Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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FABRIC ARTICLE CLAMPING SYSTEM
AND METHOD FOR USING
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to fabric article clamping systems and method
for using the
clamping systems alone or in conjunction with a stretching system to remove
and/or reduce
wrinkles and/or creases in a fabric article, preferably in a manner in which
new wrinkles and/or
creases are not formed or are minimized in the fabric article.
Background of the Invention
Wrinkles and/or creases in fabric articles continue to be a problem that
consumers face
during their fabric care operations.
Conventional methods for removing wrinkles and/or crease from fabric articles
oftentimes create new wrinkles and creases in the fabric articles.
Accordingly, there is a need for a system and methods that can remove and/or
reduce
existing wrinkles and/or creases in fabric articles while at the same time
avoid creating new
wrinkles and/or creases in the fabric articles.
Summary of the Invention
The present invention fulfills the need identified above by providing a fabric
article
clamping system and method for using the clamping system to remove and/or
reduce wrinkles
and/or creases in a fabric article, preferably in a manner in which new
wrinkles and/or creases are
not formed or are minimized in the fabric article.
It has been surprising found that in order to increase wrinkle removal
efficiency, one
needs to provide mechanical force as well in addition to the chemistry and/or
favorable
environment. One way to provide this mechanical force is to stretch the
garment. Stretching the
garment requires mechanical force to be applied to the garment. This force
needs to be
transmitted from stretching system to the garment via a system i.e. clamps.
Clamps should be able to hold garments tight enough to prevent any slippage
due to
gravitational and stretching force. Also it should not induce any wrinkles
whilst doing that.
On top of that, some applications may require placement of the garment in
environments
(i.e. high temp and humidity) where they become more vulnerable for wrinkle
induction by the
clamps.
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In one aspect of the present invention, a fabric article clamping system
comprising two
fabric article contacting surfaces wherein said fabric article contacting
surfaces are mechanically
associated such that said fabric article contacting surfaces can apply a
sufficient amount of
gripping force to a fabric article positioned between said fabric article
contacting surfaces such
that said fabric article clamping system remains in contact with the fabric
article even in the
presence of the force of gravity and/or a stretching force acting upon the
fabric article clamping
system is provided.
In another aspect of the present invention, a method for dewrinkling a fabric
article in
need of dewrinkling is provided. The method comprises the steps of attaching a
fabric article
clamping system according to the present invention to the fabric article, and
optionally, applying a
stretching force to the fabric article, such that wrinkles in the fabric
article are removed and/or
reduced, preferably in a manner in which new wrinkles and/or creases are not
formed or
minimized in the fabric article.
In still yet another aspect of the present invention, a treated fabric article
produced by a
method of the present invention is provided.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a fabric article clamping system
and a
method for using the fabric article clamping system to remove and/or reduce
wrinkles and/or
creases in a fabric article.
These and other objects, features and advantages will be clear from the
following detailed
description, examples and appended claims.
All percentages, ratios and proportions herein are on a weight basis based on
a neat
product unless otherwise indicated. All documents cited herein are hereby
incorporated by
reference.
Brief Description of the Drawings
FIG. 1 is perspective view of a fabric article clamping system in accordance
with the
present invention in an open configuration;
FIG. 2 is a front view of the fabric article clamping system of FIG. 1 in its
closed
configuration;
FIG. 3 is a front view of the fabric article clamping system of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a front view of another fabric article clamping system in accordance
with the
present invention;
FIG. 5 is a schematic of a fabric article having a fabric article clamping
system in
accordance with the present invention attached to it.
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Detailed Description
Definitions
As used herein "fabric articles" is meant to encompass any and all articles of
manufacture
that are made at least partially of a natural or manmade fibrous material.
Examples of fabric
articles include, but are certainly not limited to: toys, shoes upholstery,
garments, carpets, clothes
hats, socks, towels, draperies, etc. The fabric articles may be of any type,
nonlimiting examples
include cotton and/or cotton blends, silk, wool and linen.
Fabric Article Clampin~System
FIGS. 1-4 illustrates a fabric article clamping system 10 in accordance with
the present
invention. The fabric article clamping system 10 comprises two fabric article
contacting surfaces
12 wherein said fabric article contacting surfaces are mechanically associated
such that the fabric
article contacting surfaces 12 can apply a sufficient amount of gripping force
to a fabric article
positioned between the fabric article contacting surfaces 12 such that the
fabric article clamping
system 10 remains in contact with the fabric article in the presence of the
force of gravity and/or a
stretching force acting upon the fabric article clamping system 10.
The fabric article contacting surfaces 12 are arranged such that the fabric
article
contacting surfaces 12 are parallel to one another when they are gripping the
fabric article between
them, preferably they always remain parallel to one another.
It is desirable that the fabric article contacting surfaces 12 apply a
gripping force of from
about 1 Newton to about 10 Newtons, more preferably from about 2 Newtons to
about 4 Newtons,
most preferably from about 2.5 Newtons to about 3 Newtons to a fabric article
positioned between
the fabric article contacting surfaces 12.
Preferably, the fabric article contacting surfaces 12 have substantially equal
surface areas,
more preferably the fabric article contacting surfaces 12 have surface areas
of from about 50 cmz
to about 400 cmZ, even more preferably from about 100 cm2 to about 375 cm2.
