Bleaching and dyeing; fluid treatment and chemical modification – Cleaning or laundering – Dry cleaning
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-08
2001-02-20
Kopec, Mark (Department: 1751)
Bleaching and dyeing; fluid treatment and chemical modification
Cleaning or laundering
Dry cleaning
C008S137000, C510S277000, C510S285000, C510S291000, C510S295000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06190420
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention is directed to a dry-cleaning composition, article and methods that can be used for garment freshening and cleaning.
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
U.S. Pat. No. 5,547,476 (hereinafter referred to as “the '476 patent”) issued Aug. 20, 1996 to Siklosi et al. discloses a home dry-cleaning process. In the process of the '476 patent, a carrier sheet is releasably impregnated with a cleaning composition. The sheet and clothing to be cleaned are sealed in an air-tight bag that is placed in a dryer. As the dryer's drum heats and rotates, the sheet releases the cleaning composition to clean the clothes contained in the bag. The cleaning composition disclosed in the '476 patent includes water, etherfied propanol solvent, 1,2-octanediol, and an emulsifier. The specific requirement to use etherfied propanol solvent is disadvantageous in that there are many types of common garment stains that cannot be cleaned effectively with this substance. In addition, etherfied propanol can remove colors, particularly in garments made of silk. In addition, 1,2-octanediol is not a widely available substance, and the requirement that it be used in the composition of the '476 patent increases the cost of the composition. In addition, all embodiments of the '476 patent disclose water-based compositions in which water constitutes the largest constituent. Although such water-based compositions are effective in removing some types of garment stains, commonly occurring stains such as body or cosmetic oils are not effectively removed with water-based cleaning compositions, and such large amounts of water can remove color from garments.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,238,587 (hereinafter referred to as “the '587 patent”) discloses a composite fabric-cleaning article including a flexible porous base sheet with a coating of a gelled cleaning composition. In a manner similar to the '587 patent, the sheet is placed in an air-fight bag with clothing, which is sealed and placed in a dryer. The composition includes about 60-90% water, about 0.25-5% gelling agent, about 2-32% of a water miscible organic solvent and about 5-10% surfactant. Thus, like the composition of the '476 patent, the composition of the '587 patent is water-based and accordingly relatively ineffective in cleaning garment stains caused by body or cosmetic oils, and such large amounts of water can remove color from some garments. It would be desirable to provide a dry-cleaning kit suitable for use in the home, that is effective in cleaning the oil-based garment stains for which dry-cleaning is most often required.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
This invention overcomes the above-noted disadvantages. The dry-cleaning article of this invention is characterized by a sheet that is permeated with an organic solvent and water, and optionally other substances, in which organic solvent is the largest constituent by weight of all substances permeated in the sheet. In one embodiment, the sheet is permeated with 51-98% by weight of organic solvent, and 1-35% by weight of water. As used herein, the weight percentages of the substances reflect the range of proportions of the substances relative to all substances permeated in the sheet. The organic solvent and water can also be mixed into a composition with 1-14% by weight of emulsifier to allow the water to be uniformly mixed into the solvent before permeation into the sheet. The sheet can also be permeated with 1-5% by weight of a perfume substance for scenting clothing and/or 1-5% by weight of nonionic and/or anionic surfactant substance to provide additional stain removal capability. The substances permeated into the invented article are thus organic-solvent-based and as such are particularly effective in removing body or cosmetic oil stains from garments. The above-stated substances can be permeated separately into the same or different areas of the sheet, or can be mixed together into a uniform composition and then permeated into the sheet.
In one preferred method for using the dry-cleaning sheet, the sheet is placed within a dryer along with clothing to be dry-cleaned and is allowed to tumble with the clothing at 40°-90° Celsius for five to forty-five minutes. The organic solvent and water in the sheet act upon the clothing and remove oil-based stains during tumbling in the dryer.
A second preferred method of the invention is particularly useful if the clothing to be dry-cleaned has delicate buttons or trim. The clothing is placed in a container such as a perforated bag along with a sheet permeated with organic solvent, water and optionally the other substances as stated above, and is tumbled in a dryer under the same range of temperatures and time durations as stated above with respect to the first method. After tumbling in the dryer, the clothing is removed from the bag and is ready to be worn.
These together with other features and advantages, which will become subsequently apparent, reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed.
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Dry, Inc.
Kolisch Hartwell Dickinson & McCormack & Heuser
Kopec Mark
Mruk Brian P.
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