Patent Publication Number: US-2018030302-A1

Title: Wood staining and finishing wipes and method of manufacturing same

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/231,672, filed on Mar. 31, 2014, entitled “WOOD STAINING AND FINISHING WIPES AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SAME,” the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF INVENTION 
     The present disclosure relates to staining and finishing wood. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to disposable wipes that are saturated with wood staining and finishing compositions. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Wood, such as furniture for example, is commonly stained to achieve a new tone or color while preserving the natural wood appearance. The wood can be stained by applying a stain product onto a wood surface. Staining can be achieved by applying a solution including a stain to a wood surface using a brush or cloth. However, removing the stain solution from a can or other container using a brush or cloth before applying the stain solution to the wood surface can be inefficient and time consuming. In addition, the brush or cloth may require cleanup, which may be time consuming. 
     Wood is also commonly finished after being stained in order to protect the wood surface. Wood can be finished by applying a finishing solution using a brush or a cloth to the wood surface. However, extracting the finishing solution from a can or other container using a brush or cloth before applying the finishing solution to the wood surface can be inefficient and time consuming. In addition, the brush or cloth may require cleanup, which may be time consuming. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In one embodiment, a pre-treated wipe is disclosed. The pre-treated wipe includes an absorbent substrate impregnated with a solution. The solution includes a colorant capable of imparting a change in color to a wood surface. The solution further includes a finishing composition. The solution further includes a thickening agent. The solution has a finished viscosity that is greater than an original viscosity of the solution when prepared without the thickening agent. The absorbent substrate is impregnated with the solution before being disposed in a package. 
     In one embodiment, a wood surface staining and finishing kit is disclosed. The kit includes a plurality of wipes having an absorbent substrate impregnated with a solution. The solution includes a colorant capable of imparting a change in color to a wood surface. The solution further includes a finishing composition. The solution further includes a thickening agent. The solution has a finished viscosity that is greater than an original viscosity of the solution when prepared without the thickening agent. The kit further includes a tray capable of supporting the plurality of wipes. The kit further includes outer packaging disposed about the plurality of wipes and the tray, wherein the plurality of wipes are disposed within the tray before the outer packaging is applied. The kit further includes at least one plastic glove, wherein the plastic glove is removably affixed to the outer packaging. 
     In one embodiment, a method of manufacturing a wood surface staining and finishing kit is disclosed. The method includes the step of impregnating an absorbent substrate with a solution having a viscosity of 3000 to 4000 centipoise to form a plurality of pre-treated wipes. The method further includes the step of disposing the plurality of pre-treated wipes in a support tray. The method further includes the step of sealing the plurality of pre-treated wipes and the support tray within an outer packaging. The method further includes the step of adhering at least one plastic glove to the outer packaging. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In the accompanying drawings, structures are illustrated that, together with the detailed description provided below, describe exemplary embodiments of the claimed invention. It should be understood that elements shown as a single component may be replaced with multiple components, and elements shown as multiple components may be replaced with a single component. The drawings are not to scale and the proportion of certain elements may be exaggerated for the purpose of illustration. 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a flatpack including wood staining and finishing wipes. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a flatpack including wood staining and finishing wipes. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a wood staining and finishing wipe. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of one embodiment of a stack of wood staining and finishing wipes. 
         FIG. 5  is a rear perspective view of a flatpack including wood staining and finishing wipes. 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a plastic glove. 
         FIG. 7  is a flow chart illustrating one embodiment of a method for manufacturing wood staining and finishing wipes. 
         FIG. 8  is an embodiment of a wetting station. 
         FIG. 9  is a flow chart illustrating one embodiment of a method for staining and finishing a wood surface using wood finishing and staining wipes. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     A pre-treated wood staining and finishing cloth or wipe, and method for manufacturing and using the same, is disclosed and described in detail by way of examples and with reference to the figures. It will be appreciated that modifications to the disclosed and described examples can be made and may be desired for a specific application. In this disclosure, any identification of specific shapes, materials, techniques, arrangements, etc., are either related to a specific example presented or are merely a general description of such a shape, material, technique, arrangement, etc. Identifications of specific details or examples are not intended to be, and should not be, construed as mandatory or limiting unless specifically designated as such. Selected examples are hereinafter disclosed and described in detail with reference made to  FIGS. 1-9 . 
     A wipe generally includes an absorbent substrate that is pre-treated with a solution including wood stain, a wood finishing composition, and/or a thickening agent, or a combination thereof, before being disposed in a package. In one embodiment, the wipe may be impregnated with a solution that both stains a wood surface and also finishes the wood surface to protect the surface (hereinafter referred to as “the solution”). The pre-treated wipe eliminates the need for extracting a staining solution or finishing solution from a container with a brush or a cloth before applying it to a wood surface, thereby allowing for a cleaner and more efficient wood staining and finishing process. Additionally, the pre-treated wipe enables more efficient staining and finishing of a wood surface by eliminating a step and enabling the staining and finishing of a wood surface in one combined step. In addition, because the wipes are disposable, cleaning up after the project is simplified. 
