Concentrated, stable, preferably clear, fabric softening...

Details Concentrated, stable, preferably clear, fabric softening... Concentrated, stable, preferably clear, fabric softening...

2001-09-17

2004-02-03

Hardee, John R (Department: 1751)

Cleaning compositions for solid surfaces, auxiliary compositions

Auxiliary compositions for cleaning, or processes of preparing

Textile softening or antistatic composition

C510S527000, C510S505000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06686331

ABSTRACT:

TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to preferably translucent, or, more preferably, clear, aqueous, concentrated, liquid softening compositions useful for softening cloth. It especially relates to textile softening compositions for use in the rinse cycle of a textile laundering operation to provide excellent fabric-softening/static-control benefits, the compositions being characterized by, e.g., reduced staining of fabric, excellent water dispersibility, rewettability, and/or storage and viscosity stability at subnormal temperatures, i.e., temperatures below normal room temperature, e.g., 25° C.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Concentrated clear compositions containing ester and/or amide linked fabric softening actives are disclosed in co-pending application Ser. No. 08/679,694, filed Jul. 11, 1996 in the names of E. H. Wahl, T. Trinh, E. P. Gosselink, J. C. Letton, and M. R. Sivik, for Fabric Softening Compound/Composition, said application being incorporated herein by reference. The fabric softener actives in said applications are all biodegradable ester-linked materials, containing, as long hydrophobic groups, both unsaturated and branched chains.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The compositions herein comprise:
A. from about 2% to about 80% of fabric softener active containing at least two C
6
-C
22
hydrocarbyl groups, but no more than one being less than C
12
and the the other is at least C
16
, the groups having an IV from about 70 to about 140, or branched; and
B. less than about 40% by weight of the composition of principal solvent having a ClogP of from about 0.15 to about 0.64, and at least some degree of asymmetry, said principal solvent containing insufficient amounts of solvents selected from the group consisting of: 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,3-pentane diol; the ethoxylate, diethoxylate, or triethoxylate derivatives of 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,3-pentane diol; and/or 2-ethylhexyl-1,3-diol, to provide an aqueous stable composition by themselves, said principal solvent being sufficient to make the compositions clear.
Preferably, the compositions are aqueous, stable clear fabric softener compositions containing:
A. from about 2% to about 80%, preferably from about 13% to about 75%, more preferably from about 17% to about 70%, and even more preferably from about 19% to about 65%, by weight of the composition, of cationic fabric softener active which is selected from:
(1) softener having the formula:
R
4-m
−N(
+
)−R
1
m
A
−
wherein each m is 2 or 3, each R
1
is a C
6
-C
22
, preferably C
14
-C
20
, but no more than one being less than about C
12
and then the other is at least about 16, hydrocarbyl, or substituted hydrocarbyl substituent, preferably C
10
-C
20
alkyl or alkenyl (unsaturated alkyl, including polyunsaturated alkyl, also referred to sometimes as “alkylene”), most preferably C
12
-C
18
alkyl or alkenyl, and where the Iodine Value (hereinafter referred to as “IV”) of a fatty acid containing this R
1
group is from about 70 to about 140, more preferably from about 80 to about 130; and most preferably from about 90 to about 115 (as used herein, the term “Iodine Value” means the Iodine Value of a “parent” fatty acid, or “corresponding” fatty acid, which is used to define a level of unsaturation for an R
1
group that is the same as the level of unsaturation that would be present in a fatty acid containing the same R
1
group) with, preferably, a cis/trans ratio of from about 1:1 to about 50:1, the minimum being 1:1, preferably from about 2:1 to about 40:1, more preferably from about 3:1 to about 30:1, and even more preferably from about 4:1 to about 20:1; each R
1
can also preferably be a branched chain C
14
-C
22
alkyl group, preferably a branched chain C
16
-C
18
group; each R is H or a short chain C
