JP2006290466A - Process for making water-soluble pouch, method of washing dishware/tableware by automatic dishwashing machine using water-soluble pouch, and exhibiting package produced by those methods - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a process for manufacturing a multi-compartment pouch which is a water-soluble pouch suitable for use in mechane dishwashing, comprises a plurality of compartments superposed or to be stacked one another, each containing one or more detergent active substance or auxiliary components and having a volume of from about 5 to about 70 ml and an aspect ratio longitudinal/transverse, in the range of about 2:1 to about 1:8, preferably from about 1:1 to about 1:4, and a pack to contain the pouch. <P>SOLUTION: The process for manufacturing the multi-compartment pouch comprises the steps of forming the first moving web of a filled and sealed pouch releasably attached on the first moving endless surface, forming the second moving web of the filled and sealed pouch releasably attached on the second moving endless surface, superposing the first and the second webs each other and sealing or fixing them to form the superposed and sealed webs and separating the superposed and sealed webs into a plurality of water-soluble multi-partitioned pouches. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention is in the field of dishwashing and relates to a method for making a water-soluble pouch and a method for washing tableware / tableware in an automatic dishwashing machine using the water-soluble pouch. The pouch contains a detersive composition that is released when the pouch is dissolved. The invention also relates to packaging for storage, distribution and display of pouches.

  A unit dose of dishwashing detergent avoids the need for consumers to measure the product, thereby realizing more precise dosing and avoiding wasteful overdosing or underdosing, Has been found to be more attractive and convenient. For this reason, automatic dishwashing detergent products in the form of tablets have become very popular. Pouch-type detergent products are also known in the art and can avoid contact with the consumer's fingers in a dishwashing composition that may contain bleach and / or other irritating substances. Has advantages over.

The automatic dishwashing process usually involves an initial prewash cycle, a main wash cycle, and several hot rinse cycles. Because the detergent can be lost in the initial water, better performance is obtained when delivering the detergent at the beginning of the main wash cycle than when delivering detergent in the prewash cycle. In laundry washing machines, the detergent can be placed in a tub or in a dispensing device, whereas in a dishwasher, the detergent is generally not provided with a dispensing device to avoid premature dissolution during pre-washing. Delivered during the main wash. Accordingly, the amount of detergent is limited by the volume of the dispensing device. Dispensing devices vary in volume and shape from manufacturer to manufacturer. For free form (ie, powder, paste, and liquid) detergents, the volume of the dispensing device is a critical factor. In the case of unit dose forms such as tablets, the geometry and shape of the dispensing device also plays a very important role.
Tablets can be designed to have a size and shape suitable for all machines. One of the disadvantages of detergent tablets is the fact that their manufacturing process requires an additional step of compacting the powder. This reduces enzyme activity, slows the dissolution rate of the ingredients that form the tablet, or requires the use of complex and expensive disintegrant systems, or makes it difficult to achieve differential dissolution of the detergent active ingredients.

  Some detergent ingredients used in dishwashing detergent compositions are liquid. Including these liquid components in a solid detergent composition can be difficult and costly. Certain ingredients are also preferably transported and supplied to detergent manufacturers in liquid form, which requires additional processes and steps that are sometimes costly to include in a solid detergent composition. An example of these detergent ingredients are surfactants, particularly nonionic surfactants that are usually liquid at room temperature or are usually transported and supplied to detergent manufacturers in liquid form. Another example is an organic solvent.

  Current methods of incorporating a liquid component into a solid detergent composition include absorption of the liquid component into a solid carrier, for example, by mixing, agglomeration, or spraying techniques. Typically, solid detergent compositions contain only a small amount of these liquid detergent ingredients because these liquid ingredients are difficult and expensive to incorporate into the solid detergent. In addition, incorporating a liquid component into the solid detergent composition can affect the dissolution characteristics of the composition (eg, as a result of forming a surfactant gel phase), increase moisture uptake by the water sensitive component, and It can lead to fluidity problems. It is advantageous to have a detergent composition in which the various ingredients can be in their natural state, ie liquid or solid. This facilitates the manufacturing process, improves component stability, and allows the liquid component to be delivered before and after delivery of the solid component. For example, differential dissolution of the active ingredient is beneficial in the case of enzyme / bleach compositions to avoid oxidation of the enzyme by bleach in the dishwashing liquid. It is also advantageous to separate the bleach from the fragrance.

In the case of tablets, some other factors that may contribute to inefficient delivery of the active substance to the wash are the addition of a carrier material such as an active liquid material, a binder, a porous material capable of binding a disintegrant. That is what you need to do. In particular, the incorporation of liquid surfactants into a detergent composition in powder form can cause problems that make processing considerably more difficult and poor dissolution through the formation of a surfactant gel phase.
There remains a need for multi-compartment unit dosage forms that are suitable for dispensing devices of various types of dishwashing machines and that can deliver incompatible components and components of various physical forms simultaneously. There is also a need for simplified manufacturing processes for multi-compartment pouch products and multi-compartment pouches that have improved strength, handling, and dissolution characteristics and are aesthetically pleasing.

The most common process for making a water-soluble pouch with a product such as a cleanable product is the so-called vertical molding-fill-seal process. This forms a vertical tube by folding the film. Seal the bottom end of the tube into an open pouch. This pouch is partially filled to form a headspace, and then the top of the open pouch is sealed together to seal the pouch and become the next open pouch. The first pouch is then cut and this process is repeated. The pouch formed in this way is usually in the shape of a pillow.
A second known process for making pouches is by using a mold with a series of molds and forming an open pouch from the film in these molds that can then be filled and sealed. is there. This method uses the pouch film material more efficiently, and the process is more flexible in terms of the shape of the pouch and the components used. However, the process is not very suitable for industrial applications because it cannot produce large quantities of pouches (per unit of time) in an easy and efficient manner.

A proposed third process is to form a pouch in the mold that exists on the surface of the circular bath. As a result, the film circulates on the tank, a pocket is formed, and passes under the filling machine to fill the open pocket. Filling and sealing need to be done at the highest point (top) of the circle drawn by the tank, for example, usually the filling practiced just before the rotating tank started a downward circular transition and the tank started moving downward Immediately after the sealing.
One problem associated with vertical filling machines is that the process is not very efficient, for example, the process speed changes from one process to the next, so the process is intermittent and very slow, and each pouch forming process Can usually produce only one row of pouches one-dimensionally, so that only a limited amount of pouches can be formed in one minute. Moreover, a large amount of film is used per product dose because the system does not completely fill the pouches, substantially seals along the vertical dimension of each pouch and cannot stretch the film. The shape of the pouch that is formed is also not very flexible.

Problems related to the second process of using a mold with a mold include an intermittent (or indexing process) process that is slow, accompanied by acceleration and deceleration, which reduces the overall speed, and The fact that it causes spillage of the product from the open pouch is also mentioned. The output of this process is also not very high (per time unit).
The circular bath process overcomes some of the drawbacks because it can easily provide a two-dimensionally arranged pouch without speed change (no acceleration / deceleration) and can change the shape of the pouch to some extent To do. However, the circular transition spills into the area where the product is sealed, so spillage from the pouch can be significant, which can cause problems with sealing (leakage sealing). The process also makes it impossible to completely fill the pouch because spills are even more problematic. This process also has a more serious problem when using liquid products, which is more likely to spill due to circular transitions. Moreover, filling and sealing must be practiced around the highest point of the vessel's circular path, thus greatly reducing the overall speed and output of the pouch formation process.

  Moreover, all known processes are designed primarily for making single compartment pouches. There is still a need for a process for making multi-compartment water-soluble pouches that overcomes the aforementioned problems, i.e., a continuous process that is fast in production and minimizes the amount of film used in each pouch. . There is also a need for a process for making a multi-compartment water-soluble pouch with improved strength and adapted for use in machine cleaning.

[Summary of Invention]
According to a first aspect of the present invention, a machine cleaning product in the form of a water soluble pouch is provided. The pouch includes a plurality of compartments that are generally overlaid or in a relationship that can be overlaid, for example, a plurality of compartments symmetrically, one on top of the other, or side by side. It can be placed (so that it can be folded into a stacked relationship) or in any other convenient arrangement that allows the compartments to be stacked in use. Each compartment contains one or more detergent active ingredients or detergent auxiliary ingredients. In this specification, a water-soluble pouch having a plurality of compartments is referred to as a multi-compartment pouch. Multi-compartment pouches in which compartments are stacked are exposed to the surrounding environment when one or more compartments contain a water sensitive component so that the compartment containing the water sensitive component can be placed in the middle or bottom layer. This is particularly advantageous because it reduces the surface area to be taken and thus reduces the possibility of taking moisture from the surroundings.

  Preferably, the volume of the pouch is from about 5 to about 70 ml, preferably from about 15 to about 60 ml, more preferably from about 18 to 57 ml, and the pouch has a longitudinal / lateral aspect ratio range of about 2: 1. To about 1: 8, preferably about 1: 1 to about 1: 4. The longitudinal dimension is such that when the pouch compartments are placed one on top of the other, ie one after the other, with the pouches placed on top of one another with the largest footprint down, under a static load of about 2 kg. Defined as the maximum height of the pouch. The transverse dimension is defined as the maximum width of the pouch in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction under the same conditions. These dimensions are well suited for most dishwasher dispensing devices. Although the shape of the pouch can vary widely, to maximize the available volume, the preferred pouch has a generally rectangular bottom that is as similar as possible to the footprint of most dispensing devices.

In one embodiment, the plurality of compartments of the water-soluble pouch are in a generally overlaid relationship, wherein the pouch is different from the generally opposed upper and lower outer wall surfaces and the skirt-like side wall surface that forms the sides of the pouch. One or more inner wall surfaces that separate the compartments individually, and each of the upper and lower outer wall surfaces and the skirt-like side wall surface are formed by thermoforming, vacuum forming, or a combination thereof.
Therefore, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a machine cleaning product in the form of a water-soluble pouch comprising a plurality of compartments in a generally overlaid relationship, wherein each compartment has one or more detergent activities. A substance, or an auxiliary component, wherein the pouch comprises generally opposed upper and lower outer wall surfaces, a skirt-like side wall surface, and one or more internal partition wall surfaces, each of the upper, lower outer wall surfaces and A product is provided in which the skirt-like sidewall surface is formed by thermoforming, vacuum forming, or a combination thereof.

In a preferred embodiment, each inner section wall of the water-soluble multi-compartment pouch is fixed to the outer wall or side wall along a single sealing line, or along a plurality of non-overlapping sealing lines. And fixed to both the outer wall surface and the side wall surface of the pouch. Each section wall is preferably secured to one or more outer or side walls by heat or solvent sealing.
In a particularly preferred embodiment, at least one inner partition wall of the multi-compartment pouch is fixed to an upper or lower outer wall along a first continuous sealing line, and one or both of the outer wall and the partition wall is a second. Fixed to the skirt-like side wall surface along the continuous seal line, the seal line is essentially non-overlapping in the case of heat sealing and at least partially non-overlapping in the case of solvent sealing.

