CA2312157A1 - An active-substance portion pack - Google Patents

Abstract

According to the invention, flat wrappers of a water-soluble polymer, as typically used for active-substance portion packs, were provided with a function to perform in the formulation as a whole. Such active-substance portion packs contain a washing preparation and a flat plastic part, the plastic part completely or at least partly surrounding the preparation and all or most of the individual components (additives) which control the effectiveness of or increase the consumer acceptance of the washing preparation are bound in the flat plastic part.

Description

AN ACTIVE-SUBSTANCE PORTION PACK
Field of the Invention This invention relates to detergent or cleaner portions, more particularly those in the form of packed washing preparations, in which part of the additives are physically embedded in the packaging material. More particularly, the present invention relates to laundry detergent portion packs and cleaner portion packs and preferably to machine dishwashing detergents (dishwasher detergents) in new packs.
Background of the Invention Detergents and processes for their production have been known for some considerable time and, accordingly, are widely described in the prior art literature. Detergents are normally marketed in the form of spray-dried or granulated solid products or as liquids. In response to consumer demand for easy dosing, products in pre-portioned form have established themselves on the market alongside these two conventional variants and have also been described in the prior art literature, detergents in the form of press-agglomerated shaped bodies, i.e. tablets, blocks, briquettes, rings and the like, and portions of solid or liquid detergents packed in bags being described in particular.
In the case of individual doses of detergents which are packed in bags for marketing, bags of water-soluble film, i.e. bags which do not have to be torn open by the user, have proved successful. In this way, an individual portion can be conveniently dosed by directly placing the bag in the dispensing compartment of the washing machine or dishwashing machine or by throwing the bag into a predetermined quantity of water, for example in a bucket or in a handwashing or rinsing bowl. The bag surrounding the detergent dissolves completely when a certain temperature is reached or when certain other predetermined conditions are established.
Detergents packed in bags of water-soluble film are also described in large numbers in the prior art literature.

Thus, DE-AS 11 30 547 (Procter & Gamble) discloses packs of water-soluble films of polyvinyl alcohol which are filled with non-liquid synthetic detergents.
An individual dose of a detergent or bleach in a bag comprising one or more seams of water-sensitive material is described in European patent application EP 143 476 (Akzo N.V.). A mixture of anionic and/or nonionic water-binding polymer and cationic polymer adhesive is proposed as the water-sensitive seam material in this document.
European patent application EP 158 464 (Clorox) describes low-temperature detergents which can be packed in a bag of water-soluble film.
Extremely large particles wrapped in a water-insoluble film are described in EP 384 529 (Procter & Gamble). This document discloses a "jumbo"-particle fabric softener composition of which the 5 to 30 mm large dryer-activated softener particles are wrapped in a porous water-insoluble film.
In addition, earlier patent application DE 198 31 703 discloses a portioned detergent preparation in a bag of water-soluble film, more particularly a bag of (optionally acetalized) polyvinyl alcohol (PVAL) in which at least 70% by weight of the particles of the detergent preparation have particle sizes above 800 Nm.
One factor common to all these publications is that the films in which the actual detergent/cleaning preparations are wrapped act solely as a packaging material. They do not have any other technical significance in regard to the formulation of the detergent portion. Thus, the solubility of the film in water is merely intended to eliminate the need for manual unwrapping of the detergent/cleaning preparation.
It is known from other prior-art publications that bitter substances can be added to water-soluble films surrounding detergent preparations in order to prevent the preparation from being swallowed by children.
However, bitter substances are not additives which are capable of ' 3 enhancing the properties of the product or their consumer appeal.
Modern detergents are a complex mixture of substances. High-performance or special-purpose detergents in particular contain additives which, although relatively expensive, develop the required effect in low concentrations per detergent dose. In the interests of economy, every effort is made to use the valuable ingredients of the formulation in the smallest possible quantities. However, in the interests of dependability, i.e.
the need to be able to obtain the claimed effects with any quantity of a formulation, a certain excess always has to be used in order to take into account process-related parameters, such as dosage fluctuations in the production process, the quality of the process by which the components are mixed and/or any partial separation of individual components during packaging of the product.
Accordingly, in the case of detergents consisting of a spray-dried basic powder, the components to be added in small amounts - providing they are thermally stable - are normally added via the slurry and can be dispersed relatively uniformly therein. This basic powder represents the main constituent of the material of the detergent to be processed in the subsequent "aftertreatment". Perfume oils and solid raw materials which cannot be subjected to spray drying on account of their thermal lability are added and incorporated in the aftertreatment phase. Examples of such solid raw materials are enzymes, bleaching agents and bleach activators.
Nowadays, raw materials whose thermal properties enable them to be spray-dried are being increasingly incorporated in the "aftertreatment stage". This is happening because it is desirable to reduce the number of components present in the basic powder produced via the slurry as far as possible in order to be able to make the basic powder the stock component of as many detergents as possible and thus to enable product changes to be accommodated more quickly and efficiently in the production or packaging process.

' 4 Reducing the effort involved in the event of product changes in the production and packaging process is particularly relevant when the basic formulations to be successively processed contain raw materials which adversely affect or even neutralize one another. One example are optical brighteners which are present in heavy-duty detergents, but are undesirable in detergents for colored fabrics. Accordingly, in the event of a product change from heavy-duty detergents to detergents for colored fabrics, the entire installation, including all the following process stages and all the filter units, from which filter dust is recycled into the process, have to be laboriously and expensively cleaned. It is much simpler and, hence, standard practice to incorporate finely crystalline brighteners in the aftertreatment stage.
Compact detergents are normally aftertreated in the same way except that the spray-dried basic powder is replaced by granules produced by pelleting, extrusion, roller compacting or other processes. However, product changes in the case of compact detergents are attended by the same problems as described above. One or more components) present in small quantities in the first product, but unwanted in the second product (for example optical brighteners) have to be removed from the installation as a whole, so that the installation has to be shut down and carefully cleaned.
The problems which this involves necessitate separately adding one or more such components) which in tum raises the problem of their homogeneous distribution in the product. By comparison with powder-form detergents, detergents in particle form (granules, beads etc.) have to be made up in special ways in order to counteract subsequent separation of the components added in only small quantities. One way of achieving is, for example, to adapt the particle size to that of the granules, as disclosed for example in DE-A-19632284 and in DE-A-19847569. In addition, DE A-19855676 and DE-A-19855677 disclose adjusting the particle size of detergent additive components added in small quantities in such a way that they adhere as powders to the surface of the granules. Despite these measures, the necessary uniform distribution of the additive added in small quantities, as obtainable in spray drying, cannot be achieved with acceptable outlay on equipment. On the contrary, the addition of powder-s form optical brightener in the aftertreatment of detergent beads in order to make the brightener adhere to the surface of the particles, as disclosed in the above-cited DE-A-19855677, leads to undesirably broad variations in the concentration of the brightener in different product batches. Tests with detergent tablets have produced comparable results.
Against the background of this prior art, the problem addressed by the present invention was to provide a detergent portion which would contain additives added in small quantities in reliably uniformly distributed concentrations, even when these additives are only added during the aftertreatment of the product. In particular, variations in concentration would be kept to the minimum levels hitherto only achieved with spray-dried products by adding such additives via the slurry.
Another problem addressed by the invention was to provide detergent portions in which heat-sensitive detergent components, which are only required and present in low concentrations, but which cannot be added via the slung, such as enzymes for example, would be uniformly distributed in the detergent portions without any significant variations in concentration occurring within a product batch.
Another problem addressed by the present invention was to assign a function in the formulation as a whole to the flat plastic wrapper which is normally used for active-substance portion packs in the field of detergents or cleaners.
Summary of the Invention Thus, in one embodiment of the invention, the plastic wrapper contains additives which are only required in small quantities in the preparations and which can be uniformly dosed with high precision through = CA 02312157 2000-06-23 their incorporation in the wrapper. In another embodiment of the invention, use is made of the fact that high molecular weight substances, such as the polymers used for making plastic films, generally dissolve more slowly than low molecular weight substances. Thus, on the one hand, the release of the additives only begins significantly at the dissolving temperature of the film and, on the other hand, the release of the additives present in the film can be delayed by the dissolving kinetics.
Accordingly, the present invention relates to an active-substance portion pack comprising at least one washing or dishwashing or cleaning preparation and at least one wrapper completely or partly surrounding at least one washing or dishwashing or cleaning preparation, wherein the wrapper is soluble under washing, dishwashing or cleaning conditions and contains at least one individual component of the washing or dishwashing or cleaning preparation in bound form.
More particularly, the present invention relates to an active-substance portion pack which contains a washing preparation and a flat plastic part completely or at least predominantly surrounding the preparation, characterized in that individual components which control the effectiveness of the washing preparation or increase its consumer acceptance (additives) are completely or predominantly present in physically bound form in the flat plastic part.
The present invention also relates to a process for the production of active-substance portion packs or at least one washing or dishwashing or cleaning preparation and at least one wrapper completely or partly surrounding at least one washing or dishwashing or cleaning preparation, wherein one or more wrapper materials) is/are converted into a liquid form, a finely dispersible preparation of at least one individual component of the washing or dishwashing or cleaning preparation is added to the liquid wrapper material(s), the mixture is processed to a flat material and the washing or dishwashing or cleaning preparation is completely or partly ' 7 wrapped in the flat material.
Finally, the present invention relates to a washing process, wherein an active-substance portion pack according to the following detailed description is placed in a washing machine and, by addition of water and heating of the wash liquor beyond the dissolving point of the wrapper, the additives present in the wrapper are released through dissolution thereof and to a machine dishwashing process, wherein an active-substance portion pack according to the following detailed description is placed in the metering compartment of a dishwashing machine and, by addition of water and release of the active-substance portion pack from the dispensing compartment, the additives are released through dissolution of the wrapper and to a machine dishwashing process using an active-substance portion pack according to the invention, wherein a wrapper which only dissolves in water at temperatures above room temperature is used, the dishwashing detergent preparation is placed in the interior of the dishwashing machine and, by addition of water and heating of the wash liquor beyond the dissolving point of the wrapper, the additives present in the wrapper are released through dissolution thereof.
Detailed Description of the Invention An "active-substance portion pack" in the context of the present invention is understood to be a dose of a laundry detergent, dishwashing detergent or cleaner which is sufficient for a washing or cleaning process taking place in an aqueous phase. This may be, for example, a machine washing or dishwashing process carried out in commercially available washing or dishwashing machines. However, the expression "active-substance portion pack" is also understood to encompass handwashing (carried out for example in a handwashing basin or in a bowl) or manual dishwashing or any other washing or cleaning process. According to the invention, the active-substance portion packs are preferably used in machine washing or cleaning processes or in machine dishwashing processes.
According to the invention, the active-substance portion packs contain measured quantities of at least one washing or dishwashing or cleaning preparation, normally measured quantities of several washing or dishwashing or cleaning preparations. The active-substance portion packs may only contain washing or dishwashing or cleaning preparations having a particular composition. According to the invention, however, several, normally at least two, washing or dishwashing or cleaning preparations differing in their composition are preferably present in the active-substance portion packs. The composition may differ both in regard to the concentration of the individual components of the washing or dishwashing or cleaning preparation (i.e. quantitatively) and/or in regard to the nature of the individual components of the laundry or dishwashing detergent or cleaning preparation (i.e. qualitatively). In one particularly preferred embodiment, the components are adapted in regard to type and concentration to the functions the active-substance portion packs are intended to perform in the washing or dishwashing or cleaning cycle.
According to the present invention, the part-portions are preferably the first, second and optionally third or even fourth, fifth etc. measured quantities of one or more washing or dishwashing or cleaning preparations which are wrapped in the same or different water-soluble materials and which are combined to form an active-substance portion pack according to the invention.
According to the invention, the active-substance portion packs comprise at least one washing or dishwashing or cleaning preparation. In the context of the present invention, the expressions "washing preparation", "dishwashing preparation" and "cleaning preparation" - these expressions are sometimes used interchangeably in the present specification - are understood to be preparations of any conceivable substances that are relevant to a washing or dishwashing or cleaning process. These are ' 9 primarily the actual detergents or cleaning formulations themselves with their individual components explained in more detail hereinafter. These include such active ingredients as surfactants (anionic, nonionic, cationic and amphoteric surfactants), builders (inorganic and organic builders), bleaching agents (for example peroxo bleaching and chlorine bleaching agents), bleach activators, bleach stabilizers, bleach catalysts, enzymes, special polymers (for example those with co-builder properties), redeposition inhibitors, dyes and perfumes, although the expression in question is by no means confined to substances belonging to these groups.
However, the expression "washing or dishwashing or cleaning preparations" is also understood to encompass washing and cleaning aids such as, for example, optical brighteners, UV filters, soil repellents, i.e.
polymers which counteract the resoiling of fibers and hard surfaces, and silver corrosion inhibitors. Laundry treatment compositions, such as fabric softeners, and dishwasher detergent additives, such as rinse aids, are also regarded as washing or dishwashing or cleaning preparations in the context of the present invention.
According to the invention, the active-substance portion pack - in addition to the washing or dishwashing or cleaning preparation - also contains at least one wrapper completely or partly surrounding at least one washing or dishwashing or cleaning preparation. This wrapper has to be soluble in the particular system, for example in a wash liquor, dishwashing liquor or cleaning liquor, under washing, dishwashing or cleaning conditions and must contain at least one individual component of the washing, dishwashing or cleaning preparation in bound form.
In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the wrapper comprises a water-soluble polymer material. The wrapper is preferably a flat plastic part and, more preferably, a plastic pack. Plastic capsules or bottles are preferred, packs in the form of a water-soluble polymer film being particularly preferred. Among the plastic film packs, adhesively bonded and/or sealed plastic film packs are preferred. In one particularly advantageous embodiment, the wrapper is a water-soluble polymer film bonded with a water-soluble adhesive.
Such films are known in principle from the prior art and belong, for example, to the group consisting of (optionally acetalized) polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, water-soluble polyacrylates, water-soluble poly-urethanes, polyethylene oxide, gelatine, cellulose and mixtures thereof.
Polyvinyl alcohols, referred to in short as PVALs, are polymers with the following general structure:
[-CH2-CH(OH)-]~
which also contain small amounts of structural units of the following type:
[-CH2-CH(OH)-CH(OH)-CH2]
Since the corresponding monomer, vinyl alcohol, is not stable in free form, polyvinyl alcohols are produced via polymer-analog reactions by hydrolysis and - on an industrial scale - above all by alkali-catalyzed transesterification of polyvinyl acetates with alcohols (preferably methanol) in solution.
PVALs with a predetermined residual percentage of acetate groups -occasionally also referred to as "acetalized PVALs" - can also be obtained by these industrial processes.
Commercially available PVALs (for example Mowiol~ types, products of Hoechst) are marketed as white-yellowish powders or granules with degrees of polymerization of ca. 500 to 2,500 (corresponding to molecular weights of ca. 10,000 to 100,000 g/mole) and have different degrees of hydrolysis starting at around 70 mole-%, for example of 98-99 or 87-89 mole-%. Accordingly, they are partly saponified polyvinyl acetates with a residual content of acetyl groups of ca. 1-2 or 11-13 mole-%.

