Stock material or miscellaneous articles – Composite – Of silicon containing
Reexamination Certificate
2001-09-26
2004-03-23
Dawson, Robert (Department: 1712)
Stock material or miscellaneous articles
Composite
Of silicon containing
C428S688000, C428S689000, C428S697000, C427S299000, C427S307000, C427S309000, C427S387000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06709751
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a ceramic product used in a place where water is used, for example, in a toilet, kitchen or lavatory in a house. Such a ceramic product includes flush toilets, wash basins, etc. The invention further relates to a method of stain resistant treatment applied to the ceramic product.
BACKGROUND ART
Ceramic products such as flush toilets come into contact with human waste, aqueous solution of soap, cleansing liquid, shampoo, lipstick, hairdye, etc. as well as with water in their use. In view of this, a vitreous glazed layer is formed on an inner surface etc. of the ceramic product so that stain such as human waste can easily be eliminated. Furthermore, an antibacterial treatment causing an oligodynamic reaction has recently been applied to the glazed layer for prevention of production of slime and urinary calculus resulting from these stains. Furthermore, the human waste, soap liquid, cleansing liquid, shampoo, hairdye, etc. are aqueous. These adhere to the inner surface of the ceramic product together with water and thereafter dry into stain. In view of this, a water repellent treatment is applied to a glazed surface so that these materials are prevented from remaining on the glazed surface.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
However, results of experiments conducted by the inventors that the stain of the ceramic products is a combination of a hydroxyl group present on the glazed surface with components of the human waste etc. and not the dried human waste etc. remaining on the glazed surface. The combination of the hydroxyl group with the components of the human waste etc. is made via dehydration or dehydrogenation between the hydroxyl and metal ion in water. of such metal ions, soluble silica is particularly considered to be deposited as silicic acid with network structure or silicic scale and apt to incorporate stain.
According to results of investigation carried out by the inventors, service waters and mineral waters which are obtained all over Japan and are generally considered to contain no stain actually each contain about 10 p.p.m. of soluble silica on the average as shown by p.p.m. in the following TABLES 1 to 4.
TABLE 1
No.
Classification
Maximum
Minimum
Average
1
Service water
23
12
16
2
Service water
17
12
15
3
Service water
16
12
14
4
Service water
20
18
19
5
Service water
25
18
21
6
Service water
16.4
7
Service water
38.7
8
Mineral water
42.7
9
Mineral water
24.7
10
Service water
19
15
17
11
Service water
18
15
17
12
Service water
24
19
22
13
Mineral Water
12.3
7.8
10.5
14
Mineral water
15.3
15
Service water
21
16
Service water
23
17
Service water
14
18
Service water
23
19
Service water
23
20
Service water
21
21
Service water
14
22
Service water
20
23
Service water
16
TABLE 2
No.
Classification
Maximum
Minimum
Average
24
Service water
20
25
Service water
17
9
12
26
Service water
17
9
12
27
Service water
26
24
25
28
Service water
22
19
20
29
Service water
21
13
18
30
Service water
20
15
16
31
Mineral water
32
32
Service water
30
25
27.5
33
Service water
29.3
24
26.7
34
Service water
28.1
21.7
25
35
Service water
24
20
21
36
Service water
22
16
20
37
Mineral water
28.7
38
Mineral water
26.9
39
Mineral water
15.7
11.5
13.6
40
Mineral water
21.9
41
Mineral water
5.6
42
Mineral water
16
43
Mineral water
21.4
44
Mineral water
15
45
Mineral water
35.1
46
Service water
11
10
11
TABLE 3
No.
Classification
Maximum
Minimum
Average
47
Service water
11
10
11
48
Service water
11
10
11
49
Service water
11
11
11
50
Mineral water
50.1
51
Service water
14
52
Service water
11.4
53
Mineral water
13.5
54
Mineral water
25
55
Mineral water
28.2
56
Mineral water
22.6
57
Mineral water
18.6
58
Mineral water
10.7
59
Service water
17.2
10.1
13.9
60
Service water
17
10.9
14.1
61
Service water
22
10
16
62
Service water
12
9
11
63
Mineral water
7.1
64
Service water
15.3
12.9
14.1
65
Service water
18.1
13.3
15
66
Service water
31
21.6
26
67
Service water
27
7.8
12.3
68
Service water
15.4
13.5
14.7
69
Service water
35.6
22.8
29.2
TABLE 4
No.
