Cleaning apparatus using solid particulate cleaning material

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9587340-B2
Application number	US-201113577528-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 10, 2011
Priority date	Feb 10, 2010
Publication date	Mar 7, 2017
Grant date	Mar 7, 2017

Abstract

There is disclosed an apparatus and method for use in the cleaning of soiled substrates, the apparatus including housing means having a first upper chamber having mounted therein a rotatably mounted cylindrical cage and a second lower chamber located beneath the cylindrical cage; at least one recirculation means; access means; pumping means and a multiplicity of delivery means, wherein the rotatably mounted cylindrical cage includes a drum including perforated side walls wherein up to 60% of the surface area of the side walls includes perforations and the perforations include holes having a diameter of no greater than 25.0 mm. The method carried out by the apparatus involves cleaning a soiled substrate by treatment of the moistened substrate with a formulation including solid particulate cleaning material and wash water.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for use in the cleaning of soiled substrates, said apparatus comprising:
(a) housing means, having:
(i) a first upper chamber having mounted therein a rotatably mounted cylindrical cage, and
(ii) a second lower chamber located beneath and fluidly connected to said cylindrical cage, which functions as a collection chamber for cleaning media comprising a solid particulate cleaning material;

(b) at least one recirculation means facilitating recirculation of said solid particulate cleaning material from said second lower chamber to said rotatably mounted cylindrical cage for re-use in cleaning operations, wherein said at least one recirculation means comprises ducting connecting said second lower chamber and said rotatably mounted cylindrical cage, wherein said ducting comprises separating means for separating said solid particulate cleaning material from water, and wherein the ducting comprises a bead delivery tube that allows said solid particulate cleaning material to pass from the separating means into the cylindrical cage;
(c) access means allowing access to the inside of the cylindrical cage for loading at least one soiled substrate into said cylindrical cage, wherein said access means is closable so as to provide a sealed system;
(d) pumping means comprised in a first recirculation means of the at least one recirculation means; and
(e) a multiplicity of delivery means for delivery of water and optionally cleaning agents into the apparatus,
wherein said rotatably mounted cylindrical cage comprises a drum comprising perforated side walls, wherein up to 60%, of the surface area of said cylindrical side walls comprises perforations, and said perforations comprise holes having a diameter of no greater than 25.0 mm and configured to allow passage of said solid particulate cleaning material;
and wherein said apparatus is for use in the cleaning of the soiled substrates using a formulation comprising said solid particulate cleaning material and wash water.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said rotatably mounted cylindrical cage has a capacity of 10 to 7000 liters and optionally comprises a cylinder with a diameter of 75 to 120 cm and a length of between 40 and 100 cm.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein rotation of said rotatably mounted cylindrical cage is effected by use of drive means, wherein said drive means optionally comprises electrical drive means and said electrical drive means optionally comprises an electric motor.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said second lower chamber comprises a sump.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said separating means comprises a vessel located above said cylindrical cage.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 which includes a second recirculation means, wherein said second recirculation means allows for the return of water separated by the separating means to said second lower chamber.

7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 6 wherein said second recirculation means comprises a return water pipe which allows for the return of water separated by the separating means to said second lower chamber.

8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said second lower chamber comprises additional pumping means to promote circulation and mixing of the contents of the second lower chamber.

9. A method for cleaning a soiled substrate, said method comprising the treatment of the substrate with a formulation comprising solid particulate cleaning material and wash water, wherein said method is carried out in an apparatus according to claim 1 .

10. A method as claimed in claim 9 which additionally comprises a rinsing operation wherein additional water is added to said rotatably mounted cylindrical cage.

11. A method as claimed in claim 10 wherein substrate treatment agents are added to the rinse water during said rinsing operation, wherein said substrate treatment agents are optionally selected from anti-redeposition additives, optical brighteners, perfumes, softeners and starch.

12. A method as claimed in claim 9 wherein at least one additional cleaning agent is added to said apparatus, wherein said at least one additional cleaning agent is optionally either added to the second lower chamber of said apparatus with said solid particulate cleaning material, heated to the desired temperature therein, and the introduced, via said first recirculation means, into said cylindrical cage, or is pre-mixed with water and added to said cylindrical cage via an addition port mounted on said access means, and wherein said at least one additional cleaning agent optionally comprises at least one detergent composition which optionally comprises cleaning components and post-treatment components, wherein said cleaning components optionally comprise surfactants, enzymes and bleach and said post-treatment components optionally comprise anti-redeposition additives, perfumes and optical brighteners, and which optionally additionally comprises at least one other additive selected from builders, chelating agents, dye transfer inhibiting agents, dispersants, enzyme stabilizers, catalytic materials, bleach activators, polymeric dispersing agents, clay soil removal agents, suds suppressors, dyes, structure elasticizing agents, fabric softeners, starches, carriers, hydrotropes, processing aids and pigments.

13. A method as claimed in claim 9 wherein during the wash cycle, rotation of said rotatably mounted cylindrical cage is caused to occur at a G force of less than 1 and wherein, on completion of the wash cycle, feeding of the solid particulate cleaning material into said rotatably mounted cylindrical cage ceases and the G force on said rotatably mounted cylindrical cage is increased in order to effect a measure of drying of the cleaned substrate, wherein said increased G force is optionally between 10 and 1000, and wherein the G force is subsequently reduced to below 1 so as to allow for removal of the solid particulate cleaning material.

14. A method as claimed in claim 9 which additionally comprises separation and recovery of said solid particulate cleaning material and its re-use in subsequent washes, wherein said solid particulate cleaning material is optionally subjected to a cleaning operation either (a) in said lower chamber by sluicing said chamber with clean water or (b) in said rotatably mounted cylindrical cage.

15. A method as claimed in claim 9 wherein said solid particulate cleaning material comprises a multiplicity of polymeric particles and said polymeric particles optionally comprise particles of polyamides, polyesters, polyalkenes or polyurethanes or their copolymers and said washing treatment is optionally carried out so as to achieve a water to substrate ratio of between 2.5:1 to 0.1:1 w/w wherein the ratio of solid particulate cleaning material to substrate is optionally in the range of from 0.1:1 to 10:1 w/w, and wherein the wash cycle is optionally performed at temperatures of between 5 and 95° C. and for a duration of between 5 and 120 minutes.

16. A method for cleaning a soiled substrate, said method comprising the steps of:
(a) introducing a solid particulate cleaning material and water into the second lower chamber of an apparatus as claimed in claim 1 ;
(b) agitating and heating said solid particulate cleaning material and water;
(c) loading at least one soiled substrate into said rotatably mounted cylindrical cage via said access means;
(d) closing the access means so as to provide a substantially sealed system;
(e) introducing said solid particulate cleaning material and water i

Assignees

• Jenkins Stephen Derek
• Kennedy Frazer John
• Xeros Ltd

Inventors

• Jenkins Stephen Derek
• Kennedy Frazer John

Classifications

• D06F35/00 Primary

  Washing machines, apparatus, or methods not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• D06F23/02

  and rotating or oscillating about a horizontal axis · CPC title

• D06F39/04

  Heating arrangements · CPC title

• D06F35/005 Primary

  Methods for washing, rinsing or spin-drying · CPC title

• D06F37/304

  Arrangements or adaptations of electric motors · CPC title