Classifications

• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C11—ANIMAL OR VEGETABLE OILS, FATS, FATTY SUBSTANCES OR WAXES; FATTY ACIDS THEREFROM; DETERGENTS; CANDLES
  • C11D—DETERGENT COMPOSITIONS; USE OF SINGLE SUBSTANCES AS DETERGENTS; SOAP OR SOAP-MAKING; RESIN SOAPS; RECOVERY OF GLYCEROL
  • C11D17/00—Detergent materials or soaps characterised by their shape or physical properties
  • C11D17/04—Detergent materials or soaps characterised by their shape or physical properties combined with or containing other objects
  • C11D17/041—Compositions releasably affixed on a substrate or incorporated into a dispensing means
  • C11D17/042—Water soluble or water disintegrable containers or substrates containing cleaning compositions or additives for cleaning compositions
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D81/00—Containers, packaging elements, or packages, for contents presenting particular transport or storage problems, or adapted to be used for non-packaging purposes after removal of contents
  • B65D81/32—Containers, packaging elements, or packages, for contents presenting particular transport or storage problems, or adapted to be used for non-packaging purposes after removal of contents for packaging two or more different materials which must be maintained separate prior to use in admixture
  • B65D81/3216—Rigid containers disposed one within the other

Definitions

• the invention relates to a water soluble delivery product comprising outer and inner water soluble capsules containing respective first and second fluid substances for release on dissolution of the capsules.
• Detergent compositions for machine washing of laundry and dishes, crockery etc are provided in many forms such as free-flowing powders, liquids, etc.. Detergents in the form of compressed powder tablets are also commonly available. These are advantageous in that they do not require measuring they are thus easier to handle and dispense into the wash load and allow for accurate dosing in detergent.
• Water-soluble capsules generally comprise a detergent composition encapsulated with water-soluble film, such as polyvinyl alcohol. Encapsulation allows for handling of the product without direct contact with the detergent composition. This is especially advantageous when the detergent composition includes aggressive cleaning components which would irritate the skin on direct contact.
• a delivery product for delivery of a predetermined amount of first and second fluids, the product comprising an outer water soluble capsule containing a first fluid substance for release on dissolution of the outer capsule and an inner capsule containing a second fluid substance for release on dissolution of the inner capsule; wherein the inner capsule is substantially spherical.
• the provision of a substantially spherical inner capsule has many advantages.
• the substantially spherical shape which offers minimal/no pointed portions, serves to reduce abrasion of the outer capsule as the inner capsules rubs against it, e.g. during packing, transportation or handling by the user.
• the inner capsule preferably has minimal or preferably no external seals which could otherwise increase interference between the capsule during packing, transportation or handling and so lead to leakage.
• a substantially spherical inner capsule also provides a high volume to surface area ratio, which reduces the usage of capsule material and reduces after-use residues because of low seal area.
• the outer capsule has a dome shaped body portion for containing the substance comprising a first sheet of a water soluble material thermoformed to form a body wall of the body portion, and a second sheet of water soluble material superposed on the first sheet and sealed thereto along a continuous region of the superposed sheets to form a base wall of the body portion.
• This formation provides for a more robust outer capsule, and reduction in leaking.
• the term "sheet” is intended to include both monolayer or multilayer constructions; the term “fluid is intended to include any flowable material, e.g. any particulate matter (powders, agglomerates) , liquid, gel, paste and the like; “substantially spherical” is intended to also include asymmetrical shaped capsules with slightly elliptical formations as well as symmetrical regular spheres .
• the outer capsule may also have a gas entrapped within it.
• the volume of gas bubble (s) in the outer capsule could be from 5-35% of the total volume of outer capsule.
• This air bubble serves as a cushion for the inner capsule in that it reduces compression forces that are transmitted to the inner capsule from the outer capsule.
• the entrapped gas is air.
• the dome shaped outer capsule is preferably substantially spherical in shape.
• the combination of thermoforming the capsules of the invention and forming the capsules into a substantially spherical dome shape together with the provision of a substantially spherical inner capsule confers surprising advantages on the capsules of the invention.
• a substantially spherical dome offers sufficient width within the dome to put a spherical inner capsule in it as compared to say a rectangular dome having same volume as the said spherical dome. Also, since the average distance of walls of outer dome to walls of inner capsule is less for a spherical dome rather than a rectangular dome, the inside capsule is more visible.
