MXPA99007395A - Wet wipes having improved pick-up, dispensation and separation from the stack - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to wet wipes (1) for use in wiping surfaces in the home and in industry in addition to their use on the human body such as for baby wipes, make-up removal and other skin care applications. The wet wipes are provided with an improved leading edge (2), which can be readily identified grasped and separated from the wet wipe (1) stack by the consumer. This is achieved by reducing the coefficient of friction of at least one surface of the substrate of the wipe (1) so as to reduce the adhesive forces between adjacent surfaces of the wipes.

Description

WET TOWELS THAT HAVE IMPROVED THE TAKE, SUPPLY AND SEPARATION FROM THE BATTERY FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to wet towels that are provided with an improved guide edge, so that they can be identified, attached and easily separated from the pile of wet towels by the consumer.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Wet towels are usually disposable, pre-moistened wipes that can be used in a variety of domestic and industrial applications and perform a variety of functions. Wet towels are normally used to clean both animate and inanimate surfaces and can provide numerous benefits such as cleaning, disinfection and skin care. A particular application is the use of wet towels to clean parts of the human body in particular when washing water is not available. The towels are commonly used for human cleaning, for example anal, perineal and genital cleaning, as well as face and hand cleaning, for example as a substitute for dry towel paper and as intimate hygiene towels for example feminine wet towels. Wet towels can also be used for the application of substances to the body that includes removing and applying makeup, skin conditioners and medications. Another application of the towels is during diaper changes and also for the treatment of dermatitis in adults and in babies caused in part by the use of diapers and incontinence devices. In addition, wet towels are also applicable to cleaning other surfaces such as kitchen and bathroom surfaces, lenses, shoes and surfaces that require cleaning in the industry, for example machinery or automobile surfaces. Wet towels also include items used for cleaning or grooming pets. Wet towels commonly consist of combinations of natural and synthetic fibers, such as polyolefin fibers, viscose fibers, cotton fibers and cellulosic fibers, which are usually moistened with an aqueous composition containing, among other surfactants, preservatives, oils and fragrances. . Wet towels are typically provided in a stacked configuration within a covered container such as a tub-type container having a lid. This allows easy transport of the towels. Wet towels are usually folded and P870 can be removed from the container one at a time as required. However, a problem with the current stack of wet folded towels is the lack of an easy supply of a single towel from the pile. This problem is particularly acute in circumstances of use such as when a consumer is holding a baby during a diaper change. In such conditions the consumer needs to be able to take and separate the towel from the stack using only one hand. This is not achieved satisfactorily with current products. The problem of the lack of a satisfactory wet towel supply from the battery is due to several reasons. Wet towels are usually folded either placed on top of each other or interspersed with an adjacent towel. However, the exact location of the towel guide edge above the current stack is not easily identifiable, either visually or by touch. This is because the substrate material of the towel is normally homogeneous and in this way the leading edge of the towel, in particular when folded, can not be distinguished from the substrate material of the towel on which it rests. In addition, the portion of the guide edge of the towel also has a tendency to adhere to the substrate material of the towel at the bottom where it rests.

P870 Therefore, even the tactile identification of the edge running or dragging fingers across the surface of the towel does not immediately result in the identification of the location of the edge. Secondly, once the guide edge has been located, it is difficult for the consumer to hold enough substrate material and hold it to separate a single towel from the pile on which it rests. The consumer is often only able to hold a small portion of the guiding edge so that a firm hold of it is not established and therefore the towel slides easily from the consumer's fingers. Third, due to the compression of the piles during manufacture, the weight of the pile of the towels themselves and the attractive forces in the substrate material and in the lotion and between them, the substrate material of the towel tends to adhere Likewise. Thus, when the towels are bent, the substrate material tends to adhere to them. Therefore, once the consumer has lifted the towel from the pile, the towel tends to keep its configuration folded and the consumer is required to unfold the towel before the desired application of the towel begins. This can be particularly inconvenient for the application asP870 baby towels that are used during diaper changes. Another problem that results from the tendency of the substrate material of the towel to adhere to itself is that the substrate material of the adjacent towels also tends to adhere to each other. As a result, when the consumer tries to lift and separate a towel from the stack, the towel not only keeps its configuration bent but also usually remains partially adhered to the adjacent towel on which it is resting. Accordingly, during the action of removing the towel from the stack, the adjacent towel is also at least partially separated from the stack and has to be separated from the towel to be used and returned to the stack. Several of the problems associated with the supply of wet towels have been recognized in the art. U.S. Patent 5,540,332 discloses a wet towel having improved ease of delivery and a method of producing these towels. Improved ease of delivery is achieved by providing at least a portion of one of the end edges of the towel with a non-linear repeating pattern, such as, for example, a sine wave configuration. Wet towels require a reduced peel strength for the P870 supply. However, not all wet towel supply problems are recognized or addressed