JP7668154B2 - Filter Structure - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a filter structure that is primarily attached to the intake port of an air purifier to filter the gas passing through.

Figure 4 is a front view showing the conventional filter structure described in Patent Document 1. Figure 5 shows the conventional air purifier described in Patent Document 2, where (A) is a perspective view showing the device in operation, and (B) is a perspective view showing the device with the front decorative panel removed.

The conventional filter structure G shown in FIG. 4 has a sheet-like filter layer 50, an adhesive layer 60 formed of an adhesive on one side of the filter layer 50, and a sheet layer (not shown) such as a release sheet laminated on the surface of the adhesive layer 60.

The filter layer 50 is made of a breathable material such as nonwoven fabric. In this example, it is formed in a rectangular shape with the long side oriented vertically and the short side oriented horizontally.

The adhesive layer 60 has a contour adhesive layer 61 formed along the outer peripheral edge of the filter layer 50, a number of reinforcing adhesive layers 62 formed vertically and horizontally inside the contour adhesive layer 61 to form a grid pattern, and a heart-shaped design adhesive layer 63 formed in the area surrounded by the grid formed by the vertical and horizontal reinforcing adhesive layers 62.

When the filter structure G is attached to the air intake of an air purifier, the areas of the filter layer 50 through which air passes become dirty and discolored due to the accumulation of collected dust and other particles, whereas the areas where the adhesive layers 60 are formed restrict air flow and are less likely to accumulate dust and other particles. As a result, with continued use, the shape of the adhesive layer 60 begins to visually stand out in white, and the heart shape of the design adhesive layer 63 in particular becomes visible, thereby providing the function of indicating when it is time to replace the filter structure G.

In addition to rear intake types of air purifiers in which the intake port is provided on the rear, there are also front intake types such as air purifier K shown in Figure 5. The front intake type air purifier K shown in the figure has an intake port 82 in which a sheet-like air cleaning means 83 is arranged on the front side of the main body 80, and this intake port 82 is covered by a front decorative panel 81. The upper part of the front decorative panel 81 is supported so as to be freely rotatable by an upper support part 84, and the lower part is supported so as to be movable in the front-rear direction by a lower support part 85 that is driven to be able to advance and retreat.

When this air purifier K is in use, the lower support part 85 is driven forward and the lower part of the front decorative panel 81 is rotated forward around the upper support part 84 as an axis, forming a gap between the main body part 80 and the front decorative panel 81, and connecting the air intake to the outside air.

International Publication No. WO2018/043522 JP 2017-32227 A

The conventional filter structure G shown in Figure 4 can be used as is for rear intake air purifiers, or it can be cut along the vertical or horizontal reinforcing adhesive layer to fit the dimensions of the intake port and then attached to the intake port.

However, for a front intake type air purifier K as shown in Figure 5, the upper support part 84 and the lower support part 85 that support the front decorative panel 81 at four points above and below are provided around the intake port 82, and therefore interfere with the filter structure G. Therefore, when attaching this filter structure G to the intake port 82 of a front intake type air purifier K, the parts that interfere with the upper support part 84 and the lower support part 85, i.e., the area 70 including the four corners (the area surrounded by the dashed line in Figure 4), must be cut out.

However, in the conventional filter structure G, when the area 70 including the four corners is cut away, an area where the adhesive is missing is created on the edge of the remaining non-cut side, and because the adhesive layer does not seal the gap between the main body of the air purifier and the filter layer in this area, dust and other particles may be sucked directly into the air intake.

The present invention aims to provide a filter structure that can prevent dust from being sucked directly into the air intake without passing through the filter layer, not only when used in rear-air intake air purifiers, but also when used in front-air intake air purifiers.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention described in claim 1 is a filter structure having a filter layer which is breathable and filters gas passing through it, and an adhesive layer formed from an adhesive on at least a portion of one side of the filter layer, wherein the filter layer has at least one planned excision area for excising a portion of it, and the adhesive layer includes a boundary adhesive layer formed on the non-excision side of the filter layer so as to be continuous along the contour of the planned excision area, and the adhesive layer includes a contour adhesive layer formed so as to be continuous along the contour of the filter layer, the contour adhesive layer is continuous with the boundary adhesive layer, and the adhesive layer further includes a plurality of reinforcing adhesive layers formed parallel to the contour adhesive layer along the longitudinal direction of the filter layer, and at least one reinforcing adhesive layer is formed so as to pass through the planned excision area .

