WO1992004990A1

WO1992004990A1 - Article and method for cleaning printers and copiers

Info

Publication number: WO1992004990A1
Application number: PCT/US1991/006840
Authority: WO
Inventors: Joseph P. Giammanco; Robert L. Giammanco
Original assignee: Giammanco Joseph P; Giammanco Robert L
Priority date: 1990-09-20
Filing date: 1991-09-20
Publication date: 1992-04-02
Also published as: AU8669091A

Abstract

A method of cleaning the paper path of a printer or copier without having to shut off the power or disassemble the machine (60). The cleaning is done by means of an article (22), optionally having bristles (28), which can be impregnated with a cleaning fluid and passed through the machine (60) in the same manner that regular paper is fed through the machine (60).

Description

ARTICLE AND METHOD FOR CLEANING PRINTERS AND COPIERS

FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to an article and a method for cleaning printers and copiers. The article is useful for cleaning toner based copiers, impact printers such as dot matrix printers and daisy wheel printers, as well as non-impact printers such as toner based printers and ink jet printers. In another aspect, this invention relates to a method for producing and packaging an article for use in cleaning printers and copiers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Printers, copiers and other similar equipment require periodic cleaning of the internal rollers, paper path, toner dispensing and fusing system. The dirt which accumulates in these machines is primarily made up of airborne dust, paper dust and toner powder. Most personal copiers and printers do not undergo regular cleaning because users generally lack the knowledge, desire or time to partially dismantle and clean the toner powder and dirt which accumulate on the various rollers and guides found along the paper path. In addition, only limited access to the paper path and feed rollers is gained through the normal opening of the machine allowed by the various machine designs. As a result, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to completely clean the rollers, guides and entire paper path of such machines.

Background art has taught both "dry" and "wet" methods for removing foreign matter from a support surface. The dry method can consist of either the abutting of a piece of unwoven cloth or a blade against the support, or it can consist of the blowing of air against the support to remove foreign matter. The effectiveness of using cloth or blade is limited because, as discussed above, it is not possible to access all the rollers and guides along the paper path of such machines. The use of air is not effective as the air generally disperses the dirt particles and merely redeposits them in other parts of the machine. As the air is blown on one set of rollers and guides, the loosened particles are redeposited on other rollers and guides.

In certain wet methods for example, a belt-shaped support is conveyed into a cleaning solution tank where foreign matter is removed from the support by ultrasonic vibration. In other methods, after cleaning solution has been applied to the support, air is blown across the support at high speed.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,975,096 discloses an electrophotographic copying machine having cleaning means for cleaning the surface of a specific drum element of the copying machine. The web of the cleaning means is driven independently of the copying machine by a pressure roller over which the web passes and which is arranged to press the web against the drum surface. The pressure roller moves to draw the web against the drum surface and after the cleaning process, the pressure roller moves to draw the web away from the drum. In the cleaning mechanism of the reference, only one drum surface which is located at a fixed position can be contacted and cleaned by the web. Such cleaning means have limited cleaning range since they are stationary and adapted to clean only the parts which are located adjacent to the cleaning means. U.S.Pat. No. 4,577,362 describes means for removing foreign matter from flexible support in which a solvent solution is first applied to the support to be cleaned, and then the support is contacted by a cleaning plate. There are various difficulties involved in the above methods. For example, in removing foreign matter with cloth or a blade, the support can be scratched thus damaging the surface. In addition, the support can become electrostatically charged by the friction caused by the cloth or blade as it rubs against the surface. Another difficulty caused by the cloth method is that the woven cloth can leave fibers and other lint particles on the surfaces with which it comes in contact. Air is particularly ineffective for removing foreign matter from surfaces since air, even at high speed air is capable of removing only relatively large particles, generally in the 20 to 30 micron size range. The wet methods which have been taught in the background art have been limited to machines of relatively large sizes, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,728,103 for cleaning calendar rolls used in linoleum sheeting processes.