The solubility of PVAL in water can be reduced and thus selectively adjusted to required values by aftertreatment with aldehydes (acetalization), by complexing with Ni or Cu salts or by treatment with dichromates, boric acid, borax. Films of PVAL are largely impervious to gases, such as oxygen, nitrogen, helium, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, but are permeable to water vapor.
Examples of suitable water-soluble PVAL films are the PVAL films obtainable under the name of "SOLUBLONO" from Syntana Handelsgesellschaft E. Harke GmbH & Co. Their solubility in water can be very precisely adjusted and films of this product series soluble in water in all the temperature ranges relevant to practical application are obtainable.
Polyvinyl pyrrolidones, referred to in short as PVPs, correspond to the following general formula:

N
~O
n PVPs are produced by radical polymerization of 1-vinyl pyrrolidone.
Commercially available PVPs have molecular weights of ca. 2,500 to 750,000 g/mole and are commercially available as white hygroscopic powders or as aqueous solutions.
Polyethylene oxides, referred to in short as PEOXs, are polyalkylene glycols corresponding to the following general formula:
H-[O-C H2-C H2J~-O H
which are produced on an industrial scale by base-catalyzed polyaddition of ethylene oxide (oxirane) with ethylene glycol as starter molecule in ' 12 systems generally containing small quantities of water. They have molecular weights in the range from ca. 200 to 5,000,000 g/mole, corresponding to degrees of polymerization n of ca. 5 to >100,000.
Polyethylene oxides have an extremely low concentration of reactive terminal hydroxy groups and possess only weak glycol properties.
Gelatine is a polypeptide (molecular weight ca. 15,000 - >250,000 g/mole) which is mainly obtained by hydrolysis of the collagen present in the skin and bones of animals under acidic or alkaline conditions. The amino acid composition of gelatin largely corresponds to that of the collagen from which it was obtained and varies according to its provenance. The use of gelatine as a water-soluble capsule material is particularly widespread in pharmacy (hard or soft gelatine capsules).
Gelatine is rarely used in the form of films on account of its high price compared with the polymers mentioned above.
Other preferred portioned detergent compositions according to the present invention are those of which the bag consists of water-soluble film of at least one polymer from the group of starch and starch derivatives, cellulose and cellulose derivatives, more especially methyl cellulose and mixtures thereof.
Starch is a homoglycan in which the glucose units are attached by a-glycoside bonds. Starch is made up of two components of different molecular weight, namely ca. 20-30% straight-chain amylose (molecular weight ca. 50,000 to 150,000) and 70-80% of branched-chain amylopectin (molecular weight ca. 300,000 to 2,000,000). Small quantities of lipids, phosphoric acid and cations are also present. Whereas the amylose - on account of the bond in the 1,4-position - forms long, helical entwisted chains containing about 300 to 1,200 glucose molecules, the amylopectin chain branches through a 1,6-bond after - on average - 25 glucose units to form a branch-like structure containing about 1,500 to 12,000 glucose molecules. Besides pure starch, starch derivatives obtainable from starch ' 13 by polymer-analog reactions may also be used in accordance with the invention for the production of water-soluble bags. Such chemically modified starches include, for example, products of esterification or etherification reactions in which hydroxy hydrogen atoms were substituted.
However, starches in which the hydroxy groups have been replaced by functional groups that are not attached by an oxygen atom may also be used as starch derivatives. The group of starch derivatives includes, for example, alkali metal starches, carboxymethyl starch (CMS), starch esters and ethers and amino starches.
Pure cellulose has the formal empirical composition (C6H~o05)n and, in formal terms, is a ~i-1,4-polyacetal of cellobiose which, in turn, is made up of two molecules of glucose. Suitable celluloses consist of ca. 500 to 5,000 glucose units and, accordingly, have average molecular weights of 50,000 to 500,000. Other cellulose-based disintegrating agents which may be used in accordance with the present invention are cellulose derivatives obtainable from cellulose by polymer-analog reactions. Such chemically modified celluloses include, for example, products of esteri~cation or etherification reactions in which hydroxy hydrogen atoms were substituted.
However, celluloses in which the hydroxy groups have been replaced by functional groups that are not attached by an oxygen atom may also be used as cellulose derivatives. The group of cellulose derivatives includes, for example, alkali metal celluloses, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), cellulose esters and ethers and also aminocelluloses.
Preferred wrappers of water-soluble film consist of a polymer with a molecular weight in the range from 5,000 to 500,000 dalton, preferably in the range from 7,500 to 250,000 dalton and more preferably in the range from 10,000 to 100,000 dalton. The water soluble film which forms the bag has a thickness of 1 to 150 Nm, preferably 2 to 100 arm, more preferably 5 to 75 Nm and most preferably 10 to 50 Nm.
The water-soluble films may be produced by various processes. In F

