Cleaning compositions for solid surfaces – auxiliary compositions – Cleaning compositions or processes of preparing – For cleaning a specific substrate or removing a specific...
Reexamination Certificate
2002-11-04
2003-08-12
Ogden, Necholus (Department: 1751)
Cleaning compositions for solid surfaces, auxiliary compositions
Cleaning compositions or processes of preparing
For cleaning a specific substrate or removing a specific...
C510S297000, C510S327000, C510S329000, C510S330000, C510S334000, C510S439000, C510S501000, C510S504000, C510S515000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06605581
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to unit dose laundry compositions for softening or conditioning fabrics. More particularly, this invention relates to unit dose liquid fabric softening compositions, which is contained in a water-soluble container suitable for use in an automatic washing machine.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Detergent compositions manufactured in the form of compacted detergent powder are known in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 5,225,100, for example, describes a tablet of compacted powder comprising an anionic detergent compound, which will adequately disperse in the wash water.
Although detergent compositions in the form of compacted granular tablets of various shapes have received much attention in the patent literature, the use of such tablets to provide a unit dose fabric softener which will soften or condition fabrics in the wash cycle without impairing detergency or otherwise compromise the cleaning benefits provided by the detergent composition is not known.
Laundry detergent compositions which further include a fabric softener to provide softening or conditioning of fabrics in the wash cycle of the laundering operation are well-known in the art and described in the patent literature. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,605,506 to Wixon; U.S. Pat. No. 4,818,421 to Boris et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,569,773 to Ramachandran et al., all assigned to Colgate-Palmolive Co., and U.S. Pat. No. 4,851,138 assigned to Akzo. U.S. Pat. No. 5,972,870 to Anderson describes a multi-layered laundry tablet for washing which may include a detergent in the outer layer and a fabric softener, or water softener or fragrance in the inner layer. But, these type of multi-benefit products suffer from a common drawback, namely, there is an inherent compromise which the user necessarily makes between the cleaning and softening benefits provided by such products as compared to using a separate detergent composition solely for cleaning in the wash cycle and a separate softening composition solely for softening in the rinse cycle. In essence, the user of such detergent softener compositions does not have the ability to independently adjust the amount of detergent and softener added to the wash cycle of a machine in response to the cleaning and softening requirements of the particular wash load.
Some attempts have been made in the art to develop wash cycle active fabric softeners, typically in powder form. But, these type products are characterized by the same inconvenience inherent with the use of powered detergents, namely, problems of handling, caking in the container or wash cycle dispenser, and the need for a dosing device to deliver the desired amount of active softener material to the wash water.
The use of a unit dose fabric softening composition contained in a water soluble container such as a sachet offers numerous advantages. To be effective, the unit dose fabric softening compositions, contained in a sachet, must be able to disperse in the wash liquor in a short period of time to avoid any residue at the end of the wash cycle.
Typically, the wash cycle time can be as short as 12 minutes and as long as 90 minutes (in typical European washers) depending on the type of washer and the wash conditions. Therefore, the water-soluble sachet must be soluble in the wash liquor before the end of the cycle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a unit dose fabric softening composition contained in a water soluble container for softening or conditioning fabrics in an automatic washing machine, said unit dose comprising (a) a wash soluble container; and (b) disposed in the water soluble container is a nonaqueous liquid fabric softener composition, the amount of composition being sufficient to form a unit dose capable of providing effective softening or conditioning of fabrics in said washing machine.
The term “fabric softener” is used herein for purposes of convenience to refer to materials which provide softening and/or conditioning benefits to fabrics in a home or automatic laundering machine.
The fabric softener composition of the invention is preferably comprised of one or more fabric softening agents, optionally a dispersing agent, and optionally a perfume.
In accordance with the process aspect of the invention there is provided a process for softening or conditioning laundry which comprises contacting the laundry with an effective amount of the unit dose laundry composition defined above.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a water soluble sachet containing a unit dose of a fabric softener composition, wherein the water soluble sachet is formed from a single layer of water soluble thermoplastic film such as a polyvinyl alcohol, wherein the inner surface of the film is in contact with the fabric softener composition and the external surface of the film does not have a water soluble glue disposed thereon.
The nonaqueous liquid fabric softener composition contained in the water container which is formed from a water soluble polymer which is selected from the group consisting of polyvinyl alcohols, polyvinyl alcohol copolymers such as polyvinyl alcohol/polyvinyl pyrrolidone, partially hydrolyxed polyvinyl acetate, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, alkylhydroxy cellulosic such as hydroxy ethylcellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, carboxy-methylcellulose sodium, dextrin, maltodextrin, alkyl cellulosics such as methyl cellulose, ethyl cellulose and propyl cellulose, ethers and esters of alkyl cellulosics such as methyl cellulose, ethyl cellulose and propyl cellulose, water soluble polyacrylates, water soluble polyacrylamides and acrylic acid/maleic anhydride copolymers comprises:
(a) 72% to 100%, more preferably 75% to 99.5% of at least one fabric softening agents;
(b) 0 to 12%, more preferably 0.5% to 10% of at least one dispersing agent;
(c) 0 to 10%, more preferably 0.5% to 8% of a C
1
-C
3
alkanol such as isopropanol; and
(d) 0 to 8%, more preferably 0.5% to 6% of a perfume, wherein the composition contains less than 10 wt. %, preferably less than 8 wt. % water and the composition does not contain an anionic sulfate surfactant, an anionic sulfonate surfactant, hexylene glycol or an amine oxide surfactant.
The instant compositions do not contain a detergent builder salt, a silicone glycol copolymer, a nonionic surfactant, a green colorant, a yellow colorant or a poly(oxyalkylene) substrated colorant.
As used herein and in the appended claims the term “perfume” is used in its ordinary sense to refer to and include any non-water soluble fragrant substance or mixture of substances including natural (i.e., obtained by extraction of flower, herb, blossom or plant), artificial (i.e., mixture of natural oils or oil constituents) and synthetically produced substance) odoriferous substances. Typically, perfumes are complex mixtures of blends of various organic compounds such as alcohols, aldehydes, ethers, aromatic compounds and varying amounts of essential oils (e.g., terpenes) such as from 0% to 80%, usually from 10% to 70% by weight, the essential oils themselves being volatile odoriferous compounds and also serving to dissolve the other components of the perfume.
In the present invention the precise composition of the perfume is of no particular consequence to softening performance so long as it meets the criteria of water immiscibility and having a pleasing odor. Naturally, of course, especially for softening compositions intended for use in the home, the perfume, as well as all other ingredients, should be cosmetically acceptable, i.e., non-toxic, hypoallergenic, etc.
A main component of the invented compositions and articles of the present invention, a softening agent which is an organic fatty softener. The organic softener can be anionic, cationic or nonionic fatty chains (C
10
-C
22
preferably C
12
-C
18
). Anionic softeners include fatty acids soaps. Organic softeners can be nonionics such as fatty esters of glycerol, ethoxylated fatty esters, fatty alcohols, polyol polymers, higher fatty acid ester of a pentaerythritol compound and silicone
Cao Hoai-Chau
Epp Jeffrey T.
Farooq Amjad
Gourgue Alain
Jacques Alain
Nanfeldt Richard E.
Ogden Necholus
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