JP2006524721A - Volatile substance supply method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of supplying one or more volatile materials to a fabric article during operation of a drying apparatus. The present invention also relates to a fabric treatment composition comprising one or more volatile materials. These compositions can be used to treat fabric articles during the drying process of the fabric article.

Description

  The present invention relates to methods and compositions useful for providing volatile materials to fabric articles.

  Volatile materials such as certain perfume materials are required to produce a highly desirable specific scent or to provide specific fabric benefits. Unfortunately, when applied during the operation of an application device such as a clothes dryer, such substances and compositions do not adhere evenly and / or evaporate before the end of the drying cycle. As such, the benefits of such volatile substances are not obtained.

  Therefore, there is a need for a convenient and effective method of providing such materials and compositions containing such materials.

The present invention is a method of supplying a substance to a fabric article contained within the device during operation of the application device, the method comprising applying the substance to the fabric article during operation of the application device. Relates to the method of including.
The present invention also relates to a treatment composition comprising a perfume material.

(Definition)
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate several aspects of the present invention and, together with the description and claims, serve to explain the principles of the invention. The drawings are as follows.

  As used herein, “fabric article” means an article that includes a fabric. Such articles include, but are not limited to, clothing, shoes, curtains, towels, linen cloth, upholstery coverings, and cleaning tools.

  As used herein, “during the drying cycle” means the period during which the dryer is operating.

  As used herein, a “treatment substance” has the following benefits: softening, crispness, water repellency and / or stain repellency, refreshment, antistatic, antishrink, antibacterial, permanent press, By wrinkle prevention, odor prevention, abrasion resistance, felting prevention, fluff prevention, appearance enhancement, and a substance or combination of substances that can supply one or more of these in a fabric article.

  As used herein, “fabric treatment composition” means a composition comprising one or more treatment materials, or one or more perfume materials, or combinations thereof. Suitable forms of the treatment composition include, but are not limited to, flowable materials such as liquids or gases, and solid compounds such as particles or powders.

  As used herein, the terms “treatment composition”, “fabric treatment composition” and “beneficial composition” are synonymous.

  As used herein, “perfume” means a mixture of perfume materials.

  As used herein, the articles “a” and “an”, when used in the claims, are understood to mean one or more substances claimed or described.

  For the purposes of the surfactants described herein, the term “alkyl” or “alkenyl” includes one or more intermediate bonds, such as ether bonds or polyether bonds, or radicals that retain the hydrophobic nature. It should be understood that mixtures of radicals are included that may contain non-functional substituents such as hydroxyl radicals or halogen radicals.

  Unless otherwise stated, all concentrations of a component or composition relate to the activity level of that component or composition and exclude impurities, such as residual solvents or byproducts, that may be present in commercial sources. The

  Unless otherwise indicated, all percentages and percentages are calculated based on the total weight of the composition.

  It should be understood that any maximum numerical limitation set forth throughout this specification will include any lower numerical limit as if they were expressly set forth herein. Any minimum numerical limitation set forth throughout this specification includes all higher numerical limitations as if they were expressly set forth herein. Every numerical range described throughout this specification includes every numerical range narrower than that falling within such broad numerical ranges, as if they were all expressly set forth herein.

  All documents cited are, in relevant part, incorporated herein by reference, the citation of any document should not be construed as an admission that it is prior art with respect to the present invention.

(Supply method)
Applicants' supply method applies a fabric treatment composition to a fabric article during the drying cycle of the drying device, monitoring the operating temperature of the drying device and during the drying cycle of the drying device. And the application occurs after the dryer has reached a first controlled operating temperature. For example, the first control operating temperature may be a predetermined temperature input by a user or set by a computing device in the system controller. In this case, the predetermined temperature (as the first control operation temperature) can be set to 60 ° C. or higher, or can be set to 70 ° C. or higher.

  Alternatively, the first control operating temperature may be the maximum operating temperature, at which time the system controller repeats the actual operating temperature until it determines that the controller has reached the maximum operating temperature. Or, sampling or measuring continuously; typically this determination will be made by observing that the actual temperature began to drop during operation of the dryer. The maximum operating temperature (as a physical temperature in ° C or ° F) need not be specified or predetermined by the system controller, but can be virtually any suitable temperature that the dryer can produce in its normal operation. Can also. Thus, the maximum operating temperature may usually be in a range such that it is 60 ° C. or higher, or in some cases 70 ° C. or higher.

  In another aspect of Applicants' invention, the invention includes the step of monitoring the operating temperature of the drying device during a drying cycle of the drying device; and the drying device has a first maximum operating temperature (eg, control) Applying the fabric treatment composition to the fabric article after reaching (as the operating temperature) and then returning to a lower second operating temperature. The first maximum operating temperature may be about 60 ° C. or higher, and the second operating temperature may be less than about 60 ° C. Alternatively, the first maximum operating temperature may be about 70 ° C. or higher, and the second operating temperature may be less than about 70 ° C.

  In another aspect of Applicants' invention, the invention includes the step of monitoring the operating temperature of the drying device during a drying cycle of the drying device; and the drying device has a first maximum operating temperature (eg, control) Applying the fabric treatment composition to the fabric article after reaching (and operating temperature) and then returning to the second operating temperature, but before reaching the third operating temperature. The first maximum operating temperature may be about 70 ° C. or higher, the second operating temperature may be less than about 70 ° C., and the third operating temperature may be higher than about 20 ° C. . Alternatively, the first maximum operating temperature may be 60 ° C. or higher, the second operating temperature may be less than about 60 ° C., and the third operating temperature may be higher than about 25 ° C. Good. Alternatively, the first maximum operating temperature may be 60 ° C. or higher, the second operating temperature may be less than about 50 ° C., and the third operating temperature may be higher than about 30 ° C. Good.

  In yet another aspect of Applicants' invention, the invention monitors the operating temperature of the drying device during a drying cycle of the drying device; and the drying device has a first maximum operating temperature (e.g., Applying the fabric treatment composition to the fabric article after reaching the second operating temperature, but after reaching the third operating temperature. In this operating scenario, the application of the fabric treatment composition can be started as soon as the second operating temperature is reached, but the system controller is essentially using the third operating temperature as the maximum threshold temperature. The application can be blocked until the temperature drops below the operating temperature. In general, the actual temperature of the dryer should be below this third (threshold) operating temperature when the second operating temperature is reached, but regardless of the physical temperature of ° C or ° F, the first and second If the two operating temperatures work together as a temperature difference, this may not always be the case. In other words, if the dryer operates at a temperature somewhat higher than expected, the second operating temperature can be reached, but nevertheless, the second operating temperature will be that of the fabric treatment composition. May be higher than desired for distribution or application. Thus, the aforementioned logic that prevents application of the fabric treatment composition until the actual temperature falls below the third (threshold) operating temperature will achieve the desired result. In another aspect of Applicants' invention, the invention includes the step of monitoring the operating time of the drying device during the operating cycle of the drying device; and the fabric treatment composition during the operating cycle of the drying device; Applying to the fabric article, said application occurring during the last part of said operating cycle. The final portion of the operating cycle may be 25%, 18%, 12%, or 8% of the entire operating cycle. 25% of the entire operating cycle may be about 15 minutes or less, 18% of the entire operating cycle may be about 12 minutes or less, and 12% of the entire operating cycle may be about 8 minutes or less. , 8% of the total operating cycle may be about 6 minutes or less.

  In another aspect of Applicants' invention, the invention monitors the operating time of the dryer during the dryer operating cycle; and from about the last 18% of the operating cycle to the operating cycle. Applying the fabric treatment composition to the fabric article during the last about 0.75%. Alternatively, the fabric treatment composition may be applied between about the last 12% of the run cycle to about 1.7% of the last run cycle. Alternatively, the fabric treatment composition may be applied between about the last 8% of the run cycle and about 2.5% of the last run cycle. 18% of the total operating cycle may be about 12 minutes or less, 12% of the total operating cycle may be about 8 minutes or less, and 8% of the total operating cycle may be about 6 minutes or less. .

  In one aspect of Applicants' invention, the treatment composition is sprayed onto the fabric article according to one of the aforementioned temperature or time profiles.

  In one aspect of Applicants' invention, the treatment composition applied to the fabric article according to one of the aforementioned temperature or time profiles and by way of including but not limited to spraying is 1 atm. And one or more fragrance materials having a boiling point of 250 ° C. or less. Suitable perfume materials and sources for obtaining such materials are described in the heading “Fabric Treatment Compositions” herein.

  In one aspect of Applicants' invention, the treatment composition applied to the fabric article according to one of the aforementioned temperature or time profiles, and including, but not limited to, spraying, has a boiling point. A fragrance comprising at least about 30% by weight of a fragrance material at 250 ° C. or less at 1 atmosphere.

  In one aspect of Applicants' invention, the treatment composition applied to the fabric article according to one of the aforementioned temperature or time profiles, and including, but not limited to, spraying, comprises: Treatment compositions which can contain at least 0.005%, 0.005% to 10%, or 0.01% to 2%, 0.1% to 0.95% by weight of such materials And the fragrance comprises at least 30 wt%, 30 wt% to 90 wt%, or 30 wt% to 70 wt%, or 30 wt% to 50 wt% of a fragrance substance having a boiling point of 250 ° C. or less at 1 atm. Said treatment composition optionally with additional fabric treatment material; optional carrier; and a time sufficient to allow a charge to be obtained and, optionally, the charged liquid to contact the fabric article to be treated. Niwata Capable of holding a charge Te, any portion and; can comprising one or more adjunct components to the remainder.

  In one aspect of Applicants' invention, the substance applied to the article comprising the fabric according to one of the aforementioned temperature or time profiles and by way of including spraying, including but not limited to, a US material About 30 ° C. or more, about 60 ° C. or more, about 90 ° C. or more, about 30 ° C. to about 400 ° C., about 60 ° C. to about 300 ° C., or about 90 ° C., as measured according to Testing Association (ASTM) Method D93-02a Includes materials having a flash point of ˜about 232 ° C.

  Suitable delivery systems for delivering the fabric treatment composition according to the aforementioned temperature profile or time profile include, but are not limited to, the receiving volume (drum (or clothes dryer) drum (or clothes dryer) in which the fabric article is treated. A fabric article treatment system is included that sprays or otherwise releases the fabric treatment composition into the other chamber). The processing system usually includes: a housing or enclosure containing a fabric treatment composition source such as a reservoir or in communication with an external source of fabric treatment composition; an output device such as a nozzle; a processing circuit and input / output circuits. One or more sensors such as temperature sensors; one or more input devices such as start switches and / or keypads; one or more indicating devices such as color lights or LEDs; As well, a charging system is included if the fabric treatment composition is electrostatically charged before (or while being supplied).

  Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of a device for supplying a fabric treatment composition according to one of the aforementioned temperature or time profiles, an example of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, Similar numbers indicate the same elements.

  1-4 illustrate one embodiment of a representative fabric article processing system for use with the present invention, and FIGS. 5-7 illustrate suitable controllers and other electrical and electronic for use with the present invention. Draw device. The method for executing the aforementioned profile will be described in more detail below in the form of flowcharts of FIGS.

