CLEANING PAD FOR SINGLE-DISK OR MULTI-DISK CLEANING MACHINES

TAMPON NETTOYEUR POUR MACHINES DE NETTOYAGE MONODISQUE OU POLYDISQUE

English Abstract

The invention relates to a cleaning pad for single-disk and multi-disk
cleaning machines, comprising an outer textile pad and a holding element for
holding the cleaning pad on the cleaning machine. Said cleaning pad (10)
consists of at least four layers. At least one absorbent layer (13) is
arranged on the textile pad used as a working pad (12), and a regenerative
core layer (14) is then applied to the absorbent layer, followed by a covering
layer (16).

French Abstract

L'invention concerne un tampon nettoyeur conçu pour des machines de nettoyage monodisque ou polydisque, comprenant un tampon textile extérieur ainsi qu'un élément de maintien qui sert à maintenir le tampon nettoyeur sur la machine de nettoyage. Selon l'invention, le tampon nettoyeur (10) est constitué d'au moins quatre couches. Au moins une couche absorbante (13) est disposée sur le tampon textile qui sert de tampon de travail (12), et une couche centrale de régénération (14) puis une couche de recouvrement (16) sont disposées sur cette couche absorbante.

Claims

CLAIMS
1. Cleaning pad for single and multi-disk cleaning machines, comprising an
outer
textile pad and a fastening element for holding the cleaning pad on the
cleaning machine,
characterized in that the cleaning pad (10) consists of at least four layers,
where the textile pad
serving as the working pad (12) is followed in succession by at least one
absorbent layer (13),
by a regenerative core layer (14), and finally by a cover layer (16).
2. Cleaning pad according to Claim 1, characterized in that the cleaning pad
(10)
comprises at least five layers, namely, an outer working pad (12), an
absorbent layer (14)
following the previous layer, a regenerative core layer (16), another
absorbent layer (15), and
a cover layer (16).
3. Cleaning pad according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, characterized in that the
fastening
element is attached to the upper cover layer (16, 26) or to the upper textile
pad (22).
4. Cleaning pad according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in
that the
textile pad comprises a needle-punched nonwoven.
5. Cleaning pad according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in
that the
textile pad comprises the following fibers: synthetic fibers such as
polyamide, polyester,
viscose, or polypropylene fibers and/or natural fibers such as cotton or wool.
6. Cleaning pad according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in
that the
textile pad (12, 22) comprises individual fibers with a titer in the range of
10-200 denier.
7. Cleaning pad according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in
that the
textile pad (12, 22) has a mass per unit area in the range of 100-2,000 g/m2.
8. Cleaning pad according to one of Claims 1-3, characterized in that the
regenerative
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core layer (14) comprises natural or artificial sponge material.
9. Cleaning pad according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in
that the
fastening element (30) comprises a Velcro strip fastener or bayonet catch.
10. Cleaning pad according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, characterized in that the
working
pad (12) comprises a needle-punched nonwoven.
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Description

CA 02469582 2004-06-21
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CLEANING PAD FOR SINGLE OR MULTI-DISK
CLEANING MACHINES
The present invention pertains to cleaning pads according to the introductory
clause of
the main claim.
Cleaning pads for single or minti-disk cleaning machines are installed on the
side of the
cleaning machine's drive plate which faces the material to be cleaned and are
thus made to
rotate to clean or to polish the material to be cleaned. Cleaning pads of this
type are described
in, for example, DE 44 i7 535 Ai and in DE 195 45 242 A1. They consist of a
textile pad,
which is attached by a fastening element to the drive plate. When heavily
soiled textile floor
coverings such as carpets are being cleaned, the cleaning action of these
textile pads is often
inadequate. They also suffer from the disadvantage that they must be cleaned
frequently in
order to maintain their ability to clean, They also wear down relatively
quickly and must
therefore be replaced frequently.
The task of the present invention is to create cleaning pads with a cleaning
action which
is significantly improved over that of conventional cleaning pads but which
can be attached to
the conventional drive plates without modification to the cleaning machines
and which also
experience less wear and therefore do not have to be replaced as often. The
cleaning pads are
also to be easy to clean once the cleaning work has been completed.
This task is accomplished according to the invention by a cleaning pad of the
general
type indicated above with the features of the characterizing clause of the
main claim. The
subclaims specify preferred embodiments of the invention.
It is provided according to the invention that areas of different types of
loop fabric are