     In one embodiment, the absorbent substrate may be made of any suitable material or combination of materials that are capable of absorbing the solution and applying the solution to a wood surface. In one example, the absorbent substrate is made of a nonwoven fabric. In another example, the absorbent substrate may be made of a 70% Viscose fabric and 30% polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fiber blend. In another example, the absorbent substrate may include a spunlace material. In yet another example, the absorbent substrate may include a material with a fine apertured pattern. Generally, the absorbent substrate may have an absorption capacity of about 700% to about 1250%, and desirably about 950%. An example of a suitable absorbent substrate is commercially available from Jacob Holm Industries, located in Candler, N.C. 
     In one embodiment, the solution to be absorbed by the absorbent substrate may include a colorant, or stain, that imparts color to a wood surface. The colorant may be non-soluble in solution, such as a pigment. In another example, the colorant may be soluble, such as a dye. In one embodiment, the colorant may impart a natural oak color, a maple color, a chestnut color, a dark mahogany color, or a walnut color to the surface on which it is applied. It should be appreciated that the colorant may include other suitable colors of pigment or dye, or a combination of pigment and dye. 
     The solution may further include a base solvent for carrying the colorant and for aiding in applying the colorant to a wood surface. In one example, the solvent is water-based or aqueous-based. In other example, the solvent may be oil-based or non-aqueous-based. It should be understood that the solvent may be any solvent suitable for aiding in applying the colorant to a wood surface. 
     The solution may further include a finishing composition for adding a protective coating to a wood surface. In one example, the finishing composition is a polyurethane composition with acrylic resin. It should be understood that the solution may include other types of finishing compositions, suitable for protecting a wood surface. 
     The solution may further include a thickening agent for increasing the viscosity of the solution. An increased viscosity allows for the solution to stay impregnated in the absorbent substrate for longer periods of time without separating due to gravitational forces. For example, by adding the thickening agent to the solution, the finished wipe may be capable of retaining the solution for at least 2 years. 
     In one example, the thickening agent includes an alkali soluble, non cellulosic anionic emulsion, which includes approximately 4.5% of the total formula by weight. It should be understood that other thickening agents may be used, suitable for increasing the viscosity of the solution. In one example, the viscosity of the solution after the addition of the thickening agent may be from about 3000 to about 4000 centipoise. Absent a thickening agent, the solution may have a lower viscosity, between 50 to 70 centipoise for example. It should be understood that if the viscosity of the solution without thickening agent is from about 3000 to about 4000 centipoise, then a thickening agent may not be needed. 
     In one embodiment, the finished solution used to impregnate the absorbent substrate may be Minwax® Water Based WoodSheen® Rubbing Stain and Finish, commercially available from The Sherwin Williams Company, or other similar products. However, it should be appreciated that other suitable formulations may be used. 
     After the absorbent substrate is impregnated with the solution, it is cut to form the finished wipe. In another embodiment, the substrate may be cut before the solution is applied. Once saturated and cut, the wipes are then folded, placed in a tray, and disposed in a resealable package. Packaging the wipes after they are impregnated with the solution helps ensure that the solution is evenly distributed throughout the substrate and sufficiently absorbed. 
     In one embodiment, a plurality of wipes may be packaged in a flatpack  100 , as illustrated in  FIG. 1 . The flatpack  100  may be made of plastic or any material suitable for packaging and maintaining the integrity of the wipes. The flatpack  100  may include an opening (not shown) for providing access to the wipes inside and a peel-and-reseal sticker  102  disposed over the opening to seal to the opening and prevent the wipes from drying. The peel-and reseal-sticker  102  may be configured to peel back to an open position, exposing the opening  104 , and allowing access to the wipes  106 , as illustrated in  FIG. 2 . It should be appreciated that other methods of opening and closing the flatpack  100  may be used to provide access to the wipes  106 , while preventing the wipes  106  from drying. For example, a re-sealable plastic door or lid may be disposed over the opening. 
     Any suitable number of wipes  106  may be included in a single flatpack  100 . In one example, a flatpack  100  includes eight wipes  106  stacked on top of each other. The width or length of the wipes  106  may be greater than the width or length of the flatpack. Accordingly, the wipes  106  may be folded in a ‘z’ configuration, as illustrated in  FIG. 3 , inside the flatpack  100  and can be unfolded to a full width or length when extracted from the flatpack  100  in order to cover a greater surface area of wood. It should be appreciated that the wipes  106  may be folded in other suitable configuration in order to fit inside the flatpack  100 . For example, the wipes  106  may be folded in a “z” configuration from left-to-right or right-to-left, as illustrated. Or, in one example, the wipes  106  may be folded in a “z” configuration from top-to-bottom or bottom-to-top (not shown). 
