Cleaning compositions for solid surfaces – auxiliary compositions – Cleaning compositions or processes of preparing – For cleaning a specific substrate or removing a specific...
Reexamination Certificate
2002-07-31
2002-12-17
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, C510S391000, C510S439000, C510S501000, C510S515000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06495504
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 fabric softening compositions, which are contained in a water-soluble container suitable for use in an automatic washing machine, wherein these compositions effectively deliver fragrance to the fabric as well as antistatic benefits and fabric softening.
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 film of the 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 fabric softener composition, the amount of composition being sufficient to form a unit dose capable of providing effective delivery of fragrance to the fabric, antistatic benefits and 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 as well as effectively delivering antistatic benefits and fragrance to the fabric being cleaned.
The fabric softener composition of the invention is preferably comprised of one or more fabric softening agents and 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 fabric softener composition contained in a water soluble sachet comprises approximately by weight:
(a) 48% to 82% of at least one amine fabric softening active compound;
(b) 0.1% to 18% of an alpha hydroxy aliphatic acid selected from the group consisting of citric acid, lactic acid, glycolic acid and mixtures thereof, wherein the amine fabric softening active compound at least partially reacts in situ with the alpha hydroxy acid to form an amine salt of the alpha hydroxy acid;
(c) 0.5% to 6% of a cationic surfactant;
(d) 1% to 9% of a cationic softener;
(e) 4% to 14% of a perfume; and
(f) less than 6% of water, wherein the composition does not contain an anionic sulfate surfactant, an anionic sulfonate surfactant, a hexeylene glycol or an amine oxide surfactant.
Another fabric softener composition contained in a water sachet comprises approximately by weight:
(a) 50% to 70% of at least one amine fabric softening active compound;
(b) 13% to 23% of an alpha hydroxy acid selected from the group consisting of citric acid and lactic acid and mixtures thereof, wherein the amine fabric softening active compound at least partially reacts in situ with the alpha hydroxy acid to form an amine salt of the alpha hydroxy acid;
(c) 0.5% to 6% of a cationic surfactant;
(d) 3% to 12% of a perfume; and
(e) less than 9% of water, wherein the composition does not contain an anionic sulfate surfactant, an anionic sulfonate surfactant, a hexeylene glycol or an amine oxide surfactant.
Another fabric softener composition contained in a water soluble sachet comprises approximately by weight:
(a) 28% to 42% of at least one amine fabric softening active compound;
(b) 5% to 15% of an alpha hydroxy acid selected from the group consisting of citric acid and lactic acid and mixtures thereof, wherein the amine fabric softening active compound at least partially reacts in situ with the alpha hydroxy acid to form an amine salt of the alpha hydroxy acid;
(c) 0.1% to 4% of a cationic surfactant;
(d) 4% to 12% of a perfume;
(e) 25% to 50% of an alkali metal sulfate such as sodium sulfate;
(f) and less than 5% of water, wherein the composition does not contain an anionic sulfate surfactant, an anionic sulfonate surfactant, a hexeylene glycol or an amine oxide surfactant.
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 volati
Cao Hoai-Chau
Epp Jeffrey T.
Farooq Amjad
Gourgue Alain
Jacques Alain
Colgate-Palmolive Company
Nanfeldt Richard E.
Ogden Necholus
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