Drying and gas or vapor contact with solids – Apparatus – Rotary drums or receptacles
Reexamination Certificate
2003-04-16
2004-09-21
Lazarus, Ira S. (Department: 3749)
Drying and gas or vapor contact with solids
Apparatus
Rotary drums or receptacles
C034S595000, C222S325000, C222S485000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06792695
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to a device for treating, fabrics inside a tumble dryer, particularly a device which is reusable.
In the treatment of fabrics in a tumble dryer it is known to add one or more conditioning agents. For instance, for imparting a softening benefit to fabrics it is known from CA 1,005,204 to co-mingle fabrics in a tumble dryer with a flexible substrate carrying a normally solid fabric conditioning agent. The co-mingling of the fabrics with impregnated substrates requires the separation of the substrate from the fabrics after the completion of the tumble dryer treatment. Especially in using flexible substrates, this separation is often time-consuming in that the substrates cannot readily be located. Other disadvantages of such products include uneven product distribution following entanglement of the substrate with fabrics which can lead to greasy marks on fabrics (staining) and the tendency of such substrates to become positioned over the tumble dryer vent, thus giving virtually no benefit to the fabrics during a tumble drying cycle. Furthermore, these products are designed for single use only and therefore need to be replaced after every cycle.
For overcoming these problems it has been suggested, for instance in GB 2,066,309 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,634,947, to use conditioner dispensing articles, comprising means for attachment of the substrate to the tumble dryer wall. Other proposals, such as for instance disclosed in GB 1,399,728 involve the use of separate means for attaching the conditioning article to the tumble dryer wall.
EP-B-361593 concerns an alternative approach in which a fabric conditioning article comprises a combination of a substrate and a fabric conditioning composition, the substrate being a porous material with a specified void volume and cell count. The article of EP-B-361593 is designed to adhere to the tumble dryer wall.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved device suitable for treatment fabrics in a tumble dryer. It is also an object to provide a device capable of efficient and accurate dosing of the fabric treatment composition.
According to the present invention, there is provided a device for treating fabrics in a tumble dryer comprising: a reservoir for storing a fabric treatment composition and transfer means to expose fabric treatment composition from the reservoir to airflow generated inside the tumble drier and/or to directly contact fabrics in the dryer, thereby transferring a portion of the fabric treatment composition into contact with fabrics in the tumble dryer during a tumble drying cycle; characterised in that the transfer means comprises two or more flow control members arranged in series, wherein the flow control characteristic of the members decreases across the series.
The flow control characteristic preferably decreases in the direction of flow across the transfer means.
The flow control characteristic may decrease progressively across the series, i.e., it decreases with each flow control member, or there may be static regions of the transfer means, whereby the flow control characteristic remains unchanged across adjacent members, or even increases across members within the series. However, preferably, there should be an overall decrease in the flow control characteristic across the series.
In a second aspect of the invention there is provided a device for treating fabrics in a tumble dryer comprising: a reservoir for storing a fabric treatment composition and transfer means to expose fabric treatment composition from the reservoir to airflow generated inside the tumble drier and/or to directly contact fabrics in the dryer, thereby transferring a portion of the fabric treatment composition into contact with fabrics in the tumble dryer during a tumble drying cycle; characterised in that the transfer means comprises at least an inner flow control member and an outer flow control member arranged in series, wherein the flow control characteristic of the inner flow control member is greater than that of the outer flow control member.
As used herein, the term “flow control characteristic” is intended to refer to any property which represents/brings about the impedance/control of the flow of fabric treatment composition passing through the member.
Decreasing the flow control characteristic across the series may involve selecting relative pore sizes of the respective members (e.g. an inner member having a higher flow control characteristic i.e. smaller pore size as compared an outer member having a lower characteristic (larger pore size.). Other features may be selected additionally or alternatively to the pore size so as to control the flow, e.g. member thickness.
As used herein, the terms “transfer means” and “flow control member”, should be construed as including any structure(s) acting to actively or passively allow the flow of fabric treatment composition thereacross whereby the composition from the reservoir can be exposed to the air in the dryer or to directly contact fabrics in the dryer.
With this arrangement, precise flow control and thereby precise dosing of fabric treatment composition may be effected by an inner flow control member(s) which is/are protected by an outer flow control member(s) which is/are less precise but may therefore be more robust so providing a barrier(s) or shield(s) for the inner member(s). Delicate but precise materials may be used for the inner member(s) but it/they is/are not subjected to mechanical damage by tumbling fabrics, zips, buttons etc during a tumble dry cycle because of the protection afforded by the outer member(s).
The outer flow control member or members may be of greater rigidity than the inner flow control member(s). In this way, the outer members are not deflected to the extent that they impinge on the inner membrane, as this could interfere with the precise flow control of the inner control member.
Preferably, the flow control member(s) are spaced apart to define a gap therebetween, whilst being in fluid communication with each other and the reservoir. With this arrangement, any flexing of an outer member (e.g. in response to contact by fabrics, zips, buttons etc) can be isolated from the inner member, which is thereby protected. Thus, any potential consequential interference in precise flow control exerted by an inner membrane is prevented.
Preferably the most delicate flow control member (e.g. the innermost) is spaced apart from the other flow control members (which may not necessarily be spaced apart as they may not require protection).
The transfer means may be a dedicated component of the body or may form part of the device body and/or reservoir which may be a optionally integral.
The inner flow control member(s) may, for example, comprise a membrane, or a layer of e.g. semi permeable material/s e.g. polyester, polypropylene or the like or a woven
on-woven membrane which may be, but is not intended to be restricted to a thin skin.
The transfer means may be fixed in position around its perimeter and preferably has an effective area of 500-2500 mm.
The reservoir may be removable from a housing or body portion locating the transfer means which is in fluid connection with the reservoir (when installed). Such fluid connection may be effected by a connecting channel or duct.
The fluid connection preferably includes an inlet port or channel for receiving a predetermined amount of the composition from the reservoir sufficient for a predetermined number of cycles at a given temperature, time and load size and may further include a charging port or channel or recess situated directly behind the membrane for continuous feed or charging of the flow control members.
In further embodiments of the invention, the flow control members may include a multiplicity of very small openings or pores. The inner member(s) may include a precise but delicate or mechancially weak structure as compared with the outer flow control member(s). Accordingly the inner member(s) may comprise a semi-permeable membrane through which the fabric composition can be precisel
Fry Alan John
Hagemann Uwe
Hayes Steven Hayes
Kerr Colin Watt
Lazarus Ira S.
O'Malley Kathryn S.
Stein Kevin J.
Unilever Home & Personal Care USA divison of Conopco, Inc.
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