• the maximum height of the body wall above the base wall is preferably less than or equal to the maximum width of the base wall.
• the base wall is preferably generally circular but other dome shaped body portions according to the invention are envisaged. For example, dome shapes having rectangular, oval, square and triangular bases are envisaged.
• the base of the dome may be substantially flat. Alternatively, the base may be somewhat concave or convex. In any case the resulting capsule is aysmmetrical about the base wall, although of course there can be one or more planes of symmetry perpendicular to the base wall.
• the water soluble film is thermoformable and, in one embodiment of the invention, is polyvinyl alcohol, or a polyvinyl alcohol derivative.
• the water soluble film of the base wall is the same material as that used to make the body wall. It is important that the body wall be thermoformed rather than cold formed because applicants have discovered that cold forming stresses the film and weakens the end capsule as a result.
• the film has a thickness of between 10 and 1000 microns. More preferably the film has a thickness of between 20 and 80 microns.
• the substance contained within the capsule may be a liquid, a gel or a paste.
• the liquid may have a viscosity between 100 and 45000 centipoise, more preferably between 200 and 30000 centipoise.
• a relatively thin' liquid allows the inner capsule to move more freely within the outer capsule.
• the viscosity may be between 500 and 700 centipoise, and most preferably about 600 centipoise, when
• a thickened liquid/gel may be used.
• solid particulate matter e.g. wax encapsulated ingredients (bleach) may be homogenously suspended throughout the body of the liquid/gel providing a pleasing visual appearance.
• the substance is present in an amount of between 10 and 500ml, preferably between 10 and 100 ml, most preferably between 10 and 50 ml.
• the capsule contains between 20 and 30 ml of a fluid composition.
• the fluid composition is a laundry treatment agent such as a laundry detergent, fabric conditioner or fabric care formulation.
• a laundry treatment agent such as a laundry detergent, fabric conditioner or fabric care formulation.
• other compositions for domestic consumer use may be envisaged, such as disinfectants, personal care products, and the like.
• the composition is substantially non-aqueous, comprising less than 80% water.
• the inner substantially spherical capsule may be formed from any of the above mentioned materials as used to make the outer capsule. It may be formed by any suitable technology, e.g. as described in W097/35537, WO00/27367 or WOOl/03676 by Bio Progress Technology.
• the invention also relates to a process for producing a capsule according to the invention, the process comprising the steps of:
• the first and second sheets are sealed along a continuous region of the superposed sheets surrounding the substance to form a base wall of the body portion.
• the second sheet is superposed over the first sheet such that a small amount of air is entrapped in the outer capsule.
• the spherical inner capsule might be dosed before placing the fluid in the outer capsule.
• the first sheet of water-soluble material is thermoformed by means of a heating plate.
• the sheet of water-soluble material intimately contacts the heating plate, typically by applying a vacuum between the heating plate and the sheet of water-soluble material.
• the vacuum applied will be of less than 0.6 Bar.
• the sheet may be blown into contact with the heating plate.
• the thermoforming sheet can be blown or sucked off the heating plate and into a suitable dome-shaped mould.
• the process includes an additional step of, prior to the addition of the fluid substance, applying a vacuum to the thermoformed body wall to maintain the shape of the body portion at least until after the heat sealing step.
• the invention also relates to a process for the machine washing of laundry by employing a capsule according to the invention, wherein the fluid substance contained within the capsule comprises a laundry treatment agent, the process comprising the steps of:
• Figure 1 shows a perspective schematic view of a delivery product for Laundry or machine dishwashing use according to one aspect the invention.
• a laundry delivery product 1 for delivery of a predetermined amount of first and second laundry fluids 2,4, the product comprising an outer water soluble capsule 6 containing a first fluid 2 for release on dissolution of the outer capsule 6 and an inner capsule 8 containing a second fluid substance 4 for release on dissolution of the inner capsule 8; wherein the inner capsule 8 is substantially spherical.
• the spherical inner capsule 8 is formed from PVA (Cold water soluble film sold under trade name Hi-Rhythm form Nippon Gohsei) using rotary form fill and sill technology, with pre-wetting of film to aid elasticity as disclosed in Wo97/35537.
• the inner capsule 8 contains 3 ml of said second fluid 4 which comprises ca. 80% aqueous solution of MEA-neutralised citric acid as follows: Water 16 MEA 39.21
• the MEA-citrate 4 is dosed into the hemispherical cavities of used to form the spherical capsule 8, water sealing is achieved by simply forcing the two capsules against each other in the rotary die. The balls are then dried in a tumble dryer and left at 20 degrees C and 50 RH for two days .
• thermoforming process is used where a number of capsules according to the invention are produced from two sheets of water soluble material.
