Absorbent pad with cleaning cuffs and method of making the same

Abstract

A surface cleaning pad is provided with a pad body configured for attachment to a cleaning implement. The surface cleaning pad also has a cuff coupled to the pad body and extending along a longitudinal extent of the pad body. The cuff has an edge portion having a length dimension that is greater than the longitudinal extent of the pad body.

1 . A surface cleaning pad comprising: 
 a pad body configured for attachment to a cleaning implement; and    a cuff coupled to said pad body and extending along a longitudinal extent of said pad body, wherein said cuff has an edge portion having a length dimension that is greater than said longitudinal extent of said pad body.    
     
     
         2 . The surface cleaning pad of  claim 1 , wherein said edge portion of said cuff is curved to maintain said length dimension greater than said longitudinal extent of said pad body.  
     
     
         3 . The surface cleaning pad of  claim 2 , wherein said curve is a wave form extending along said edge portion of said cuff.  
     
     
         4 . The surface cleaning pad of  claim 3 , wherein said wave form comprises a sinusoidal wave.  
     
     
         5 . The surface cleaning pad of  claim 2 , wherein said edge portion of said cuff is slit.  
     
     
         6 . The surface cleaning pad of  claim 1 , wherein said edge portion of said cuff comprises at least one slit to maintain said length dimension greater than said longitudinal extent of said pad body.  
     
     
         7 . The surface cleaning pad of  claim 6 , wherein said edge portion of said cuff comprises a plurality of slits to maintain said length dimension greater than said longitudinal extent of said pad body.  
     
     
         8 . The surface cleaning pad of  claim 7 , wherein said slits are positioned along said longitudinal extent of said pad body.  
     
     
         9 . The surface cleaning pad of  claim 7 , wherein said slits are substantially evenly spaced.  
     
     
         10 . The surface cleaning pad of  claim 7 , wherein at least some of said slits are oriented transverse to said longitudinal extent of said pad body.  
     
     
         11 . The surface cleaning pad of  claim 10 , wherein at least some of said slits are oriented substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal extent of said pad body.  
     
     
         12 . The surface cleaning pad of  claim 11 , wherein at least some of said slits are oriented at an acute angle with respect to said longitudinal extent of said pad body.  
     
     
         13 . The surface cleaning pad of  claim 12  comprising a repeating pattern of slits oriented at an acute angle with respect to said longitudinal extent of said pad body and slits oriented substantially perpendicular with respect to said longitudinal extent of said pad body.  
     
     
         14 . The surface cleaning pad of  claim 10 , wherein at least some of said slits are oriented at an acute angle with respect to said longitudinal extent of said pad body.  
     
     
         15 . The surface cleaning pad of  claim 14 , wherein at least some of said slits are oriented at an angle of between about  30  and about  60  degrees with respect to said longitudinal extent of said pad body.  
     
     
         16 . The surface cleaning pad of  claim 14 , wherein at least some of said slits are oriented generally toward an end of said pad body and at least some of said slits are oriented generally toward an opposite end of said pad body.  
     
     
         17 . The surface cleaning pad of  claim 1  comprising a plurality of cuffs coupled to said pad body and extending along a longitudinal extent of said pad body, each of said cuffs having an edge portion having a length dimension that is greater than said longitudinal extent of said pad body.  
     
     
         18 . The surface cleaning pad of  claim 1  wherein said longitudinal extent of said pad body corresponds to an end-to-end length of said pad body.  
     
     
         19 . The surface cleaning pad of  claim 1  wherein said longitudinal extent of said pad body is shorter than an end-to-end length of said pad body.  
     
     
         20 . A method of forming a surface cleaning pad comprising the steps of: 
 coupling a cuff along a longitudinal extent of a pad body; and    defining on the cuff an edge portion having a length dimension that is greater than the longitudinal extent of the pad body.    
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein said coupling step is performed before said defining step.  
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein said coupling step is performed after said defining step.  
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein said defining step comprises forming a curve on the edge portion of the cuff to maintain the length dimension greater than the longitudinal extent of the pad body.  
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein said defining step comprises forming a wave form on the edge portion.  
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein said defining step comprises forming a sinusoidal wave on the edge portion.  
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein said defining step comprises forming slits in the edge portion of the cuff to maintain the length dimension greater than the longitudinal extent of the pad body.  
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein said defining step further comprises forming a repeating pattern of slits oriented at an angle with respect to the longitudinal extent of the pad body and slits oriented substantially perpendicular with respect to the longitudinal extent of the pad body.  
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein said defining step further comprises orienting at least some of the slits generally toward an end of the pad body and at least some of the slits generally toward an opposite end of the pad body.  
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 20 , said coupling step comprising coupling a plurality of cuffs along the longitudinal extent of the pad body.