principle, they may be produced by blowing, calendering and casting processes. In one preferred process, which starts out from a melt and uses a blowing mandrel, the films are blown with air to form a tube. In the calendering process, which is another preferred production process, the raw materials plasticized by suitable additives are sprayed to form the films.
It may be necessary in the calendering process to dry the films after spraying, In the casting process, which is another preferred production process, an aqueous polymer preparation is applied to a heatable drying roller, optionally cooled after evaporation of the water and the film formed is removed from the roller. This film may optionally be powdered before or during its removal from the roller. Depending on the stability or rather the processability of the additives to be used, individual representatives of the processes described here may be particularly preferred for special functionalized ~Ims.
According to the invention, the flat plastic parts of the active-substance portion pack contain individual components (additives) of the washing-active preparation. In one particularly preferred embodiment, the individual components) is/are components which control the effectiveness of the washing, dishwashing or cleaning preparations) or increase its/their consumer acceptance. Such components are frequently refer-ed to as additives both in the present specification and in the claims. In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, additives which are only required in small quantities in the washing, dishwashing or cleaning preparations and which are therefore difficult to dose are incorporated.
Additives which, together with the constituent material of the plastic ~Im, produce a positive increase in washing or cleaning performance may also be incorporated. Besides these performance additives, perfumes may also be incorporated. Where perfumes are incorporated, however, it is important to take suitable measures to prevent their premature volatilization. Such measures include, for example, encapsulating the v CA 02312157 2000-06-23 perfumes or embedding the perfumes in a matrix. In particular, polymers related to or even identical with the film materials may be used to protect the perfumes. In another preferred embodiment, however, the perfumes may even be released before the product is actually used. In this case, the perfumes are used to provide the packaged product itself with a pleasant perfume.
A preferred group of additives to be used in accordance with the invention are optical brighteners. The optical brighteners normally present in detergents, as individually named hereinafter, may be used. They are added in the form of an aqueous solution or in the form of a solution in an organic solvent to the polymer solution which is converted into the film.
Another preferred group of additives to be used in accordance with the invention are dye transfer inhibitors. Dye transfer inhibitors are special polymers which normally contain nitrogen-containing monomers. Many different compounds suitable for use in detergents are known to the expert in this field.
Another preferred group of additives according to the invention are UV filters. UV filters are substances which are released in the washing process or in the subsequent fabric softening process in the wash liquor and which accumulate on the fibers where they then develop a UV-filtering effect. Suitable UV filters are, for example, the products commercially available under the name of Tinosorb from Ciba Speciality Chemicals.
Other possible additives preferred for special embodiments are surfactants which are capable in particular of influencing the solubility of the film and of controlling its wettability and also the formation of foam during dissolution of the film, foam inhibitors and bitter substances which can prevent children from accidentally swallowing the packs in question or parts thereof.
Another preferred group of additives according to the present invention are dyes, more particularly water-soluble or water-dispersible dyes. Dyes of the type normally used to improve visual product appeal in laundry and dishwashing detergents are preferred.
Another class of additives which may be added to the plastic parts in accordance with the invention are polymers. Suitable polymers are, on the one hand, polymers which show co-builder properties during washing, dishwashing or cleaning, i.e. for example polyacrylic acids, modified polyacrylic acids and corresponding copolymers. Another group of polymers are polyvinyl pyrrolidone and other redeposition inhibitors, such as copolymers of polyvinyl pyrrolidone, cellulose ethers and the like. In another embodiment of the invention, the polymers may also be soil repellents. Soil repellents are polymers which are absorbed onto fibers or hard surfaces where they counteract resoiling. Relevant compounds of this type are known to the expert on detergents. They are polyesters of terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol partly modified with sulfonic acid groups.
Another group of additives are bleach catalysts, more particularly bleach catalysts for dishwasher detergents or laundry detergents.
Complexes of manganese and cobalt, more particularly with nitrogen-containing ligands, are used for this purpose.
Another preferred group of additives according to the invention are silver corrosion inhibitors which may be selected from a number of mostly cyclic organic compounds which are also familiar to the expert on detergents.
Another preferred group of additives are enzymes, more particularly the enzymes described in detail and named by way of example in the following. Enzymes are incompatible or only conditionally compatible with a number of washing, dishwashing and cleaning components, so that efforts have already been made to find ways of separating them from the remaining formulation of a washing or dishwashing detergent. In addition, attempts have long been made to make enzymes available at certain, ' 17 precisely definable times in the washing or dishwashing process so that their activity may be optimally utilized from the perspectives of temperature, pH and other process parameters. According to the invention, this is possible when enzymes are incorporated in the water-soluble polymer material of the wrapper(s).
Another preferred group of additives are the phosphonates, more particularly hydroxyalkane and aminoalkane phosphonates. Among the hydroxyalkane phosphonates, 1-hydroxyethane-1,1-diphosphonate (HEDP) is particularly important as a co-builder. It is preferably used in the form of a sodium salt, the disodium salt showing a neutral reaction and the tetrasodium salt an alkaline reaction (pH 9). Preferred aminoalkane phosphonates are ethylenediamine tetramethylene phosphonate (EDTMP), diethylenetriamine pentamethylene phosphonate (DTPMP) and higher homologs thereof. They are preferably used in the form of the neutrally reacting sodium salts, for example as the hexasodium salt of EDTMP and as the hepta- and octasodium salt of DTPMP. Within the class of phosphonates, HEDP is preferably used as builder. The aminoalkane phosphonates also show a pronounced heavy metal binding capacity.
Accordingly, it can be of advantage to use aminoalkane phosphonates, more especially DTPMP, or mixtures of the phosphonates mentioned.
Other useful organic co-builders are, for example, the polycarboxylic acids usable, for example, in the form of their sodium salts, such as citric acid, adipic acid, succinic acid, glutaric acid, tartaric acid, sugar acids, aminocarboxylic acids, nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA), providing their use is not ecologically unsafe, and mixtures thereof. Preferred salts are the salts of the polycarboxylic acids, such as citric acid, adipic acid, succinic acid, glutaric acid, tartaric acid, sugar acids and mixtures thereof. The acids per se may also be used.
Other suitable organic co-builders are dextrins, for example oligomers or polymers of carbohydrates which may be obtained by partial hydrolysis of starches.
Other preferred builders are polymeric aminodicarboxylic acids, salts or precursors thereof. Particular preference is attributed to polyaspartic acids or salts and derivatives thereof which, according to German patent application DE-A-195 40 086, are also said to have a bleach-stabilizing effect in addition to their co-builder properties.
Other suitable builders are polyacetals which may be obtained by reaction of dialdehydes with polyol carboxylic acids. Preferred polyacetals are obtained from dialdehydes, such as glyoxal, glutaraldehyde, terephthal-aldehyde and mixtures thereof and from polyol carboxylic acids, such as gluconic acid and/or glucoheptonic acid.
Other suitable co-builders are oxydisuccinates and other derivatives of disuccinates, preferably ethylenediamine disuccinate.
Other useful organic co-builders are, for example, acetylated hydroxycarboxylic acids and salts thereof which may optionally be present in lactone form and which contain at least 4 carbon atoms, at least one hydroxy group and at most two acid groups.
Suitable polymeric polycarboxylates are, for example, sodium salts of polyacrylic acid or polymethacrylic acid, for example those with a relative molecular weight of 800 to 150,000 (based on acid). Suitable copolymeric polycarboxylates are, in particular, those of acrylic acid with methacrylic acid and of acrylic acid or methacrylic acid with malefic acid.
Another preferred group of additives are redeposition inhibitors. The function of redeposition inhibitors is to keep the soil detached from the fibers suspended in the wash liquor and thus to prevent the soil from being re-absorbed by the washing. Suitable redeposition inhibitors are water-soluble, generally organic colloids, for example the water-soluble salts of polymeric carboxylic acids, glue, gelatine, salts of ether sulfonic acids of starch or cellulose or salts of acidic sulfuric acid esters of cellulose or starch. Water-soluble polyamides containing acidic groups are also _ CA 02312157 2000-06-23 suitable for this purpose. Soluble starch preparations and other starch products than those mentioned above, for example degraded starch, aldehyde starches, etc., may also be used. Polyvinyl pyrrolidone is also suitable. However, cellulose ethers, such as carboxymethyl cellulose (sodium salt), methyl cellulose, hydroxyalkyl cellulose, and mixed ethers, such as methyl hydroxyethyl cellulose, methyl hydroxypropyl cellulose, methyl carboxymethyl cellulose and mixtures thereof, are preferably used.
However, laundry or dishwashing detergents and washing aids such as, in particular, builder or bleach compositions may be used as washing preparations. According to the invention, laundry treatment formulations and dishwasher detergent additives, such as rinse aids, are also regarded as washing preparations.
The water-soluble polymer materials or plastic parts may also contain components which have a positive effect on the removability of oil and fats from textiles by washing (so-called soil repellents). This effect becomes particularly clear when a textile which has already been repeatedly washed with a detergent according to the invention containing this oil- and fat-dissolving component is soiled. Preferred oil- and fat-dissolving components include, for example, nonionic cellulose ethers, such as methyl cellulose and methyl hydroxypropyl cellulose containing 15 to 30% by weight of methoxyl groups and 1 to 15% by weight of hydroxypropoxyl groups, based on the nonionic cellulose ether, and the polymers of phthalic acid and/or terephthalic acid known from the prior art or derivatives thereof, more particularly polymers of ethylene terephthalates and/or polyethylene glycol terephthalates or anionically and/or nonionically modified derivatives thereof. Of these, the sulfonated derivatives of phthalic and terephthalic acid polymers are particularly preferred.
All these additives are added to the flat plastic parts according to the invention in quantities of up to 60% by weight, preferably in quantities of up to at most 30% by weight and, with particular advantage, in quantities of 2 to 20% by weight. In order to balance the formulation, therefore, the expert may increase the weight of the plastic part in order either to utilize the storage effect obtained in accordance with the invention or additionally to keep the additives mentioned at least partly in the rest of the washing preparation.
The present invention also relates to processes for producing the active-substance portion packs. These processes start out from liquid forms, for example melts or solutions, of the wrapper material or the wrapper materials, preferably from solutions in a suitable solvent. In particularly preferred embodiments, this solvent is water. According to the invention, a finely dispersible preparation of at least one individual component or at least one additive of a washing, dishwashing or cleaning preparation is added to the liquid wrapper material(s). The mixture is then processed to a flat material by methods known per se familiar to the expert in this field. The flat material thus obtained is used completely or partly to wrap one or more washing, dishwashing or cleaning preparations and thus largely to shield the preparations) against outside influences.
In one particularly preferred embodiment of the process according to the invention, a finely dispersible preparation of one or more additives is added to the conventionally obtained melt or to a solution, preferably an aqueous solution, of the wrapper material(s). In one particularly preferred embodiment, the additives) is/are present in fine-particle form where a melt of the wrapper material is used. If the wrapper materials are present in the form of a solution, more particularly an aqueous solution, the additives) is/are added in the form of solutions or in the form of a dispersion in the solvent used, preferably water. In one particular embodiment, aqueous solutions or dispersions of the additives may be added to the aqueous solutions of one or more polyvinyl alcohols used as starting material.
The active-substance portion packs, more particularly the detergent portions according to the invention, contain one or more ingredients from the group of surfactants, surfactant compounds, builders, bleaching agents, bleach activators, enzymes, foam inhibitors, dyes and fragrances and also binders and disintegration aids. These classes of ingredients are described in the following.
In order to develop their washing effect, the portioned detergent compositions according to the invention contain surfactants from the group of anionic, nonionic, zwitterionic or cationic surfactants, anionic surfactants being greatly preferred both for economic reasons and by virtue of their performance spectrum.
Suitable anionic surfactants are, for example, those of the sulfonate and sulfate type. Suitable surfactants of the sulfonate type are preferably C~~3 alkyl benzenesulfonates, olefin sulfonates, i.e. mixtures of alkene and hydroxyalkane sulfonates, and the disulfonates obtained, for example, from C~2_~8 monoolefins with an internal or terminal double bond by sulfonation with gaseous sulfur trioxide and subsequent alkaline or acidic hydrolysis of the sulfonation products. Other suitable surfactants of the sulfonate type are the alkane sulfonates obtained from C~2_~a alkanes, for example by sulfochlorination or sulfoxidation and subsequent hydrolysis or neutralization. The esters of a-sulfofatty acids (ester sulfonates), for example the a-sulfonated methyl esters of hydrogenated coconut oil, palm kernel oil or tallow fatty acids, are also suitable.
Other suitable anionic surfactants are sulfonated fatty acid glycerol esters. Fatty acid glycerol esters in the context of the present invention are the monoesters, diesters and triesters and mixtures thereof which are obtained where production is carried out by esterification of a monoglycerol with 1 to 3 moles of fatty acid or in the transesterification of triglycerides with 0.3 to 2 moles of glycerol. Preferred sulfonated fatty acid glycerol esters are the sulfonation products of saturated fatty acids containing 6 to 22 carbon atoms, for example caproic acid, caprylic acid, capric acid, myristic acid, lauric acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid or behenic acid.
Preferred alk(en)yl sulfates are the alkali metal salts and, in particular, the sodium salts of the sulfuric acid semiesters of C,2_~8 fatty alcohols, for example cocofatty alcohol, tallow fatty alcohol, lauryl, myristyl, cetyl or stearyl alcohol, or C~o-2o oxoalcohols and the corresponding semiesters of secondary alcohols with the same chain length. Other preferred alk(en)yl sulfates are those with the chain length mentioned which contain a synthetic, linear alkyl chain based on a petrochemical and which are similar in their degradation behavior to the corresponding compounds based on oleochemical raw materials. C~2-~s alkyl sulfates, C~2_~5 alkyl sulfates and C~4_~5 alkyl sulfates are preferred from the point of view of washing technology. Other suitable anionic surfactants are 2,3-alkyl sulfates which may be produced, for example, in accordance with US

