Drug – bio-affecting and body treating compositions – Preparations characterized by special physical form – Wearing apparel – fabric – or cloth
Reexamination Certificate
2001-04-26
2004-03-09
Page, Thurman K. (Department: 1615)
Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions
Preparations characterized by special physical form
Wearing apparel, fabric, or cloth
C424S409000, C424S413000, C424S064000, C424S443000, C510S405000, C510S108000, C510S118000, C510S130000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06703033
ABSTRACT:
This invention relates to compositions of matter useful for cleansing a wide range of surfaces and substrates, including hard surfaces such as walls, countertops, motorized vehicles, ovens, stoves, floors, etc. The compositions are also useful in cleaning human skin and in a preferred embodiment, the compositions according to the invention are applied to a surface that is desired to be cleansed by means of a towelette that is nearly saturated with a composition of the invention.
BACKGROUND
The use of moist towelettes for cleaning surfaces has been known for some time and the prior art is replete with moist towelette products designed for cleaning a wide range of surfaces. Certain towelettes are known in the prior art to be useful for cleaning walls, countertops, motorized vehicles, ovens, stoves, floors, etc., in addition to human skin. One well-known and popular variant of moist towelettes are those which are used on cleaning infants during the changing of diapers. Such towelettes are typically dispensed from a sealed container having a slit or other narrow opening through which the end piece of a continuous roll or interfolded stack of towelette stock that has been pre-moistened with a cleaning composition is disposed, to enable the consumer to tear off or grasp a single towelette for immediate use while simultaneously causing the next towelette in the continuous roll or interfolded stack to be advanced through the opening or slit for ready grasping when another towelette is needed. Many such products and dispensers for same are available in the marketplace, including: “Swifter”, “Charmin Kid Fresh”, and “Mr. Klean Wipe-Ups”, available from Procter & Gamble; “Clorox Disinfecting Wipes” available from The Clorox Company; “Pledge Grab-It” available from SC Johnson & Sons; and “Huggies” available from Kimberly-Clark Corporation, to name but a few.
These and other prior art moist towelettes generally suffer from several disadvantages, one being that in many cases alcohols are used as part of the formulations which the towelettes are pre-moistened. The drawback of using alcohols in such formulations is that when a towelette containing an alcohol is contacted with the skin, some of the alcohol remains on the skin of the person contacted. In some cases, a degree of dehydration of the skin results. In other cases, the cooling caused by the evaporation of the alcohol creates an uncomfortable chill sensation, particularly in the case of infants. In yet other cases where such wipes are used around the peribulbar region and other facial areas, alcohol vapors emitted by the towelette can cause temporary eye irritation. In addition, alcohols are undesirable from the standpoint of their flammability. Thus, if the presence of alcohols could be avoided in towelettes designed for human skin contact, such would be desirable. Yet the solvency characteristics of alcohols in general render them as desirable components for use in towelettes. Thus, owing to the balance between the favorable and unfavorable characteristics of moist towelettes containing alcohol-bearing compositions, alcohols are often deemed to be an indispensable component for towelettes used in some applications. However, if a suitable substitute non-alcoholic material were discovered having substantially the equivalent level of solvency characteristics associated with alcohols in such a use, and if such substitute had a relatively low vapor pressure, was benign to human skin, and was non-flammable, then alternate formulations for moist towelette compositions could be provided. The present invention provides such formulations.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is concerned with towelettes for use in applications in which human skin contact occurs with the towelette. According to the present invention, in the case of towelettes which contain a cleaning composition which includes an alcohol, the present invention is concerned with replacement of all or a substantial portion of the alcohol with an alkylene carbonate. In the case of towelettes which contain a cleaning composition which does not include an alcohol, the cleaning composition benefits further by addition of alkylene carbonate to the formula.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The present invention is concerned with moist towelettes suitable for many uses including among other uses cleaning hard surfaces, and cleansing human skin. The compositions used to soak, impregnate, saturate, or moisten moist towelettes have historically contained a surfactant component, water, various alcohols, fragrances, preservatives, organic acids and other components. Of these components, alcohols are preferably included because of their solvency and cleaning characteristics. However, the use of alcohols is generally undesirable because of their cost, volatility and offensive nature. Further, alcohols cause a cooling effect on skin because of their enthalpy of vaporization, which in the cases where moist towelettes which contain an alcohol component are contacted with the skin of an infant, create a momentary cold shock on the infant.
The liquid compositions used in making moist towelettes according to the present invention are compositions in which all or a portion of the alcohol component of a prior art moist towelette is replaced with an alkylene carbonate. Stated another way, the liquid compositions for making moist towelettes according to the invention comprise an alkylene carbonate, in combination with other components contained in conventional moist towelettes, with the exception of the presence of alcohols, which is minimized or totally eliminated. In those cases of prior art formulations for which moist towelettes which contain no alcohol, the present invention is concerned with adding an alkylene carbonate to the composition(s) with which such towelettes are made wet, to enhance their performance in wiping applications. Thus, liquid compositions used in making moist towelettes according to the present invention comprise an alkylene carbonate. It is preferred that an alkylene carbonate is present in a composition according to the invention in an amount effective to provide a moist towelette made moist using such composition as having solvency characteristics equal to or better than a towelette made moist using pure isopropanol with respect to cleaning a test soil prepared in accordance with testing procedure ASTM D-4488, section A6.4.3 from a substrate of vinyl tile as described below.
Cleaning Performance
The cleaning performance of the liquid compositions of the present invention was determined by comparing the optical reflectance of white vinyl tiles treated with an exemplary test soil before and after cleaning with the solution. The test soil is one which is prepared in accordance with testing procedure ASTM D-4488, section A6.4.3, by adding the following ingredients in the indicated order and then mixing for 30 minutes:
TABLE 1
Soil Preparation ASTM (D-4488)
Ingredient
Grams
Paint Thinner
50
Vegetable oil
4
Mineral oil
10
Clay
10
Carbon Black
4.5
In practice of the testing, the soil composition was applied to vinyl tiles by paintbrush, and the soiled tiles were then heat treated at 60° C. for one hour. Three vinyl tiles for each sample were cleaned with
The tiles were then rinsed with water containing 150 ppm hardness. Cleaning efficiency was determined from reflectance readings obtained from a Hunter “LABSCAN XE” Color Quest Reflectometer which were taken before soiling, after soiling, and after cleaning. Soil removal was calculated as a percentage using the following formula:
SR
%=(
R
w
−R
s
)/(
R
0
−R
s
)*100
where
R
w
=Reflectance of tiles after cleaning;
R
s
=Reflectance of tiles before cleaning; and
R
0
=Reflectance of tiles before soiling.
In addition, other materials may be present in such compositions(s), including glycols and glycol ethers, or other alkylene carbonates.
The alcohols suitable as components of a composition used in making a moist towelette according to the invention include without limitation: methanol, ethanol, n-p
Machac, Jr. James R.
Marquis Edward T.
Smadi Raeda M.
Brown Ron D.
Channavajjala Lakshmi
Huntsman Petrochemical Corporation
Page Thurman K.
Stolle Russ R.
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