Bleaching and dyeing; fluid treatment and chemical modification – Color protecting process for dyed product
Reexamination Certificate
2001-02-01
2004-12-14
Einsmann, Margaret (Department: 1751)
Bleaching and dyeing; fluid treatment and chemical modification
Color protecting process for dyed product
C008S490000, C008S552000, C008S618000, C008S554000, C008S556000, C008S560000, C252S008860
Reexamination Certificate
active
06830593
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
There is provided a composition which provides care to the treated fabrics, in particular color protection, especially after multiple wash cycles.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The domestic treatment of colored fabric is a problem known in the art to the formulator of laundry compositions. Hence, it is well known that alternating cycles of using and laundering fabrics and textiles, such as articles of worn clothing and apparel, will inevitably adversely affect the appearance and integrity of the fabric and textile items so used and laundered. Fabrics and textiles simply wear out over time and with use. Laundering of fabrics and textiles is necessary to remove soils and stains which accumulate therein and thereon during ordinary use. However, the laundering operation itself, over many cycles, can accentuate and contribute to the deterioration of the integrity and the appearance of such fabrics and textiles.
Deterioration of fabric integrity and appearance can manifest itself in several ways. Short fibers are dislodged from woven and knit fabric/textile structures by the mechanical action of laundering. These dislodged fibers may form lint, fuzz or “pills” which are visible on the surface of fabrics and diminish the appearance of newness of the fabric. Further, repeated laundering of fabrics and textiles, especially with bleach-containing laundry products, can remove dye from fabrics and textiles and impart a faded, worn out appearance as a result of diminished color intensity, and in many cases, as a result of changes in hues or shades of color.
Accordingly, the problem of formulating laundry compositions which reduces the amount of dyes released from coloured fabrics upon wet treatment is a particular challenge to the formulator. This problem is now even more acute with the trends of consumers to move towards more colored fabrics.
Numerous solutions have been proposed in the art to solve this problem such as by treating the fabric with a dye scavenger during the washing process as exemplified by EP 0,341,205, EP 0,033,815 or with a polyvinyl substance as exemplified by WO 94/11482. However, all these solutions are focused on preventing the end result of the dye bleeding, that is the redeposition of the dye on the fabrics. It is now an object of the invention to take the problem of dye at one of its source, that is to the colour fading arising from the bleeding of the dye due to its poor fabric substantivity, especially after multiple washings.
Solutions may be found for use in the industrial treatments. However, these solutions are not usually transposable to domestic treatments. Indeed, in industrial processes a strict control over parameters such as pH, electrolyte concentration, water hardness, temperature, etc. is possible whereas in a domestic washing machine, such a high level of control is not possible.
In addition, in a domestic process, and in particular in a domestic rinse process, it is not practical to rely on high treatment temperatures such as those used in industrial processes, that is of above 40° C. Furthermore, industrial processes use high concentrations of fixing agents which is required for industrial scale treatment whilst for domestic treatment a low level is most preferred for economical reasons.
Accordingly, notwithstanding the advances in the art, there is still a need for an efficient and economical composition which provides effective reduction of the amount of dyes released from colored fabrics upon subsequent wet domestic treatments.
EP462806 provides the use of a cationic dye fixing agent in domestic treatment which assist in binding the loosely held dye to the fabric. However, whilst efficient, it has been found that the fading of fabrics still occurred to a certain degree, especially after multiple wash cycles.
Accordingly, it is therefore an advantage of the invention to provide compositions with effective dye fixing properties.
Another advantage of the invention is that such compositions provide a synergistic increase in performance of the above mentioned benefit.
A further advantage of the invention is that the treated fabrics will thereafter show a reduced tendency in the subsequent wash to release dye. Such benefit is more particularly seen after multi-wash cycles (e.g. 20 wash cycles).
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a colour care composition comprising a dye fixing agent and a divalent salt.
In another aspect of the invention, there is provided the use and method thereof for preventing or reducing the colour fading of fabrics by means of the divalent salt.
Dye Fixing Agent
Dye fixing agent is an essential component of the invention composition. Dye fixing agents, or “fixatives”, are well-known, commercially available materials which are designed to improve the appearance of dyed fabrics by minimizing the loss of dye from fabrics due to washing. Not included within this definition are components which are fabric softeners or those described hereinafter as amino-functional polymers.
Many dye fixing agents are cationic, and are based on various quaternized or otherwise cationically charged organic nitrogen compounds. Cationic fixatives are available under various trade names from several suppliers. Representative examples include: CROSCOLOR PMF (July 1981, Code No. 7894) and CROSCOLOR NOFF (January 1988, Code No. 8544) from Crosfield; INDOSOL E-50 (Feb. 27, 1984, Ref. No. 6008.35.84; polyethyleneamine-based) from Sandoz; SANDOFIX TPS, which is also available from Sandoz and is a preferred polycationic fixative for use herein and SANDOFIX SWE (cationic resinous compound), REWIN SRF, REWIN SRF-O and REWIN DWR from CHT-Beitlich GMBH, Tinofix® ECO, Tinofix®FRD and Solfin® available from Ciba-Geigy. Other cationic dye fixing agents are described in “Aftertreatments for improving the fastness of dyes on textile fibres” by Christopher C. Cook (REV. PROG. COLORATION Vol. 12, 1982). Dye fixing agents suitable for use in the present invention are ammonium compounds such as fatty acid—diamine condensates e.g. the hydrochloride, acetate, metosulphate and benzyl hydrochloride of oleyldiethyl aminoethylamide, oleylmethyl-diethylenediaminemethosulphate, monostearyl-ethylene diaminotrimethylammonium methosulphate and oxidized products of tertiary amines; derivatives of polymeric alkyldiamines, polyamine-cyanuric chloride condensates and aminated glycerol dichlorohydrins.
Preferred dye fixing agents are the cellulose reactive dye fixing agents.
By “cellulose reactive dye fixing agent”, it is meant that the agent reacts with the cellulose fibers upon heat treatment. The agents suitable for use herein can be defined by the following test procedure, so called cellulose reactivity test measurement.
Cellulose Reactivity Test Measurement
Two pieces of bleeding fabrics (e.g. 10×10 cm of knitted cotton dyed with Direct Red 80) are soaked for 20 minutes in an aqueous solution of 1% (w/w) of the cellulose reactive dye fixing agent candidate. The pH of the solution is as it is obtained at this concentration.
The swatches are then dried. One of the dried swatches as well as an unsoaked swatch (control 1) are passed 10 times trough an ironing calender set on a linen setting.
A control 2 swatch is also used in this measurement test which is a non-soaked and non-ironed swatch.
The 4 swatches are washed separately in Launder-o-meter pots under typical conditions with a commercial detergent used at the recommended dosage for ½ hour at 60° C., followed by a thorough rinsing of 4 times 200 ml of cold water and then line dried.
The wash-fastness is then measured on the swatches by determination of their so-called delta-E values versus a new, untreated swatch. Delta E's are defined, for instance, in ASTM D2244. Delta E is the computed color difference as defined in ASTM D2244, i.e the magnitude and direction of the difference between two psychophysical color stimuli defined by tristimulus values, or by chromaticity coordinates and luminance factor, as computed by means of a specified set of color-differ
Camp Jason J.
Charles Mark A.
Echler Richard S.
Einsmann Margaret
The Procter & Gamble & Company
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