Non-overlapping sealing lines are particularly advantageous in the case of multi-compartment pouches made by processes involving several heat sealing processes that are not simultaneous. While not intending to be bound by theory, the mechanism of heat sealing is believed to be related to the process of evaporating moisture from the film, so it is very difficult to obtain a well duplicated seal unless two seals are formed simultaneously. It is difficult to. Heat sealing is preferred when filling the pouch with water sensitive ingredients. Solvent sealing can reduce processing costs, create a stronger seal and speed up the process. A plurality of compartments of various sizes can be overlapped by a partially non-overlapping seal.
Preferably, at least one inner section wall of the multi-compartment pouch is secured to the upper outer wall along a first sealing line defining a waist line of the skirt-like wall, and the second non-overlapping or at least partially The non-overlapping seals are offset below the sealing line defining the waist line, preferably in the direction of the lower outer wall. The skirt-like side wall surface is also preferably slightly wrinkled or wrinkled at the final pouch so as to provide a mattress-like appearance.

Thus, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a machine cleaning product in the form of a water-soluble pouch comprising a plurality of compartments in a generally overlaid relationship, wherein each compartment has one or more detergent active ingredients. And the pouch comprises generally opposed upper and lower outer wall surfaces, a skirt-like side wall surface, and one or more inner section wall surfaces, wherein at least one inner section wall surface is a first continuous sealing line. Fixed to the upper or lower outer wall surface along one or both of the outer wall surface and the sectioned wall surface fixed to the skirt-like side wall surface along a second continuous sealing line, the sealing line at least partially A non-overlapping product is provided.
In other embodiments, the water-soluble pouch comprises a plurality of compartments that are side-by-side but generally in a superimposed relationship (eg, compartments can be folded one after the other). The pouch includes generally opposed upper and lower outer wall surfaces, one or more skirt-like side wall surfaces, and one or more external partition wall surfaces, wherein the upper and lower outer wall surfaces and the skirt-like side wall surfaces are , Thermoforming, vacuum forming, or a combination thereof.

In one embodiment, at least one of the plurality of compartments of the water-soluble pouch comprises a powder or densified powder composition. Powder compositions usually contain traditional solid materials used in dishwashing detergents, such as builders, alkaline sources, enzymes, bleaching agents and the like. The powder composition can be in the form of a dry powder, a hydrous powder, an agglomerate, an encapsulated material, an extrudate, a tablet, or a mixture thereof. It is also useful that some compartments have water-soluble pouches containing various powder compositions, and usually compositions in different compartments are incompatible active substances, or at various points in the dishwashing process. Contains the active substance that needs to be delivered. It is advantageous to have the bleach and the enzyme in different compartments.
In a preferred embodiment, at least one powder compartment contains a particulate bleach.
The bleaching agent is preferably an organic peroxide comprising inorganic peroxides including perborates and percarbonates and preformed monoperoxycarboxylic acids such as phthaloylamide peroxyhexanoic acid and diacyl peroxides. Selected from acids.

In the case of powder compositions, differential melting can be achieved, for example, by varying the degree of powder compression and / or the particle size of the powder composition within the same or different compartments. Another way to achieve differential dissolution is to use water-soluble films with different thicknesses or different degrees or rates of dissolution under the conditions of use. Film solubility can be controlled, for example, by pH, temperature, ionic strength, or any other means. For the purpose of achieving stepwise or sequential delivery of detergent actives, it is preferred that each compartment of the pouch has different disintegration rates or dissolution characteristics under the conditions of use.
In other embodiments, at least one of the plurality of compartments of the water-soluble pouch comprises a liquid composition. Liquid compositions include traditional liquid materials used in dishwashing detergents, such as non-ionic active agents and organic solvents described below. In a preferred embodiment, the liquid composition includes a detersive enzyme. Water-soluble pouches having one compartment containing the liquid composition and another compartment containing the solid composition are particularly useful. In the case of a liquid composition, particularly a liquid composition enclosed in a second package, the moisture content in the composition should be the same as the moisture content in the film in order to avoid movement of moisture between each other. Is desirable.

If the moisture content in the composition is lower than in the film, moisture may transfer from the film to the composition, making the water-soluble pouch brittle. For the same reason, it is desirable to use the same amount of plasticizer in the composition and in the film.
In other embodiments, at least one of the plurality of compartments of the water-soluble pouch comprises a composition in paste form. Multi-compartment pouches can also include compositions in the form of gels or waxes.
In a preferred embodiment, at least one of the plurality of water soluble pouch compositions comprises an organic solvent system compatible with the water soluble pouch. The organic solvent system not only serves as a liquid carrier, but in preferred compositions, the solvent can help remove cooking stains, baking stains, or burnt stains and thus has a detergent function on its own. The volatile organic content of an organic solvent system (including a single solvent compound or a mixture of solvates) is greater than about 1 mmHg, more preferably greater than 0.1 mmHg, preferably less than about 50% by weight of the solvent system, preferably It is preferred that it be less than about 20% by weight, more preferably less than about 10% by weight. As used herein, the volatile organic content of a solvent system is defined as the content of organic components in a solvent system having a specified pressure at 25 ° C. and a vapor pressure higher than atmospheric pressure.

The organic solvent system used in the present invention includes organic amine solvents including alkanolamines, alkylamines, alkyleneamines, and mixtures thereof; aromatic alcohols, aliphatic alcohols (preferably C _{4 to} C ₁₀ ), rings Alcohols containing formula aliphatic alcohols and mixtures thereof; glycols and glycol derivatives, including C ₂ -C ₃ (poly) alkylene glycols, glycol ethers, glycol esters, and mixtures thereof; and organic It is preferably selected from a mixture selected from amine solvents, alcohol solvents, glycols and glycol derivatives. In one preferred embodiment, the organic solvent comprises an organic amine (especially alkanolamine) solvent and a glycol ether solvent, preferably in a weight ratio of about 3: 1 to about 1: 3, and the glycol ether solvent is ethylene glycol. Selected from monobutyl ether, diethylene glycol monobutyl ether, ethylene glycol monomethyl ether, ethylene glycol monoethyl ether, diethylene glycol monomethyl ether, diethylene glycol monoethyl ether, propylene glycol monobutyl ether, and mixtures thereof. It is preferred that the glycol ether is a mixture of diethylene glycol monobutyl ether and propylene glycol butyl ether, particularly in a weight ratio of about 1: 2 to about 2: 1.

  Also provided is a method of cleaning tableware / tableware in an automatic dishwashing machine using the machine cleaning product described herein. This method is suitable for the simultaneous or sequential delivery of detergent actives to one or more prewash, main wash, or rinse cycles of a washing machine, but is particularly suitable for delivery to the main wash or rinse cycle.

  According to another aspect of the invention, a method for making a water-soluble pouch is provided. This pouch is suitable for use in machine washing, including laundry and dishwashing, and includes a plurality of generally stacked or stackable relationships, each containing a detergent active ingredient. Prepare. The method comprises the steps of i) forming a first moving web of a filled and optionally sealed pouch releasably mounted on a first moving (preferably rotating) endless surface; and ii) a second moving (preferably Rotating) to releasably attach and fill the endless surface to form a sealed second moving web of pouch; iii) overlay the first and second moving webs and seal or fix Forming a stacked and sealed web; and iv) separating the stacked and sealed web into a plurality of water soluble multi-compartment pouches. In a preferred embodiment, the second moving endless surface moves simultaneously with the first moving endless surface. This facilitates carrying out the method in a continuous manner.

The filled first web of open pouches can be sealed by any means for sealing the web, for example a film of pouch-forming material, but in a preferred embodiment, it is preferably sealed with a second web of pouches. This avoids using an extra layer of film. The web sealing means preferably moves simultaneously with the first endless surface as well as the first web of the open pouch mounted thereon. In a preferred embodiment, the second web of the pouch is turned over and then the first web of the open pouch is sealed, which is preferred from the standpoint that it is easy to overlap during the web sealing process.
The first moving web of the open pouch can be formed, for example, by sending a water soluble film to a mold having a series of molds. The mold can be of any convenient size and shape, but a rectangular mold with a footprint sufficient for most dishwasher dispensing devices is preferred for use in the present invention. In addition to the advantage of being suitable for a dispensing device, rectangular pouches inherently have areas of varying film thickness on the film, which may contribute to improving the dissolution characteristics of the pouch.

  The open pouch can be formed using thermoforming, for example by heating the mold, or by applying heat in any other known manner, such as using hot air blowing or a heating lamp. it can. If desired, vacuum assistance can be incorporated to help place the film into the mold. The open pouch can alternatively be formed by vacuum forming, in which case heat assistance can be provided to facilitate the process. Generally, thermoforming is mainly a plastic deformation process, and vacuum forming is mainly an elastic deformation process. The two techniques can be combined to produce pouches of any desired elasticity / plasticity.

A first web of open pouches is preferably formed on the first rotating endless surface, which surface is preferably horizontal or nearly horizontal when the pouch is filled.
Thus, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for making a water-soluble pouch comprising a plurality of compartments in a generally overlaid relationship, each compartment comprising a detergent active or an auxiliary component. Forming and filling a horizontal or nearly horizontal moving web of a release pouch releasably mounted on the first moving endless surface; and pre-forming, filling and sealing the open pouch web moving simultaneously. Sealing with a moving web overlaid with pouches. It is preferred that the first endless surface transitions horizontally or substantially horizontally during the filling process of the first moving web of the open pouch, preferably continuously transitions linearly horizontally.

  In a preferred embodiment, the first open web of open pouches is filled using a product filling station comprising means for filling each open pouch with an amount of one or more product feed streams. The filling station is preferably arranged to move simultaneously with the first web of the open pouch during the filling process, so that acceleration / deceleration of the open pouch during filling is avoided, which inevitably results in detergent spillage and sealing. Contamination of the area is avoided. With the horizontal linear transition of the first web of the open pouch, the open pouch can be fully or more fully filled and the film is more fully utilized. Alternatively, a filling station can be installed.

  The detergent product can be delivered to each open pouch through an individual dosing or dispensing device having a single feeding device or means for supplying a single product feed stream, which is a single premixed composition. Preferred when delivering an article to a pouch. In the case of multi-component liquid compositions, each pouch can be filled using multiple feeders or means for supplying multiple product feed streams, each feed device having a different liquid composition (or its components). So that the need for a premixing step is avoided. In the case of a multi-component powder composition, each feeder can also be filled with multiple feeders, and each feeder sends the powder composition (or its components) to form a separate layer of product. Deliver. In the case of powder compositions, it is advantageous to provide a masking belt having an orifice that is the same size as the aperture of the open pouch or slightly smaller than the aperture to avoid contamination of the seal.

  The first web of the open pouch can optionally be sealed with a film after filling and sealed, and then the second moving web of pouch can be overlaid and sealed. Although the second web of pouch can be made separately, in a preferred embodiment, the second web of pouch is horizontal or nearly horizontal when filling the pouch. In a preferred embodiment, filling the second moving horizontal web of the open pouch is accomplished using a second product filling station that moves simultaneously with the second endless surface. In one embodiment, the filling station comprises means for delivering a plurality of product feed streams, as in the case of the filling station for the first web of open pouch described above. If the first web itself is sealed with a film and then the two webs are stacked, the two webs can be secured together along a discontinuous seal line if desired.

