Cleaning compositions for solid surfaces – auxiliary compositions – Cleaning compositions or processes of preparing – For cleaning a specific substrate or removing a specific...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-12-03
2004-01-13
Delcotto, Gregory (Department: 1751)
Cleaning compositions for solid surfaces, auxiliary compositions
Cleaning compositions or processes of preparing
For cleaning a specific substrate or removing a specific...
C510S309000, C510S340000, C510S350000, C510S351000, C510S352000, C510S372000, C510S375000, C510S376000, C510S499000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06677289
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to laundry detergent compositions which provide enhanced hydrophilic soil, inter alia, clay, removal benefits. The laundry detergent compositions of the present invention combine polyamines and a surfactant system which comprises mid-chain branched surfactants inter alia mid-chain branched alkyl sulfates. The laundry detergent compositions of the present invention may take any form, inter alia, solid, including granular, powder, tablet, bar, or liquid, including gels, paste, thixotropic liquids. The present invention further relates to methods for cleaning fabric having heavy clay soil deposits.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Fabric, especially clothing, can become soiled with a variety of foreign substances ranging from hydrophobic stains (grease, oil) to hydrophilic stains (clay). The level of cleaning which is necessary to remove said foreign substances depends to a large degree upon the amount of stain present and the degree to which the foreign substance has contacted the fabric fibers. Grass stains usually involve direct abrasive contact with vegetative matter thereby producing highly penetrating stains. Clay soil stains, although in some instances contacting the fabric fibers with less force, nevertheless provide a different type of soil removal problem due to the high degree of charge associated with the clay itself. This high surface charge density may act to repel some laundry adjunct ingredients, inter alia, clay dispersants, thereby resisting any appreciable peptization and dispersal of the clay into the laundry liquor.
A surfactant per se is not all that is necessary to remove unwanted clay soils and stains. In fact, most surfactants by themselves in water are surprisingly poor at removing clay soils from fabric not all surfactants work equally well on all types of stains. In addition to surfactants, polyamine-based hydrophilic soil dispersants are added to laundry detergent compositions to “carry away” clay soils from the fabric surface and to stabilize the removed particles in solution sufficiently to minimize the possibility that the clay soil will be re-deposited upon the fabric. However, unless the clay can be initially removed from the soiled fabric, especially in the case of hydrophilic fibers, inter alia, cotton, there will be nothing in solution for the dispersants to bind to and keep suspended.
There is a long felt need in the art for laundry detergent compositions which can effectively break up and remove embedded clay and other hydrophilic soils from fabric. In addition, as the concentration of hydrophilic soil increases in the laundry liquor, there is a need for a surfactant system which will be able to handle this increased soil load. Also there is a long felt need for a clay soil active adjunct ingredient which can be optimized to fit the particular laundry detergent embodiment, inter alia, granular, liquid, and which can be therefore tailored to match the surfactant system. There has further been a long felt need for a method for cleaning hydrophilic soils from fabric wherein the hydrophilic soils are effectively peptized, dispersed, and suspended in the laundry liquor.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention meets the aforementioned needs in that it has been surprisingly discovered that certain polyamine-based agents, also referred to herein as “polyamines”, in combination with a surfactant system comprising one or more mid-chain branched surfactants provides enhanced removal of clay and other hydrophilic soils from fabric.
The first aspect of the present invention relates to a laundry detergent composition comprising:
a) from about 0.01%, preferably from about 0.1%, more preferably from 1%, most preferably from 2% to about 20%, preferably to about 10%, more preferably to about 5% by weight, of a polyamine, said polyamine selected from the group consisting of:
i) polyamines comprising two or more backbone nitrogens;
ii) polyamines comprising one or more cationic backbone nitrogens;
iii) polyamines comprising one or more alkoxylated backbone nitrogens;
iv) polyamines comprising one or more cationic backbone nitrogens and one or more alkoxylated backbone nitrogens; and
v) mixtures thereof;
b) from about 0.01%, preferably from about 0.1% more preferably from about 1% to about 100%, preferably to about 80% by weight, preferably to about 60%, most preferably to about 30% by weight, of a surfactant system comprising:
i) from 0% to 80% by weight, of a mid-chain branched alkyl sulfate surfactant selected from the group consisting of surfactants having the formula:
and mixtures thereof; wherein R, R
1
, and R
2
are each independently hydrogen, C
1
-C
3
alkyl, and mixtures thereof, provided the total number of carbon atoms in said surfactant is from 14 to 20 and at least one of R, R
1
, and R
2
is not hydrogen; the index w is an integer from 0 to 13; x is an integer from 0 to 13; y is an integer from 0 to 13; z is an integer of at least 1; provided w+x+y+z is from 8 to 14 and the total number of carbon atoms in a surfactant is from 14 to 20; R
3
is ethylene, 1,2-propylene, 1,3-propylene, 1,2-butylene, 1,4-butylene, and mixtures thereof; the average value of the index m is at least about 0.01;
ii) from 0% to 80% by weight, of a mid-chain branched aryl sulfonate surfactant having the formula:
wherein A is a mid-chain branched alkyl unit having the formula:
wherein R and R
1
are each independently hydrogen, C
1
-C
3
alkyl, and mixtures thereof, provided the total number of carbon atoms in said alkyl unit is from 6 to 18 and at least one of R and R
1
is not hydrogen; x is an integer from 0 to 13; y is an integer from 0 to 13; z is 0 or 1; R
2
is hydrogen, C
1
-C
3
alkyl, and mixtures thereof; M′ is a water soluble cation with sufficient charge to provide neutrality;
iii) optionally from 0.01% by weight, of a surfactant selected from the group consisting of anionic, nonionic, cationic, zwitterionic, ampholytic surfactants, and mixtures thereof; and
c) the balance carriers and adjunct ingredients.
The present invention also relates to hydrophilic soil cleaning systems which comprise polyamines which can be tailored to the specific surfactant system or laundry detergent form, i.e., liquid, granular.
The present invention further relates to laundry detergent compositions which are effective in removing clay-like soils under circumstances of high soil loading or high water hardness.
The present invention also relates to a method for removing hydrophilic stains from fabric by contacting fabric in need of cleaning with a composition according to the present invention.
These and other objects, features and advantages will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art from a reading of the following detailed description and the appended claims. All percentages, ratios and proportions herein are by weight, unless otherwise specified. All temperatures are in degrees Celsius (° C.) unless otherwise specified. All documents cited are in relevant part, incorporated herein by reference.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the surprising discovery that the combination of a polyamine and a surfactant system which comprises at least one mid-chain branched surfactant provides enhanced benefits for removal of clay soil from fabric especially clothing. It has been surprisingly discovered that the formulator, by selecting the molecular weight of the parent backbone, relative degree of quaternization, relative amount of N-oxide formation of the polyamine backbone, the type and relative degree of units which substitute the polyamine backbone, inter alia, cationic, anionic, and the nature of the amine backbone itself, inter alia, polyhexyleneimine, the formulator is able to form a polymer which can be tailored for optimization depending upon the desired execution. For example, the formulator may opt to use one type of polymer for a liquid embodiment targeted for use in a high soil loading context and another polymer for use in a granula
Deinhammer Randall Scott
Gosselink Eugene Paul
Price Kenneth Nathan
Delcotto Gregory
Grunzinger Laura R.
Miller Steven W.
The Procter & Gamble & Company
Zerby Kim W.
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