WO2012001078A1 - Packaged fabric cleaning compositions - Google Patents

Abstract

A packaged fabric cleaning product comprising the combination of a high viscosity fabric cleaning composition comprising at least one sequesterant and a package containing the composition, the package comprising: (i) a reservoir in which the fabric conditioning composition is contained; and (ii) a metered pump dispenser having a pump actuator by which the composition is dispensed from the reservoir in a metered dose.

Description

PACKAGED FABRIC CLEANING COMPOSITIONS

The present invention relates to packaged laundry cleaning viscous liquid/ gel compositions comprising sequestering agents.

Concentrated liquid laundry formulations offer huge environmental and cost savings. However lower dose size poses the problem of accurate measurement of the amount of detergent to be dispensed into the washing machine/receptacle. Even small errors in estimating the volume and minor spillages can lead to huge wastage, especially when viewed in terms of wastage by large numbers of consumers doing a chore at least once a week. Sequestrants, having a high binding capability with transition ion metals, are useful for treating bleachable stains in liquid formulations where bleaches themselves are not used due to storage stability issues. However, sequestrants raise viscosity of a liquid, and high levels will produce a gel. Solublisers can be used to thin the liquid however, large amounts may be required so that gel formulations must be accepted.

However, high viscosity exacerbates the problems of accuracy in dosing, as it may lack sufficiently speedy self-leveling capacity required for consumer measuring against a fill line (following pouring). Time is very short for the laundry consumer: laundry is generally viewed as a chore and the average consumer will not to spend any amount of time waiting for a slow self leveling formulation to settle in the dosing receptacle.

An object of the invention is therefore to provide a packaged laundry composition which can measure the dose of high viscosity formulations accurately and effectively.

Accordingly in a first aspect, the invention provides a packaged fabric cleaning product comprising the combination of a high viscosity fabric cleaning composition comprising at least one sequestering agents and a package containing the composition, the package comprising: (i) a reservoir in which the fabric conditioning composition is contained; and

(ii) a metered pump dispenser having a pump actuator by which the composition is dispensed from the reservoir in a metered dose. The invention is advantageous as the viscous sequesterant containing formulation is dispensed accurately without the consumer having to measure the dosage against a fill level.

In a further aspect the invention provides a process for cleaning a fabric using the packaged product of the first aspect, the process comprising the step of

1 . pumping the composition into a fabric washing receptacle

2. washing the fabric in said receptacle.

The step of pumping the composition into a fabric washing receptacle may comprise pumping the composition into a dispensing device such as a "shuttle" or the drawer of a front loading washing machine.

The at least one sequestrant is preferably a heavy metal ion sequestrant. By heavy metal ion sequestrant it is meant herein components which act to sequester (or chelate) heavy metal ions. These components may also have calcium and magnesium chelation capacity, but preferentially they show selectivity to binding heavy metal ions such as iron, manganese and copper.

Preferred levels of sequestrants in the composition are from 0-5 %, more preferably 0.5 -3 %, more preferably 1 -2%. Preferred examples of sequestrants further include, S,S-ethylenediamine disuccinic acid (EDDS), Tiron (otherwise know as Catechol-2,5-disulfonate as the acid or water soluble salt), ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA),

Diethylenetriaminepentaacetate (DTPA), 1 -Hydroxyethylidene 1 ,1 diphosphonic acid (HEDP), Diethylenetriamine-penta-nnethylene phosphonic acid (DTPMP), dipicolinic acid and salts and/or acids thereof and mixtures thereof. Further examples of suitable chelating agents and levels of use are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,812,044; 4,704,233; 5,292,446; 5,445,747; 5,531 ,915; 5,545,352;

5,576,282; 5,641 ,739; 5,703,031 ; 5,705,464; 5,710,1 15; 5,710,1 15; 5,712,242; 5,721 ,205; 5,728,671 ; 5,747,440; 5,780,419; 5,879,409; 5,929,010; 5,929,018; 5,958,866; 5,965,514; 5,972,038; 6,172,021 ; and 6,503,876.

Other sequestrants which can be used are water-soluble polyphosphonates, including specifically sodium, potassium and lithium salts of methylene

diphosphonic acid; sodium, potassium and lithium salts of ethylene diphosphonic acid; and sodium, potassium and lithium salts of ethane-l,l,2-triphosphonic acid. Other examples include the alkali metal salts of ethane-2-carboxy-l, I- diphosphonic acid hydroxymethanediphosphonic acid, carboxyldiphosphonic acid, ethane-1 -hydroxy-l,l,2-triphosphonic acid, ethane-2-hydroxy-1 ,1,2-triphosphonic acid, propane-1 ,1 ,3,3-tetraphosphonic acid, propane-1 ,1 ,2,3-tetraphosphonic acid, and propane-1 ,2, 2, 3-tetra-phosphonic acid.

Preferably, the composition has a viscosity of from 1 ,000 cps (or equivalently, millipascal seconds, mPas) to 10,000 cps as measured at 20 s -1 , more preferably from 2,000 cps to 5,000 cps as measured at 20 s -1 . Compositions will preferably also contain further functional ingredients:

surfactants, builders, colourants, structurants, various adjuncts. Hydrotropes in the range 0-10% may be used but large amounts are not necessary to drive down viscosity, hence levels can be lower: 0-5% and more preferably 0-2% or 0 %.