Each of the first and second endless surfaces and the corresponding web of the pouch can be adapted for horizontal linear or curvilinear movement during filling of the pouch, but here the filling of the first moving web of the open pouch Preferably, the first endless surface moves horizontally and straight during the process, and the second endless surface moves substantially horizontally straight or curved during the filling process of the second moving web of the open pouch.
It is preferred that the second endless surface rotates in the opposite direction to the first endless surface.
It is also preferred that after filling, the second web pouch is covered with a film sealing means, sealed, sealed and then overlaid on the first web of the pouch to seal the two webs. In the present invention, the use of heat sealing that can be practiced by any known medium such as direct application, infrared, ultrasonic, radio frequency, laser is preferred. In the present invention, solvent sealing may alternatively be used.

  The web of the two-compartment pouch thus formed is then divided into individual pouches, for example by means known per se. The pouch is preferably produced at a constant speed and at a constant pitch, which can facilitate the automation of the packaging method. The method described hereinabove is directed to the production of a two-compartment pouch, but in a similar manner, for example, by stacking and sealing three or more webs of pouches, more than two compartments. A multi-compartment pouch with can be manufactured. In the present invention, a multi-compartment pouch that divides at least one compartment horizontally into a plurality of compartments is also very useful.

According to another method aspect, each compartment comprises a plurality of compartments suitable for use in mechanical washing, including laundering and dishwashing, and generally in a stacked or superimposable relationship. Is a method for making a water-soluble pouch comprising a detergent active or an auxiliary ingredient comprising:
a) forming and partially filling a moving web of an open pouch releasably mounted on a moving endless surface, wherein the partial filling forms a second compartment, for example in the same mold; A process to leave enough space,
b) sealing and sealing the moving web with a web sealing means that moves at the same time, partially filling the web sealing means so as to form a plurality of sealed and stacked open compartments; The process of introducing into the pouch,
c) filling, sealing, and sealing the overlapped open section using a second web sealing means that moves simultaneously with the moving web;
d) separating the web into a plurality of water soluble multi-compartment pouches.

In the method described above, only one moving endless surface is required to form a multi-compartment pouch, which may be beneficial from a capital cost perspective. Each pouch is formed in a single mold. After forming the web of open pouches, each open pouch is partially filled, sealed and sealed to form a second open compartment, which is then filled, sealed and sealed. In one preferred embodiment, the sealing step is performed using solvent sealing.
As used herein, the term “filling” includes “partial” and “complete” filling of a pouch or compartment thereof. An open pouch or compartment is considered fully filled when the product fills at least about 90% of the volume of the open pouch or compartment. “Partial” filling is comparable.

In a slightly modified form of the method, the sealing process is performed at a later stage of the method. Therefore, according to this aspect, each compartment comprises a plurality of compartments suitable for use in machine washing, including laundry and dishwashing, and generally in a superimposed or foldable relationship. Is a method for making a water-soluble pouch comprising a detergent active or an auxiliary ingredient comprising:
a) forming and partially filling a moving web of an open pouch releasably mounted on a moving endless surface;
b) sealing the moving web with a web-sealing means that moves simultaneously with the web-sealing means, partially filling the web-sealing means to form a plurality of open compartments that are sealed and overlaid Introducing into the pouch;
c) filling and sealing the overlapped open section using a second web sealing means that moves simultaneously with the moving web;
d) sealing the web and the first and second web sealing means;
e) separating the web into a plurality of water soluble multi-compartment pouches.

In a preferred embodiment of this method, the sealing step is performed using ultrasonic sealing.
In another variation of this approach, in step (a), the open pouch web is partially or completely filled with a first composition comprising a detergent active or an auxiliary ingredient, after which a second compartment is formed. Densify the composition or enlarge the pouch to provide sufficient space for. In the case of powder compositions, densification can be achieved by compaction, tapping, forging, vibration, etc., for example, a bulk density of at least about 5%, preferably at least about 10%, especially at least about 20%. More preferably, the density is increased to increase by at least about 30%. The final bulk density is preferably at least about 0.6 g / cc, more preferably at least about 0.8 g / cc, especially at least about 1 g / cc. Means for enlarging the pouch include means for changing the size or volume of the mold, such as the insertion of a movable floor site, a variable size or volume, and the like.

In an alternative example embodiment, a superimposed open compartment may be formed after the process of sealing and sealing the moving web of the open pouch. Therefore, according to a further method aspect, a water-soluble pouch is provided comprising a plurality of compartments that are generally overlaid or in a superposable relationship, each compartment comprising a detergent active or an auxiliary ingredient. A method for
a) forming and partially filling a moving web of an open pouch releasably mounted on a moving endless surface;
b) sealing and sealing the moving web with simultaneously moving web sealing means to form a plurality of sealed compartments;
c) forming a recess in part or all of the sealed compartment formed in step (b) so as to form a plurality of open compartments superimposed above the sealed compartment;
d) filling, sealing, and sealing the overlapped open section using a second web sealing means that moves simultaneously with the moving web;
e) separating the web into a plurality of water soluble multi-compartment pouches.

Again, even in a slightly modified form of the method, the sealing process is performed at a later stage of the method. Therefore, according to yet another method aspect, a water-soluble pouch is provided comprising a plurality of compartments that are generally overlaid or in a superposable relationship, each compartment comprising a detergent active or an auxiliary component. A method for
a) forming and filling a moving web of an open pouch releasably mounted on a moving endless surface;
b) sealing the moving web with a web-sealing means that moves simultaneously to form a plurality of sealed compartments;
c) forming a recess in part or all of the sealed compartment formed in step (b) so as to form a plurality of open compartments superimposed above the sealed compartment;
d) filling and sealing the overlapped open section using a second web sealing means that moves simultaneously with the moving web;
e) sealing the web and the first and second web sealing means;
f) separating the web into a plurality of water soluble multi-compartment pouches.

For the purpose of forming indentations, the sealed compartment may be subjected to the aforementioned powder compression or compaction step, if necessary, by means such as vents provided in the web so that air can be vented from the compressed compartment. Can be made.
In all these method aspects, it is preferred that the endless surface continuously transitions horizontally or nearly horizontally, preferably linearly, during the filling process of the moving web open pouch and the overlaid open section. Alternatively, the transition can be done intermittently, but this is less preferred. It is also preferred that the filling process be accomplished using a product filling station that moves simultaneously with the endless surface. Suitably, the product filling station may comprise means for filling a quantity of a plurality of product feed streams into said respective compartments.

Preferably, a multi-compartment pouch formed by any of the methods described herein comprises a plurality of compartments containing a powder composition and a plurality of compartments containing a liquid, gel or paste composition. . Moreover, by using an appropriate feeding station, it is possible to produce multi-compartment pouches incorporating several different or unique powder compositions and / or different or unique liquid, gel or paste compositions. Understood. This can be particularly useful for producing unit dosage forms that exhibit novel visual and / or other sensory effects.
Therefore, in another method embodiment, a method for forming a plurality of multi-compartment pouches in a number of sensory unique groups, each comprising a plurality of compartment groups with a corresponding sensory unique composition. Including the step of filling, and the resulting group is unique in terms of color, shape, size, pattern, or decoration, or unique in that it provides a unique sensory signal such as smell, sound, feel, etc. A method is provided.

  The present invention also includes clear containers such as multiple water soluble pouches, or clear or permeable cartons or bottles containing a number of visually or sensory unique unit doses of detergent products. We also offer display packaging including external packaging. As used herein, visually unique means that the group can be identified in terms of shape, color, size, pattern, decoration, and the like. Otherwise, the group is unique in that it provides unique sensory signals such as smell, sound, and feel.

  In a preferred embodiment, it is a clear, preferably transparent dishwashing detergent package, wherein the number of unique pouches or other unit dose groups is at least 2, preferably at least 3, more preferably at least 4, especially Preferably, a package is provided wherein at least 6 and the number of unit doses per package is at least about 10, preferably at least about 16, more preferably at least about 20. Preferably, the unit dose is a multi-compartment pouch, and in some cases each compartment itself is different from that of the other compartments within the individual pouch and is otherwise visual or otherwise unique. In a preferred embodiment, the pouch group is unique in color. In the case of a multi-compartment pouch, at least one group of pouches has a unique compartment that differs visually from the corresponding compartment in one or more other groups of pouches, for example in terms of color. In such an embodiment, it is preferred that all pouch groups have at least one “common” section, ie, each group having the same appearance. The visually unique compartment contains a liquid, gel, or paste, and preferably the common compartment contains a powder or tablet. The pouches can be placed randomly or sequentially in any form in the packaging, for example in a suitable arrangement comprising layers, each pouch being against any of the remaining compartments of the pouch on the same layer. It comprises at least one compartment of different colors. The package can be made from plastic or any other suitable material provided it is strong enough to protect the pouch during shipping. This type of packaging is also very useful because the user does not have to open the package to see how many pouches remain, and various color pouches are very easily distinguished from the outside. Alternatively, the package can have a clear outer package, possibly showing a visually unique content of the package, possibly by a mark or picture.

In other embodiments, a unique group of pouches contain various fragrances. The fragrance can have a color associated with it, for example, yellow for lemon flavor, pink for strawberry flavor, blue for sea flavor, and the like.
The method for making a multi-compartment pouch described herein can be adapted to form a plurality of pouches in a number of the aforementioned sensory unique groups, each of which has a number of compartments. Filled with a corresponding sensory unique composition. This simplifies the production of the display packaging of the present invention.

Detailed Description of the Invention
The present invention contemplates a multi-compartment water-soluble pouch that is optimally shaped and dimensioned for placement in the majority of dishwasher dispensers. The pouches of the present invention allow for optimal use of the dispensing device of the dishwashing machine and optimal delivery and storage of the dishwashing composition without losing the convenience of the unit dosage form. Performing multi-compartment unit doses includes unit dose forms that include powders, liquids, or pastes in separate compartments. Particularly useful compositions are those that contain an organic solvent that can remove burned, cooked or burned stains. The present invention also contemplates multi-compartment performance allowing differential delivery of compositions contained within different compartments.
The present invention also contemplates a method for producing a multi-compartment water-soluble pouch. This method is fast, very versatile, and also allows efficient use of water-soluble films.

Finally, the present invention contemplates a detergent package that has improved display characteristics and allows the consumer to very easily evaluate the amount of pouch therein.
The dishwashing composition or component used in the present invention is contained within the internal volume space of the pouch and is usually separated from the external environment by a water-soluble material barrier. Usually, the different components of the composition contained in different compartments of the pouch are separated from each other by a barrier of water soluble material.
The compartments of the water-soluble pouch can be different colors from each other, for example, the first compartment can be green or blue and the second compartment can be white or yellow. One of the pouch compartments can be opaque or translucent and the second compartment of the pouch can be transparent, transparent or translucent. The pouch compartments may be the same size and have the same internal volume, or may be different sizes and have different internal volumes.

  Suitable water-soluble pouches include, for example, free compartments, densified powders, or tablets in the first compartment and liquid, paste, or waxy, permeable gel detergents in the second compartment. A pouch can be included. The second liquid, paste, or gel compartment also contains a separately packaged powder, for example in the form of microbeads, noodles, or one or more pearl spheres that allow a delayed or sequential release effect. can do. Where the first compartment comprises a tablet, the tablet can have a recess of size and geometry (eg, square, circular, oval) to partially or completely accommodate the second compartment. . For pouches that contain powder in the first compartment, the powder can be placed in layers that can be of different colors.