3,234,258 or US 5,075,041 and which are commerially obtainable as products of the Shell Oil Company under the name of DANO.
The sulfuric acid monoesters of linear or branched C~_2~ alcohols ethoxylated with 1 to 6 moles of ethylene oxide, such as 2-methyl-branched C~~~ alcohols containing on average 3.5 moles of ethylene oxide (EO) or C~2_~$ fatty alcohols containing 1 to 4 EO, are also suitable. In view of their high foaming capacity, they are only used in relatively small quantities, for example in quantities of 1 to 5% by weight, in detergents.
Other preferred anionic surfactants are the salts of alkyl sulfosuccinic acid which are also known as sulfosuccinates or as sulfosuccinic acid esters and which represent monoesters and/or diesters of sulfosuccinic acid with alcohols, preferably fatty alcohols and, more particularly, ethoxylated fatty alcohols. Preferred sulfosuccinates contain C&~8 fatty alcohol residues or mixtures thereof. Particularly preferred sulfosuccinates contain a fatty alcohol residue derived from ethoxylated fatty alcohols which, considered in isolation, represent nonionic surfactants (for a description, see below). Of these sulfosuccinates, those of which the ' 23 fatty alcohol residues are derived from narrow-range ethoxylated fatty alcohols are particularly preferred. Alk(en)yl succinic acid preferably containing 8 to 18 carbon atoms in the alk(en)yl chain or salts thereof may also be used.
Other suitable anionic surfactants are, in particular, soaps. Suitable soaps are saturated fatty acid soaps, such as the salts of lauric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, hydrogenated erucic acid and behenic acid, and soap mixtures derived in particular from natural fatty acids, for example coconut oil, palm kernel oil or tallow fatty acids.
The anionic surfactants, including the soaps, may be present in the form of their sodium, potassium or ammonium salts and as soluble salts of organic bases, such as mono-, di- or triethanolamine. The anionic surfactants are preferably present in the form of their sodium or potassium salts and, more preferably, in the form of their sodium salts. In another embodiment of the invention, surfactants are used in the form of their magnesium salts.
According to the invention, preferred portioned detergent compositions are those which contain 5 to 50% by weight, preferably 7.5 to 40% by weight and more preferably 15 to 25% by weight of anionic surfactant(s), based on the detergent composition.
So far as the choice of anionic surfactants used in the portioned detergent compositions according to the invention is concerned, there are no basic requirements to restrict the freedom of formulation. However, preferred portioned detergent compositions do have a soap content in excess of 0.2% by weight, based on the total weight of the detergent composition. Preferred anionic surfactants are alkyl benzenesulfonates and fatty alcohol sulfates, preferred detergent compositions containing 2 to 20% by weight, preferably 2.5 to 15% by weight and more preferably 5 to 10% by weight of fatty alcohol sulfate(s), based on the weight of the detergent composition.