  Referring now to the embodiment of FIG. 1, an “independent” controller and dispenser unit (ie, as a self-contained device), generally designated by the reference numeral 10, has two main enclosures (or housings) 20. And 50. In this embodiment, the enclosure 20 serves as an “inner housing” disposed within a fabric article drying implement (eg, a clothes dryer), and the enclosure 50 is disposed external to the fabric article drying implement. Acts as an “outer housing”. The enclosure 50 may be mounted on the exterior surface of the door of the fabric article drying apparatus, but may instead be mounted on any external surface, such as a non-limiting example of such an external surface, including the fabric article drying apparatus. Including the wall surface away from the wall or other domestic structures, the side wall, the upper wall, the outer surface of the upper lid, and the like. Further, the enclosure 20 may be mounted on any internal surface of the fabric article drying device, examples of such internal surfaces include, but are not limited to, the internal surface of the door, the fabric article drying device. Drum, rear wall, and inner surface of the upper lid.

  The enclosure 50 may be permanently attached to the external surface, or preferably may be removably attached to the external surface. Similarly, the enclosure 20 may be permanently attached to the interior surface or may be removably attached to the interior surface. One configuration of such an attachment is shown in FIG. 8, in which the door of the drying apparatus is generally designated by the reference numeral 15.

  For example, when mounted on the interior surface of a door, the enclosure 20 is constructed to have a “permanently” mounted appearance, without actually being built as part of a fabric article drying implement, It may appear to be “built into” the door of the dryer unit (or other type of fabric article dryer). On the other hand, the enclosure 20 is "slung" along the vertical door of the instrument, much like the embodiment 10 depicted in Figs. It may be attached. As used herein, the term “door” refers to a movable closure structure that allows access to the internal volume of a person's dryer apparatus, and virtually any physical that allows such access. It will be understood that it may be in the form. The door “closure structure” can be a lid on the top surface of the dryer device, or some form of hatch or the like.

  The processing apparatus 10 may be grounded through contact with a grounding part of the fabric article drying apparatus, such as by a spring, patch, magnet, screw, or other attachment means and / or arc corona discharge, or through the dissipation of residual charge. Should be noted. One non-limiting method of dissipating charge is by using an ionization mechanism, such as a set of metal wires that extend far from the source. Often, fabric article dryers such as clothes dryers have an enamelled surface. One grounding method is to ground to the enameled surface of the fabric article drying implement, using pins that penetrate the grounded non-conductive enamel paint. Another method of grounding the non-conductive surface of the fabric article drying apparatus involves the use of a thin metal plate disposed between the fabric article drying apparatus and the fabric article processing device that serves to provide a capacitive discharge. The typical thickness of such a plate is from about 5 microns to about 5000 microns.

  In FIG. 1, a discharge nozzle 24 and a “door sensor” 22 can be seen on the inner housing 20, which also includes a beneficial composition holding reservoir 26 that is within the inner volume of the inner housing 20. It is. The reservoir 26 may be used to hold a beneficial composition. The discharge nozzle 24 can act as a fluid spray nozzle using pressurized spray or can function as an electrostatic nozzle in conjunction with any high pressure power supply (not shown in FIG. 1). One suitable example of a fluid spray nozzle is a pressure swirl atomizing nozzle made as Model Number DU-3813 by Seaquist Dispensing, Cary, Illinois. The beneficial composition can include a flowable material such as a liquid or gaseous compound, or can include a solid compound in the form of particles such as a powder or solid particles in solution with a liquid. it can. The reservoir 26 can be of essentially any size and shape, for example, can take the form of a pouch or cartridge, or in situations where the beneficial composition includes drinking water, the reservoir is merely a home. It is possible that it is water.

  The inner housing 20 and the outer housing 50 are usually in electrical communication. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, a flat cable 40 (sometimes referred to as a “ribbon cable”) passes between the two housings 20 and 50 and is on the door 15 of the fabric article drying implement (see, eg, FIG. 8). Proceed along the inner surface, go over the top of the door 15 and lower the outer surface of the door 15.

  FIG. 2 shows the same fabric article processing apparatus 10 from the opposite angle, and the outer housing 50 is provided with an ON-OFF switch at 56. The flat cable 40 can also be seen in FIG. 2, and the door mounting strap 21 can be seen along the surface of the inner housing 20 that can be seen in FIG. The end of the attachment strap can also be seen in FIG. Certainly, other arrangements for attaching the inner housing 20 to the dryer door 15 (or other internal surface) can be utilized without departing from the principles of the present invention.

  Referring now to FIG. 3, the fabric article processing apparatus 10 is shown so that the reservoir 26 appears as an internal volume of the inner housing 20. In the outer housing 50, in addition to a set of batteries 52, a printed circuit board with electronic components at 54 can be seen. The electronic components of one embodiment are described in further detail below. It will be appreciated that any type of power source can be used with the present invention, including standard household line voltage, or even solar energy. A battery may be used where it is desirable to make the device 10 easily portable, but any suitable power adapter may be provided to allow AC power to be used with electronic components on the PC board 54. Convert to DC voltage (s), or convert DC power (including battery or solar panel) to appropriate DC voltage (s) used by electronic components on PC board 54 can do.

  Referring now to FIG. 4, several other hardware devices are shown with respect to the inner housing 20. In the embodiment of FIG. 4, the discharge nozzle 24 acts as an electrostatic nozzle and is therefore coupled to the high voltage power supply 28 using a conductor not shown in this figure. A quick disconnect switch 34 is included for safety purposes so that the high voltage power supply 28 can be turned off instantaneously if necessary. In FIG. 4, the pump 30 and the corresponding electric motor 32 can be seen. Regardless of whether the discharge nozzle 24 is producing only a pressurized spray or an electrostatic spray using a high voltage power supply 28, some type of pumping device is used.

  FIG. 5 provides a block diagram of several electrical and mechanical components included in a fabric article processing apparatus 10 constructed in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. In this example embodiment, the inner housing 20 is provided with a high voltage power supply 28 that is used to charge the fluid dispensed through the discharge nozzle 24, which is an electrostatic nozzle system. Inner housing 20 uses a typical body or enclosure to house the devices required in the drying appliance, and such components are generally relatively high during the drying appliance processing cycle. It will be appreciated that it is exposed to temperature. Therefore, more sensitive electronic components are generally (although not always) mounted at different locations, such as within the outer housing 50.

  The flat cable 40 carries specific command signals and power to the inner housing 20 and further receives electrical signals from sensors mounted in the inner housing 20 and transmits those sensor signals back to the outer housing 50. . The power control signal proceeds according to the wiring 70, passes through the quick disconnect switch 34, and reaches the high voltage power source 28. This signal may include a constant DC voltage, a constant AC voltage, a variable DC voltage, a variable AC voltage, or some type of pulse voltage, depending on the type of control method selected by the designer of fabric article processing apparatus 10. it can.

  In one embodiment, the signal at 70 is a variable DC voltage, and as this voltage increases, a conductor 39 (eg, a wire) attached to electrode 38 that carries a high voltage to nozzle 24 or to reservoir 26 as it increases. As a result, the magnitude of the output voltage of the high-voltage power supply 28 also increases. The voltage applied to electrode 38 is then transferred to the beneficial composition. Instead of the variable output voltage power supply 28 of the exemplary embodiment, a constant output voltage DC high voltage power supply can optionally be used.

  Once the beneficial composition is charged in reservoir 26, it travels through tube or passage 42 to the inlet of pump 30, after which the beneficial composition is pressurized and passes through the outlet of the pump to another tube (or passage). ) 44 to the discharge nozzle 24. When used in the present invention, the actual details of the type of piping used, the type of pump 30 and the type of electric motor 32 driving the pump are easily configured for almost all types of pressure and flow requirements. can do. Also, the voltage and current requirements of the electric motor 32 to provide the desired pressure and flow at the outlet of the pump 30 can be easily configured for use with the present invention. Virtually any type of pump and electric motor combination can be used in a wide variety of forms to create useful devices that fall within the teachings of the present invention, or as described below, independent A mold pump can be used (ie without an associated electric motor).

  Some types of pumps, such as peristaltic pumps, that extend through the pump inlet opening and then the continuous tube through the pump discharge opening, have separate input and output lines or tubes. It should be noted that it need not be linked to it. This arrangement is particularly useful for use with electrostatically charged fluids or particles that are pumped toward the discharge nozzle 24 because the tubing can electrically insulate the pump from the charged beneficial composition. is there. It should also be noted that alternative pump devices such as spring-operated pump mechanisms can be used if desired. A non-limiting example of a suitable peristaltic pump is a model 10/30 peristaltic pump, obtainable from Thomas Industries, Louisville, Kentucky.

  The type of control signal used to control the electric motor 32 can be varied according to the design requirements of the apparatus 10, such signal being transmitted along the conductor 72 via the flat cable 40, The motor 32 is controlled. If the motor 32 is a DC variable speed motor, a variable “stable” DC voltage can be applied, and the motor speed increases as the voltage magnitude increases. In one embodiment, the electrical signal traveling along the conductor 72 can be a pulse width modulated (PWM) signal controlled by a microprocessor or microcontroller. Needless to say, such a pulse width modulated signal can also be controlled by discrete logic including analog electronic components.

  The fabric article processing apparatus 10 can be enhanced using specific sensors, examples of such sensors include, but are not limited to, a door (or lid) sensor 22, a motion sensor 36, humidity. Sensor 46 and / or temperature sensor 48 are included. An analog output temperature sensor can be used to provide an analog signal along the conductor 86 back to the controller in the outer housing 50. (It should be noted that some temperature sensors have a serial bus for transmitting digital output signals rather than outputting analog voltages.) The temperature sensor 48 is a control mechanism for many of the processing devices 10. May be not necessary, particularly if the spray event of the beneficial composition in the reservoir 26 occurs during a “cooling” cycle of the drying device, the internal temperature of the drying device is used to An environmental condition suitable for the occurrence of the event can be determined. This configuration will be described in further detail below. In addition, if the drying device has not warmed to the minimum required temperature, the heating element (or burner) may not be functioning properly and you are not sure if it is better to spray the beneficial composition in that situation The temperature sensor 48 can also be used as an indicator that the drying apparatus is operating properly.

  The main components of the outer housing 50 typically include an electronic component 54 and a power source 52. For example, if the power source 52 includes four single batteries connected in series, a +6 volt DC voltage is supplied to a set of DC power sources, generally represented by reference numeral 58. The schematics provided in FIGS. 6A-6C and FIG. 7 show these power supplies 58 in more detail, but for discussion purposes only, and the control circuitry within outer housing 50 has more than one. It is estimated that a DC power supply voltage is required. One of the DC power supply voltages provides energy for the high voltage power supply 28 via a conductor 70 that passes through the flat cable 40. Microcontroller 60 is supplied with another output voltage, which in the exemplary embodiment depicted in FIGS. 6A-6C requires a +3.3 volt DC power supply. In the exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 6A-6C, a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) 62 is used and a device (part number AD5301) provided by Analog Devices, Norwood, Massachusetts. ) Requires a +5 volt DC power supply. All of these power sources are provided by a “set” of DC power sources 58.

  A portion of the outer housing 50 includes an input to the microcontroller 60. One important element that can be used as a user interface to the microcontroller 60 is a keypad 66, such as a set of bubbles or membrane switches with numbers 0-9 as well as an “ENTER” key. Other keys, including a “CANCEL” key or a decimal point key, may be included as part of the keypad 66.

