Abstract:
A self-adhesive cleaning wipe for use in cleaning dental mirrors and instruments. The self-adhesive cleaning wipe is placed on the surface of protective gloves worn by dental professionals, thereby providing a conveniently accessible absorbent cleaning surface for mirrors and instruments when they become soiled, wet, or fogged. The self-adhesive cleaning wipe is removable and disposable in order to facilitate infection control.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    This invention is directed toward a cleaning wipe. More particularly a self-adhesive cleaning wipe for dental instruments. 
         [0002]    It is widely known that dentists use a small round mirror mounted at an angle at the end of an elongated shaft or handle. Dental mirrors are used by dentists and dental hygienists to view portions of the patient&#39;s mouth, teeth, and tissues that would otherwise be visually inaccessible. During dental procedures, the reflective surface of the mirror will rapidly become fogged over, wet from saliva and water, or dirty from debris. It is necessary to clean the reflective surface of the mirror often so that the dental professional can effectively view the teeth and continue the procedure on the patient. It has therefore been customary for dentists to frequently remove these dental mirrors from the patient&#39;s mouth to facilitate cleaning of the reflective surface, and then to reposition the mirror in its original position. This is an unproductive and time-consuming process. 
         [0003]    There have been many attempts over the years to make this process easier. For example: U.S. Pat. No. 8,133,052 to Emmons, III (2012); U.S. Pat. No. 5,654,824 to Tarr et al. (1997); U.S. Pat. No. 7,331,785 to Croop et al. (2008); U.S. Pat. No. 3,696,824 to Widen et al. (1976) all are for various forms of self-cleaning dental mirrors. There are several disadvantages to this approach. 
         [0004]    Usually a dental practice has already invested significant money into dental mirrors, and has found a brand that they prefer. Replacing all of the mirrors in a dental practice with self-cleaning models would be costly and inefficient. 
         [0005]    Many of these self-cleaning dental mirrors make use of suction and/or air blown on the surface of the mirror, or a wiper that moves on the reflective surface. While this may remove some of the debris and saliva from the mirror, the reflective surface is still not clear enough for adequate visualization of the teeth. Further, the production of such self-cleaning mirrors is costly and complicated. 
         [0006]    U.S. Pat. No. 7,325,675 to Halkyard (2008) attempts to clean dental mirrors using a complicated extraoral device. Halkyard proposes a series of absorbent dots soaked in anti-fogging material and enclosed in a foil pouch to clean the dental mirror instead of replacing the dental mirror. There are several disadvantages to this approach. 
         [0007]    To begin, the absorbent dots are enclosed inside a packet and not readily available to the dentist when needed. When the dental mirror needs to be cleaned, the dentist must stop, put down their handpiece (dental drill), and reach to where they have placed this packet. The packet must then be opened to expose the absorbent dots, the mirror cleaned, the absorbent dots replaced in the packet, the instruments picked back up, and the procedure can then be resumed. When repeated over and over again during a single dental procedure, this process is cumbersome and tedious. 
         [0008]    Additionally, the dots are soaked in an anti-fogging solution, and cannot be used with any other solution or used dry. The dots are available in a single shape and size that is not customizable to a particular practitioner. Further, the dots are not readily available or within easy reach. Therefore, there exists a need in the art for a device that addresses these deficiencies. 
         [0009]    An objective of the present invention is to provide a quick, economical, and convenient way to clean a dental mirror. 
         [0010]    A further objective of the present invention is to provide a cleaning wipe that can be applied to a variety of surfaces, particularly gloves. 
         [0011]    Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide a cleaning wipe that can be customized as to size and shape. 
         [0012]    A further objective of the present invention is to provide a thin and flexible cleaning wipe that does not interfere with tactile senses. 
         [0013]    Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide a cleaning wipe that can be left dry or used in conjunction with a cleaning agent. 
         [0014]    A further objective of the present invention is to provide a cleaning wipe that is disposable. 
         [0015]    Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide a cleaning wipe that adheres under wet and dry conditions. 
         [0016]    A further objective of the present invention is to provide a cleaning wipe that is easily removed. 
         [0017]    These and other objectives will be apparent to one of skill in the art based on the following disclosure, drawings, and claims. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0018]    The self-adhering cleaning wipe has a front having a first side and a second side wherein a portion of the first side is covered with an absorbent material. A back is connected to the front having a first side and a second side wherein a portion of the second side is covered with an adhesive material. The adhesive material is adhered to a surface of a protective glove. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         [0019]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the front, back, and side of a self-adhesive cleaning wipe; 
           [0020]      FIG. 2   a - 2   e  are various shapes for a self-adhesive cleaning wipe; 
           [0021]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a self-adhesive cleaning wipe; 
           [0022]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the front, back, and side of an alternative embodiment of a self-adhesive cleaning wipe; 
           [0023]      FIG. 5  is a side perspective of self-adhesive cleaning wipes; and 
           [0024]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the front, back, and side of an alternative embodiment of a self-adhesive cleaning wipe. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0025]    Referring to the Figures, the self-adhesive cleaning wipe  10  has a front  12  connected to a back  14 . The cleaning wipe  10  is thin and flexible, so as not to interfere with the tactile sense in the hands and fingers and to be comfortable and easily worn during a procedure. The cleaning wipe  10  is round but may be of any size or shape, as shown in  FIG. 2   a - 2   h , including rectangular, triangular, elliptical, or a custom irregular shape. Due to the cleaning wipe  10  being thin the cleaning wipe  10  is easily cut into a custom shape. 
