Drying and gas or vapor contact with solids – Process – With contacting of material treated with solid or liquid agent
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-25
2001-06-12
Gravini, Stephen (Department: 2162)
Drying and gas or vapor contact with solids
Process
With contacting of material treated with solid or liquid agent
C034S348000, C034S351000, C034S061000, C510S439000, C510S295000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06243969
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to bagless dry cleaning kits comprising one or more carrier sheets and a liquid cleaning/refreshment composition. Optionally, the kits comprise a stain removal composition and an Absorbent Stain Receiving Article. The present invention further comprises processes for dry cleaning fabric articles and the like with out the need for a containment bag.
Background of the Invention
By classical definition, the term “dry cleaning” has been used to describe processes for cleaning textiles using nonaqueous solvents. Dry cleaning is an old art, with solvent cleaning first being recorded in the United Kingdom in the 1860's. Typically, dry cleaning processes are used with garments such as woolens which are subject to shrinkage in aqueous laundering baths, or which are judged to be too valuable or too delicate to subject to aqueous laundering processes. Various hydrocarbon and halocarbon solvents have traditionally been used in immersion dry cleaning processes, and the need to handle and reclaim such solvents has mainly restricted the practice of conventional dry cleaning to commercial establishments. In addition to the cleaning function, dry cleaning also provides important “refreshment” benefits. For example, dry cleaning removes undesirable odors and extraneous matter such as hair and lint from garments, which are then generally folded or pressed to remove wrinkles and restore their original shape.
One type of home dry cleaning system comprises a carrier sheet containing various cleaning agents, and a plastic bag. The bag can be either sealed such that it is substantially air tight or the bag can be vapor venting. The garments to be cleaned are sealed in the bag together with the sheet, and then tumbled in a conventional clothes dryer. In a commercial embodiment, multiple single-use flat sheets and a single multi-use plastic bag are provided in a package. However, the bag requires storage between uses and it can substantially increase the cost of the dry cleaning kit. Moreover, the bag restricts the number/volume of articles which can be dry cleaned.
It has been the belief in the dry cleaning industry that a containment bag was necessary for dry cleaning fabric articles in a conventional clothes dryer because of the high rate of air flow through conventional dryers. The bag served to contain the water vapor, which evaporates off of the carrier sheets due to the heat in the clothes dryer, so that the water vapor could remain in contact with the fabric articles/garments being dry cleaned thereby delivering perfume and other beneficial agents. It was believed that without a bag the evaporated water vapor would be driven off by the forced air flow in the clothes dryer, prematurely drying the fabric articles before the cleaning/refreshment function was complete.
Hence there is a need for a dry cleaning process which eliminates the containment bag while simultaneously providing the same cleaning, refreshment and garment protection functions of prior dry cleaning processes. Additionally, there is the need for a dry cleaning kit which provides the necessary items and compositions to accomplish the dry cleaning processes described herein.
Background Art
Dry cleaning processes are disclosed in: U.S. Pat. No. 5,547,476 issued Aug. 20, 1996 to Siklosi & Roetker; U.S. Pat. No. 5,591,236 issued Jan. 7, 1997 to Roetker; U.S. Pat. No. 5,630,847 issued May 20, 1997 to Roetker; U.S. Pat. No. 5,630,848 issued May 20, 1997 to Young, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,632,780 issued May 27, 1997 to Siklosi; EP application 429,172A1, published May 29, 1991, Leigh, et al.; and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,238,587, issued Aug. 24, 1993, Smith, et al. Other references relating to dry cleaning, compositions and processes, as well as wrinkle treatments for fabric articles, include: GB pateni 1,598,911; and U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,126,563, 3,949,137, 3,593,544, 3,647,354; 3,432,253 and 1,747,324; and German applications 2,021,561 and 2,460,239, 0,208,989 and 4,007,362.