Alternatively, a two-compartment pouch can contain the same or different colored powder in the two compartments, the powder comprising one or more colored small particles or having a uniform color. One of the two compartments can also include a separate densified powder phase (possible delayed or controlled release), for example in the form of microbeads, noodles, or one or more pearl spheres. The other two-compartment pouch contains a single-phase or multi-phase, liquid, paste, waxy or permeable gel detergent in two compartments, each compartment being of the same or different color and / or density, multi-phase Contains liquid or gel.
One or both of these compartments can also include a separate densified powder phase (allowing delayed or controlled release), for example in the form of microbeads, noodles, or one or more pearl spheres. All of the aforementioned two-compartment pouch compartments can be in a relationship that can be overlaid or overlaid (eg, side by side).

A multi-compartment pouch with three compartments can have any geometrically shaped compartments in a sandwich-like arrangement, for example with free or compacted powder in the two outer compartments. , Having a liquid, paste, waxy or permeable gel in the central compartment. Conversely, liquids, pastes, waxy or permeable gels can be placed in two outer compartments, possibly containing suspended solids and spots, and the powder in the central compartment. A multi-compartment pouch can also have a tablet with more than one indentation in the first compartment, with many other compartments being wholly or partially contained within the indentation of the tablet.
The pouches can be packaged in a row and each pouch can be individually separated by a perforation line. Thus, each pouch can be individually peeled off by the end user from the rest of the row.

Particularly suitable for use in the present invention is a first compartment containing a liquid composition and a second compartment containing a powder composition, wherein the weight ratio of the liquid composition to the solid composition is from about 1:30 to about 30. 1, preferably from about 1: 1 to about 1:25, more preferably from about 1:15 to about 1:20 multi-compartment pouches.
For reasons of deformability under compressive force and suitability for dispensing devices, pouches or pouch compartments containing liquid components usually have a volume up to about 50%, preferably up to about 40% of the volume space of the compartment. More preferably up to about 30%, more preferably up to about 20%, more preferably up to about 10%.
The pouch is preferably made of a water-soluble or water-dispersible pouch material and has at least 50% when measured after using a glass filter with a maximum pore size of 20 microns by the method described herein below. Preferably having a water solubility of at least 75%, or at least 95%.

Add 50 grams 0.1 grams of pouch material to a pre-weighed 400 ml beaker and add 245 ml ± 1 ml of distilled water. This is vigorously stirred for 30 minutes with a magnetic stirrer set at 600 rpm. The mixture is then filtered through a folded quantitative sintered glass filter having a pore size as defined above (up to 20 microns). Water is dried from the collected filtrate by any conventional method and the weight of the remaining material is determined (that is the dissolved or dispersed part). The% solubility or% dispersity can then be calculated.
Preferred pouch materials are polymeric materials, preferably polymers that are formed into films or sheets. The pouch material can be obtained by casting, blowing, extrusion, or blow extrusion of a polymeric material as is known in the art.

  Preferred polymers, copolymers, or derivatives thereof suitable for use as pouch materials are polyvinyl alcohols, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, polyalkylene oxides, acrylamide, acrylic acid, cellulose, cellulose ethers, cellulose esters, cellulose amides. , Polyvinyl acetates, polycarboxylic acids and salts, polyamino acids or peptides, polyamides, polyacrylamide, maleic / acrylic acid copolymers, polysaccharides including starch and gelatin, and natural rubbers such as xanthan and carragum Selected from the kind. More preferred polymers are selected from polyacrylates and water-soluble acrylate copolymers, methylcellulose, sodium carboxymethylcellulose, dextrin, ethylcellulose, hydroxyethylcellulose, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, maltodextrin, polymethacrylates, most preferably polyvinyl alcohols, polyvinyl Selected from alcohol copolymers and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), and combinations thereof. Preferably, the concentration of polymer in the pouch material, such as PVA polymer, is at least 60%.

The polymer can have any weight average molecular weight, preferably about 1000 to 1,000,000, more preferably about 10,000 to 300,000, and even more preferably about 20,000 to 150,000. be able to.
A mixture of polymers can also be used as a pouch material. This can be beneficial in controlling the mechanical and / or dissolution properties of the compartment or pouch depending on its application and required needs. Suitable mixtures include, for example, mixtures in which one polymer has a higher water solubility than the other polymer and / or one polymer has a higher mechanical strength than the other polymer. Mixtures of polymers having different weight average molecular weights, for example PVA or copolymers thereof having a weight average molecular weight of about 10,000 to 40,000, preferably about 20,000, and a weight average molecular weight of about 100,000 to 300,000, preferably Also suitable are mixtures with about 150,000 PVA or copolymers thereof.

For example, water such as polylactide or polyvinyl alcohol, usually obtained by mixing polylactide and polyvinyl alcohol, which contains about 1% to 35% by weight of polylactide and about 65% to 99% by weight of polyvinyl alcohol. Polymer blend compositions comprising a degradable water soluble polymer blend are also suitable for the present invention.
Preferred for use in the present invention is a polymer hydrolyzed from about 60 to about 98%, preferably from about 80 to about 90%, to improve the dissolution characteristics of the material.
The most preferred pouch material is the PVA film known as Monosol M8630, sold by Chris-Craft Industrial Products (Gary, Ind.), And the corresponding dissolution and It is a PVA film with deformation characteristics. Other films suitable for use in the present invention include films known as PT film or K series film supplied by Aicello, or VF-HP film supplied by Kuraray. .

The pouch material of the present invention can also include one or more additive ingredients. For example, it may be beneficial to add plasticizers such as glycerol, ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, propylene glycol, sorbitol, and mixtures thereof. Other additives include functional detergent additives that are delivered to wash water, such as organic polymer dispersants.
The detergents and detersive compositions herein can include conventional cleaning ingredients, and can also include organic solvents having a cleaning function, and organic solvents having a carrier function, a dilution function, or other special functions. it can. This composition is generally constructed, bleach, surfactant, alkaline source, enzyme, thickener (for liquid, paste, cream, or gel compositions), anticorrosive (eg, sodium silicate) And one or more detergent active ingredients, which can be selected from degradation binders (in the case of powders, granules or tablets). Highly preferred detergent ingredients include builder compounds, alkali sources, surfactants, enzymes, and bleaching agents.
Unless otherwise specified, the components described herein below can be incorporated into organic solvent compositions and / or detergents or detersive compositions.

  The organic solvent should be selected to be compatible with the various parts of the tableware / cooking utensil as well as the automatic dishwashing machine. Furthermore, the solvent system should be effective and safe to use, and the volatile organic content is 1 mmHg or more (preferably 0.1 mmHg or more) less than about 50% by weight of the solvent system, preferably less than about 30% by weight. More preferably less than about 10% by weight. It should also have a very mild and pleasant smell. The individual organic solvents used in the present invention generally have a boiling point greater than about 150 ° C., a flash point greater than about 100 ° C., and a vapor pressure of less than about 1 mmHg under atmospheric pressure conditions of 25 ° C., preferably Lower than 0.1 mmHg. Solvents that can be used in the present invention include: i) alcohols such as benzyl alcohol, 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol, 2-ethyl-1-hexanol, furfuryl alcohol, 1,2-hexanediol, and other similar substances; ii) Alkanolamines (for example, primary alkanolamines (monoethanolamine, monoisopropanolamine, diethylethanolamine, ethyldiethanolamine), secondary alkanolamines (diethanolamine, diisopropanolamine, 2- (methylamino) ethanol), tertiary alkanols Amine (triethanolamine, triisopropanolamine)), alkylamine (primary alkylamine (monomethylamine, monoethylamine, monopropylamine, monobutylamine, mono Amines such as butylamine, cyclohexylamine), secondary alkylamine (dimethylamine)), alkyleneamine (primary alkyleneamine (ethylenediamine, propylenediamine)), and other similar substances; iii) ethyl lactate, methyl ester, ethyl acetoacetate Esters such as ethylene glycol monobutyl ether acetate, diethylene glycol monoethyl ether acetate, diethylene glycol monobutyl ether acetate, and other similar substances; iv) ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, diethylene glycol monobutyl ether, ethylene glycol monomethyl ether, ethylene glycol monoethyl ether, diethylene glycol Monomethyl ether, diethylene glycol monoethyl ether Glycol ethers such as ter, propylene glycol butyl ether, and other similar substances; v) propylene glycol, diethylene glycol, hexylene glycol (2-methyl-2,4-pentanediol), triethylene glycol, compositions and dipropylene glycol and Other examples include glycols such as similar substances, and mixtures thereof.

Surfactant In the method of the present invention for use in automatic dishwashing, the detergent surfactant is preferably low foaming, either alone or in combination with other ingredients (ie, foam suppressors). . Suitable surfactants in the present invention include alkyl sulfates, alkyl ether sulfates, alkylbenzene sulfonates, alkyl glyceryl sulfonates, alkyl and alkenyl sulfonates, alkyl ethoxy carboxylates, N-acyl sarcosinates. , N- acyl taurates, alkyl succinates, alkyl sulfosuccinates, wherein the alkyl, alkenyl, or acyl site _C 5 _{-C 20,} preferably _C 10 _{-C 18} linear or branched Chain, anionic surfactants; chlorin esters (US Pat. No. A-4422804, US Pat. No. A-4239660, and US Pat. No. A-4260529), mono C ₆ -C ₁₆ N-alkyl Or alkenyl ammonium surfactant Wherein the remaining N positions are methyl group, a hydroxyethyl group, or substituted with hydroxypropyl groups, cationic surfactants; nonionic alkoxylated surfactants (especially primary of C ₆ -C ₁₈ Ethoxylates derived from alcohols), ethoxylated-propoxylated alcohols (eg, BASF Poly-Tergent® SLF18), epoxy-capped poly (oxyalkylated) alcohols (eg, BASF poly) Poly-Tergent® SLF18B, see PCT International Publication No. WO-A-94 / 22800), ether-capped poly (oxyalkylated) alcohol surfactants, and BASF Wyandotte (BASF-Wyandotte Corp.) (Wyandotte, Michigan, USA) Pluronic Block polyoxyethylene-polyoxypropylene such as PLURONIC Tergent (registered trademark), REVERSED PLURONIC Tergent (registered trademark), and TETRONIC Tergent (registered trademark) Low cloud point and high cloud point nonionic surfactants, including polymer compounds and mixtures thereof; C _{12 to} C ₂₀ alkyl amine oxides (preferred amine oxides for use in the present invention include C ₁₂ lauryl dimethyl) Amphoteric surfactants such as amine oxides, C ₁₄ and C ₁₆ hexadecyldimethylamine oxides), and alkyl amphoteric carboxylic acid surfactants such as Miranol ™ C2M; such as betaines and sultaines Zwitterionic surfactants; and mixtures thereof It is below. Examples of the surfactant suitable for the present invention include, for example, U.S. Pat. No. A-3,929,678, U.S. Pat. No. 4,259,217, EP-A-0414549, PCT International Publication No. WO-A. -93/08876, and WO-A-93 / 08874. The surfactant is typically about 0.2% to about 30%, more preferably about 0.5% to about 10%, most preferably about 1% to about 5% by weight of the composition. Present in concentration. Preferred surfactants for use in the present invention are low foaming, low cloud point nonionic surfactants, and high foaming surfactants, and low cloud point nonionic interfaces that act as foam inhibitors for them. A mixture with an active agent is mentioned.

