Cleaning compositions for solid surfaces – auxiliary compositions – Cleaning compositions or processes of preparing – For cleaning a specific substrate or removing a specific...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-01
2001-08-28
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...
C510S180000, C510S179000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06281178
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a non-rinse, isotropic hard surface cleaner especially adapted to be used on glossy or smooth, hard surfaces, such as glass windows and the like, which removes soils deposited thereon, while significantly reducing the amount of residue caused by unremoved soil, cleaner, or a combination thereof. More specifically, the present invention relates to a compositions for cleaning hard surfaces that contain a hydrotropic compounds and methods for preparing such compositions. It further relates to compositions for cleaning hard surfaces with significant levels of builders.
2. Description of the Prior Art
To remove soils deposited on such surfaces such as glass or ceramic tile, the typical approach has been to use an alkaline ammonium-based aqueous cleaner or other aqueous cleaners containing various mixtures of surfactants and other cleaning additives. Unfortunately, many of the ammonia-based cleaners have fairly poor soil removing ability, while many of the surfactant-based cleaners leave fairly significant amounts of residue on such hard, glossy surfaces. This residue is seen in the phenomena of streaking, in which the soil, cleaner, or both are inconsistently wicked off the surface, and filming, in which a thin layer of the residue actually clings to the surface desired to be cleaned.
Aqueous cleaning compositions for hard surfaces have been disclosed that contain various special ingredients said to aid in the performance of the cleaner in order to have reasonable cleaning performance with reduced filming or streaking.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,606,842 discloses a composition for cleaning glass and similar glossy hard surfaces which contains polyacrylic resins which may be comprised of a polyacrylic acid or a mixture of polyacrylic acid and an acrylic polymer complex with a phosphonate or sulfur containing moiety which is used as a builder in an aqueous composition which also includes an organic solvent system and at least one detergent surface active agent.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,690,779 discloses a hard surface cleaning composition chain polymers of polyacrylic acid in combination with certain non-ionic surfactants which function together as hard surface cleaners.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,126,068 discloses the use of certain ethylene oxide/propylene oxide polymer surfactants, and organic surfactants in combination with certain polycarboxylic builders as cleaning ingredients in hard surface cleaners with reduced filming/streaking qualities.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,343,725 discloses an aqueous base cleanser for glass mirrors and reflecting surfaces which is free of detergent builders and organic solvents and contains a water soluble non-ionic polyoxyethylene glycol polymer having a molecular weight between 300,000 and 4,000,000.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,943,392 discloses aqueous detergent compositions suitable for general purpose household cleaning compositions or hard surfaces wherein the main ingredient is butoxypropanol.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,252,245 discloses an aqueous hard surface cleaner with improved residue removal and reduced filming/streaking containing solvents selected from the group consisting of C
1-6
alkanol, C
3-24
alkylene glycol ether, amphoteric and anionic surfactants, a buffering system and fragrance.
Aqueous cleaning compositions of the prior art have disadvantages. They frequently contain little or no detergent or builder salts and therefor tend to have poor cleaning performance.
There is a need for the incorporation of high levels of builders and surfactants in a hard surface cleaners to increase the cleaning performance while maintaining low filming and streaking.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Hydrotropes have been employed in hard surface cleaners to maintain product stability or homogeneity over wide temperature ranges. The amount used is the minimum required to achieve the requisite stability or homogeneity of the cleaner. No practical or economic advantage has been associated with using an amount of hydrotrope in excess of the minimum required to provide a stable cleaner.
It has now been discovered that the incorporation of a hydrotropic compound in a, preferably aqueous based, hard surface cleaner unexpectedly provides reduced filming and streaking on cleaned surfaces when the hydrotropic compound is incorporated into the composition in a specific ratio to the other solids.
Thus, in one aspect, the invention provides hard surface cleaners that include various surfactants, builders, optional solvents, etc, and a hydrotropic compound such that the ratio of the weight of hydrotropic compound to the sum of the weights of the remaining solids is at least about 1:3.5.
In another aspect, the invention also provides improved hard surface cleaners comprising an detergent base and a hydrotropic compound where the weight ratio of hydrotropic compound to the weight of builder(s) in the detergent base is at least about 1:1.8.
The compositions of the invention may be dry, i.e., powdered, or may be liquid, i.e., aqueous or organic solvent based. Of course, dry compositions must be added to either water or other liquid prior to use in cleaning hard surfaces.
The detergent base of the hard surface cleaners of the invention comprises a detergency surfactant and a detergent builder. Optional components include solvents, alkanolamines, soaps, as well as fragrance, coloring agents, brighteners, etc.
In another aspect, the invention also encompasses methods for preparing hard surface cleaners capable of excellent cleaning of a hard surface without leaving a visible residue. These methods include adding an amount of a hydrotrope effective to inhibit a filming or streaking effect on the surface.
The invention provides methods and compositions having reduced filming which results from a residue of cleaner, soil, or both remaining on the hard surface intended to be cleaned.
Thus, this invention improves overall cleaning performance by adding to a hard surface cleaner an amount of a hydrotrope effective to reduce the visibility of hard surface cleaner residues, and thus filming and streaking.
The invention further provides cleaners for glass and other hard, glossy surfaces, which has virtually no filming or streaking.
In another aspect, the invention provides hard surface cleaners containing antibacterial or germicidal quaternary ammonium compounds; such compositions are capable of cleaning a hard surface while simultaneously removing or killing bacteria. These compositions provide excellent cleaning and disinfecting of a hard surface while leaving no visible residue or streaks.
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Malik Arshad
Ryklin Irma
Delcotto Gregory
McDonnell & Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff
Petruncio John M
Sarussi Steven J.
Stepan Company
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