WO1998043886A2

WO1998043886A2 - Package providing good drainage to viscous contents

Info

Publication number: WO1998043886A2
Application number: PCT/US1997/005138
Authority: WO
Inventors: Tomokazu Hattori; Hiroshi Furumichi
Original assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
Priority date: 1997-03-31
Filing date: 1997-03-31
Publication date: 1998-10-08
Also published as: AU2425597A; WO1998043886A3

Abstract

Disclosed is a packaged product comprising: (a) a package being thermoplastic and moldable and comprising a draining layer (16), the draining layer (16) having a roughness of no more than about 0.2 νm; and (b) a content contained in the package and in contact with the draining layer (16) thereof, the content having a viscosity of at least about 10,000 cps. Further disclosed is a package as described above which drains a content contained therein and in contact with the draining layer (16) thereof, the content as described above. Still further disclosed is a method of draining a viscous content from a package comprising the steps of (a) providing a package as described above; and (b) draining the viscous content as described above.

Description

PACKAGE PROVIDING GOOD DRAINAGE TO VISCOUS CONTENTS

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a package having a draining layer, the draining layer having a slippery surface which provides good drainage of a viscous content contained in the package. More specifically, the present invention relates to a packaged product comprising the above mentioned package and the viscous content.

BACKGROUND

Polyethylene (PE) resins have been widely used as favorable material for making packages including fluid contents due to their good thermoplasticity, good moldability, and good sqeezability. They are also economic, which is an important factor for packaging material, as consumers are usually not willing to pay for packaging which will eventually be discarded.

However, certain viscous contents have a tendency to stick to or hang-up on the inside surface of these packages. Thus, a large percentage of the content cannot be drained from the package and remains as residue, which cannot be used, in the package. Such residue is particularly noticeable for contents which include a certain amount of solid materials having melting points higher than about 25°C. The solid materials are dispersed and fluid at ambient temperature; however, they become more viscous at cooler temperatures. As a result, a certain portion of the content is discarded with the package. This decreases the value the consumer receives from purchasing the product.

Based on the foregoing, there is a need for an economic packaging which provides good drainage of its contents, even when the content is viscous. None of the existing art provides all of the advantages and benefits of the present invention.

SUMMARY The present invention is directed to a packaged product comprising: (a) a package being thermoplastic and moldable and comprising a draining layer, the draining layer having a roughness of no more than about 0.2μm; and (b) a content contained in the package and in contact with the draining layer thereof, the content having a viscosity of at least about 10,000 cps.

The present invention is further directed to a package as described above which drains a content contained therein and in contact with the draining layer thereof, the content as described above.

The present invention is still further directed to a method of draining a viscous content from a package comprising the steps of (a) providing a package as described above; and (b) draining the viscous content as described above.

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become evident to those skilled in the art from a reading of the present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

While the specification concludes with claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the invention, it is believed that the present invention will be better understood from the following description of preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which reference numerals identify identical elements and in which:

Fig. 1 is a front view of a preferred embodiment of the package of the present invention with a portion of the package's sidewall cut away to illustrate its construction;

Fig. 1A is an exploded view of the construction shown in Fig. 1 ; Fig. 2 is an instantaneous cross-sectional view of a preferred embodiment of the packaged product of the present invention after drainage; and

Fig. 3 is an instantaneous cross-sectional view of a conventional package made of polyethylene after drainage of a viscous content.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION All percentages are by weight of the total composition unless otherwise indicated. All ratios are weight ratios unless otherwise indicated. All percentages, ratios, and levels of ingredients referred to herein are based on the actual amount of the ingredient, and do not include solvents, fillers, or other materials with which the ingredient may be combined as commercially available products, unless otherwise indicated.

As used herein, "comprising" means that other steps and other ingredients which do not affect the end result can be added. This term encompasses the terms "consisting of and "consisting essentially of. All cited references are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. Citation of any reference is not an admission regarding any determination as to its availability as prior art to the claimed invention. PACKAGE The package of the present invention is thermoplastic and moldable.