When webs have been used as the cleaning means for copying machines, the webs have been unwound from a feed roller, through a pressure roller and later rewound on a take-up roller. Such devices are necessarily complicated since at least the take-up roller must be driven in order to wind the web. These cleaning means are further complicated by the fact that the alignment of all the rollers must be extremely accurate in order to avoid damaging the surface to be cleaned. Recently, background art has taught a pre-wetted cleaning sheet for the cleaning of facsimile machines. The sheet is made of plastic/cellulose composite having very low heat resistance. As a result of the low heat resistance the sheet cannot be used in copiers and printers since such machines generate substantial heat during operation. U.S. Patent No. 4,611,361 describes means for cleaning facsimile apparatus by use of two sheet materials, one being an absorbent sheet which is coupled to the rear end of an impregnated sheet. Background art has taught very little on cleaning mechanisms for smaller reproducing machines such as toner-based copiers and printers. There are no cleaning methods available for the cleaning of electrostatic printers and copiers which are capable of cleaning the guides, rollers, and paper paths of these machines simultaneously using a single sheet of material and without the need to shut off and dismantle the machine. For these systems, cleaning of the paper path is frequently accomplished by shutting off the system and manually cleaning the rollers and other parts using damp cloth and cotton swabs. The typical cleaning method for such machine is described in Hewlett Packard's "LaserJet III^W Printer User's Manual". A typical cleaning procedure instructs the operator to shut off the power, open the machine, and using either damp cloth or cotton swabs dipped in alcohol, proceed to clean the various rollers and parts of the machine. Such manual cleaning processes can be tedious and time-consuming. In addition, the operator is required to be knowledgeable in the various parts described in the instructions. Without such knowledge, the operator could damage the machine by handling the wrong parts.

Background art has taught cleaning kits for dot matrix printers and typewriters. Such kits consist of compressed air, cleaning solutions, cleaning pads, a cleaning material, and disposable gloves. To use the kit, the operator is required to feed the cleaning material into the printer and then squirt the cleaning solution on one portion of the cleaning material. The used material is then torn off and discarded. For the hard-to-reach areas of the printer, the user is required to apply the cleaning solution to the cleaning pads and then manually clean the guides and rollers. For the more difficult areas, the user is required to apply air from the compressed air bottle. As discussed earlier, compressed air is ineffective in removing smaller sized particles and debris. This method of cleaning has many of the disadvantages discussed above. Because the user is expected to manually apply the cleaning solution to the cleaning material the amount of wetting accomplished will vary leading to inconsistent cleaning. In addition, the cleaning material is not sufficiently large to completely clean the print head; therefore, only partial cleaning can be accomplished by using this method. The most significant disadvantage of this method of cleaning is that it is very limited in its application. It cannot be used for cleaning the entire paper path. In particular, it cannot be used for the cleaning of the print drums of electrostatic printers and copiers. Finally, this method of cleaning is tedious and time consuming since it requires several steps to accomplish the cleaning including manual cleaning using cleaning pads and compressed air. As a result of the time and tedium of this and the other procedures described above, users seldom clean these machines. This leads to degradation of the reproduction quality, breakdown and subsequently, expensive maintenance calls. In addition, when users attempt to manually clean the machine they may come in contact with hot surfaces in the machine which may lead to injury to the operator. More importantly, both the user and the machine may be exposed to electricity which may lead to injury. In addition, such activities may generate static electricity which may damage the circuitry of the machine. Furthermore, accidental spilling of cleaning fluids which can occur during the manual cleaning process can damage the printer parts and lead to expensive replacements. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is the object of the present invention to provide an article and method for removing foreign matter from the surface of rollers, guides, paper path, and other parts of a printer or copier without shutting off the power, and without the need to disassemble the machine.

Briefly, the present invention provides an article for cleaning a printer or copier or any machine having a paper path, the article being a single sheet of cleaning material, the sheet being impregnated with a cleaning fluid.

In another aspect, the present invention provides an article for cleaning a machine having a paper path, the article being a single sheet of cleaning material having a plurality of bristles connected to the surface of the sheet such that the sheet is capable of cleaning the machine with a single pass through the paper path.

