A variety of lint removal devices are known. Lint removal devices remove lint and other small particles or contaminants, such as hair or threads, from a surface, such as clothing. One known form of a lint removal device includes lint removal tape, which is used while still on a roll to remove lint and other small particles from the surface. In roll form, lint removal tape is typically wound on a core with the adhesive side of the tape wound outwardly for use. The lint removal tape roll is rolled against the surface to remove the lint and other small particles or contaminants from the surface. The lint, small particles and other contaminants adhere to the adhesive side of the lint removal tape. When the outer wrap of the lint removal tape is saturated with the lint, small particles and other contaminants, the outer wrap of the tape is removed from the roll to discard it. A roll of lint removal tape is generally used on an applicator.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,940,921 (Wood et al.), “Applicator for a Coreless Tape Roll,” in its abstract, describes an applicator for a lint removal device that includes a handle portion connected to a tape-receiving portion. The tape-receiving portion includes a tape-receiving surface, an inner lip, a tapered outer lip, and grooves adjacent the lips. This patent also describes a roll of lint removal tape. In column 2, lines 41-43 of the patent, the lint removal tape is described as including a backing that could be made of backing material which is compostible or degradable, could be colored, could be printed, or could be of different surface textures or embossed, without providing any additional details as to which side is embossed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,763,038 (Wood), “Progressively Perforated Tape Roll,” in its abstract, describes a tape including a backing layer and an adhesive layer formed on the backing layer. A plurality of lines of perforations extend across the tape to separate the tape into sheets. The sheets have progressively increasing lengths such that when the sheets are wound into a roll, each sheet is longer than the sheet underneath it. When in a roll, the outermost sheet covers all of the lines of perforations to reduce instances of the tape tearing in a downweb direction.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,027,465 (McKay), “Lint Remover,” in its abstract, describes a lint remover roller assembly having a pressure sensitive adhesive tape roll in association therewith. The pressure sensitive adhesive tape roll comprises a layer of adhesive tape with the adhesive surface thereof facing outwardly so as to remove lint and/or other foreign particles from fabric surfaces over which it is rolled. The pressure sensitive adhesive tape roll is provided with a narrow non-adhesive side edge portion longitudinally along each side edge thereof which extends across the adhesive portion of the pressure sensitive tape roll from the inside edge of one of said non-adhesive side edge portions to the inside edge of the opposite non-adhesive side edge portions so as to define a pair of spaced apart narrow unslit non-adhesive side edge portions which cooperate to maintain the retentive longitudinal continuous integrity of the adhesive tape roll while facilitating the selective detachable removal of the saturated top layer of the tape roll by lifting it away along the slit and tearing it away through the narrow unslit non-adhesive portions to expose the next lowermost unused adhesive tape layer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,422,201 (McKay), “Lint Remover,” in its abstract, describes a lint remover assembly comprising a unitary integrally formed adhesive tape roll sleeve-engaging hollow support cylinder having an open outer end and provided with an elongate integral handle portion extending axially outwardly from one end thereof. An adhesive tape roll sleeve assembly provided for selective axial slidable covering engagement with the hollow support cylinder so as to be selectively rotatable thereon upon moveable contact across a surface being cleaned. A closure plug provided to make friction closure engagement with the open outer end of the hollow support cylinder so as to cooperate therewith to define a storage compartment therein.
Other lint removal devices are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,055,695, 6,127,014, 5,388,300, 4,905,337, and 3,906,578.
Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company based in St. Paul, Minn. has sold lint rollers and roller refills in a variety of sizes under the brand name “3M” under part numbers 836, 837, and 833. These lint rollers and roller refills include a tape having a backing with a first side and a second side. The first side of the backing is generally smooth and the second side of the backing has raised portions and recessed portions. The raised portions and recessed portions of the backing are generally parallel to the transverse direction of the tape. A layer of adhesive is coated onto the generally smooth side of the backing, opposite the second side of raised portions and recessed portions. A release layer is coated onto the second side of the backing.
Helmac Products Corporation, based in Flint, Mich. has sold lint adhesive rollers and adhesive roller refills in a variety of sizes under the brand name “Evercare.”
Tapes with textured backings are known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,237,889 (Gobran) “Diaper Closure Utilizing Pressure-Sensitive Adhesive Tape Having Textured Foil Backing,” in its abstract, describes a pressure-sensitive adhesive tape having a untensilized crystalline isotactic polypropylene or liner high density polyethylene film backing with a pattern of alternating raised portions and recessed portions on one side, which is especially adapted for use as a tab closure for diapers. The raised portions are so disposed that, when a tab is cut from the tape, at least some of the raised portions extend at an angle of 60° or less to the lateral edge of the tab, thereby minimizing any tendency toward inadvertent tearing. In example seven of this patent, the adhesive was applied to the textured face of the film backing of the tape.
Structured adhesives and microstructured adhesives are known. U.S. Pat. No. 6,197,397 B1 describes adhesives having a microreplicated topography. When an adhesion interface is established between the layer of adhesive and a supporting substrate, the topography of the adhesive surface controls the performance of the adhesion interface.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,650,215 provides tapes and other articles having adhesives with microstructured surfaces. The performance properties of the articles can be tailored by independently varying the microstructure and adhesive properties.
Although the commercial success of available lint removal devices has been impressive, it is desirable to further improve the performance of such lint removal devices.
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USPTO Backgrounds