here. In particular the problems of maintaining the grip of the leading edge, unfolding the towel once removed from the stack and inter-toweling adhesion are not solved only by the use of a non-linear edge. Another proposed solution to the supply problem is set forth in U.S. Patent 4,778,048. U.S. Patent 4,778,048 discloses a product comprising a stack of wet, inclined edge towels within a container for improved access, supply and even distribution of liquid. In a preferred embodiment, the edge of each towel has a Gurley Rigidity greater than the stiffness of the main body of the towel. However, in this case the provision of a rigid edge is in itself undesirable. Wet towels, in particular those intended for use on sensitive areas of the skin, such as baby towels, require a certain degree of softness. The edge of the towel that becomes rigid is no longer suitable for use, as indeed the patent itself recognizes. In this way, the towels have a small surface suitable for use. Care must also be taken to reduce or avoid contact of this edge portion with the skin as it may cause irritation. In addition, the stiffness of the edge does not solve the problem of adhesion of the substrate of the towel to itself or the adjacent towels. In addition the arrangement of that non-linear edge on a non-woven substrate using current manufacturing techniques would also result in a frayed edge, which is quite undesirable. Therefore, there is a need to provide a wet towel substrate that meets all consumer needs such as substrate strength, absorbency and softness and that has improved supply of a single towel from the pile, so that a towel can Separate individually easily from the stack of towels. The present invention addresses these problems by providing a wet towel by means of which the guide edges are more easily recognizable and reducing the adhesive forces between the surfaces of two adjacent towels or between two adjacent surfaces of the same towel, so that they can be further separated. easily. It has now been found that this can be achieved by providing at least one surface of the towel, preferably that of the leading edge or that of the trailing edge with a reduced coefficient of friction, this can be provided by physical or chemical means and according to the preferred embodiment of the invention, it is provided by partially embossing the surface of the guide edge and the trailing edge. An additional benefit of the preferred embossing mode of the guide edge, according to the present invention, is that the degree of softness of the guiding edge is practically unaffected, so that there is no noticeable affectation for the consumer in relation to the degree of softness of the guiding edge with respect to the remaining substrate. In another embodiment according to the present invention the body of the towel is raised in the vicinity of the guide edge of the wet towel. This can be achieved by using a Z-bend configuration where the bent cloths overlap or mechanically push the pile up from the base thereof below the location of the leading edge or by incorporating an added fold or flange on the guide edge cloth. Such mechanisms also promote the ease of identification of the location of the leading edge and ease of supply.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention therefore relates to a wet towel for cleaning parts of the human body and other surfaces, comprising a substrate and a liquid composition. The substrate has a central cloth and two opposite end cloths, a guide edge cloth and a trailing edge cloth, each of the cloths having a first surface and a second surface. According to the present invention at least a portion of at least one of the surfaces of the cloths has either a coefficient of kinetic friction of 1 or less or a static friction coefficient of 1.05 or less, preferably both, to propitiate the ease of supply and separation of a single towel from the pile of wet towels.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS OR FIGURES Figure 1 Represents a perspective view of a z-folded wet towel having embossing on the guide edge cloth. Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional illustration of a pile of wet towels in a container. Figure 3a: is a cross-sectional illustration taken along the line xx in Figure 1 showing a folded towel having a guide edge cloth 2, a central cloth 4 and a trailing edge cloth 3 in a configuration of bending Z. Figure 3b: It is a cross-sectional illustration of a folded towel having a flange 36 on the guide edge cloth. Figure 4: Is a perspective view of the embossing of the guide edge cloth of a pile of z-folded wet towels. Figure 5: Is an enlarged top view of the embossing pattern on the guide edge cloth of Figures 1 and 4. Figure 6a and b: Illustrative enlarged top views of a partial guide edge cloth and an edge having a pattern of sine wave repetition and an embossed area.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, the wet towel comprises a substrate that is coated or impregnated with a liquid composition. The substrate can be woven or non-woven, foam, sponge, wadding, balls, bullions or films and can be composed of synthetic or natural fibers or mixtures thereof. Preferably, the fibrous compositions are a mixture of viscous hydrophilic fibrous material, cotton or linen and a hydrophobic fibrous material such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polypropylene (PP) in a proportion of 20% -80% hydrophilic material and 80% - 20% hydrophobic material by weight. Two compositions P870 particularly preferred are 50% viscose / 50% PP and 50% viscose / 50% PET. Alternatively, the substrate can also be cellulose based. The substrate preferably has a basis weight of at least 20 gm "2 and preferably less than 150 gm" 2 and preferably superlative the base weight is in the range of 20 gm "2 to 70 gm" 2, more preferably of 50 gm "2 to 65 gm" 2. The substrate can have any caliber. Normally when the substrate is made by a hydroentangling process, the average caliper of the substrate is less than 0.8 mm. More preferably, the average caliper of the substrate is between 0.1 mm and 0.4 mm. The size of the substrate is measured according to the EDANA (European Disposables and Nonwovens Association) standard non-woven industry methodology, reference method # 30.4-89. The volumetric density of the substrate is preferably not greater than 1.0 g / cm3, preferably not greater than 0.9 g / cm3, preferably superlative not greater than 