In yet another aspect, an article is provided which can be wetted with cleaning fluid just prior to being passed through a printer.

In still another aspect, the present invention provides a method for making a sheet of cleaning article having a plurality of bristles connected to the surface of the sheet.

In a further aspect, the present invention provides a sheet of spunbonded fabric having a nonwoven surface, the sheet being contained in a hermetically sealed package. In yet a further aspect, the present invention provides a kit for cleaning printers which contains a sheet of spunbonded fabric having a nonwoven surface, a pouch, and a cleaning fluid.

In still a further aspect, the present invention provides a method of packaging the article of the invention in a hermetically sealed enclosure. In a further aspect, the invention provides a method of cleaning a printer having a paper path by a single pass of the article through the paper path.

In yet a further aspect, the invention provides a method of cleaning the components that are adjacent to the rollers and guides of the paper path of a printer by means of a single sheet of the article having a plurality of bristles connected to at least one surface of the sheet. These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the detailed description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings which are discussed below.

As sometimes used in this application the term "printers" includes impact printers such as dot matrix printers and daisy wheel printers; non-impact printers such as toner based printers, toner based copiers, and ink jet printers; and any printing or copying machine having a paper path formed by rollers and guides located in the machine.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top view of the article having rows of bristles positioned along the leading and the trailing edges of the article.

FIG. 2 is a side view of a single sheet of the article showing the bristles protruding from one plane or surface of the sheet.

FIG. 3 is a front view of a single sheet of the article showing the bristles protruding from both planes or surfaces of the sheet.

FIG. 4 is an isometric diagram of an article having perforations showing the location of bristles relative to the perforations. FIG. 5 is an isometric diagram of a single sheet of the article without perforations, showing rows of bristles attached to both planes or surfaces of sheet.

FIG. 6 is a cross-section view taken along line 6- 6 of FIG. 7 showing the article enclosed in a package. FIG. 7 is an isometric view of a hermetically sealed package having a section partially cut away to reveal the article of FIG. 5 enclosed in a package.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the location of the accordion-like folds of the article along the base of the bristles.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the path of the cleaning article through a machine having a paper path formed by rollers and guides.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION AND SPECIFICATION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an article for use in the cleaning of printers such as toner-based printers, ink jet printers, daisy wheel printers, laser printers and dot matrix printers and copiers. The article is adapted to be fed through the machine in the same manner that normal paper would pass through the machine. In contrast to the background art, the article and method of the present invention do not require the operator to open or disassemble the machine in order to clean the parts and rollers. The cleaning method of the present invention can be performed while the machine is in its normal operating mode and without the need to shut off the power.