  Referring now to FIGS. 6A-6C, a component that can be used to control the processing apparatus is a microcontroller 60. The preferred microcontroller 60 is manufactured by Microchip of Chandler, Arizona, as part number PIC16LF876-04 / P, but it goes without saying that other microcontrollers from different manufacturers can be easily used. can do. The microcontroller 60 includes onboard random access memory (RAM), onboard FLASH memory including electrically programmable non-volatile storage elements, and onboard input / output lines for analog and digital signals. The microcontroller 60 may also be used with a crystal clock oscillator, but if desired, an RC circuit may be used instead as a clock circuit. The clock circuit provides the timing clock pulses necessary to operate the microcontroller 60, and these clock pulses are divided by logic components (or microprocessor registers or software control memory), for example seconds or 10 minutes. It is possible to provide a real-time clock capable of measuring time with appropriate accuracy in units of 1 second. The PIC16LF876 microcontroller also has a serial port that can be connected to any programmer interface using an RS-232 communication link.

  Without departing from the principles of the present invention, microcontroller 60 may be implemented with virtually any type of commercially available microprocessor or microcontroller circuit with or without onboard RAM, ROM, or digital and analog I / O. It will be understood that this can also be done. Further, although a sequential processor is not necessarily required to control the processing unit 10, a parallel processor architecture can be used instead, or a logic state machine architecture can be used. Further, the microcontroller 60 can be incorporated into an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) that can include many other logic elements that can be used for various functions, such functions being processed by a consumer device. It is optional depending on the 10 model numbers. To change the model number feature, the manufacturer simply programs the ASIC (or microcontroller onboard ROM) according to the special parameters of that particular model, using the same hardware for each unit. That's fine.

  Also, on behalf of any type of microprocessor or microcontroller unit to control timing events and make decisions based on elapsed time or based on the input levels of various sensors provided in processing device 10 It will be appreciated that discrete digital logic can be used, or analog control circuitry can even be used with a voltage comparator and analog timer.

  6A-6C also include an optional reset switch represented by SW1. Such a reset switch may not be desirable for consumer devices. The ON-OFF switch 56 is interfaced to one of the I / O inputs to the microcontroller 60. Numerous other inputs may be provided to the microcontroller, including output signals from door sensor 22 or motion sensor 36. Other inputs not depicted in FIGS. 6A-6C may include analog inputs for temperature and humidity sensors, as shown in FIG.

  Microcontroller 60 also controls specific outputs, including pulse width modulation (PWM) signals, along conductor 72 that drives transistor Q3, which transistor Q3 uses to drive that signal from motor 32. Convert to higher voltage and higher current. The other digital output from microcontroller 60 flows through a voltage shift circuit for transistors Q4 and Q5 that controls the DAC 62 by shifting the signal from a logic level of 3.3 volts to a logic level of +5 volts. Depending on the state of these signals, the output of the DAC 62 becomes an analog voltage along the conduction path 70 that controls the magnitude of the output voltage of the high voltage DC power supply, as described above. As also mentioned above, this DAC 62 may not be necessary for all production units, especially if it is determined that a constant DC output voltage is preferred as supplied by the high voltage DC power supply 28 (see FIG. 7). . A system designer can determine this.

  6A-6C, the microcontroller 60 also outputs two control signals to a visual indicator comprising two LEDs of two different colors. In this example embodiment, the LEDs used are green and red. The output signal along the conduction path 74 drives the solid state transistor Q1, which turns on the green LED as needed. Another output signal along the conduction path 76 drives a solid state transistor Q2, which supplies current to drive the red LED. Both the red and green LEDs are part of a single two-color device, generally designated by reference numeral 64. As necessary, green light is displayed to the user or red light is displayed. It is also possible to supply energy to both LEDs simultaneously, which creates a yellow color that can be recognized by a human user.

  As a non-limiting example of how the two-color LED 64 can be used, a stable green color can represent an “on” signal for the fabric article processing apparatus 10. If the motion sensor 36 is aware of movement in the dryer that causes sufficient vibration to actuate the motion sensor 36 itself, for example, green light can be flashed. This can be set to a normal use state of the processing apparatus 10. During a “spray event”, energy is supplied to both the red and green LEDs, thereby indicating yellow. This can inform the user that the spray droplets are actually being dispersed by the nozzle 24. When the door is open, the two-color LED 64 can indicate red. When the battery voltage falls below a predetermined threshold, the two-color LED 64 can emit flashing red light that can be recognized by the user. These are merely examples of possible displays for various modes of operation. The color of stable light or flashing light in various colors is left entirely to the system designer and has great flexibility within the teachings of the present invention. There are also many other ways of presenting operational information to the user, including an LCD display, or a number of individual lamps or LEDs, and such alternative methods are within the scope of the present invention.

  Referring now to FIG. 7, the power supply circuit 58 is depicted in more detail. A battery can be used to drive a voltage regulator U6 that outputs a +3.3 DC volt power rail. The regulator in this embodiment is an integrated circuit chip, part number LP2985, obtainable from National Semiconductor of Santa Clara, California. Another voltage regulator chip U5 is used to provide a +5 volt rail from a +12 volt supply voltage, which is another LP2985 regulator device (also available from National Semiconductor). It is. FIG. 7 also depicts a boost switching regulator using a +12 volt DC input supply voltage and a switching regulator chip U7, which is also an integrated circuit chip available from National Semiconductor. , Part number LM2586 device. Such voltage regulator chips are similarly available from other semiconductor manufacturers. The boost regulator is generally designated by reference numeral 28, which is referred to as a high voltage power supply in the previous figures. The output voltage is located at the node indicated by reference numeral 39, which represents a conductor that conducts a high voltage to the electrode 38 that charges the beneficial composition in the reservoir 26 or at the nozzle 24. FIG. 7 also shows a solid state relay U9 that provides current directly from the battery voltage to the high voltage power rail (ie, conductor 39).

  FIG. 8 schematically illustrates the overall arrangement of several components of one stand-alone embodiment of the fabric article processing apparatus 10 of the present invention. As described above, the electronic component 54 and the battery 52 are disposed in the outer housing 50, and the outer housing 50 is a flat cable that transmits power and input / output signals between the outer housing 50 and the inner housing 20. 40 is electrically connected.

  Within the inner housing 20 are a reservoir 26, a pump 30, an electric motor 32, a high voltage power supply 28, a discharge nozzle 24, and various sensors that may or may not be included in certain types of processing apparatus 10. Be contained. A conductor 39 is depicted that conducts a high voltage to the nozzle 24, which is an alternative that can be used instead of delivering a high voltage to the reservoir 26. In addition to piping 42 to the pump inlet, piping 44 from the pump outlet providing the beneficial composition to the nozzle 24 is shown. It should be noted that the high voltage power supply 28 is completely optional within the scope of the teachings of the present invention, and if the spray droplets / particles emitted from the nozzle 24 are not electrostatically charged, the inner housing 20 There is no need for a high-voltage power supply.

  FIG. 9 illustrates an alternative embodiment for use with the present invention depicting a fabric article drying implement, generally designated by reference numeral 110. In this mode of the invention, the controller depicted in the previous stand-alone embodiment diagram is now integrated into the electronic control system of the drying apparatus 110. In FIG. 9, a door 15 is shown, which is a standard point where a human user approaches the drum volume inside the drying apparatus 110. Nozzle 24 is used to direct the beneficial composition into the drum area, and the drum is generally designated by reference numeral 114. Supply tube 44 carries the beneficial composition to nozzle 24 through control valve 120, which may be provided with an ON / OFF push button 56 if desired.

  FIG. 10 shows an alternative stand-alone embodiment of the present invention, generally designated by the reference numeral 150. The components shown in FIG. 10 include a reservoir (or chamber) 26, an optional charging component 39 (an electrode or other type of conductor that carries a high voltage to the reservoir or nozzle), a discharge nozzle 24, a pump unit 30, And a set of batteries 52 are included. An electronic printed circuit board 54 is provided, which typically includes a microcontroller or other type of control circuit. As depicted at reference numeral 129, such devices typically include one or more sensors, including a pressure sensor, door sensor 22, motion sensor 36, humidity sensor 48, and / or Alternatively, a temperature sensor 48 can be included. In this embodiment 150, all of the components are contained in a single housing, and the entire unit is placed in a fabric article dryer such as a conventional clothes dryer found in the consumer's home.

  It will be appreciated that the electrical energy source used by the present invention may be provided in a wide variety of forms. For example, a battery (or a set of batteries) can be used, such as the set of batteries 52 described above. However, a standard line voltage can be used instead, such as 60Hz 120VAC single phase power (presumably 50Hz 220VAC in Europe). In some installations, a non-standard electrical energy source can be provided, such as a solar panel that includes photovoltaic cells or photoconductive cells.

  The “single housing” stand-alone unit 150 of FIG. 10 includes any features such as high voltage power supplies and certain sensors used only in certain configurations of the present invention. All electrical and electronic components described with respect to 7 can be incorporated. Unless a different type of power source is provided, a set of batteries 52 as shown in FIG. 10 is required. An extended flat cable (such as the flat cable 40 of FIG. 1) for exchanging electrical signals with the electronic control unit on the printed circuit board 54 may not be necessary, but for that purpose, any type of A conductor is usually used.

  FIGS. 11 and 12 are flowcharts illustrating some of the logic operations performed by a controller for use with the present invention when used in dispensing or applying a beneficial composition. The term “beneficial composition” is also referred to herein as “fabric treatment composition”. In the flowchart of FIG. 11, the temperature in the chamber is used to determine when to start applying the fabric treatment composition, and in FIG. 12, to determine when to start applying the fabric treatment composition. The elapsed time of the drying cycle is used.

  Referring now to FIG. 11, the flowchart 200 begins at step 210, which represents the start of a drying cycle of a drying device, such as a clothes dryer. The temperature inside the dryer chamber is repeatedly measured at step 212, which executes instructions and in this situation further samples the input signal from a temperature sensor (eg, sensor 48 in FIG. 5), Any kind of logic processing device (micro) that sequentially performs the steps of converting the signal into engineering units (° F or ° C) and returns after appropriate additional processing to sample the temperature again (in repeated cycles). Usually achieved by a controller, microprocessor, etc.). In flowchart 200, this measured or sampled dryer temperature is referred to as "TP1".

  The next step is a decision step 214 that determines whether the dryer temperature has dropped from the previous reading at step 212. If the answer is no, the logic flow is returned to step 212 and the dryer temperature TP1 is measured again. At the beginning of the drying cycle in which the heating element (or burner) is activated, it is very common for the temperature to rise continuously over a certain period, during which time the logic flow continues to “No”. To return to the beginning of step 212. Only after the heating element is turned off does the temperature tend to begin to drop a significant amount. If this happens, the result from decision step 214 will eventually be “yes” and then the logic flow is directed to step 216.

  In step 216, the latest sampled temperature value does not become the “highest” value for this part of the drying cycle. Rather, the sampled second most recent temperature value becomes its “highest” temperature value, which is referred to as “TP2”. In step 216, the maximum temperature TP2 is stored in a storage element (or register) of the controller or an independent memory device. This can include the on-board memory of the microcontroller 60 (see FIG. 5). The maximum temperature TP2 is an example of the “first control operation temperature” described above.