Builders Suitable builders for use in the detergent and cleaning compositions of the present invention include water soluble builders such as citrates, carbonates, and polyphosphates such as sodium tripolyphosphate and sodium tripolyphosphate hexahydrate, Potassium tripolyphosphate, and mixtures of sodium tripolyphosphate and potassium tripolyphosphate; and partially water soluble or insoluble builders such as crystalline layered silicates (EP-A-0164514 and EP-A-0293640), and zeolites A, B , P, X, HS, and aluminosilicates including MAP. Builders are usually present at a level of from about 1% to about 80%, preferably from about 10% to about 70%, most preferably from about 20% to about 60% by weight of the composition.
Amorphous sodium silicate with a SiO ₂ : Na ₂ O ratio of 1.8-3.0, preferably 1.8-2.4, most preferably 2.0 can also be used in the present invention, but long-term storage Highly preferred from a stability standpoint is a composition containing less than about 22%, preferably less than about 15% of the total silicate (amorphous and crystalline).

Enzymes Suitable enzymes in the present invention include bacterial and fungal cellulases such as Carezyme and Celluzyme (Novo Nordisk A / S); peroxidases; Amano- P (Amano Pharmaceutical Co.), M1 Lipase Tergent (registered trademark), Lipomax Tergent (registered trademark) (Gist-Brokers (Gist- Brocades), Lipase such as Lipolase Tergent® and Lipolase UltraTergent® (Novo); Cutinases; Esperase Target ( Esperase Tergeny (registered trademark), Alcalase Tergent (registered trademark), Du Durazym Tergent (R), and Savinase Tergent (R) (Novo), and Maxatase Tergent (R), Maxacal Tar Proteases such as Maxacal Tergent (registered trademark), Properase Tergent (registered trademark), and Maxapem Tergent (registered trademark) (Gist-Brocades) Purafect Ox Am Tergent (registered trademark) (Genencor), Termamyl Tergent (registered trademark), Ban Tergent (registered trademark) Trademark), Fungamyl Tergent (registered trademark), Duramil Jento (Duramyl Tergent) (registered trademark), and Nataraze-detergent (Natalase Tergent) (R) alpha and β amylases such as (Novo (Novo)); pectinases; and mixtures thereof. Enzymes are preferably added here as pure globules, granules, or co-granules, usually as pure enzymes at concentrations ranging from about 0.0001% to about 2% by weight of the composition.

Bleaching agents Suitable bleaching agents for the present invention include chlorinated and oxygen-based bleaches, particularly sodium perborate monohydrate and tetrahydrate, and optionally coated percarbonate to control the release rate. Inorganic perhydrate salts such as sodium (see, for example, GB-A-1466799 for sulfate / carbonate coatings), organic peroxoacid bleach precursors and / or transition metal containing bleach catalysts (especially manganese or cobalt) And preformed organic peroxoacids and mixtures thereof. Inorganic perhydrate salts typically range from about 1% to about 40%, preferably from about 2% to about 30%, more preferably from about 5% to about 25% by weight of the composition. Incorporate by concentration. Peroxoacid bleach precursors suitable for use in the present invention include perbenzoic acid and substituted perbenzoic acid precursors; cationic peroxoacid precursors; TAED, sodium acetoxybenzene sulfonate, and pentaacetyl Peracetic acid precursors such as glucose; pernonanoic acid precursors such as sodium 3,5,5-trimethylhexanoyloxybenzenesulfonate (iso-NOBS), sodium nonanoyloxybenzenesulfonate (NOBS); amide-substituted alkyl And peroxoacid precursors (EP-A-0170386); and benzoxazine peroxoacid precursors (EP-A-0332294 and EP-A-0482807). The bleach precursor is usually incorporated at a concentration ranging from about 0.5% to about 25%, preferably from about 1% to about 10% by weight of the composition, and the preformed organic peroxoacid itself is Usually incorporated at a concentration ranging from about 0.5% to about 25%, preferably from about 1% to about 10% by weight of the composition. Preferred bleach catalysts for use in the present invention include triazacyclononane manganese and related complexes (U.S. Pat. No. 4,246,612, U.S. Pat. No. 5,522,084); bispyridylamine Co, Cu, Mn, Fe and related. Complexes (U.S. Pat. No. A-5114611); and pentamine acetate cobalt (III) and related complexes (U.S. Pat. No. A-4810410).

Low Cloud Point Nonionic Surfactants and Foam Inhibitors Foam inhibitors suitable for use in the present invention include low cloud point nonionic surfactants. As used herein, “cloud point” is a well-known property of a nonionic surfactant in which the solubility of the surfactant decreases as the temperature increases. The temperature at which the observable second phase appears is defined as “cloudiness”. Called “spot” (see Kirk Othmer, pages 360-362). As used herein, a “low cloud point” nonionic surfactant is a cloud point of less than 30 ° C., preferably less than about 20 ° C., more preferably less than about 10 ° C., most preferably about 7.5 ° C. Less than, defined as a nonionic surfactant system component. Typical low cloud point nonionic surfactants include nonionic alkoxylated surfactants, especially ethoxylates derived from primary alcohols, and polyoxypropylene / polyoxyethylene / polyoxypropylene (PO / EO / PO) reverse block polymers. Such low cloud point non-ionic surfactants include, for example, ethoxylated-propoxylated alcohols (eg, BASF Poly-Tergent® SLF18) and epoxy-capped poly (Oxyalkylated) alcohols such as BASF Poly-Tergent® SLF18B non-ionic series, such as those described in US Pat. No. 5,576,281.
A preferred low cloud point surfactant is an ether-capped poly (oxyalkylated) foam inhibitor having the formula:

Wherein R ¹ is a linear alkyl hydrocarbon having an average of about 7 to about 12 carbon atoms, R ² is a linear alkyl hydrocarbon of about 1 to about 4 carbon atoms, and R ³ is about 1 to about A linear alkyl hydrocarbon of 4 carbon atoms, x is an integer from about 1 to about 6, y is an integer from about 4 to about 15, and z is an integer from about 4 to about 25.

Other low cloud point nonionic surfactants are ether-capped poly (oxyalkylated) foam inhibitors having the formula:
_{R I O (R II O)} n CH (CH 3) OR III
Wherein R _I is selected from the group consisting of linear or branched, saturated or unsaturated, substituted or unsubstituted, aliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbon radicals having from about 7 to about 12 carbon atoms. , R _{II, which} may be the same or different groups, are independently selected from the group consisting of branched or straight chain C ₂ -C ₇ alkylene of any of the above molecules, and n is from 1 to about 30 R _III is the number of
(I) a 4-8 membered substituted or unsubstituted heterocycle containing 1 to 3 heteroatoms;
(Ii) consisting of linear or branched, saturated or unsaturated, substituted or unsubstituted, cyclic or acyclic, aliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbon radicals having from about 1 to about 30 carbon atoms Selected from the group,
(B) provided that when R ² is (ii), (A) at least one of R 1 is other than C ₂ -C ₃ alkylene, or (B) R ² has 6 to 30 carbon atoms, Further, when R ² has 8 to 18 carbon atoms, R is other than C ₁ -C ₅ alkyl.

  Other ingredients suitable for the present invention include organic polymers having a dispersibility, anti-redeposition, soil release, or other cleaning properties invention, the concentration of which is about 0.1% by weight of the composition To about 30% by weight, preferably about 0.5% to about 15% by weight, and most preferably about 1% to about 10% by weight. Preferred anti-redeposition polymers in the present invention include Sokalan PA30, PA20, PA15, PA10, Sokalan CP10 (BASF GmbH), Acusol 45N, 480N, 460N (Rohm and) -Acrylic acid-containing polymers such as Rohm and Haas, acrylic acid / maleic acid copolymers such as Sokalan CP5, and acrylic / methacrylic copolymers. Preferred soil release polymers in the present invention include alkyl and hydroxyalkyl cellulose (US Pat. No. A-4,000,093), polyoxyethylene, polyoxypropylene and copolymers thereof, and ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, and the like. Terephthalate ester-based nonionic and anionic polymers of a mixture of

  Heavy metal sequestering agents and crystal growth inhibitors are generally from about 0.005% to about 20% by weight of the composition, preferably from about 0.1% to about 10% by weight, more preferably from about 0.00%. Suitable for use in the present invention at a concentration of 25 wt% to about 7.5 wt%, most preferably about 0.5 wt% to about 5 wt%, such as diethylenetriaminepenta (methylenephosphonate), ethylenediamine Tetra (methylenephosphonate), hexamethylenediaminetetra (methylenephosphonate), ethylenediphosphonate, hydroxyethylene-1,1-diphosphonate, nitrilotriacetate, ethylenediaminotetraacetate, ethylenediamine-N, N'-disuccinate salt and free acid The form is mentioned.

  The composition of the present invention comprises an organic silver coating agent (particularly Wintershall (Germany)) at a concentration of from about 0.05% to about 10%, preferably from about 0.1% to about 5% by weight of the composition. Corrosion inhibitors such as paraffins such as Winog 70 sold by Salzbergen), nitrogen-containing corrosion inhibitor compounds (see, for example, benzotriazole and benzimidazole, GB-A-1137741). ), And from about 0.005% to about 5%, preferably from about 0.01% to about 1%, more preferably from about 0.02% to about 0.4% by weight of the composition Concentrations may contain Mn (II) compounds, especially Mn (II) salts of organic ligands.

Other ingredients suitable for the present invention include colorants, water soluble bismuth compounds such as bismuth acetate and bismuth citrate at a concentration of about 0.01 to about 5%, and concentrations of about 0.01% to about 6%. Enzyme stabilizers such as calcium ion, boric acid, propylene glycol, chlorine bleach scavenger, lime soap dispersant (see PCT International Patent WO-A-93 / 08877), foam inhibitor (PCT International Patent WO-A- 93/08876 and EP-A-0705324), polymeric dye transfer inhibitors, optical brighteners, fragrances, fillers, and clays.
Liquid detergent compositions can contain small amounts of low molecular weight primary or secondary alcohols such as methanol, ethanol, propanol, isopropanol, and can be used in the liquid detergents of the present invention. Other suitable carrier solvents for use in small amounts include glycerol, propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, 1,2-propanediol, sorbitol, and mixtures thereof.

As used herein, the process for forming the first and / or second moving web involves the continuous movement of the water-soluble film toward a horizontal or nearly horizontal portion of the surface, and ultimately on it. To reach the waterless film continuously on an endless surface, preferably on a horizontal or nearly horizontal part of the endless surface, or else on a non-horizontal part of this surface. Of course, different film materials and / or different thicknesses of film can be employed to make the first and second moving webs, for example when compartments having different solubility or release characteristics are required.
In a preferred embodiment for making the first and second webs, a portion of the endless surface typically rotates about 180 degrees around an axis perpendicular to the direction of movement, then moves in the opposite direction, usually again horizontal. Keep moving straight until it moves straight. Eventually, the surface rotates again to reach its initial position. In other embodiments, the surface undergoes a curve transition, eg, a circular transition, such that at least a portion of the surface is substantially horizontal for a single finite time. When employed, such an embodiment is primarily useful for making a second moving web.