0.7 g / cm3. In addition to the fibers used to make the substrates, the substrate may have other components or materials added thereto as is known in the art. The types of desirable additives will depend on the particular end use of the substrate under consideration. For example, in products for wet towel such as wet toilet paper, paper towels, facial tissues, baby towels and P870 other products of laying to the air, a desirable attribute is the high wet strength. A) Yes, it is often desirable, particularly for cellulose-based substrates, to add guillic substances known in the art as wet strength resins. A general dissertation on the types of wet strength resins used in the paper technique can be found in the TAPPI series of monographs No. 29, Wet Strength in Paper and Paperboard, Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry (New York, 1965). The most useful wet strength resins have generally been cationic in nature. For the generation of permanent wet strength, it has been found that polyamide-epichlorohydrin resins, polyacrylamide resins and polyethylene imine type resins are of particular utility. In addition, temporary wet strength resins such as Caldas 10 (manufactured by Japan Carlit), CoBond 1000 (manufactured by National Starch and Chemical Company) and Parez 750 (manufactured by American Cyanamide Co.) can be used in the present invention. In addition to the wet strength additives, it is also desirable to include certain dry strength and lint control additives known in the art as starch binders. The substrate may also comprise agents to improve the characteristics P870 optics of the substrate material as opacifying agents for example titanium dioxide. According to the present invention, the substrate can be produced by any of the methods known in the art. A preferred method is hydroentangling, although other methods can be used. For example, the water can be replaced by another liquid, or by a gas, for example air or steam. Alternatively, the fluid needles can be replaced by mechanical needles, in a process known as needle piercing. In this, needles with tongue, for example, needles of stainless steel, pierce through the weft, hooking strands of fibers that pass through and therefore joining it to the areas pierced with the needle. The needles enter and leave the weft while it is held between two plates, the weft is removed from the apparatus by traction rollers. Another method that can be used is that of thermal bonding, in which the fibers are made of thermoplastic material or have an outer layer of thermoplastic material and are joined together at discrete points by heat. Still, another method includes the wet laying of a mixture of fibers and chemical binder, similar to the methods used in the manufacture of paper. According to the present invention, there are provided P870 wet towels that give improved ease of supply and separation of the pile. According to the present invention, the substrate of the wet towel has a central cloth and two cloths with opposite end edges, a guide edge cloth and a trailing edge cloth. Each of the cloths has a first upper surface and a second lower surface. With reference to Figures 1-3, Figure 1 provides a perspective view of a folded wet towel 1 having an embossed guide edge 2. Figure 2 is a cross-sectional illustration of a stack of folded towels 23 in a container 20. The container 20 includes a tub portion 21 and a lid 22 pivotally hinged to the tube portion, for example by a hinge mechanism. Alternatively, the towels can be stacked and then packaged in a waterproof wrap, such as an aluminum foil wrap or polymeric wrap, to provide a replacement package for use in filling the container. Each folded towel 1 extends longitudinally in the machine direction from a first guide end edge 2, to a second exit end edge 3. The folded wefts also have side edges 4 and 5 extending longitudinally from the first edge from guide end 2 to the second edge of P870 outlet end 3. Each folded towel 1 may include a first fold of cloth 6 which is generally parallel to the leading edge 2 and which is usually perpendicular to the side edges 4, 5. The first fold of cloth 6 is longitudinally spaced from the guide edge 2 to provide a guide edge cloth 9 extending between the first cloth fold 6 and the guide edge 2. In the sense in which it is used in the present cloth is a portion of the towel extending between two bends or between a fold and one end of the edge. The folded towel can also include a second fold of cloth 7 and a central cloth 8 and a trailing edge cloth 10. The second cloth fold 7 is generally parallel to the first cloth fold 6 and is longitudinally separated therefrom. The central cloth 8 is joined with the cloth of the guide edge 9, in the first cloth fold 6 and extends between the first cloth fold 6 and the second cloth fold 7. The cloth of the exit edge 10 is joined with the cloth. central cloth 8 in the second cloth fold 7. The cloth of the trailing edge 10 extends between the second cloth fold 7 and the exit end edge 3. The towel is folded in the first and second folds of cloth 6 and 7 to provide the guide edge cloth, the center cloth, and the trailing edge cloths 9, 8 and 10 in a configuration of P870 fold-Z, as best seen in Figure 3. In the fold-Z configuration, the cloth 9 is adjacent to a portion of the cloth 8 and covers the same and the cloth 10 is adjacent to a portion of the cloth 8. and it is below it. However, other bending configurations are also applicable such as bends C or folds J. Furthermore, apart from the drapes described above, the towel may have additional drapes. In particular, the guide edge cloth and / or the trailing edge cloth may also be provided with an additional fold to provide a flange on the guide edge cloth or a flange on the trailing edge cloth as illustrated in FIG. Figure 3b. That flange is formed by arranging a flange bead of the cloth that is adjacent the leading edge or the trailing edge of the folded substrate and separated therefrom to provide a ridge extending between the guide edge cloth or the trailing edge cloth. the fold of cloth flange and end edge. The folded edge of the cloth can be folded into the lower surface of the guide edge cloth so that the leading end edge is below the leading edge end cloth. This configuration is particularly beneficial to facilitate edge seizure. Alternatively, the guide edge cloth can be folded so that the guide end edge rests on the upper surface of the guide edge cloth.

