Description

The present invention relates to a foldable wipe for leather shoe care, a disposable package comprising one or more foldable wipes and a method of leather care.

Leather products such as shoes have been used for many centuries. To prolong the life, increase water resistance, shine and restore, maintain and improve the appearance of leather and leather shoes, leather care compositions such as shoe polish is commonly applied to the leather.

Different substances have been used to care for leather and polish shoes for a long time, examples being natural substances such as wax and tallow. A large increase in leather shoe production during the 19th and 20th centuries created an increased demand in shoe polish.

Especially during and after the first and second world wars there was a huge demand for the product since so many army boots had to be polished. Many formulations of modern polish still in use today were introduced in the 20th century. Currently, shoe polish is typically comprised of a mixture of natural and synthetic materials, such as naphtha, turpentine, dyes and gum arabic.

Since the introduction of shoe polish in the 19th century, leather care and in particular leather shoe care is typically performed by applying a leather care composition or shoe polish to a shoe, letting the shoe polish dry and thereafter vigorously brushing with typically a horsehair brush to remove excess dried shoe polish. A final buff with a cloth may thereafter be performed to obtain a high shine. Since the brushing results in many fragments of waxy shoe polish falling on the floor, generally protection of the floor in the form of an old newspaper or large cloth is sought.

Given the amount of tools and time needed, shoe polishing is not a task that one can do when, for instance, in a hurry or when traveling.

It is an object of the present invention, amongst objects, to obviate the above problem.

This object of the present invention, amongst other objects, is met by providing a foldable wipe for leather shoe care, a package comprising one or more foldable wipes and a method of leather care as outlined in the appended claims.

Specifically, this object of the present invention, amongst other objects, is, according to a first aspect, solved by providing a foldable wipe for leather shoe care comprised of a top layer, a bottom layer and an intermediate layer disposed between said top and bottom layers, wherein said top and bottom layers are comprised of a nonwoven fabric, wherein said nonwoven fabric has a density of at least 20 g/m ² , wherein said top layer is at least partially provided with a leather care composition, and wherein said intermediate layer is impermeable for said leather care composition.

The top layer is at least partially provided with a leather care composition, for instance shoe polish, to apply a leather care composition like a shoe polish to a leather surface of, for instance, a shoe. During and after application, the leather care composition may impregnate the leather surface. The intermediate layer is impermeable for the leather care composition, making it possible to apply the leather care composition to the leather surface without the leather care composition passing through the top and bottom layers and thereafter being disposed on nearby objects or surfaces or the hands, or any other unwanted places, of the person using the wipe.

Furthermore, the intermediate layer increases the (shear) strength of the wipe.

The leather care composition is partially provided on the top layer of the wipe because it is practical if the leather care composition covers only a limited area of the top layer, furthermore leaving the edges of the top layer uncovered with leather care composition. Preferably this area is 1 to 8 cm in diameter, and more preferably 1.5 to 4 cm in diameter, such as diameters of 1.3 cm, 2 cm, 2.5 cm, 3 cm, 3.5 cm, 4.5 cm, 5 cm, 5.5 cm, 6 cm, 6.5 cm and 7 cm. Having such an area covered with leather care composition makes it possible to controllably distribute the leather care composition to curved leather surfaces, or leather surfaces with edges and small features such as the ones present on shoes commonly referred to as a brogue shoes.

Furthermore, having such an area of the top layer covered with leather care composition makes it possible to distribute the leather care composition without unwittingly or unintentionally applying the leather care composition on other surfaces. The leather care composition may be partially absorbed by the top layer of the wipe. Therefore, having a limited area of the top layer provided with leather care composition furthermore lowers the loss of leather care composition due to the potential partial absorption by the top layer.

Additionally, when folding the wipe with the top layer towards itself with the top layer partially provided with leather care composition the latter will be on the inside of the now folded wipe, and not on the edges facing outward, thereby protecting, for instance, the person using the wipe and other surfaces nearby the wipe from unintentionally receiving any the leather care composition.

The intermediate layer which separates the nonwoven fabric top and bottom layers may comprise a plastic, paper or cellulose based materials known in the art to be substantially impermeable to the used leather care composition.

The top and bottom layers of the wipe according to the present invention are comprised of a nonwoven fabric. A nonwoven fabric is a fabric -like material made from fibres, which may be bonded together by chemical, mechanical, heat or solvent treatment. In the textile manufacturing industry the term nonwoven is typically used to describe fabrics which are not woven or knitted.

The nonwoven fabric used for the top and bottom layers has an area density of at least 20 g/m ² . This area density defines the thickness of the nonwoven fabric of the top and bottom layers when taken together with the volume density of the nonwoven material. Together with the used nonwoven material and manufacturing process, the area density furthermore defines the strength. The preferred area density of the nonwoven fabric lies within the range of 20 to 200 g/m ² , more preferably 35 to 150 g/m ² , even more preferably 50 to 125 g/m ² and most preferably 60 to 100 g/m ² , such as 25 g/m ² , 30 g/m ² , 40 g/m ² , 65 g/m ² , 70 g/m ² , 75 g/m ² , 80 g/m ² , 85 g/m ² , 90 g/m ² ,

2 2 2 2 2

95 g/m , 110 g/m , 140 g m" and 175 g/m . An area density of 20 g/m gives just sufficient strength to the nonwoven fabric for leather care, where vigorous polishing may be performed and the leather surfaces may have edges and small features, for instance such as the ones present on shoes commonly referred to as a brogue shoes. An area density of 75 g/m ² is especially preferred to achieve the required strength of the nonwoven fabric. It furthermore supplies some friction to hold the wipe comfortably while applying the leather care composition to a leather surface, as opposed to holding the bare intermediate layer, which is typically made of a plastic material.

