Drug – bio-affecting and body treating compositions – Preparations characterized by special physical form – Wearing apparel – fabric – or cloth
Reexamination Certificate
1998-03-03
2001-09-11
Dodson, Shelley A. (Department: 1616)
Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions
Preparations characterized by special physical form
Wearing apparel, fabric, or cloth
C424S405000, C424S411000, C424S413000, C424S420000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06287584
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to flexible wiping articles in particular sponges, as well as woven or non-woven wipes, and the like. More specifically, the present invention relates to wiping articles having a residual long-term antimicrobial effect.
Wiping articles are commonly used in the cleaning of hard surfaces including but not limited to, glass, dishes, porcelain, lavatory fixtures, kitchen fixtures and appliances, sinks, and the like are well known. These take a variety of forms, including woven and non-woven wipes formed of fibrous (natural or synthetic) materials and in particular hydrophilic sponges. These sponges may be formed from any a variety of materials including foamed polymers as well as from cellulose. These are per se well known to the art and are very commonly encountered in food service, medical, and other environments.
A consequence of the use of such materials, particularly when used in any type of a cleaning operation is that after the sponge or wiping article has been used, it is frequently set aside in a moist state. In its moist state, it provides a place for the breeding of various bacteria, viruses, fungi, etc. Thus, these sponges and wiping articles are not sanitary.
Accordingly, there is a real and continuing need in the art for sponges and other wiping articles which have a useful antimicrobial benefit subsequent to a period of normal use in cleaning, wiping, and other operations. These objects are provided by the articles, processes, and methods of the present invention.
According to the present invention, there is provided a flexible article, desirably one which is hydrophilic, and very especially a sponge, which contain therein a carrier mass having associated therewith, desirably dispersed therein, an effective amount of an biocidal agent such as a preservative composition.
According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a process for providing long-lasting residual antimicrobial benefit to a flexible hydrophilic article, especially a sponge which comprises the process steps of:
providing a dispersion of a biocidal composition in carrier mass having low aqueous solubility;
impregnating the said flexible hydrophilic article with the carrier mass containing the biocidal composition to provide an effective dosage of the biocidal composition to the said article.
These and other aspects of the invention will be more clearly described below.
The flexible hydrophilic articles useful in the present invention include those such as are commonly encountered and these specifically include sponges, preferably hydrophilic sponges. Useful sponges may be any variety which are presently known and many which are widely commercially available including those produced from foamed polymers such as polyurethane, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyester, polyethers, and of regenerated cellulose. Sponges which are particularly useful in the compositions of the present invention are those which are formed from cellulose and are also interchangeably referred as viscose sponges. These two are known to the art and are produced from comminuted and ground wood pulp which are then regenerated to form a porous hydrophilic article.
With regard to such sponges, it is to be understood that these may be a single material and of a single layer, or they may be produced as a composite material. What is to be understood as composite material is that two or more differing materials may be combined to form a sponge where at least one layer is hydrophilic, especially a first layer of a hydrophilic material which is glued, sewn, or otherwise connected to a second layer of a differing material. Such differing materials include those which are commonly known, including those formed of woven and/or non-woven fabric materials which are often intended to provide an abrasive surface which are not particularly deleterious to soft surfaces (Teflon®, Corian®, fiberglass, etc.). Also, such composite sponges also include those which include one or two differing hydrophilic sponge materials which may be sewn together. In this sponge construction, sponges of two different materials are sewn together at peripheral edges, and further optionally on at least one face of the sponge is further included a woven textile material. Such an exemplary sponge is available as Chore Boy® Long-Last sponges (Reckitt & Colman Inc.).
The low-aqueous soluble carrier mass is an organic material which desirably exhibits a relatively low rate of dissolution in water, generally such that when formed into a cube, exhibits less than about 5% wt. dissolution into 100 g of water (approx 20° C.) per 24 hours, and is compatible with the biocidal composition.
Exemplary organic materials which exhibit low rates of aqueous dissolution include natural waxes including vegetable waxes such as carnauba wax, cauassu wax, candelilla wax, ouricuri wax, raffia wax, palm wax, esparto wax, sugar cane wax, and cotton wax; animal waxes such as beeswax, ghedda wax, chinese insect wax, shellac wax, lanolin and walrat (spermaceti); mineral waxes such as paraffin wax, microcrystalline waxes, ozokerite-ceresin, petroleum waxes, montan wax.
Examples of synthetic waxes are fatty alcohols such as lanette wax; fatty acid esters of polyhydric alcohols and especially stearates including but not limited to glyceryl distearate, glyceryl monostearate, ethylene glycol monostearate, diethylene glycol monostearate; chlorinated products such as chlorinated naphthalane waxes, chlorinated paraffin waxes; synthetic waxes containing nitrogen such as Acrawaxes (Glycol Products Co.), Armowax (Armour Co.); pseudoester waxes such as alkylamide waxes, ester-pseudoester waxes, arylamide waxes; silicone waxes; and polyethylene waxes of both and low molecular weights, polypropylene glycol waxes and polyethylene glycol waxes such as Carbowaxes.
Mixtures of two or more waxes may also be used.
Further exemplary organic materials which exhibit which exhibit low rates of aqueous dissolution include materials which are presently commercially available in the form of surfactant compositions which include block copolymers of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide, ethoxylated alcohols, as well as alkanolamides. Mixtures of two or more of such surfactant compositions may also be used. Also, mixtures of one or more waxes may be used to form mixtures with one or more surfactant compositions described here to form the low-aqueous soluble carrier mass according to the invention. Especially preferred for use as the carrier materials having low rate of aqueous dissolution include surfactants those sold in the Plurafac® series of surfactants, particularly Plurafac® A-39 (BASF Inc., Mt. Olive Township, N.J.) as well as those sold in the Pluronic® series of surfactants, especially Pluronic® F-127 (also available from BASF Inc.)
It is contemplated that one or more of the surfactant compositions may be used, and it is further contemplated that one or more waxes may be used with one or more surfactant compounds to form the carrier materials of the invention.
With regard to the biocidal composition according to the invention, these may be virtually any which provide antimicrobial efficacy against gram positive, or gram negative, but desirably both gram positive and gram negative bacteria. Many of these materials are known and include any of a number of known preservative compositions including, but not limited to: parabens, glutaraldehyde, formaldehyde, 2-bromo-2-nitropropoane-1,3-diol, 2-methyl-4-isothiazoline-3-one, and mixtures thereof. Further useful exemplary and commercially available biocidal compositions include: Suttocide® A (50% wt. actives in solution) (Sutton Laboratories, Chatam N.J.) which is described to include an active constituent based on sodium hydroxymethylglycinate; Germaben® II (Sutton Laboratories) which is described to include an active constituent based on diazolidinyl urea, methylparaben, propylparaben and propylene glycol; Biochek® 350 (35% wt. actives) (Calgon Corp., Pittsburgh, Pa.) which is described to include an active constituent based on dodecyl
Feuer William Ronald
Kiefer Beverly Ann
McCue Karen Ann
Dodson Shelley A.
Fish & Richardson P.C.
Reckitt & Colman Inc.
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