The article can be made of any lint-free or non lint forming material which is capable of passing through the paper path of a printer. It is also desirable that the material be capable of retaining its strength and rigidity after it has been impregnated with a cleaning fluid so that it can pass through the paper path of the machine after impregnation. The article can be made of natural or synthetic fibers, capable of being formed into sheets or webs. Natural fibers which can be used include cotton, wool, wood, flax, wood pulp based cellulose filter media, cotton based cellulose filter media, cellulose, paper and other natural fibers. Useful synthetic fibers for the present invention include polyester, polypropylene, rayon, and nylon. Blends of synthetic and natural fibers can also be used such as polyester/cellulose, and rayon/cotton blends. In addition, the article can be made of woven, nonwoven, or a combination of woven and nonwoven fabrics of the above fibers. Such combinations can be formed for example, by laminating woven and nonwoven fabrics together. Preferably, the article of the present invention is made of polyester, commonly known as PET (polyethylene terephthalate) . It is well known in the art that when materials made from polyester fibers are shaped and then heat set, that is, exposed to elevated temperatures, thermoplastic relaxation of induced stresses in the fiber takes place and configurations at the molecular level adjust to a new and lower energy level, as is described in Reiσel's Handbook of Industrial Chemistry (7th edition by James A. Kent, 1974), ch. 11, p. 330. Heat setting allows the material to return to its original configuration after temporary distortion even while it is exposed to moisture and elevated temperatures. Polyester fibers which can be used for the article of the present invention are well known and are commercially available, for example, Dacron (developed by E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, Wilmington, Delaware), and Reemay™, a spunbonded polyester available from Reemay, Inc. , Old Hickory, Tennessee (formerly the Reemay Division of E. I. du Pont) . The preferred material for the article of the invention is Reemay™ spunbonded polyester which is a nonwoven fabric of continuous filament polyester fibers that are randomly arranged, highly dispersed and thermally bonded at the filament junctions. The article can be dry or it can be wetted with a cleaning fluid. The cleaning fluid can be selected from water, alcohol, trichlorotrifluoroethane, or a mixture thereof. Isopropyl alcohol is the preferred cleaning fluid because it is effective and inexpensive. In addition, it is safe to use and will not damage the rollers of the machine. The cleaning fluid can be applied to the sheet either at the time of use, or at the time of manufacture. The article can be made by obtaining rolls of the selected fabric or other material, and cutting the material to the required sizes. The dimensions of the article are limited only by the paper size limitations of the machine to be cleaned. The possible width of the cleaning article can vary from 50.8 milimeters (mm) up to the width of the widest roller or guide found in the machine. The typical length of paper used in these machines can vary from 76.2 to 508 mm. The length of the article should be at least equal to the circumference of the largest roller contained in the machine. This is necessary so that all surfaces of the rollers can be contacted and cleaned as the article passes through the paper path. The length of the article can vary from 76.2 mm to the maximum length of paper recommended for the machine. The appropriate length of the article will vary from machine to machine. The thickness of the article is also limited by the maximum paper thickness which the machine is adapted to accept. Typically, these machines are adapted to accept paper having thicknesses in the range of 0.08 to 0.5 mm.

The article can be a solid sheet of material or it can be a sheet having a plurality of whisker-like materials or bristles which are randomly attached to at least one plane or surface of the sheet. The bristles can be located on one plane of the article as shown in FIG. 2, or on both surfaces of the sheet as shown in FIG. 3. In one embodiment, the article is a sheet of cleaning material having a first region 24 and a second region 26 containing bristles 28 which are located in a plurality of rows as shown in FIG. 1. The length of the rows of bristles can vary from 12.7 mm to the entire width of the sheet. The bristles 28 can be located towards the leading edge 40 of the sheet, towards the trailing edge 42 of the sheet, or at both edges 40 and 42 of the sheet 22 as shown in FIGS. 3. The bristles 28 can also be located randomly on the article. The length of region 24 should be at least equal to the circumference of the largest roller or guide contained in the machine. In a preferred embodiment, the bristles are located about the center of the sheet.

The bristles 28 can be formed by various methods. For example, they can be formed by attaching whisker¬ like materials or bristles on to the surface of the article by means such as heat or adhesives or by other mechanical means. The whisker-like materials or bristles 28 can be made of the same material as the article, or they can be made of another material having similar cleaning characteristics as the cleaning material. In one embodiment, FIG. 4, the bristles 28 are formed by first partially cutting portions of the sheet so that the cut piece remains attached to the sheet by at least one segment and then folding back the cut piece to form perforations and bristles. The cut portions can be folded back up to 180 degrees from their attached base to partially or fully expose the perforations 30. The folded portions form the bristles 28 of the article. The cut-and-fold sequence is repeated as needed to form the required number of bristles. In this embodiment, the bristles 28 are located adjacent to the perforations 30 and protrude from the plane of the sheet as shown in FIG. 4. In another embodiment, the bristles 28 are attached to a solid sheet of the article in the manner shown in FIG. 5. In this embodiment, there are no perforations and the bristles 28 can be attached to the sheet 22 by the use of adhesives or by the heat sealing method. In the preferred embodiment, the bristles are attached to the surface of the article by ultrasonic welding, a method which is well known in the art.

