EP0249439B1 - Sachet de produit - Google Patents

Sachet de produit Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0249439B1
EP0249439B1 EP19870305072 EP87305072A EP0249439B1 EP 0249439 B1 EP0249439 B1 EP 0249439B1 EP 19870305072 EP19870305072 EP 19870305072 EP 87305072 A EP87305072 A EP 87305072A EP 0249439 B1 EP0249439 B1 EP 0249439B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
sachet
water
thickness
point
treatment composition
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
EP19870305072
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Other versions
EP0249439B2 (fr
EP0249439A3 (en
EP0249439A2 (fr
Inventor
Roger Foret
Adrian William Walker
Raymond Jean Wallaert
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Unilever PLC
Unilever NV
Original Assignee
Unilever PLC
Unilever NV
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Family has litigation
First worldwide family litigation filed litigation Critical https://patents.darts-ip.com/?family=10599310&utm_source=google_patent&utm_medium=platform_link&utm_campaign=public_patent_search&patent=EP0249439(B1) "Global patent litigation dataset” by Darts-ip is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Application filed by Unilever PLC, Unilever NV filed Critical Unilever PLC
Publication of EP0249439A2 publication Critical patent/EP0249439A2/fr
Publication of EP0249439A3 publication Critical patent/EP0249439A3/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0249439B1 publication Critical patent/EP0249439B1/fr
Publication of EP0249439B2 publication Critical patent/EP0249439B2/fr
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • CCHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C11ANIMAL OR VEGETABLE OILS, FATS, FATTY SUBSTANCES OR WAXES; FATTY ACIDS THEREFROM; DETERGENTS; CANDLES
    • C11DDETERGENT COMPOSITIONS; USE OF SINGLE SUBSTANCES AS DETERGENTS; SOAP OR SOAP-MAKING; RESIN SOAPS; RECOVERY OF GLYCEROL
    • C11D17/00Detergent materials or soaps characterised by their shape or physical properties
    • C11D17/04Detergent materials or soaps characterised by their shape or physical properties combined with or containing other objects
    • C11D17/041Compositions releasably affixed on a substrate or incorporated into a dispensing means
    • C11D17/046Insoluble free body dispenser
    • CCHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C11ANIMAL OR VEGETABLE OILS, FATS, FATTY SUBSTANCES OR WAXES; FATTY ACIDS THEREFROM; DETERGENTS; CANDLES
    • C11DDETERGENT COMPOSITIONS; USE OF SINGLE SUBSTANCES AS DETERGENTS; SOAP OR SOAP-MAKING; RESIN SOAPS; RECOVERY OF GLYCEROL
    • C11D17/00Detergent materials or soaps characterised by their shape or physical properties
    • C11D17/06Powder; Flakes; Free-flowing mixtures; Sheets
    • DTEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06FLAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F39/00Details of washing machines not specific to a single type of machines covered by groups D06F9/00 - D06F27/00 
    • D06F39/02Devices for adding soap or other washing agents
    • D06F39/024Devices for adding soap or other washing agents mounted on the agitator or the rotating drum; Free body dispensers