P870 The flange can also be placed on the upper or lower surface of the trailing edge cloth. The flange normally extends from the guide or exit axis between 4 cm and 0.1 cm, preferably between 2 cm and 0.25 cm at the fold edge of the guide edge cloth or at the fold edge of the trailing edge. With reference to Figure 2, the folded towels 1 are not inter-folded in the stack 23, so that each folded towel 1 can be supplied from the container 20 without altering the adjacent folded towel which is below 1. Alternatively, it may be convenient in some alternate embodiments between-folding adjacent folded towels 1. For example, a cloth such as cloth 10 on a folded towel 1, could be sandwiched between cloths 9 and 8 of an adjacent folded towel below. According to the present invention the towels are stacked in groups of discreet folded towels. Multiple stacks of discrete folded towels can then be combined on top of each other to provide a stack as shown in Figure 2. In Figure 2 there are 4 discrete stacks comprising 6 folded towels. However, the number of towels in a discrete battery and the combination of batteries can be varied as required and depending on the container with which they will be associated. According to the present invention, the total dimension P870 of the substrate material depends on the application to which the towel is intended and can be chosen accordingly. In an illustrative, non-exclusive example, where the towel can be used as a baby towel, each folded towel 1 can have a length between 10 cm and 30 cm unfolded as measured longitudinally from the guide end edge 2 to the end edge of the towel. 3. For each folded towel 1, the separation between the first fold of cloth 6 and the second fold of cloth 7 can be between 2 cm and 7 cm, while the lengths of the cloth of the guide edge 9 and the cloth of the edge of Output 10 can be between 2 cm and 7 cm. In a preferred embodiment, the separation between the first cloth fold 6 and the leading end edge 2 is more preferably between 3 cm and 6 cm and even more preferably between about 3 cm and 5 cm. The separation between the first fold of cloth 6 and the second fold of cloth is more preferably between 3 cm and 12 cm and even more preferably between approximately 10 cm and 12 cm. The separation between the second cloth fold 7 and the trailing edge is more preferably between 3 cm and 6 cm and even more preferably between about 3 cm and 5 cm. According to the present invention, the individual supply of one of the wet towels from the pile of wet towels is considerably improved by reducing the coefficient of friction of at least one P870 portion of at least one of the surfaces of the towel cloths. According to the present invention, each of the towel cloths has a first upper surface and a second lower surface. The term "first top surface" refers to the surface that is higher when the towels are stacked vertically and is oriented towards the user of the product. The term "second lower surface" refers to the surface of the cloth that is lower and oriented towards the base of the stack of towels. The definition of the surface of the cloths as a first upper surface or a second lower surface therefore depends on the configuration of the towel. Accordingly, if the towel is bent as exemplified in Figures 1 and 3, in a Z-bend configuration, without interleaving, the towel has a first upper cloth surface of the guide edge 30 and a second lower cloth surface of the towel. guide edge 31, a first upper cloth surface of the trailing edge 32 and a second lower cloth surface of the trailing edge 33, a first upper surface of central cloth 34 and a second lower surface of central cloth 35. According to the present invention , any, or a combination, or all surfaces 30, 31, 32, 33 of the guide edge cloth and the trailing edge cloth may have a coefficient of P870 friction according to the present invention. More preferably, the first upper surface of the cloth of the guide edge 30 and preferably superlatively both the upper surface of the cloth of the trailing edge 30 and the second lower surface of the cloth of the trailing edge 33 have a coefficient of friction according to the present invention. According to the present invention the surface or surfaces of the substrate cloths that meet the coefficient of friction requirements are selected depending on either the intra-surface adhesion of the substrate within the same towel or the inter-surface adhesion of the substrate between two Adjacent towels or both need to be decreased. Hence, to decrease the adhesive forces between the trailing end edge cloth and the central cloth of the same towel, either the second lower surface of the trailing edge cloth 31 or the first surface of the central cloth 34 is required. comply with the coefficient of friction values that are required. Similarly, to decrease the adhesion between the trailing end edge cloth and the central cloth of the same towel, either the first upper cloth surface of the trailing edge 33 or the second lower surface of the central cloth 35 is required. comply with the requirements of the coefficient of friction values.

P870 Adhesion between adjacent towels occurs on several different surfaces depending on the folding configuration of each towel and the stacking configuration that is adopted. In the case where each towel is folded in a Z configuration and the towels are not interleaved, the adhesion between the adjacent surfaces of the towel occurs mainly between the lower second upper edge surface of the upper towel 33 and either the first upper surface of the cloth of the guide edge 30 of the adjacent lower towel or the first upper surface of the central cloth 34 of the adjacent towel or between both. In the same way, the adhesion occurs between the second lower surface of the central cloth 35 of the upper towel and either the first upper surface of the cloth of the guide edge 30 of the lower adjacent towel or the first upper surface of the central cloth 34 of the lower adjacent towel or both. Hence, preferably at least one of the combinations of those adjacent surfaces must meet the requirements of the coefficient of friction of the present invention. In embodiments in which the cloth of the trailing edge 10 of the towel 1 is sandwiched between the cloth of the guiding edge 9 and the central cloth 8 of an adjacent towel, the inter-substrate adhesion occurs mainly P870 between the first upper surface of the guide edge cloth and the second lower surface of the central cloth of the adjacent towel and between the second lower surface of the guide edge cloth and the first, upper surface of the exit edge of the adjacent towel. Therefore, a surface of a pair of adjacent surfaces must meet the coefficient of friction requirements. For example, the second lower surface of the guide edge cloth 31 and the first upper surface of the drainage edge cloth 32 or the first upper surface of the guide