A nonwoven fabric is furthermore used for the bottom layer since the bottom layer— having no leather care composition— may be used to remove the excess of the applied leather care composition, to further impregnate and buff the leather surface with the leather care composition. If a shiny leather surface is wanted, rigorous wiping is required, thereby requiring a nonwoven fabric with a certain (shear) strength. With such a nonwoven fabric bottom layer, a result equal to the classical method of shoe polishing including what is typically a horse hair brush may be obtained.

According to a preferred embodiment of this first aspect of the present invention, the present leather care composition is selected from the group consisting of polish, waxy paste, cream, and liquid used to polish, shine, and waterproof leather to extend the life, restore, maintain or improve the appearance of leather.

It may be clear that the choice of leather care composition depends on what leather surface it is to be used for, for instance what colour the leather has, what the purpose of wiping the leather is, and what type of leather object is. Shoes require a specific type of shoe polish depending on the material the shoes are made of.

Various substances may be used in leather care compositions, for instance natural substances such as wax and tallow. Shoe polish is usually made from a mix of natural and synthetic materials, including naphtha, turpentine, dyes, and gum arabic, using straightforward chemical engineering processes.

According to another preferred embodiment of this first aspect of the present invention, the quantity of said leather care composition lies in the range of 0.5 g to 5 g, such as 0.8 g, 1.4 g, 1.9 g, 2.5 g, 2.9 g, 3.5 g, 3.8 g and 4.5 g, preferably 1 g to 4 g, more preferably 1.5 g to 3 g, and most preferably 1.7 g to 2 g.

The most preferable amount of leather care composition spanning 1.7 g to 2 g is typically sufficient to be used for two leather shoes. More or less may be used depending on the leather surface the foldable wipe is intended for. Boots, for instance, may have a larger leather surface area than shoes while, for instance, children's shoes may have a smaller leather surface area, thus respectively more or less leather care composition is needed.

According to yet another preferred embodiment of this first aspect of the present invention, the present nonwoven fabric comprises a spunlace nonwoven fabric which is comprised of cotton, polypropylene, viscose, tencel, bamboo, polylactic acid, northern bleached soft wood kraft pulp or the like and or a mixture of such materials.

Spunlacing or hydroentanglement is a process for making nonwoven fabrics. It comprises a bonding process for wet or dry fibrous webs made by carding, air-laying or wet- laying. High pressure jets of water are used to go through the web, hit a conveyor belt or the like and bounce back causing the fibres to entangle. The water pressure is directly related to the obtained strength of the web, and very high pressures may furthermore split fibres into micro- and nano-fibres, which can give the resulting nonwoven fabric specific properties like a specific texture, such as a silk-like texture. These types of nonwoven fabric can be as strong and tough as woven fabrics made from the same fibres.

According to a more preferred embodiment of this first aspect of the present invention, the present nonwoven fabric comprises fibres held together by interlocking or bonding through chemical, mechanical, heat or solvent treatment.

According to an even more preferred embodiment of this first aspect of the present invention, the top and bottom layers of the wipe are joined to the intermediate layer using techniques known in the art including melt bonding, chemical bonding, adhesive bonding and ultrasonic bonding.

According to a second aspect, the present invention relates to a disposable package, said package comprising at least one foldable wipe according to the present invention as described above wherein said package is suitable for storing said wipe for prolonged periods of time.

Such a package may be made from a plastic or other material, having the property of being sufficiently pliable as to make a package containing the described wipe that is folded at least once. Furthermore the package material should be substantially impermeable for the solvents or other volatile compounds in the leather care composition for at least several weeks to months, preferably more than 6 months, more preferably over a year and most preferably up to and over 2 years.

According to a third aspect, the present invention relates to a method for leather care with the foldable wipe as described above that comprises providing a foldable wipe according to the present invention, distributing the leather care composition provided on the top layer of the foldable wipe on a leather surface and impregnating the leather surface with said leather care composition with the bottom layer of said wipe, for example, for providing shine to the leather surface.

As described above, impregnating is done with the bottom layer because it is free of leather care composition. Furthermore, the wipe may be folded at least once to obtain protection from the leather care composition still present on the top layer. Rotation and further folding of the wipe may be performed to obtain new clean surfaces of its bottom layer to continue wiping areas of leather surfaces that are to be wiped.

Thus, with this method using the foldable wipe described above, one can polish ones shoes while traveling or in limited time and with fewer tools than traditionally needed. A leather care composition disposed on the top layer of the wipe to distribute the leather care composition, an impermeable layer for practical application of the leather care composition and a bottom layer for impregnating the leather surface with leather care composition and creating a shiny surface due to the friction generated by the bottom layer when wiping the leather surface vigorously.

Furthermore, the package containing one or more foldable wipes may be easily carried and kept within a bag or pocket of clothing.