     Each wipe  106  may comprise any suitable amount of solution. In one example, each finished wipe  106  in an eight count flatpack  100  may include 27 grams of solution and be configured to provide stain and finish coverage for 50 square feet of wood surface. In one example, each wipe  106  may include between 27-32 grams of solution. 
     A tray  302 , as illustrated in  FIG. 4 , may be used to provide support for the wipes  106  inside the flatpack  100 . In particular, the tray  302  may provide a more rigid form to the flatpack  100 , thereby allowing the flatpack  100  to stand upright in a store display such as a stadium tray display (not shown) and may provide for a cleaner and more efficient packaging process. 
     In one embodiment, the tray  302  may support the stack of wipes  106  on a conveyor belt during a packaging process such that the tray  302  prevents the wipes  106  from making contact with the conveyor belt. This helps prevent the solution from staining the conveyor belt, thus preventing potential damage to conveyor belt and also reducing the amount of time which may be needed to clean the conveyor belt. The tray  302  may include an outer perimeter lip  304  extending upward which further provides for a cleaner and more efficient packaging process by containing excess solution inside the tray  302 . The tray  302  may comprise any suitable material. In one example, tray  302  is plastic. In another example, tray  302  is paper. A tray  302  is commercially available from Reliant Group in Paterson, N.J., for example. 
     The flatpack  100  may also include at least one plastic glove  502  for handling the wipes  106 , as illustrated in  FIG. 5 . The plastic glove  502  may be provided in a folded configuration and disposed on the back side  504  of flatpack  100 . In one example, the flatpack  100  includes two plastic gloves  502 , provided in a folded configuration and disposed on the backside  504 , that are secured to the backside  504  of the flatpack  100  using glue or other suitable adhesive. The folded plastic gloves  502  may be disposed at least partially underneath a back fin seal  506  such that it is at least partially concealed by the back fin seal  506 . This placement provides for at least some protection and helps prevent the folded plastic gloves  502  from being knocked off or displaced from the flatpack  100  during packaging, shipping, or display.  FIG. 6  illustrates one plastic glove  502  when unfolded. Plastic gloves  502  are commercially available from Brand Builders in New Jersey. 
       FIG. 7  is a flow chart illustrating an example method  700  for manufacturing wood staining and finishing wipes. In one example, the method includes impregnating the absorbent substrate with a solution  702 . Specifically, in order to impregnate the substrate with solution, a wetting station, or other suitable applicator, is used to coat the substrate with the solution. As illustrated in  FIG. 8 , a first or top wetting station  802  is configured to impregnate a first side of a substrate  804  with the solution and a second or bottom wetting station  806  is configured to impregnate an opposite side of the substrate  804  with the solution. In one example, the wetting stations may be cylindrical or tube-shaped. 
     A hose  810  facilitates transfer of solution from a supply station  812  to the wetting stations  802  and  806 . The solution flows through the wetting stations  802  and  806 , onto the substrate  804  through one or more openings  814  and  816  as the substrate  804  passes. In one example, the one or more openings  814  and  816  are slits that span the length of the stations  802  and  806 , ensuring that the substrate  804  is impregnated with sufficient solution. It should be appreciated that the openings  814  and  816  can be any size or shape, suitable for ensuring delivery of sufficient solution to the substrate  804  given the viscosity of the solution. 
     A folding station  818  is configured to fold the substrate  804  after the substrate  804  is impregnated with solution and to pass the folded substrate  804  onto a conveyor belt  820 , where it travels towards a cutting station  822 . It should be understood that a folding station  818  may fold the substrate  818  using any known suitable folding techniques. It should also be understood that the cutting station  822  may cut the substrate  804  using any known suitable cutting technique. 
     In one example, a second top wetting station  824 , a bottom wetting station  826 , and a folding station  828  are provided to impregnate and fold a second substrate  830 . The second folding station  828  is configured to pass the second substrate  830  onto the conveyor belt  820  simultaneous to the first folding station  818  passing the first substrate  804  onto the conveyor belt such that the second folded substrate  830  is stacked on top of the first folded substrate  804 . 
     It should be understood that although two wetting stations, bottom wetting stations, and folding stations are illustrated, any suitable number may be provided in order to facilitate impregnating, folding, and stacking a plurality of substrates. In one example, eight sets of top and bottom wetting stations and folding stations may be provided in order to impregnate, fold, and stack 8 substrates onto the conveyor belt  820 . 