These are required characteristics for manufacturing the package by a thermoplastic molding process including, but not limited to, extrusion blow- molding, stretch blow-molding, and injection blow-molding. By thermoplastic, what is meant is that, when heated, the materials of the package will exhibit a significant enough reduction in: their modulus of elasticity, their stiffness and their load-bearing capacity; so as to enable the above mentioned manufacturing process. By moldable, what is meant is that, the materials of the package have a wide enough softening range at a certain temperature span in which the materials become soft, pliable, and elastic; so as to enable the above mentioned manufacturing process.

The package of the present invention comprises a draining layer having a roughness of no more than about 0.2μm, preferably no more than about 0.1 μm. The roughness as used herein is measured by the Tylar Bobson tester at a scan speed of 1 mm/second. The package of the present invention can be made of a single layer which has the above mentioned roughness, or made of more than one layer comprising, for example, a supporting layer, and a draining layer.

Fig. 1 is a front view of a preferred embodiment of the package of the present invention with a portion of the package's sidewall cut away to illustrate its construction. The embodiment shown in Fig. 1 is a cylindrical bottle generally indicated as 10 and having a portion of its body section 12 cut away. In this preferred embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1A, bottle 10 includes a supporting layer 14 made by high density polyethylene, a draining layer 16 made by EVAL EP- E105, an ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer, and an adhesive layer 18 made by ADMER NB550, a modified polyolefin. The package of the present invention can be provided in any shape or form. Nonlimiting examples of package forms include cylindrical bottles as illustrated in Fig. 1 as bottle 10; bottles having other shapes and including functions such as handles, pumps, tottles, and closures for standing in an inverted position; tubes; and bags. Regardless of the form of the package, the package has a draining layer 16, the draining layer having a roughness as defined above. Such characteristic makes the draining layer 16 very slippery at a contact point 20 with the content, thus believed to provide good drainage of the content. When the package is made of more than one layer, the draining layer 16 is secured to the supporting layer 14 and in direct contact with the content. The drainage of the content also depends on many factors other than the characteristic of the draining layer 16, such as diameter and shape of the package, the angle and area of the shoulder of the package, and squeezability of the package. However, the drainage of the package of the present invention is significantly enhanced compared to a conventional package having the same structure made by polyethylene resins. The effectiveness of drainage can be compared by the amount of residue content remaining in the package after draining over a fixed period of time. Fig. 3 is an instantaneous cross-sectional view of a packaged product containing a conventional package 10' made of a single polyethylene layer 14' after drainage of a viscous content, such as a content of the present invention, depicting substantial residual content 22'. Fig. 2 is an instantaneous cross-sectional view of a preferred embodiment of the packaged product of the present invention having the same package form, after drainage, depicting significantly reduced residue content 22 compared to Fig. 3. Generally, the residue content of the packaged product of the present invention is significantly reduced compared to conventional polyethylene packages when measured at cool temperatures around 5°C.

The package is made of a draining layer 16 being in direct contact with the content. The draining layer 16 can be made from any material which provides the roughness as defined above. Materials which provide such characteristic to the draining layer are those having free hydroxy groups. Nonlimiting examples of materials suitable for the draining layer having free hydroxy groups include ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer, polyethylene terephthalate, glycol-modified polyethylene terephthalate, and mixtures thereof, preferably ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer. Commercially available materials useful herein for the draining layer include ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer with tradenames EVAL series available from KURARAY CO., LTD.

The package can further be made of a supporting layer 14 secured to the draining layer 16, the supporting layer providing flexibility and structural support to the package. By flexibility and structural support, what is meant is that the package can support itself to retain a certain structure, while being flexible enough to be squeezed so as to drain the content. The supporting layer can be made by any material which provides this characteristic. Nonlimiting examples of materials for the supporting layer include polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, and mixtures thereof. Polyethylene materials herein include high density polyethylene (HDPE), mid density polyethylene (MDPE), low density polyethylene (LDPE), and mixtures thereof.

