Drug – bio-affecting and body treating compositions – Preparations characterized by special physical form – Web – sheet or filament bases; compositions of bandages; or...
Reexamination Certificate
1998-03-03
2001-05-08
Acquah, Samuel A. (Department: 1711)
Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions
Preparations characterized by special physical form
Web, sheet or filament bases; compositions of bandages; or...
C428S221000, C424S402000, C424S404000, C424S405000, C521S050000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06228389
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.
Known to the art a variety of wiping articles and sponges which have various degrees of antimicrobial benefit provided therein. These are provided by different processes or by the use of particular constituents which are used in conjunction with such sponges or wiping articles. These include, for example those described in the following patents: U.S. Pat. No. 4,666,621, U.S. Pat. No. 4,737,405, U.S. Pat. No. 4,740,398, U.S. Pat. No. 5,091,102, U.S. Pat. No. 4,692,374, U.S. Pat. No. 5,156,843, U.S. Pat. No. 3,227,614, U.S. Pat. No. 3,283,357, U.S. Pat. No. 4,847,089, U.S. Pat. No. 5,541,233, U.S. Pat. No. 5,441,742, U.S. Pat. No. 4,339,550, U.S. Pat. No. 5,173,535 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,704,757. Also, it is also known to include a minor amount of a biocide, such as a preservative composition into a sponge prior to packaging. This ensures that as the sponge is on the shelf and prior to its use it is unlikely to grow mold, fungi, or to contain bacteria or viruses prior to its use on the opening of the package by the ultimate product consumer. It is also known to the art that many types of sponges, especially cellulose sponges, are packaged and sold in a substantially dehydrated form wherein it is very unlikely that a mold, fungus, virus or bacteria will find beneficial conditions for growth.
While these sponges and wiping articles described above are known to the prior art do provide various benefits, they are not without shortcomings. One particular shortcoming which is of increasing concern to the consumer is the long-term antimicrobial efficacy of the sponge. Frequently, in sponges which are treated with small amounts of biocides, these biocides are generally washed out after even a few uses of the sponge under normal cleaning conditions. Thus, although the said sponge has been treated during its packaging stage, shortly after its use, it no longer retains any appreciable antimicrobial efficacy. Certain other sponges and wiping articles have been proposed in the art which do provide an effective antimicrobial benefit which may be of somewhat longer duration; however the methods for producing such sponges and wiping articles are frequently complicated and require additional and/or complex steps in the production of the sponge or wiping article.
Accordingly, there is a real and continuing need in the art for sponges and other wiping articles which have a useful antimicrobial benefit during 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.
Accordingly, one aspect of the invention provides a wiping article such as a woven or non-woven wipe, or a sponge which has a residual antimicrobial effect wherein said article is impregnated with an effective amount of a low aqueous soluble biocide composition which is effective against gram positive, gram negative or most desirably is effective against both gram positive and gram negative bacteria.
According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a process for providing long-lasting residual antimicrobial benefit to a sponge, non-woven or woven wipe, or other wiping article which comprises the process step of:
providing a low aqueous soluble biocidal composition in an appropriate fluid carrier within which said preservative composition is miscible, but is preferably soluble;
impregnating the said wiping article to provide an effective dosage of the preservative composition to the same; and,
subsequently removing at least a portion, preferably substantially all of the carrier composition.
These and other aspects of the invention will be more clearly described below.
The wiping articles useful in the present invention include those such as are commonly encountered and these specifically include sponges, preferably hydrophilic sponges, as well as woven and non-woven wiping articles. With respect to sponges, these may be any variety which are presently known and many which are widely commercially available including those produced from foamed rubbers (naturally occurring or synthetically produced), 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 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 of 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.).
With regard to woven and/or non-woven wipes, these include a variety of materials which may be formed into wipes by the knitting or weaving of fibrous materials, particularly polymeric fibrous materials including, but not limited to, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyester, polyamide, regenerated cellulosic fibers as well as those based on naturally occuring materials such as cellulose fibers particularly those which are based on wood pulp fibers as provided by either chemical and/or mechanical pulp fibers. Such fibers may alternately be formed into a non-woven web by a variety of known art techniques including inter alia, air laying and wet laying of the naturally occurring (cellulose) and/or synthetic (polymeric) fibers into a web. Further useful are non-woven materials wherein a non-woven mat of such fibrous materials are produced by providing an intermediate adhesive between the individual fibers, or by cross linking of the fibers themselves.
Further useful woven and/or non-woven wipes include those which are produced from cellulosic fibers which may be formed into a web by a variety of known art techniques, including air laying an
Feuer William Ronald
Kiefer Beverly Ann
McCue Karen Ann
Acquah Samuel A.
Fish & Richardson P.C.
Reckitt Benckiser , Inc.
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