Drug – bio-affecting and body treating compositions – Preparations characterized by special physical form – Web – sheet or filament bases; compositions of bandages; or...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-20
2004-05-11
Page, Thurman K. (Department: 1616)
Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions
Preparations characterized by special physical form
Web, sheet or filament bases; compositions of bandages; or...
C424S400000, C424S402000, C514S844000, C514S847000, C514S642000, C442S059000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06733772
ABSTRACT:
The invention concerns overall a novel composition for a softening lotion used in treating an absorbent paper product, such as a sheet of wadding cotton or tissue paper. This lotion is applied or impregnated onto at least one surface of the paper product and imparts a soft, slippery feel to the paper while being dry, i.e, without being greasy or oily. The invention also relates to the absorbent paper products wherein at least one surface is impregnated with such a lotion.
The invention is applicable to the manufacture of paper products such as domestic or sanitary papers. Among these in particular are papers entailing direct contact with the skin and repeated rubbing against the skin, for example disposable paper handkerchiefs, toilet paper or any other paper products for wiping the skin, for removing make-up, dry linen, and the like.
People afflicted with colds, influenza or various allergies causing nasal flow will wipe their noses frequently. Oftentimes such people's noses are irritated and red because of skin hypersensitization from this nasal flow. For practical reasons such people use conventional paper handkerchiefs available commercially in the form of boxed handkerchiefs, also called “facial” tissue, or folded handkerchiefs in small cases. Following several sequential nose wipings with these handkerchiefs, the skin at and around the nose becomes increasingly irritated, even inflamed and painful. Consequently, the surface of these handkerchiefs must be softened in order to limit, even suppress, any irritation caused by rubbing the handkerchief surface against the skin. Ideally the feeling should be the softness offered by a cloth handkerchief that has just been washed and pressed.
In another field, namely that of toilet paper, the same softness is required for repeated contacts with the skin taking place with simultaneous rubbing. In particular as concerns persons suffering from skin irritation in the anal region or in the case of hemorrhoids, a toilet paper with a somewhat rough feel will only further irritate the skin when this paper is pressed against this skin.
Accordingly, endeavors have been underway to generally soften the paper sheets or products such as the tissue paper webs using a variety of mechanical or chemical means.
As regards the mechanical means, techniques have been developed to improve in particular the appearance and the surface condition of the paper sheet by endowing it with a more slippery feel. In the case of handkerchiefs, illustratively, the sheet is calendered to flatten the crests formed when creping the sheet. Also the sheet surface may be frictionally treated in order to eliminate all roughnesses. However, these approaches often are insufficient. European Patent No. 0 029 269 describes a particular manufacturing procedure for such a sheet wherein the nature of the suspensions of fibers forming the various sheet layers as well as the combination of these layers among each other are significant factors for the desired velvety feel. However, this procedure limits the selection of appropriate fibers and entails constraints in the first stages of the wet process phase.
The expression “chemical means” covers any softening composition based on one or several chemical compounds. A distinction may be made between two categories of softening compositions. On one hand, the softening additives or compositions which are directly incorporated into the manufacturing pulp or composition or else are applied to a wet web of paper. And on the other hand, the softening compositions or lotions which are applied to the surface of a product or a sheet of paper in the dry state, i.e., where previous drying took place.
In the first case, these additives as a rule are used as fiber debonding agents and thereby the sheet so made is allowed to flexibilize. Many patents have been filed in this field, illustratively, EP-A-0 049 924; EP-B-0 347 176; U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,944,931; 5,415,737 and International Application No. WO 95/10661.
EP-A-0 049 924 discloses the incorporation of a quaternary ammonium compound and at least one nonionic surfactant selected from the fatty acid and the fatty alcohol ethylene oxide derivatives into the manufacturing composition in order to achieve a soft absorbent paper. The object of EP-B-0 347 176 is a tissue paper comprising at least one non-cationic surfactant applied to a wet web of paper. However, the surfactant can migrate into the sheet inside and wholly-clad the fibers, thereby debonding them and decreasing tensile strength. U.S. Pat. No. 2,944,931 discloses a process for improving the softness of toilet paper and its feel consisting in adding a stable aqueous emulsion containing from 1 to 90 wt. % lanolin and from 10 to 99 wt. % of a cationic emulsifier, such as quaternary ammonium salts, to the manufacturing composition. U.S. Pat. No. 5,415,737 concerns a finished soft paper product comprising a vegetal oil-based quaternary ammonium ester compound which is also added to the manufacturing composition. International Application No. WO 95/10661 discloses a manufacturing process for a soft paper with improved feel consisting in added fatty acid ester salts of quaternary amine triethanol as softeners in the fiber aqueous suspensions. However, on the whole as regards these patents, the product or web surface does not offer the desired slippery feature. It is only the product or the web as a whole which is more soft. Moreover, the losses of softening composition during the sheet manufacturing process are more than trivial.
In the same vein, U.S. Pat. No. 5,279,767 describes more specifically a softening composition comprising a mixture of a quaternary ammonium compound and a polyhydroxy compound. This composition is prepared by mixing in a first stage these two compounds at a high temperature at which they are miscible, then in diluting the mixture in high temperature water in order to form an aqueous dispersion of vesicles (or micelles). This composition is preferably incorporated into the manufacturing composition and might be applied to the surface of the formed web, when wet, before drying. It is felt in this patent that the vesicles break up at the time of drying. Most of the polyhydroxy compound so “released” penetrates into the interior of the cellulose fibers and improves the fiber flexibility, while the other part is retained at the fiber surface and increases the absorbency rate of fibers. Because of the ionic bonds, the quaternary ammonium compound remains at the surface of the cellulose fibers and thereby the product softness and feel can be improved. This patent does not mention a slippery feel in spite of improved softness. This type of compound addresses an increase in fiber flexibility and it acts substantially within the internal sheet structure, not directly and mainly at the sheet surface. Variations of this composition are described in other patent documents such as International Application Nos. WO 94/29,520 and WO 94/29,521.
In the second case, the softening compositions are meant to be applied directly to the product surface or to the absorbent paper sheet surface that was previously dried. Their main function is as a skin emollient.
Many patents illustrate this kind of lotion.
Illustratively, with respect to toilet paper or paper towels used in proctology, U.S. Pat. No. 3,264,188 and also French Patent No. 2,376,650 describe lotions providing a fatty feel. The latter patent describes a skin wiping paper product treated with a lipophilic and cleaning emollient, the composition being substantially non-polar and non-aqueous. This emollient can be a mineral oil, petrolatum, paraffin waxes, fatty acids, fatty alcohols, fatty acid esters, derivatives of glycerides, lanolin, polysiloxanes, and the like. The emollient settles on the skin surface where it forms a thin film. It allows cleaning the skin by removing soil. Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 4,481,243 has as its object a two ply sheet. An emollient which provides a fatty feel is spread over a large part of the sheet surface. However, the emollient is not applied in
Bret Bruno
Leboeuf Jean-Francois
Breiner & Breiner L.L.C.
George Konata M.
Georgia-Pacific France
Page Thurman K.
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