     A toothed roller  832  may be provided to pull the stack of impregnated substrates towards the cutting station  822 . The toothed roller  832  includes one or more teeth  834  to grip the stack of folded substrates without compressing solution out from the stack of substrates. Specifically, the teeth  834  alleviate the need for applying compression to the stack of substrates by the roller  832 . The toothed roller  832  pulls the stack of folded substrates uniformly at a consistent rate in order to prevent the stack of substrates from hydroplaning as the stack travels along the conveyor belt  802  towards the cutting station  822 . This helps ensure the that cutting station  822  makes cuts of consistent length. 
     In another example, the filling station  800  includes a gridded conveyor belt  818  includes one or more teeth  820  and a recessed portion  822  to further facilitate pulling the wetted substrate  804  away from the rollers  802  and  806 . The teeth  820  in combination with the recessed portion  822  allows the belt  818  to grip the substrate  804  without compressing or squeezing solution from the substrate  804  as it travels away from the wetting roller  802  and  806 . The gridded conveyor belt  818  also helps prevent the wetted substrate  804  from slipping while being pulled. 
     Referring back to  FIG. 7 , once the solution has been applied to the substrate and formed into pre-treated individual wipes, one or more pre-treated wipes are stacked or disposed into a tray  704 . In one example, eight wipes are stacked into a tray. In one example, the wipes are folded in a ‘z’ pattern before being stacked into a tray. It should be understood that the wipes may be folded in any suitable pattern. In one example, the wipes may not be folded. 
     Once stacked in the tray, the tray of wipes is sealed with flow wrap to create a flatpack or an outer packaging  706 . Flow wrap is commercially available from Prime Label located in Pewaukee, Wis. In one example, sealing the tray of wipes includes creating a back fin seal, a top seal, and a bottom seal. In one example, the flatpack created with the flow wrap includes an opening to allow for access to the wipes. In another example, the step of sealing the wipes with flow wrap also includes creating an opening to allow for access to the wipes. 
     A peel-and-reseal sticker, also commercially available from Prime Label, is then disposed on the flatpack  708 , covering the opening and at least one glove packet is adhered thereto  710 . It should be appreciated that other suitable re-sealable lids or labels may be used. In one example, the glove packet is adhered to the back of the flatpack, at least partially concealed by the back fin seal. 
     Once packaged, the individual flatpacks of pre-treated wipes may be used to stain and finish a wood surface, as illustrated by the flow chart in  FIG. 9 . First, a wood surface is cleaned in preparation for being stained and finished  902 . In one example, cleaning the wood surface includes sanding the wood surface. The glove packet is then removed from the flatpack  904 . The glove packet is opened and used to prevent a user&#39;s skin from making contact with the solution. The peel-and reseal sticker is then pulled back to an open position and a wipe is removed from the flatpack  906 . The peel-and-reseal sticker is then returned to the closed position to prevent remaining wipes in the flatpack from drying out. 
     The solution is then applied to a wood surface by moving the impregnated wipe across the wood surface  908 . In one example, the wipe is moved along the wood surface in the direction of the grain of the wood, working the solution into the wood. Excess solution is then removed from the wood surface  910  using a clean rag. In one example, after allowing for time to dry, a second coat of stain and finish may be applied by repeating steps  906 ,  908 , and  910  one or more times in order to achieve a deeper color and sheen. In one example, a second coat may be applied after waiting for the wood surface to dry for one hour. In one example, the wood surface may be subjected to normal use after waiting for the wood surface to dry for 24 hours. 
     It should be appreciated that although the examples described herein are directed to a wipe that is presoaked with a solution for staining and finishing a wood surface, a wipe may similarly be presoaked with alternative suitable solutions for staining and finishing other types of surfaces. 
     To the extent that the term “includes” or “including” is used in the specification or the claims, it is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as that term is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim. Furthermore, to the extent that the term “or” is employed (e.g., A or B) it is intended to mean “A or B or both.” When the applicants intend to indicate “only A or B but not both” then the term “only A or B but not both” will be employed. Thus, use of the term “or” herein is the inclusive, and not the exclusive use. See, Bryan A. Garner, A Dictionary of Modern Legal Usage 624 (2d. Ed. 1995). Also, to the extent that the terms “in” or “into” are used in the specification or the claims, it is intended to additionally mean “on” or “onto.” Additionally, to the extent that the terms “on” or “onto” are used in the specification or the claims, it is intended to additionally mean “in,” “into,” or “near.” Furthermore, to the extent the term “connect” is used in the specification or claims, it is intended to mean not only “directly connected to,” but also “indirectly connected to” such as connected through another component or components. 
     The foregoing description of examples has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or limiting to the forms described. Numerous modifications are possible in light of the above teachings. Some of those modifications have been discussed, and others will be understood by those skilled in the art. The examples were chosen and described in order to best illustrate principles of various examples as are suited to particular uses contemplated. The scope is, of course, not limited to the examples set forth herein, but can be employed in any number of applications and equivalent devices by those of ordinary skill in the art.