Compositions – Compositions for enhancing the appearance of consumer...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-07-26
2003-09-02
Green, Anthony J. (Department: 1755)
Compositions
Compositions for enhancing the appearance of consumer...
C252S008610, C038S144000, C427S370000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06613244
ABSTRACT:
This invention relates to an ironing aid composition which is suitable for pouring directly into the water reservoir chamber of a steam iron wherein the composition is vaporised and released through the steam vents of the iron. The invention is also directed to a method for preparing an ironing aid composition and a concentrate ironing aid composition which after appropriate dilution provides the ironing aid composition ready for use.
A product which can be poured directly into the chamber of a steam iron and can effectively deliver a perfume to clothes being ironed has been desired by consumers for some time. These products are generally water based. However, the vast majority of perfume components is essentially insoluble in water and therefore requires an additional solubiliser to provide an isotropic solution (or microemulsion). For example DE 296 00 628 discloses a composition with oily fragrances which are hardly soluble or not soluble at all.
The usual route to solubilise a perfume in water is to include a surfactant/emulsifier typified by anionic, cationic, amphoteric, zwitterionic or particularly nonionic surfactants, most particularly alcohol ethoxylates. Many products currently on the market use this route to solubilise a perfume and achieve some level of perfuming. For example, GB 2 333 302 describes an ironing aid composition with a nonionic surfactant to disperse the hydrophobic fragrance.
However, tests carried out by the inventor have shown that known products to be dosed into the chambers of a steam iron can cause problems, due to the extreme temperatures experienced by the compositions. The temperature inside the steam chamber of a steam iron can normally vary between 150° C. and 270° C., and is usually around 200° C. for an iron set for ironing cotton fabrics.
Compositions consisting of demineralised water and 0.40 wt. % of the following common nonionic surfactants were made: Cremophor™ CO 40 (BASF—Hardened castor oil, ethoxylated to 40 EO), Softanol™ 90 (Ineos—C
12
-C
14
mix of secondary alcohols, ethoxylated to 9 EO), Neodol™ 25-9 (Shell—C
12
-C
15
mix of primary alcohols, ethoxylated to 9EO), Lial™ 111 10EO (Condea-C
11
alcohol, ethoxylated to 10 EO), Genapol™ 200 (Clariant-Coconut alcohol, ethoxylated to 20 EO). These compositions were dosed into steam irons which were then used to iron terry toweling hand towels. Burnt odours were given off during the use of the all of the compositions, which is not acceptable in a product intended to perfume laundry during ironing.
In a further test, the following compositions were tested in the steam chambers of Philips Mistral H1 312 irons:
(i) Demineralised water only;
(ii) 0.016 wt. % Nipacide™ (TM) BT LC (from Nipa Laboratories) & balance demineralised water;
(iii) 0.2 wt. % Cremophor™ C040 & balance demineralised water.
The irons were filled with the appropriate composition every day for 10 days and a 100% cotton pillowcase ironed on one side only until all the dosed product had been emitted as steam. The same pillowcases were ironed from use 1 to 5 per composition, then another pillowcase was used for uses 6 to 10. When the test was finished, the insides of the irons were examined for residue.
Compared to the demineralised water alone, the composition containing Nipacide™ or Cremophor™ resulted in brown marks on the pillowcases and particles being emitted from the irons. These were more noticeable after 6 or so uses. The composition containing Cremophor™ resulted in foam in the steam compartment and crackling of the iron throughout the tests.
On disassembly of the irons, it was observed that those irons which had contained the compositions containing either Nipacide™ or Cremophor™ contained unacceptable residues, which were more than those in the iron filled only with demineralised water.
An alternative method of solubilising perfumes is to use semi polar solvents such as ethanol, isopropyl alcohol, ipropylene glycol, diethylene glycol monobutyl ether or dipropylene glycol monobutyl ether. However, to satisfactorily solubilise sufficient amounts of conventional perfumes, high quantities of these solvents are required. This may result in some risk to the ironer's health due to Occupational Exposure Limits (OELs) being exceeded, significant risk of ignition of the solvent causing a fire, or the occurrence of an adverse reaction between the solvents and the iron. Furthermore, the odour of a composition including such a large amount of solvent can overpower that of the perfume, negating the purpose of the product.
The present invention seeks to provide an improved ironing aid composition. The inventors have now found that one or more of the problems associated with the prior art can be ameliorated e.g. by the use of a water-soluble perfume which may reduce the need for an additional solubiliser such as the surfactants described above.
Therefore, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ironing aid composition for use in a steam chamber of a steam iron comprising:
(a) 0.001 to 5 wt. % of a water-soluble perfume; and
(b) water having a French Hardness of 20 or below.
In most cases it will be preferable to have at most 2, 1, 0.5 or most preferable 0.25 wt. % of water-soluble perfume. The composition may comprise any optional ingredients, the balance being water as described below.
Water solubility is determined by mixing the water-soluble perfume in l liter of demineralised water at 20° C., and stirring together for 60 minutes at 300 rpm using a standard mixing blade. The resulting mixture is stored for 7 days at 20° C., and after that period if the resulting mixture is in two phases, then-the perfume is not water-soluble. At least 0.01 wt. % of perfume should be able to dissolve according to this test. It is preferred that at least 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 3 or even 5 wt. % of the perfume is able to dissolve under these conditions.
Water-soluble Perfume
In one preferred embodiment the water-soluble perfumes according to the invention will comprise water-soluble solvent and perfume ingredients, and these may be the sole components of such a perfume. It is preferred that the water-soluble perfume is soluble according to the above test at least at the amount it is included in the composition, if not at a higher concentration.
With regard to the solvent in the perfume, the advantage of the presence of solvent is that it may increase the formulation space by enabling the use of more different compounds to create improved ironing aid compositions with more complex fragrances which are more consumer preferred. By using the water-soluble perfume according to the invention, less solvent may be used to stabilise the perfume ingredients in the ironing aid composition.
Therefore, according to one aspect of the invention the weight ratio of solvent to perfume ingredients in the water-soluble perfume is preferably no more than 20:1, more preferably 10:1, 6:1, 3:1 or 1:1. In some water-soluble perfumes the ratio may be as low as 1:2 or even 1:3 or 1:4.
Suitable water-soluble solvents include dipropylene glycol, propylene glycol, isopropyl alcohol(IPA), ethanol and mixtures thereof. The most preferred of these is dipropylene glycol.
Perfume ingredients (or fragrance ingredients) are well known to those skilled in the art, and are described in Perfume and Flavor Chemicals, Steffan Arctander (ISDN 75-91398). The solubility of individual perfume ingredients in water can be represented by the calculated partition coefficient (ClogP) of the ingredient between distilled water and octanol at 20° C. The lower the value of ClogP, the more water soluble the ingredient. For example, raspberry ketone has a ClogP of 1.072 and is very soluble in water, whereas rose acetate has a ClogP of 4.048 and is not easily soluble in water. The ClogP values are most conveniently calculated by the “CLOGP” program, available from Daylight CIS.
The water-soluble perfumes of the present invention preferably comprise at least 5 different perfume ingredients, more preferably at least 7, 10, 12 and most preferably 15 diffe
Bornstein Alan A.
Green Anthony J.
Unilever Home & Personal Care USA , division of Conopco, Inc.
LandOfFree
Ironing aid composition does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Ironing aid composition, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Ironing aid composition will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3026113