Patent ID: 7114209

Claim:
A method for measuring a degree of soiling of a soiled article, the method comprising: a) a wetting step wherein the soiled article is brought into contact with a liquid medium to initiate removal of soil from the soiled article; b) a soil sensing step wherein the soil-containing liquid medium is contacted with a plurality of soil-sensing means each responsive to a distinct physico-chemical soil characteristic and providing one or more soil parameter measurements corresponding thereto; wherein the soil sensing step is iterated at a plurality of time intervals after the initiation of soil removal and prior to the soil-containing liquid medium reaching steady state or otherwise predefined conditions, and wherein the model algorithm is defined on the basis of an algorithm dataset developed under said predefined conditions and functions to generate predicted soil data and the confidence level thereof extrapolated to said predefined conditions; c) a data processing step wherein the soil parameter measurements for each sensing means are entered as input data into a model algorithm defined on the basis of an algorithm dataset comprising experimental or consumer-generated soil parameter and soil concentration information and which functions to generate predicted soil data of enhanced confidence level; and d) a communication step wherein one or more signals dependent upon the predicted soil data is issued to an output device, data store, user interface, data processor or an appliance director or module.