Method for cleaning a soiled article
First Claim
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1. A method for measuring a degree of soiling of a soiled article, the method comprising:
- a) a wetting step wherein the soiled article is brought into contact with a liquid medium to initiate removal of soil from the soiled article;
b) a soil sensing step wherein the soil-containing liquid medium is contacted with a plurality of soil-sensing means each responsive to a distinct physico-chemical soil characteristic and providing one or more soil parameter measurements corresponding thereto;
wherein the soil sensing step is iterated at a plurality of time intervals after the initiation of soil removal and prior to the soil-containing liquid medium reaching steady state or otherwise predefined conditions, and wherein the model algorithm is defined on the basis of an algorithm dataset developed under said predefined conditions and functions to generate predicted soil data and the confidence level thereof extrapolated to said predefined conditions;
c) a data processing step wherein the soil parameter measurements for each sensing means are entered as input data into a model algorithm defined on the basis of an algorithm dataset comprising experimental or consumer-generated soil parameter and soil concentration information and which functions to generate predicted soil data of enhanced confidence level; and
d) a communication step wherein one or more signals dependent upon the predicted soil data is issued to an output device, data store, user interface, data processor or an appliance director or module.
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Abstract
A method for measuring soil in a wash liquor or other soil-containing liquid medium, the method comprising:
- a) a soil sensing step wherein the soil-containing liquid medium is contacted with a plurality of fuzzy-correlated soil-sensing means, each responsive to a distinct physico-chemical soil characteristic and providing one or more soil parameter measurements corresponding thereto;
- b) a data processing step wherein the soil parameter measurements for each sensing means are entered as input data into a model algorithm defined on the basis of an algorithm dataset comprising experimental or consumer-generated soil parameter and soil concentration information and which functions to generate predicted soil data of enhanced confidence level; and
- c) a communication step wherein one or more signals dependent upon the predicted soil data is issued to an output device, data store, user interface, data processor, or an appliance director or module.
The invention also relates to methods for measuring the degree of soiling of a soiled article, and methods for cleaning a soiled article in a wash liquor or other liquid medium.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. A method for measuring a degree of soiling of a soiled article, the method comprising:
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a) a wetting step wherein the soiled article is brought into contact with a liquid medium to initiate removal of soil from the soiled article; b) a soil sensing step wherein the soil-containing liquid medium is contacted with a plurality of soil-sensing means each responsive to a distinct physico-chemical soil characteristic and providing one or more soil parameter measurements corresponding thereto;
wherein the soil sensing step is iterated at a plurality of time intervals after the initiation of soil removal and prior to the soil-containing liquid medium reaching steady state or otherwise predefined conditions, and wherein the model algorithm is defined on the basis of an algorithm dataset developed under said predefined conditions and functions to generate predicted soil data and the confidence level thereof extrapolated to said predefined conditions;c) a data processing step wherein the soil parameter measurements for each sensing means are entered as input data into a model algorithm defined on the basis of an algorithm dataset comprising experimental or consumer-generated soil parameter and soil concentration information and which functions to generate predicted soil data of enhanced confidence level; and d) a communication step wherein one or more signals dependent upon the predicted soil data is issued to an output device, data store, user interface, data processor or an appliance director or module.
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2. A method for cleaning a soiled article in a liquid medium, the method comprising;
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a) a wetting step wherein the soiled article is brought into contact with a liquid medium to initiate removal of soil from the soiled article; b) a soil sensing step wherein the soil-containing liquid medium is contacted with a plurality of soil-sensing means each responsive to a distinct physico-chemical soil characteristic and providing one or more soil parameter measurements corresponding thereto; c) a data processing step wherein the soil parameter measurements are entered as input data into a model algorithm defined on the basis of an algorithm dataset comprising experimental or consumer-generated soil parameter and soil concentration information and which functions to generate predicted soil data of enhanced confidence level; d) a communication step wherein one or more signals dependent upon the predicted soil data is issued to an output device, data store, user interface, data processor or an appliance director or module; and e) a cleaning step wherein the soiled article is treated with one or more detergent products of a type or amount determined prior to treatment in accord with the predicted soil data. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A method for measuring a degree of soiling of a soiled article or for cleaning the soiled article in a wash liquor or other liquid medium, the method comprising;
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a) a wetting step wherein the soiled article is brought into contact with a liquid medium to initiate removal of soil from the soiled article; b) a soil sensing step wherein the soil-containing liquid medium is contacted with a plurality of soil-sensing means each responsive to a distinct physico-chemical soil characteristic and providing one or more soil parameter measurements corresponding thereto, said plurality of soil sensing means including at least a conductivity-based sensor and a turbidity-based sensor; c) a data processing step wherein the soil parameter measurements for each sensing means are entered as input data into a model algorithm which functions to generate predicted soil data of enhanced confidence level; d) a communication step wherein one or more signals dependent upon the predicted soil data is issued to an output device, data store, user interface, data processor or an appliance director or module; and
optionallye) a cleaning step wherein the soiled article is treated with one or more detergent products of a type or amount determined prior to treatment in accord with the predicted soil data.
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Specification