GROSS, Stephen, F. (152 Chester Court, Souderton, PA, 18964, US)
DOERR, Markus (711 Little Conestoga Road, Glenmoore, PA, 19343, US)
MORRIS, Timothy, C. (861 Agnes Avenue, Morton, PA, 19070, US)
GROSS, Stephen, F. (152 Chester Court, Souderton, PA, 18964, US)
DOERR, Markus (711 Little Conestoga Road, Glenmoore, PA, 19343, US)
| Claims
1. A method for treating a fabric article in a drying portion of a laundry process which comprises: a. applying an aqueous fabric treating composition directly to at least a portion of a damp fabric article, and b. drying the damp fabric article, to which the aqueous dispersion has been applied, in a manner to provide mixing and contact of the fabric article with itself or additional fabric articles.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the fabric treating composition is applied in the form of droplets.
3. Method according to claim 2, characterized in that the droplets applied to the fabric to be treated having a mean diameter in the range of about 0.01 mm to about 5 mm and preferably from about 0.1 mm to about 2 mm.
4. A system for applying a fabric treating composition to damp fabric articles which comprises: a container containing a fabric treatment composition in fluid communication with an application means for applying the fabric treatment composition to the damp fabric articles. |
Method For Applying A Treatment To Textile Fiber, Textile Yarns and Textiles
The invention is a new method for applying fabric treatment compositions to fabric articles during the laundry process.
Many compositions are in current use for treating textile fabrics during a laundry process. The compositions comprise fabric softeners, antistatic agents combination of a fabric softeners and antistatic agents and fabric conditioners. "Fabric conditioners" as used herein refers to compositions which when applied to textiles provide new and different tactile feel and sensory profiles to the fabric. In a broad sense, fabric softeners and antistatic agents can be considered as fabric conditioners, however, they have become established in the art and will be referred to by the usual terminology. However, the fabric softeners and antistatic agents can be included in the compositions referred to herein as fabric conditioners. The term "fabric treatment compositions" will be used to refer to the various fabric softening antistatic compositions and fabric conditioners applied during the laundry process.
The fabric treatment compositions are generally applied to the fabric articles during the washing portion of the laundry process, during the rinse portion of the laundry process or by use of dryer sheets during the drying portion of the laundry process.
The current methods used for applying the fabric treatment compositions to the fabric articles during the laundry process present difficulties in applying a
desired amount of the fabric treatment composition to the fabric articles being treated.
When the fabric treatment composition is applied during the wash or rinse cycle, the amount of fabric treatment composition added to the wash water or rinse water can be varied but there is no certainty of the amount which remains on the textile article. When dryer sheets are introduced during the drying cycle, the dryer sheets are supplied in fixed sizes. To vary the amount of fabric treatment composition applied, one must divide the dryer sheets into various sizes which is inconvenient in the context of conditioning clothes. The invention is directed to a method and system for applying a fabric treatment composition to fabric articles in any required quantity during the drying portion of a laundry process.
Applicants have unexpectedly discovered that the difficulty with the prior art methods for applying fabric treatment compositions to fabrics during the laundry process can be overcome by applying the fabric treatment compositions directly to the fabric to be treated near the beginning of the drying portion of the laundry process. The fabric treatment composition can be applied to the fabric by sprinkling, spraying, padding, dipping and any other means for applying the fabric treatment composition to the damp fabric near the beginning of the drying cycle.
The invention also includes a system for applying a fabric softener to a fabric article comprising a spray, stream or sprinkle producing apparatus in fluid communication with a container containing fabric treatment composition. A trigger
bottle containing the fabric softener treatment composition has found to be a useful system for applying the fabric treatment composition.
The method of the invention is particularly useful in that the fabric treatment composition is applied directly to a damp fabric to be treated. All of the fabric treatment composition is in contact with the fabric and can be applied in any required amount depending on the size of the dryer load and the treatment effect required, with literally a squeeze of a trigger or push of a button.