When an article having bristles is to be contained in a package or envelope, the bristles are folded so that the article is substantially flat in the package or envelope as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG. 8 shows the method of folding used in the packaging of the article. The folds 70 are located at the point of contact between the bristles and the sheet. The result is an accordion¬ like fold which allows the bristles to spring back to a position forming a substantially obtuse angle with the plane of the sheet. When the sheet is fully extended, the bristles can spring back sufficiently to form a substantially perpendicular angle with the plane of the sheet.

When the article is provided in a dry state, that is, not pre-wetted with cleaning fluid, it can be contained in an envelope or other pouch-like container. While the preferred embodiment provides an article which has been pre-wetted with a cleaning fluid, it is possible to provide the article in a kit form, wherein the article is contained in an open pouch or envelope, and cleaning fluid so that the user can apply the fluid to the article in the pouch or envelope just prior to use.

When the article is pre-wetted with cleaning fluid, it is contained in a hermetically sealed package 50 as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 in order to prevent evaporation of the cleaning fluid and in order to prevent dust and other airborne particles from contaminating the article 22. The package can be made of any material which is inert to the cleaning fluid. Preferably, the article is contained in flexible, multi¬ layer laminate packaging material. There are various ways of combining layers of materials to obtain flexible, multi-layer laminates for making packages, envelopes or other containers. The chosen combination depends on the given application and the desired functional characteristics of the container. Key characteristics of flexible packaging include protection from dust and dirt, moisture barrier, gas barrier, protection against loss of moisture, flexibility, sealability, machinability, aesthetics, durability and other characteristics. Use of flexible multi-layer laminate materials for packaging is well known in the art. In addition, the choice of laminate materials is governed by the desired flex-crack resistance, heat resistance, economics, shelf-life demands, and limitations of the packaging machinery. For the present invention, it is desirable that the package be flexible and at the same time provide protection against evaporation and loss of the cleaning fluid.

Materials which can be used to obtain the desired characteristics are numerous and well known in the art. Useful layers can be chosen from various materials including aluminum foil (AF) , metallized aluminum (AM) , biaxially oriented nylon (BON) , balanced oriented polypropylene film (BOPP) , cellophane, ethylene acrylic acid (EAA) , ethylene methacrylate (EMA) , ethylene ethacrylic acid (EMAA) , ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) , oriented nylon (ON) , polyethylene terephthalate (PET) , low density polyethylene (LDPE) , polyethylene (PE) , linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) , and packaging paper such as natural (unbleached) kraft paper (NK) , bleached kraft paper (BK) , and many others. The preferred laminate structure for the packaging of the present invention comprises: Layer ; Material

1 (outside layer) BK

2 LDPE

3 AF 4 EAA

5 (inside layer) LLDPE

Aluminum foil provides excellent barrier properties, and it is commonly used in thicknesses from 0.00017 to 0.006 inches. Another advantage of using aluminum foil is that foil is readily combined with many other materials which are used to form the laminate composites. Packaging paper, preferably bleached kraft paper can be used for the outside layer because it is economical and easy to handle. The outer layer can also be made of biaxially oriented PET and other films which exhibit acceptable dimensional stability and heat resistance; however, PET films are difficult to tear and more expensive than paper. Packaging paper can be either bleached or unbleached. Unbleached paper is generally stronger, stiffer, and more coarse than bleached paper. Coarse packaging paper is typically unbleached while fine packaging paper are generally bleached. Kraft paper is made from at least eighty percent (80%) sulfate wood pulp. It is typically coarse and exhibits exceptional strength. Fine paper is generally used in applications demanding printing, writing, and special functional properties such as barriers to liquid and gaseous materials. Although fine paper is not as strong as unbleached paper, it can be manufactured to meet requirements of both strength and printability. The pulps used to manufacture bleached papers are relatively white, bright, and soft. In addition, they withstand exposure to chemicals necessary to develop other functional characteristics such as strength. Bleached kraft paper is the preferred outer layer for the present invention because of its inherent printability, and because it can be used as a barrier to contaminants.