The logic flow then proceeds to step 220 where the dryer temperature is measured again and the measurement in this situation yields a variable named “TP3”. TP3 is the same physical parameter as dryer temperature TP1, but this temperature is sampled only after the "highest" temperature TP2 is stored in step 216 and stored with this variable name TP3. (Note that this convention for naming temperature variables is only used for this description, and the actual software code may use the same variable names throughout the process.)
In most conventional dryers, whether home or commercial, the heating element is a binary device, so it is always on at full power and completely off at zero power. More expensive dryers may use, for example, a proportional controller to control the heating element, but the normal results of proportional control still show undershoot and overshoot around the temperature set point. become. The principles of the present invention can be used with such proportional control devices.

  For this example, assuming that the heating element is a binary device, the temperature tends to increase continuously in the drying chamber while energy is supplied to the heating element. When the heating element is turned off, the temperature begins to drop (but may overshoot somewhat). During a single drying cycle, the heating element can be switched on and off many times, in which case the temperature vs. time graph will have a saw-toothed waveform appearance and the rising slope (temperature Y-axis, time is taken as X-axis) occurs when the heating element is turned on, and the descending gradient occurs when the heating element is turned off. In this sawtooth waveform interval, the overall temperature vs. time chart has the appearance of a plateau, where the chart shows a relatively long ascending slope at the beginning of the drying cycle and then the plateau region ( At the end of the drying cycle, the gradient continues to fall on the “beyond” side of the plateau.

  If the fabric treatment composition is a volatile material (such as certain fragrances), usually the temperature of the drying chamber is below a certain level that may not occur until the heating cycle is complete. It is better not to release such volatile materials into the drying chamber. One way to detect this is to know when the heating element is actually energized or not supplied, and an integrated control device connected to the heating element controller of the dryer is Will recognize its state of the heating element, and thus until the energy supply to the heating element is stopped at the end of the heating cycle (the heating element can be turned off, but can also be turned back on later) Dispensing or application of the fabric treatment composition can be easily prevented (rather than during the plateau region of the heating cycle).

  However, if the heating element control state is not known to the fabric treatment composition distribution control device, this may occur when the distribution device is a self-contained unit that is not in communication with the dryer control device. However, other means of determining the end of the heating cycle are required. One way to determine the end of a heating cycle (or “heating event”) is to determine the highest and lowest temperatures that occur during the sawtooth waveform portion of the heating cycle, also referred to above as the “plateau region”. That is. For example, if the internal temperature of the dryer chamber rises to a maximum temperature TP2 and then drops to an instantaneous “minimum” temperature about 10-15 ° C. below TP2, the controller for the dispensing device can determine when the fabric treatment composition Can be determined, after the internal temperature of the dryer has dropped below the “minimum” temperature minus 10-15 ° C. from the maximum TP2 temperature. These serrated minimum and maximum temperature values can be considered as a single temperature difference value, and such temperature difference is referred to herein as the variable “TDIFF1”. The TDIFF1 value can have some extra tolerance, and as a result, for example, if most home dryers go up and down about 15 ° C during the plateau region of the drying cycle, set the TDIFF1 value to 20 ° C. can do.

  After step 220 measures the actual dryer temperature TP3, a decision step 222 determines whether the maximum temperature TP2 minus the real time temperature TP3 is greater than the TDIFF1 value. In that case, the controller for the dispensing device 10 can conclude with a certainty that the heating cycle has ended. In this manner, the temperature sensor 48 can be used to determine when the fabric article drying implement has entered its cooling cycle. In many situations, it is beneficial to wait until the dryer cooling cycle has begun before initiating a spray event. If the result of step 222 is “no”, the logic flow returns the cycle to step 220 to measure the actual dryer temperature. However, if the result is “yes”, the logic flow is directed to step 224, at which point the fabric treatment composition is applied into the dryer chamber. In flowchart 200, that is the end of this routine.

  Generally, the internal temperature of the dryer is also referred to herein as its “operating temperature” and can be measured by a temperature sensor such as temperature sensor 48 of FIG. The typical internal temperature of the dryer is physically the temperature of the air in the drying chamber, and the installation of the temperature sensor (front wall, back wall, top wall, or other location) is when using the present invention. The temperature set point selected may be affected. It is also possible to monitor the temperature of the fabric article itself, and if desired, its physical parameter can be used as the “running temperature”.

  The temperature sensor can be of any typical type, such as a thermistor, thermocouple, or platinum RTD. Furthermore, in some applications of the present invention, the temperature sensor may rather be an “on-off” device. For example, a thermostat can be used to determine when a predetermined operating temperature has been achieved. In some applications of the invention, the state is changed (eg, opened) at a first temperature (eg, “TP2” in FIG. 11) and again at a second temperature (eg, “TP3” in FIG. 11). The thermostat can be designed with a certain amount of hysteresis to change (eg, close) the state. Additional logic may be required when using on-off or digital temperature sensing devices.

  It will be appreciated that the operating temperature of the dryer is substantially “continuously” monitored by the controller of the present invention, eg, the microcontroller 60 of FIG. In most sequential processing devices, the software executes instructions one at a time, and in flowchart 200, temperature TP1 is sampled with one executable instruction in the software, and later the software is “looped”. It is sampled again when it returns to the same (or similar) executable instruction. This looping action often occurs so quickly that it appears virtually instantaneous and as a result, the controller appears to continuously monitor the temperature. However, the temperature (and other inputs) need not be monitored literally at each instant because the controller operates much faster than possible “rapid” temperature fluctuations, for example.

  On the other hand, if the temperature sensor has a digital output (such as a thermostat with an electromechanical switching contact), the effect of that type of sensor will literally "continuously" monitor the dryer operating temperature. . (It does not "wait" for the software instruction to execute first when it determines that it should do so.) Needless to say, the sequential processing device has many other tasks to perform. As such, the controller does not necessarily continuously monitor the digital input signal caused by the thermostat. In essence, the controller typically samples both digital and analog input data in certain looping actions, all under the control of software instructions. However, if part of the controller of the present invention is made primarily of discrete logic elements using a voltage comparator or parallel digital input gate (eg, without a microprocessor), the temperature can be substantially reduced if desired. Can be continuously monitored.

  As described above, the control apparatus of the present invention can be constructed as a sequential processing device, a parallel processing device, or a logical state machine. It will be appreciated that if a sequential device (such as microcontroller 60) is used, the software instructions can be arranged to act as a multitasking device. In that way, by "jumping" from one routine to another in short time segments, it is possible to execute a large number of routines in real time, perhaps even if none of those routines have been completed. become. An example of this occurs during the looping action around steps 212 and 214 of flowchart 200, during which time the system controller “waits” for the dryer temperature to drop. If the microcontroller 60 is performing only that task, it is impossible to do anything else and that kind of “real-time programming” is not efficient.

  Referring again to FIG. 11, the flow chart 250 begins again at step 260 with a “start” drying cycle command, and then at step 262 measures the temperature in the dryer. In the flowchart 260, this real-time temperature value is referred to as “TP11”.

  The logic flow then proceeds to a decision step 264 that determines whether the temperature has dropped from the previous temperature sample, and if the answer is “no”, the logic flow returns to step 262 and The internal temperature TP11 of the dryer is sampled again. However, if the temperature is decreasing, the logic flow outputs an “yes” output from step 264 and the second most recent temperature TP11 value is stored as “maximum temperature” TP12 in step 266. . In the flowchart 250 so far, these steps are exactly the same as the logic of the flowchart 200.

  Step 270 then measures the temperature in the dryer again and this time is stored as variable TP13. Next, decision step 272 determines whether the difference between maximum temperature TP12 and current real-time temperature TP13 is greater than temperature difference TDIFF2, and if the answer is no, the logic flow is step 270. Return to, and take another temperature sample TP13. If the result is “yes”, the logic flow proceeds to a new decision step 274.

  In decision step 274, the current dryer temperature TP13 is compared to a threshold temperature referred to herein as TMAX. In flowchart 250, TMAX represents the actual maximum dryer temperature that is acceptable before the fabric treatment composition is dispensed. In steps 260-272 of the flowchart described above, the temperature readings TP11, TP12, and TP13 can all be well above the maximum temperature TMAX. In that case, the volatile material to be dispensed may not have the desired effect if it is applied to the fabric immediately upon receiving a “yes” result in decision step 272. Instead, it is probably better to wait until the temperature inside the dryer cools a little more, i.e., falls below the TMAX temperature threshold. Step 274 makes this determination and if the result is “no”, the logic flow returns to step 270 to measure the temperature TP13. However, if the result of step 274 is yes, the logic flow proceeds to step 276, at which point the fabric treatment composition is applied to the dryer chamber. This is the end of this routine.

  A variation on the subject of the flowchart 250 is to allow the user to adjust the maximum temperature (TMAX) using, for example, the keypad 66 (see FIG. 5). In situations where user input is possible, the software executed by the controller of device 10 will typically have default values, so that the device will automatically automatically regardless of whether the user has entered any type of data. Operate. In that situation, the value of TMAX is already present in the memory device for the control device (microcontroller 60, etc.) and the maximum temperature value can be as high as 70 ° C., for example. Depending on the case, it may be as low as 25 ° C. The TMAX value depends primarily on the type of volatile material that is to be distributed by the fabric article processing system 10.

  In other variations of the flowcharts 200 and 250, the maximum temperature (TP2 or TP12) itself may have a minimum or maximum value before being approved as a “true” maximum temperature for a particular drying cycle. For example, if the fabric article processing system 10 is manufactured to work with a series of specific dryers that typically heat their chambers to at least 80 ° C., and further the maximum temperature achieved during operation is only about If it is 50 ° C., the controller may reach a conclusion that the dryer is not operating properly. In that situation, the control device can try to send an error signal to the user, for example by turning on an LED. In addition, the controller can be programmed so that no fabric treatment composition is applied in this situation (if that is the desired result). Even if the fabric article is not completely dry at the end of the drying cycle (because it has never reached the “correct” maximum temperature), it may still be desirable to distribute the fabric treatment composition. This kind of decision can be left to the system designer.

  Referring now to FIG. 12, the flowchart 300 begins by setting a “dry cycle” timer at step 310. The value of the drying cycle timer is stored in a variable called TM1 in the flowchart 300. The drying cycle timer is preferably set to the same time interval as the controller for the drying device itself. If the fabric article processing system has a controller integrated with the dryer controller, a controller (such as microcontroller 60) for the fabric article processing system 10 can immediately know this drying cycle time. However, if the fabric article processing system 10 is an independent self-contained device that is not in communication with the controller of the dryer itself, an independent method for entering the drying cycle timer value TM1 must be used. The keypad 66 of FIG. 5 is a means for entering the drying cycle time, for example, allowing the user to manually enter the time for the drying cycle in minutes. Again, the time in minutes entered on the keypad 66 preferably matches the time in minutes entered by the user into the dryer controller. Alternative timer input devices, such as a dial device with a rotating knob, can be used instead.

