the device is in the form of a pen-shaped device with a vibrating smooth sonic horn or tip at one distal end of said device.

9. The stain removal kit according to claim 1 wherein the cleaning composition is associated with the device such that the device can dispense the cleaning composition.

10. The stain removal kit according to claim 9 wherein the device can dispense the cleaning composition while concurrently imparting sonic or ultrasonic waves.

11. The stain removal kit according to claim 1 wherein the kit further comprises instructions for using the kit to remove and/or reduce a stain from a carpet, the instructions comprising the steps of:

a) applying an effective amount of the cleaning composition to the stain;

b) imparting sonic or ultrasonic waves to the stain using the device; and

c) optionally, contacting an absorbent stain receiver article with the stain while applying pressure so as to absorb the stain into the absorbent stain receiver article.

12. The stain removal kit according to claim 11 wherein steps a) and b) occur concurrently.

13. The stain removal kit according to claim 11 wherein the cleaning composition is associated with the device such that the device dispenses the cleaning composition in step a).

14. The stain removal kit according to claim 1 wherein the cleaning composition comprises:

a) from about 0.1% to about 10% by weight of an organic solvent;

b) from about 0% to about 7% by weight of hydrogen peroxide;

c) from about 0% to about 3% by weight of a peroxide-stabilizing amount of a chelating agent;

d) from about 0.05% to about 2% by weight of a surfactant; and

e) the balance water and optionally, other ingredients.

15. The stain removal kit according to claim 1 wherein the cleaning composition is releasably absorbed in an absorbent stain receiver article.

16. A process for removing a stain from a carpet comprising the steps of:

a) applying an effective amount of a cleaning composition to the stain; and

b) imparting sonic or ultrasonic waves to the stain using a hand-held, battery-operated device comprising a sonic or ultrasonic wave generating source such that the stain is removed and/or reduced; and

c) optionally, absorbing the removed and/or reduced stain with an absorbent stain receiver article by applying pressure to the stain with the absorbent stain receiver article.

17. The process according to claim 16 wherein the cleaning composition is in liquid form.

18. The process according to claim 16 wherein the cleaning composition comprises an ingredient selected from the group consisting of water, surfactants, organic solvents and mixtures thereof.

19. The process according to claim 16 wherein steps a) and b) occur concurrently.

20. The process according to claim 16 wherein the cleaning composition is associated with the device such that the device dispenses the cleaning composition in step a).