The package can further include materials which provide additional benefits to the package, including antistatic agents, slipping agents, plasticizers, antioxidants, and colorants. These materials can be co-mingled with the supporting layer, or added as a separate layer, so long as the separate layer is not in direct contact with the content. The package can include a recycled layer made of waste material generated during the process of molding the package, or made of other recycled packages. Generally, the recycled layer is a mixture of material. The thickness of the package, as well as the layers which construct the package are determined so as to provide benefits such as squeezability, moldability, and cost effectiveness as desired for the final packaged product. Generally, the average thickness of the wall of the package is less than 1.5 mm. When the package of the present invention includes a supporting layer, the average thickness ratio of the supporting layer to the draining layer is at least about 5 times, preferably from about 20 : 1 to about 5 : 1 , more preferably about 10 : 1. The supporting layer, the recycled layer, and any other layers which construct the package can be secured to the draining layer by any means known to one skilled in the art, preferably by adhesive means. Nonlimiting examples of adhesives include ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer, modified polyolefin, and mixtures thereof. Commercially available materials useful herein for the adhesive include modified polyolefin with tradenames ADMER series available from Mitsui Petrochemical. When an adhesive layer is provided in-between the supporting layer and the draining layer, the adhesive layer should have a thickness of less than about 1/10, preferably less than about 1/20, as that of the supporting layer to provide good squeezability. When the package is made of multi-layers, the average total thickness of the package is preferably from about 0.5 mm to about 1.5 mm. CONTENT

The packaged product of the present invention comprises a content in contact with the draining layer, the content having a viscosity of at least about

10,000 cps, preferably at least about 15,000 cps. The viscosity as used herein is measured by the Brookfield viscometer model DV2 with spindle #5 at 26.7°C.

The content can be in any form having the above defined viscosity including aqueous dispersions and suspensions, oil-in-water emulsions, water- in-oil emulsions, gels, liquid crystals, solutions, and can be any kind of product including; cosmetic or beauty care products for the hair and skin such as shampoo, conditioner, treatment, gel, lotion, oil, cream; laundry and cleaning products such as dishwashing detergent, liquid hand soap, liquid laundry detergent, stain remover, fabric softener; food products such as salad dressing; health care products such as tooth paste, liquid medicine, and other industrial products. The content for which the package herein is particularly beneficial are water-based compositions comprising at least about 3% of a lipophilic solid material having a melting point of at least about 25°C. The lipophilic solid material is preferably a fatty alcohol. Nonlimiting examples of products having such compositions are cosmetic products for the hair and for the skin. Highly preferred contents herein are viscous hair conditioning compositions.

EXAMPLES The following examples further describe and demonstrate embodiments within the scope of the present invention. The examples are given solely for the purpose of illustration and are not to be construed as limitations of the present invention, since many variations thereof are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Ingredients are identified by chemical or CTFA name, or otherwise defined below.

The ingredients herein are expressed by weight percentage of the total compositions, unless otherwise specified. EXAMPLES I and II

These examples show packaged hair conditioning products of the present invention. The package for EXAMPLE I and II are the cylindrical bottles as shown in Fig. 1. The contents are hair conditioning compositions including the following components and made with the method following thereof. Component ( t . % ) Ex. I Ex. II

Stearamidopropyldimethylamine* ¹ 2.00 1 1.. .6600

L-Glutamic Acid*² 0.64 0 0.. .5511

Cetyl Alcohol*³ 2.50 2 2.. .0000

Stearyl Alcohol*⁴ 4.50 3 3. .6600

Silicones*⁵ 4.20 3 3,. .3366

Benzyl Alcohol 0.40 0 0,. .4400

EDTA 0.10 0 0.. .1100

Kathon CG*⁶ 0.03 0 0.. .0033 Sodium Chloride 0. .01

Perfume 0.20 0, .20

Water 85.43 88, .19

Water, stearamidopropyldimethylamine and about 50% of L-glutamic acid are mixed at a temperature above 70°C. Then the fatty alcohols and benzyl alcohol are added with agitation. After cooling down below 60°C, the remaining

L-glutamic acid and other remaining components are added with agitation, then cooled down to about 30°C. The cylindrical bottles are filled with the hair conditioning compositions for sale to consumers.