Carrier sheet substrates for use in a laundry dryer are disclosed in Canadian patent No. 1,005,204. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,956,556 and 4,007,300 relate to perforated sheets for fabric conditioning in a clothes dryer. Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,692,277 discloses the use of 1,2-octanediol in liquid cleaners. See also U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,591,510; 3,737,387; 3,764,544; 3,882,038; 3,907,496; 4,097,397; 4,102,824; 4,336,024; 4,606,842; 4,758,641; 4,797,310; 4,802,997; 4,943,392; 4,966,724; 4,983,317; 5,004,557; 5,062,973; 5,080,822; 5,173,200; EP 0 213 500; EP 0 261 718; G.B. 1,397,475; WO91/09104; WO91/13145; WO 93/25654 and Hunt, D. G. and N. H. Morris, “PnB and DPnB Glycol Ethers”,
HAPPI,
April 1989, pp. 78-82.
Absorbent Stain Receiver Articles are preferably made from certain types of “TBAL” structures which are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,640,810, issued Feb. 3, 1987 to H. Laursen, et al. Use of such structures in diapers and feminine hygiene products is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,264,268 issued Nov. 23, 1993 to Luceri, et al.; 5,364,382 issued Nov. 15, 1994 to Latimer, et al.; 5,525,407 issued to Yang on Jun. 11, 1996; 5,569,226 issued Oct. 29, 1996 to Cohen, et al.; 4,578,070 issued Mar. 25, 1996 to Holtman; 3,375,827 issued Apr. 2, 1968 to Bletzinger; and 4,798,603 issued Jan. 17,1989 to Meyer, et al.
Cleaning/pre-treating compositions and methods are also disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,102,573; 5,041,230; 4,909,962; 4,115,061; 4,886,615; 4,139,475; 4,849,257; 5,112,358; 4,659,496; 4,806,254; 5,213,624; 4,130,392; and 4,395,261.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention encompasses a bagless dry cleaning kit and process for dry cleaning fabric articles and the like. In one embodiment of the present invention a kit for dry cleaning fabric articles and the like is provided wherein the kit comprises: one or more carrier sheets; and from about 200 grams to about 1,000 grams of a liquid cleaning/refreshment composition; wherein the one or more carrier sheets can absorb at least about 200 grams of the liquid cleaning/refreshment composition. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention the kit further comprises an Absorbent Stain Receiver Article and a pre-treating composition.
In another aspect, the invention provides a process for dry cleaning fabric articles and the like, wherein the process comprises the steps of:
(i) placing one or more fabric articles to be cleaned in a device which provides heat and agitation;
(ii) placing one or more carrier sheets in the device wherein the carrier sheets have about 200 grams of a liquid cleaning/refreshment composition releasably absorbed therein;
(iii) heating the air within the device to at least about 100° F. (40° C.); and
(iv) agitating the fabric articles and the carrier sheets until at least about 40% by weight of the liquid cleaning/refreshment composition from the carrier sheets has been evaporated and vented from the device.
In a preferred aspect, for treating garments with localized stains, a process of the present invention further comprises the steps of:
(i) placing a localized stained area of the fabric article over and in contact with an Absorbent Stain Receiver Article;
(ii) applying enough pre-treating composition to the fabric article to saturate the localized stained area;
(iii) allowing the composition to penetrate the stain for a predetermined period of time; and
(iv) removing the fabric article from contact with the Absorbent Stain Receiver Article.
The kits and methods of the present invention provide the convenience and economic advantages of a home dry cleaning system while simultaneously eliminating the need for a cumbersome, expensive and restrictive bag. It has surprisingly been found that through the proper selection and sizing of the carrier sheet—such that it can supply the proper amount of liquid cleaning/refreshment composition to the clothes dryer and the fabric articles to be dry cleaned—the bag of prior dry cleaning processes can be eliminated. Moreover, the entire volume of a conventional clothes dryer can b
Cook C. Brant
Gravini Stephen
Miller Steven W.
The Procter & Gamble & Company
William Zerby Kim
LandOfFree
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