  Once the drying cycle timer value TM1 is set, a drying cycle can be started at step 312. Next, a decision step 320 determines whether the elapsed time for the drying cycle itself has exceeded a predetermined time interval. In step 320, the time threshold is called K × TM1, and the factor K represents the percentage of the entire drying cycle time TM1. In one form of the invention, it is desirable to prevent the fabric treatment composition from being applied until the last 25% of the drying cycle time TM1. In that situation, the coefficient K will be set to 75%. This can be an internal default setting, or the system designer can allow the user to set the factor K using the keypad 66 (however, the following flowchart 330 can be used as a percentage by the user). Rather, you can enter numbers in hours, so it may be somewhat "user friendly").

  If the elapsed time does not exceed K × TM1, the logic flow returns to the beginning of decision step 320 and continues taking time samples until the elapsed time actually exceeds its value K × TM1. At that point, the logic flow proceeds from step “Yes” to step 322. At that point, the fabric treatment composition begins to be applied into the dryer chamber and the routine ends.

  The logic of flowchart 300 can be used to supplement or replace the logic described above with respect to FIG. For example, if the dryer is about to be used in a “fluff” or “refluff” mode, no energy may be supplied to the heating element of the dryer. In that situation, any kind of reading that is rising or falling is meaningless, so rely on those readings to determine exactly what the dryer operating cycle is in at the moment. I can't. Instead, elapsed time becomes a much more useful parameter for making a determination as to when the fabric treatment composition should be applied.

  In addition, the drying cycle flowchart 300 should allow the dryer to raise its internal temperature, but for some reason it does not become a “short cycle” to reach its normal maximum temperature, or is normal to the heating element. Flowchart 200 can also be supplemented in situations where it is used in a mode that does not provide energy to the extent (which may prevent reaching a normal maximum temperature within a specified time limit). In that situation, the logic of flowchart 300 is used to ensure that the elapsed time threshold K × TM1 is obtained before the temperature condition is achieved for either decision step 222 or 274 of flowchart 200 or 250. Can supplement the logic. In that situation, the fabric treatment composition can be applied according to the logic of decision step 320 of flowchart 300, regardless of the actual temperature in the dryer. If the highest temperature normally expected is not actually obtained, the actual temperature may be so low that the volatile material is dispensed without wasted consumption in the “hot” chamber that would otherwise be present.

  Flowchart 330 begins at step 340, where a drying cycle timer called variable TM11 is set by the user. In step 340, the user also sets a “distribution time” timer given the variable name TM 12 in flowchart 300. The logic in this flowchart 330 allows the user to set the actual time in engineering units (eg, minutes or seconds) that determines when to start applying the fabric treatment composition into the dryer chamber. For example, if the drying cycle timer is set to 60 minutes (for TM11) and the dispensing time timer is set to 20 minutes (for TM12), the dryer operates for 40 minutes without the fabric treatment composition being applied. The composition application then begins, leaving 20 minutes for the drying cycle time.

  The logic of flowchart 300 is as follows: At step 342, the drying cycle begins. Next, decision step 344 determines whether the elapsed time exceeds the difference between times TM11 and TM12. If the answer is “no”, the logic flow returns to the beginning of step 344 and continues to “loop” until sufficient time has passed and the result is finally “yes”.

  The logic flow then proceeds to step 346 where it begins to apply the fabric treatment composition into the dryer chamber, which ends the routine. The logic of flowchart 330 can be determined by the system designer to be user-enterable (eg, via keypad 66), or the distribution timer value for variable TM12 is always in a particular application. Can have default values used. For example, it may be desirable to always distribute the fabric treatment composition for at least 8 minutes at the end of the drying cycle, regardless of the total drying cycle time TM1. In that situation, the dispensing time timer value TM12 can be set as a default value of 8 minutes, and the system designer can use the microcontroller 60 on the microcontroller 60 so that this default value is always observed regardless of other operating modes. Software to be executed can be created. This is not necessarily desirable for all applications of the fabric article processing system 10, but is at least one option.

  In general, the elapsed time between drying cycles, also referred to herein as the “run time” of the dryer, can be determined by virtually any type of time management device. When a digital processing device (such as the microcontroller 60 of FIG. 5) is used, a high frequency clock is typically included in the circuit design to cause the processing device to execute software instructions every “clock cycle”. The system clock cycle rate can be easily divided (by a digital divider) into lower frequencies to create “real time” intervals such as 1 second or 1/10 second (as described above) The operating time of the machine can be based on such real time intervals. On the other hand, if desired, an independent clock device can be provided, such as a digital counter that receives clock pulses from an independent pulse generator.

  It is understood that the dryer operating time is monitored substantially “continuously” by the controller of the present invention, eg, the microcontroller 60 of FIG. For most sequential processing devices, the software executes instructions one at a time, and in flowchart 300 the elapsed time can be sampled with one executable instruction in the software (eg, at step 320) Later, when the software “loops” back to the same (or similar) executable instruction, it is sampled again. This looping action often occurs so quickly that it looks virtually instantaneous, and as a result, the control unit spends time while the elapsed time is actually "sampled" according to the rate at which the looping action occurs. Seems to be continuously monitored.

  However, if it appears that it is important to know the passage of time to make decisions related to the operation of the device, the software may be Can be created to generate non-maskable interrupts, and the timing routine can be executed as part of the interrupt routine. Of course, if part of the controller of the present invention is made of discrete logic elements, perhaps using a pulse generator with a digital counter and a digital comparator (eg, without a microprocessor), if desired The time can be monitored substantially continuously.

  Another example of using elapsed time is shown in flowchart 350, where the first step 360 is to set a drying cycle timer that has the value loaded into variable TM21 in flowchart 350. The next step 362 begins a drying cycle.

  Next, a decision step 370 determines whether the elapsed time has exceeded a value preset as a time threshold associated with the total drying cycle time TM21. This preset time uses coefficients that are very similar to the logic of step 320 of flowchart 300. In this flowchart 350, the coefficient is called “K1”, and the time threshold is called K1 × TM21. K1 is usually set as a percentage and is used for the final amount of the drying cycle. For example, if K1 is set to 75%, the fabric treatment composition will be dispensed or applied during the last 25% of the drying cycle time interval TM21.

  If the elapsed time does not exceed this threshold K1 × TM21, the logic flow is returned to the beginning of this decision step 370 until a sufficient amount of time has passed and finally a “yes” result is achieved. Continue to “loop”. The logic flow then proceeds to step 372 and begins to apply the fabric treatment composition to the dryer chamber.

  The logic flow then proceeds to a decision step 380 that determines whether the elapsed time has exceeded a different time threshold, referred to as the coefficient K2 x drying cycle time TM21 in flowchart 350. This coefficient K2 is a smaller number than the coefficient K1. If the result is “no”, the logic flow returns to the beginning of decision process 380 and the logic continues to “loop” until sufficient time has passed and eventually a “yes” result is achieved. . Once achieved, step 382 stops the application of the fabric treatment composition into the dryer chamber, which ends the routine.

  Thereby, the flow chart 350 allows the user (or system designer) to set both start and stop points during the drying cycle, and also sets these start and stop factors as default values in the software. Can also be loaded. For example, if K1 is equal to 25% and K2 is equal to 0.75%, the fabric treatment composition begins to be applied at 75% of the elapsed time of the drying cycle and the fabric treatment composition is applied at the drying cycle time. The application is stopped at the time of 99.25% of the total TM21. This gives the fabric material inside the drying chamber the ultimate tactile quality of “drying” rather than a somewhat wet or wet feel. In other words, if the fabric treatment composition is dispensed completely until the end of the drying cycle and the user immediately opens the dryer door and grabs the fabric articles, the articles will have some wet or wet tactile quality. May be. The logic of flowchart 350 will probably prevent such a result. It may be desirable to limit the value of K2 so that it cannot be set up to 100%.

  It should be apparent that the logic of flowchart 350 can be combined with any of the flowchart examples of FIGS. 11 and 12 described above, including the temperature-based logic of FIG. As previously mentioned, the flowcharts 200 and 250 only begin to apply the fabric treatment composition and do not accurately address when to terminate the fabric treatment composition. The flowchart 350 can be used in conjunction with the temperature-based logic of flowchart 200 or 250 only for that purpose.

  It will be appreciated that the logical operations of the flowcharts of FIGS. 11 and 12 can be combined in various other ways than those described above, and still fall within the scope of the principles of the present invention.

  One optional aspect of the present invention is to provide the fabric treatment composition at two different time intervals during the drying cycle. For example, the fabric treatment composition can be applied as a fabric softener fairly early in the drying cycle; then at a later time (eg during the “cooling” stage) as a perfume Alternatively, the fabric treatment composition can be applied to provide some other type of beneficial property or effect. After the first part of spraying / dispensing is complete, there is usually a time interval during which no distribution occurs during the drying cycle, so such a distribution program can be used in the application of a fabric treatment composition (eg, spraying). It can be referred to as a “divided cycle”.

  Nevertheless, the principles of the present invention apply to the dispensing split cycle, where the volatile characteristics of the fabric treatment composition are optimally used near the “end” of the entire drying cycle of the dryer. If that is the desired result, the logical operations described in the flowcharts of FIGS. 11 and 12 are representative sequences that can be used to introduce such distribution or application of the fabric treatment composition to the fabric article. The processing steps are provided.

  It should be noted that there may be situations where there is no elapsed time interval between two “split” dispensing cycles. This can occur, for example, when a very short drying cycle time is selected by the dryer user or when a very small amount of fabric article is placed in the drying chamber of the dryer. In one of those situations, it may be possible for the first spray event and the second spray event to overlap, resulting in the first spray event before it is time to start the second spray event. Has not been completed, so there will be no “true” split interval spraying procedure. Thus, there may be no elapsed time interval during which no spraying occurs. However, with respect to processing logic (such as the logic of the flowcharts of FIGS. 11 and 12) that determines when to apply a fabric treatment composition near the “end” of the drying cycle, also appropriate time and / or temperature input information. The same decision will be made based on In other words, a controller determination to “start” the “second spray event” must be made, otherwise the application of the fabric treatment composition at the end of the “first spray event” in this example. May be stopped and the second spray event may not start at all.

(Fabric treatment composition)
One aspect of Applicants' invention is that at least 30 wt%, 35 wt% to 100 wt%, 40 wt% to 100 wt%, or 40 wt% to perfume material having a boiling point of 250 ° C or less at 1 atmosphere. At least 0.005 wt%, 0.005 wt% to 10 wt%, or 0.1 wt% to 2 wt% of a material such as a fragrance containing 70 wt%, a fabric treatment material, and an optional carrier; A fabric treatment composition that may comprise one or more adjuvant ingredients in the balance.