The cylindrical bottles for Examples I and II have a roughness in the range of from about 0.085μm to about 0.090μm. The hair conditioning compositions of Example I and II have a viscosity in the range of from about

11 ,000 cps to about 29,000 cps, and from about 11 ,000 cps to about 21 ,000 cps, respectively.

Examples I and II have many advantages. For example, they can provide good drainage of the hair conditioning composition, good squeezability upon dispensing, and retain the shape of the package quickly after squeezing pressure is released.

Definitions

^*1 Stearamidopropyldimethylamine: AMIDOAMINE MPS obtained by Nikko ^*2 L-glutamic acid: L-GLUTAMIC ACID (cosmetic grade) obtained by Ajinomoto

^*3 Cetyl Alcohol: KONOL series obtained by New Japan Chemical

^*4 Stearyl Alcohol: KONOL series obtained by New Japan Chemical ^*5 Silicones: 85%/15% (weight base) mixture of D5 Cyclomethicone and dimethicone gum (weight average molecular weight of about 400,000 to about 600,000) obtained by General Electric Co.

^*6 Kathon CG: Mixture of methylchloroisothiazoline and methylisothiazoline obtained by Rohm & Haas Co.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A packaged product comprising:

(a) a package being thermoplastic and moldable and comprising a draining layer, the draining layer having a roughness of no more than about 0.2 ╬╝m; and

(b) a content contained in the package and in contact with the draining layer thereof, the content having a viscosity of at least about 10,000 cps.

2. The packaged product according to Claim 1 wherein the package further comprises a supporting layer secured to the draining layer, the supporting layer providing flexibility and structural support to the package.

3. The packaged product according to Claim 1 wherein the draining layer has a roughness of no more than about 0.1 ╬╝m.

4. The packaged product according to Claim 1 wherein the draining layer is a polymer having free hydroxy groups.

5. The packaged product according to Claim 4 wherein the draining layer is selected from the group consisting of ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer, polyethylene terephthalate, glycol-modified polyethylene terephthalate, and mixtures thereof.

6. The packaged product according to Claim 5 wherein the draining layer is an ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer.

7. The packaged product according to Claim 2 wherein the supporting layer is selected from the group consisting of polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, and mixtures thereof.

8. The packaged product according to Claim 7 wherein the average thickness of the supporting layer is greater than about five times the average thickness of the draining layer.

9. The packaged product according to any of Claims 2 to 8 wherein the supporting layer and the draining layer are secured by adhesive means selected from the group consisting of ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer, modified polyolefin, and mixtures thereof.

10. The packaged product according to any of Claims 1 to 8 wherein the content has a viscosity of at least about 15,000 cps.

11. The packaged product according to Claim 10 wherein the content is a water-based composition comprising at least about 3% of a lipophilic solid material having a melting point of at least about 25┬░C.

12. The packaged product according to Claim 11 wherein the lipophilic solid material is a fatty alcohol.

13. A package being thermoplastic and moldable and comprising a draining layer, the draining layer having a roughness of no more than about 0.2╬╝m; and wherein the package drains a content contained therein and in contact with the draining layer thereof, the content having a viscosity of at least about 10,000 cps.

14. A method of draining a viscous content from a package comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a package, the package being thermoplastic and moldable and comprising a draining layer, the draining layer having a roughness of no more than about 0.2╬╝m; and

(b) draining the viscous content contained in the package and in contact with the draining layer thereof, the viscous content having a viscosity of at least about 10,000 cps.