Process for making detergent tablet

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR MAKING A BRIQUETTED DETERGENT TABLET COMPRISING MIXING TOGETHER ABOUT 4 TO 14% OF A WATER SOLUBLE NONIONIC ORGANIC POLYETHOXY DETERGENT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ETHOXYLATED ALKYL PHENOL, ETHOXYLATED HIGHER FATTY ALCOHOL, ETHOXYLATED HIGHER FATTY ACID AND ETHOXYLATED PROPYLENE OXIDE POLYMERS WITH ABOUT 30 TO 75% OF A NORMALLY SOLID WATER SOLUBLE INORGANIC, ALKALI METAL BUILDER SALT, PRODUCING THEREFROM A PARTICULATE DETERGENT CONTAINING UP TO 21% MOISTURE, APPLYING AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF SOLUBLE ALKALI METAL SILICATE TO THE PARTUCULATE DETERGENT TO COAT THE PARTICLES WITH 3 TO 20% SOLUBLE ALKALI METAL SILICATE TO CAUSE AGGLOMERATION INTO LARGER PARTICLES AND TO INCREASE THE MOISTURE CONTENT THEREOF TO ABOUT 16 TO 25%, APPLYING TO THE COATED DETERGENT PARTICLES 0.5 TO 5% TO FINELY DIVIDED WATER INSOLUBLE INORGANIC SILICATE TO FORM A COATING ON THE PARTICLES, HELD TO THEM BY THE WATER SOLUBLE SILICATE, AND TO ARREST AGGLOMERATION OF THE DETERGENT PARTICLES AND PRODUCE AGGLOMERATE WITHIN THE RANGE OF 6 TO 60 MESH, PRESSING THE DETERGENT PARTICLES INTO A SOLID FORM-RETAINING BRIQUETTED TABLET AT A PRESSURE OF ABOUT 10 TO 100 POUNDS PER SQUARE INCH TO FORM A TABLET IS READILY DISINTEGRABLE IN WATER AND APPLYING TO THE TABLET ABOUT .25 TO 5% OF A READILY WATER SOLUBLE SYNTHETIC ORGANIC FILM-FORMING POLYMER SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF POLYVINYL ALCOHOL, POLYVINYLPYRROLIDONE, SODIUM CARBOXYMETHYL CELLULOSE AND HYDROXYPROPYL METHYL CELLUSLOE TO FORM ON THE BRIQUETTE SURFACE A WATER SOLUBLE FILM WHICH IS A STRENGTH SUFFICIENT TO HELP MAKE THE DETERGENT TABLET RESISTANT TO ABRASION AND ACCIDENTAL BREAKAGE, WHEN DRY, AND OF SOLUBILITY SUCH THAT THE DETERGENT TABLET IS READILY DISINTEGRABLE IN WATER.