Cleaning compositions for solid surfaces – auxiliary compositions – Cleaning compositions or processes of preparing – For cleaning a specific substrate or removing a specific...
Reexamination Certificate
1996-09-18
2001-07-31
Gupta, Yogendra N. (Department: 1751)
Cleaning compositions for solid surfaces, auxiliary compositions
Cleaning compositions or processes of preparing
For cleaning a specific substrate or removing a specific...
C510S191000, C510S239000, C510S395000, C510S398000, C510S434000, C510S475000, C510S507000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06268325
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to cleaning compositions, and especially to cleaning compositions for use on hard surfaces such as ceramic bathroom fittings and toilets. In particular, the present invention relates to such cleaning compositions including an abrasive material and a bleaching agent, and having a desired rheology.
Cleaning compositions which include abrasive particles are well known in the art. The abrasive particles are included in such compositions to assist physically in the removal of soils and stains from the surfaces.
It is also well known to incorporate bleaching agents into cleaning compositions in order to provide the compositions with disinfectant and/or antimicrobial properties and to further assist in soil and stain removal.
A particular problem in formulating compositions including abrasive particles has been that of retaining the particles in suspension in the composition during storage of the composition prior to use. Various solutions to this problem have been proposed and some success has been claimed through adapting the rheological properties of the composition so that the composition has a high viscosity (which can retain the particles in suspension) until the composition is subjected to external forces, for example shear forces. Thus, the high viscosity is maintained during storage, but the viscosity is lowered on pouring or expelling the composition from the bottle in which it is stored. Examples of compositions of this general type and similar types may be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,279,755, EP 0606707, EP 0606712, EP 0206534, EP 0159923, EP 0009942, EP 0003625, GB 1495549, GB 1437857 and EP 0011984.
It is, however, desirable that, when the composition is dispensed from its storage container, the viscosity of the composition is maintained at a sufficiently high level to enable the composition to “cling” to a non-horizontal surface. In other words, the composition must have a sufficient dwell-time on the surface to enable the active components of the composition to have the desired effect. Some of the above-listed references also address this problem. Also, the rheological properties of the composition may be adapted so that the composition has a so-called “plastic” rheology, whereby the composition is thickened in order to maintain the abrasive particles in suspension, but remains flowable without the need for excessive shaking or agitation. Thus, a composition with “plastic” rheology remains easily dispensable from its storage container.
Many prior art compositions of the type described above have included buffering agents based on phosphates and their derivatives. These buffering agents are now considered to be damaging to the environment and it is desirable to provide compositions which avoid the use of phosphate buffers.
It has now been found surprisingly that a composition having desired rheological properties and which can stably suspend abrasive particles comprises:
A) A colloid-forming component, in particular a clay
B) a polymeric water-soluble thickener
C) abrasive particles, and
D) a bleaching agent
with the balance being water and optional minor ingredients, such as perfumes and dyes.
Desirably, the composition will also include at least one water-soluble surfactant to enhance the cleaning properties of the composition.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a cleaning composition comprising:
A) 1% to 10% of a colloid-forming material
B) 0.5% to 10% of a polymeric thickener
C) 1% to 60% of abrasive particles, and
D) a bleaching agent.
In this specification, all concentrations are % w/w unless otherwise specified.
Preferred colloid-forming materials are clays such as smectite clays, bentonite, laponite and montmorillonite. Bentonite clays are especially preferred. Typically, bentonite clays will comprise about 58% silicon oxide, 25% aluminium oxide and 3% magnesium oxide, with minor amounts (less than 2%) of other oxides.
In preferred variations of the invention, the clay is present in an amount of 1% to 5%, especially 2% to 5%. A particularly preferred clay is Laviothix P1, obtainable from Laviosa Chimica Mineraria S.p.A., Livorno, Italy.
Without wishing to be bound by theory, it is believed that the thickening of the formulations of the invention occurs through the interaction of the polymeric thickener with the colloid-forming clay. In particular, it is believed that the polymeric chains of the polymeric thickener may occupy voids in the clay structure.
In principle, any bleach-stable polymeric thickener which interacts appropriately with the clay may be used in the present invention, although polymers with branched chains may be preferred because of their increased thickening interaction.
Particularly preferred polymeric thickeners are copolymers of acrylic acid, such as Acusol, in particular Acusol 810A. Acusol is available from Rohn & Haas Company. Another suitable polymeric thickener is Polygel D.A., which is available from 3V Sigma.
In particular preferred variations of the invention, the polymeric thickener is present in an amount of 0.5% to 5%.
In the compositions of the invention, the choice of abrasive particles is not limited and any suitable bleach-stable particles of appropriate particle size and abrasivity may be used. Examples of suitable abrasive particles include calcium carbonate, pumice stone, calcite, dolomite, feldspar, talc, alumina, silica, quartz, perlite, zirconium silicate and diatomaceous earth and organic materials such as melamine, resins such as urea formaldehyde resins, polyethylene beads and polyamide derivatives. Calcium carbonate is particularly preferred.
In preferred compositions, the abrasive particles are present in amounts of 1% to 30%, most preferably 2% to 15%.
The bleaching agent employed in the compositions of the invention is preferably a halogen-based bleach. Suitable examples include hypohalite, especially hypochlorite salts of the alkali and alkaline earth metals, especially sodium hypochlorite or potassium hypochlorite, haloamines, haloimines, haloimides, haloamides, isocyanurate derivatives such as potassium or sodium dichloroisocyanurate, trichlorocyanuric acid, dichlorodimethyl hydantoin, chlorobromo dimethyl hydantoin, N-chlorosulphamide, chloramine and chlorinated trisodium phosphate dodecahydrate. Sodium hypochlorite is especially preferred.
The bleaching agent is preferably present in an amount of not more than 15%, particularly not more than 13%, and most preferably not more than 9%. However, the actual amount of bleaching agent present in the composition will be determined in accordance with the amount of available chlorine which results. Hence, the above quoted amounts are for guidance only and the amount of bleaching agent required to provide a given amount of available chlorine can be determined by methods known to those skilled in the art. Preferably, the level of available chlorine will be between 0.5% and 15%.
In addition to the above components, the compositions of the invention may further include surfactants in order to improve the cleaning properties of the composition. The surfactants must, of course, be bleach-stable and will also desirably provide an additional contribution to the thickening system, by interaction with the colloid-forming clay. Especially preferred are amine oxide type surfactants (which provide a useful level of foaming in use of the composition) and sodium lauryl sulphate. A preferred amine oxide surfactant which can be obtained under the trade name Aromox™ from Akzo Nobel is a cocodimethylamine oxide. Sodium lauryl sulphate is obtainable from Albright & Wilson under the trade name Empicol.
Other surfactants and surfactant blends may also, or alternatively, be incorporated into the compositions of the invention, of which example include alkyl ether sulphates, alkyl sulphates, dodecyl benzene sulphonate, paraffin sulphonates, xylene, cumene and toluene sulphonates, sulphosuccinates, carboxylate surfactants, carboxylic ether surfactants, alpha olefin sulphonates, carboxyamphoglycinates and derivatives thereof. These surfactants may generally
Antelme Bernard
Fauvet Sylvie
Lhoste Jean-Francois
Luciani Alain
Manget Vincent
Boyer Charles
Fish & Richardson P.C.
Gupta Yogendra N.
Reckitt & Colman SA
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