edge cloth 30 and the second lower surface of the central cloth 35 or the second lower surface of the guide edge 30. The trailing edge cloth 33 and the second lower surface of the central cloth 34 can meet the coefficient of friction values according to the present invention. This is in addition to any pair of adjacent surfaces of the same towel for example 31 and 34 or 35 and 32 or 35 and 32 or 31 and 34 may also meet the coefficient of friction requirements of the present invention. In a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention, independently of the folding configuration of the towels alone and of the stack thereof, at least one of the surfaces of the central cloth and preferably superlative both surfaces are not P870 comply with the coefficient of friction values of the present invention. Also in embodiments where the wet towel bend configuration provides a flange on the guide edge cloth (Figure 3b) or the trailing edge, any combination of the flange surfaces may also meet the requirements of the coefficient of friction. of the present invention. According to the present invention it is not necessary that practically the entire surface area of the surface of an end edge cloth 9 or 10 meets the requirement of the coefficient of friction. Preferably, at least 3%, more preferably between 5% and 60%, preferably superlative between 6% and 50% of the surface area of the surface of a cloth has a coefficient of friction according to the present invention. The surface area of the cloth that meets the requirement of the coefficient can be a continuous surface area of the cloth or an intermittent surface area that can be a random or regular repeat pattern. The surface area is defined as the sum of smaller squares or rectangles that cover the treated area. The surface area can be located arbitrarily on the surface of the cloth or it can be presented as a regular repeating pattern. Preferably, the surface area of the cloth that meets the P870 coefficient of friction requirement extends from substantially the entire distance of the guide edge 2 or of the outlet 3 towards the first or second fold of cloth and is preferably substantially parallel to these as exemplified in Figures 1 and 5. Alternatively, The surface area of the cloth can be extended from a first or second fold of cloth. The surface area is thus practically rectangular and extends between 5% and 50% of the length of the lateral edge of the cloth itself. The percentage of surface area that requires friction coefficient treatment means, (as described below), such as the surface that complies with the coefficient of friction according to the present invention is not normally the entire surface area. The percentage depends on the means used and is typically treated with them between 5% and 90%, preferably between 10% and 60% and preferably superlative between 15% and 40% of the surface area. According to the present invention the cloth surface has either a static friction coefficient of 1.05 or less, preferably 1 or less, more preferably 0.99 or less, preferably superlative 0.98 or a coefficient of kinetic friction of 1 or less, of preference 0.95 or less and more preferably 0.9 or less and preferably superlative 0.88 or less. In a P870 preferred mode the surface meets both the value of the coefficient of static friction and the coefficient of kinetic friction. According to the present invention the coefficient of friction of the substrate surface of the wet towel is determined according to ASTM D1984-87 with modifications as detailed below. The wet towels produced according to the present invention result in towels with a supply higher than the towels that are provided according to the prior art. It is believed that the main reason is due to the reduction in friction due to a decrease in the surface area of a surface of a cloth of the substrate material that is in direct contact with an adjacent surface. However, the improved supply may also involve other effects and interactions in addition to the given hypothesis or in place of it and therefore should not be relied upon. For example, the interactions between the substrate and the lotion that change the energetic characteristics of the surfaces can also contribute to a reduction in the coefficient of friction. The coefficient of friction is a measure of the adhesion between two adjacent surfaces. The coefficient of static friction is related to the force required to start the movement between the two P870 surfaces as well as the initial hold of the towel. The coefficient of kinetic friction is the force required to maintain this movement and is thus related to the separation of the towel from the pile. The coefficient of friction can be used to characterize how surfaces can easily slide together. A high coefficient of friction tends to indicate little slip or poor supply. A low coefficient of friction indicates high slip and good supply, hence the towel layers are easily released. According to the present invention any means by which the coefficient of friction of the surface of the wet towel can be reduced is suitable for use in the present and thus includes both physical or mechanical means as well as chemical means and combinations thereof. Preferably, these means should be selected to minimize their impact on the characteristics of the substrate material itself, so that the towel maintains its desirable characteristics such as softness, absorbency and wet strength and can be provided to the wet towel cloths in any stage of the manufacturing process. Physical / mechanical means suitable to provide the surface of a cloth with the coefficient of P870 required friction include, for example, embossing, crimping, thermal bonding, bonding and ultrasonic printing, for example water jet printing. These methods are well known to those skilled in the art. Preferred means are the embossing by means of which the surface of the cloth is embossed with an embossing pattern. The embossing pattern typically comprises ridges and valleys and can be arranged in any shape and direction. The embossing can be performed using a pair of engraving rollers having engraving elevations arranged according to the respective embossing pattern on their outer surfaces. The engraving rolls are arranged and controlled so that the engraving elevations are arranged exactly head to head in each case but do not touch each other. However, any other technique that provides embossing may be applicable. Preferably, the embossing is carried out during the separation of the substrate material into individual towels. Typically the surface area of a cloth that is embossed will provide between 5% and 50%, preferably between 10% and 40%, preferably superlative between 15% and 35% of surface area having embossing. Suitable chemical means to lower the coefficient of friction include the silicone release agent coating from Dow Corning of Midland, Michigan.

