Detergent tablet and process for making same

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS OF MAKING A DETERGENT TABLET THE STEPS OF (1) FORMING A PARTICULAR MIXTURE COMPRISING SODIUM TRIPOLYPHOSPHATE AND A WATER SOLUBLE, NON-SOAP ORGANIC SYNTHETIC DETERGENT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ANIONIC AND NON-IONIC DETERGENTS IN WHICH THE WEIGHT RATIO OF SODIUM TRIPOLYPHOSPHATE TO SAID DETERGENT IS IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 9:1 TO ABOUT 3:1, IN WHICH THE AVERAGE DENSITY OF TE PARTICLES IS IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 0.5 TO ABOUT 1.5 AND IN WHICH NO MORE THAN ABOUT 20% OF THE PARTICLES ARE SMALLER THAN ABOUT 0.2 MM., (2) PRESSING FROM ABOUT 2.5 TO ABOUT 1.5 UNIT VOLUMES OF SAID MIXTURE INTO A TABLET OF ONE UNIT VOLUME SUING A COMPRESSION PRESSURE IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 150 P.S.I. TO ABOUT 350 P.S.I. THEREBY OBTAINING A TABLET HAVING A NETWORK OF VOID SPACE IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 40% TO ABOUT 60% OF THE TABLET VOLUME, SAID VOID SPACE BEING PREDOMINATLY INTERPARTICULATE, AND USING COMPRESSIVE FORCES WHICH ROTATE AROUND THE AXIS OF COMPRESSION WITH RESPECT TO THE TABLET BEING FORMED AND WITH SUFFICIENT ROTATION TO EFFECT A SHEARING FORCE ON THE FACES OF SAID TABLET THEREBY PREVENTING ADHERENCE OF SAID TABLET TO THE PRESSING MEANS, (3) TREATING THE SURFACE OF THE RESULTING TABLET WITH WATER IN AN AMOUNT IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 1/2% TO ABOUT 5% BY WEIGHT OF THE TABLET THEREBY HYDRATING SODIUM TRIPOLYPHOSPHATE ON THE SURFACE OF THE TABLET TO FORM A NON-CHALKY, ABRASION RESISTANT SURFACE.