Definitions

  • This invention relates to sachets containing materials for treating fabrics in a washing machine.
  • Sachets containing detergents and other treatment materials are well known in the washing art, for example, from EP 11 500B and EP 163 417A (Unilever). These sachets of flexible sheet material may be water-permeable and deliver their contents by leaching out, or they may be designed so as to open during the wash cycle.
  • posting can be eliminated or at least substantially reduced by making sure that, throughout the entire wash cycle, at least part of the sachet is sufficiently large that it cannot pass through the gap between the drums.
  • the present invention provides a sachet of flexible sheet material for a treatment composition, the sachet being so shaped and dimensioned that when immersed in water in the absence of the treatment composition the thickness of the sachet at least one point is at least 1 cm, whereby passage of the sachet between inner and outer drums of a drum-type automatic washing machine is prevented, or substantially reduced.
  • Embodiments of the present invention fall into two major classes: sachets which in the dry state and in the absence of the treatment composition have a thickness at at least one point of at least 1 cm (the first embodiment) and those which are thinner than 1 cm in the dry state in the absence of the treatment composition but acquire such a minimum dimension on immersion in water (the second embodiment).
  • Sachets according to both embodiments may either be of the non-opening type, which deliver their contents by leaching out through a water-permeable wall, or the opening type which is provided with a seal which opens in the washing machine environment.
  • a simple, but effective, example of the first embodiment of the invention is a conventional, non-opening sachet containing in addition to the treatment composition an insoluble granular material, such as beads of plastics material, for example, polystyrene, in an amount such that the sachet has a thickness of at least 1 cm in the absence of the treatment composition.
  • the beads prevent the sachet from being 'posted' by increasing its thickness: its shape is changed from planar to cushion shaped.
  • a third method of ensuring that the sachet in the dry state is sufficiently bulky to avoid posting is to construct it such that opposing walls are of different sizes, the smallest one being stretched before assembly of the sachet, so that the empty sachet is forced into a bent or curved configuration having an effective thickness of at least 1 cm.
  • This material is conveniently in the form of a small object or "insert".
  • the insert may simply be loose, while if the sachet is of the opening variety it will, of course, be necessary to secure the insert and the sachet together, for example, by glueing. If secured, the insert could if desired be on the outside of the sachet.
  • a preferred insert is a small piece of the compressed sponge material sold under the Trade Mark 'Spontex'.
  • This material is especially useful in that it can be compressed to a state in which, on wetting, it expands rapidly in one dimension to at least five times the compressed size while remaining substantially unchanged in the other two dimensions.
  • a 2 cm square of this material having a thickness of 0.2 cm will expand rapidly on wetting to a thickness of 1.5-2 cm to give a cuboid of approximate dimensions 2 x 2 x (1.5-2) cm, i.e. the thickness increases dramatically while the other dimensions are unchanged.
  • Such an insert can be packed flat in a sachet which is thus conveniently thin in the dry state, but will swell up quickly when the sachet encounters the water of the washing machine.
  • the insert can be of any shape: square, rectangular, or especially triangular inserts are preferred as they may be cut from the bulk ma- .terial with minimal wastage.
  • water-swellable material should swell before all the sachet contents have been delivered: in practice most sponge materials will swell almost instantaneously.
  • the construction of the sachet itself is not critical.
  • the sachet walls which are of flexible sheet material, comprise paper, woven fabric, non-woven fabric, or plastics film, or laminates of these materials.
  • the sachet walls must of course be compatible with the treatment composition to be contained in the sachet.
  • the seams or seals of the sachet may be formed by any method, heat-sealing or glueing being preferred.
  • One or more of the seals can be of the type which open during washing. If the sachet walls are water-impermeable at least one seam or seal must open during the wash cycle to release the treatment composition. If the sachet has one or more opening seals it is essential that the insert be attached directly or indirectly to the sachet walls to ensure that the insert is not lost during the wash cycle.
  • the sachet is intended to contain any treatment composition useful for treating fabrics in the washing machine.
  • treatment compositions include fully formulated detergents, bleaches, bleach activators, fabric conditioners, and other detergent ingredients or combinations thereof.
  • the sachet may contain materials useful for treating the washing machine itself.
  • An example of such a treatment would by the removal of a accumulated calcium- or phosphate-containing scale.
  • the machine treatment material is neutral or alkaline, for example, a salt of EDTA, then the treatment may be carried out at the same time as the fabric washing.
  • the machine treatment material is acidic, for example, citric acid or adipic acid, then it is preferred that the machine treatment be carried out as a separate operation.
  • the sachet is intended as a bleach adjunct for use in conjunction with a detergent powder, and contains sodium perborate and an activator therefor: a closed sachet of this type is described and claimed in EP 163 417A (Unilever). It is especially preferred that the sodium perborate be in monohydrate form and that the activator be tetraacetylethyl- enediamine (TAED).
  • TAED tetraacetylethyl- enediamine
  • the sachet may also be employed in other aqueous environments, for example in swimming pools.
  • Sachet products in accordance with the invention were prepared from a porous nonwoven fabric, of average pore size 70 ⁇ m, consisting of 40% polyester fibres and 60% viscose fibres, coated on one side (the inside of the sachet) with a polyamide heat-seal finish.
  • Each sachet was square and had dimensions of 10 cm x 10 cm. Three sides of the each sachet were sealed together by heat-sealing, and it was filled with the following bleaching composition:
  • a sachet similar to that described in Example 1 was prepared by the same method. However, the sachet contained a piece of 'Spontex' 1.5 cm square which is capable of expanding to a height of 1.6 cm on wetting.
  • Example 2 but containing a 'Spontex' insert of 1 x 2 cm.
  • Example 2 but containing a 'Spontex' insert of 2 cm square, which was capable of expanding to a height of 2.1 cm on wetting.
  • Example 5 As Example 5 but containing a circular 'Spontex' insert of 2 cm diameter.
  • Example 2 A similar sachet to that described in Example 1 was prepared by the same method.
  • the sachet contained a cube of uncompressed sponge material having a 1.5 cm side instead of 'Spontex'.
  • Example 2 A similar sachet to that described in Example 1 was prepared by the same method.
  • the sachet contained a hollow polyethylene ball of 2 cm diameter instead of'Spontex'.
  • Example 2 A similar sachet to that described in Example 1 was prepared by the same method. The sachet did not however, contain an insert. A stud of plastics material 1.3 cm diameter and 1.3 cm tall was secured through the sachet walls.
  • Example 2 A similar sachet to that described in Example 1 was prepared by the same method. The sachet did not contain an insert or an external protrusion.
  • a square piece of the non-woven fabric described in Example 1 having dimensions 10 cm x 10 cm was taken.
  • a second, rectangular, piece of dimensions 12 cm x 10 cm was also taken.
  • Two opposing edges of the square piece were heat sealed to the two short edges of the rectangular piece, to give an article having a D-shaped cross section.
  • the article was then stretched to flatten the cross-section, and one further edge sealed to give a pouch.
  • the pouch was filled with the composition described in Example 1 and then stretched again.
  • the final open seam was then heat-sealed. The sachet was not prone to posting.