Classification
Maximum
Minimum
Average
70
Mineral water
54.2
71
Mineral water
67.2
52.2
64.2
72
Service water
59.3
55.3
57.2
73
Service water
62.6
57.4
59.4
74
Service water
56.4
51.2
53.2
75
Service water
56.6
53.4
54.7
76
Service water
57.8
53.1
54.9
77
Mineral water
43.4
78
Mineral water
55. 9
79
Mineral water
50.3
80
Service water
108
11
62
81
Mineral water
5.3
The aforesaid ceramic product is used with water containing a large quantity of the metal ion such as soluble silica, stain such as human waste is apt to adhere to the ceramic product. It is difficult to clean the ceramic product.
The present invention has been made in view of the foregoing and an object thereof is to provide a ceramic product which is subjected to water in use and which has a high stain preventive effect and a method of stain resistant treatment applied to the ceramic product.
To solve the aforesaid problem, the present invention provides a ceramic product having a treated surface formed with a layer composed of a stain resistant agent, said agent including a silicon-containing functional group combining with a hydroxyl group present on the treated surface by dehydration or dehydrogenation.
The invention also provides a method of stain resistant treatment applied to a ceramic product used with water and having a treated surface on which a layer comprising a stain resistant agent is formed so that a stain resistant treatment is applied to the ceramic product, the stain resistant agent including a silicon-containing functional group combining with a hydroxyl group present on the treated surface by dehydration or dehydrogenation.
In the present invention, the stain resistant agent contains the silicon-containing functional group (X—Si—O—) which combines by the dehydration or dehydrogenation with the hydroxyl group (—OH) present on the treated surface such as a glazed surface, thereby shielding the hydroxyl group. Accordingly, even when used water contains a large quantity of metal ion such as soluble silica, the hydroxyl group is already disabled or ineffective such that the hydroxyl group does not combine with any metal ion and accordingly with any component of human waste etc. Particularly even when used water contains soluble silica as the metal ion, the soluble silica is not deposited or is not apt to be deposited as silicic acid with network structure such that stain is not apt to be incorporated. Thus, if the stain resistant agent has the silicon-containing functional group, stain such as human waste is prevented from adhering to the ceramic product even when the ceramic product is used with water containing a large quantity of metal ion such as soluble silica, whereupon the ceramic product can easily be cleaned.
The silicon-containing functional group does not preferably combine with another silicon-containing functional group. According to the results of experiments conducted by the inventors, high scale, hairdye, wear and alkali resistances can be achieved. If the silicon-containing functional groups of the stain resistant agent combine with each other, silica is increased such that silicic acid with the network structure is deposited on the layer. Stain can be considered to be incorporated with the silicic acid.
Additionally, the silicon-containing functional group of the stain resistant agent has a durability as high as silica in the glazed surface of the ceramic product.
The stain resistant agent preferably contains a terminal carbon fluoride group combining with the silicon-containing functional group. Results of experiments conducted by the inventors show that the stain resistance also appears as water repellency by a small critical surface tension of the carbon fluoride group. Consequently, high scale, hairdye, wear and alkali resistances can be achieved.
The carbon fluoride group is preferably —C
n
F
2n+1
where n is a natural number in a range of 1≦n≦12. Results of experiments conducted by the inventors show that this increases fluoride and accordingly fluorosilane. Consequently, high scale, hairdye, wear and alkali
Imai Shigeo
Iso Kazuyoshi
Masu Yasunobu
Miura Masashi
Miyamoto Hiroyuki
Dawson Robert
Inax Corproation
Keehan Christopher
Wenderoth , Lind & Ponack, L.L.P.
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