Packaging of the article can be accomplished by several methods. For example, in a low volume production environment, the article of the invention can be placed in a pre-formed pouch and then sealed to provide a hermetically sealed package. Pouch making is well known in the art and similar methods are employed to form the multi-layer flexible packaging of the present invention. The sides of the pouch are sealed by known methods such as bar sealing, band sealing, impulse sealing, hot-wire or knife sealing, ultrasonic sealing, friction sealing, gas sealing, contact sealing, hot-melt sealing, pneumatic sealing, dielectric sealing, magnetic sealing, induction sealing, radiation sealing, solvent sealing, or any of the other known sealing methods. The chosen sealing method depends on the laminate structure, the desired characteristics, and economics. Other methods can also be used such as radio-frequency or laser welding. Heat sealing is the primary method of sealing multi-layer packages since the inner components are generally thermoplastic materials such as EAA and LLDPE that soften with application of heat and solidify when heat is removed. Other heat-sealable materials which can be used include heat-seal coatings such as vinyl acetate-vinyl chloride copolymers, nitrocellulose, acrylics, vinylidene chloride copolymers, hot melt adhesives, and waxes. Heat-sealant films such as LDPE, LLDPE, medium density polyethylene, high density polyethylene, polypropylene, ethylene copolymers and others can also be used. In one embodiment, the pouch is sealed by the ultrasonic method. In ultrasonic sealing the sealing heat is produced by mechanically rubbing the packaging materials together at a high frequency. In ultrasonic sealing the heat produced by rubbing the materials together is sufficient to melt the interface without degrading the rest of the packaging material. In the preferred embodiment, the pouch is sealed by the band sealing method which is well known in the art. In this method, the open sides of the pouch are passed between two moving bands which are then pressed together by heated bars. The resulting heat softens the pouch material causing the two surfaces of the packaging material to fuse and seal. The sealed pouch is then cooled by pressing the moving band between chilled bars. After the article has been placed in the pouch, it can be either sold in a kit form, or it can be wetted with a cleaning fluid and then hermetically sealed. The open end of the pouch can then be sealed by any of the sealing methods described above. When the pre-formed pouch method is not practical for a given production environment, the packaging can be accomplished by placing the cleaning article between two sheets of packaging material and sealing the edges of the packaging material to form a hermetic seal around the cleaning article. This process is accomplished by providing a first and second sheet of a suitable packaging material, applying a sealant film to the inside edges of the two sheets, placing a first sheet of the package material on a surface with the sealant film side facing up, placing the cleaning article on the packaging material, placing the second sheet of the material over the article with the sealant film side facing down so that the sealant film edges of the first and second packaging materials abut, and heat sealing the edges of the first and second packaging sheets to form a hermetically sealed package. When the article is properly packaged and sealed in the manner described above, a shelf life of up to two years can be attained.

As shown in FIG. 9, the cleaning of a machine can be accomplished by feeding the article of the invention through the machine 60 in the same manner that normal paper is fed through the machine. The speed of cleaning can be as fast as the fastest paper feed speed of the machine. In general, the article can be fed through the machine in any direction. When the article contains bristles, the bristles may be oriented perpendicular to the plane of the sheet or they may be oriented in an acute angle to the plane of the sheet. In the preferred embodiment FIG. 5, the bristles are directed away from the leading edge 40, and toward the trailing edge 42 of the sheet 2. In this embodiment, the article includes indicia or arrow 20 which indicates the direction in which the sheet should travel as it feeds through the machine. The sheet travels in a direction indicated by the indicia and away from the direction of the bristles as shown in FIG. 9 in order to avoid the bristles from getting caught in the components along the paper path of the machine.