CA 02469582 2004-06-21
provided on the work surface, that is, on the side of the cleaning pad which
faces the surface to
be cleaned. For example, terry structures, velour structures, cut and uncut
loop structures
(Berber-like structures), and completely uncut loop structures (Berber-like
structures) are used,
as a result of which different surface areas with different cleaning and
polishing effects can be
obtained. By arranging these different areas on the cleaning pad one after the
other in the
cleaning direction, it is possible to provide dirt-loosening, dirt-absorbing,
and dirt-transporting
sections on the cleaning pad with the result that an effective and long-
lasting cleaning action is
achieved.
On the surface of the working pad facing away from the surface to be cleaned,
an
absorbent layer is provided, which can consist, for example, of nonwoven
fabric, of needle-
punched nonwoven fabric, of cotton terry cloth, or of cotton fabric. The
absorbent layer is
followed by a regenerative core, such as a layer of natural or artificial
sponge or cotton
wadding. This is followed by another absorbent layer and finally by a cover
layer, which
consists of a dimensionally stable material. Fastening elements are attached
to this cover layer,
which make it possible to attach the cleaning pad to the cleaning machine.
The surprising observation was made that the cleaning performance of a
structure of
this type with a total of five layers consisting of a working surface,
nonwovens, and sponges
was much better than that of conventional cleaning pads. Wear was also
significantly reduced,
and the cleaning pad could be cleaned easily by washing it out with water.
Instead of the preferred construction of the cleaning pad with five layers, it
is also
possible to use a four-layer design, in which the absorbent layer between the
regenerative core
and the cover layer is omitted. This arrangement can still provide usable
results in cases
where the requirements on the cleaning action and washability of the dirty
cleaning pad are not
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as high.
The working surface can consist of various materials, e.g., loop material, and
be
provided with diamond patterns, Berber-like structures, cut Berber-like
structures, microloops,
velours, and knit or warp knit fabric. Brushes can also be incorporated into
the working
surface. The working surface is preferably divided into separate areas with
different
structures, which has the effect improving the cleaning action. Needle-punched
nonwovens are
preferred. They can be designed as loop material, including material with cut
loops (velours).
The fibers can be synthetic fibers made of polyamide, polyester, viscose,
polypropylene, or
Nylon; or they can be natural fibers of wool or cotton; or they can be blends
of the fibers just
mentioned. The edges of the textile pads can be bound off or connected in some
other way to
the adjacent layers.
The sponge pads can consist of natural materials such as natural sponge or
synthetic
materials such as artificial sponge.
The titers of the individual fibers of the textile pads are preferably in the
range of
approximately 10-200 denier. The individual layers of the textile pads have a
mass per unit
area in the range between 100 and 2,000 g/m3.
The individual layers of the cleaning pad can be joined together by
conventional joining
techniques. Preferably they are sewn together by stitched seams, which can be
arranged either
radially or concentrically. A combination of radial and concentric seams is
also possible.
The cleaning pads are preferably used in the form of round pads. For special
purposes,
however, other shapes are also possible, such as oval pads for special
machines for the
cleaning of floors and walls or rectangular or square pads for mop holders or
special-purpose
machines.
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Because of their special layered structure, the cleaning pads according to the
invention
are easy to clean. For this purpose, they are placed in a self-cleaning
solution and then freed
of the dirt particles in a mop press, in a spinner, or in a mangle or roller
press.
Thorough washing is required only after several months of use.
The inventive cleaning pads last much longer than conventional synthetic
cleaning pads,
which must be replaced after cleaning cycles of approximately 10-30 m2.
The cleaning pads according to the invention are suitable for the cleaning,
polishing,
and scouring, of textile floor coverings, carpeting, and floors, including
hard floors and other
solid surfaces.
With the inventive cleaning pads, even large floor areas can be processed with
only two
cleaning pads in conjunction with a standard commercial wheeled bucket and its
wringer. The
pads are used either wet or damp, one replacing the other in alternation,
because, in contrast to
conventional cleaning pads, they can be freed of the dirt they have
accumulated and then
wrung out in the bucket on an alternating basis right at the work site during
the course of the
cleaning work itself.
Because of the multilayer structure of the cleaning pads and the absorptive
power of the
regenerative core in the presence of water, the ability of the pads to hold
dirt is much greater,
and yet the floor covering is cleaned much more thoroughly.
The layer materials used are permeable to dirt and water. The rotation
produced by the
cleaning machine generates heat and also creates a certain degree of vacuum,
which promotes
the displacement of the moisture.
The invention is explained below by way of example on the basis of a
description of the
figures:
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-- Figure 1 shows a cleaning pad with a layered structure consisting of five
layers;
-- Figure 2 shows a cleaning pad with a layered structure consisting of four
layers; and
-- Figure 3 shows a plan view of the cleaning pad according to Figure 1.
The five-layer cleaning pad of Figure 1 comprises a textile pad 12 of coarsely
needle-
punched nonwoven as the bottom layer, that is, the layer which faces the
material to be
cleaned. In the direction proceeding toward the drive plate of the cleaning
machine, the
bottom layer is followed first by an absorbent layer 13, which can consist of
nonwoven, of
needle-punched nonwoven, of terry cloth, or of wool or cotton fabric. This
absorbent layer
serves as a retaining reservoir for the moisture required for cleaning. The
following absorbent
layer is a regenerative core, which can consist of natural or artificial
sponge or of cotton
wadding. The regenerative core 14 accepts the dirt removed from the working
layer and can
be regenerated by washing it out. Following the regenerative core layer 14 is
a second
absorbent layer 15, the top surface of which is covered by a cover layer 16.
The cover layer
16 consists of a dimensionally stable material and serves as a carrier for the
cleaning pad; it
also accepts a fastening element 30, which serves to attach the cleaning pad
10 to the cleaning
machine .
It is also possible for the second absorbent layer to be made of dimensionally
stable
material. In this case, there is no need to add a separate cover layer, which
means that this
cleaning pad has only four layers. An arrangement of this type is shown in
Figure 2. The
reference numbers used in Figure 2 for the individual layers are the same as
those in Figure 1.
Figure 3 shows a plan view of the cleaning pad. The stitched seams 32, by
means of
which the individual layers are sewn together, are arranged both
concentrically and radially, as
a result of which the working surfaces 12 are divided into individual
segments, which can be

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designed differently with respect to their surface texture.

Representative Drawing