Preferred nonionic surfactants are alkoxylated, advantageously ethoxylated, more especially primary alcohols preferably containing 8 to 18 carbon atoms and, on average, 1 to 12 moles of ethylene oxide (EO) per mole of alcohol, in which the alcohol radical may be linear or, preferably, methyl-branched in the 2-position or may contain linear and methyl-branched radicals in the form of the mixtures typically present in oxoalcohol radicals. However, alcohol ethoxylates containing linear radicals of alcohols of native origin with 12 to 18 carbon atoms, for example coconut oil, palm oil, tallow fatty or oleyl alcohol, and on average 2 to 8 EO per mole of alcohol are particularly preferred. Preferred ethoxylated alcohols include, for example, C~2_~4 alcohols containing 3 EO or 4 EO, Cg~~ alcohol containing 7 EO, C~~~5 alcohols containing 3 EO, 5 EO, 7 EO or 8 EO, C~2_~8 alcohols containing 3 EO, 5 EO or 7 EO and mixtures thereof, such as mixtures of C~2_~4 alcohol containing 3 EO and C~2_~$ alcohol containing 5 EO. The degrees of ethoxylation mentioned represent statistical mean values which, for a special product, can be a whole number or a broken number. Preferred alcohol ethoxylates have a narrow homolog distribution (narrow range ethoxylates, NRE). In addition to these nonionic surfactants, fatty alcohols containing more than 12 EO may also be used, examples including tallow fatty alcohol containing 14 EO, 25 EO, 30 EO or 40 EO.
Another class of prefer-ed nonionic surfactants which may be used either as sole nonionic surfactant or in combination with other nonionic surfactants are alkoxylated, preferably ethoxylated or ethoxylated and propoxylated, fatty acid alkyl esters preferably containing 1 to 4 carbon atoms in the alkyl chain, more especially the fatty acid methyl esters which are described, for example, in Japanese patent application JP 581217598 or which are preferably produced by the process described in International patent application WO A-90113533.
Another class of nonionic surfactants which may advantageously be used are the alkyl polyglycosides (APGs). Suitable alkyl polyglycosides correspond to the general formula RO(G~ where R is a linear or branched, more particularly 2-methyl-branched, saturated or unsaturated aliphatic radical containing 8 to 22 and preferably 12 to 18 carbon atoms and G
stands for a glycose unit containing 5 or 6 carbon atoms, preferably 5 glucose. The degree of glycosidation is between 1.0 and 4.0, preferably between 1.0 and 2.0 and more preferably between 1.1 and 1.4.
Linear alkyl polyglucosides, i.e. alkyl polyglycosides in which the polyglycosyl component is a glucose unit and the alkyl component is an n-alkyl group, are preferably used.
10 The detergent compositions according to the invention may advantageously contain alkyl polyglycosides, APG contents in the detergent compositions of more than 0.2% by weight, based on the press-agglomerated detergent as a whole, being preferred. Particularly preferred detergent compositions contain APGs in quantities of 0.2 to 10% by weight, 15 preferably in quantities of 0.2 to 5% by weight and more preferably in quantities of 0.5 to 3% by weight.
Nonionic surfactants of the amine oxide type, for example N-cocoalkyl-N,N-dimethylamine oxide and N-tallowalkyl-N,N-dihydroxyethyl-amine oxide, and the fatty acid alkanolamide type are also suitable. The 20 quantity in which these nonionic surfactants are used is preferably no more than the quantity in which the ethoxylated fatty alcohols are used and, more preferably, no more than half that quantity.
Other suitable surfactants are polyhydroxyfatty acid amides corresponding to formula (I):
R~
R-CO-N-[Z] (I) in which RCO is an aliphatic acyl group containing 6 to 22 carbon atoms, R' is hydrogen, an alkyl or hydroxyalkyl group containing 1 to 4 carbon atoms and [Z] is a linear or branched polyhydroxyalkyl group containing 3 to 10 carbon atoms and 3 to 10 hydroxyl groups. The polyhydroxyfatty acid amides are known substances which may normally be obtained by reductive amination of a reducing sugar with ammonia, an alkylamine or an alkanolamine and subsequent acylation with a fatty acid, a fatty acid alkyl ester or a fatty acid chloride.
The group of polyhydroxyfatty acid amides also includes compounds corresponding to formula (II):
R~-O-R2 R-CO-N-[Z] ( I I ) in which R is a linear or branched alkyl or alkenyl group containing 7 to 12 carbon atoms, R' is a linear, branched or cyclic alkyl group or an aryl group containing 2 to 8 carbon atoms and R2 is a linear, branched or cyclic alkyl group or an aryl group or an oxyalkyl group containing 1 to 8 carbon atoms, C~.~ alkyl or phenyl groups being preferred, and [Z] is a linear polyhydroxy-alkyl group, of which the alkyl chain is substituted by at least two hydroxyl groups, or alkoxylated, preferably ethoxylated or propoxylated, derivatives of that group.
[Z] is preferably obtained by reductive amination of a reduced sugar, for example glucose, fructose, maltose, lactose, galactose, mannose or xylose. The N-alkoxy- or N-aryloxy-substituted compounds may then be converted into the required polyhydroxyfatty acid amides by reaction with fatty acid methyl esters in the presence of an alkoxide as catalyst, for example in accordance with the teaching of International patent application WO-A-95107331.
In another preferred embodiment, cationic surfactants may be used in addition to anionic and nonionic surfactants. They are mainly used as detergency boosters and need only be used in small quantities. If cationic surfactants are used, they are present in the detergents in quantities of preferably 0.01 to 10% by weight and more preferably in quantities of 0.1 to r CA 02312157 2000-06-23 ' 2?
3.0% by weight.
In cases where the active-substance portion packs or detergent/cleaner portions according to the invention are laundry detergents, they normally contain one or more surfactants) in total quantities of 5 to 50% by weight and preferably 10 to 35% by weight, surfactants optionally being present in relatively large or relatively small quantities in part-portions of the laundry detergent portions according to the invention. In other words, the quantity of surfactant is not the same in all portions, instead part-portions with a relatively large surfactant content and part-portions with a relatively small surfactant content may be provided.
In cases where the active-substance portion packs or detergent/cleaner portions according to the invention are cleaning compositions, more particularly dishwashing detergents, they normally contain one or more surfactants in total quantities of 0.1 to 10% by weight and preferably in quantities of 0.5 to 5% by weight, surfactants optionally being present in relatively large or relatively small quantities in part-portions of the laundry detergent portions according to the invention. In other words, with dishwashing detergents also, the quantity of surfactant is not the same in all portions, instead part-portions with a relatively large surfactant content and part-portions with a relatively small surfactant content may be provided.
Besides the washing-active ingredients, builders are the most important ingredients of detergents. Any of the builders normally used in detergents may be present in the detergent compositions according to the invention, including in particular zeolites, silicates, carbonates, organic co-builders and also - providing there are no ecological objections to their use - phosphates.
Suitable crystalline layer-form sodium silicates correspond to the general formula Na2MSiX02X+~y H20, where M is sodium or hydrogen, x is a number of 1.9 to 4 and y is a number of 0 to 20, preferred values for x = CA 02312157 2000-06-23 ' 28 being 2, 3 or 4. Crystalline layer silicates such as these are described, for example, in European patent application EP-A-0 164 514. Preferred crystalline layer silicates corresponding to the above formula are those in which M is sodium and x assumes the value 2 or 3. Both ~- and 8-sodium disilicates Na2Si205y H20 are particularly preferred, ~-sodium disilicate being obtainable, for example, by the process described in International patent application WO-A- 91!08171.
Other useful builders are amorphous sodium silicates with a modulus (Na20:Si02 ratio) of 1:2 to 1:3.3, preferably 1:2 to 1:2.8 and more preferably 1:2 to 1:2.6 which dissolve with delay and exhibit multiple wash cycle properties. The delay in dissolution in relation to conventional amorphous sodium silicates can have been obtained in various ways, for example by surface treatment, compounding, compacting or by overdrying.
In the context of the invention, the term "amorphous" is also understood to encompass "X-ray amorphous". In other words, the silicates do not produce any of the sharp X-ray reflexes typical of crystalline substances in X-ray diffraction experiments, but at best one or more maxima of the scattered X-radiation which have a width of several degrees of the diffraction angle. However, particularly good builder properties may even be achieved where the silicate particles produce crooked or even sharp diffraction maxima in electron diffraction experiments. This may be interpreted to mean that the products have microcrystalline regions between 10 and a few hundred nm in size, values of up to at most 50 nm and, more particularly, up to at most 20 nm being preferred. So-called X-ray amorphous silicates such as these, which also dissolve with delay in relation to conventional waterglasses, are described for example in German patent application DE-A-44 00 024. Compacted amorphous silicates, compounded amorphous silicates and overdried X-ray-amorphous silicates are particularly preferred.
The finely crystalline, synthetic zeolite containing bound water used in accordance with the invention is preferably zeolite A and/or zeolite P.
Zeolite MAP~ (for example Doucil, a Crosfield product) is a particularly preferred P-type zeolite. However, zeolite X and mixtures of A, X and/or P
are also suitable. According to the invention, it is also possible to use, for example, a commercially obtainable co-crystallizate of zeolite X and zeolite A (ca. 80% by weight zeolite X) which is marketed by CONDEA Augusta S.p.A. under the name of VEGOBOND AXC~ and which may be described by the following formula:
nNa20 ~ (1-n)K20 ~ AI203 ~ (2 - 2.5)Si02 ~ (3.5 - 5.5) H20 Suitable zeolites have a mean particle size of less than 10 ~m (volume distribution, as measured by the Coulter Counter Method) and contain preferably 18 to 22% by weight and more preferably 20 to 22% by weight of combined water.
The generally known phosphates may of course also be used as builders providing their use should not be avoided on ecological grounds.
The sodium salts of the orthophosphates, the pyrophosphates and, in particular, the tripolyphosphates are particularly suitable.
Useful organic builders are, for example, polycarboxylic acids usable in the form of their sodium salts, polycarboxylic acids in this context being those carboxylic acids which carry more than one acid function. These include, for example, citric acid, adipic acid, succinic acid, glutaric acid, malic acid, tartaric acid, malefic acid, fumaric acid, sugar acids, amino-carboxylic acids, nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) - providing its use is not ecologically unsafe - and mixtures thereof. Preferred salts are the salts of the polycarboxylic acids, such as citric acid, adipic acid, succinic acid, glutaric acid, tartaric acid, sugar acids and mixtures thereof. The acids per se may also be used. Besides their builder effect, the acids also typically have the property of an acidifying component and, hence, also serve to ' 30 establish a relatively low and mild pH value in detergent portions according to the invention. Citric acid, succinic acid, glutaric acid, adipic acid, gluconic acid and mixtures thereof are particularly mentioned in this regard.
Other suitable builders are polymeric polycarboxylates such as, for example, the alkali metal salts of polyacrylic or polymethacrylic acid, for example those with a relative molecular weight of 500 to 70,000 g/mole.
The molecular weights mentioned in this specification for polymeric polycarboxylates are weight-average molecular weights MW of the particular acid form which, basically, were determined by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) using a UV detector. The measurement was carried out against an external polyacrylic acid standard which provides realistic molecular weight values by virtue of its structural similarity to the polymers investigated. These values differ distinctly from the molecular weights measured against polystyrene sulfonic acids as standard. The molecular weights measured against polystyrene sulfonic acids are generally higher than the molecular weights mentioned in this specification.
Particularly suitable polymers are polyacrylates which preferably have a molecular weight of 2,000 to 20,000 g/mole. By virtue of their superior solubility, preferred representatives of this group are the short chain polyacrylates which have molecular weights of 2,000 to 10,000 g/mole and, more particularly, 3,000 to 5,000 g/mole.
Also suitable are copolymeric polycarboxylates, particularly those of acrylic acid with methacrylic acid and those of acrylic acid or methacrylic acid with malefic acid. Acrylic acidlmaleic acid copolymers containing 50 to 90% by weight of acrylic acid and 50 to 10% by weight of malefic acid have proved to be particularly suitable. Their relative molecular weights, based on the free acids, are generally in the range from 2,000 to 70,000 g/mole, preferably in the range from 20,000 to 50,000 g/mole and more preferably in the range from 30,000 to 40,000 g/mole.
The (co)polymeric polycarboxylates may be used either in the form < CA 02312157 2000-06-23 ' 31 of an aqueous solution or in powder form. The laundry/dishwasher detergent portions according to the invention preferably contain 0.5 to 20%
by weight and more particularly 3 to 10% by weight of (co)polymeric polycarboxylates.
In order to improve solubility in water, the polymers may also contain allyl sulfonic acids, such as for example allyloxybenzene sulfonic acid and methallyl sulfonic acid (cf. EP-B-727 448), as monomer.
Other particularly preferred polymers are biodegradable polymers of more than two different monomer units, for example those which contain salts of acrylic acid and malefic acid and vinyl alcohol or vinyl alcohol derivatives as monomers according to DE-A-43 00 772 or those which contain salts of acrylic acid and 2-alkylallyl sulfonic acid and sugar derivatives as monomers according to DE-C-42 21 381.
Other preferred copolymers are those which are described in German patent applications DE A-43 03 320 and DE-A-44 17 734 and which preferably contain acrolein and acrylic acid/acrylic acid salts or acrolein and vinyl acetate as monomers.
Other preferred builders are polymeric aminodicarboxylic acids, salts or precursors thereof. Particular preference is attributed to polyaspartic acids or salts and derivatives thereof which, according to German patent application DE-A-195 40 086, are also said to have a bleach-stabilizing effect in addition to their co-builder properties.
Other suitable builders are polyacetals which may be obtained by reaction of dialdehydes with polyol carboxylic acids containing 5 to 7 carbon atoms and at least three hydroxyl groups, for example as described in European patent application EP-A-0 280 223. Preferred polyacetals are obtained from dialdehydes, such as glyoxal, glutaraldehyde, terephthal-aldehyde and mixtures thereof and from polyol carboxylic acids, such as gluconic acid and/or glucoheptonic acid.
Other suitable organic builders are dextrins, for example oligomers ' 32 or polymers of carbohydrates which may be obtained by partial hydrolysis of starches. The hydrolysis may be carried out by standard methods, for example acid- or enzyme-catalyzed methods. The end products are preferably hydrolysis products with average molecular weights of 400 to 500,000 g/mole. A polysaccharide with a dextrose equivalent (DE) of 0.5 to 40 and, more particularly, 2 to 30 is preferred, the DE being an accepted measure of the reducing effect of a polysaccharide by comparison with dextrose which has a DE of 100. Both maltodextrins with a DE of 3 to 20 and dry glucose sirups with a DE of 20 to 37 and also so-called yellow dextrins and white dextrins with relatively high molecular weights of 2,000 to 30,000 g/mole may be used. A preferred dextrin is described in British patent application 9419 091.
The oxidized derivatives of such dextrins are their reaction products with oxidizing agents which are capable of oxidizing at least one alcohol function of the saccharide ring to the carboxylic acid function. Dextrins thus oxidized and processes for their production are known, for example, from European patent applications EP-A-0 232 202, EP-A-0 427 349, EP-A-0 472 042 and EP-A-0 542 496 and from International patent applications WO 92/18542, WO 93108251, WO 93116110, WO 94128030, WO 95/07303, WO 95112619 and WO 95/20608. An oxidized oligosaccharide corresponding to German patent application DE A-196 00 018 is also suitable. A product oxidized at Cs of the saccharide ring can be particularly advantageous.
Other suitable co-builders are oxydisuccinates and other derivatives of disuccinates, preferably ethylenediamine disuccinate. Ethylenediamine-N,N'-disuccinate (EDDS), of which the synthesis is described for example in US 3,158,615, is preferably used in the form of its sodium or magnesium salts. The glycerol disuccinates and glycerol trisuccinates described, for example, in US 4,524,009, in US 4,639, 325, in European patent application EP-A-0 150 930 and in Japanese patent application JP

