Cleaning compositions for solid surfaces – auxiliary compositions – Auxiliary compositions for cleaning – or processes of preparing – Textile softening or antistatic composition
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-26
2001-02-20
Gupta, Yogendra (Department: 1751)
Cleaning compositions for solid surfaces, auxiliary compositions
Auxiliary compositions for cleaning, or processes of preparing
Textile softening or antistatic composition
C510S501000, C510S504000, C510S329000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06191101
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to liquid fabric softening compositions. More particularly, this invention relates to liquid fabric softening compositions which provide enhanced softening performance based on a combination of a cationic softener with a fatty amide type compound.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Compositions containing quaternary ammonium salts or imidazolinium compounds having at least one long chain hydrocarbyl group are commonly used to provide fabric softening benefits when used in a laundry rinse operation. Compositions of this type have been the focus of the patent literature for many years.
But, there remains an ongoing, need to improve the feel of the clothes washed under domestic conditions, particularly where the clothes are washed more frequently with very effective detergents and washers. As a result, the textile finishes are progressively removed, the textile fibers are altered and the initial pleasant feel of the fabrics is progressively lost.
For more than 40 years now, fabric softening, compositions have been used to restore a pleasant feel and provide a perfume to washed clothing. The most popular forms have been the liquid rinse cycle fabric softeners and the dryer softener sheet.
However, there is a continuing demand for better performing products. Better fabric softening can be achieved either by increasing the dose of the softener (either through higher use dosage or higher product concentration) or by identifying better softeners or combinations of softeners.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide aqueous softening compositions containing combinations of softeners with superior softening. The efficacy of these combinations is such that the active concentration of the compositions can be kept within reasonable, well accepted limits, thereby making the manufacture process easier and extending the shelf life of the finished product.
It is another object of the invention to provide a liquid rinse cycle fabric softener capable of imparting superior softening benefits to fabrics due to the synergistic combination of a conventional cationic softener compound with a fatty amide type compound.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The above and other objects of the invention which will become apparent from the detailed description and Examples to follow is achieved by a stable, pourable aqueous liquid fabric softening composition comprising:
(i) from about 2% to about 35%, by weight, of a combination of softening components (A) and (B) wherein:
(A) is a cationic fabric softening compound; and
(B) is a fatty amide compound;
(ii) from about 0 to about 10%, by weight, of a polysiloxane; and
(iii) balance water and optionally adjuvants selected from the group consisting of perfumes; dyes; sequestrants; thickeners; and anti dye-transfer polymeric materials.
In a preferred embodiment the cationic softening compound (A) is selected from the group consisting of:
(i) dialkyl quaternary ammonium compounds;
(ii) dialkyl fatty ester quaternary ammonium compounds; and
(iii) alkyl imidazolinium compounds.
The fatty amide compound (B) is preferably an alkyl carbamidoethyl urea having the following structural formula:
wherein R is a C
12
to C
22
alkyl group. Most preferably, R is C
17
H
35
.
Alternatively, the fatty amide compound (B) is an alkyl diethanolamide having the following structural formula:
wherein R
1
is stearic (C
17
H
35
), or behenic (C
21
H
43
) or a mixture of both.
The present invention also provides a method of imparting softness to fabrics by contacting the fabrics with a softening effective amount of the fabric softening composition of the invention, and preferably in the rinse cycle of an automatic laundry washing machine. The compositions may be diluted with water prior to adding same to the washing machine (e.g. the rinse cycle dispenser), or may be added at reduced amount, without dilution, i.e., ready to use.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION AND PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
The cationic fabric softeners used in the present invention can be any of the commercially available and known cationic fabric softeners and preferably are of the water dispersible dialkyl quaternary ammonium compound salts, di(alkyl fatty ester) quaternary ammonium compound salts or alkyl imidazolinium salts.
The preferred cationic softening compound (A) for purposes of the present invention is a biodegradable fatty ester quaternary ammonium compound of the formula (III):
wherein R
4
, independently, represents an aliphatic hydrocarbon group having from 8 to 22 carbon atoms; each of R
5
independently represent (CH
2
)
S
-R
7
(where R
7
represents an alkoxy carbonyl group containing from 8 to 22 carbon atoms, benzyl, phenyl, (C
1
-C
4
) alkyl substituted phenyl, OH or H); R
6
represents (CH
2
)
t
—R
8
(where R
8
represents benzyl, phenyl, (C
1
-C
4
) alkyl substituted phenyl, OH or H); r, s and t, each independently represent a number of from 1 to 3; and X
−1
is an anion of valence minus one.
Typical cationic fabric softener compounds include:
Distearyl dimethyl ammonium chloride
Ditallow dimethyl ammonium chloride
Dihexadecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride
Di (hydrogenated tallow) dimethyl ammonium chloride
N-Methyl-N,N-di(C
16
-C
18
-acyloxy)-ethyl-N-(2-hydroxyethyl)ammonium methosulfate
2,3-di(C
16
-C
18
-acyloxy)propyltrimethylammonium chloride
N,N-dimethyl-N,N-di (C
16
-C
18
-acyloxy)-ethyl ammonium methosulfate
2-(C
16
-C
18
-alkyl)-3-(C
16
-C
18
-acyloxy)-ethylimidazolinium chloride
Methyl-1-tallow amido-ethyl-2-tallow imidazolinium methyl sulfate
Methyl-1-oleyl amido-ethyl-2-oleyl imidazolinium methyl sulfate
The fatty ester quaternary ammonium compound described in formula III above is preferably a diester quat of the formula IV:
where each R
4
independently represent an aliphatic hydrocarbon group having from 8 to 22 carbon atoms and, may be, for example, derived from hard or soft tallow, coco, stearyl, oleyl, and the like. Such compounds are commercially available, such as, for example, Tetranyl AT-75, from Kao Corp. Japan, which is di-tallow ester triethanol amine quaternary ammonium methyl sulfate. Tetranyl AT-75 is based on a mixture of about 25% hard tallow and about 75% soft tallow. Accordingly, this product contains about 34% of unsaturated alkyl chains. A second example would be Hipochem X-89107, from High Point Chemical Corp.; which is an analogue of the Tetranyl AT-75 with about 100% saturation in the tallow moieties.
Because of the industrial production scale aspect of such ester quat compounds, variation of the quaternization level will result in the presence of quaternary ammonium compounds as well as the presence of fatty amines, or variation in the degree of esterification will result in the presence of mono, di and tri-alkyl derivatives, such fatty amines and alkyl derivatives being clearly materials which may be present in the compositions of the invention.
It is understood that the nature of the counter ions is not essential to the nature of the invention. They can be halides, such as chlorides, iodides, bromides or methosulfate, though the commercially available materials are mostly the chlorides or the methosulfates compounds.
The preferred fatty amide compounds of the present invention are represented by formula I above, and most preferably where R is C
17
H
35
.
Such fatty amides are generally described as condensation products of monobasic fatty acids having at least 8 carbon atoms with dipropylene triamine and or diethylene triamine. These condensates are subsequently reacted with urea. The resulting product is optionally methylolated by adding formaldehyde.
Typical compounds of this class are:
Bis/tetra stearyl carbamidoethyl urea.
Bis/tetra tallowyl carbamidoethyl urea.
The manufacture of such fatty amide compounds is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,956,350 to Ciba-Geigy, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The cationic compounds (A) and fatty amide compounds (B) used in admixture, preferably at weight ratios of about 5:1 to about 1:5, more preferably from about 2:1 to about
Jacques Alain
Laitem Leopold
Boyer Charles
Colgate-Palmolive Co.
Gupta Yogendra
Lieberman Bernard
LandOfFree
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