P870 which is available as Syl-Off 7677 to which is added a crosslinker which is available as Syl-Off 7048 in weight proportions of 100 parts to 10 parts, respectively. Another suitable treatment is a coating with a UV curing silicone comprising a mixture of two silicones which are commercially available from General Electric Company, Silicone Products Division of Waterford, NY, under the designations UV 9300 and UV 9380C-D1, with Weight proportions from 100 parts to 2.5 parts, respectively. When such a silicone mixture is used in the coating application of the substrate, levels of at least 0.25 g, preferably between 0.5 and 8.0 grams of silicone per square meter of surface area have worked satisfactorily, even with other coating levels. they can be shown to be suitable for certain applications depending for example on the nature of the substrate and the characteristics of the lotion. Other suitable treatment materials include, in non-exclusive form, fluorinated materials such as fluoropolymers (eg, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), commercially available under the tradename TEFLON) and chlorofluoropolymers Other materials that have been shown to be suitable include hydrocarbons such as petrolatum, latex , paraffins and the like, although the silicone materials P870 are currently preferred for use in wet towels because of their biocompatibility properties. Others include some of the commercial water repellents listed by McCutcheon's Volume 2: Functional Materials 1995, McCutcheon's Division, The Manufacturing Confectioner Publishing Co. (whose exposure is considered part of this, for reference), of which GrapHsize is preferred, available from Akzo Nobel Chemicals Inc. and Norgard 10-T available from Norman, Fox & Co. Other suitable means include coatings with photosensitive resins. Alternatively, the reduction in the coefficient of friction of the surface portion of the wet towel by chemical means can be achieved by the use of the wet towel composition itself. This can be achieved by the decrease or substantial absence of the composition in the portion of the surface. According to the present invention, these chemical substances can be applied to the surface of the cloth by any means such as coating, atomization, extrusion, printing or impregnation of the surface itself or of the substrate fibers. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention in addition to providing the surface of at least one end cloth with a reduced coefficient of friction to facilitate delivery, it is also P870 preferable to provide the guide edge or cloth with a visual and / or tactile indicator. These indicators also help the consumer in locating the leading edge itself. Visual indicators can be provided, for example, in the form of a thin colorful strip or band printed on the surface of the guide edge cloth in the vicinity of the edge itself. Tactile indicators include, for example, means by which the guide edge of the wet towel is lifted, by using a z-fold configuration, for example, wherein the guide and outlet edges of the towel itself or of towels Adjacent ones overlap. In the latter case of overlap of adjacent towel cloths this can be achieved by stacking typically without interleaving or by interspersed stacking of adjacent towels. Alternatively, the edge location of the wet towels can be lifted mechanically by providing a virtually vertical force on the towels from the base of the pile. In this way at least a portion of the central cloth is raised and preferably also at least a portion of the cloth of the guide edge. This can be achieved for example by placing a ridge or a spring in the base of the container or in the plastic sheet in which the wet towels are stored, which is placed practically in P870 vertical form below the guide edge cloth and preferably superlative below the guide end edge itself. A particularly preferred means for providing an indicator edge is by using a nonlinear edge such as a repeat sine wave as shown in Figure 4 or a zig-zag repeat pattern. These non-linear patterns may extend partially along the length of the edge in a continuous or intermittent manner or more preferably extend almost along the entire length of the edge of the towel. The arrangement of such a border provides a visual and tactical edge location indicator. These mechanisms also promote ease of delivery and also help reduce adhesion between the adjacent surfaces of the towels. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, wherein either the edge cloth guides as the cloth of the trailing edge have a reduced coefficient of friction provided by the embossing as described above, the embossing area of the cloth can be arranged so that it is practically parallel to the edge of the towel, so that it corresponds to the contours of the same in its non-linear configuration. Alternatively the edge of the embossed area can be linear as illustrated in the Figures P870 6a and 6b. Another advantage of end edge cloth embossing is the diminution or elimination of edge fraying when using non-linear edge configurations, in particular non-woven substrates or cellulose-based substrates. According to the present invention, the substrate material is usually impregnated or coated with a liquid composition. The composition can be water-based or alcohol-based or an emulsion, either water-in-oil or oil-in-water or a multiple emulsion, preferably the emulsion is an oil-in-water emulsion. Typically, the composition will comprise between 2% and 50% by weight of the active composition and between 50% and 98% water, preferably deionized or distilled. Of the active component, preferably between 2% and 20% is present in the oil phase and the rest is present in the aqueous phase. According to the present invention, wet towels are provided with an emulsion composition comprising an oil phase in the range between 1% and 20%, preferably between 2% and 10% by weight of the composition. Advantageously, the oil-based phase is derived from natural sources such as vegetable or animal oils or can be synthetic or some mixture thereof. Vegetable and animal oils suitable for use here include waxes such as bees, lanolin, candelilla and oils like P870 esters of glycerin and glycerin ethers, fatty alcohols, esters of fatty acids and ethers of fatty acids such as capric and caprylic triglycerides and octyl palmitate. Suitable mineral oils include petroleum-derived oils such as paraffin and petrolatum. Synthetic oils to be used herein include ethylene polymers for example, polyethylene wax or silicone-based oils. Suitable silicone oils include polydimethylsiloxanes, volatile cyclomethicones, dimethiconols, siloxysilicates, and amino- and phenyl siloxane derivatives and mixtures thereof. Examples include dimethicone (Dow Corning 200 Fluids), cyclomethicone and dimethiconol (Dow Corning 1401 Fluid), cetyl dimethicone (Dow Corning 2502 Fluid), dimethicone and trimethylsiloxysilicate (Dow Corning 593 Fluid), cyclomethicone (Dow Corning 244, 245, 344 or 345 Fluid), phenyl trimethicone (Dow Corning 556 Fluid) or combinations thereof. Oil-in-water emulsions usually require emulsifying agents. The emulsifying agents that can be used in the