The fabric treatment composition is applied to the fabric as an aqueous composition at a concentration of the non-water portion of the composition of from about 5% to 60% by weight of the composition which is contained in the application system. The fabric treatment composition need not be applied to all of the fabric in an even manner since the fabric treatment composition is distributed throughout the load of fabric articles in the dryer by the tumbling action and rubbing contact of the fabric articles during the drying operation.
The fabric treatment composition is preferably applied to the fabric as an aqueous composition at the beginning or at a time during the drying operation when the fabric is damp. The term damp is used herein to refer to fabric with a water content of from 40% to 90%; and preferably 60% to 70% by weight of the damp fabric. The presence of water aids in distributing the fabric treatment composition throughout the fabric during the drying cycle. The method of the invention is particularly effective when at least a portion of the fabric treatment composition is not totally soluble in the aqueous phase and is in the form of an emulsion or
dispersion of particles or droplets in the aqueous phase.
A particularly preferred fabric treatment composition comprises an aqueous dispersion of particles of a wax like material having a melting or softening point in a range of 45 0 C to 70 0 C and preferably in a range of 55 0 C to 65 0 C. The treating agents are preferably present in the composition in the form of particles in a size range of from about 0.01 to about 10 μm and preferably in a range of from 0.05 to 3 μm dispersed in an aqueous medium comprising an emulsifying or dispersing agent, water and optionally an antimicrobial agent, a quaternary antistatic and/or softening agent and a fragrance. The aqueous fabric treatment composition has a viscosity sufficiently low that it can be readily applied to the fabric at the beginning of the drying operation. The viscosity of the aqueous fabric treatment composition is preferably in a range of 10 mPas to 300 mPas and most preferably in a range of 10 mPas to 100 mPas.
The fabric treatment composition comprising the particles of the treatment agent, deposits a layer of the particles of the treatment agent on the surface of the fabric. The particles are heated and softened or melted at the temperature of the drying operation and are transferred throughout the fabric articles in the dryer by the tumbling action of the fabric articles in the dryer during the drying operation. An emulsifier is essential in that it aids in transfer of the treatment agent throughout the fabric during the tumbling in the dryer.
The fabric treatment composition of the invention can include quaternary softening and antistatic agents and fabric conditioners which can be used alone or in combination. Also other ingredients can be used as textile treatment in
accordance with the present invention. For example, UV-protection agents, insect repellents, odor absorbers, emollients and the like can be used.
Preferably, the combination of the wax-like material particles and the quaternary compounds provide an enhancement of the tactile properties of the treated fabric over compositions which do not contain the wax-like particles.
The term "wax-like particles" refers to small particles which have the properties of a wax such as smoothness and lubricity on fabric as well as, dispersability in an aqueous medium. The preferred wax-like particles can also provide enhanced hydrophilic properties to the fibers of the fabric during the drying operation when compared to fabrics treated with quaternary softening and/or antistatic agents alone.
The wax-like particles include materials such as ethylene glycol distearate, cetyl palmitate, PEG-3 Distearate, Distearyl Ether, Glycol Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate. The emulsifiers and dispersants useful in the fabric treatment composition include beheneth-10, coco glucoside, glyceryl oleate, laureth-3, sodium laureth sulfate and related compounds.
The composition of the invention preferably contains
Useful quaternary compounds include esterquats, mono and di alkyl quats, Trimethyl Hexadecyl Ammonium Chloride, Dicocoylethyl Hydroxyethylmonium Methosulfate, Ditallow dimethyl quaternary ammonium chloride and related compounds.
Although the preferred composition contains both the wax-like particulate component and a fabric softener and/or anti-static agent (quaternary compounds), the method of the invention can be used to apply only the wax-like particles or the quaternary compounds to fabric to be treated.
The fragrance can be any fragrance component compatible with the components of the composition which provides the desired fragrance notes to the dried fabric.