Landscapes

  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Organic Chemistry (AREA)
  • Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
  • Oil, Petroleum & Natural Gas (AREA)
  • Wood Science & Technology (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Textile Engineering (AREA)
  • Detergent Compositions (AREA)
  • Wrappers (AREA)
  • Treatment Of Fiber Materials (AREA)
  • Packages (AREA)
  • Bag Frames (AREA)
  • Chemical Or Physical Treatment Of Fibers (AREA)

Claims (8)

1. Sachet en matière en feuille souple pour une composition de traitement, caractérisé en ce que le sachet a une forme et une dimension telles que, quand on le plonge dans l'eau en l'absence de la composition de traitement, l'épaisseur du sachet en un point au moins soit d'au moins 1 cm, de sorte que le passage du sachet entre les tambours intérieur et extérieur d'une machine à laver automatique à tambour est empêché ou sensiblement réduit.
2. Sachet selon la revendication 1, qui est un sachet non ouvrable consistant au moins partiellement en une matière perméable à l'eau et contenant une matière granulaire insoluble dans l'eau en une quantité telle que l'épaisseur du sachet en un point au moins soit d'au moins 1 cm en l'absence de la composition de traitement.
3. Sachet selon la revendication 1, auquel est attachée une tige relativement rigide dont une dimension au moins est de 1 cm ou plus.
4. Sachet selon la revendication 1, qui présente au moins deux parois opposées de dimensions différentes, de sorte que le sachet est obligé de prendre une configuration non plane, ayant en un point au moins une épaisseur d'au moins 1 cm.
5. Sachet selon la revendication 1, qui contient une bille non hydrosoluble dont les dimensions sont telles que le sachet en l'absence de la composition de traitement présente en un point au moins une épaisseur d'au moins 1 cm.
6. Sachet selon la revendication 1, qui, à l'état sec, présente une épaisseur inférieure à 1 cm, mais quand on le plonge dans l'eau, son volume augmente de sorte que l'épaisseur du sachet mouillé en un point au moins, est d'au moins 1 cm.
7. Sachet selon la revendication 2, qui contient une matière gonflable par l'eau qui, lors de l'immersion dans l'eau, augmente de volume, de sorte que le sachet en un point au moins, présente une épaisseur d'au moins 1 cm.
8. Sachet selon la revendication 3, dans lequel la matière gonflable par l'eau est une pièce d'éponge comprimée.
EP87305072A 1986-06-11 1987-06-09 Sachet de produit Expired - Lifetime EP0249439B2 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB8614233 1986-06-11
GB868614233A GB8614233D0 (en) 1986-06-11 1986-06-11 Sachet product

