Abstract:
A method for controlling the flow of a fluid on a surface. In some embodiments, the method includes providing a fluid absorbent tape that includes an absorbent material, a fluid permeable cover enclosing the absorbent material to form an elongated fluid absorbent tape, and a separating structure that is formed in a transverse direction across the elongated fluid absorbent tape and the absorbent material. The separating structure divides the elongated tape into first and second sections. The first section of fluid absorbent tape is separable from the second section of fluid absorbent tape along the separating structure. Also in some embodiments, the method further includes separating a desired length of the first section of fluid absorbent tape from the second section at said separating structure, placing the first section on the surface, and contacting the first section with the fluid to be controlled so that the absorbent material forms a physical barrier to the flow of fluid.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a divisional application of U.S. Ser. No. 10/818,779 filed on 6 Apr. 2004, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,618,402. 
    
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH 
     Not Applicable. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This invention relates to fluid absorbent tape, and in particular to an elongated fluid absorbent tape including absorbent material for controlling the flow of fluid on a surface. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE BACKGROUND ART 
     When a floor finish is stripped from a floor, an aqueous stripping solution is often applied to the floor. Because the floors in many buildings are rarely perfectly level, the stripping solution will flow to low points in the floor. Unfortunately, the low points are not always conveniently within the area being stripped. As a result, the stripping solution will flow outside of the area being stripped, under doors, fixtures, furniture, display shelves, or off the floor onto adjacent surfaces, such as carpeting. This can cause unnecessary additional work refinishing adjacent areas, damage to fixtures, such as severe rusting, or permanent damage to the adjacent surfaces, such as discoloration of carpeting. Additionally, when the bulk of the stripping solution is removed from the floor and a new finish is applied, the stripping solution that had flowed underneath the fixtures, furniture, and display shelves, can seep back out onto the new finish, causing additional repair work or unsightly damage to the new finish. 
     The current practices are to do nothing to control the flow of stripping material and repair the damage as it occurs, or to use plastic sheets and masking tape to seal off edges of the surface being stripped. Sealing the edges of the surface being stripped is problematic in that it is time consuming, difficult because the worker must bend over or crawl along the floor on hands and knees, and irregularities in the floor or taping process cause leaks and gaps that the stripping solution can flow through. Although spill absorbent pads or pigs are available, they are provided in only fixed lengths and are typically too expensive to use over a large area. Accordingly, a need exists for a fluid absorbent tape that is easy to use and is customizable for different sized areas. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a fluid absorbent tape that is divided into sections. The sections can be separated to customize the length of the tape and simplify use. In one embodiment of the invention, the fluid absorbent tape includes an absorbent material enclosed in a fluid permeable cover to form an elongated fluid absorbent tape. Separating structure formed in a transverse direction through the elongated fluid absorbent tape divides the elongated tape into a first section of fluid absorbent tape and a second section of fluid absorbent tape. The first section of fluid absorbent tape is separable from the second section of fluid absorbent tape along the separating structure. In another embodiment of the invention, the fluid absorbent tape includes a fluid absorbent material including a super absorbent polymer. An elongated fluid permeable cover having a length encloses the fluid absorbent material, and is divided into sections along the length. Each of the sections have closed ends to inhibit the fluid absorbent material from falling out of the sections through the ends. 
     A general objective of the present invention is to provide a fluid absorbent tape that has a customizable length. This objective is accomplished by dividing the fluid absorbent tape into sections. 
     Another objective of the present invention is to provide a fluid absorbent tape that is customizable and is easy to use. This objective is accomplished in one embodiment of the invention by dividing the fluid absorbent tape into sections using separating structure which simplifies shortening the fluid absorbent tape to a desired shortened length. 
     Yet another objective of the present application is to provide a fluid absorbent tape that is customizable and does not create additional work. This objective is accomplished in one embodiment of the invention by dividing the fluid absorbent tape into sections and closing the ends of the sections, such that absorbent material does not fall out of the section ends. 
     The foregoing and other objectives and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description. In the description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which there is shown by way of illustration a preferred embodiment of the invention. Such embodiment does not necessarily represent the full scope of the invention, however, and reference is made therefore to the claims herein for interpreting the scope of the invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a top plan view of a fluid absorbent tape incorporating the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a sectional view along line  2 - 2  of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a sectional view along line  3 - 3  of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a top plan view of another embodiment of a fluid absorbent tape incorporating the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a sectional view along line  5 - 5  of  FIG. 4 ; and 
         FIG. 6  is a sectional view of another embodiment of a fluid absorbent tape incorporating the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     A fluid absorbent tape  10 , shown in  FIGS. 1-3 , for use in controlling the flow of fluid on a surface includes an absorbent material  12  enclosed in a fluid permeable cover  14 . The tape  10  has an elongated length that extends between tape ends  16  and a width that extends transversely between longitudinal edges  18 ,  20 . In a preferred embodiment, the length is divided into sections  22 ,  24 ,  26  by separating structure  28  extending transversely between the longitudinal edges  18 ,  20  that allows a user to easily select a desired shortened length of the tape  10  for controlling the flow of a fluid on the surface. The shortened length of the tape  10  is selected by separating adjacent sections  24 ,  26  corresponding to the desired shortened length. 