The sheet 22 can be fed into the machine 60 through its automatic or manual paper feed mechanism, that, is, by either activating the machine's form feed or print function or by using any computer software capable of printing a blank document. As the sheet 22 travels through the machine 60, as shown in FIG. 9, its bristles 28 contact the components adjacent the rollers and guides to clean accumulated debris from the areas above and below the paper path which are normally not easily reached by manual cleaning. At the same time as the sheet travels through the paper path, the various rollers 64 and guides 62 that come into direct contact with the sheet 22 are cleaned by contacting these rollers and guides with the sheet 22. When the article is designed with perforations, the rollers and guides are cleaned by contacting them with the solid region 24 of the article as the sheet travels through the paper path. When the bristles 28 are attached to the surface of the article as described above, as it travels through the paper path, the guides and rollers are cleaned by contacting them with the solid areas 24 of the sheet and bristles 28.

Because of the special characteristics of the article, it easily passes through the paper path of the machine without impeding the functioning of the machine. Even when the article is impregnated with cleaning fluid, it retains sufficient strength and rigidity to pass through the paper path without impeding the functioning of the machine. At the same time, the bristles clean the hard to reach areas above and below the paper path without impeding the operation of the machine.

As the wetted sheet is run through a dot matrix printer, for example, and as the pins strike the wetted sheet, cleaning fluid is pulled into the pin tube guides by what is believed to be capillary action caused by the sliding motion of the printing pins. As the pins strike the wetted cleaning sheet, dirt and ink are dissolved and are subsequently freed from the pin guides. By a similar capillary action, the dirt- and ink-laden solvent is reabsorbed and redeposited onto the cleaning sheet. The cleaning action described above is evidenced by the appearance of bands of dark areas across the width of the cleaning sheet. This band of dark areas is generally observed in the top half of the cleaning sheet. In addition, when the cleaning material includes bristles, dirt accumulation is observed on the tips of the bristles. This initial band of debris and dirt collection is thought to be the result of the primary cleaning action of the article of the invention.

When the machines to be cleaned have sufficiently high levels of accumulated debris and ink build-up due to heavy usage, a second band of dark areas is observed in the second half of the cleaning material. This latter band formation is thought to be the result of a secondary cleaning action which occurs as the cleaning fluid is pulled further into the pin guides and as it dissolves the accumulated dirt and ink build-up that have deposited towards the bottom of the pin guides. After the dirt and ink are dissolved and loosened by the cleaning fluid, the dirt- and ink-laden cleaning fluid is re-absorbed by the cleaning article and deposited in the lower portion of the sheet of cleaning article. If the machine is sufficiently dirty and if the cleaning material is sufficiently long, it is possible to observe tertiary and subsequent dark bands on the sheet of cleaning material. The longer the dwell time of the cleaning fluid in the print head and, the longer the length of the cleaning material, the more likely this secondary cleaning action will occur. Accordingly, when machines have substantial accumulation of dirt and ink build-up due to heavy usage, it is preferred that the cleaning material be of sufficient length to allow this secondary cleaning action to occur. Furthermore, since the degree of cleaning achieved is a function of the dwell, time of the cleaning fluid in the print heads and other hard-to-reach areas, it is preferred that the machine be operated at a slow speed to allow sufficient dwell time, and to allow the debris-containing cleaning fluid to be re-absorbed by the cleaning article.

Having fully described the preferred embodiments of the invention, it should be understood that numerous alternatives and equivalents which do not depart from the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, given the teaching herein, and are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. An article for cleaning a machine having a paper path, the article comprising, a single length of absorbent sheet of cleaning material, the sheet being impregnated with a cleaning fluid, such that the sheet is capable of cleaning the machine with a single pass of the single sheet through the paper path.

2. The article of claim 1 wherein the cleaning fluid is selected from the group comprising water, alcohol, trichlorotrifluoroethane, and a mixture thereof.

3. The article of claim 1 wherein the sheet is contained in a hermetically sealed package.

4. An article for cleaning a machine having a paper path, the article comprising a single length of absorbent sheet of cleaning material having a plurality of bristles connected to at least one surface of the sheet, such that the sheet is capable of cleaning the machine with a single pass of the single sheet through the paper path.