  Examples of suitable perfume materials having a boiling point of less than or equal to 250 ° C. at 1 atmosphere include, but are not limited to, allyl cyclohexane propionate, allyl heptanoate, allyl caproate, allocymene, amyl acetate (n -Pentyl acetate), amyl propionate, acetanisole, p-anisaldehyde, anisole, trans-anethole, benzaldehyde (Benezenecarboxaldehyde), benzyl acetate, benzyl butyrate, benzyl acetone, benzyl alcohol, benzylform Mate, benzylpropionate, β-γ-hexanol (2-hexen-1-ol), (+)-camphor, kadinene, camphene, carvacrol, cis-3-hexenyl tiglate, (+)-ca Bonn, citronellol, citronellyl acetate, citronellyl nitrile, citronellyl propionate, cyclohexyl ethyl acetate, L-carvone, cinnamic alcohol, cinnamyl formate, cis-jasmon, cis-3-hexenyl acetate, citral, cumin alcohol , Cuminaldehyde, 2,4-dimethyl-3-cyclohexene-1-carboxaldehyde, dimethylbenzylcarbinol, dimethylbenzylcarbinyl acetate, decylaldehyde (capraldehyde), dihydromyrcenol, dihydromyrcenyl acetate, 3, 7-dimethyl-1-octanol, diphenyl oxide, ethyl acetate, ethyl acetoacetate, ethyl amyl ketone, ethyl benzoate, ethyl butanoate, 3-no Nanone (ethyl hexyl ketone), ethyl phenyl acetate, eucalyptol, eugenol, fenkyl alcohol, fenkyl acetate (1,3,3-trimethyl-2-norbornanyl acetate), tricyclodecenyl acetate, tricyclode Cenyl propionate, γ-nonalactone, geranyl acetate, geranyl formate, geranyl nitrile, trans-geraniol, cis-3-hexenyl isobutyrate, hexyl neopentanoate, hexyl tiglate, cis-3-hexene-1 -All / Aoba alcohol, hexyl acetate, hexyl formate, Hydratopic alcohol, hydroxycitronellal, α-ionone, isobornyl acetate, isobutyl benzoate, isononyl alcohol Cetate, isononyl alcohol (3,5,5-trimethyl-1-hexanol), isopregyl acetate, indole (2,3-benzopyrrole), isoamyl alcohol, isopropyl phenyl acetate, isopulegol, isoquinoline (benzopyridine), Raul Aldehyde (Lauraldehyde), d-limonene, linalyl acetate, 2,3-dimethyl-3-cyclohexene-1-carboxaldehyde, linalool, linalool oxide, linalyl formate, menthone, (-)-L-menthyl acetate, methyl moldol (Estragole), methyl-n-nonylacetaldehyde, methyloctylacetaldehyde, β-myrcene, 4-methylacetophenone, methylpentylketone, methylanthranilate, methylbenzoe Methylphenylcarbinyl acetate (α-methylbenzyl acetate), methyl eugenol (eugenol methyl ether), methyl heptenone (6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one), methyl heptine carbonate (methyl-2-octinoate (octynoate) )), Methyl heptyl ketone, methyl hexyl ketone, methyl salicylate, dimethyl anthranilate, neryl acetate, nonyl acetate, nonaldehyde, nerol, δ-nonalactone, γ-octalactone, 2-octanol, octylaldehyde (caprylic acid) Aldehyde), p-cresol, p-cymene, α-pinene, β-pinene, p-cresyl methyl ether, 2-phenoxyethanol, phenylacetaldehyde, 2-phenylethyl acetate, phenyl Til alcohol, phenylethyldimethylcarbinol (benzyl-tert-butanol), prenyl acetate, propylbutanoate, (+)-pulegone, methylisobutenyltetrahydropyran, safrole, 4-terpinenol, α-terpinene, γ-terpinene, α-terpinyl acetate, tetrahydrolinalol, tetrahydromyrsenol, terpinolene (α-terpineol), 2-undecenal, 1,2-dimethoxybenzene, phenylacetaldehyde dimethyl acetal, ot-butylcyclohexyl acetate, 4-tert-butylcyclohexyl acetate is mentioned.

  In another aspect of Applicants' invention, examples of suitable perfume materials having a boiling point of less than 250 ° C. at 1 atmosphere include, but are not limited to, allyl caproate, amyl acetate (n- Pentyl acetate), amyl propionate, p-anisaldehyde, anisole, benzaldehyde (Benezenecarboxaldehyde), benzyl acetate, benzylacetone, benzyl alcohol, benzylformate, (+)-camphor, (+)- Carvone, L-carvone, cinnamon alcohol, cis-3-hexenyl acetate, citral (neral), 2,4-dimethyl-3-cyclohexene-1-carboxaldehyde, dimethylbenzyl carbinol, dimethylbenzyl carvinyl acetate, ethyl acetate , Ethyl acetoacetate, ethyl amyl ketone, ethyl benzoate, eucalyptol, eugenol, fenkyl alcohol, tricyclodecenyl acetate, tricyclodecenyl propionate, γ-nonalactone, trans-geraniol, cis-3- Hexen-1-ol / leaf alcohol, hexyl acetate, hydroxycitronellal, ligustral (2,3-dimethyl-3-cyclohexene-1-carboxaldehyde), linalool, linalool oxide, linalyl formate, menthone, 4-methylacetophenone , Methyl anthranilate, methyl benzoate, methyl phenyl carvinyl acetate (α-methyl benzyl acetate), methyl eugenol (eugenol methyl ether), methyl heptinca -Bonate (methyl-2-octynoate), methyl heptyl ketone, methyl hexyl ketone, methyl salicylate, dimethyl anthranilate, nerol, δ-nonalactone, γ-octalactone, octyl aldehyde (caprylic aldehyde), p -Cresyl methyl ether, phenylacetaldehyde, phenylethyl alcohol, phenylethyldimethylcarbinol (benzyl-tert-butanol), prenyl acetate, methylisobutenyl tetrahydropyran, terpinolene (α-terpineol), allocymene, allylcyclohexane propionate Allyl heptanoate, trans-anethole, benzyl butyrate, camphene, citronellol, citronellyl acetate, citronellyl nitrile, Lualdehyde (capraldehyde), dihydromyrcenol, dihydromyrcenyl acetate, 3,7-dimethyl-1-octanol, diphenyl oxide, fenkylacetate (1,3,3-trimethyl-2-norbornanyl acetate) , Geranyl acetate, geranyl formate, geranyl nitrile, cis-3-hexenyl isobutyrate, α-ionone, isobornyl acetate, lauraldehyde, d-limonene, linalyl acetate, methyl kabicol (estragole), Methyl-n-nonylacetaldehyde, methyloctylacetaldehyde, β-myrcene, nonaldehyde, p-cymene, α-pinene, β-pinene, α-terpinene, γ-terpinene, α-terpinyl acetate, tetrahydrolinalool, te Examples include trahydromyrsenol, 2-undecenal, ot-butylcyclohexyl acetate, and 4-tert-butylcyclohexyl acetate.

  In another aspect of Applicants' invention, examples of suitable perfume materials having a boiling point of less than 250 ° C. at 1 atmosphere include, but are not limited to, allyl caproate, amyl acetate (n- Pentyl acetate), amyl propionate, p-anisaldehyde, benzaldehyde (Benezenecarboxaldehyde), benzyl acetate, benzylacetone, (+)-camphor, L-carvone, cinnamic alcohol, cis-3-hexenyl Acetate, citral (neral), 2,4-dimethyl-3-cyclohexene-1-carboxaldehyde, dimethylbenzylcarbinyl acetate, ethyl acetoacetate, ethyl amyl ketone, eucalyptol, eugenol, fenkyl alcohol, tricyclodece Nil Acetate, tricyclodecenyl propionate, cis-3-hexen-1-ol / Aoba alcohol, hexyl acetate, hydroxycitronellal, 2,3-dimethyl-3-cyclohexene-1-carboxaldehyde, linalool, linalool Oxide, linalyl formate, menthone, methyl anthranilate, methyl benzoate, methyl phenylcarbinyl acetate (α-methylbenzyl acetate), methyl eugenol (eugenol methyl ether), methyl heptine carbonate (methyl-2-octinoate (octynoate) ), Methyl heptyl ketone, methyl hexyl ketone, methyl salicylate, δ-nonalactone, octyl aldehyde (caprylic aldehyde), p-cresyl methyl ether, phenyl ethyl alcohol Cole, prenyl acetate, methyl isao butenyl tetrahydropyran, terpinolene (α-terpineol), allocymene, allylcyclohexanepropionate, camphene, citronellol, citronellyl acetate, citronellylnitrile, decylaldehyde Aldehyde), dihydromyrcenol, dihydromyrcenyl acetate, fenkylacetate (1,3,3-trimethyl-2-norbornanyl acetate), geranyl acetate, geranyl formate, geranyl nitrile, α-ionone, isobol Nyl acetate, Lauraldehyde, d-limonene, linalyl acetate, methyl kabicol (estragole), methyl-n-nonyl acetaldehyde, methyl octy Ruacetaldehyde, β-myrcene, nonaldehyde, p-cymene, α-pinene, β-pinene, α-terpinene, γ-terpinene, tetrahydrolinalol, tetrahydromyrsenol, 2-undecenal, ot-butylcyclohexyl acetate, 4-tert-butylcyclohexyl acetate is mentioned.

  The aforementioned fragrance substances are the suppliers of the fragrance substances: Firmenich (Geneva, Switzerland), Givaudan (Argenteuil, France), IFF (Hazlet, NJ), Quest (Quest) (Mount Olive, New Jersey), Bedoukian (Danbury, Connecticut), Sigma Aldrich (St. Louis, Missouri), Millennium Specialty Chemicals (Illinois) Olympia Fields, Polarone International (Jersey City, NJ), Fragrance Resources (Keyport, NJ), and Aroma & Flavors Can be obtained from one or more of the Aroma & Flavor Specialties (Danbury, Connecticut).

  The treatment substance is not limited to these, but is flexible, prevents redeposition of dirt, repels or water repellency, improves color or whiteness, improves absorption, antistatic, antibacterial, or Provides one or more fabric benefits, including fabric abrasion resistance. A class of materials containing materials that can provide such benefits include, but are not limited to, cationic materials, nonionic materials, other polymeric materials, and particulate materials. The composition of the present invention includes a treatment substance. Typically, the treatment material is at least about 0.5 wt%, at least about 2 wt%, about 4 wt% to about 90 wt%, about 4 wt% to about 50 wt%, based on the total weight of the composition, Or present at a concentration of from about 4% to about 10% by weight.

Suitable cationic materials include, but are not limited to, protonizable amines, alkyl quaternary ammonium compounds, cationic silicones, and cationic polymers. Suitable protonatable amines include protonatable amines having the following formula I:

Wherein the subscript m is 0, 1, 2, or 3; the subscript n is 1, 2, 3, or 4, preferably n is 2 or 3, more preferably n is 2. Each R is independently selected from C ₁ -C ₂₂ alkyl, C ₁ -C ₂₂ hydroxyalkyl or benzyl groups; each R ¹ is a C ₁₁ -C ₂₂ linear alkyl, C ₁₁ -C ₂₂ moiety Independently selected from branched alkyl, C ₁₁ -C ₂₂ straight chain alkenyl, or C ₁₁ -C ₂₂ branched alkenyl; each Q may comprise a carbonyl, carboxyl, or amide moiety.

Suitable alkylated quaternary ammonium compounds (quats) include mono-alkyl quats, di-alkyl quats, tri-alkyl quats, and tetra-alkyl quats, as well as certain cationic surfactants. Suitable mono-alkyl quats, di-alkyl quats, tri-alkyl quats, and tetra-alkyl quats typically have the following formula II:

Where the subscript m is 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4; the subscript n is 1, 2, 3, or 4, preferably n is 2 or 3, more preferably n is 2. Each R is independently selected from C ₁ -C ₂₂ alkyl, C ₁ -C ₂₂ hydroxyalkyl or a benzyl group; each R ¹ is a C ₁₁ -C ₂₂ linear alkyl, C ₁₁ -C ₂₂ Independently selected from: branched alkyl, C ₁₁ -C ₂₂ linear alkenyl, or C ₁₁ -C ₂₂ branched alkenyl; X ⁻ is a water-soluble such as chloride, bromide or methyl sulfate An anionic species, Q may include a carbonyl, carboxyl, or amide moiety.

