Process for preparing detergents

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PREPARING A STABLE, WATER-SOLUBLE COMPOSITION WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF (1) PARTIALLY TO COMPLETELY COATING SOLID PARTICLES OF A HYDRATABLE INORGANIC DETEGENT BUILDER SALT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ALKALI METAL PHOSPHATES, SILICATES, BORATES, CARBONATES, BICARBONATES, SULFATES, CHLORIDES, AND MIXTURES THEREOF WITH FROM ABOUT 3% TO ABOUT 30% BY WEIGHT, BASED UPON THE WEIGHT OF SAID COMPOSITION, OF A NONSOAP SYNTHETIC SURFACE ACTIVE AGENT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF NONSOAP SYNTHETIC ANIONIC SURFACE ACTIVE AGENTS AND NONSOAP SYNTHETIC NONIONIC SURFACE ACTIVE AGENTS; (2) ADDING TO THE RESULTING COATED SOLID PARTICLES FROM ABOUT 10% TO ABOUT 35% BY WEIGHT, BASED ON THE WEIGHT OF SAID COMPOSITION, OF WATER SUFFICIENT TO INDUCE AGGLOMERATION OF THE PARTICLES AND TO FORM A POURABLE WET FLUID MASS CONSISTING OF AN AQUEOUS SLURRY COMPRISING AGGLOMERATES OF SAID COATED PARTICLES DISPERSED IN THE AQUEOUS PHASE OF SAID SLURRY BUT INSUFFICIENT WITHIN SAID 10 TO 35% RANGE TO DISSOLVE SAID COATED PARTICLES, SAID WATER BEING ADDED OVER A PERIOD OF FROM ABOUT TWO SECONDS TO ABOUT TWO MINUTES TO PREVENT APPRECIABLE AGGLOMERATION OF SAID PARTICLES AND HYDRATION OF SAID BUILDER SALT DURING SAID ADDITION OF WATER; AND (3) AGING THE RESULTING FLUID MASS UNTIL SAID WATER IS SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETELY INCORPORATED AS WATER OF HYDRATION IN SAID BUILDER SALT AND A FRIABLE, AGGLOMERATED PRODUCT COMPRISING A MIXTURE OF THE HYDRATED BUILDER SALT AND SAID ORGANIC SURFACE ACTIVE AGENT IS FORMED.