The system of the invention comprises a container for the fabric treatment composition and an applicator for distributing the fabric treatment composition to the fabric articles to be treated in fluid communication with the fabric treatment composition. Application means such as a trigger bottle, finger pressure
dispensers, pressurized containers having spraying or sprinkling type nozzles, shaker type sprinklers and the like are useful. Any means suitable for contacting the fabric to be softened with the fabric treatment composition can be used. The type of application means will depend on the size of the load of fabric to be treated and the degree of treatment required.
In a commercial operation the system can comprise a large (one to 50 gallon) container, containing the fabric treatment composition and a distributing means in fluid communication with the fabric treatment composition in the container to apply the fabric treatment composition to the fabric articles to be dried. The fabric treating composition can be pumped to the distributing means or the fabric treating composition can be in a pressurized container or a distributing pressure can be obtained by elevation of the container.
For household use the fabric treatment application system can comprise a pressurized container containing up to about 300-1000 ml of the fabric treatment composition having a finger operated nozzle for releasing the fabric treatment composition from the container. The system of the invention can comprise a trigger operated distribution device in fluid communication with the fabric treatment composition or a simple sprinkling apparatus.
The fabric treatment composition useful in the practice of the invention need not be applied to the fabric to be treated in the form of a fine spray, however, a fine spray providing application means is useful for the system of the invention. The fabric treatment composition is preferably applied to the fabric to be treated in the form of droplets having a mean diameter in the range of about
0.01 mm to about 5 mm and preferably from about 0.1 mm to about 2 mm. Trigger bottles and finger pressure spray applicators are well known means for applying household products and cleaning preparations to surfaces and finger pressure applicators which provide droplets of a fluid material are well known in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical application art. Spray or droplet forming means are well known in the art. However, the known systems have not been applied to providing droplets of a fabric treatment composition directly to damp fabric articles in a laundry process.
Fabric treating compositions are generally applied as a liquid to the water in the washing or rinsing portion of the laundry process or in the form of a dryer sheet in the drying portion of the laundry process. The present invention is a system for supplying fabric treatment compositions to fabric to be dried comprising a container means containing the fabric treatment composition and a means for distributing the fabric treatment composition to the surface of wet fabric to be treated during a fabric drying operation in fluid communication with the container means.
The fabric treatment composition may be applied to the damp fabric before introduction into a tumble dryer or applied after the fabric articles have been introduced into the tumble dryer. The temperature of the fabric must reach a range for softening of the particles in the fabric treatment composition.
Formulations for fabric treatment compositions for application to damp fabric are presented below. The formulations are examples only and are not
intended to be limiting.
The components used in the formulations are as follows:
PLANTATEX® HCC an aqueous dispersion of wax crystals containing an emulsifier
DEHYQUART® AU-46 Bis(acyloxyethyl)Hydroxyethyl Methyl Ammonium
M ethos u If ate DEHYQUART® A-CA Cetyl trimethyl Ammonium Chloride, an antistatic agent
DEHYQUART® L-80 Dicocoylethyl Hydroxyethylmmonium Methosulfate and
Propylene Glycol, an antistatic agent/fabric softener
GLUCOPON® 625 UP C12-16 Polyglycoside EMERESSENCE® 1160 Phenoxyethanol
KATHON® CG/ICP Biocide
Fragrance Givaudan UM046094/00
The formulations of the invention due to the particulate nature of the wax- like component can separate on standing for extended time periods and can require agitation such as shaking or stirring before use.
The composition of the invention preferably contains an emulsifier. The emulsifier can be added separately to the composition.
The method of the invention can be used to apply fabric softeners, antistatic agents and fabric conditioners to damp fabrics during a drying portion of a laundry process. The fabric treatment compositions is preferably applied directly to the damp fabric to be dried near the beginning of the drying operation. The drying must be done by a method in which the fabric is moved during the drying operation so that the fabrics are moved in contact with each other to spread the fabric treatment composition throughout the fabric articles. Preferably the drying operation is a tumble drying operation.
The fabric treatment composition can additionally contain polyhydric alcohols, preservatives, dispersants and viscosity adjusting agents. The polyhydric alcohols include ethylene glycol, propylene gylcol, glycerol, diethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, butylene glycol and the like.