     The absorbent material  12  is preferably, a super absorbent polymer (SAP), such as polyacrylate absorbents, which is commercially available and can absorb many times its own weight of an aqueous fluid. The absorbent material  12  can be in any form, such a fibrous, granular, powder, gel, and the like without departing from the scope of the invention. Moreover, if the absorbent material  12  is provided in a granular or powder form, the powder or grains can be enclosed in small fluid permeable or soluble pillows or packets that can expand or rupture as the absorbent material  12  expands upon absorption of a fluid. Although an absorbent material for absorbing aqueous fluids, such as SAP is preferred, any suitable absorbent material can be absorb the fluid being controlled, such as clay, sponge material, petroleum absorbent material, and the like, can be used without departing from the scope of the invention. 
     The absorbent material  12  is enclosed within the elongated fluid permeable cover  14 , such as formed from a non-woven fabric. The cover  14  allows fluid to flow therethrough and be absorbed by the absorbent material  12 . Preferably, indicia, such as the word “Caution”, icons, and the like, is printed on the cover to warn pedestrians of fluid on the surface that is being controlled by the absorbent tape  10 . Moreover, although a fluid permeable cover  14  formed from a non-woven fabric is preferred, the cover  14  can be formed from any suitable material, such as a woven fabric, a fluid impermeable material, such as plastic, having holes formed therethrough, and the like, which allows fluid to pass therethrough without degrading in a fluid environment. 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , the cover  14  is formed from an elongated strip of a non-woven fabric having longitudinal edges  32 ,  34  extending substantially parallel to a longitudinal fold line  36  (best shown in  FIG. 1 ). The strip is folded over the absorbent material  12  about the longitudinal fold line  36 , and the longitudinal edges  32 ,  34  of the strip are joined together, such as by thermal welding, sonic welding, adhesives, and the like, to define an inner volume  38  containing the absorbent material  12 . Of course, the cover  14  can be formed in other ways known in the art, such as by joining longitudinal edges of two facing strips of fluid permeable material, forming an elongated cylindrical sleeve from a fluid permeable material, and the like. 
     The inner volume  38  of the cover  14  is sized to allow the absorbent material  12  to expand as the absorbent material  12  becomes saturated with a fluid without causing the cover  14  to rupture. This can be accomplished by providing an inner volume  38  that is greater than the volume of the saturated absorbent material. Of course other methods that allow a volume to expand, such as by forming pleats in the cover, forming the cover from a fluid permeable expandable material, and the like can be used without departing from the scope of the invention. 
     Referring back to  FIGS. 1-3 , the elongated fluid absorbent tape  10  is divided into the joined sections  22 ,  24 ,  26  having an end to end relation by the separating structure  28  which allows the absorbent tape  10  to be easily shortened to a desired length. Although only three sections  22 ,  24 ,  26  are shown, the fluid absorbent tape  10  can have any number of sections without departing from the scope of the invention. Preferably, the separating structure  28  is a plurality of perforations that extend between the longitudinal edges  18 ,  20  of the tape  10  which allow the sections  22 ,  24 ,  26  to be separated without tools. Most preferably, the separating structure  28  is formed in the tape  10  at regular intervals, such as every foot, to form sections in an end to end relation of a constant length along the length of the tape  10 . Although perforations are a preferred separating structure  28  because they are small and easy to form, other structure, such as slits formed intermittingly through the tape between sections, cuts formed only in the longitudinal edges of the tape, holes formed between sections, and the like, can be used to define sections and allow a user to easily select a desired shortened length of the tape for controlling the flow of a fluid on a surface. 
     Each section  22 ,  24 ,  26  of the tape  10  includes ends  42 ,  44  defined by the separating structure  28 . Each end  42 ,  44  of each section  22 ,  24 ,  26  is preferably closed to inhibit the absorbent material  12  from falling out of the section  22 ,  24 ,  26  through the ends  42 ,  44 . Preferably, the ends  42 ,  44  are closed by sonically or thermally welding the cover  14  together adjacent to, or across, the separating structure  28 . Of course other methods known in the art for joining material together, such as adhesives, mechanical fasteners, and the like, can be used to close the ends  42 ,  44  of each section  22 ,  24 ,  26  without departing from the scope of the invention. Moreover, if separating structure  28  is not provided, the sections  22 ,  24 ,  26  can be defined by the closed ends  42 ,  44  of each section  22 ,  24 ,  26 . Of course, if separating structure  28  is not provided, tools, such as a scissors, knife, and the like, may be required to separate the sections  24 ,  26  corresponding to the desired shortened length of the fluid absorbent tape  10 . 