Suitable cationic surfactants include quaternary ammonium surfactants selected from the group consisting of mono-C ₆ -C ₁₆ , preferably C ₆ -C ₁₀ N-alkyl or alkenyl ammonium surfactants. And the remaining N position is substituted with a methyl, hydroxyethyl or hydroxypropyl group. Another preferred cationic surfactant, such as quaternary choline esters, C ₆ -C ₁₈ alkyl or alkenyl ester of a quaternary ammonium alcohol. More preferably, the cationic surfactant has the following formula III:

Wherein R ¹ is C ₈ -C ₁₈ hydrocarbyl, preferably C _8-14 alkyl, more preferably C ₈ , C ₁₀ or C ₁₂ alkyl, and X ⁻ is as chloride, bromide or methyl sulfate. Is a water-soluble anionic species.

Suitable cationic silicones include silicones functionalized with amine-derived compounds, and cationic silicone polymers. Suitable silicones functionalized with amine-derived compounds include aminosilicones having the following formula IV:
(R ¹ R ² R ³ SiO _1/2 ) _p (R ⁴ R ⁴ SiO _2/2 ) _m [R ⁴ Si (L—NR ⁵ R ⁶ ) O _2/2 ] _a [Si (K—NR ⁷ R) ⁸ ) O _3/2 ] _b [R ⁴ SiO _3/2 ] _c
(Formula IV)
Wherein m, a, b, and c are independently selected from an integer from 0 to 6000; p is 2 + b + c; R ¹ , R ² , R ³ , R ⁴ , R ⁵ , R ⁶ , R ⁷ , R ⁸ , L, K are various side chains attached to the silicone or nitrogen atom in the molecule. In Formula IV above, R ¹ , R ² , R ³ , R ⁴ are:
1) C ₁ -C ₂₂ linear or branched substituted or unsubstituted hydrocarbyl moiety; or 2) wherein R ¹¹ , R ¹² , R ¹³ , and R ¹⁴ are H, or C ₁ -C ₂₂ -O-R < ¹¹ >, -O-R < ¹² >, -O-R < ¹³ >, and -O-R < ¹⁴ > independently selected from the linear or branched substituted or unsubstituted hydrocarbyl moieties of
Selected independently from

In Formula IV above, L and K are independently selected from C ₁ -C ₂₂ linear or branched substituted or unsubstituted hydrocarbyl moieties. Preferably, L and K are independently selected from substituted or unsubstituted hydrocarbyl moiety, straight or branched chain C ₁ -C _12. More preferably, L and K are independently selected from C ₁ -C ₄ linear or branched substituted or unsubstituted hydrocarbyl moieties. Most preferably, L and K are independent of methylene, ethylene, propylene, 2-methylpropylene, butylene, octadecylene, or 3- (2,2 ′, 6,6′-tetramethyl-4-oxy-piperidyl) propyl. To be selected. In the above equations ^{IV, R 5, R 6,} R 7, and ^{R 8,} H, or _C 1 independently from linear or substituted or unsubstituted hydrocarbyl moiety branched _{-C 22} is selected.

As used in Formula IV above, “SiO _{n / 2} ” means the ratio of oxygen atoms to silicon atoms, ie, SiO _1/2 is one oxygen atom between two silicon atoms. Means sharing.

Suitable cationic silicone polymers include cationic silicone polymers having the following formula V:

[CAP] is the end of the main chain or truncation unit; m is an integer from 1 to 50 and each Z unit has the following formula VI:

Where for formula VI:
x is 0 or 1;
W is a siloxane unit having the following formula VII:

Where, for Formula VII, each R ¹ unit is a C ₁ -C ₂₂ linear or branched, substituted or unsubstituted hydrocarbyl moiety;
Here, for Formula VI, R has the following Formula VIII:
_{^{- [(L) y - (}} R 2) y - (L) y] -B - [(L) y - (R 2) y - (L) y] -
(Formula VIII)
Here, for the above formula VIII:
y is 0 or 1;
L is a suitable carbon containing a linking unit, and suitable linking units include, but are not limited to, alkylene moieties, acrylate moieties, and amide-containing moieties;
Each B is a unit comprising at least one secondary, tertiary, or quaternary amino moiety;
R ² is a linking unit having the following formula IX:

Where for formula IX:
Each R ³ is independently selected from C _{2 to} C ₁₂ straight or branched alkylene moieties, preferably each R ³ is independently ethylene, 1,3-propylene, or 1,2- Propylene;
Each R ⁴ is independently selected from hydrogen or a C ₁ -C ₂₂ linear or branched substituted or unsubstituted hydrocarbyl moiety, preferably each R ⁴ is hydrogen or C ₁ -C ₂₂ straight or branched chain alkyl _moiety; C 1 _{-C 22} cycloalkyl _moiety; straight or branched fluoroalkyl moiety of C 1 _{-C 22;} straight or branched chain alkenyl moiety C 2 _{-C 22;} C _{6 to} C ₂₂ aryl moieties; or independently selected from C _{7 to} C ₂₂ alkylene aryl moieties; most preferably, each R ⁴ is hydrogen or a C _{1 to} C ₁₀ straight or branched alkyl moiety. Yes;
z is an integer of 0-50.

Suitable cationic polymers are linear polymer units having the following formula X:

For Formula X, R ² and each R ¹ are independently hydrogen, hydroxyl, halogen, substituted or unsubstituted hydrocarbon moiety; Z is a substituted or unsubstituted hydrocarbon moiety containing a cationic functional group A linear polymer unit; and a cyclic unit derived by cyclic polymerization of monomers having the following formula XI:

For Formula XI, each R ⁴ is independently an olefin-containing unit capable of forming a cyclic residue with an adjacent R ⁴ unit in addition to being able to transfer polymerization; each R ⁵ is independently From said cyclic unit, which is a C _{1 to} C ₁₂ linear or branched alkyl moiety, or a substituted or unsubstituted benzyl moiety; and X ⁻ is a water-soluble anionic species such as chloride, bromide or methyl sulfate. Mention may be made of copolymers comprising at least one unit or a mixture of units selected from the group consisting of:

  Suitable nonionic materials include certain surfactants produced by condensation of alkylene oxide groups with organic hydrophobic moieties (which can be aliphatic or alkylaromatic in nature); silicone copolyols; And mixtures thereof. Examples of suitable nonionic surfactants include, but are not limited to, alkylphenol ethoxylates, polyethylene glycol / polypropylene glycol block copolymers, aliphatic alcohol and fatty acid ethoxylates, long chain tertiary amine oxides, Examples include alkyl polysaccharides, polyethylene glycol (PEG), glyceryl fatty acid esters, and mixtures thereof.

Non-limiting examples of suitable silicone copolyols are silicone copolyols having the following formula XII:
R ¹ — (CH ₃ ) ₂ SiO — [(CH ₃ ) ₂ SiO] _a — [(CH ₃ ) (R ¹ ) SiO] _b —Si (CH ₃ ) ₂ —R ¹
(Formula XII)
Here, for Formula XII above, a + b is an integer from 1 to about 50, preferably a + b is an integer from about 3 to about 30, and more preferably a + b is an integer from about 10 to about 25. Yes; at least one R ¹ is a poly (ethyleneoxy / propyleneoxy) copolymer group having the following formula XIII, and the remaining R ¹ moiety is methyl and poly (ethylene oxide / propylene oxide) having the following formula XIII: Independently selected from the group consisting of copolymer groups:
_{- (CH 2) n O (} C 2 H 4 O) c (C 3 H 6 O) d R 2
(Formula XIII)
Where n is 3 or 4, preferably n is 3; c is an integer from 1 to about 100, preferably c is an integer from about 6 to about 100; d is an integer from 1 to about 14, preferably d is an integer from 1 to about 3; the sum of c + d is an integer from about 5 to about 150, and preferably the sum of c + d is from about 9 to about 100. Each R ² is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, an alkyl moiety containing up to 4 carbon atoms, or an acetyl group.

  Suitable polymeric materials include, but are not limited to, polyacrylates, polyvinyl alcohol, polyethyleneimine, polysaccharides, polyethylene glycols, and derivatives or copolymers of the above materials, which are used in the present invention. It is suitable for doing.

  Suitable particulate materials include inorganic or organic particulates such as polymer particles, clays, talc, zeolites and mixtures thereof. Suitable polymer particles typically have an average particle size of less than about 10 microns, preferably less than 5 microns, more preferably less than about 1 micron. Such particles may include polyethylene, polystyrene, polypropylene, and mixtures thereof. Suitable clay materials include smectite clays such as phyllosilicate clays having a 2: 1 layer structure, such as phyllite, montmorillonite, hectorite, saponite and vermiculite, and mica. Particularly suitable clay materials include smectite clays described in US Pat. No. 4,062,647. Other disclosures of clay materials suitable for fabric softening purposes include European Patent Specification EP 26528-A1, US Pat. No. 3,959,155, and US Pat. No. 3,936,537.

  Further suitable materials include certain oils of synthetic or natural origin, such as certain triglycerides, mineral oils, and mixtures thereof.

  Specific examples of suitable treatment materials include, but are not limited to: triglycerides from beef tallow, palm oil, cottonseed oil, canola oil and soybean oil (all with varying hydrogenation levels); paraffin oil, and these The mixture of these is mentioned.

  Suitable treatment materials are Mazer Chemicals (Gurnee, Illinois, USA), Clariant Corporation (Glattbrugg, Switzerland), Rhodia Incorporated (Cranberry, New Jersey, USA). ), Scher Chemicals, Inc. (Clifton, New Jersey, USA), Dow Corning Corporation (Midland, Michigan, USA), and General Electric Company (Connecticut, USA) Fairfield), Witco Corporation (Middlebury, Connecticut, USA), Degussa-Huls (Marl, Germany), BASF (Mount Olive, New Jersey, USA), Sigma-Aldrich (Sigma-Aldrich) )(USA Zuri, St. Louis), 20 Mikuronzu, Inc. (20 Microns Ltd.) (India, Baroda (Baroda)), and are commercially available from Twin Rivers Technologies (Twin Rivers Technologies) (Massachusetts, USA Quincy (Quincy)).

  The fabric treatment material of the present invention may optionally include a carrier material. Suitable carrier materials include, but are not limited to, water, silicones having a weight average molecular weight typically less than 300 Daltons, mono- or dialkyl esters, polyols such as glycerin, polyethylene glycols, alcohols, and the like A mixture is mentioned.

  When the carrier is water, the treatment composition is from about 40% to about 98%, from about 50% to about 95%, or from about 60% to about 60% by weight, based on the weight percent of the treatment composition. It may contain 90% by weight water. When the fabric treatment composition includes water, the pH of the composition is in the range of about 2 to about 10, about 3 to about 9, about 4 to about 8, or about 5.5 to about 7.5. It's okay.