When configured in this manner, the filter layer has a region to be excised defined by the boundary adhesive layer. When the region to be excised is excised, the boundary adhesive layer is continuous along the edge of the excision side. Furthermore, since the contour adhesive layer and the boundary adhesive layer are continuous, when the region to be excised is excised, the filter layer has an adhesive layer that is continuous around the entire periphery. Furthermore, the reinforcing adhesive layer that passes through the region to be excised is formed in a position close to the contour adhesive layer.

The invention described in claim 2 is the structure of the invention described in claim 1 , in which the filter layer has a rectangular shape, and the intended ablation areas are set at four locations including each corner of the filter layer.

When configured in this way, a filter structure with four corners cut out can be obtained by cutting out the four planned cutting areas.

The invention described in claim 3 is the configuration of the invention described in claim 1 or claim 2 , in which the adhesive layer further includes an indicating adhesive layer that indicates when to replace the filter disposed on the filter layer.

When configured in this way, the indicator adhesive layer exerts a holding force on the object to which the filter structure is attached. As the coloring of the filter layer progresses due to the accumulation of dust, etc., the indicator adhesive layer becomes visible to indicate when it is time to replace the filter.

The invention described in claim 4 is the composition of any one of the inventions described in claims 1 to 3 , further comprising a peelable sheet layer laminated on the surface of the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer.

When configured in this manner, the sheet layer covers and protects the surface of the adhesive layer. When the sheet layer is peeled off, the adhesive layer is exposed.

The invention described in claim 5 is directed to a configuration of the invention described in any one of claims 1 to 4 , which is used in an intake port of an air cleaner.

When configured in this way, when the filter structure is used in a front intake type air purifier, the area to be removed is removed. When the filter structure is used in a rear intake type air purifier, the area to be removed is not removed.

As described above, according to the invention of claim 1, the boundary adhesive layer makes it easy to confirm the range of the planned excision area. For example, when the filter structure is attached to the air suction port of an air purifier, the boundary adhesive layer is removed to avoid the support part that supports the front decorative plate provided in the front intake type air purifier, and the filter structure can be attached to cover the front intake port of the air purifier. Since the boundary adhesive layer is continuous along the contour of the non-removed side part remaining after the removal, for example, when the filter structure is attached to the air purifier intake port, the gap between the edge part of the non-removed side part of the filter layer and the air purifier is blocked, so that dust in the air is prevented from being directly sucked into the intake port. In addition, since the filter layer after the removal of the planned excision area has a continuous adhesive layer around the entire circumference, for example, when the filter structure is attached to the air purifier intake port, the gap between the periphery of the air purifier intake port and the filter layer can be reliably blocked by the adhesive when the filter structure is attached. This prevents dust and the like from being sucked directly into the air intake without passing through the filter layer. When the area to be excised is not excised, the entire filter layer can be used for rear-intake air purifiers, etc. Furthermore, since the reinforcing adhesive layer passing through the area to be excised has a short distance from the contour adhesive layer, fine adjustment of the width dimension (short-side length) is possible when adjusting the width dimension by cutting a part of the filter layer along the longitudinal direction between the contour adhesive layer and the reinforcing adhesive layer.

According to the invention described in claim 2 , in addition to the effects of the invention described in claim 1 , for example, when attached to the air intake of an air purifier, a filter structure suitable for a front-intake type air purifier can be provided, which has a support part that movably supports the front decorative panel.

According to the invention of claim 3 , in addition to the effects of the invention of claim 1 or 2 , the indicating adhesive also contributes to the attachment of the filter layer to an object. Furthermore, the filter layer becomes colored due to the accumulation of dust and the like, making the indicating adhesive layer visible, thereby indicating the time to replace the filter structure.

According to the invention of claim 4 , in addition to the effects of any one of the inventions of claims 1 to 3 , the surface of the adhesive layer is protected by the sheet layer, so that the adhesive layer can be prevented from sticking to an object other than the intended object before the filter structure is used. Also, it becomes possible to stack a plurality of filter structures, improving the ease of handling.

According to the invention described in claim 5 , in addition to the effects of the invention described in any one of claims 1 to 4 , it is possible to provide a filter structure that can be applied to both front-air intake and rear-air intake types of air purifiers with a single type of filter structure.