Preferably the pump dispenser is a non-aerosol device. Preferably the pump dispenser comprises a manually operated unidirectional reciprocated pump dispenser. The pump dispenser device need not be enclosed by a closure device with any measuring capacity since the pump meters out measured doses without needed to measure any further. The package may comprise a polymeric material selected from polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), polycarbonate (PC), polyamides (PA) polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyvinylchloride (PVC), polystyrene (PS), and combinations thereof. In this application, all percentages, unless indicated otherwise, are intended to be percentages by weight.

Figure 1 shows an enlarged schematic view of a package according to the invention.

Referring to the drawings, a packaged fabric cleaning product 1 comprises a package 2 and composition 3 comprising sequestrant according to the example hereinbelow is shown, the composition stored with head space or ullage 4.

The package 2 comprises a closed reservoir 6 and a manually operated vertically reciprocated pump dispenser 5. Pump dispenser 5 comprises a pump housing 10 attached to an upper part of the closed reservoir 6 and extending into the interior thereof, together with a manually operated pump actuator 8 extending vertically downwardly into the pump housing 10 and at an opposed end, terminating in a dispensing head 30 with dispensing outlet 20.

The pump housing 10 includes a pump chamber 12 and a dip tube 14 extending downwardly into the pump chamber into the liquid. A one-way valve 16 is positioned between the pump chamber 12 and the dip tube 14 to control the unidirectional flow of liquid into the pump chamber 12 from the dip tube14. The pump actuator 8 is mounted in the pump chamber 12 for vertical reciprocating movement. The pump actuator 8 has a bore extending therethrough and terminating at directional dispensing outlet 20.

A pump piston 34 is positioned inside the pump chamber, and at the base of the actuator. Coiled spring 18 longitudinally retained in the pump chamber engages against the bottom end of the pump actuator 8, biasing actuator and the piston 34 upwardly. A second one-way valve 36 is located in the pump plunger discharge passage adjacent the pump piston. The second valve permits only unidirectional flow of liquid in the direction from the pump chamber to the dispenser head 30 and outlet 20.

The pump is calibrated to dispense a predetermined dose.

The pump dispenser 5 is actuated by manually depressing the pump actuator 8 downwardly which forces it into the pump housing 10, consequently the pump piston 34 moves downwardly through the pump chamber and compresses the fluid in the pump chamber 12. This causes the first one-way valve 16 to close and the second one-way valve 36 to open. The fluid in the pump chamber moves upwardly past the second one-way valve 36, along the actuator bore and dispensing passage 22 is dispensed from the dispensing outlet 20.

Releasing the actuator releases spring 18 to push the actuator upwardly relative to the pump housing 10. This moves the piston 34 upwardly through the pump chamber 12 so creating a vacuum which closes the second one-way valve 36 and opens the first one-way valve 16. This draws liquid from the container into the pump chamber 12, and the system is ready for actuation once again. Non-Limiting Example of Fabric cleaning According To Embodiments of the Invention As Described Above.

INGREDIENTS

Alkybenzenesulfonic acid 17.2

C12-14 alcohol 7-ethoxolate 8.6

C12-14 alcohol 3-ethoxolate

Sulphate Na sulphate 8.6

Citric acid 2.9

C12-18 fatty acid 12.7

Enzymes 3.5

Ethoxolated polyamine 1 .4

Ethoxolated polyamine polymer

Quarternized and sulphated 3.7

Hydroxyethane diphosphonic acids

HEDP 1 .4

Catechol 2, 5 disulphonate 0.9

Na salt

Fluorescor 0.3

1 ,2 propandiol 3.5

1 -ethoxypentanol 0.9

MEA (Monoethanolamine) 10.2

MEA borate 0.5

Perfume 1 .6

Water 22.1

Perfume, dyes, miscellaneous minors balance.

The viscosity of the above exemplary composition is 2700 cps at 20 s Unless stated otherwise, all proportions are given in weight percent by weight of the total composition.

It is of course to be understood that the invention is not intended to be restricted to the details of the above embodiment which are described by way of example only.

Claims

1 . A packaged fabric cleaning product comprising the combination of a high viscosity fabric cleaning composition comprising at least one sequesterant and a package containing the composition, the package comprising:

(i) a reservoir in which the fabric conditioning composition is contained; and

(ii) a metered pump dispenser having a pump actuator by which the

composition is dispensed from the reservoir in a metered dose.

2. A packaged product according to claim 1 wherein the at least one

sequestrant is a heavy metal ion sequestrant.

3. A packaged product according to any preceding claim wherein the at least one sequestrant is present at a level of 0-5 %.

4. A packaged product according to any preceding claim wherein the viscosity is from 1 ,000 cps (or equivalently, millipascal seconds, mPas) to 10,000 cps as measured at 20 s -1 .

5. A packaged product according to any preceding claim containing 0-10%

hydrotrope.

6. A packaged product according to any preceding claim wherein the pump dispenser comprises a non-aerosol device. A packaged product according to any preceding claim wherein the pump dispenser comprises a manually operated unidirectional reciprocated pump dispenser.

A method of cleaning a fabric using the packaged product of any preceding claim the method comprising the step of:

1 . pumping the composition into a fabric washing receptacle

2. washing the fabric in said receptacle.

A packaged fabric cleaning product and/or method substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and/or as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.