~

' 33 931339,896 are also particularly preferred in this connection. The quantities used in zeolite-containing and/or silicate-containing formulations are from 3 to 15% by weight.
Other useful organic co-builders are, for example, acetylated hydroxycarboxylic acids and salts thereof which may optionally be present in lactone form and which contain at least 4 carbon atoms, at least one hydroxy group and at most two acid groups. Co-builders such as these are described, for example, in International patent application WO-A-95120029.
Another class of substances with co-builder properties are the phosphonates, more particularly the hydroxyalkane and aminoalkane phosphonates described in the foregoing.
In addition, any compounds capable of complexing alkaline earth metal ions may be used as co-builders.
In addition to the ingredients - surfactants and builders - mentioned above, the detergents according to the invention may contain other typical detergent ingredients, for example from the group of bleaching agents, bleach activators, enzymes, perfumes, perfume can-iers, fluorescing agents, dyes, foam inhibitors, silicone oils, redeposition inhibitors, optical brighteners, discoloration inhibitors, dye transfer inhibitors and corrosion inhibitors.
Among the compounds yielding H202 in water which serve as bleaching agents, sodium perborate tetrahydrate and sodium perborate monohydrate are particularly important. Other useful bleaching agents are, for example, sodium percarbonate, peroxypyrophosphates, citrate perhy-drates and H202-yielding peracidic salts or peracids, such as perbenzoates, peroxophthalates, diperazelaic acid, phthaloiminoperacid or diperdodecane dioic acid. If detergent or bleaching compositions for dishwashing machines are being produced, bleaching agents from the group of organic bleaches may also be used. Typical organic bleaching agents are diacyl peroxides, such as dibenzoyl peroxide for example.

Other typical organic bleaching agents are the peroxy acids, of which alkyl peroxy acids and aryl peroxy acids are particularly mentioned as examples.
Preferred representatives are (a) peroxybenzoic acid and ring-substituted derivatives thereof, such as alkyl peroxybenzoic acids, but also peroxy-a-naphthoic acid and magnesium monoperphthalate, (b) aliphatic or substituted aliphatic peroxy acids, such as peroxylauric acid, peroxystearic acid, s-phthalimidoperoxycaproic acid [phthaloiminoperoxyhexanoic acid (PAP)], o-carboxybenzamidoperoxycaproic acid, N-nonenylamidoperadipic acid and N-nonenylamidopersuccinates. and (c) aliphatic and araliphatic peroxydicarboxylic acids, such as 1,12-diperoxycarboxylic acid, 1,9-diperoxyazelaic acid, diperoxysebacic acid, diperoxybrassylic acid, diperoxyphthalic acids, 2-decyldiperoxybutane-1,4-dioic acid, N,N-terephthaloyl-di(6-aminopercaproic acid).
Other suitable bleaching agents in compositions for dishwashing machines are chlorine- and bromine-releasing substances. Suitable chlorine- or bromine-releasing materials are, for example, heterocyclic N
bromamides and N-chloramides, for example trichloroisocyanuric acid, tribromoisocyanuric acid, dibromoisocyanuric acid and/or dichloro isocyanuric acid (DICA) and/or salts thereof with cations, such as potassium and sodium. Hydantoin compounds, such as 1,3-dichloro-5,5-dimethyl hydantoin, are also suitable.
In order to obtain an improved bleaching effect where washing is carried out at temperatures of 60°C or lower, bleach activators may be incorporated in the detergents according to the invention. The bleach activators may be compounds which form aliphatic peroxocarboxylic acids containing preferably 1 to 10 carbon atoms and more preferably 2 to 4 carbon atoms and/or optionally substituted perbenzoic acid under perhydrolysis conditions. Substances bearing O- and/or N-acyl groups with the number of carbon atoms mentioned and/or optionally substituted benzoyl groups are suitable. Preferred bleach activators are polyacylated , CA 02312157 2000-06-23 alkylenediamines, more particularly tetraacetyl ethylenediamine (TAED), acylated triazine derivatives, more particularly 1,5-diacetyl-2,4-dioxohexa-hydro-1,3,5-triazine (DADHT), acylated glycolurlls, more particularly tetraacetyl glycolurll (TAGU), N-acylimides, more particularly N-nonanoyl succinimide (NOSI), acylated phenol sulfonates, more particularly n-nonanoyl or isononanoyloxybenzenesulfonate (n- or iso-NOBS), carboxylic anhydrides, more particularly phthalic anhydride, acylated polyhydric alcohols, more particularly triacetin, ethylene glycol diacetate and 2,5-diacetoxy-2,5-dihydrofuran.
In addition to or instead of the conventional bleach activators mentioned above, so-called bleach catalysts may also be incorporated in the detergents according to the invention. Bleach catalysts are bleach-boosting transition metal salts or transition metal complexes such as, for example, manganese-, iron-, cobalt-, ruthenium- or molybdenum-salen complexes or carbonyl complexes. Manganese, iron, cobalt, ruthenium, molybdenum, titanium, vanadium and copper complexes with nitrogen-containing tripod ligands and cobalt-, iron-, copper- and ruthenium-ammine complexes may also be used as bleach catalysts.
Suitable enzymes are those from the class of proteases, lipases, amylases, cellulases or mixtures thereof. Enzymes obtained from bacterial strains or fungi, such as Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus licheniformis and Streptomyces griseus, are particularly suitable. Proteases of the subtilisin type are preferred, proteases obtained from Bacillus lentus being particularly preferred. Enzyme mixtures, for example of protease and amylase or protease and lipase or protease and cellulase or of cellulase and lipase or of protease, amylase and lipase or of protease, lipase and cellulase, but especially cellulase-containing mixtures, are of particular interest. Peroxidases or oxidases have also proved to be suitable in some cases. The enzymes may be adsorbed to supports and/or encapsulated in membrane materials to protect them against premature decomposition.