1 is a front view showing an example of a filter structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1B is an enlarged front view showing the region to be removed of the filter structure of FIG. 1A after removal. FIG. FIG. 4 is a front view showing another example of a filter structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1A to 1C are front views showing various examples of use of a filter structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a front view showing a conventional filter structure described in Patent Document 1. 1A and 1B show a conventional air purifier described in Patent Document 2, in which (A) is a perspective view showing the air purifier in operation, and (B) is a perspective view showing the air purifier with the front decorative panel removed.

Figure 1A is a front view showing an example of a filter structure according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 1B is a front view showing an enlarged view of the region to be removed of the filter structure in Figure 1A after removal.

This filter structure F is attached to an object to filter the gas passing through it, and is equipped with a sheet-like filter layer 1 that is breathable and filters the gas passing through it, and an adhesive layer 10 that is formed of an adhesive on at least a portion of one side of the filter layer 1 and exerts adhesive force on the object.

The filter layer 1 is made of, for example, nonwoven fabric, woven fabric, or knitted fabric, and has a practical strength while simultaneously collecting dust and allowing gas to flow. Preferably, but not limited to, a nonwoven fabric made of synthetic resin fibers such as polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene or propylene-based copolymers, and acrylics including modacrylics. There are no limitations on the manufacturing method of the nonwoven fabric, and nonwoven fabrics manufactured by known manufacturing methods such as chemical bonding and thermal bonding can be preferably used. The filter layer 1 may also be treated with antiviral or antibacterial properties.

The adhesive forming the adhesive layer 10 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a two-liquid mixed adhesive containing a main agent and a curing agent, such as a two-liquid mixed polyurethane adhesive, or a hot melt adhesive, such as an acrylic hot melt adhesive. In addition, the adhesive may be blended with various additives, such as a tackifier for improving adhesion, an ultraviolet absorber, a filler, a colorant, an antioxidant, an antifoaming agent, a light stabilizer, etc., to suppress a decrease in adhesive strength at low temperatures and glue residue, as necessary. A known method can be adopted for forming the adhesive layer on the filter layer. For example, the adhesive can be directly applied to the nonwoven fabric, or the adhesive can be applied once to a peelable sheet layer, etc., as described below, and then the adhesive can be transferred to the nonwoven fabric by contacting the sheet layer with the nonwoven fabric to form a coating film, and then the coating film can be dried (solidified). The application method for directly or indirectly applying the adhesive layer to the filter layer is not limited, and may be performed, for example, by a roller, a spray, a brush, or printing. That is, any method using known equipment, such as a roll coater method, a comma coater method, a die coater method, an inkjet method, a reverse coater method, a silk screen method, a gravure coater method, etc., can be used. When applying indirectly, for example, a method can be used in which the adhesive is printed on a silicone-coated peelable release sheet layer with a roll or the like, and then the adhesive layer side of this sheet layer is brought into contact with the filter layer and pressed with a roll or the like to transfer the adhesive layer to the filter layer.

Although not shown in the figure, a peelable sheet layer is laminated on the surface of the adhesive layer. For example, a PET film with a silicone coating formed on at least one side is used for the sheet layer. By providing the sheet layer, the surface of the adhesive layer is protected, so that the adhesive layer can be prevented from sticking to anything other than the intended object before using the filter structure. In addition, it becomes possible to stack multiple filter structures, improving handleability. When using, the sheet layer is peeled off and the exposed adhesive layer is pressed against the object.

The filter structure F of this example is characterized in that, assuming that it is attached to the intake port of a front-intake type air purifier, a planned excision region 20 for excising a part of the filter layer 1 is set in at least one location, and the adhesive layer 10 includes boundary adhesive layers 12a, 12b formed on the non-excision side of the filter layer 1 so as to continue along the contour of the planned excision region 20. Specifically, the filter structure F of this example is formed in a rectangle with the long side 1a direction being vertical and the short side 1b direction being horizontal, and the planned excision regions 20 for excising a part of the filter layer 1 are set in four locations including the four corners 1c of the filter layer 1, and the boundary adhesive layers 12a, 12b that are continuous in an L-shape along the contour of the planned excision region 20 are formed on the non-excision side of the filter layer 1.

