IES65385B2

IES65385B2 - Utilization of a sachet for the packaging of a pulverulent textile pigment or dye

Info

Publication number: IES65385B2
Authority: IE
Inventors: Agnes Jacquet; Catherine Fourty
Original assignee: Ideal
Priority date: 1994-01-05
Filing date: 1995-01-04
Publication date: 1995-10-18
Also published as: PT101630B; CH689264A5; ES2080028A1; FR2714679B1; ITTO950004A1; ES2080028B1; DE29500168U1; PT101630A; IT1278951B1; IES950005A2; FR2714679A1; ITTO950004A0; BE1008063A3

Abstract

Utilization, for the packaging of a pulverulent textile pigment or dye, of a sachet comprising a water-insoluble, water-permeable substrate, and at least one water-sensitive seal, whereby the content of the sachet is released by contact of the sachet with the water under mechanical agitation.

Description

UTILIZATION OF A SACHET FOR THE PACKAGING OF A PULVERULENT TEXTILE PIGMENT OR DYE The invention relates to the utilization of a sachet comprising a water-insoluble substrate and at least one seal sensitive to water at relatively low temperatures for the packaging of a pulverulent product intended to dye linen immersed in water and release said product upon contact with the water.

Dye for non-professional use is at the present time presented either in the form of a powder, or in the form of a liquid packaged in tubes, bottles, completely fluidtight plastics sachets, sleeved cases or thermoformed barquettes or containers which require, before utilization, the manual opening of the package and the introduction of the product into the washing machine.

In these presentations, the operations for opening the container and introducing the product may give rise to accidental stains on the skin of the user or on his surroundings.

Further, owing to the pulverulence and the very small particle size of the dye powder, coloured dust (specks) may be deposited on the edges of the washing machine employed for the dyeing and be liable to create accidental stains on the textiles in the following dyeing operations.

By avoiding any direct contact, any handling, and any risk of diffusion, the utilization of a sachet of the aforementioned type for the presentation of the powdered S 6 5 3 e 5 dye affords a definite improvement.

This presentation moreover permits providing the user with precise pre-doses of dyes for obtaining the desired dye with the best possible accuracy; this dye depending, upon other things, for a given quantity of dye, on the nature and the weight of the cloth to be dyed.

Detergent articles are known which may be used in an automatic washing machine and comprise a closed sachet enclosing a detergent product.

Thus EP 0 011 502 discloses a detergent product comprising a particulate detergent composition contained within a closed water-insoluble, water-impermeable sachet comprising a protective layer composed of a water-soluble material or a material insoluble in water but removable by the latter.

EP 0 246 897 discloses a sealable sachet which is adapted to release a substance in water subjected to agitation and comprises at least one seal which disintegrates in the water at temperatures of 40°C or lower temperatures under the action of a mechanical agitation.

EP 0 479 404 discloses a composite sachet for enclosing a detergent formed of a water-soluble film base comprising on its outer surface a discontinuous layer of a second plastics material which is less hydrosoluble than the film base, the composite film being capable of dispersal in slightly agitated water at a desired temperature without leaving visible residues on the linen.

However, all these embodiments relate to sachets intended to contain a detergent capable of being released in the wash water, in particular in a clothes washing machine.

Now, detergents are by their very nature and function products which have only a small number of likenesses with dyes and pigments employed in dyeing.

Thus, the dyes or pigments employed for dyeing linen are applied to cloths which are clean, modify the initial state of the fibre (by adsorption or chemical reaction), depend for their action on the nature of the fibre, of fundamental importance, and on the conditions of operation (function, duration of contact with the water, the pH), are in the form of a highly pulverulent powder of small particle size (0.2 pm to 50 pm) having a strong tendency to produce accidental stains, and may be used in a mixture. In contrast, detergents are applied to soiled cloths, do not modify the initial state of the fibre, do not depend on the nature of the fibre as concerns their mode of action, and are not in the form of a powder whose particle size is distinctly larger than that of the dyes or pigments employed in dyeing.

An object of the invention is to provide the utilization, for the packaging of a pulverulent textile pigment or dye, of a sachet comprising a water-insoluble, water-permeable substrate, and at least one water-snsitive seal, whereby the contents of the sachet are released upon contact of the sachet with the water under a mechanical agitation.

The sachet may be formed by means of a film-like water-insoluble material, which is of paper, woven or nonwoven or a plastics material. An appropriate material for forming the sachet is a non-woven material produced from natural or synthetic fibres, or from a mixture of said fibres, for example polyamide, polyester, polyacrylic, cellulose acetate, polyethylene, polypropylene, PVC, PVdC (polyvinylidene chloride) or cellulosic fibres, in particular polyester fibres of 60 g/m2.

When a film-like material is employed without an additional coating, the size of the pores of the film-like substrate must be such that the substrate does not allow the passage therethrough of the pulverulent material (pigment or dye) it contains. Thus, the size of the pores is between 1 and 50 jjol, depending on the particle size of the powder employed for the dyeing.

Advantageously, the porosity to air is lower than 1 l/m2/s.

The weight of the non-woven material is advantageously on the order of 10 to 100 g/m2 and preferably 60 g/m2.

The sachet may be formed of a single film folded onto itself and having a tubular section or of two films interconnected in the region of parallel edges.

For example, the sachet may be formed of a single sheet folded into two equal parts sealed together in the region of the three edges or of two sheets sealed together in the region of the four edges thereby providing a sachet of rectangular or square shape.