1
-C
6
, preferably C
1
-C
3
alkyl or hydroxyalkyl group, e.g., methyl (most preferred), ethyl, propyl, hydroxyethyl, and the like, benzyl, or (R
2
O)
2-4
H where each R
2
is a C
1-6
alkylene group; and A
−
is a softener compatible anion, preferably, chloride, bromide, methylsulfate, ethylsulfate, sulfate, and nitrate, more preferably chloride and methyl sulfate;
(2) softener having the formula:
wherein each R, R
1
, and A
−
have the definitions given above; each R
2
is a C
1-6
alkylene group, preferably an ethylene group, and G is an oxygen atom or an —NR— group;
(3) softener having the formula:
wherein R
1
, R
2
and G are defined as above;
(4) reaction products of substantially unsaturated and/or branched chain higher fatty acids with dialkylenetriamines in, e.g., a molecular ratio of about 2:1, said reaction products containing compounds of the formula:
R
1
—C(O)—NH—R
2
—NH—R
3
—NH—C(O)—R
1
wherein R
1
, R
2
are defined as above, and each R
3
is a C
1-6
alkylene group, preferably an ethylene group;
(5) softener having the formula:
[R
1
—C(O)—NR—R
2
—N(R)
2
—R
3
—NR—C(O)—R
1
]
+
A
−
wherein R, R
1
, R
2
, R
3
and A
−
are defined as above;
(6) the reaction product of substantially unsaturated and/or branched chain higher fatty acid with hydroxyalkylalkylenediamines in a molecular ratio of about 2:1, said reaction products containing compounds of the formula:
R
1
—C(O)—NH—R
2
—N(R
3
OH)—C(O)—R
1
wherein R
1
, R
2
and R
3
are defined as above;
(7) softener having the formula:
wherein R, R
1
, R
2
, and A
−
are defined as above; and
(8) mixtures thereof;
B. less than about 40%, preferably from about 10% to about 35%, more preferably from about 12% to about 25% and even more preferably from about 14% to about 20%, by weight of the composition of principal solvent having a ClogP of from about 0.15 to about 0.64, preferably from about 0.25 to about 0.62, and more preferably from about 0.40 to about 0.60, said principal solvent containing insufficient amounts of solvents selected from the group consisting of: 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,3-pentanediol; the ethoxylate, diethoxylate, or triethoxylate derivatives of 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,3-pentanediol; and/or 2-ethyl-1,3-hexanediol, and/or mixtures thereof, when used by themselves, to provide a clear product, preferably insufficient to provide a stable product, more preferably insufficient to provide a detectable change in the physical characteristics of the composition, and especially completely free thereof, and the principal solvent preferably being selected from the group consisting of:
I. mono-ols including:
a. n-propanol; and/or
b. 2-butanol and/or 2-methyl-2-propanol;
II. hexane diol isomers including: 2,3-butanediol, 2,3-dimethyl-; 1,2-butanediol, 2,3-dimethyl-; 1,2-butanediol, 3,3-dimethyl-; 2,3-pentanediol, 2-methyl-; 2,3-pentanediol, 3-methyl-; 2,3-pentanediol, 4-methyl-; 2,3-hexanediol; 3,4-hexanediol; 1,2-butanediol, 2-ethyl-; 1,2-pentanediol, 2-methyl-; 1,2-pentanediol, 3-methyl-; 1,2-pentanediol, 4-methyl-; and/or 1,2-hexanediol;
III. heptane diol isomers including: 1,3-propanediol, 2-butyl-; 1,3-propanediol, 2,2-diethyl-; 1,3-propanediol, 2-(1-methylpropyl)-; 1,3-propanediol, 2-(2-methylpropyl)-; 1,3-propanediol, 2-methyl-2-propyl-; 1,2-butanediol, 2,3,3-trimethyl-; 1,4-butanediol, 2-ethyl-2-methyl-; 1,4-butanediol, 2-ethyl-3-methyl-; 1,4-butanediol, 2-propyl-; 1,4-butanediol, 2-isopropyl-; 1,5-pentanediol, 2,2-dimethyl-; 1,5-pentanediol, 2,3-dimethyl-; 1,5-pentanediol, 2,4-dimethyl-; 1,5-pentanediol, 3,3-dimethyl-; 2,3-pentanediol, 2,3-dimethyl-; 2,3-pentanediol, 2,4-dimethyl-; 2,3-pentanediol, 3,4-dimethyl-; 2,3-pentanediol, 4,4-dimethyl-; 3,4-pentanediol, 2,3-dimethyl-; 1,5-pentanediol, 2-ethyl-; 1,6hexanediol, 2-methyl-; 1,6-hexanediol, 3-methyl-; 2,3-hexanediol, 2-methyl-; 2,3-hexanediol, 3-methyl-; 2,3-hexanediol, 4-methyl-; 2,3-hexanediol, 5-methyl-; 3,4-hexanediol, 2-methyl-; 3,4-hexanediol, 3-methyl-; 1,3-heptanediol; 1,4-heptanediol; 1,5-heptanediol; and/or 1,6-heptanediol;
IV. octane diol isomers including: 1,3-propanediol, 2-(2-methylbutyl)-; 1,3-propanediol, 2-(1,1-dimethylpropyl)-1,3-propanediol, 2-(1,2-dimethylpropyl)-; 1,3-propanediol, 2-(1-ethylpropyl)-; 1,3-propanediol, 2-(1-methylbutyl)-; 1,3-propanediol, 2-(2,2-dimethylpr

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