In addition, the adhesive layer 10 in this example is continuous along the contour of the filter layer 1, i.e., includes a vertical contour adhesive layer 11a and a horizontal contour adhesive layer 11b that are continuous in a rectangular shape, and these contour adhesive layers 11a, 11b are continuous with the boundary adhesive layers 12a, 12b.

By configuring in this manner, the planned resection area 20 of the filter layer 1 is defined by the boundary adhesive layers 12a and 12b, making it easy to grasp the range of the planned resection area 20. By removing the four planned resection areas 20, the filter structure F can be attached to cover the front air intake of the air purifier, avoiding the support part that supports the front decorative panel provided in a front intake type air purifier.

Referring to FIG. 1B, when the planned resection area 20 is resected, a part of the contour adhesive layer including the corner 11c is simultaneously removed, but the boundary adhesive layers 12a and 12b continue along the contour of the part (non-removed side part) of the filter layer 1 that remains after the resection, so that when the filter structure F is attached, the gap between the edge of the non-removed side part of the filter layer 1 and the air purifier is blocked by the adhesive. Also, since the boundary adhesive layers 12a and 12b continue to the contour adhesive layers 11a and 11b, when the planned resection area 20 is resected, the filter layer 1 has an adhesive layer 10 that is continuous around the entire circumference. Therefore, when the filter structure F is attached to the air intake of the air purifier, the gap between the periphery of the intake and the filter layer can be reliably blocked by the adhesive, so that it is possible to prevent dust and the like from being sucked directly into the intake without passing through the filter layer.

The adhesive layer 10 further includes a plurality of reinforcing adhesive layers 13a formed parallel to the vertical contour adhesive layer 11a, and a plurality of reinforcing adhesive layers 13b formed parallel to the horizontal contour adhesive layer 11b, and at least one of the vertical reinforcing adhesive layers 13a, 13a-1, is formed to pass through the planned excision area 20.

By configuring it in this way, the reinforcing adhesive layer 13a-1 in the vertical direction passing through the planned resection area 20 is formed in a position close to the contour adhesive layer 11a. This shortens the distance between the reinforcing adhesive layer 13a-1 and the contour adhesive layer 11a, so that the width dimension (length in the short direction) can be adjusted by cutting a portion of the filter layer 1 vertically along the reinforcing adhesive layer 13a-1, making it possible to fine-tune the width dimension.

The adhesive layer 10 further includes a plurality of island-shaped adhesive layers 14 dispersed on the filter layer 1 and a design adhesive layer 15 formed in the form of a pattern, as an indication adhesive layer that indicates when to replace the filter arranged on the filter layer. Specifically, in this example, the island-shaped adhesive layer 14 is formed in a heart shape, and the design adhesive layer 15 is formed in the form of a character pattern. These island-shaped adhesive layers 14 and design adhesive layers 15 are formed so as to be located inside the grid formed by the contour adhesive layer 11 and the vertical and horizontal reinforcing adhesive layers 13a, 13b.

By configuring in this way, the display adhesive also contributes to the attachment of the filter layer to the object. In addition, the island-shaped adhesive layer 14 and the design adhesive layer 15 distributed on the filter layer 1 as the display adhesive exert a holding force on the object, so that the holding force on the object can be increased with a small amount of adhesive compared to increasing the number of lattice-shaped reinforcing adhesive layers. In addition, while coloring progresses due to the accumulation of dust and the like in the parts of the filter layer 1 where air flows, coloring of the filter layer 1 does not progress because air flow is suppressed in the parts where the adhesive layer is formed. As a result, as the use continues, the shape of the island-shaped adhesive layer 14 and the design adhesive layer 15 can be visually recognized as being raised, so it is possible to indicate the time to replace the filter structure F. Furthermore, since the island-shaped adhesive layer 14 and the design adhesive layer 15 are distributed and arranged on the filter layer 1, the area blocking the air intake of the air purifier can be reduced, and air flow is less likely to be obstructed.

Figure 2 is a front view showing another example of a filter structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In the above embodiment, the planned excision areas were set in four locations on the filter layer 1, but as shown in FIG. 2, the planned excision areas 21 may be set to include two laterally adjacent corners 1c of the filter layer 1 and the horizontal boundary adhesive layer 11b between them. In this case, boundary adhesive layers 16a-16e that are convex in front view are provided on the non-excision side of the filter layer 1 along the boundary of the planned excision area 21. In this way, the range and number of the planned excision areas of the filter layer can be freely set according to the implementation situation.