     The degree of closure of the section ends  42 ,  44  is dependent upon the particular absorbent material  12  being used. For example, if the absorbent material  12  is in the form of intermeshed fibers, merely tacking the cover  14  at one or more points between the tape edges  18 ,  20 , such the absorbent material does not fall out may be preferred. However, if the absorbent material  12  is in powder form, sealing the ends  42 ,  44  across the entire width of the tape  10  may be preferred. Each section end  42 ,  44 , however, does not need to be closed across the entire width of the section  22 ,  24 ,  26 , such that the ends  42 ,  44  are sealed and no absorbent material  12  will fall out of the closed ends  42 ,  44 , to fall within the scope of the invention. 
     A releasable adhesive  48  can be provided along the length of the fluid absorbent tape  10  to hold the tape  10  in place on a surface and act as an initial fluid barrier. The adhesive  48  can be applied directly to the cover  14  and covered by a release liner  50  that is removed prior to use. The adhesive  48  can be applied to a portion of each section  22 ,  24 ,  26  to avoid having the release liner  50  extend between sections  22 ,  24 ,  26 . Alternatively, the release liner  50  can include separating structure aligned with the separating structure  28  formed in the fluid absorbent tape  10 . The fluid absorbent tape  10  can also be fixed to the surface using a double-sided adhesive tape adhesively bonded to the cover  14  with a release liner covering the outwardly facing side of the double sided tape without departing from the scope of the invention. 
     Advantageously, the fluid absorbent tape  10  can be provided in any length, such as a 10, 25, 50, 100, 200 feet, in the form of a roll or accordion folded in a box for easy storage and shipping. Only the length of fluid absorbent tape  10  required to control the fluid on the surface is removed from the box or unrolled from the roll. 
     In use, the fluid absorbent tape  10  is removed from the box, or unrolled from the roll, and the adjacent sections  22 ,  24  of the fluid absorbent tape corresponding to the desired length of fluid absorbent tape are separated. The unused fluid absorbent tape sections  26  remain joined and in the box or on the roll for future use. Once the desired length of the fluid absorbent tape  10  has been determined and separated from the remaining fluid absorbent tape  10 , the shortened length of tape  10  is placed on the surface adjacent to the surfaces that are being protected from the fluid. 
     When the fluid, such as a stripping solution, comes in contact with the fluid absorbent tape  10 , the fluid passes through the cover  14  and is absorbed by the absorbent material  12 . Advantageously, absorbent material  12 , such as SAP can also swell considerably to form a physical barrier to a large flow of fluid, such as occurs while a user is spreading a stripping solution or pouring stripping solution onto a floor. 
     Placing the fluid absorbent tape  10  adjacent to the surface being protected and directly onto the surface containing the fluid protects the adjacent surface, and when stripping a floor with a stripping solution, the fluid absorbent tape  10  allows the stripping solution to contact the surface immediately under the fluid absorbent tape  10 , thus avoiding the necessity of putting stripping solution on that area of the surface and eliminating the risk of the stripping solution flowing onto the protected adjacent surface. 
     In one embodiment shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , where the same reference numbers are used to designate the same components as in the first embodiment, the absorbent material  12  extends across the separating structure  28  along the longitudinal edges  18 ,  20  of a fluid absorbent tape  110 . A central portion  54  of the tape  110  spaced inwardly from the longitudinal edges  18 ,  20  and extending across the separating structure  28  is devoid of absorbent material  12  in order to close the ends  42 ,  44  of the sections  22 ,  24 ,  26  by directly joining only a small portion the cover  14  together. Advantageously, this provides absorbent material  12  across the separating structure  28  to minimize the flow of fluid past the fluid absorbent tape  110  between adjacent sections  22 ,  24 ,  26 . 
     In another embodiment shown in  FIG. 6 , where the same reference numbers are used to designate the same components as in the first embodiment, a fluid impermeable strip  60  of material, such as plastic, is joined to the cover  14 , such as by an adhesive, welding, and the like, along the length of a fluid absorbent tape  210 . The fluid impermeable strip  60  can be laid over a surface, such as carpeting or a wall, adjacent to the surface having fluid thereon to protect the adjacent surface from splashing or overspray. A releasable adhesive  62  can be used to adhere the fluid impermeable strip  60  to the adjacent surface to ensure the adjacent surface remains covered. 
     As disclosed above, the fluid absorbent tape  10 ,  110 ,  210  can be used to control the flow of fluid on a surface, such as a stripping solution on a floor. The fluid absorbent tape  10 ,  110 ,  210  however, can be used for controlling any fluids that are absorbable by the absorbent material, such as condensation, from windows, drainage from refrigeration units, cleaning solutions, large spills of any type, and the like, without departing from the scope of the invention. 
     While there has been shown and described what is at present considered the preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention defined by the appended claims.