Drug – bio-affecting and body treating compositions – Preparations characterized by special physical form – Biocides; animal or insect repellents or attractants
Reexamination Certificate
2002-10-22
2003-11-04
Page, Thurman K. (Department: 1615)
Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions
Preparations characterized by special physical form
Biocides; animal or insect repellents or attractants
C424S400000, C028S100000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06641829
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to carpeted floor covering articles comprising carpet pile fibers to which a topical antimicrobial application of solid particles has been applied either during or after product manufacture (such as part of a cleaning or treatment process). Such a topical treatment includes specific inorganic antimicrobial metal ion-based solid compounds, such as silver ion-exchange compounds (including silver zirconium phosphates, silver zeolites, and/or silver glasses), which may or may not be dispersed within a liquid medium for ease in handling and application. Such treatments also optionally include compositions of stain resistant agents, anti soil-redeposition compounds and liquids, surfactants, antistatic agents, and the like, to impart other characteristics to the target carpeted products. Such carpet products thus exhibit excellent antimicrobial characteristics at both the surface of the carpet pile, as well as within the pile itself. Furthermore, it has been found that application of such solid metal-ion based antimicrobials permits the ability to increase antimicrobial activity for the target carpet product after vacuuming.
DISCUSSION OF THE PRIOR ART
All U.S. Patents listed below are herein entirely incorporated by reference.
There has been a great deal of attention in recent years given to the hazards of bacteria contamination from potential everyday exposure. Noteworthy examples of such concern include the fatal consequences of food poisoning due to certain strains of
Eschericia coli
being found within undercooked beef in fast food restaurants; Salmonella contamination causing sicknesses from undercooked and unwashed poultry food products; and illnesses and skin infections attributed to
Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae
, yeast, and other unicellular organisms. With such an increased consumer interest in this area, manufacturers have begun introducing antimicrobial agents within various household products and articles. For instance, certain brands of polypropylene cutting boards, liquid soaps, etc., all contain antimicrobial compounds. The most popular antimicrobial for such articles is triclosan. Although the incorporation of such a compound within liquid or certain polymeric media has been relatively simple, other substrates, including the surfaces of textiles and fibers, have proven less accessible. Furthermore, triclosan includes chlorine ions that, upon dissociation, may release to the substrate surface. Such ions are potentially hazardous to humans, due to skin irritation upon contact, as well as within environmental effluents, and the like. Additionally, harmful microbes have shown, on occasion, an ability to develop an immunity to the bactericidal properties of triclosan. Also, surface treatments with triclosan have proven ineffective as well since such compounds are highly water soluble and are easily removed upon exposure to sufficient amounts of moisture.
Carpets, particularly the pile portion of carpets (e.g., the portion which is designed to be in contact with pedestrians' footwear, such as tufted fibers, cut pile fibers, loop pile fibers, and the like), is highly susceptible to bacteria, fungi, and other types of microorganism contamination. With pedestrians walking on such surfaces with footwear, bare feet, and the like, not to mention the likelihood of liquid spills, crumbs, and other bacterial and fungal nutrients being relatively high, the transfer of bacteria and fungi, not to mention the facilitation of sustenance and growth of such microorganisms, are likely as well. Certain cleaning methods, such as steam cleaning, seem to increase the growth rate over time of such microorganisms as well by leaving an aqueous environment within the carpet surface portion for nutrient growth and thus subsequent microorganism sustenance and growth. Although the bacteria or fungi may be hindered by high temperature exposure during such cleaning, once the temperature level returns to normal, such microorganisms can return from dormancy. Antimicrobials have been applied to carpet backings to prevent adhesive failure and thus delamination of the pile portion from the backing itself. Furthermore, some antimicrobial application to carpet pile portions have occurred as well, including U.S. Pat. No. 5,096,747 to Scholla et al., that discloses a carpet to which a simultaneous treatment of stain resist and antibacterial compounds has been applied. However, patentees disclose anionic and/or nonionic types of antimicrobials, such as, preferably, glutaraldehyde, Microban X-580 (isopropanol, p-di-iso-butylphenoxyethoxy-bromine complex, and n-octyl-bi-cycloheptane-di-carboxyimide, piperonylbutoxide, and pyrethrin), and phosphoric acid; there is no mention anywhere within this patent of metal-based, let alone metal-ion based inorganic antimiorobials. Such prior art antimicrobials appear to exhibit deficiencies, such as lack of long-term efficacy (and thus requirement of repeated treatments for continued high antimicrobial performance levels), and potential bacterial immunity. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 5,503,840 discloses the utilization of coated barium sulfate particles (with silver, copper, alumina, silica, and diocyl azelate) for utilization as an antimicrobial within carpet fibers and yarns, not as a topical application thereon. There thus remains a long-felt need to provide a short- and long-term effective, durable, and long-lasting topically applied antimicrobial agent for carpet pile surfaces and products. Specific metal ion-containing (such as Ag
+
-containing, for example) inorganic microbiocides (e.g., ion-exchange compounds, such as zirconium phosphates, glasses, and/or zeolite compounds) have recently been developed and utilized as antimicrobial agents on and within a plethora of different substrates and surfaces. These types of antimicrobials are highly desirable because of their ability to provide efficacy in antimicrobial activity, without fear of bacterial or fungal immunity thereto, not to mention the lack of highly oxidative moieties and pendant groups (such as chlorine-based compounds) that can provide harmful irritation and potentially unpleasant smells, as well as the ease in handling of such solid particulates in general, create a desire to employ such compounds within many different media. In particular, such microbiocides have been adapted for incorporation within plastic compositions and fibers in order to provide household and consumer products which inherently exhibit antimicrobial characteristics. Although such silver-based agents provide excellent, durable, antimicrobial properties, to date no teachings exist which teach or fairly suggest the presence of such inorganic compounds as durable topical applications on carpet pile fibers. This is not surprising considering the difficulties in providing a durable topical application of solid particles on any surface, let alone specific carpet pile surfaces and fibers. The propensity of such solid particulates to gravitate to the bottom of such carpet pile structures, and thus seemingly fail to provide effective antimicrobial performance throughout such fibers (i.e., at the top portion, at the middle portion, and at the bottom portion, simulatneously) has militated against attempting such a treatment. This nonuniformity in protection thus requires amelioration prior to effective utilization of such highly desired antimicrobial agents. To date, such an obstacle has not been overcome to permit widespread utilization of such antimicrobials within carpet pile structures.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
It is thus an object of the invention to provide a simple manner of effectively treating a carpet pile portion of a floor covering article with a durable antimicrobial metal-ion containing antimicrobial treatment during the initial manufacture of the article itself. A further object of the invention is to provide a simple manner of effectively treating a carpet pile portion of a floor covering article with a durable antimicrobial metal-ion containing antimicrobial tr
Close Leland G.
Green David E.
Milliken & Company
Moyer Terry T.
Oh Simon J.
Page Thurman K.
Parks William S.
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