Figure 3 is a front view showing various examples of use of the filter structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The filter structure F in this example can be used in a rear intake type air purifier, with the entire filter layer being used without having to remove the area to be removed.

In addition to air purifiers, the filter structure F of this example can also be used in household or commercial appliances such as kitchen or kitchen range hoods, air conditioners, and ventilation fans, as well as indoor and outdoor vents. In this case, it may be necessary to cut a part of the filter structure depending on the object of use. The filter structure F of this example is formed with multiple vertical reinforcing adhesive layers 13a-1, 13a-2, and 13a-3 and multiple horizontal reinforcing adhesive layers 13b-1 and 13b-2. As shown in FIG. 3, by cutting out the areas indicated by the reference characters 30a to 30i in the filter layer 1 along the reinforcing adhesive layers at appropriately selected positions, it is possible to obtain a filter structure F that matches the size of the target object.

In the above embodiment, the shape of the filter structure is rectangular, but it is not limited to rectangular, and various shapes such as polygonal, circular, and elliptical can be used. The area to be cut is not limited to a corner, and when attaching the filter structure, the area to be cut is the area corresponding to the part that will interfere with the attachment object, and a boundary adhesive layer is formed on the non-cut side of the filter layer. Therefore, for example, in the case of a circle, there are no corners because there are no corners, but the present invention also includes an area to be cut that corresponds to the part that will interfere with the attachment object, and a boundary adhesive layer is formed on the non-cut side of the filter layer.

In the above embodiment, a display adhesive layer is formed, but this is not necessary. Also, a design adhesive layer is formed into a pattern as the display adhesive layer, but it may be formed into letters, symbols, figures, etc. that indicate when it is time to replace the filter.

The island-shaped adhesive layers are arranged in a so-called staggered pattern, with some of them staggered in the vertical and horizontal directions, but they may also be arranged in a lattice pattern in which the islands are aligned in straight lines parallel to the vertical or horizontal outline adhesive layers.

Alternatively, either the island adhesive layer or the design adhesive layer may be omitted, or even both may be omitted, with only the boundary adhesive layer and the grid-shaped reinforcing adhesive layer being formed inside the contour adhesive layer.

Furthermore, the reinforcing adhesive layer may be omitted, and only a boundary adhesive layer and a display adhesive layer such as an island adhesive layer or a design adhesive layer may be formed inside the contour adhesive layer.

F... Filter structure F1... Filter structure G... Filter structure (conventional)
K...air purifier 1...filter layer 1a...long side 1b...short side 1c...corner 10...adhesive layer 11...contour adhesive layer 11a...vertical contour adhesive layer 11b...horizontal contour adhesive layer 11c...corner of contour adhesive layer 12a...vertical boundary adhesive layer 12b...horizontal boundary adhesive layer 13a...vertical reinforcing adhesive layer 13b...horizontal reinforcing adhesive layer 14...island adhesive layer 15...design adhesive layers 16a-16e...boundary adhesive layer 20...area to be cut out 21...area to be cut out Note that the same symbols in each figure indicate the same or corresponding parts.

Claims (5)

A filter structure having a filter layer that has air permeability and filters a gas passing therethrough, and an adhesive layer formed of an adhesive on at least a portion of one surface of the filter layer,
The filter layer has at least one planned removal region for removing a portion of the filter layer;
the adhesive layer includes a boundary adhesive layer formed on a non-removal side of the filter layer so as to be continuous along the contour of the planned resection area;
The adhesive layer includes a contour adhesive layer formed to be continuous along the contour of the filter layer, the contour adhesive layer being continuous with the border adhesive layer,
The adhesive layer further includes a plurality of reinforcing adhesive layers formed parallel to the contour adhesive layer along the longitudinal direction of the filter layer,
A filter structure, wherein at least one of the reinforcing adhesive layers is formed to pass through the intended excision area . The filter layer has a rectangular shape;
The filter structure according to claim 1 , wherein the intended cutting areas are set at four locations including each corner of the filter layer . The filter structure according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the adhesive layer further comprises an indicating adhesive layer that indicates when to replace the filter disposed on the filter layer. The filter structure according to claim 1 , further comprising a peelable sheet layer laminated on a surface of the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer. The filter structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , which is used in an air intake of an air purifier.

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