As used herein, the term “endless surface” means that the surface is endless in at least one direction, preferably only in one direction. For example, the surface is preferably part of a rotating platen conveyor belt with a mold, as described in detail below.
The horizontal or nearly horizontal portion of the surface can usually be any width depending on the number of mold rows across the width, the size of the mold, and the size of the gap between the molds. When designed to operate in a horizontal, linear fashion, the horizontal portion of the endless surface is usually on this portion of the surface (preferably implemented on an endless surface having a continuous horizontal transition of the surface. B) can be of any length, depending on the number of processes / processes that need to be performed, the time required for each process, and the optimum surface speed required for these processes. Of course, it may be necessary to shorten or lengthen the length of the surface by using slow or fast continuously throughout the method. For example, if several steps are practiced on the horizontal part, the part needs to be longer or slower than if two steps are performed on the horizontal part, for example.

It may be preferred that the width of the surface is up to 1.5 meters, or even up to 1.0 meters, preferably 30-60 cm. It may be preferred that the horizontal portion of the endless surface be 2-20 meters, even 4-12 meters, even 6-10 meters, or even 9 meters.
The surface usually moves at a constant speed throughout the method, but can be any constant speed. A speed of 1 to 80 m / min, further 10 to 60 m / min, even 2 to 50 m / min, or even 30 to 40 m / min may be preferred.
The method forms a pouch web, fills the pouch, overlaps the second moving web of the pouch, seals the two moving webs, cuts the stacked webs into a plurality of multi-compartment pouches. It is preferable to practice on an endless surface with a horizontal transition at such times that can be separated. The pouch is then removed from the surface, and after rotating the surface about an axis that is usually about 180 degrees around the axis perpendicular to the transition direction and then moving it in the opposite direction, usually also horizontally, and then restarting step a) Rotate again.

Preferably, the surface is part of a moving rotating belt, such as a conveyor belt or a platen conveyor belt, and / or is preferably removably connected thereto. Therefore, it is preferred that the surface can be removed and replaced with another surface having other dimensions or having a mold of a different shape or dimension. This allows the equipment to be easily cleaned and used to produce various types of pouches.
This can be, for example, a belt with a series of platens, the number and size of which depends on the length of the horizontal part of the surface and the diameter of the rotation cycle, for example 50-150, further 60-120. The platen has 70 or 100 platens or more, and each length (platen and surface transition direction) is, for example, 5 to 150 cm, preferably 10 to 100 cm, or further 20 to 45 cm.

For this reason, the platens combine to form an endless surface or a part thereof, and usually a mold is provided on the surface of the platen, for example, each platen is a number of molds, for example up to 20 in the width direction, and further 2-10 Individual or even 3 to 8 and for example up to 15 in the machine direction, i.e. in the platen transition direction, further 1 to 10, further 2 to 6 or even 2 to 5 molds it can.
The surface, or normally the belt connected to the surface, can be moved continuously by using any known method. The use of an unstretched chain system that drives a surface or a belt connected to the surface is preferred.

  If a platen conveyor belt is used, it preferably contains a) a main belt (preferably made of steel) and b) a series of platens, the platen being 1) an endless surface where the platen has the aforementioned mold A surface comprising the mold, 2) a vacuum chute connection, and 3) preferably a substrate between the platen and the vacuum chute connection. Therefore, it is preferable to attach the platen on the main belt so that air does not leak from the joint between the platens. Thus, it is preferred that the platen conveyor belt as a whole move (upward; downward) along a fixed vacuum system (vacuum chamber).

  It may be preferable for the surface to be connected to two or more different vacuum systems, each providing a different negative pressure and / or applying such a negative pressure for a short or long time range, or for a short or long duration. . For example, the first vacuum system continuously applies negative pressure between or along the mold / edge and other systems pull the film into the mold just by drawing a vacuum for a certain amount of time. May be preferred. For example, once the film is on a horizontal part of the surface, it is placed in the mold for 0.2-5 seconds, further 0.3-3 seconds, even 2 seconds, or even 0.5-1.5 seconds. The vacuum can be pulled into. This vacuum is preferably such that a negative pressure of −100 mbar to −1000 mbar or even −200 mbar to −600 mbar is applied.

For example, two or more vacuum systems, or preferably pumps, can be connected to the aforementioned chutes to connect each vacuum system to each chute, preferably not interconnecting the systems within the chutes, and thus applying a vacuum. It may be preferable to completely separate from each other to ensure that the vacuum is controlled and delivered to the mold / surface between or along the mold / edge.
Thus, it should be understood that all platens and main belts typically transition continuously at the same constant speed.
The surface or the aforementioned platen is preferably made of a corrosion resistant material that is durable and easy to clean. It may be preferred that the surface or platen, including the mold region, is preferably made of aluminum mixed with nickel, or optionally only the outer layer contains nickel and / or a mixture of nickel and aluminum.

It is preferable that at least the upper layer between the molds and / or the upper layer in the mold, preferably at least the upper layer between the molds, is made of a deformable elastic material. The material is usually such that the coefficient of friction is 0.1 or more, preferably 0.3 or more. For example, the upper layer between the molds but also in the mold can be made of rubber, silicone material, or cork, preferably rubber or silicone rubber. It is also preferable that the material is not too hard, for example, a silicone rubber having a shore value of 10 to 90 is used.
The mold can be any shape, length, width and depth depending on the required pouch dimensions. If necessary, the size and shape of the mold can also vary from surface to surface. For example, it may be preferable to have a final pouch volume of 5 to 300 ml, further 10 to 150 ml, even 20 to 100 ml, or even 80 ml and adjust the mold size accordingly.

It is typically practiced to continuously feed the film over the surface or over the surface, preferably over its horizontal portion, and is therefore usually carried out at a constant rate throughout the process. This can be practiced by any known method, preferably using a roller from which the film is rewound. The film can be transported from the roller to the surface by any means, for example guided by a belt, preferably a deformable elastic belt, for example a belt of rubber or silicone material including silicone rubber. The material is usually such that the coefficient of friction is 0.1 or more, preferably 0.3 or more.
It may be preferred for the roller to rewind the film at a speed of at least 100 m / min, even 120-700 m / min, even 150-500 m / min, or even 250-400 m / min.

Once on the surface, the film can be held in place by any means, for example, fixed or fixed on the surface. For example, the film can be held on a surface edge where there is no mold with a gripper or fastener, pressed with a roller, or pressed with a belt.
To facilitate operation and positioning of the film, to improve accuracy, to improve alignment reliability, and to be positioned on the film surface (i.e. grippers, fasteners, rollers or belts) In order to reduce the tension on the film, or to make it more uniform, thereby pulling the film into a fixed position on the surface It is preferred to hold the film in place by pulling. This is usually practiced by applying a vacuum (or negative pressure) through the surface holding the film, for example, below the film. This method is also suitable when the film width is larger than the surface, so the system is more flexible than using grippers or fasteners.

It is preferred to apply a vacuum along the edges of the film, and therefore usually at the edges of the surface, and / or over the surface area between or around the mold, usually along the edges of the mold. A vacuum is preferred (at least) along the edge of the surface.
It is preferred that the surface comprises a plurality of holes connected to an apparatus capable of drawing a vacuum known in the art or a so-called vacuum chamber. It is therefore preferred that the surface has holes along the edges of the surface and / or holes around or between the molds.
The holes are small, preferably having a diameter of 0.1 mm to 20 mm, further 0.2 to 10 mm, more preferably 0.5 to 7 or even 1 to 5 mm.

Preferably, at least a portion of the hole is close to the mold edge to reduce wrinkles in the area around the mold edge that serves as a sealing or sealing area in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, It is preferred that the distance between the edge of one hole or the closest hole is 0.25-20 mm, more preferably 0.5-5 mm, or even 1-2 mm from the edge of the mold.
It is preferred that the row of holes be along the edge of the surface and / or the edge of the mold, and it may be preferred that there are two or more rows of holes.
Using a large number of small holes in the manner described above ensures that the film tension is more uniform, reduces the tension required to fix the film, improves fixation, and reduces the possibility of wrinkling on the film Is done.

Using a vacuum to fix the film in place is then particularly beneficial when drawing the film into the mold, again by applying a vacuum, as will be described below.
As noted above, the open pouch can be formed in the mold by any method, and preferred methods include the use of (at least) vacuum or negative pressure to draw the film into the mold. Preferred methods (also) include heating and / or humidifying the film to make the film more flexible or further stretched, resulting in the shape of a mold, on which the film is placed in the mold. It is preferably combined with applying a pulling vacuum, or a combination of all these methods can be mentioned.

  In the present invention, it is preferable to use at least a vacuum. If the pouch contains powder, it is advantageous to pierce the film for a number of reasons. The first is to reduce the possibility of defects in the film during pouch formation. For example, if the film is stretched too quickly, defects that rupture the film may occur. Second, to release any gas generated from the product encapsulated in the pouch, such as oxygen produced when the powder contains bleach, and third, the fragrance is continuously released. It is for letting it release. In addition, when heating and / or humidification is also used, it can be used before, during or after using the vacuum, but it is preferred to use the vacuum during or before application.

Therefore, as described in more detail herein, each mold comprises one or more holes that are connected to a system that can provide a vacuum through the holes to the film above the holes. It is preferable. As described herein, the vacuum system is preferably a vacuum chamber comprising at least two different units, each separated into different compartments.
The heat can be applied by any means, for example, directly before sending the film over the surface or once reaching the surface and then passing under the heating element or into a hot gas, Or indirectly, for example by heating the surface or applying a hot object on the film, for example to 50-120 ° C., or even 60-90 ° C., preferably by infrared light, for example.

The film can be humidified by any means, for example, directly before the film is delivered over the surface or once it has reached the surface, then a humidifier (water, solution of film material, or Humidify by spraying (including plasticizer for film material) or indirectly, by humidifying the surface, or by placing a hydrous object on the film.
Filling the first and second webs of the open pouch can be practiced by any method for filling (moving) objects. The most preferred exact method depends on the product form and the required filling rate.
One method is, for example, flood dosing, where an open pouch web moves continuously horizontally or nearly horizontally to accurately dispense a set amount or volume of product per unit time. Pass under the fixed dosing unit with the device.

The problem or disadvantage of this method is that the product may be distributed in the area between the open pouches, which usually serves as a sealing area, which not only wastes the product but also makes it difficult to seal. Sometimes. This problem is particularly acute when the product is in the form of a flowable liquid. Products in paste or gel form are amenable to this type of filling method.
In general, the preferred method involves a continuous transition in line filling, using a dispensing unit positioned above an open pouch, having an endless rotating surface with nozzles and usually moving continuously in a rotatable manner. This will cause the nozzles to move in the same direction at the same speed as the pouch, with each open pouch being under the one or more identical nozzles for the duration of the dispensing process. After the filling process, the nozzle rotates to return to the original position and starts the next dispensing / filling process. A device that can control every nozzle or several nozzles together to accurately dispense only a set amount or volume of product, for example in one pouch, per nozzle during one rotation. It is preferable to connect to.

