Cleaning compositions for solid surfaces – auxiliary compositions – Cleaning compositions or processes of preparing – Liquid composition
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-25
2002-01-15
Gupta, Yogendra (Department: 1751)
Cleaning compositions for solid surfaces, auxiliary compositions
Cleaning compositions or processes of preparing
Liquid composition
C510S123000, C510S237000, C510S259000, C510S289000, C510S313000, C510S329000, C510S341000, C510S350000, C510S356000, C510S424000, C510S470000, C510S490000, C510S501000, C510S502000, C510S503000, C510S504000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06339057
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to formulations for manually washing dishes, hand soaps, and for high foaming cleaning compositions.
2. Description of the Related Art
Light-duty liquid detergent formulations for kitchen surfaces are well known. Kitchen surfaces include counter tops, stove tops, dishes and any other hard surface commonly found in kitchen environments. The term “dishes” includes any utensils involved in food preparation or consumption. Kitchen surfaces, particularly dishes, must be washed free of food residues, greases, proteins, starches, gums, dyes, oils and burnt organic residues.
Most of the consumer accepted formulations in use include anionic synthetic surfactants with or without a nonionic surfactant. Many of such formulations contain a sulfonate-type anionic surfactant, for example, an alkylbenzene sulfonate or an alkane sulfonate, in conjunction with a sulfate or alkyl ether sulfate, or a nonionic surfactant, for example, an alcohol ethoxylate, an alkyl phenol ethoxylate, a mono- or diethanolamide or an amine oxide. The sulfonate material generally predominates.
It is the anionic surfactant that provides the typical high foaming (suds) characteristics generally associated with dish washing formulations. Foam (suds) is the cleaning efficacy signal relied on by consumers. Nonionic surfactants generally do not provide good foaming characteristics.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,746,928 discloses that it is not possible to mix anionic surface-active agents with quaternary ammonium germicides. The cationic quaternary ammonium germicide reacts with the anionic surface-active agent resulting in a reduction in germicidal and detergent activity.
Thus, anionic surfactants are incompatible with cationic quaternary antimicrobial surfactants and nonionic surfactants do not normally provide significant foaming capability to liquid formulations. Therefore, dish washing liquids combining good foaming and antimicrobial activities are not available to the consumer.
Solutions to the problems posed by the incompatibility of cationic and anionic surfactants have focused on various non-ionic surfactant systems. While having the potential to overcome the known compatibility problems, such systems are not capable of the cleaning efficacy and foam volume demanded by consumers. Hence, there remains a critical need for cleaning compositions based on non-ionic surfactant systems that provide excellent cleaning with high foam volume.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In general, anionic surfactant systems such as those found in the current light duty liquids are classified as high foamers. Conversely, nonionic surfactant systems are classified as low foamers.
By careful selection and extensive experimentation, we have identified nonionic and nonionic/amphoteric surfactant mixtures that produce consumer acceptable foam comparable to commercial dish washing liquids that use anionic detergents. The useful nonionic surfactants include ethoxylates that have various chain lengths not exceeding 12 carbon atoms and degrees of ethoxylation that allow the dish washing liquid to be effective on a wide range of food soils while providing excellent flash foam volume and foam stability. This system provides the consumer with effective cleaning on, but not limited to, greasy food soils, fatty food soils, and oily food soils.
The invention provides surfactant compositions based on nonionic surfactant components that function as cleaning compositions. Further included in the invention are disinfectant hand soaps, body washes, disinfectant or antibacterial dishwashing liquids, and conditioning shampoos. Each of these latter cleaning compositions includes at least one cationic ammonium salt. The specific cationic salts are selected depending on the ultimate use or function of the cleaning composition.
Certain formulations of this invention will control the presence and spread of bacteria on hard surfaces in the kitchen environment, especially dishes. In this context, the invention is a microbiological active quaternary ammonium salt ingredient homogeneously incorporated into a nonionic aqueous surfactant system. Unexpectedly, the formulations of the invention have excellent flash foaming and residual foaming capability although no anionic surfactants are included.
The invention also provides personal care compositions including a quaternary ammonium compound which is a conditioning compound.
Thus, the invention provides hand soap compositions comprising a nonionic surfactant base in combination with at least one cationic ammonium compound. The ammonium compound may be an antibacterial compound or a conditioning agent, or both. Certain hand soap formulations will include a conditioning agent and an antimicrobial compound. Similar formulations may be formulated to function as conditioning shampoos.
The unexpected foaming properties of the formulations of the invention are illustrated in the examples. The foaming properties are due to the carefully balanced mix of nonionic surfactants. The formulations tested in these examples contain preferred concentrations of ingredients.
Thus, the invention provides aqueous liquid cleaning compositions, the compositions being free of anionic surfactants and consisting essentially of a nonionic surfactant system and a cationic ammonium compound.
Significantly, the invention also provides high foaming nonionic or nonionic/amphoteric systems that are excellent grease cutters.
The nonionic surfactant system may comprise (1) from about 0.1-50% by weight based on the weight of the composition of a linear alcohol ethoxylate having an average carbon chain length of no more than 12 carbon atoms; and (2) a surfactant member selected from the group consisting of amine oxides and betaines. In these compositions, the total concentration of active components in the composition based on the weight of the composition is at least about 5%. Optional non-ionic surfactants include alkanolamides, alkyl polysaccharides, betaines,and polyhydroxy fatty acid amides. In various embodiments of the invention, these optional components may replace a portion of the alcohol ethoxylate.
The nonionic surfactant systems of the invention may be combined with a variety of cationic ammonium compounds, such as for example, quaternary ammonium compounds or cationic conditioning agents, to produce a cleaning composition that functions as dishwashing cleaner such as a an antimicrobial dishwashing liquid or handsoap or as a conditioning cleaner such as a conditioning shampoo.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
As used herein, the term disinfecting or disinfectant refers to antimicrobial and/or antibacterial activity. Disinfectant, antimicrobial and antibacterial formulations of the invention are capable of reducing the rate of microbial, i.e., bacterial, reproduction, and/or killing microbial organisms.
The invention encompasses detergent compositions containing various combinations of linear alcohol ethoxylates and nonionic surfactants selected from amine oxides and betaines. Typical compositions also include at least one cationic ammonium compound. In preferred embodiments, the detergent or cleaning compositions comprise a linear alcohol ethoxylate, an amine oxide, an alkyl mono- or dialkanolamide, and a cationic ammonium compound. In such compositions, the balance of the material is water. In particularly preferred embodiments, the weight ratio of linear alcohol ethoxylate to amine oxide is from about 3:1 to 1:3.
A particularly preferred detergent composition according to the invention is the following:
a detergent formulation free from anionic surfactants consisting essentially of:
(a) from about 2-23%, preferably 8-18%, by weight of a linear alcohol ethoxylate having 6-12 carbon atoms and 3-12, preferably 3 to 7 moles of ethoxylation per mole of alcohol;
(b) from about 2-23%, more preferably 4-23%, by weight of an amine oxide selected from the group consisting of (C
8-16
) alkyl amido (C
1-4
) alkyl di(C
1-4
) alkyl amine oxides and (C
10-16
) alkyl amine oxides; and optionally
Knox Steven J.
Malik Arshad
Boyer Charles
Gupta Yogendra
McDonnell & Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff
Stepan Company
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