GB2210820A

GB2210820A - Fluff remover

Info

Publication number: GB2210820A
Application number: GB8823944A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Atsushi Ota
Original assignee: LOZENSTARS CORP
Current assignee: LOZENSTARS CORP
Priority date: 1987-10-12
Filing date: 1988-10-12
Publication date: 1989-06-21
Also published as: DE3823149A1; GB8823944D0; JPH0162393U

Description

PP 52 964 221080 "Fluff Remover" This invention relates to a fluff

remover, and in particular to the outer blade of a fluff remover. It is a known problem with articles such as woolen sweaters and blankets that after a period of use balls of fibrous fluff are generated on their surface. Such fluff balls can spoil both the look and feel of the article. A known fluff remover comprises a pair of inner and outer apertured circular blades. The outer blade is held stationary and, in use, is pressed in contact with the article. The inner blade, is held in pressure contact with the inner surface of the outer blade by means of a spring, and is rotated by an electric motor to draw fluff balls through the apertures in the outer blade.

is In the past it has been recognised that the fluff balls on the surface of, say, a sweater are generally spherical. Accordingly in the prior art it is known to form the outer blade with circular openings corresponding to the dimensions of the spherical.

Fig. 2 shows a plan view of such a known outer blade 11 having circular openings 12. Conventionally the circular openings have a diameter of between 1 mm. and 3 mm.

Such known fluff removers suffer from a disadvantaqe however in that the blade openings are relatively large. In use it is known for the fabric of the article being "de-fluffed" to be drawn into the openings as well as the fluff. Frequently this can damage the fabric material, the extent of the damage depending on the pressure applied to the article and the condition, i.e. the number of creases or wrinkles, of the surface of the article.

According to the invention there is provided fluff remover comprising an outer blade havinq plurality of elongate slit-like apertures therein.

The present invention proceeds from the realisation that although the fluff balls are generally spherical they are not very solid, and when they are drawn into the apertures of the outer blade they are deformed in shape. Accordingly it is not in fact necessary for the apertures to be of a size and shape corresponding to the size of the fluff balls. By using elongate slits on the apertures it is far less likely that the fabric material of the article will be drawn into the apertures.

Preferably the apertures have a width of between 0.5 mm and 1 mm. The length of the aperture is not a critical dimension but it is preferably about three times the width.

In a preferred embodiment the apertures are arranged in the blade in concentric rings. Each aperture may be disposed so that the length of the slit is in a generally radial dirction, though the slit may be at a slight angle to a true radial dirction. It is also possible that the slit-like apertures may be disposed in the form of a spiral from the centre of the blade. 25 The fluff remover may otherwise be of any known type. The inner blade may be electrically driven, either in a fully rotary motion or in a reciprocatinq motion. The invention also provides an outer blade for a fluff remover as aforesaid.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:- Fig. 1 is a plan view of an outer blade for a fluff remover according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 1 shows an outer blade 1 having a plurality of slit-like aperture 2 therein. The apertures have a width of between 0.5 mm and 1 mm, and the lenath of each aperture is approximately three times the width.

The apertures are arranged in three rings concentric about the centre of the blade. The apertures are disposed so that their longitudinal dimension extends generally radially of the blade, but at a slight angle to a true radial direction.

The outer blade 1 shown in Fig. 1 may be employed in any otherwise conventional fluff remover. That is to say the outer blade will be held stationary while an inner blade in contact therewith is moved.

The inner blade may be of any conventional design.

is An outer blade with relatively narrow apertures of reduced dimensions has many disadvantages over the prior art. In addition to causing less damage to the surface of the article as discussed above, the general fluff removing operation is smoother and more efficient. The blade is also safer to use than known blades. The reduced dimensions of the apertures not only reduce the likelihood of fabric material being caught therein, but if the fluff remover should come into contact with the user's hand, say, it is also less likely to draw skin into the apertures. The blade can also act as a comb and in addition is useful in raising small fluff balls which would not otherwise be removed.

It is to be clearly understood that there are no particular features of the foregoing specification, or of any claims appended hereto, which are at present regarded as being essential to the performance of the present invention, and that any one or more of such features or combinations thereof may therefore be included in, added to, omitted from or deleted from any of such claims if and when amended during the prosecution of this application or in the filing or prosecution of any divisional application based thereon. Furthermore the manner in which any of such features of the specification or claims are described or defined may be amended, broadened or otherwise modified in any manner which falls within the knowledge of a person skilled in the relevant art, for example so as to encompass, either implicitly or explicitly, equivalents or generalisations thereof.

"It

Claims

Claims:

1. A fluff remover comprising an outer blade having a plurality of elongate slit-like apertures therein.

2. A fluff remover according to calim 1 wherein 5 said apertures have a width of between 0.5 mm and 1 mm.

3. A fluff remover according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the length to width ratio of each said aperture is about 3 to 1.

4. A fluff remover according to claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein said outer blade is circular and said apertures are arranged in circles concentric about the centre of the blade.

5. A fluff remover according to claims 1, 2 or 3 wherein the outer blade is circular and said apertures are arranged in a spiral from the centre thereof.

6. A fluff remover according to claim 4 or 5 wherein said apertures are arranged so that their longitudinal dimensions extend generally radially.

7. A fluff remover according to claim 6 wherein said apertures extend at a small angle to a true radial direction.

8. A fluff remover substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawing.

9. An outer blade for a fluff remover according to any preceding claim having a plurality of elongate slit-like apertures therein.

10. An outer blade for a fluff remover substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawing.

198p- a' The pa.en. Fur-e: c:;:es rnky be obtained!:,c= The Paent Otice off.

ce S:,ae HM:2C 66 71 H.Ct H=:= dcn WC:11R 4T7 5gles Br&ncI. 5, M&Iy Cray. Orpingt= Ken. BM 3RD Priraed by Multiplex techniques ltd. S' M L!Y Cray. Kent Con. 187.