present invention are preferably susceptible to primary emulsification of oil-in-water emulsions. The emulsifying agent is present in the range of 0.02% and 5.0%, preferably between 0.02% and 3.0%, by weight of the composition. In a preferred embodiment the agent P870 emulsifier is an emulsifying agent of polymeric type such as a copolymer of C-alkyl acrylates and one or more monomers of acrylic acid, methacrylic acid or one of its simple esters cross-linked with an allyl ether of sucrose or an allyl ether of pentaerythritol. Emulsifying agents that are thus useful in the present invention include Ceteareth-12, Ceteareth-20 or Pemulen TR1 and TR2 which are available from B.F. Goodrich Company of the United States. However, other emulsifying agents known as ethoxylated fatty alcohols, glycerin esters and fatty acids, soaps, sugar derived agents are also suitable for use herein. Other useful emulsifying agents include those set forth in detail in EP-A-328 355. According to the present invention the composition may comprise an agent for stability or preservative. Stability agents suitable for use herein include phenoxyethanol, preferably present in the range between 0.1 and 1.0%, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, methylparaben, propylparaben, ethylparaben, butylparaben, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, chloride of benzalconium and disodium salt of ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (hereinafter referred to as EDTA) or other salts of EDTA (sequestrenes). Sequestrene is a series of complexing agents and P870 metal complexes in general of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and salts. The total amount of stability agents should be in the range between 0.1% and 4% by weight of the composition. The composition of the present invention may further comprise between 0.02% and 5.0% by weight of the composition of an emollient or humectant. Preferably the emollient is soluble in water and includes polyhydric alcohols, such as propylene glycol, glycerin and also water soluble lanolin derivatives. Other optional agents that can be used in the present invention include anti-fungal agents, antibacterial agents, skin protectants, oil-soluble cleaning agents, surfactants or water-soluble detergents, preferably non-ionic or amphoteric, pH regulators, perfumes, fragrances and the similar. For the emulsion to provide the wet towel with good cleaning qualities, the viscosity must be less than 500 mPas (milipascales), preferably in the range between 300 and more than 100 mPas and preferably superlative in the range between 180 and 120 mPas. In the preparation of wet towel products according to the present invention, the composition is applied to at least one surface of the substrate material. The P870 composition can be applied at any time during the manufacture of the wet towel. Preferably, the composition can be applied to the substrate after the substrate has dried. Any variety of application methods that uniformly distribute lubricating materials having a molten or liquid consistency can be used. Suitable methods include spraying, printing, (e.g., flexographic printing), coating (e.g., gravure coating or flood coating) extrusion by which the composition is passed through tubes that are in contact with the substrate while the substrate passes through the tube or combinations of these application techniques. For example, by atomizing the composition on a rotating surface such as a calendering roll which then transfers the composition to the surface of the substrate. The composition can be applied either to one surface of the substrate or to both surfaces, preferably to both surfaces. The preferred method of application is extrusion coating. The composition can also be applied non-uniformly to the surfaces of the substrate. By non-uniform it is understood, for example, that the amount, distribution pattern of the composition can on the surface of the substrate. For example, some of the surface of the P870 substrate may have higher or lower amounts of the composition, including portions of the surface that do not have any composition on them, for example for embodiments in which the decrease or absence of composition on the cloth provides the reduction in the coefficient of friction of the invention. The composition is usually applied in an amount between about 0.5 g and 10 g per gram of substrate, preferably between 1.0 g and 5 g per gram of substrate, preferably superlative between 2 g and 4 g per gram of dry substrate. Preferably, the composition can be applied to the substrate at any time after it has dried. For example, the composition can be applied to the substrate before calendering or after calendering and before rolling on a main roll. Typically, the application will be carried out on an unrolled substrate that comes from a roll that has a width equal to a real number of towels that it is planned to produce. The substrate with the composition applied therein is subsequently separated to produce individual towels. EXAMPLE Composition and emplificativa (a) Preparation of a batch of concentrate The following is a description of the preparation P870 of concentrate batch of a composition for application on the wet towel substrate. The size of the concentrate batch was 10 kg. The following quantities of materials were used: Oil Phase 1110 g Mineral Oil 555 g Dicaprilic Acid 555 g Capryl / Capric Triglycerides 555 g Ceteareth-12 555 g Ceteareth-20 Aqueous Phase 6670 g Water, purified The oil phase was heated to 50 ° C while stirring gently with a cooling device. stirring of blades to ensure uniform heating. The oil phase was added to the aqueous phase while stirring rapidly with a stirring device type blades. Then, after all the oil phase was added, the mixture was gently stirred until it reached 25 ° C. The emulsified concentrate was processed through a Gaulin Lab 40 at conditions of 315 bar at the first valve and 35 bar at the secondary valve, giving a total effective pressure of 350 bar. The concentrate was then passed through the Gaulin for the second time under the same conditions.

P870 (b) Dilution of the concentrate batch The following description is of the dilution of the concentrate to make the formula of the final lotion. The lot size of the final lotion was 2000g. In this stage, an Aqueous Dilution Phase was prepared as follows: Aqueous Dilution Phase 10.0 g Phenoxyethanol 8.0 g Potassium sorbate 2.8 g Benzalkonium chloride (BKC) (50% solution) 2.0 g Tetrasodium EDTA 1.2 g Citric acid 1614.0 g Water, purified The components of the aqueous dilution phase were added together and shaken with a blade mixer until all were dissolved. The rate of agitation determines how quickly the components dissolve. In the next step, 360 g of the concentrate prepared as described above in (a) was added to the aqueous dilution phase while stirring continued with the blade mixer. After the concentrate was added, 2.0 g of a fragrance was added to complete the composition. After all the components were added, the lotion was stirred for approximately P870 10 minutes to ensure a uniform dilution of the concentrate and even mixing of the fragrance in the lotion.

