Perfume compositions – Perfume compositions – With preservative – stabilizer – or fixative
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-31
2004-02-10
Warden, Jill (Department: 1743)
Perfume compositions
Perfume compositions
With preservative, stabilizer, or fixative
C512S001000, C510S515000, C510S519000, C510S520000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06689740
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to substrates having prolonged fragrance. More particularly, the present invention provides compositions and methods for reducing the loss of perfume during manufacture.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Fabric softener sheets typically include a substrate, a fabric conditioner base and a fragrance. The fabric conditioner base is used to impart a benefit to a fabric treated therewith. Such a benefit may include, for example, softness, reduced static of dried articles, easier ironing, etc. The fragrance is a used to impart a pleasant aroma to the dried fabric.
In use, these fabric softener sheets are typically placed in a conventional dryer together with fabric to be dried, e.g., wet laundry. During the drying process, fragrance and other benefits are transferred from the fabric softener sheet to the fabric being dried.
Conventionally, a fabric softener sheet is manufactured by coating a mixture of fabric conditioner base and fragrance onto a substrate. Typically, fabric softener bases are solid mixtures that must be melted prior to use. In practice, fabric conditioner bases are melted in a holding tank at about 70° C. to 90° C. then fragrance is added. Depending on the speed of coating, the conditioner base and fragrance may remain at these elevated temperatures for 4 to 8 hours. Fabric softener sheets are coated by continuously passing a substrate, e.g., a polyester sheet material, at high speed through a coating tank that is also held at 70° C. to 90° C. The coated sheet material is then passed through a series of cooled rollers and a cooling tower to reduce the sheet temperature to about 30° C.
Fragrance losses occur at various points during the conventional fabric sheet manufacturing process; these losses in total may be up to 30 percent to 45 percent.
Encapsulates, such as cyclodextrin compositions as outlined in Bacon, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,348,667, have been used to reduce perfume loss during the manufacturing process. Such encapsulation technology, however, is expensive to make and use, and is therefore not cost effective in a large-scale commercial setting.
Absorbents have been used to carry lipophilic materials such as fragrance in the manufacture of certain products. For example, it is known that solids can adsorb oily materials, such as, perfume. Such adsorbent solids have been reportedly used as carpet cleaning powders (U.S. Pat. No. 5,783,543 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,286,400), in oil adsorbent products (U.S. Pat. No. 4,537,877 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,763,083), in detergent powders (U.S. Pat. No. 5,656,584), in detergent liquids (U.S. Pat. No. 4,983,422 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,209,417), in detergent bars (EP 816484), and in liquid softeners (U.S. Pat. No. 4,954,285).
Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide a process for producing a fabric softener sheet which process significantly reduces the loss of the perfume in the fragrance matrix during the manufacture of such a sheet compared to conventional processes.
Another object of the invention is to provide a substrate having prolonged fragrance compared to conventionally prepared substrates.
Another object of the invention is to provide an efficient, cost-effective method for reducing the loss of perfume during the manufacture of fabric softener sheets.
The present invention is directed to meeting these and other objects.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a process for reducing fragrance loss during the manufacturing of fragranced substrates. This process includes providing a protected fragrance matrix that contains a perfume, a solid absorbent and optionally a fixative. In this process, a fabric conditioner base is further provided. A substrate is then combined with the fragrance matrix and the fabric conditioner base. A substrate treated in this manner retains more of the fragrance compared to conventionally prepared substrates.
The present invention also provides a substrate impregnated with a fragrance matrix having prolonged organoleptic activity. This substrate is made by the process of forming a protected fragrance matrix that includes a perfume, an optional fixative and a solid absorbent. The fragrance matrix is then combined with a fabric conditioner base. The fragrance matrix and fabric conditioner base are then applied to the substrate either together as a mixture or sequentially. In this process, the fragrance matrix is combined with the fabric conditioner base immediately prior to application of the mixture to the substrate. Alternatively, the fragrance matrix is applied to the substrate immediately after the fabric conditioner base.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a low cost method of reducing the loss of perfume during the manufacture of, e.g., a fabric softener sheet. This process includes the addition of a protected, i.e., an enrobed perfume contained within a fragrance matrix to a fabric conditioner base prior to application of the fabric conditioner base onto or into a substrate or during one of the rolling stages of a conventional fabric softener sheet manufacturing process. By using the process of the present invention, it is easier to dose, i.e., apply the fragrance to the substrate during the manufacturing process when the perfume is in a solid carrier form.
Thus, the process of the present invention includes ( 1) preparing a fragrance matrix including an enrobed, i.e., a protected perfume, an optional fixative and a solid absorbent; and ( 2) combining the fragrance matrix with a fabric conditioner base and a substrate.
As used herein, the phrase, “fabric softener sheet” includes a substrate, a fabric softener base and a fragrance matrix. For purposes of the present invention, the term “substrate” is intended to mean any material that acts as a delivery vehicle for the fragrance matrix and fabric conditioner base. Thus, in the present invention, the substrate must be able to retain in its interior or on its surface a sufficient quantity of the fabric conditioner base and fragrance matrix required to deliver the desired performance (prolonged fragrance) to the fabric, e.g., a fabric softener sheet. Typically, the substrate is in the form of a sheet, although other forms may be used. The substrate may be a synthetic or natural fiber that is woven, knitted or extruded. Non-limiting examples of materials that may be used as a substrate in the present invention include cotton, Rayon, polyester, regenerated cellulose, and the like.
As used herein, the phrases “fragrance matrix” or “protected fragrance matrix” mean that at least the most volatile parts of a perfume are protected or enrobed by a solid absorbent and optionally a fixative to reduce the amount of loss of fragrance during the manufacturing process of a substrate through evaporation of the perfume volatiles.
In the present invention, the protected fragrance matrix is said to “enrobe” the perfume. Thus, as used herein, the terms “enrobe,” “enrobed” or “enrobement” refer to the sequestration of the perfume in the protected fragrance matrix to reduce the loss of fragrance during the manufacture of fragranced substrates, e.g., fabric softener sheets, and to prolong the effect of a fragrance on substrates coated with such an enrobed perfume.
The protected fragrance matrix is preferably in the form of a flowable powder. Thus, the ratio of perfume, solid absorbents and fixative are carefully controlled to maintain the consistency of a flowable powder. In this embodiment, the perfume-to-solid absorbent ratio is between about 1:20 to about 2:5, preferably about 1:5. The level of perfume, however, will depend upon the final composition of the substrate. The fragrance, in turn, may be present in the protected fragrance matrix in an amount of from about 10% to about 50% (wt/wt), preferably, in an amount of from or between about 20% to about 40% (wt/wt). On the substrate, the fragrance level will be about 1% to about 6% (wt/wt).
The flowable powder may be dosed into, for example, a molten fabric conditioner base such as a softener or a
McGee Thomas
Purzycki Kenneth Leo
Sgaramella Richard P.
Cole Monique T.
Givaudan SA
Norris & McLaughlin & Marcus
Warden Jill
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