Drug – bio-affecting and body treating compositions – Preparations characterized by special physical form – Wearing apparel – fabric – or cloth
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-21
2002-12-31
Page, Thurman K. (Department: 1615)
Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions
Preparations characterized by special physical form
Wearing apparel, fabric, or cloth
C424S402000, C424S400000, C424S443000, C424S447000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06500444
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Our invention is directed to a controllably releasable or permanently fragrance-emitting dry or wet wipe laminar fabric article which optionally has efficacious antimicrobial properties comprising a non-woven fabric lamina having woven therethrough and substantially throughout at least a finite portion of the laminar surface, at least one continuous fragrance-imparting component-emitting fiber, which controllably and continuously releases fragrance and, optionally, antimicrobial agent at least for the time period of use of said dry or wet wipe laminar fabric article. Our invention is also directed to a process for the production of such dry or wet wipe laminar fabric article.
Dry and wet wipes are well known commercial consumer products which have been available in many forms. Perhaps the most common form of wet wipes has been a stack of moistened sheets which have been packaged in a plastic container. The wet wipes have been made from a variety of materials which have been moistened with a variety of suitable wiping solutions. Such wet wipes have been used for baby wipes, hand wipes, household cleaning wipes, industrial wipes and the like. By the same token, dry wipes have been made from a variety of materials containing various substances such as antibacterial substances.
With respect to the wet wipes, typically, such conventional wet wipes have included a single layer of a substantially homogeneous material. For example, conventional wet wipes have included an air laid web of fibers which are uniformly mixed or distributed throughout the web. The wipes have included polymeric fibers such as polyester, polyethylene and polypropylene and natural or synthetic fibers such as cellulosic fibers. Other conventional wet wipes have included a co-formed web of polypropylene and cellulosic fibers wherein the fibers are uniformly mixed throughout the web.
European Published Patent Application No. 914,509 published on May 12, 1999 (corresponding to PCT Application No. 98/03713) discloses improved wet wipe articles including a multiple layer base sheet to provide a unique combination of properties to the wipe which are not capable in a single layer base sheet. The layered base sheet includes, in said European Published Patent Application No. 914,509, at least two layers which include different fibers and have different physical properties. One of the layers may include polyethylene fibers to provide a soft, gentle feel for contacting the skin of the user during use while the other layer may include polypropylene fibers to provide strength and resiliency to the wipe to withstand the forces exerted by the user and maintain its shape and integrity in use. The specification of Published European Patent Application No. 914,509 published on May 12, 1999 as well as the corresponding PCT Application No. 98/03713 and the corresponding United States Application No. 97-U.S.-0723 filed on Jun. 19, 1997 are incorporated herein by reference.
The wet wipes and dry wipes referred to in Published European Patent Application No. 914,509 as well as the corresponding PCT Application No. 98/03713 are not disclosed to be fragranced or fragrancable.
However, fragranced fiber materials are well known in the prior art. Thus, U.S. Pat. No. 3,567,118 issued on Mar. 2, 1971 discloses composite fiber materials which are adapted for odorizing, deodorizing, sanitizing and cleansing purposes by treating the fibrous material with a coating of a hydrophilic acrylate or methacrylate containing an appropriate essence, bactericide, cleansing agent or the like. It is indicated in said U.S. Pat. No. 3,567,118 that both natural and synthetic fibers can be treated with a solution of the hydrophilic polymer, and that entrapment of the chemical agent can be prolonged by using a copolymer of the hydrophilic monomer with a minor amount of a hydrophobic monomer. U.S. Pat. No. 3,567,118 does not set forth the creation of a permanently, continuously fragrancing wet wipe or dry wipe. By the same token, U.S. Pat. No. 3,567,119 issued on Mar. 2, 1971 discloses methods for the incorporating of fragrance compounds or oil bouquets and/or topical antifungal or antibacterial agents, insect repellent compounds and certain odoriferous medicaments into polymeric or natural materials so that the fabricated product possesses the properties imparted by the additive or additives for a long period of time. Further, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,567,119, it is indicated that the efficiency of incorporating additives such as fragrance materials into the articles of the invention is improved by the use of surfactants and the effectiveness and duration of the additive or additives in the fabricated product is enhanced by employing antioxidants and/or ultraviolet radiation absorbers.