The percentage content of the enzymes, enzyme mixtures or enzyme granules in the detergents according to the invention may be, for example, from about 0.1 to 5% by weight and is preferably from 0.1 to about 2% by weight.
According to the prior art, enzymes are added primarily to a detergent preparation, more particularly a dishwasher detergent intended for the main wash cycle. The disadvantage was that the action optimum of the enzymes used restricted the choice of temperature and problems with the stability of the enzymes in strongly alkaline medium also occurred.
With the detergent portions according to the invention, enzymes may also be used in the pre-rinse cycle so that the pre-rinse cycle may be used in addition to the main wash cycle for enzymes to act on tableware soil.
In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, therefore, enzymes are added to the washing preparation intended for the pre-rinse cycle or to a part-portion of a detergent portion and the preparation in question may preferably be wrapped in a material which dissolves in water at low temperatures in order, for example, to protect the enzyme-containing preparation against a loss of action by environmental conditions. The enzymes are preferably optimized for use under the conditions of the pre-rinse cycle, i.e. for example in cold water.
The detergent portions according to the invention can be of advantage when the enzyme preparations are present in the liquid form sometimes available on the market because, in that case, a quick effect -already occurring in the pre-rinse cycle (relatively brief and carried out in cold water) - can be expected. Even if the enzymes are used in solid form, as they normally are, and are provided with a wrapping of a water-soluble material dissolving in cold water, the enzymes are able to develop their effect before the main wash cycle. The advantage of using a wrapper of a water-soluble material, more particularly a cold-water-soluble material, is that the enzymes) quickly become active in cold water after the wrapper ' CA 02312157 2000-06-23 dissolves. Their action time can thus be extended to the benefit of the washing/cleaning result.
In one particularly preferred embodiment, the detergent portions according to the invention contain other additives known from the prior art as additives for washing or dishwashing preparations. These other additives may either be added to one or more, if necessary even all, of the part-portions (washing preparations) of the detergent portions according to the invention or may be incorporated in the water-soluble materials in which the washing preparations are wrapped, i.e. for example in the water-soluble films, but also in capsules or coatings which may act as wrappers.
A preferred group of additives used in accordance with the invention are optical brighteners. The optical brighteners normally present in detergents may be used. They are added in the form of an aqueous solution or in the form of a solution in an organic solvent to the polymer solution which is converted into the film or are added to a part-portion (washing preparation) of a detergent/cleaner in solid or liquid form.
Examples of optical brighteners are derivatives of diamino-stilbenedisulfonic acid or alkali metal salts thereof. Suitable optical brighteners are, for example, salts of 4,4'-bis-(2-anilino-4-morpholino-1,3,5-triazinyl-6-amino)-stilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid or compounds of similar composition which contain a diethanolamino group, a methylamino group, an anilino group or a 2-methoxyethylamino group instead of the morpholino group. Brighteners of the substituted diphenyl styryl type, for example alkali metal salts of 4,4'-bis-(2-sulfostyryl)-diphenyl, 4,4'-bis-(4-chloro-3-sulfostyryl)-diphenyl or 4-(4-chlorostyryl)-4'-(2-sulfostyryl)-diphenyl, may also be present in the part-portions (laundry detergent prepqarations) of the detergent/cleaner portions according to the invention. Mixtures of the brighteners mentioned above may also be used.
UV filters, surfactants capable in particular of influencing the solubility of the water-soluble film and also controlling its wettability and ' CA 02312157 2000-06-23 foaming during dissolution, foam inhibitors, bitter substances for preventing children from accidentally swallowing the packs or parts thereof, polymers and bleach catalysts were mentioned in the foregoing as further groups of additives preferably used in accordance with the invention.
Another group of additives preferably used in accordance with the invention are dyes, more particularly water-soluble or water-dispersible dyes. Dyes of the type normally used to improve visual product appeal in detergents/cleaners are preferred. Such dyes are not difficult for the expert to choose, above all because they have high stability in storage, are not affected by the other ingredients of the laundry detergent preparations or by light and do not have any pronounced substantivity for textile fibers so as not to color them. According to the invention, the dyes are present in the detergent/cleaner portions in quantities of less than 0.01 % by weight.
Another group of additives preferably used in accordance with the invention are silver corrosion inhibitors, i.e. any of various, mostly cyclic organic compounds which are also familiar to the expert and which contribute towards preventing silver-containing articles from tarnishing during the dishwashing process. Special examples of silver corrosion inhibitors are triazoles, benzotriazoles and complexes thereof with metals such as, for example, Mn, Co, Zn, Fe, Mo, W or Cu.
The detergent/cleaner portions may also contain soil repellents, i.e.
polymers which are absorbed onto fibers or hard surfaces (for example onto china and glass) and which positively influence the removal of oils and fats from textile and thus counteract resoiling, as further additives according to the invention. This effect becomes particularly clear when a textile or a hard object (china, glass) which has already been repeatedly washed with a detergent according to the invention containing this oil- and fat-dissolving component is soiled. Preferred oil- and fat-dissolving components include, for example, nonionic cellulose ethers, such as methyl cellulose and methyl hydroxypropyl cellulose containing 15 to 30% by ' CA 02312157 2000-06-23 weight of methoxy groups and 1 to 15% by weight of hydroxypropoxy groups, based on the nonionic cellulose ether, and the polymers of phthalic acid and/or terephthalic acid known from the prior art or derivatives thereof, more particularly polymers of ethylene terephthalates and/or polyethylene glycol terephthalates or anionically and/or nonionically modified derivatives thereof. Of these, the sulfonated derivatives of phthalic acid and terephthalic acid polymers are particularly preferred.
All these additives are added to the detergent/cleaner portions according to the invention in quantities of up to at most 30% by weight and preferably 2 to 20% by weight. According to the invention, they may be added to a material of a water-soluble wrapper which comprises the, or one of the, detergent preparation(s). In order to balance the formulation, the expert may also increase the weight of the plastic material for the wrapper in order thus to utilize the storage effect obtained in accordance with the invention by incorporating the additives in the wrappers) or additionally to keep the additives mentioned at least partly in the remaining detergent preparation.
Perfumes are added to the detergent/cleaner portions according to the invention to improve the aesthetic impression created by the products and to provide the consumer not only with the required technical performance (fabric softening result) but also with a visually and sensorially "typical and unmistakable" product. Suitable perfume oils or perfumes include individual perfume compounds, for example synthetic products of the ester, ether, aldehyde, ketone, alcohol and hydrocarbon type. Perfume compounds of the ester type are, for example, benzyl acetate, phenoxyethyl isobutyrate, p-tert.butyl cyclohexyl acetate, linalyl acetate, dimethyl benzyl carbinyl acetate, phenyl ethyl acetate, linalyl benzoate, benzyl formate, ethyl methyl phenyl glycinate, ally) cyclohexyl propionate, styrallyl propionate and benzyl salicylate. The ethers include, for example, benzyl ethyl ether; the aldehydes include, for example, the linear alkanals containing 8 to 18 carbon atoms, citral, citronellal, citronellyloxy-acetaldehyde, cyclamen aldehyde, hydroxycitronellal, lilial and bourgeonal.
The ketones include, for example, the ionones, a-isomethyl ionone and methyl cedryl ketone. The alcohols include anethol, citronellol, 5 eugenol, geraniol, linalool, phenyl ethyl alcohol and terpineol. The hydrocarbons include, above all, the terpenes, such as limonene and pinene. However, mixtures of various perfumes which together produce an attractive perfume note are preferably used. Perfume oils such as these may also contain natural perfume mixtures obtainable from vegetable 10 sources, for example pine, citrus, jasmine, patchouli, rose or ylang-ylang oil. Also suitable are clary oil, camomile oil, clove oil, melissa oil, mint oil, cinnamon leaf oil, lime blossom oil, juniper berry oil, vetiver oil, olibanum oil, galbanum oil and labdanum oil and orange blossom oil, neroli oil, orange peel oil and sandalwood oil.
15 The perfume content is normally up to 2% by weight, based on the detergent portion as a whole. Accordingly, these are typical additives which, in view of their small quantity, are difficult to disperse uniformly in normal formulations, but which according to the invention may ideally be added to the material of the wrappers) and hence are present in uniform 20 distribution in the active-substance portion packs according to the invention.
The perfumes may be directly incorporated in the detergents according to the invention, although it can also be of advantage to apply the perfumes to supports which strengthen the adherence of the perfume 25 to the washing and which provide the textiles with a long-lasting perfume through a slower release of the perfume. Suitable support materials are, for example, cyclodextrins, the cyclodextrin/perfume complexes optionally being coated with other auxiliaries.
Basically the perfumes may be present in each of the part-portions 30 (detergent preparations) of the detergent/cleaner portions according to the invention. In one particularly preferred embodiment, however, they are present in a detergent in a laundry detergent part-portion intended for the after-wash cycle or fabric-softening cycle or in a cleaner, particularly a dishwashing detergent, in a cleaner part-portion, particularly a dishwashing detergent part-portion, intended for the anal rinse or clear rinse cycle.
According to the invention, therefore, they have to be surrounded by a material which only dissolves in water under the conditions (more particularly at the temperature) of the after-wash or final rinse cycle, but which is insoluble in water under the conditions (more particularly at the temperature) of the preceding wash cycles, more particularly a corresponding film or capsule. According to the invention, this is possible for example with a multi-compartment bag of films differing in their water solubility.
The present invention also relates to a washing process wherein an active-substance portion pack as described in detail in the foregoing is placed in a washing machine and, by addition of water and heating of the wash liquor beyond the dissolving point of the wrapper, the additives contained in the wrapper are released through dissolution thereof. The invention also relates to a machine dishwashing process, wherein an active-substance portion pack as described in detail in the foregoing is placed in the dispensing compartment of a dishwashing machine and, by addition of water and release of the active-substance portion pack from the dispensing compartment, the additives are released through dissolution of the wrapper. Finally, the present invention also relates to a machine dishwashing process using an active-substance portion pack as describe in detail in the foregoing, wherein a wrapper which only dissolves in water above room temperature is selected, the dishwashing detergent preparation is placed in the interior of the dishwashing machine and, by addition of water and heating of the wash liquor beyond the dissolving point of the wrapper, the additives contained in the wrapper are released through ' CA 02312157 2000-06-23 dissolution thereof.
The invention is illustrated by the following Examples.
Commercial names used: , Aerosil 8972, Degussa-Huls: silicon dioxide Dehydol LT 7, Cognis: fatty alcohol ethoxylate (EO = 7) Mowiol, Mowilith, Clariant: polyvinyl alcohol, partly saponified Optiblanc, Sigma: optical brightener Polyviol, Wacker: polyvinyl alcohol Sokalan HP 53, BASF: polyvinyl pyrrolidone Tinopal CBS-X, Ciba: 4,4'-bis-(2-sulfostyryl)-biphenyl, disodium salt (optical brightener) Examples 1 to 7 and Comparison Example I. Comparison Example 1000 parts by weight polyvinyl alcohol, 2.5 parts by weight stearic acid (sodium salt) 100 parts by weight glycerol, 6 parts by weight fine-particle Si02 and 60 parts by weight sorbitol are stirred to form an approximately 40% aqueous solution. A 10 to 50 Nm thick film is produced from this solution by thermocalendering. The film is used for packaging dishwasher tablets or a laundry detergent tablet by wrapping the tablets in the film and sealing the edges of the film. The dissolving point of the film can be varied between 0 and 80°C through the choice of the polyvinyl alcohol used. In the present case, a film dissolving at 20°C was used.
II. Examples according to the invention Similar films were produced as described in the Comparison ' CA 02312157 2000-06-23 Example with the following additions:
Example 1: 5% by weight of an optical brightener Example 2: 5% by weight of a UV filter Example 3: 5% by weight of a blue detergent dye Examale 4: 10% by weight of a detergent perfume mixture Example 5: 20% by weight of a soil repellent polymer based on ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid Example 6: 3% by weight of a cobalt ammine complex Example 7: 10% by weight of benzotriazole.
The substances mentioned above may readily be incorporated in the polymer films using mechanical energy. Where possible, they are incorpo-rated in the form of aqueous solutions, otherwise in the form of an aqueous dispersion. The films formed are uniform and dissolve completely in washing tests so that the additives are released.
Example 8 A portion bag for detergents in the form of beads ("Megaperls") contains 37.5 g of washing preparations. Two portion bags (= 75 g of washing preparations) are used for one wash cycle. The film in which the preparations were wrapped was 30 Nm thick and 1.5 g of film was used for both bags (corresponding to 2% by weight).
(a) A film containing (a) 13.5% by weight of Optiblanc 2MG (9% active content), (~i) 2.2% by weight Tinopal CBS-X (2% active content) and (r) 84.3% by weight PVAL and auxiliaries was produced. Accordingly, 1.5 g of film contained exactly the quantity of brightener intended for the Megaperls. The film was transparent with an opalescent appearance, but was not disturbingly colored.