Advantageously, the sachet is adapted to open in the dyeing water at temperatures which are already as low as 15 - 20°C under mechanical agitation, for example by disintegration of at least one seal formed with a watersoluble adhesive.

According to a preferred embodiment, the seal is formed by a mixture of: (1) a component soluble in water at temperatures of 15°C to 20°C; (2) a heat-sealable component, for example that disclosed in EP 0 246 897.

Components soluble in water at temperatures of 15 - 20°C are preferably polycarboxylates, polyacrylamides, cellulose ethers, polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyvinyl alcohol, starch and its derivatives, in particular a dextrine, or a polyaerylate or mixtures thereof. A preferred example is a methyl polyaerylate/butyl polyacrylate copolymer in the proportion of 80/20.

The heat-sealable component may be polyvinyl acetate, a vinyl/ethylene acetate copolymer or a polyacrylate. Advantageously, the heat-sealable component is a mixture of an ethylene oxide polymer and a vinyl acetate/vinyl alcohol copolymer.

The heat-sealable component advantageously has a heat6 adhesive temperature of between 100 and 200°C. ' The proportion of the components (1) and (2) in the mixture forming the seal varies in accordance with the time at the end of which the rupture or the opening of the sachet is desired, a high proportion of heat-sealable component resulting in a seal which remains intact during a period of immersion in the water which is longer than with a seal prepared by employing a smaller proportion of the heat-sealable component.

One skilled in the art is capable of determining the appropriate proportions by means of simple routine measures.

The appropriate ratios between the hydrosoluble component and the heat-sealable component range from 50:1 to 1:50, and preferably from 20:1 to 1:20, and, better still, from 5:1 to 1:5 based on the dry weight.

The proportions are so adapted that the sachet opens in less than five minutes when it is put in contact with the water under mechanical or manual agitation.

The heat-sealable component is preferably in the form of an emulsion containing 40 to 55% by weight of solids.

The water-soluble component of the sealing composition is preferably in the form of a solution containing 10 to 60% by weight of solids.

The two components are admixed to form a sealing mixture having a viscosity of 1,000 to 6,000 cps at 25°C.

The sealing mixture may be applied in the region of the edges of the water-insoluble support.

Advantageously, the mixture of the components (1) and (2) is applied to all or a part of one side of the film forming the substrate, this side becoming the inner side of the sachet upon the folding of the film or the assembly of two films.

The sealing mixture is applied on one side of the water-insoluble substrate and dried so as to form a coating which is sufficiently flexible to avoid cracking when folding the substrate, in the case where the latter is formed of a single sheet which is subsequently folded.

The sachet is closed preferably by means of heat strips, the sachet being welded on two parallel sides in the case where the substrate is formed of a single sheet folded in two, or on three sides in the case where the substrate is formed of two sheets.

The pulverulent pigment or dye for dyeing the linen is then introduced into the sachet through the remaining opening in the amount of a few grams to a few tens of grams, then the free edges are welded by means of heat strips, as previously explained.

The temperature of the heat-sealing is between 100 and 200°C.

The width of the weld is between 1 and 7 mm.

When the sachet is placed in cold (or hot) water, it causes, by the rapid dissolution of the hydrosoluble component, the opening of the sachet by rupture of the seals and the diffusion of the colouring material in the water in which the linen is immersed.

The sachet enclosing the pulverulent dye may be employed in any container containing a given amount of water and the linen to be dyed, or may be placed in the drum of a washing machine in the presence of a defined amount of linen.

The invention has the following advantages: it avoids contact between the user and the product; a precise dosing of the dye or pigment; absence of the emission of coloured dust which might soil the textiles; ease of mixture; manipulation of the sachet with no risk of dissolution of the latter upon contact with the fingers; ease of utilization; package easy to eliminate (small volume).

An example of the invention will now be given.

EXAMPLE A film of rectangular shape (17 cm x 6.2 cm) of nonwoven 100% polyester fibres, having a weight of 60 g/m2 of rectangular shape coated with a 5:2 mixture of polyvinylpyrrolidone and polyvinyl acetate in the amount of 35 g/m2 is folded along a folding line parallel to the small edges and located midway of the length of the rectangle so that the coating layer is placed inside the folded structure. The large parallel edges are welded together in pairs by means of heat strips located at a distance of 4 mm from the end of the edges at a temperature of 130°C. g of conventional cloth dye are placed inside the sachet? the free small edges are welded as previously described for the large edges.

The sachet is placed in the drum of a washing machine containing 400 g of linen to be dyed. The machine is programmed for a hot cycle. The sachet containing the dye opens after a time of contact of three minutes with the water at 20°C following on the start of the actuation of drum of the washing machine.

Claims

1. Utilization, for the packaging of a pulverulent textile pigment or dye, of a sachet comprising a waterinsoluble, water-permeable substrate, and at least one water-sensitive seal, whereby the contents of the sachet are released upon contact of the sachet with the water under mechanical agitation.

2. Utilization according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is composed of paper, a woven or a non-woven material, or a plastics material in the form of a sheet.

3. Utilization according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the seal is achieved by a heat-sealing.

4. Utilization according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the seal comprises a mixture of: (1) a compound soluble in water at temperatures of 15°C to 20°C; 2. (2) a heat-sealable component.

5. Utilization according to claim 4, wherein the mixture is applied to all or a part of the inner surface of the sachet.

6. Utilization according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the substrate is formed of polyester fibres having a weight of 60 g/m 2 ·

7. Utilization according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the sachet and the linen to be dyed are put in contact with each other in a washing machine or in any receptacle provided with mechanical agitating means.