The fabric article contacting surfaces 12 can be made of any suitable material
known to
those of skill in the art. Preferably, the fabric article contacting surfaces
12 comprise a resilient
material that contacts the fabric article, more preferably the fabric article
contacting surfaces 12
comprise a material that has a resilience of from about 40% to about 70%, even
more preferably
the fabric article contacting surfaces 12 comprise rubber. A nonlimiting
example of a suitable
resilient material is Chloroprene, which is commercially available from Eriks.
The resilient
material of the fabric article contacting surfaces 12 preferably has a
thickness of from about 0.1
mm to about 4 mm.
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In a preferred embodiment of the fabric article clamping system 10 of the
present
invention, each fabric article contacting surface 12 comprises a handle 14.
The fabric article
contacting surface 12 is preferably associated with the handle 14 such that
the fabric article
contacting surface is capable of pivoting around at least one pivot point 16
with respect to the
handle 14. The fabric article contacting surface 12 is associated with the
handle 14 at the
proximal end of the handle 14.
Each handle 14 is mechanically associated to each other around at least one
pivot point
18. The pivot point 18, preferably a spring, more preferably a coil spring, is
located at a point
along each handle 14 that is located between the pivot point 16 of the fabric
article contacting
surface 12 and a distal end of the handle 14. The pivot point 18 permits that
handles 14 to move
such that when the distal ends of the handles 14 move in relation to each
other, the fabric article
contacting surfaces 12 move in an opposite manner than the distal ends of the
handles 14 in
relation to each other. In other words, when the distal ends of the handles 14
are proximal to one
another, the fabric article contacting surfaces 12 are distal from one
another, and when the distal
ends of the handles 14 are distal from one another, the fabric article
contacting surfaces 12 are
proximal to one another.
The fabric article clamping system 10 of the present invention is preferably
capable of
releasably locking the fabric article contacting surfaces 12 in an open
position. Any suitable
locking mechanism known to those of skill in the art could be used.
The fabric article contacting surfaces 12 are preferably mechanically
associated with
respect to each other such that prior to gripping a fabric article, the fabric
article contacting
surfaces 12 are spaced apart from one another a distance of from about 15 mm
to about 60 mm,
more preferably from about 20 mm to about 55 mm, more preferably from about 35
mm to about
50 mm.
The fabric article contacting surfaces 12 are preferably mechanically
associated such that
upon gripping a fabric article, the fabric article contacting surfaces 12 are
spaced apart from one
another a distance equal to the thickness of the fabric article gripped by the
fabric article
contacting surfaces 12.
As shown in FIG. 4, in a preferred embodiment, at least one, preferably both,
fabric article
contacting surface 12 comprises a finger-like structure 20 that axially
extends from each fabric
article contacting surface 12 toward the other fabric article contacting
surface 12, wherein the
finger-like structure 20 is positioned on the fabric article contacting
surfaces 12 such that said
fabric article contacting surfaces 12 are capable of gripping the fabric
article. The finger-like
structures) 20 prevent a fabric article from extending over all edges of the
fabric article contacting
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surface 12 when the fabric article is gripped by the fabric article clamping
system 10, and prevent
the fabric article from being trapped in the fabric article clamping system
10. As a result, the
potential for new wrinkles and/or creases being formed from the gripping of a
fabric article by the
fabric article clamping system 10 is removed or minimized.
Method
A method for dewrinkling a fabric article in need of dewrinkling in accordance
with the
present invention comprises the step of attaching a fabric article clamping
system according to the
present invention to the fabric article such that wrinkles in the fabric
article are removed and/or
reduced.
Such a method may be conducted under ambient conditions or in heat and/or
humid
conditions.
Further, the method may further comprise a step of applying a stretching force
to the
fabric article. The stretching force may be any suitable stretching force
known to those of skill in
the art. Such stretching forces can be created by hanging weights on to the
fabric articles or by
other stretching devices known to those skilled in the art. Nonlimiting
examples of suitable
stretching devices are described in WO 00/75413 to The Procter & Gamble
Company.
In one embodiment, the fabric article clamping system of the present invention
may
further be able to be linked and/or connected to the stretching force
source/device.
Preferably, the fabric articles to be treated are mechanically stretched after
placing them
into the container and before starting the process. This stretching or so-
called tensioning of the
garment helps the relaxation of wrinkles during the process. Preferred
stretching systems include
weighted as well as light weight compactable or retractable stretching
systems, wherein the system
comprises a tensioning device like a spring. The latter systems have the
benefit of not adding
extra weight to the cleaning and refreshing apparatus, along with the
possibility of adjusting
tensioning force and directions as required. Preferably, these systems are
mounted inside the
container at its bottom. One example of such a system is a rollerblind that is
conventionally used
as sunfilter for cars and commercially available from Halfords. This system is
a rollerblind which
can be extended or compacted by means of a roll-up spring mechanism. Only
slight modifications
of this system are needed to adapt it to the tensioning of fabric articles.
One preferred adaptation
involves attaching the housing of this system at the bottom of the apparatus
and providing one or
more clamp at the other side so that the clamping and thus the stretching or
tensioning of the
fabric articles is obtained. The tension of the spring can also be adjusted to
the desired stretching
force for a given fabric article. The size of the clamp can vary so that more
than one clamp is
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attached to this system. Still, another variation involves having only one
clamp which run along
or partly along the blind tensioning system located opposite the housing of
the system.
Treated Fabric Article
A treated fabric article produced by the method according to present
invention.
Having described the present invention in detail with reference to preferred
embodiments,
it will be clear to those skilled in the art that various changes and
modifications may be made
without departing from the scope of the invention, and the invention is not to
be considered
limited to what is described in the specification.
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