Cleaning compositions for solid surfaces – auxiliary compositions – Cleaning compositions or processes of preparing – Liquid composition
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-27
2003-09-02
Douyon, Lorna M. (Department: 1771)
Cleaning compositions for solid surfaces, auxiliary compositions
Cleaning compositions or processes of preparing
Liquid composition
C510S108000, C510S130000, C510S143000, C510S433000, C510S439000, C510S504000, C424S402000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06613729
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Wet wipes are well known commercial consumer products which have been available in many forms. Perhaps the most common form of wet wipes has been a stack of moistened sheets which have been packaged in a plastic container. The wet wipes have been made from a variety of materials which have been moistened with a variety of suitable wiping solutions. Typically, the wet wipes have been available in either folded or unfolded configurations. For example, stacks of wet wipes have been available wherein each of the wet wipes in the stack has been arranged in a folded configuration such as a c-folded, z-folded or quarter-folded configuration as are well known to those skilled in the art. Each folded wet wipe has also been interfolded with the wet wipes immediately above and below in the stack of wet wipes. In an alternative configuration, the wet wipes have been in the form of continuous webs of material which include perforations to separate the individual wet wipes and which are wound into rolls and packaged in plastic containers.
Such wet wipes have been used for baby wipes, hand wipes, household cleaning wipes, industrial wipes and the like.
The solutions incorporated into conventional wet wipes have usually included a number of ingredients intended to enhance or impart particular properties to the wipe. These properties have related to, for example, cleaning efficacy, fragrance, medication, reduced irritation, skin health, aesthetics of the product and the like. For baby wipes in particular, a solution providing a gentle soothing feeling without excessive irritation or foam while maintaining cleaning and preservation efficacy is highly desirable for product performance. Suitable ingredients used to provide such properties have included water, emollients, surfactants, preservatives, chelating agents, pH buffers, fragrance or combinations thereof. The solutions have also contained lotions and/or medicants.
However, the conventional solutions and, in particular, the surfactants in such solutions for wet wipes have not been completely satisfactory. For example, to reduce the level of skin irritation, conventional wet wipe solutions have included amphoteric surfactants which generally cause little or no skin irritation. Such amphoteric surfactants have included sodium cocoamphoacetate and disodium cocoamphodiacetate. However, such amphoteric surfactants have typically not exhibited the high levels of cleaning efficacy associated with other surfactants such as anionic surfactants. Such amphoteric surfactants typically have also not provided the optimum silky feeling to the skin which is desired by consumers.
On the other hand, anionic surfactants, while exhibiting such cleaning efficacy, have generally caused excessive skin irritation such as dryness and scaling and, as a result, have not been suitable for use in wet wipe applications. The high level of skin irritation caused by such surfactants is particularly undesirable in baby wipe applications due to the tenderness of the infants skin. Moreover, most anionic surfactants are suitable for detergent compositions due to their high levels of foaming and detersive activity. However, such foaming is generally undesirable in wet wipe applications and, in particular, in baby wipe applications. Consumers who use wet wipes prefer that the solution from the wet wipes not leave any soapy or bubbly residue on the surface of the skin since the solution is usually not wiped off the skin after the wet wipe is used.
Accordingly, it remains desirable to provide solutions for wet wipes which include surfactants which exhibit improved cleaning efficacy while not causing excessive skin irritation or foaming while leaving the skin with silky or powdery tactile properties.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It has now been discovered that certain cationic surfactants can impart improved skin glide, improved moisture perception, and provide a soft, powdery or talc-like feel to the skin when used in a wet wipe solution formulation.
Hence, in one aspect, the invention relates to a wet wipe comprising a fibrous sheet material and an aqueous solution, said solution containing from about 0.01 to about 20 weight percent of a cationic fatty acid surfactant having a fatty acid moiety carbon chain length of from 8 to 40 carbon atoms.
In another aspect, the invention resides in an aqueous solution containing from about 0.01 to about 20 weight percent of a cationic fatty acid surfactant having a fatty acid moiety carbon chain length of from 8 to 40.
Suitable fatty acid moieties include, without limitation, oils from sunflower seed, silk, wheat germ, coconut, soy, rice, olive and almond.
Particular suitable cationic surfactants include sunflower seedamidopropyl morpholine lactate, sunflower seedamidopropyl morpholine malate, isostearamidopropyl dimethylamine lactate, and isostearylamidopropyl dimethylamine malate. Their structures are set forth below:
Sunflower Seedamidopropyl Morpholine Malate
wherein RC(O) is the acyl group derived from sunflower seed oil fatty acids.
Sunflower Seedamidopropyl Morpholine Lactate
wherein RC(O) is the acyl group derived from sunflower seed oil fatty acids.
Isostearamidopropyl Dimethylamine Lactate
Isostearamidopropyl Dimethylamine Malate
The amount of the fatty acid cationic surfactant in the aqueous solution can be from about 15 0.01 to about 20 weight percent, more specifically from about 0.1 to about 10 weight percent, and still more specifically from about 0.1 to about 5 weight percent.
In another aspect, the abovesaid cationic fatty acid surfactants can be combined with nonionic surfactants to further improve the performance of the solution. Suitable nonionic surfactants include sorbitan fatty acid esters having a fatty acid moiety carbon chain length of from 12 to 18 combined with ethylene oxide of 10-100 molar ratio. Specific examples of suitable nonionic surfactants include sorbitan monolaurate, sorbitan monoisostearate, sorbitan monopalmitate, lauramidodiethanolamide, isostearamidediethanolamide, alcohol ethoxylates, alkylphenol ethoxylates and combinations thereof.
The amount of the nonionic surfactant in the aqueous solution can be from about 0.1 to about 5 weight percent, more specifically from about 0.1 to about 3 weight percent, and still more specifically from about 0.1 to about 1 weight percent.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to fibrous materials and, in particular, wet wipes which have improved cleaning efficacy without excessive skin irritation or foaming. The wet wipes of the present invention can be used for baby wipes, hand wipes, face wipes, cosmetic wipes, household wipes, industrial wipes and the like. Such wet wipes are generally folded and arranged in a stacked configuration inside a suitable container for consumer sale.
Materials suitable for such wet wipes are well known to those skilled in the art. The wet wipes are typically made from fibrous sheet materials which may be woven or nonwoven. For example, the wet wipes of the present invention may include nonwoven fibrous sheet materials which include meltblown, coform, air-laid, bonded-carded web materials, hydroentangled materials, combinations thereof and the like. Such materials can comprise synthetic or natural fibers or combinations thereof. Typically, the wet wipes define a basis weight of from about 25 to about 120 grams per square meter and desirably from about 40 to about 90 grams per square meter.
In a particular aspect, the wet wipes of the present invention comprise a coform basesheet of polymeric microfibers and cellulosic fibers having a basis weight of from about 60 to about 80 grams per square meter and desirably about 75 grams per square meter. Such coform basesheets are manufactured generally as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,100,324 to Anderson et al. which issued Jul. 11, 1978, and which is herein incorporated by reference. Typically, such coform basesheets comprise a gas-formed matrix of thermoplastic polymeric meltblown microfibers, such as, for example, polypropylene microfibe
Cole Douglas Bryan
Solberg Rhonda Sue
Stahl Katherine Denise
Bendel Michael J.
Croft Gregory E.
Douyon Lorna M.
Kimberly--Clark Worldwide, Inc.
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