• recesses are formed in the sheet using a forming die having a plurality of cavities with dimensions corresponding generally to the dimensions of the capsules to be produced.
• a single heating plate is used for thermoforming the film for all the cavities, and in the same way a single sealing plate is described.
• a first sheet of polyvinyl alcohol film is drawn over a forming die so that the film is placed over the plurality of forming cavities in the die.
• Each cavity is generally dome shape having a round edge, the edges of the cavities further being radiussed to remove any sharp edges which might damage the film during the forming or sealing steps of the process.
• Each cavity further includes a raised surrounding flange.
• the film is delivered to the forming die in a crease free form and with minimum tension.
• the film is heated to 100 to 120°C, preferably approximately 110°C, for up to 5 seconds, preferably approximately 700 micro seconds.
• a heating plate is used to heat the film, which plate is positioned to superpose the forming die.
• a vacuum of 0.5 bar is pulled through the pre-heating plate to ensure intimate contact between the film and the pre-heating plate, this intimate contact ensuring that the film is heated evenly and uniformly (the extent of the vacuum is dependant of the thermoforming conditions and the type of film used, however in the present context a vacuum of less than 0.6 bar was found to be suitable)
• Non-uniform heating results in a formed capsule having weak spots.
• thermoformed film is moulded into the cavities blowing the film off the heating plate and/or by sucking the film into the cavities thus forming a plurality of recesses in the film which, once formed, are retained in their thermoformed orientation by the application of a vacuum through the walls of the cavities. This vacuum is maintained at least until the capsules are sealed.
• the composition in this case a non-aqueous liquid detergent and the inner capsule 8 is added to each of the recesses.
• a second sheet of polyvinyl alcohol film is then superposed on the first sheet across the filled recesses and heat- sealed thereto using a sealing plate.
• the heat sealing plate which is generally flat, operates at a temperature of about 140 to 160°C, and contacts the films for 1 to 2 seconds and with a force of 8
• each cavity 16 surrounding each cavity ensure that the films are sealed together along the flange to form a continuous seal.
• the radiussed edge of each cavity is at least partly formed by a resiliently deformable material, such as for example silicone rubber. This results in reduced force being applied at the inner edge of the sealing flange to avoid heat/pressure damage to the film.
• the capsules formed are separated from the web of sheet film using cutting means. At this stage it is possible to release the vacuum on the die, and eject the formed capsules from the forming die. In this way the capsules are formed, filled and sealed while nesting in the forming die. In addition they may be cut while in the forming die as well.
• the relative humidity of the atmosphere is controlled to ca. 50% humidity. This is done to maintain the heat sealing characteristics of the film.
• the outer capsule 6 contains a liquid detergent composition.
• a liquid detergent composition it is preferred that the composition is essentially non-aqueous.
• compositions may be used which contain substantial amounts of water, provided that this water is in a form where its chemical activity is reduced (e.g. as water of crystallisation or in combination with a solvent such that its vapour pressure is reduced) such that the soluble film does not dissolve prematurely.
• An exemplary Laundry formulation fluid contained in the outer capsule comprises the following:
• Antiscalant polymer 1.500 hydrophobically modified polycarboxylateO .500 Phosphonate sequestrant 0.900
• Wax encapsulated bleach catalyst 2.000 Water balance to 100 Composition for Inner capsule

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• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Organic Chemistry (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
• Oil, Petroleum & Natural Gas (AREA)
• Wood Science & Technology (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Detergent Compositions (AREA)
• Agricultural Chemicals And Associated Chemicals (AREA)
• Packages (AREA)
• Manufacturing Of Micro-Capsules (AREA)
• Formation And Processing Of Food Products (AREA)
• General Preparation And Processing Of Foods (AREA)
• Bidet-Like Cleaning Device And Other Flush Toilet Accessories (AREA)

Priority Applications (2)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=9954639

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (6)

Cited By (23)

Citations (6)

• 2003
  • 2003-03-12 GB GBGB0305666.0A patent/GB0305666D0/en not_active Ceased
• 2004
  • 2004-02-09 ES ES04709220T patent/ES2286606T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2004-02-09 WO PCT/EP2004/001186 patent/WO2004081162A1/en active IP Right Grant
  • 2004-02-09 AT AT04709220T patent/ATE362522T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2004-02-09 EP EP04709220A patent/EP1601754B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2004-02-09 DE DE602004006497T patent/DE602004006497T2/de not_active Expired - Lifetime

Patent Citations (6)

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