Cleaning compositions for solid surfaces – auxiliary compositions – Cleaning compositions or processes of preparing – For cleaning a specific substrate or removing a specific...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-25
2001-06-12
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...
C510S191000, C510S421000, C510S422000, C510S423000, C510S424000, C510S426000, C510S427000, C510S432000, C510S434000, C510S499000, C510S506000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06245728
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an improved hard surface cleaner especially effective on bathroom soils, such as soap scum. The inventive hard surface cleaner benefits from a novel combination of builders, namely, a precipitating and a non-precipitating builder.
2. Brief Statement of the Related Art
A number of hard surface cleaners have been specially formulated to target bathroom soils. These include products containing liquid hypochlorite for combating mildew and fungus; products with quaternary ammonium compounds as bacteriostats; and acidic cleaners, such as those containing phosphoric or other strong mineral acids.
These cleaners will typically include buffers, dyes, fragrances, and the like in order to provide performance and/or aesthetic enhancements.
Co-pending and parent application Ser. No. 08/731,653, filed Oct. 17, 1996 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,972,876, of Robbins et al., entitled “Low Odor, Hard Surface Cleaner with Improved Soil Removal,” of common assignment, discloses and claims a low odor hard surface cleaner which includes amine oxide, quaternary ammonium compound and tetrapotassium ethylenediaminetetraacetate for enhanced and proficient soil removal. Its disclosure is incorporated herein by reference thereto.
Co-pending application Ser. No. 08/807,187, filed Feb. 2, 1997 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,013,615, of Zhou et al., entitled “Antimicrobial Hard Surface Cleaner,” also of common assignment, discloses and claims an antimicrobial hard surface cleaner which includes amine oxide, quaternary ammonium compound and tetrasodium EDTA, in which a critical amine oxide: EDTA ratio results in enhanced non-streaking and non-filming performance. Its disclosure is incorporated herein by reference thereto.
Mills et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,814,591, further of common assignment, discloses and claims a hard surface cleaner which includes surfactants and tetraammonium EDTA for proficient soap scum and soil removal. Its disclosure is incorporated herein by reference thereto.
However, none of the art discloses, teaches or suggest the use of a less than completely neutralized EDTA (especially where the neutralizing agent is a potassium salt—e.g., KOH—resulting in a K
+
counterion), combined with a precipitating builder (preferably, another and different potassium salt) as an effective chelating agent which additionally surprisingly enhances the soil removing, especially soap scum-removing, ability of the liquid, one phase cleaners formulated therewith. Additionally, unlike some of the prior chelating agents, the combined non-completely neutralized potassium EDTA has very low to no odor, which is a significant beneficial attribute to the inventive cleaners hereof. Moreover, none of the art discloses, teaches or suggests the unexpected speed at which the inventive cleaners work.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION AND OBJECTS
The invention provides an aqueous, hard surface cleaner, said cleaner comprising:
an aqueous hard surface cleaner with improved soil, especially soap scum, removal comprising:
(a) either an anionic, nonionic, amphoteric surfactant, and mixtures thereof with optionally, a quaternary ammonium surfactant, said surfactants being present in a cleaning effective amount;
(b) at least one water-soluble or dispersible organic solvent having a vapor pressure of at least 0.001 mm Hg at 25° C., said at least one organic solvent present in a solubilizing or dispersion—effective amount;
(c) a combination of (i) an incompletely neutralized potassium ethylenediamine−tetraacetate (EDTA) and (ii) a precipitating co-builder as chelating agents present in an amount effective to enhance soil removal in said cleaner; and
(d) the remainder, water.
The invention further comprises a method of cleaning soils, especially soap scum from hard surfaces by applying said inventive cleaner to said soap scum, and removing both from said surface.
It is therefore an object of this invention to improve soil, especially soap scum, removal from hard surfaces.
It is another object of this invention to markedly increase the speed in which such soils, especially soap scum, are removed from the hard surface cleaned.
It is also an object of this invention to provide a hard surface cleaner for bathroom soils, which include oily and particulate soils.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a low to no odor hard surface cleaner.
It is a still further object of this invention to provide a hard surface cleaner which has at least comparable performance at lower cost compared to a leading cleaner.
It is also an object of this invention to combine non-precipitating and precipitating builders to provide enhanced cleaning.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The invention provides an improved, all purpose cleaner especially adapted for the complete and speedy removal of soap scum and other bathroom soils from a hard surface.
These types of cleaners are intended to clean hard surfaces by application of a metered discrete amount of the cleaner, typically by pump or trigger sprayer onto the surface to be cleaned or onto the workpiece—such as a soft cloth, mop or sponge—and then wiping the surface, thus removing the soil and the cleaner, with or without the need for rinsing with water. In the case of a concentrate, the concentrate is first diluted with water, or water/solvent mixture, then the diluted mixture is applied by workpiece or by simply pouring onto the surface to be cleaned. The typical bathroom surface is a shower stall, both the glass doors, as well as the vertical wall surfaces (typically made of tile, or composite materials). sinks and glass. The cleaner is preferably a single phase, clear, isotropic solution, having a viscosity generally less than about 100 Centipoise (“cps”) (unless as a concentrate, in which case, below about 100,000 cps). The cleaner itself has the following ingredients:
(a) an anionic, nonionic or amphoteric surfactant, and mixtures thereof with optionally, a quaternary ammonium surfactant, said surfactants being present in a cleaning—effective amount;
(b) at least one water-soluble or dispersible organic solvent having a vapor pressure of at least 0.001 mm Hg at 25° C., said at least one organic solvent present in a solubilizitig- or dispersion-effective amount;
(c) a combination of (i) an incompletely neutralized potassium ethylenediamine—tetraacetate (EDTA) and (ii) a precipitating co-builder as chelating agents present in an amount effective to enhance soil removal in said cleaner; and
(d) the remainder, water.
Additional adjuncts in small amounts such as buffers, finance, dye and the like, can be included to provide desirable attributes of such adjuncts.
In the application, effective amounts are generally those amounts listed as the ranges or levels of ingredients in the descriptions which follow hereto. Unless otherwise stated, amounts listed in percentage (“%'s”) are in weight percent (based on 100% active) of the composition.
1. Solvents
The solvent is a water soluble or dispersible organic solvent having a vapor pressure of at least 0.001 mm Hg at 25° C. It is preferably selected from C
1-6
alkanol, C
1-6
diols, C
1-2
alkylene glycol ethers, and mixtures thereof. The alkanol can be selected from methanol, ethanol, n-propanol, isopropanol, butanol, pentanol, hexanol, their various positional isomers, and mixtures of the foregoing. It may also be possible to utilize in addition to, or in place of, said alkanols, the diols such as methylene, ethylene, propylene and butylene glycols, and mixtures thereo.
It is preferred to use an alkylene glycol ether solvent in this invention. The alkylene glycol ether solvents can include ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, ethylene glycol monopropyl ether, propylene glycol n-propyl ether, propylene glycol monobutyl ether, diethylene glycol n-butyl ether, dipropylene glycol methyl ether, and mixtures thereof. Preferred glycol ethers are ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, also known as butoxyethanol, sold as butyl Cellosolve by Union Carbide, and also sold by Dow Chemical Co., 2-(2-butoxye
Choy Clement K.
Gossett Elizabeth A.
Julian Jennifer C.
Robbins Michael H.
Robinson Gary L.
Delcotto Gregory
Hayashida Joel J.
The Clorox Company
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