5. The article of claim 4 wherein the cleaning fluid is selected from the group comprising water, alcohol, trichlorotrifluoroethane, and a mixture thereof.

6. The article of claim 4 wherein the cleaning material is selected from the group comprising, paper, cotton based cellulose filter, wood pulp based cellulose filter, polyester, polypropylene, rayon, nylon and blends thereof.

7. The article of claim 6 wherein the cleaning material is selected from the group comprising woven fabrics, nonwoven fabrics, composite structures of woven and nonwoven fabric, a spunbonded fabric having a nonwoven surface, and a spunbonded polyester fabric.

8. The article of claim 4 wherein the article further comprises indicia affixed to the surface of the sheet.

9. A method of making an article for cleaning a machine having a paper path formed by rollers and guides, comprising the steps of providing a sheet of spunbonded fabric having a nonwoven surface, and attaching a plurality of bristles to the surface of the sheet.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the bristles are attached in a plurality of rows along the width of the sheet.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the sheet is folded along the points of attachment of the bristles such that when the sheet is unfolded, the bristles spring up to a position forming a substantially obtuse angle to the plane of the sheet.

12. The method of claim 9 further comprising the steps of providing a cleaning fluid, the cleaning fluid being selected from the group comprising water, alcohol, trichlorotrifluoroethane, and a mixture thereof; and impregnating the article with the cleaning fluid.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the alcohol is isopropyl alcohol.

14. A method of packaging a cleaning article comprising the steps of: a. providing a sheet of the cleaning article; b. providing a cleaning fluid; c. providing a first and second layer of packaging material; d. applying a sealant film to the inside edges of at least one of the layers of the packaging material; e. placing the cleaning article between the first and second layers of the packaging materials so that the inside edges of the first and second layers abut; f. impregnating the cleaning article with the cleaning fluid; and g. sealing the edges of the packaging materials to form a hermetic seal around the article.

15. A method of packaging a cleaning article comprising the steps of: a. providing a sheet of the cleaning article; b. providing a cleaning fluid; c. providing a pre-formed pouch having at least one open side; d. placing the sheet in the pouch through an open side; e. applying a sufficient amount of the cleaning fluid into the pouch to wet the entire sheet; and f. hermetically sealing all open sides of the pouch.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the sheet of cleaning material further comprises a plurality of bristles attached to at least one surface of the sheet.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising the step of folding the sheet crosswise along the points of attachment of the bristles to the sheet to form an accordion-like fold prior to placing the sheet in the pouch.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein the packaging material is selected from the group comprising aluminum foil, metallized aluminum, biaxially oriented nylon, balanced oriented polypropylene film, cellophane, ethylene acrylic acid, ethylene methacrylate, ethylene ethacrylic acid, ethylene-vinyl acetate, oriented nylon, polyethylene terephthalate, low density polyethylene, polyethylene, linear low density polyethylene, and packaging paper.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the packaging material comprises a flexible multi-layer laminate structure having an outside layer of bleached kraft paper, middle layers of low density polyethylene, aluminum foil, and polyethylene, and an inside layer of low density polyethylene.

20. The method of claim 15 wherein the cleaning fluid is selected from the group comprising water, alcohol, trichlorotrifluoroethane, and a mixture thereof.

21. The method of claim 15 wherein the sides of the pouch are sealed by: passing the open sides of the pouch between two moving bands, pressing the bands between heated bars to soften and seal the pouch, and pressing the bands between chilled bars to cool the pouch.

22. A kit for cleaning a machine having a paper path comprising a single length of absorbent sheet of cleaning material contained in a pouch, and a cleaning fluid, the sheet being capable of cleaning the machine with a single pass through the paper path.

23. A method of cleaning a machine having a paper path formed by rollers and guides, comprising the steps of: a. providing a single sheet of cleaning material;

b. plugging the machine into an electrical outlet and turning on the power;

c. providing means for feeding the sheet of cleaning material through the paper path of the machine; and

d. inserting the sheet in the machine and passing the sheet through the paper path.