It may be preferable to be able to practice the filling / dispensing system at 10-100 cycles per minute (filling process), even 30-80 cycles, or even 40-70 cycles. This is of course adjusted according to the size of the open pouch, the speed of the surface, etc.
A highly preferred method for filling open pouches that is suitable for surfaces with a horizontal linear transition is the reciprocating transition filling method. This method preferably uses a moving filling station which is returnable (changeable in the direction of transition) and variable in speed. The filling station typically has a series of nozzles that each move in the same direction at the same speed as the open pouch (filling) at times when the product needs to be dispensed into the open pouch. Then, usually when the pouch is filled, the nozzle or nozzles that fill the pouch stop moving along the pouch, stop back in the opposite direction, and rest to fill. It is positioned above the open pouch (s) and then starts moving again in the opposite direction at the same speed and direction as the open pouch until the speed of the pouch is reached, and this speed is continued until the filling cycle described above. Begin dispensing and filling the pouch. The return movement speed can be made faster than the movement speed during filling.

Any nozzle or multiple nozzles combined into a device that can control the precise dispensing of only a set amount or volume of a product on a per-nozzle basis during one revolution, and thus, for example, within a single pouch It is preferable to connect.
The filling unit or station used in the method of the invention preferably uses a flow meter and / or a volumetric flow pump for dispensing the exact amount or volume of product per open pouch, but in particular positive displacement The pump was found to be very accurate. Thereby, the required quantity or volume of product is introduced into the pump and then sent to the nozzle. For example, if the system is such that it fills 60 pouches per fill cycle, there are typically 60 nozzles connected to 60 volumetric flow pumps (each nozzle pouch). All of these pumps are connected to a universal tank with product.

The pump can be adjusted depending on the product to be dispensed. For example, if the product is a viscous liquid, the pump needs to be rugged in cases where surface movement is required for fast filling.
Other methods that can be used include flow measurement using a magnetic flow meter or mass flow meter, as well as pressure flow fill / measurement (keep pressure constant, fill time, and thereby control volume).
Also, prior to filling, a second surface with openings whose respective surface areas are less than or equal to the surface area of the open pouch is placed above the continuous transition web of the open pouch and moves at the web speed in the direction of the web of the open pouch. And each opening remains positioned above one open pouch during the filling process, and the space between at least a portion of the mold is covered by the surface, preferably the endless surface in which the second surface is rotatable It may be preferred to use a filling system that is a belt.

The filling is then done through openings on this surface or belt, so that the product can only enter the open pouch and not the covered area between the open pouches. This is advantageous because it does not leave the product in the area between the open pouches (between molds) which normally serves as a sealing area when closing the pouch, which ensures a better or easier sealing.
The filled open pouch is then sealed, which can be practiced in any way. It is also preferred to practice this preferably on the horizontal part of the endless surface described above when in a horizontal position and undergoing a constant continuous transition.
In the case of the second moving web, the second material or film, preferably a water-soluble film, is sealed by continuously feeding it over or over the web of the open pouch, and then preferably the first film and the second film. Are usually sealed in the region between the molds and hence between the pouches. Preferably, the sealing material is moved over the open pouch at the same speed and in the same direction as the open pouch.

  In the case of the first moving web, the sealing material is the second web of the sealed and filled pouch, and the sealing is as described above, i.e. the sealed and filled pouch is preferably in the same direction as the open pouch at a constant speed. It is preferably achieved by moving and placing it continuously on an open pouch and subsequently sealing it to the first film. Alternatively, the first moving web can be sealed using a film of the material described above with respect to the second web, and then the first and second moving webs of the pouch can be overlaid and sealed. Such an embodiment may be preferred in the case of multiple multi-component liquid compositions containing the product or when it is necessary to manufacture the pouches side-by-side.

Sealing can be practiced in any way. Sealing can be practiced discontinuously, for example by transferring the pouch web to other sealing areas and sealing devices. However, the sealing is preferably carried out continuously, preferably at a constant speed, while the sealing web of the pouch is continuously moved at a constant speed, in a horizontal position, preferably also on the horizontal position of the surface. It may be preferable to practice.
Preferred methods include heat sealing, solvent welding, and solvent or humidified sealing. Thereby, it may be preferable to treat only the area forming the seal with heat or solvent. Heat or solvent can be applied in any manner, preferably on the sealing material, preferably only on the area forming the seal.

  When using heat-sealing, roll a pouch-shaped roller that is not encapsulated in a mold and that has a pouch pattern (on a continuous basis) on a web pouch that passes under the roller. May be preferred. This ensures that the heated roller is sealed, i.e., contacts only the area around the mold edge between the pouches. Usually, the sealing temperature is 50 to 300 ° C., or even 80 to 200 ° C., but of course depends on the film material. A movable, returnable sealing device that operates as the aforementioned returnable movable filling / dosing device is also useful, as it contacts the area around the edge between the molds for a period of time to form a seal. Then move away from the sealing area and back to begin the next sealing cycle. In the case of heat sealing, it is important that the sealing area of the second web to the first web does not overlap with the sealing area of the individual first and / or second web of the pouch.

It may also be preferred to apply heat when using solvents, humidified seals or welding. A preferred humidification or solvent sealing / welding method includes selectively applying a solvent over the area between the molds or over the sealing material, which involves spraying or printing the solvent over these areas, then these This is done by applying pressure to the region to form a seal. For example, the sealing rolls and belts described above can be used (again optionally with the addition of heat).
The cutting device can then cut the stacked and sealed web of pouches, the cutting device cutting the pouch individually into separate stacked multi-compartment pouches, Cut into pieces and form a multi-compartment pouch through a side-by-side arrangement.

  Cutting can be practiced by any known method. It may be preferred to practice the cutting, also continuously, preferably at a constant speed, preferably in a horizontal position. However, it is not always necessary to carry out the cutting process in a horizontal position, and it is not necessary to practice continuously. For example, a sealed (sealed) pouch web can be transferred to a cutting device, for example, to another surface on which the cutting device operates. Nevertheless, in order to facilitate the method, it may be preferable to perform the cutting step on the same surface as the previous step.

  The cutting device can be, for example, a sharp object or a hot object, in which case it will “burn” through the film / sealing area. A roller with a sharp tool, such as a knife, with pouch-sized cavities and patterns may be preferred, and rolls over the pouch so that it only contacts the area where the sharp tool cuts. It may also be preferred when the web of pouches moves in one direction (eg continuously and / or horizontally, eg also on the endless surface herein), the area between the pouches along the direction of movement. Using a fixing device that contacts the pouch, the pouch can be continuously cut in the direction of movement. The pouch is then applied in the width direction of the web of the pouch by, for example, applying a cutting device for a short time on the area, removing the cutting device and repeating this action for the next set of pouches, for example by an intermittent cutting process Can be cut along.

When used in the present invention, the pouch is suitable for holding the product before use, for example, in any form, shape, and configuration that does not release the composition from the pouch before the composition in the pouch comes into contact with water. It can also be a material. This performance depends, for example, on the type and amount of composition in the pouch, the characteristics of the pouch necessary to hold, protect, deliver or release the composition, and the number of compartments in the pouch.
Preferred in the present invention is a water soluble pouch having one compartment containing the liquid composition and another compartment containing the powder or densified powder composition. During the production of the liquid compartment, bubbles are usually formed. This bubble can reduce the compressibility of the pouch and thus facilitate sealing of the dispensing device after placing the pouch therein. It has been found that sealing is facilitated when the ratio of the bubble diameter to the maximum lateral dimension of the pouch footprint is about 1: 5 to about 1: 2. A preferred foam diameter is about 9 to about 16 mm. The size of the foam can be controlled by method parameters.

  In use, the water-soluble pouch is usually placed in the dispenser of the washing machine and released during this cycle of the dishwashing process. However, the dispensing device of some dishwashing machines is not completely watertight, which has two main reasons: the dispensing device has several holes for water to enter, or the dispensing device However, it is because it is sealed with a rubber band that may be deformed over time due to the high temperature of the dishwashing method. As water enters the dispensing device, some of the pouch contents leak prematurely and can therefore be lost at the end of the prewash. This problem is particularly acute when the pouch contains a low viscosity liquid composition, where a significant amount of product may be lost prior to the main wash cycle. This problem can be overcome by making the pouch, or at least its liquid compartment, with a film material that is allowed to remain in a pre-clean and release at or after the start of the main cleaning cycle. In European machines, the pre-clean is usually a cold water cycle (less than about 20 degrees) without detergent and lasts about 10-15 minutes.

The water solubility of the film material according to the test defined below is less than about 50%, more preferably about 20 when exposed to water under cold water conditions (below 20 ° C.) for at least 10 minutes, preferably at least 15 minutes. %, Especially less than about 5%, and at least about 50% when exposed to water for about 5 minutes, preferably about 3 minutes under hot water conditions (above 30 ° C., preferably above 40 ° C.). More preferably at least about 75%, in particular at least about 95%. In this specification, such a film material is referred to as being substantially insoluble in cold water and soluble in hot water. Sometimes this is abbreviated as “warm water soluble”.
Add 50 grams ± 0.1 grams of pouch material to a pre-weighed 400 ml beaker and add 245 ml ± 1 ml of distilled water. This is maintained at the desired temperature using a water bath and stirred vigorously for the desired time on a magnetic stirrer set at 600 rpm. The mixture is then filtered through a folded qualitative sintered glass filter with a maximum pore size of 20 μm. By any conventional method, moisture is dried from the collected filtrate and the weight of the remaining material is determined (which is the dissolved or dispersed part). The% solubility or% dispersity can then be calculated.

  Commercial films that are insoluble in cold water and soluble in hot water include BP26 available from Aicello, L10 and L15 available from Aquafilm, and VF-M and VM available from Kuraray. -S, as well as E-2060 available from Monosol.

  In a preferred embodiment, the multi-compartment pouch comprises a first compartment containing a liquid composition and a second compartment containing a powder or densified powder composition. Preferably, the liquid compartment is made of the aforementioned hot water soluble material and the powder or densified powder compartment is made of cold water soluble material, ie under cold water conditions (below 25 ° C.) for 5 minutes, preferably 3 minutes. Made of a material that is soluble in the range of at least 50% by weight, preferably at least 75% by weight, and more preferably at least 95% by weight when exposed to minutes. Due to the mode of operation of European dishwashing machines (filled with cold water and using a heater to heat the cold water), the compartment made of hot water soluble material is more soluble than the compartment made of cold water soluble material. It takes a long time. This type of pouch is capable of delayed release of the liquid composition, thus providing optimal use of the detergent composition. The liquid composition preferably contains a detersive enzyme, which is advantageous from the standpoint of enzyme storage stability, and the enzyme is separated from the bleach and the highly alkaline material contained in the powder or dense powder composition. ing. In addition, the liquid-containing compartment (almost insoluble in cold water and soluble in hot water) takes longer to dissolve or decompose than the solid-containing compartment (cold water soluble), so the bleaching agent and enzyme, and the surfactant in the cleaning solution And negative interactions between the enzymes are minimized, and improved protein soil removal and speckle benefits are provided at the end of the dishwashing process.

