Cleaning compositions for solid surfaces – auxiliary compositions – Cleaning compositions or processes of preparing – Liquid composition
Reexamination Certificate
1998-10-23
2001-02-06
Gupta, Yogendra (Department: 1751)
Cleaning compositions for solid surfaces, auxiliary compositions
Cleaning compositions or processes of preparing
Liquid composition
C510S245000, C510S342000, C510S356000, C510S382000, C510S384000, C510S391000, C510S405000, C510S432000, C510S463000, C510S504000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06184195
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to disinfectant compositions. More particularly the present invention relates to concentrated liquid disinfectant compositions which are normally diluted in a larger volume of water to form a working solution therefrom, and which exhibit a blooming effect when diluted.
Blooming is a property exhibited by dilutable compositions such as known cleaning compositions, specifically pine-oil type cleaning compositions which contain a significant amount (generally at least about 5% and more) of pine oil. Certain phenolic disinfectant compounds, such as LYSOL® disinfectant concentrate (Reckitt & Colman, Inc., Montvale, N.J.) also exhibit such a blooming property. Blooming may be characterized as the formation of milky, creamy or cloudy appearance which is manifested when a dilutable composition is added to a larger volume or quantity of water. Blooming is an important characteristic from a consumer standpoint as it provides a visual indicator and impression to the consumer that the concentrated product contains active cleaning and/or disinfecting constituents which are released upon addition of the concentrate to a volume of water. Such is an important visual indicator of apparent efficacy of a concentrated product.
While such pine oil type cleaning compositions are commercially significant and in popular use, their use is not without attendant shortcomings. For example, high levels of pine oil in a cleaning composition are known to leave undesirable surface residues, particularly on hard surfaces. This effect may be minimized by the addition of further constituents, such as the use of certain surfactants which are useful in solubilizing and stabilizing the pine oil. However, such a solution raises further problems as many useful surfactants, and frequently the pine oil itself, are categorized as undesired volatile organic compounds (“VOC”). Thus, there is need in the art for providing improved pine oil type cleaning compositions which exhibit one or more of the identifying characteristics outlined above which are important indicia for consumer acceptance, while at the same time providing a reduction in the content of undesired volatile organic compounds which are often used in commercially available pine oil type cleaning compositions.
While presently commercially available materials have advantageous features, they are not without their attendant shortcomings as well. For example, the use of pine oil, and its pungent characteristic odor is frequently not desired. Also, such compositions frequently are directed to providing a cleaning effect, and do not provide an appreciable sanitizing effect. Further, certain compositions known to the art may not provide a bloom which is long lasting, or which is not particularly substantive.
It has now been found that it is now possible to produce certain concentrate compositions utilizing these selected constituents in particular formulations which provide blooming type cleaning compositions in a concentrated liquid form which provide both a germicidal effect and a good blooming effect. The “blooming” observed may be described as the change of the water's appearance from essentially colorless and transparent to that of a milky white or milky yellowish white, cloudy appearance. This effect is also sometimes referred to as the “break”. Such blooming is a highly desirable in blooming type cleaning compositions as consumer/end user expectations associate cleaning effectiveness with the extent and degree of this blooming upon formation of a cleaning composition. Such blooming is particularly desirable in compositions where the blooming characteristic in an aqueous dilution is particularly pronounced, or “substantive” and is long lasting in such aqueous dilutions.
According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided an aqueous concentrated liquid disinfectant composition which blooms when added to a larger volume of water which comprises the following constituents:
a terpene based solvent;
germicidal cationic surfactant, preferably a quaternary ammonium compound having germicidal properties;
organic solvent constituent;
a binary co-solvent system comprising alkyl biphenyl solvent and a co-solvent;
one or more nonionic surfactants;
optionally but desirably at least one optional constituent selected from: chelating agents, coloring agent, light stabilizers, fragrances, thickening agents, hydrotropes, pH adjusting agents, pH buffers one or more detersive surfactant constituents particularly non-ionic and amphoteric surfactants, as well as others known the art and useful in similar compositions; and,
the balance being water.
The one or more optional constituents when present, and are included in amounts which do not undesirably affect the overall blooming characteristics of the present inventive compositions.
In preferred embodiments the terpene based solvent constituent is present with respect to the alkyl biphenyl solvent in a respective weight ratio of from 8:1 to 1:2, with the total amount of these combined constituents not exceeding 9% wt. of the total weight of the concentrate compositions.
In preferred embodiments the concentrate compositions provide excellent initial blooming characteristics in ‘as mixed’ dilutions with water, which are particularly substantive, and which also exhibit good retention of blooming characteristics over a longer time period, viz., days and weeks.
In a further aspect of the invention there is provided commercially acceptable shelf stable concentrated cleaning compositions which exhibit one or more of the identifying characteristics of pine oil type cleaning compositions described above, (particularly those which exhibit reduced amounts of VOC), which concentrated cleaning compositions are readily dilutable with water to form useful cleaning compositions.
According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a concentrated liquid disinfectant composition wherein the composition exhibits a germicidal effect in both its concentrated form, and in an aqueous diluted form. Desirably, such a concentrated liquid disinfectant composition which in a diluted form provides disinfection of surfaces wherein the presence of gram positive type pathogenic bacteria such as
Staphylococcus aureus,
and/or the presence of gram negative type pathogenic bacteria such as
Salmonella choleraesuis
and/or
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
is suspected.
The terpene containing solvent constituent, includes one or more further terpene based solvents. These terpene containing solvents preferably include mono- and bicyclic monoterpenes, i.e., those of the hydrocarbon class, which include, for example, the terpinenes, terpinolenes, limonenes, pinenes and mixtures thereof. Useful terpenes include d-limonene, and the mixture of terpene hydrocarbons obtained from the essence of oranges, e.g., cold-pressed orange terpenes and orange terpene oil phase ex fruit juice, and the mixture of terpene hydrocarbons expressed from lemons and grapefruit. The foregoing terpene hydrocarbon solvents are include derivatives of citrus fruits and citrus fruit by-products and, therefore, are naturally occurring materials. Numerous other terpene hydrocarbons are known to those skilled in the art and may be used to prepare the blooming type, germicidal hard surface cleaning and disinfecting compositions of the present invention; however, those as mentioned above recited which are based on d-limonene and the mixture of terpene hydrocarbons obtained from citrus fruits are the most readily available and, hence, are preferred. Of these d-limonene is the most prefererred.
These terpene containing solvent constituents are typically supplied as technical grade materials which may be and are often formulated with small amounts, e.g., 0.1% wt. (weight percent,) of auxiliary materials such as one or more stabilizers, e.g., antioxidants such as butylated hydroxytoluene. Such auxiliary materials are included within the meaning of the term “terpene containing solvent”, as employed in this specification and the accompanying claims. It is also to
Cheung Tak Wai
Mehta Minaxi Hemansu
Rypkema Ralph Edward
Smialowicz Dennis Thomas
Boyer Charles
Fish & Richardson P.C.
Gupta Yogendra
Reckitt Benckiser , Inc.
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