         [0026]    The front  12  has a first side  18  and a second side  20 . An absorbent material  16  covers the first side  18 . The absorbent material  16  can be made of any suitable material such as gauze, felt, or textured cotton material. The back  14  also has a first side  22  and a second side  24 . The second side  24  is covered by an adhesive material  26  that allows for adhesion of the cleaning wipe  10  whether it is wet or dry, but allows for easy removal. In another embodiment, the adhesive material  26  covers both the first side  22  and the second side  24  of the back  14 . The adhesive material  26  is covered by a removable film  27  that protects the adhesive material  26  from collecting debris. 
         [0027]    In another embodiment the back  14  has a ring shape, as shown in  FIG. 4 , which extends around the outer border of the front  12  and overlaps a portion of the second side  18  of the front  12  to keep the outer edges of the absorbent material  16  flat to prevent the absorbent material  16  from catching when wiping. 
         [0028]    In another embodiment, shown in  FIG. 6 , the back  14  extends around the outer border of the front and overlaps a portion of first side of the front  12  to hold the self-adhesive cleaning wipe  10  securely to the surface  28  on which it is applied. 
         [0029]    In one embodiment, shown in  FIG. 5 , a cleaning wipe  10  is stacked atop another cleaning wipe  10 . This allows the cleaning wipes  10  to be peeled off during a lengthy procedure when the top self-adhesive cleaning wipe  10  becomes saturated with debris. This would easily expose the next cleaning wipe  10  for use. 
         [0030]    A cleaning solution  30 , such as water, rubbing alcohol, or any other liquid, can be applied to the absorbent material  16  at any time during a procedure. 
         [0031]    The surface  28  in one embodiment is a protective glove  32  having a back  34  and a front  36 , but can be any convenient surface  28 . The glove  32  is a typically a latex glove, but may be made of any material such as nitrile vinyl among others. The front  36  of the glove  32  has a palm section  38 , partial palm section  40 , a thumb section  42 , and a plurality of finger sections  44 . The cleaning wipe  10  can be adhered to any section or sections of the glove including the back  34  or the front  36 . In particular, the cleaning wipe  10  can be adhered to the palm portion  38 , the partial palm portion  40 , the thumb portion  42 , and/or the plurality of finger sections  44  of the front  36  or back  34 . This allows a procedure to continue without interruption of putting down an instrument  46  to clean a mirror  48 . 
         [0032]    In operation, a cleaning wipe  10  is selected based on its size and/or shape. Alternatively, the cleaning wipe  10  is cut into a custom shape. Next, the film  27  is removed from the adhesive material  26  of the cleaning wipe  10 . The cleaning wipe  10  is then placed on a surface  28  of a protective glove  32  with the adhesive material  26  coming into contact with the surface  28 . During an operation the absorbent material  16  is used to clean a mirror  48  or other instrument  46  that is being used. If the cleaning wipe  10  becomes covered with debris or a new patient is seen, the cleaning wipe  10  can be removed and discarded without damaging the protective glove  32 . A new cleaning wipe  10  can then be placed on the protective glove  32 . 
         [0033]    Instead of investing in new equipment, the dentist can continue to use all instrumentation that he/she is used to and simply add the self-adhesive cleaning wipe  10  to what is already being used. This makes the self-adhesive cleaning wipe  10  much more inexpensive and economical than other options currently available. 
         [0034]    While the above description contains many specificities, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of any embodiment, but as exemplifications of various embodiments thereof. Many other ramifications and variations are possible within the teachings of the various embodiments. 
         [0035]    For example, a self-adhesive cleaning wipe  10  could be used for other health-care professionals, such as medical doctors, surgeons, etc. for a variety of uses. The cleaning wipes  10  could be affixed conveniently to their protective gloves  32  or other surfaces during medical or surgical procedures to facilitate simple and easy cleaning of instruments. Additionally, the self-adhesive cleaning wipe  10  could be used in industry, automotive, or other fields where someone needs to clean an instrument or tool frequently and efficiently. 
         [0036]    Thus the scope should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, and not by the examples given. 
         [0037]    The self-adhesive cleaning wipe  10  will be composed of an absorbent material  16  that is surrounded and/or backed by an adhesive material  26 . The self-adhesive cleaning wipe  10  avoids the problems of prior art methods and provides significant advantages over the prior art.