Cleaning compositions for solid surfaces – auxiliary compositions – Cleaning compositions or processes of preparing – For cleaning a specific substrate or removing a specific...
Reexamination Certificate
2003-06-18
2004-07-13
Boyer, Charles (Department: 1751)
Cleaning compositions for solid surfaces, auxiliary compositions
Cleaning compositions or processes of preparing
For cleaning a specific substrate or removing a specific...
C510S382000, C510S384000, C510S391000, C510S398000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06762162
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Not applicable
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT
Not applicable
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to cleaners, particularly hard surface cleaners in which the cleaner imparts desired cleaning and surface appearance characteristics to the surface being cleaned while also disinfecting the surface being cleaned.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
There are a variety of known hard surface cleaning materials, including a number which are designed for cleaning and otherwise improving the appearance of floors and the like. See e.g. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,976,501, 4,443,363, 4,596,668, 4,880,558, 5,000,867, 5,348,678, 5,811,386, 5,965,514, 6,159,924 and 6,325,862.
There have also been suggestions to include in a hard surface cleaner a quaternary ammonium compound as a germicidal active to disinfect a hard surface while it is being cleaned. See e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 6,268,327. This patent specifically suggests the use of an alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride compound, such as BTC® 2125M, as a preferred quaternary ammonium germicide.
There has also be some use of biguanide (a/k/a diguanide) antimicrobial compounds in cleaners (e.g. especially skin cleaners) where the cleaner kills bacteria on the surface it is applied to. See U.S. Pat. No. 6,071,866.
Also, it has been suggested to incorporate biguanides and/or ammonium compounds (such as benzylalkyldimethylammonium chloride) in cleaners to act as preservatives while the cleaner is stored. See e.g. European patent application 017,149.
It has been further proposed to included substituted guanidine anti-microbial agents in a sanitizing composition. See U.S. Pat. No. 5,000,867.
Some cationic polymers have also been proposed for incorporation in certain cleaning materials to improve cleaning effectiveness or impart desired attributes to the surface after being cleaned. See e.g. EP 017,149 and 6,251,849.
However, there is a continuing need to develop improved cleaning materials, particularly for floor care cleaners that require a disinfecting capability (e.g. for hospital maintenance). In this regard, formulation components that act as effective cleaners or disinfectants for floors may not be optimal for imparting desired residual characteristics to the surface (e.g. imparting shine; avoiding slippery conditions; avoiding unduly long periods for drying).
In some cases the art has split the cleaning/disinfecting and the surface treating functions into two separate products. It is much more desirable to have a single step (“one-step”) product that addresses the needed cleaning and disinfecting characteristics in a very efficient manner, yet also leaves desired residual properties.
Further complicating matters is that if one tries to simply increase the level of biocide incorporated in the formulation, the cost of the final product can be adversely impacted and the nature of the product can be altered in a way that causes the product to have poor suspension characteristics. It would be particularly desirable to use relatively low levels of a biocide, yet find a way to improve biocidal activity of the existing amount of biocide.
Thus, a need still exists to develop improved hard surface cleaners that also are designed to disinfect floors.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It has been discovered that the combination of cationic polymers, preferably cationic emulsion polymers, even more preferably cationic emulsion polymers having an acrylate monomer moiety, will cause synergistic biocidal activity with quaternary ammonium biocides and/or substituted guanidine biocides, in hard surface cleaner formulations.
In one aspect the invention provides a cleaner having a pH of 7.0 or lower (preferably between 4.0 and 6.0). The cleaner includes (i) a biocidal disinfecting material selected from the group consisting of quaternary ammonium biocides and substituted guanidine biocides, (ii) a cationic polymer, (iii) a surfactant selected from the group consisting of nonionic and cationic surfactants, and (iv) water.
Where the biocidal disinfecting material is a quaternary ammonium biocide, particularly useful quaternary ammonium germicides are those described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,268,327. In this regard, quaternary ammonium biocides of this type have the nitrogen linked to four carbon-containing R groups and there is a salt-forming anionic member, such as a halide. The most preferred R groups are between 6 to 26 carbon atoms.
Particularly preferred exemplary quaternary ammonium salts which are quaternary ammonium biocides are alkyl ammonium halides such as cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide, alkyl aryl ammonium halides such as alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride, N-alkyl pyridinium halides such as N-cetyl pyridinium bromide, and the like. Other suitable types of quaternary ammonium salts may include those in which the molecule contains either amide or ester linkages such as octyl phenoxy ethoxy ethyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride, N-(laurylcocoaminoformylmethyl)-pyridinium chloride, and the like. Other quaternary ammonium germicides are lauryloxyphenyltrimethyl ammonium chloride, cetylaminophenyltrimethyl ammonium methosulfate, dodecylphenyltrimethyl ammonium methosulfate, dodecylbenzyltrimethyl ammonium chloride, and chlorinated dodecylbenzyltrimethyl ammonium chloride.
Examples of such preferred quaternary ammonium biocides are the BTC®, BARDAC®, and HYAMINE® biocides, such as BTC 2125M. BTC biocides are available from Stepan Co., and BARDAC and HYAMINE biocides are available from Lonza, Inc.
We prefer to use these biocides at under 1 percent to minimize cost and reduce disruption to the other characteristics of the mixture. However, the concentration could be more, albeit the concentration could be as little as 0.001 percent by weight. Most preferably we prefer weight percentages between 0.10 percent and 0.5 percent when this type of germicide is used.
The biocidal disinfecting material can alternatively be a substituted guanidine anti-microbial agent. See generally U.S. Pat. No. 5,000,867 for compounds of this general class.
In the most preferred form the biocidal substituted guanidine compound may be a biguanide. In general, such a biguanide compound may contain one or more monomers of:
In this formula R
1
through R
4
can be a variety of different moieties. Examples are aryl, alkyl, hydrogen or just bonds. Some of these are where R
1
and R
2
are alkylene chains optionally substituted by a phenyl radical (which itself optionally may be substituted by alkyl or alkoxy groups), and the other R groups may be hydrogen, C
1-12
alkyl or C
7-12
aralkyl. It is also possible that some of the R groups may be linked to form cyclic portions. The substituted guanidine (e.g. biguanide) anti-microbial agents also include the acid addition salt variants.
A particularly preferred bisbiguanide is 1,6-bis-(p-chlorophenyldiguanido)hexane in the form of the hydrochloride, acetate or gluconate, this compound is available from Avecia of Manchester, England.
The preferred concentration of the substituted guanide disinfectant in the cleaner is preferably that described above with respect to the quaternary ammonium disinfectants.
In preferred forms the water is at least 50 percent of the weight of the cleaner at the time of use. Of course, the formulation may be prepared as a concentrate, with the consumer diluting the concentrate in a bucket immediately prior to use.
In another preferred form the cleaner has an organic solvent which provides a wider range of cleaning capability to the cleaner (e.g. with respect to hydrophobic soils on the floor). Preferred amounts of organic solvent are between 0.05 percent and 10 of the cleaner, most preferably between 1 and 5 percent of the cleaner, with the solvent being a mixture of such solvents. A particularly preferred mixture of organic solvents is a mixture of two glycol ethers such as a mixture of diethylene glycol butyl ether (a/k/a butyl carbitol) and ethylene glycol hexyl ether (a/k/a hexyl cellosolve).
Further, a third solvent (such as propylene glycol or ethy
Thalmann Brandon R.
Valpey, III Richard S.
Boyer Charles
S. C. Johnson & Son Inc.
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