A pouch compartment containing a solid composition, particularly a composition containing an oxygen bleach, is usually pierced with a pin to allow the oxygen produced to escape. However, the hole formed by piercing the pin also leaks fragrance or malodor. For example, surfactants often have an unpleasant odor associated with them, and when such a pouch is packaged in an auxiliary package, the unpleasant surfactant odor is concentrated in the headspace of the package and the user Released each time the package is opened. Since the liquid-containing compartment must be made without pinholes, this problem can be avoided by including a surfactant in the liquid composition. Therefore, according to other embodiments, the liquid composition comprises a surfactant. Another advantage of having a surfactant in the liquid phase is to avoid the problem of loading the surfactant onto the solid material. A further advantage is that the surfactant is released somewhat later than the solid composition, which can be adversely affected by the interaction between the surfactant and the food / dishware surface. And improve the performance of the enzyme.
It is preferred to introduce the fragrance into the solid composition, and the pin can be stabbed to release the fragrance slowly before using the product in a dishwasher.

  Films that are almost insoluble in cold water and soluble in hot water have a relatively low moisture and plasticizer content and therefore require considerable time and temperature to seal using heat sealing. These requirements can be particularly problematic when the pouch contains liquid, for example, causing damage to the film, such as pinholes, at the site where the film is stretched into the mold. Therefore, it is preferable to seal the compartment containing the liquid, which is almost insoluble in cold water and soluble in hot water, using a solvent that partially hydrates the film prior to sealing, which is necessary for sealing. Reduce / reduce time and temperature, create a strong seal and avoid pinhole formation. Having one compartment containing the liquid composition and another compartment containing the powder composition, the liquid compartment made of a material that is almost insoluble in cold water and soluble in hot water, and the powder compartment made of a material soluble in cold water In a preferred embodiment of the differentially soluble pouch, the liquid compartment is sealed by solvent sealing, while the liquid compartment is preferably sealed by heat sealing to the powder compartment.

The pouch can also be placed outside the dispensing device, for example in a cutlery basket, in a net, or on the dishwasher door. In this case, the entire pouch is preferably made of a film material such as those described above, which protects the pouch contents at least until the start of the main cleaning cycle.
The product in the pouch is easily dissolved or dispersed in water, but it breaks down foaming sources, water-swelling polymers, clays, etc., especially foaming sources based on acid and carbonate sources It is preferred that the agent is present in the pouch itself of the invention and / or in the product. Suitable acids include organic carboxylic acids such as fumaric acid, maleic acid, malic acid and citric acid, and suitable carbonate sources include sodium salts of carbonic acid, bicarbonate and percarbonate. Preferred concentrations of degradation aids or foaming sources, or both, are 0.05% to 15%, even 0.2% to 10%, or even 0.1% by weight of the total composition in the pouch. 3% to 5% by weight.

[Abbreviations used in the examples]
In the examples, the abbreviations of the component names have the following meanings.

In the following examples, all concentrations are expressed in weight percent (%).

Examples 1-8
The compositions of Examples 1-4 are introduced into a two compartment laminar PVA rectangular base pouch. The two-compartment pouch is made of Monosol M8630 film supplied by Chris-Craft Industrial Products. 17.2 g of the particulate composition and 4 g of the liquid composition are placed in two different compartments of the pouch. The dimensions of the pouch are 3.7 cm long, 3.4 cm wide and 1.5 cm high under a load of 2 kg. Therefore, the longitudinal / lateral aspect ratio is 1.5: 3.2 or 1: 2.47. The pouch is manufactured using a two-endless surface method, with both surfaces making a continuous straight line transition horizontally as described herein. According to this method, the first web of the pouch is filled to form a first moving web of an open pouch mounted on the first endless surface, and the first web of the open pouch is moved simultaneously with the filling. And prepared by sealing with a second web of sealed pouches.
The pouch is introduced into the 25 ml dispenser compartment of the Bosch Siemens 6032 dishwasher, the dispenser is closed, and the washer is operated at its normal 55 ° C program.

Claims (31)

A method of making a water-soluble pouch comprising a plurality of compartments that are generally overlaid or in a stackable relationship, each compartment comprising a detergent active or an auxiliary component,
a) forming a first moving web of a filled and optionally sealed pouch releasably mounted on a first moving endless surface;
b) forming a second moving web of filled and sealed pouch releasably mounted on a second moving endless surface;
c) stacking and sealing or fixing the first and second moving webs to form a stacked and sealed web;
d) separating the overlaid and sealed web into a plurality of water soluble multi-compartment pouches.   The method of claim 1, wherein the second moving endless surface moves simultaneously with the first moving endless surface.   The first web of the pouch forms and fills the first moving web of the open pouch mounted on the first endless surface, and the first web of the open pouch is sealed with a web sealing means that moves simultaneously. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method is prepared by:   The first web of the pouch forms and fills the first moving web of the open pouch mounted on the first endless surface, and the first web of the open pouch moves simultaneously with the first of the filled and sealed pouch that moves. The method according to claim 1 or 2, prepared by sealing with two webs.   5. The method of claim 1, further comprising turning the second moving web over before the first and second moving webs are overlaid and sealed to form the overlaid and sealed web. The method according to item.   6. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the pouch of the first moving web is horizontal or nearly horizontal when filled. A method for making a water-soluble pouch comprising a plurality of compartments in a generally superimposed relationship, each compartment comprising a detergent active or an auxiliary component comprising:
Forming and filling a horizontal or nearly horizontal moving web of an open pouch releasably mounted on a first moving endless surface;
Sealing the web of the open pouch with a moving web overlaid with a preformed, filled and sealed pouch that moves simultaneously.   8. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first endless surface continuously transitions horizontally or substantially horizontally during the filling process of the first moving web of the open pouch. The first endless surface moves horizontally and continuously straight during the filling process of the first moving web of the open pouch,
9. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the filling step is accomplished using a product filling station that moves simultaneously with the first endless surface.   The method of claim 9, wherein the product filling station comprises means for filling each open pouch with a plurality of product feed stream quantities.   Film sealing wherein said second web of formed, filled and sealed pouches forms and fills a second moving web of open pouch mounted on a second endless surface, and simultaneously moves the second web of open pouch 11. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, prepared by sealing with means.   12. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the second moving web pouch is horizontal or substantially horizontal when filled.   13. The method of claim 12, wherein filling the second moving horizontal web of open pouches is accomplished using a second product filling station that moves simultaneously with the second endless surface.   The method of claim 13, wherein the second product filling station comprises means for filling each open pouch with a quantity of a plurality of product feed streams. The first endless surface transitions horizontally and linearly during the filling process of the first moving web of the open pouch;
15. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the second endless surface transitions substantially horizontally in a straight line or curve during the filling process of the second moving web of the open pouch.   16. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the second endless surface rotates in the opposite direction of the first endless surface. A method for making a water-soluble pouch comprising a plurality of compartments that are generally overlaid or in a superposable relationship, each compartment comprising a detergent active or an auxiliary ingredient comprising:
a) forming and partially filling a moving web of an open pouch releasably mounted on a moving endless surface;
b) sealing and sealing the moving web with a web-sealing means that moves simultaneously with the web-sealing means partially so as to form a plurality of hermetically sealed open compartments; Introducing into the filled pouch;
c) filling, sealing and sealing the overlapped open compartment using a second web sealing means that moves simultaneously with the moving web;
d) separating the web into a plurality of water-soluble multi-compartment pouches.   The method of claim 17, wherein the sealing step is performed using solvent sealing. A method for making a water-soluble pouch comprising a plurality of compartments that are generally overlaid or placed on top of each other, each compartment comprising a detergent active or an auxiliary ingredient comprising:
a) forming and partially filling a moving web of an open pouch releasably mounted on a moving endless surface;
b) a step of sealing the moving web by a web sealing means that moves simultaneously with the moving web, the web sealing means being partially filled so as to form a plurality of open compartments that are sealed and overlaid; Introducing into the pouch;
c) filling and sealing the overlapped open section using a second web sealing means that moves simultaneously with the moving web;
d) sealing the web and the first and second web sealing means;
e) separating the web into a plurality of water soluble multi-compartment pouches.   The method of claim 19, wherein the sealing step is performed using ultrasonic sealing. In step (a), the open pouch web is filled with a first composition comprising a detergent active or an auxiliary ingredient;
21. A method according to any one of claims 17 to 20, wherein the composition is densified or the pouch is enlarged prior to sealing the moving web in step (b).   The method of claim 21, wherein the first composition is a powder composition, which is densified by compaction. A method for making a water-soluble pouch comprising a plurality of compartments that are generally overlaid or placed on top of each other, each compartment comprising a detergent active or an auxiliary ingredient comprising:
a) forming and filling a moving web of open pouch releasably mounted on a moving endless surface;
b) sealing and sealing the moving web with simultaneously moving web sealing means so as to form a plurality of sealed compartments;
c) forming a recess in part or all of the sealed compartment formed in step (b) so as to form a plurality of open compartments superimposed above the sealed compartment; ,
d) filling, sealing and sealing the overlaid open section using a second web sealing means that moves simultaneously with the moving web;
e) separating the web into a plurality of water soluble multi-compartment pouches. A method for making a water-soluble pouch comprising a plurality of compartments that are generally overlaid or placed on top of each other, each compartment comprising a detergent active or an auxiliary ingredient comprising:
a) forming and filling a moving web of open pouch releasably mounted on a moving endless surface;
b) sealing the moving web with a web sealing means that moves at the same time so as to form a plurality of open compartments sealed and stacked;
c) forming a recess in part or all of the sealed compartment formed in step (b) so as to form a plurality of open compartments superimposed above the sealed compartment; ,
d) filling and sealing the overlapped open section using a second web sealing means that moves simultaneously with the moving web;
e) sealing the web and the first and second web sealing means;
f) separating the web into a plurality of water soluble multi-compartment pouches.   25. A method according to any one of claims 17 to 24, wherein the endless surface transitions horizontally or substantially horizontally during the filling process of the open pouch and the overlaid open section.   The endless surface transitions continuously in a straight line horizontally during the filling process of an open pouch and an overlaid open section, the filling process being achieved using a product filling station that moves simultaneously with the endless surface. Item 24. The method according to any one of Items 17 to 23.   23. The method of claim 22, wherein the product filling station comprises means for filling a quantity of a plurality of product feed streams into each compartment.   28. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a plurality of compartments are filled with a powder composition and the overlaid compartments are filled with a liquid, gel or paste composition. 29. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 28 for forming a plurality of multi-compartment pouches in a number of sensory unique groups.
Filling each of a number of compartments with a corresponding sensory unique composition,
A method in which the resulting group is unique in terms of color, shape, size, pattern, or decoration, or is unique in that it provides a unique sensory signal such as smell, sound, feel, etc.   30. A method of cleaning tableware / tableware with an automatic dishwashing machine using a water-soluble pouch made by the method of any one of claims 1-29. A display package comprising a plurality of unit doses in the form of a water-soluble pouch, preferably a clear container, in a number of sensory unique groups,
The display packaging by which each pouch is produced by the method as described in any one of Claims 1-30.