' CA 02312157 2000-06-23 i {b) A film containing (a) 25% by weight polyvinyl pyrrolidone {active content from an aqueous Sokalan HP53 solution) and (~i) 75% by weight PVAL and auxiliaries was produced. Accordingly, 1.5 g of film contained exactly the quantity of redeposition inhibitor (PVP) intended for Megaperls Color. The film was colorless and transparent.
Different formulations of various detergents could be produced with both films without aftertreatment mixers and transport paths of the raw materials being contaminated with unwanted additives because the brighteners and redeposition inhibitors were incorporated in the film material. Accordingly, the effort involved in a product change in the production process was confined to changing the film in the packaging machine.
Example 9 PVA films for detergent wrappers containing various detergent ingredients or plasticizers were produced. Films 1 and 2 were blown films while films 3 to 9 were pressed films. The mixtures identified below were processed in a Brabender 42/7 twin-screw kneader. The twin-screw kneader had contrarotating screws for extremely thorough mixing. The temperatures at which the mixtures were processed were 140°C in the three zones present along the screw and 147°C in the die.
Mixtures 1 and 2 were processed and granulated at 50 r.p.m. The granules obtained were processed in a film blowing machine (Brabender single-screw kneader). The temperature profile from the feed zone to the die was adjusted as follows: heating zones 1 to 6: 180, 175, 160, 150, 120, 120°C. The screw was driven at 50 r.p.m. which produced a torque of 80 Nm. A film take-off rate of 1.3 was adjusted.
Mixtures 3 to 9 were extruded at 50 r.p.m. through a ribbon nozzle.
The dimensions of the nozzle were 50 x 0.5 mm so that a 45 mm wide and ' CA 02312157 2000-06-23 0.5 mm thick ribbon was obtained. The ribbon obtained was pressed in a heatable press (Webre) to form films. The pressing temperatures were in the range from 120 to 180°C; the pressure applied was 50 to 60 bar.
5 Film 1:

Polyviol 051290 83.0% SRP for cotton Glycerol 11.3%

Sorbitol 5.1 Aerosil 0.5%

10 Stearic acid 0.1 100.0%
Film 2:

15 Polyviol 05/290 37.6% SRP for cotton Mowilith 8/88 37.6%

Glycerol 16.7%

Sorbitol 4.6%

Dist. Water 2.8%

20 Aerosil 0.5%

Stearin 0.2%

100.0%
25 Film 3:
Mowiol 8/88 41.4%

Mowiol 4/88 41.4%

Glycerol 8.3%

Sorbitol 5.0%

30 Dist. Water 3.2%

' CA 02312157 2000-06-23 Aerosil 8972 0.5%
Stearic acid 0.2%
100.0%
Film 4 Mowiol 8/88 42.5%

Mowiol 4/88 42.5%

Glycerol 4.3%

Sorbitol 2.6%

PEG400 6.8% (plasticizer) Dist. Water 0.5%

Aerosil 8972 0.5%

Stearic acid 0.3%

100.0%
Film 5:

Mowiol 8/88 41.4%

Mowiol4/88 41.4%

Glycerol 4.1 Sorbitol 2.5%

Dehydol LS 4 6.6% (surfactant) Dist. Water 3.3%

Aerosil8972 0.5%

Stearic acid 0.2%

100.0%

' CA 02312157 2000-06-23 Film 6:
Mowiol 8/88 41.4%

Mowiol 4/88 41.4%

Glycerol 4.1 Sorbitol 2.5%

Dehydol LT7 6.6% (surfactant) Dist. Water 3.3%

Aerosil 8972 0.5%

Stearic acid 0.2%

100.0%
Film 7:

Mowiol 8/88 40.5%

Mowiol4/88 40.5%

Tinopal CBS 2.2% (brightener) Glycerol 8.0%

Sorbitol 4.9%

Dist. Water 3.2%

Aerosil8972 0.5%

Stearic acid 0.2%

100.0%
Film 8:
Mowiol 8/88 35.8%

Mowiol 4/88 35.8%

Optiblanc 13.4% (brightener) Glycerol 7.2%

Sorbitol 4.3%

Dist. Water 2.8%
Aerosil 8972 0.4%
Stearic acid 0.2%
100.0%
Film 9:

Mowiol 8/88 34.0%

Mowiol4/88 34.0%

Optiblanc 13.5% (brightener) Tinopal CBS 4.4% (brightener) Glycerol 9.5%

Sorbitol 4.1 Aerosil8972 0.3%

Stearic acid 0.2%

100.0%
The films obtained contained the particular additives) in a uniform concentration, i.e. the additives) was/were uniformly distributed in the particular film material. The films showed outstanding properties in the production of active-substance portion packs and could readily be processed in the existing machines. The films of the active-substance portion packs obtained dissolved as well and as completely in aqueous phase as the corresponding additive-free films. The additives in the films produced the same effect as the additives in the detergent preparation. In contrast to the film additives, however, a higher concentration of the additives was necessary in the known preparations for compensating the variations in concentration attributable to the non-uniform distribution.

The invention may be varied in any number of ways as would be apparent to a person skilled in the art and all obvious equivalents and the like are meant to fall within the scope of this description and claims.
The description is meant to serve as a guide to interpret the claims and not to limit them unnecessarily.

Claims (23)

1. An active-substance portion pack comprising at least one washing or dishwashing or cleaning preparation and at least one wrapper partly or completely surrounding at least one washing or dishwashing or cleaning preparation, wherein the wrapper is soluble under washing, dishwashing or cleaning conditions and contains at least one individual component of the washing or dishwashing or cleaning preparation.

2. An active-substance portion pack as claimed in claim 1, wherein the individual component(s) is/are component(s) ("additives") which control the effectiveness of, or increase consumer acceptance of, the washing or dishwashing or cleaning preparation(s).

3. An active-substance portion pack as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein all or most of the individual component(s) is physically bound in the soluble wrapper.

4. An active-substance portion pack as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the wrapper comprises a water-soluble polymer material.

5. An active-substance portion pack as claimed in claim 4, wherein the wrapper comprises a flat plastic part.

6. An active-substance portion pack as claimed in claim 4, wherein the wrapper comprises a plastic pack.

7. An active-substance portion pack as claimed in claim 4, wherein the wrapper comprises a pack in the form of a water-soluble polymer film.

8. An active-substance portion pack as claimed in any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the flat plastic part is a sealed or adhesive-bonded plastic pack.

9. An active-substance portion pack as claimed in claims 8, wherein the flat plastic part is a water-soluble polymer film bonded with a water-soluble adhesive.

10. An active-substance portion pack as claimed in any of claims 1 to 9, wherein the material of the wrapper is selected from the group consisting of (optionally acetalized) polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, water-soluble polyacrylates, water-soluble polyurethanes, polyethylene oxide, gelatine, cellulose and their derivatives and mixtures thereof.

11. An active-substance portion pack as claimed in any of claims 1 to 10, wherein the individual component(s) (additive(s)) is/are one or more additive(s) which positively influence(s) the washing performance or the aesthetic appeal, above all the odor, of the preparation and/or wherein the additive(s) is/are optical brighteners and/or dye transfer inhibitors and/or wherein the additive(s) is/are UV filters and/or wherein the additive(s) is/are water-soluble or water-dispersible solids and/or wherein the additive(s) is/are perfumes and/or wherein the additive(s) is/are bitter substances and/or wherein the additives) is/are surfactants and/or foam inhibitors and/or wherein the additive(s) is/are polymers which provide fabrics or hard surfaces with a soil-repellent finish (soil-repellent polymers) and/or wherein the additive(s) is/are bleach catalysts, more particularly manganese or cobalt compounds, and/or wherein the additive(s) is/are substances used as silver corrosion inhibitors in dishwasher detergents and/or wherein the additive(s) is/are one or more enzyme(s) and/or wherein the additive(s) is/are one or more phosphonate(s) and/or wherein the additive(s) is/are redeposition inhibitors.

12. An active-substance portion pack as claimed in any of claims 1 to 11, wherein at least 40% by weight of the wrapper(s) consist of (optionally acetalized) polyvinyl alcohol.

13. An active-substance portion pack as claimed in any of claims 1 to 12, wherein at least 60% by weight of the wrapper(s) consist of one or more of the additives.

14. An active-substance portion pack as claimed in any of claims 1 to 13, wherein the cleaning preparation is a cleaner and/or wherein the dishwashing preparation is a detergent for dishwashers and/or wherein the washing preparation is a washing aid, more particularly a builder or bleach composition, and/or wherein the washing preparation is a laundry aftertreatment composition.

15. An active-substance portion pack as claimed in claim 14, wherein the washing preparation is a laundry aftertreatment composition.

16. A process for the production of active-substance portion packs of at least one washing or dishwashing or cleaning preparation and at least one wrapper completely or partly surrounding at least one washing or dishwashing or cleaning preparation, wherein one or more wrapper material(s) is/are brought into a liquid form, a finely dispersible preparation of at least one individual component of the washing or dishwashing or cleaning preparation is added to the liquid wrapper material(s), the mixture is processed to form a flat material and the washing or dishwashing or cleaning preparation is completely or partly wrapped in the flat material.

17. A process as claimed in claim 16, wherein one or more wrapper materials(s) is/are melted or dissolved in a solvent, preferably water, and/or a finely dispersible preparation of at least one individual component of the washing or dishwashing or cleaning preparation is added to the melt or the solution, preferably a one-particle preparation of at least one individual component of the washing or dishwashing or cleaning preparation is added to the melt or a solution, preferably an aqueous solution, or a dispersion of a finely dispersible preparation in the solvent of the solution, preferably an aqueous dispersion of a finely dispersible preparation, is added to the solution, preferably the aqueous solution, and/or the mixture is cast to form a flat material, preferably a film, and/or the flat material/film is subsequently cured and the washing or dishwashing or cleaning preparation is completely or partly wrapped in the cured flat material, preferably in the film.

18. A process as claimed in claim 16 or 17, wherein one or more compounds from the group consisting of (optionally acetalized) polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, water-soluble polyacrylates, water-soluble polyurethanes, polyethylene oxide, gelatine, cellulose and their derivatives and mixtures thereof is/are used as the wrapper material(s).

19. A process as claimed in claim 18, wherein a material consisting of or comprising (optionally acetalized) polyvinyl alcohol is used as the wrapper material.

20. A process as claimed in any of claims 16 to 19, wherein the flat material thus obtained, preferably the water-soluble polymer film thus obtained, is laminated in known manner with another flat material, preferably another film or a paper which, if desired, is additive-free and soluble in water.

21. A washing process, wherein the active-substance portion pack claimed in any of claims 1 to 15 is placed in a washing machine and, by addition of water and heating of the wash liquor beyond the dissolving point of the wrapper, the additives contained in the wrapper are released through dissolution thereof.

22. A machine dishwashing process, wherein the active-substance portion pack claimed in any of claims 1 to 15 is placed in the dispensing compartment of a dishwashing machine and, by addition of water and release of the active-substance portion pack from the dispensing compartment, the additives are released through dissolution of the wrapper.

23. A machine dishwashing process using the active-substance portion pack claimed in any of claims 1 to 15, wherein a wrapper which only dissolves in water above room temperature is selected, the dishwashing detergent preparation is placed in the interior of the dishwashing machine and, by addition of water and heating of the wash liquor beyond the dissolving point of the wrapper, the additives contained in the wrapper are released through dissolution thereof.