Bleaching and dyeing; fluid treatment and chemical modification – Cleaning or laundering
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-07
2001-02-20
Einsmann, Margaret (Department: 1751)
Bleaching and dyeing; fluid treatment and chemical modification
Cleaning or laundering
C510S529000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06190419
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to washing and more particularly to the washing of clothes and dishes.
The present invention relates to a wide range of applications. In one application, the invention is useful in the field of cosmetics.
A wide assortment of creams, cosmetics, soaps, and medicines are applied to the topical layer of the skin with the intended affect of addressing a condition of the skin. Some examples of treatments include conditions of dry skin and acne.
The effectiveness of the treatment is directly related to the permeability of the material to the user's skin. If the active ingredient is unable to reach beneath the skin, the affect of the active ingredient is, at best, limited.
One such active ingredient is keratin which is used for the treatment of a variety of skin conditions and is also incorporated into soaps and creams to improve the user's skin. Unfortunately, keratin does not readily permeate the skin layer, hence, the vast majority of the keratin applied is simply washed or worn off without having the desired affect.
Another application for the invention is within the field of cleaning of items such as clothes, surgical scrubs, and dishes.
Cleaning through laundry, whether it is done in the home or in a commercial setting, constitutes a continuing chore. A wide assortment of detergents, pre-washes, and stain removers have been developed to assist in this chore.
Unfortunately, these chemicals are difficult to use and often do not remove many of the stains encountered. Further, these chemicals, after repetitive uses, tend to “flatten” or conceal the garment's color.
It is clear that there is a need for an easy to use and effective additive to assist in the cleaning of clothes, garments, and other items.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention provides a keratin composition which incorporates a metallic salt of fluoric acid to increase the permeability of the user's skin. With the user's skin more permeable, the keratin is able to be more fully absorbed and the curative affect of the keratin is maximized.
While the present discussion relates to keratin, those of ordinary skill in the art readily recognize that the invention is not so limited as other active ingredients are also contemplated. Keratin is the preferred active ingredient.
Products containing this invention's mixture increases the solubility or permeability of the keratin. This increased solubility is accomplished due to the nature of chemicals involved. While fluorides are typically stiff and brittle, they are softened significantly by the fluoric acid which also makes the keratin more soluble.
In many applications, the mixture of keratin with fluoric acid needs to be suspended so that the mixture does not precipitate. Suspension is accomplished by blending the mixture with a carboxyl or a gelatin. Those of ordinary skill in the art readily recognize a variety of other additives which can be used to properly suspend the mixture.
Once the mixture has been formed using a suspension mechanism (i.e. carboxyl), it more easily spread and can be applied to specific areas of the user's body without the keratin/fluoric acid spreading or running. One such application contemplated by this invention is the use of a suspended or gelatized mixture being applied to a user's nails to help harden the finger or toe nails. Another application contemplated is the use of gelatized mixture for the treatment of hair and also as an additive for cosmetics.
In some embodiments of the invention, the suspended or gelatized mixture of keratin/fluoric acid is applied to a paper sheet or other suitable substrate and packaged for single use application. In this manner, the user needs only open the package and spread the keratin/fluoric acid onto the affected area to obtain the desired treatment.
Keratin is any of various albuminoids characteristic of epidermal derivatives, such as nails and feathers, which are insoluble in protein solvents, have a high sulfur content, and generally contain cystine and arginine as the predominating amino acids.
Keratin has been shown to exhibit a wide variety of desirable pharmaceutical properties such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,959,213, issued to Brod et al. on Sep. 25, 1990, and entitled “Pharmaceutical Composition for Treatment and /or prevention of diseases of the skin involving an Inflammatory Process”, incorporated hereinto by reference. The Brod patent describes keratin's affect on erythema and acne.
Through the use of a metallic sale of fluoric acid, keratin becomes much more permeable.
Hydrofluoric acid is an aqueous solution of hydrogen fluoride (HF). The material is typically a colorless, fuming, poisonous liquid and is extremely corrosive. It is a weak acid compared to hydrochloric acid but will attack glass and other silica materials. It is often used to polish, frost, or etch glass and to pickle copper, brass, and alloy steels, to clean stone and brick and to acidize oil wells, and also to dissolve ores.
A salt is the reaction product when a metal displaces the hydrogen of an acid. As example, sodium fluoride (NaF) is formed by adding sodium carbonate to hydrofluoric acid.
The metallic salt of hydrofluoric acid, when combined with keratin, significantly increases the passage of the keratin through the skin so that the keratin has significantly more affect.
The action of the salt of hydrofluoric acid is increased through the use of either water or alcohol. The water or alcohol provides a solvent to assist in the through mixing of the salt of hydrofluoric acid with the keratin.
The composition so formed is useful for pharmaceutical treatments, topical cleansers, soaps, creams, and as additives to a variety of cosmetics.
In the preferred embodiment, by weight, the metallic salt of hydrofluoric acid constitutes less than twenty percent of the keratin/hydrofluoric acid salt combination. The actual relative amounts are chosen to obtain the desired results for the contemplated application. Such applications include topical cosmetics, creams, soaps, and additives for pharmaceuticals.
As those of ordinary skill in the art recognize, a soap is a type of detergent in which the water-solubilizing group is a carboxylate, COO—, and the positive ion is usually sodium or potassium.
In the case of some creams, the cream, containing both keratin and the salt of hydrofluoric acid, is applied to the user's epidermal and then left to have it curative affect.
The invention, using a salt of hydrofluoric acid within a topically applied medium, significantly increases the permeability of the user's skin so that the active ingredient is more effective.
In another use of the present invention, the fluoric acid is used as an additive in the laundry to assist in the removal of dirt, grime, and stains. In experimentation, it has also been found that the fluroic acid, when used in a wash of detergent, tends to “fluff” or rejuvenate the pile of the garment.
A theory as to why the fluoric acid has such an affect in the cleaning of garments is based upon the above description concerning the affect that fluoric acid has upon keratin. All clothing has an amount of keratin within its fibers due to the natural sloughing of skin of a human. This keratin “bonds” with the fibers of the garment and make the cleaning of the garment more difficult. Fluoric acid though “softens” the keratin allowing it to be more easily washed from the garment.
A variety of mechanisms to apply the fluroic acid to the wash are contemplated by this invention and include: having the fluroic acid tried onto a cloth-like fiber which is added to the wash; mixing dried fluroic acid to traditional detergent; and adding a diluted liquid form of the fluroic acid. Those of ordinary skill in the art readily recognize a variety of other mechanisms which can be employed in this context.
The quantity of fluroic acid which is used in this context is extremely small. Some experiments have found that two grams of fluroic acid is sufficient for a standard load o
Einsmann Margaret
Ingersoll Christine
Ogram Mark E.
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