Substrate and emulsion 3.0 g of composition per gram of substrate material is added to the substrate using extrusion coating. The substrate is Fibrella 310062 by J W Suominen YO, Finland. The total dimensions of the substrate are 18 cm by 20 cm. The cloth of the leading edge is 5 cm by 18 cm, the central cloth is 10 cm by 18 cm and the cloth of the trailing edge is 5 cm by 18 cm. The towel is folded in a fold configuration Z. The surfaces that meet the coefficient of friction are portions of the first upper surface of the guide edge and the first upper surface of the trailing edge. An area of 12 mm by 18 mm extending from the leading edge or exit edge and parallel to them that is provided with the embossing pattern, as illustrated in Figure 5, provides 23% embossing. Each of these surfaces has an embossing area of 12 mm by 18 mm that provides 23% of the embossed area of this area. The embossing pattern is as illustrated in Figure 5.

P870 Friction Coefficient measurement test. According to the present invention the coefficient of friction of the substrate surface of the wet towel can be determined according to ASTM D1984-87. The following modifications are made to the method. The sample of the wet towel before the treatment of reduction in the coefficient of friction is placed in the plane. An identical wet towel sample having a treatment for the coefficient of friction (embossing) is attached to the sled. 5.1 The sled: the sample sheet is attached to the sled using tight clamps with screws. 5.10 The driving device: the transverse speed of the tension tester is set at 127 mm / min. 7.3 The driving speed: the driving speed is set at 127 mm / min and the travel distance in the plane is set at 127 mm. 9.3b Weighing: An additional weight of 500 g +/- 5 g is placed in the sled for 15 s +/- 1 s, to simulate the calendering of the pile of towels. Each sample is tested once and each test is an average of 5. The coefficient of friction test as described above was determined in the wet towel exemplified above. The only difference is that the wet towel analyzed in the sled has a width of 28 mm and a P870 length of 65 mm thus providing approximately 46% of the area of embossing coverage. Coefficient coefficient of friction friction static kinetic surface of the upper cloth 0.98 0.88 edge guide verses surface of central cloth bottom surface of the cloth of 0.98 0.88 trailing edge verses surface of central cloth surfaces top and bottom of 1.1 1.35 central cloth The results of above demonstrate that both the coefficient of static friction and the coefficient of kinetic friction are considerably reduced compared to untreated surfaces. Therefore, these surfaces provide an improved supply of the towel when folded and stacked.

P870

Claims (21)

1. CLAIMS i 1. A wet towel comprising a substrate and a liquid composition, the substrate has a central cloth and two opposite end cloths, a guide edge cloth and a trailing edge cloth, each of the cloths has a first surface and a second surface, characterized in that at least a portion of at least one surface of the panels has either a coefficient of kinetic friction of 1 or less or a coefficient of static friction of 1.05 or less.
2. 2. A wet towel according to claim 1, wherein the portion of the cloth surface has both a coefficient of kinetic friction of 1 or less and a coefficient of static friction of 1.05 or less.
3. 3. A wet towel according to claim 1, wherein the coefficient of kinetic friction is 0.95 or less and the coefficient of static friction is 1.0 or less.
4. 4. A wet towel according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the surface is selected from the first surface of the cloth of the leading edge, the second surface of the cloth of the leading edge, the first surface of the cloth from the trailing edge, the second surface of the cloth of the trailing edge or combinations thereof.
5. 5. A wet towel according to any of the P870 preceding claims, wherein the surface is provided with the coefficient of friction by physical means, chemical means or combinations thereof.
6. 6. A wet towel according to claim 5, wherein the physical medium is embossed.
7. 7. A wet towel according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the portion is at least 3% of the surface area of the cloth surface.
8. 8. A wet towel according to claim 7, wherein the portion is between 5% and 60% of the surface area of the cloth surface.
9. 9. A wet towel according to claim 7, wherein the guide edge cloth and the trailing edge cloth each have an end edge and wherein the surface area extends from substantially the entire distance of at least one the end edges. A wet towel according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the guide edge cloth and the trailing edge cloth each have an end edge and wherein at least one of the end edges is practically non-linear . A wet towel according to claim 10, wherein the non-linear end edge is a repeating sine wave pattern that extends substantially along the length of the end edge. P870 12. A wet towel according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the substrate is a nonwoven. 13. A wet towel according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the substrate comprises hydrophobic fibers selected from polyethylene terephthalate or polypropylene or mixtures thereof. 14. A wet towel according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the substrate comprises hydrophilic fibers selected from cotton, viscose, linen or mixtures thereof. 15. A wet towel according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the liquid composition is an oil in water emulsion. 16. A wet towel according to claim 14, wherein the wet towel comprises between 0.5 g and 10 g of the emulsion per gram of substrate by dry weight. 17. A pile of wet towels according to any of the preceding claims, wherein each of the wet towels is folded into a Z-fold configuration. 18. A pile of wet towels according to claim 17, wherein the wet towels are not interleaved. P870 19. A pile of wet towels according to claim 17, wherein the wet towels are interleaved. 20. A pile of wet towels according to claim 17, wherein at least a portion of the central cloth of at least one of the wet towels is raised vertically. A stack of wet towels according to claims 4 and 17, wherein the guide edge cloth of each of the wet towels has a flange fold on the guide edge cloth which is adjacent to the guide edge of the towel folded into Z and spaced apart therefrom to provide a flange extending between the fold of the cloth flange and the end edge. P870