However, neither U.S. Pat. No. 3,567,118 nor U.S. Pat. No. 3,567,119 discloses the efficacious continuous and permanent fragrance-emitting dry or wet wipe article of our invention which has woven therethrough fragrance-emitting fiber which is thermoplastic and substantially water-insoluble.
Non-woven fabrics having fibers woven therethrough substantially throughout at least a major portion of the laminar surface thereof are known in the prior art. Thus, U.S. Pat. No. 5,902,757 issued on May 11, 1999 (the specification for which is incorporated herein by reference) discloses a stitch bonded fabric sheet having a felt web with a hydrophobic layer and a hydrophilic layer stitch bonded with yarns to create yarn faces over the respective outer surfaces of the felt web. The sheet may be used as a fluid retention fabric such as to replace the facing fabric and felt layer in an incontinent pad. Nothing is set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 5,902,757 indicating or inferring the utility of such a yarn containing fragrance and/or antimicrobial substance.
However, fragrant fibers per se are well known in the prior art. Thus U.S. Pat. No. 4,713,291 issued on Dec. 15, 1987 discloses fragrant fiber wherein a fragrant sheath-core composite fiber “suitable for bedding” and having a cross section including a sheath and a core including a hollow portion wherein an aromatic perfume having a boiling point higher than 150° C. under normal pressure is incorporated and dispersed in an amount 0.1 to 10.0% by weight in a thermoplastic polymer constituting the core. The core component in U.S. Pat. No. 4,713,291 is preferably a polyethylene-type polymer, and the sheath component is preferably a polyethylene terephthalate polymer. One of the typical compositions of the aromatic perfume of U.S. Pat. No. 4,713,291 is an essential oil mixture including (i) 10 to 20% of lemon oil; (ii) 5 to 15% of bergamot oil; (iii) 2 to 8% of lavender oil; (iv) 2 to 8% of lemongrass oil; (v) 2 to 8% of cedarwood oil and (vi) 0.5 to 1.5% of jasmine absolute. The disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 4,713,291 is incorporated by reference herein. However, U.S. Pat. No. 4,713,291 does not disclose the use of such fragranced fibers as an essential component of a dry wipe or a wet wipe. Antimicrobial component-containing fibers which can be sewn into textile prostheses for insertion into the body, and epidermal pads and bandages are disclosed in PCT Published Application No. 99/21507 published on May 6, 1999. However, PCT Published Application No. 99/21507 does not disclose the use of such fibers in conjunction with wet wipes or dry wipes and, furthermore, does not disclose the incorporation into such fibers of fragrance materials.
The entire specifications of PCT Published Application No. 99/21507 as well as U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,567,118 and 3,567,119 are incorporated herein by reference.
In summary, although the prior art shows (a) dry wipes and wet wipes made of non-woven fabric; (b) shows fragranced fibers; and (c) shows fragranced non-woven fabrics, nothing in the prior art sets forth wet wipes or dry wipes of our invention which are permanently and continuously fragrance-emitting and, optionally, antimicrobial substance-emitting of our invention.
THE INVENTION
Our invention is directed to a controllably releasable or permanent
Angelini Marcos
D'Ascanio Leonardo Oscar
Ferenc Dionisio
Novas Elena Susana
Bennett Rachel M.
International Flavors & Fragrances Inc.
Liberman Arthur L.
Page Thurman K.
LandOfFree
Continuously fragrance-emitting dry or wet wipe fabric... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Continuously fragrance-emitting dry or wet wipe fabric..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Continuously fragrance-emitting dry or wet wipe fabric... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2994144