  Although not necessarily required for the purposes of the present invention, the non-limiting adjuvants described herein may be incorporated into embodiments of such compositions as desired. The exact nature of such adjunct ingredients, and the concentration at which they are incorporated, will depend on the physical form of the fabric treatment composition and the nature of the work in which it will be used.

  Suitable adjuvant ingredients include, but are not limited to, salts such as sodium chloride, sodium sulfate, calcium chloride, magnesium sulfate, etc .; preservatives such as benzyl alcohol, methyl paraben, propyl paraben and imidazolidinyl urea; Specific thickeners and viscosity modifiers; pH modifiers such as citric acid, succinic acid, phosphoric acid, sodium hydroxide; suspending agents such as magnesium / aluminum silicate; and such as disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate Examples include sequestering agents. Further examples of suitable adjuvants and use concentrations are found in US Pat. No. 6,653,275.

(Method for producing fabric treatment composition)
The fabric treatment composition of the present invention can be formulated into any suitable form and can be prepared by any method selected by the formulator, a non-limiting example of which is described in US Pat. No. 6,653,275. In the issue.

The following compositions are examples of fabric treatment compositions useful in the present invention:

In the examples, the omitted identification notation of the component has the following meaning:
DEQA: Di- (tallowoyl-oxy-ethyl) dimethylammonium chloride (supplied by Witco Corporation, Middlebury, Connecticut, USA)
DTDMAC: Ditalodimethylammonium chloride (supplied by Witco Corporation, Middlebury, Connecticut, USA)
Fatty acid: Tallow fatty acid IV = 18 (supplied by Twin Rivers Technologies, Quincy, Massachusetts, USA)
Electrolyte: Calcium chloride (supplied by Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, Missouri, USA)
PEG: Polyethylene glycol 4000 (supplied from BASF, Mount Olive, New Jersey, USA)
IPA: Isopropyl alcohol (supplied from Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, MO)
Non-ionic substances: ethoxylated fatty alcohols derived from coconut oil (hydrocarbyl chain length 12-14 carbon, ethoxylate chain length, 10-12 ethoxylate) (Degussa-Huls) (Germany) , Supplied by Marl)
* A perfume composition selected from the following perfume examples A, B or C:

  While particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of this invention.

1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a stand-alone fabric article processing apparatus constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention. The perspective view which looked at the fabric article processing apparatus of FIG. 1 from the opposite angle. The elevation view which looked at the partial cross section of the fabric article processing apparatus of FIG. 1 which showed the inner housing and outer housing which were joined together by the flat cable from the end. FIG. 2 is an elevational view of a partial cross section of an inner housing portion of the fabric article processing apparatus of FIG. 1 as viewed from one side. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of several electrical and mechanical components used in the fabric article processing apparatus of FIG. The schematic of the 1st part of the electronic controller used with the fabric article processing apparatus of FIG. The schematic of the 1st part of the electronic controller used with the fabric article processing apparatus of FIG. The schematic of the 1st part of the electronic controller used with the fabric article processing apparatus of FIG. FIG. 2 is an electrical schematic diagram of other portions of the controller, including the power component of the fabric article processing apparatus of FIG. 1. The fragmentary sectional view of the fabric article processing apparatus of FIG. 1 when attached to the door of the clothes dryer apparatus. 1 is a perspective view of a fabric article drying apparatus constructed with the principles of the present invention having a nozzle that sprays the beneficial composition into the drum portion of the dryer. FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram of several components used by an alternative embodiment of a stand-alone fabric article processing apparatus constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention, wherein the entire processing apparatus is housed within a single housing or enclosure. 2 is a series of flowcharts illustrating some of the logic steps used to control the fabric article processing apparatus of FIG. 1 using temperature inputs and setpoints as control variables. FIG. 2 is a series of flowcharts illustrating some of the logic steps used to control the fabric article processing apparatus of FIG. 1 using elapsed time and timing set points as control variables.

Claims (10)

A composition comprising:
a) comprising at least 0.005% by weight, preferably 0.005% to 10% by weight, more preferably 0.01% to 2% by weight of perfume, based on the total weight of the composition, The perfume contains at least 30% by weight, preferably at least 40% by weight, more preferably 40% by weight to 70% by weight, based on the total weight of the perfume, at a pressure of 250 ° C. or less at 1 atm. Said composition further comprises:
b) contains a treated substance,
(I) a protonatable amine, an alkyl quaternary ammonium compound, a cationic silicone, and a cationic polymer; an alkylene oxide group and an organic hydrophobic moiety, preferably a hydrophobic aliphatic or alkylaromatic moiety Nonionic surfactant produced by condensation; silicone copolyol; polyacrylate, polyvinyl alcohol, polyethyleneimine, polysaccharide, polyethylene glycol, and polyacrylate, polyvinyl alcohol, polyethyleneimine, polysaccharide, derivative of polyethylene glycol or A polymer material selected from the group consisting of copolymers; a particulate material selected from the group consisting of polymer particles, clay, talc, zeolite and mixtures thereof; selected from the group consisting of synthetic or naturally derived oils and mixtures thereof. And comprises a material,
(Ii) Preferably the treating substance is a protonatable amine, an alkyl quaternary ammonium compound, a cationic silicone, and a cationic polymer; an alkylene oxide group and an organic hydrophobic moiety, preferably a hydrophobic aliphatic Or a material selected from the group consisting of a nonionic surfactant produced by condensation with an alkyl aromatic moiety; a silicone copolyol; and mixtures thereof;
(Iii) More preferably, the treatment material comprises a material selected from the group consisting of a protonatable amine, an alkyl quaternary ammonium compound, and mixtures thereof;
c) optionally with a carrier material;
d) A composition comprising one or more auxiliary ingredients in the balance.   The composition includes 0.1% to 0.95% by weight of a fragrance based on the total weight of the composition; the fragrance includes a fragrance material having a boiling point of 250 ° C. or less at 1 atmosphere; The composition according to claim 1, comprising 30% to 90% by weight based on the total weight of the perfume. A method of applying a fabric treatment composition to a fabric article comprising:
a) monitoring the operating temperature of the drying device during the drying cycle of the drying device;
b) applying the fabric treatment composition to the fabric article during the drying cycle of the drying device, preferably by spraying, the fabric treatment composition comprising:
(I) perfumes and treated substances;
(Ii) Preferably at least 30 wt%, preferably 30 wt% to 90 wt%, more preferably 30 wt% to 70 wt%, most preferably 30 wt% of perfume material having a boiling point of 1250 atm or less at 1 atmosphere. A fabric treatment composition comprising at least 0.005% by weight of a perfume containing from 50% to 50% by weight and a treatment material;
(Iii) Most preferably, at least 30%, preferably 30% to 90%, more preferably 30% to 70%, most preferably 30% fragrance material having a boiling point of 250 ° C. or less at 1 atmosphere. At least 0.005% by weight of a fragrance containing from 50% to 50% by weight, a protonatable amine, an alkyl quaternary ammonium compound, a cationic silicone, and a cationic polymer; an alkylene oxide group and an organic hydrophobic moiety; Nonionic surfactants, preferably produced by condensation with hydrophobic aliphatic or alkylaromatic moieties; silicone copolyols; polyacrylates, polyvinyl alcohol, polyethyleneimines, polysaccharides, polyethylene glycols, and polyacrylates; Polyvinyl alcohol, polyethyleneimine, polysaccharide Polymer materials selected from the group consisting of polyethylene glycol derivatives or copolymers; particulate materials selected from the group consisting of polymer particles, clays, talc, zeolites and mixtures thereof; synthetic or naturally derived oils and mixtures thereof A substance selected from the group consisting of:
The application takes place after the drying device has reached a first controlled operating temperature, preferably the first controlled operating temperature is the highest operating temperature of the drying device or a predetermined operating temperature, preferably The first controlled operating temperature is 60 ° C. or higher; more preferably, the application is such that the drying device reaches a first controlled operating temperature of 70 ° C. or higher and then a second operating temperature of less than 70 ° C. Most preferably, said application occurs after reaching said second operating temperature of less than 70 ° C, preferably less than 60 ° C, more preferably less than 50 ° C, but at 20 ° C, preferably 25 A process characterized in that it occurs before reaching a third operating temperature of ° C, more preferably a temperature above 30 ° C.   The drying device begins to apply the fabric treatment composition only after the operating temperature of the drying device has dropped below a second operating temperature that is lower than the first control operating temperature. Item 4. The method according to Item 3.   The application occurs after reaching the second operating temperature of less than 70 ° C., but the application does not begin until the operating temperature of the drying device has dropped below a third threshold temperature; The method according to claim 3 or 4.   The method according to claims 3 to 5, characterized in that the fabric treatment composition comprises a material having a flash point of 30 ° C or higher, preferably 30 ° C to 400 ° C. A method of applying a fabric treatment composition to a fabric article comprising:
a) monitoring the operating time of the drying device during the operating cycle of the drying device;
b) applying the fabric treatment composition to the fabric article during the operating cycle of the drying device, preferably by spraying, the fabric treatment composition comprising:
(I) perfumes and treated substances;
(Ii) Preferably at least 30 wt%, preferably 30 wt% to 90 wt%, more preferably 30 wt% to 70 wt%, most preferably 30 wt% of perfume material having a boiling point of 1250 atm or less at 1 atmosphere. A fabric treatment composition comprising at least 0.005% by weight of a perfume containing from 50% to 50% by weight and a treatment material;
(Iii) Most preferably, at least 30%, preferably 30% to 90%, more preferably 30% to 70%, most preferably 30% fragrance material having a boiling point of 250 ° C. or less at 1 atmosphere. At least 0.005% by weight of a fragrance containing from 50% to 50% by weight, a protonatable amine, an alkyl quaternary ammonium compound, a cationic silicone, and a cationic polymer; an alkylene oxide group and an organic hydrophobic moiety; Nonionic surfactants, preferably produced by condensation with hydrophobic aliphatic or alkylaromatic moieties; silicone copolyols; polyacrylates, polyvinyl alcohol, polyethyleneimines, polysaccharides, polyethylene glycols, and polyacrylates; Polyvinyl alcohol, polyethyleneimine, polysaccharide Polymer materials selected from the group consisting of polyethylene glycol derivatives or copolymers; particulate materials selected from the group consisting of polymer particles, clays, talc, zeolites and mixtures thereof; synthetic or naturally derived oils and mixtures thereof A substance selected from the group consisting of:
The application occurs during the final part of the operating cycle, preferably the final part of the operating cycle is 25% of the entire operating cycle, preferably the final part of the operating cycle is 15 minutes or less. A method characterized by being.   The application occurs between the last 18% of the operating cycle and the last 0.75% of the operating cycle, preferably the application is between the last 12% of the operating cycle and the last 1 of the operating cycle. 8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that it occurs between .7%, more preferably the application occurs between the last 8% of the operating cycle and the last 2.5% of the operating cycle. Method.   9. The method of claim 8, wherein 18% of the operating cycle is 12 minutes or less, or 8% of the operating cycle is 6 minutes or less.   The method according to claims 7 to 9, characterized in that the fabric treatment composition comprises a material having a flash point of 30 ° C or higher, preferably 30 ° C to 400 ° C.

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