Cleaning compositions for solid surfaces – auxiliary compositions – Auxiliary compositions for cleaning – or processes of preparing – Textile softening or antistatic composition
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-15
2001-06-26
Hardee, John (Department: 1751)
Cleaning compositions for solid surfaces, auxiliary compositions
Auxiliary compositions for cleaning, or processes of preparing
Textile softening or antistatic composition
Reexamination Certificate
active
06251850
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to fabric softening compositions which provide additional benefits to the fabric, particularly improved crease reduction and/or ease of ironing.
BACKGROUND AND PRIOR ART
Fabric softener compositions, especially those added in the rinse, are well known. It is also known to incorporate one or more additional materials such as silicones, to reduce wrinkling of the fabric during the rinsing and drying stages of the wash. For example WO-A-96/15309 discloses the use of a combination of a silicone and a film-forming polymer for this purpose. Typical silicones in this application are polydiorganosiloxanes. Nevertheless, there remains a need in fabric softening compositions to formulate with additives which not only reduce the appearance of wrinkles or creases before ironing, but also make ironing easier.
In many prior art compositions, the silicones are incorporated in the form of an emulsion, which is a micro-emulsion, that is to say the silicone is present as liquid droplets having a droplet size less than the wavelength of visible light and so the emulsion is substantially transparent. However, in a few cases, they are macro-emulsions (e.g. WO-A-97/31997 and '98). The silicones before emulsification are those having relatively low viscosities, because it is assumed that those with higher viscosities are more difficult to handle during the process of manufacturing the product and are less suited for anti-creasing performance. WO-A-95/24460 discloses a fabric softening composition which contains from about 0.2% to about 20% of a polydimethyl siloxane having a viscosity from about 2 to 5,000 centi-Stokes (cSt).
It has now been discovered that, surprisingly, good anti-creasing and/or ease of ironing can be achieved by formulating with a silicone which is incorporated in the form of a macro-emulsion and which silicone has a viscosity of from 10,000 cSt to 1,000,000 cSt, and/or the emulsified silicone has a median droplet size of at least 0.2 &mgr;m and is emulsified with at least one cationic surfactant.
Definition of the Invention
Thus according to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a fabric softening composition comprising:
(a) a cationic fabric softening agent; and
(b) an emulsified silicone;
wherein the viscosity of the silicone before emulsification is from 10,000 cSt to 1,000,000 cSt, preferably from 30,000 cSt to 750,000 cSt, more preferably from 40,000 cSt to 400,000 cSt, most preferably 45,000 cSt to 250,000 cSt, eg, 45,000 cSt to 200,000 cSt, and the emulsion is a macro-emulsion.
A second aspect of the present invention provides a fabric softening composition comprising:
(a) a cationic fabric softening agent; and
(b) an emulsified silicone;
wherein the median droplet size of the silicone in the emulsion is 0.2 &mgr;m, preferably at least 0.25 &mgr;m, more preferably at least 0.39 &mgr;m, preferably also no greater than 25 &mgr;m and is emulsified with an emulsifier comprising one or more cationic surfactants.
A third aspect of the present invention provides a method of manufacturing a fabric softening composition, the method comprising obtaining a macro-emulsion of a silicone having a viscosity of from 10,000 cSt to 1,000,000 cSt and admixing said macro-emulsion with a cationic fabric softening agent.
A fourth aspect of the present invention provides a method of manufacturing a fabric softening composition, the method comprising obtaining the emulsion in the form of an emulsion of a silicone having a viscosity of from 10,000 cSt to 1,000,000 cSt, preferably from 30,000 cSt to 750,000 cSt, more preferably from 40,000 cSt to 400,000 cSt, most preferably 45,000 cSt to 250,000 cSt, eg 45,000 cSt to 200,000 cSt the median droplet size of the silicone in the emulsion being at least 0.2 &mgr;m, preferably at least 0.25 &mgr;m, more preferably at least 0.39 &mgr;m, preferably also no greater than 25 &mgr;m and is emulsified with an emulsifier comprising one or more cationic surfactants, and admixing said emulsion with a cationic fabric softening agent.
Compositions according to the present invention may optionally embody both the first and second aspects of the present invention and processes for their manufacture optionally may embody the third and fourth aspects. A method of using a composition according to the first and/or second aspects of the present invention by applying it to a fabric or textile for softening the fabric or textile, constitutes another aspect of the invention.
For the avoidance of doubt, in the context of the present invention, the term “emulsified silicone” means that the silicone is in emulsion form prior to incorporation in the fabric softening composition and does not necessarily remain in that form in the final product.
The cationic fabric softening agent may comprise one or more cationic fabric softening materials and the emulsified silicone may comprise one or more individual silicone materials.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Cationic Fabric Softening Agents
Preferably, the cationic fabric softening agent is a quaternary ammonium material or a quaternary ammonium material containing at least one ester group. The quaternary ammonium compounds containing at least one ester group are referred to herein as ester-linked quaternary ammonium compounds.
As used herein the term ‘ester group’, when used as a group in the quaternary ammonium material, includes an ester group which is a linking group in the molecule.
It is preferred for the ester-linked quaternary ammonium compounds to contain two or more ester groups. In both monoester and the diester quaternary ammonium compounds it is preferred if the ester group(s) is a linking group between the nitrogen atom and an alkyl group. The ester group(s) is preferably attached to the nitrogen atom via another hydrocarbyl group.
Also preferred are quaternary ammonium compounds containing at least one ester group, preferably two, wherein at least one higher molecular weight group containing at least one ester group and two or three lower molecular weight groups are linked to a common nitrogen atom to produce a cation and wherein the electrically balancing anion is a halide, acetate or lower alkosulphate ion, such as chloride or methosulphate. The higher molecular weight substituent on the nitrogen is preferably a higher alkyl group, containing 12 to 28, preferably 12 to 22, e.g. 12 to 20 carbon atoms, such as coco-alkyl, tallowalkyl, hydrogenated tallowalkyl or substituted higher alkyl, and the lower molecular weight substituents are preferably lower alkyl of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, such as methyl or ethyl, or substituted lower alkyl. One or more of the said lower molecular weight substituents may include an aryl moiety or may be replaced by an aryl, such as benzyl, phenyl or other suitable substituents.
Preferably the quaternary ammonium material is a compound having two C
12
-C
22
alkyl or alkenyl groups connected to a quaternary ammonium head group via at least one ester link, preferably two ester links or a compound comprising a single long chain with an average chain length equal to or greater than C
20
.
More preferably, the quaternary ammonium material comprises a compound having two long chain alkyl or alkenyl chains with an average chain length equal to or greater than C
14
. Even more preferably each chain has an average chain length equal to or greater than C
16
. Most preferably at least 50% of each long chain alkyl or alkenyl group has a chain length of C
18
. It is preferred if the long chain alkyl or alkenyl groups are predominantly linear.
The most preferred type of ester-linked quaternary ammonium material that can be used in compositions according to the invention is represented by the formula (A):
wherein each R
1
group is independently selected from C
1-4
alkyl, hydroxyalkyl or C
2-4
alkenyl groups; and wherein each R
2
group is independently selected from C
8-28
alkyl or alkenyl groups; X
−
is any suitable counter-ion, i.e. a halide, acetate or lower alkosulphate ion, such as chloride or methosulphate.
n is an integer
Clarke David Ellis
Creutz Serge Firmin
Henault Benoit
Small Samantha
Hardee John
Unilever Home & Personal Care USA , division of Conopco, Inc.
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