Publications (4)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0249439A2 EP0249439A2 (fr) 1987-12-16
EP0249439A3 EP0249439A3 (en) 1988-07-06
EP0249439B1 true EP0249439B1 (fr) 1990-06-20
EP0249439B2 EP0249439B2 (fr) 1997-07-02

Family

ID=10599310

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP87305072A Expired - Lifetime EP0249439B2 (fr) 1986-06-11 1987-06-09 Sachet de produit

Country Status (8)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0249439B2 (fr)
JP (1) JPS62299581A (fr)
AU (1) AU587129B2 (fr)
DE (1) DE3763320D1 (fr)
ES (1) ES2016360T5 (fr)
FR (1) FR2600075B1 (fr)
GB (1) GB8614233D0 (fr)
ZA (1) ZA874170B (fr)

Families Citing this family (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4886615A (en) * 1985-08-05 1989-12-12 Colgate-Palmolive Company Hydroxy polycarboxylic acid built non-aqueous liquid cleaning composition and method for use, and package therefor
GB8909777D0 (en) * 1989-04-28 1989-06-14 Procter & Gamble Fabric-treatment sachets with reusable handling device
ES2036448B1 (es) * 1991-06-05 1994-03-01 Bilore Sa Mejoras introducidas en contenedores monodosis de detergente para lavado.
GB0609857D0 (en) * 2006-05-18 2006-06-28 Reckitt Benckiser Nv Water softening product and process for its preparation and use thereof
GB0621650D0 (en) * 2006-10-31 2006-12-06 Reckitt Benckiser Nv Product and process

Family Cites Families (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB302416A (en) * 1927-09-22 1928-12-20 James Beattie Copland Improvements in and relating to domestic washing appliances
US4105813A (en) * 1974-11-25 1978-08-08 Economics Laboratory, Inc. Treatment of fabrics in machine dryers
DE2635256A1 (de) * 1976-08-05 1978-02-09 Henkel Kgaa Folienbeutel
US4082678A (en) * 1976-11-10 1978-04-04 The Procter & Gamble Company Fabric conditioning articles and process
JPS56101969A (en) * 1980-01-17 1981-08-14 Yoshio Doi Antielectrostatic sponge
NZ206331A (en) * 1982-11-26 1986-05-09 Unilever Plc Liquid-permeable,flexible,sheet-like articles
IT206091Z2 (it) * 1983-09-20 1987-05-21 Salem Novopac Snc Confezioni piane per prodotti incoerenti con dispositivo antischiacciamento.

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP0249439B2 (fr) 1997-07-02
EP0249439A3 (en) 1988-07-06
ES2016360B3 (es) 1990-11-01
EP0249439A2 (fr) 1987-12-16
ES2016360T5 (es) 1997-10-16
JPS62299581A (ja) 1987-12-26
GB8614233D0 (en) 1986-07-16
DE3763320D1 (de) 1990-07-26
AU587129B2 (en) 1989-08-03
ZA874170B (en) 1989-02-22
FR2600075A1 (fr) 1987-12-18
FR2600075B1 (fr) 1990-03-09
AU7406187A (en) 1987-12-17

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