Anti-soiling and anti-redeposition adjuvants and detergent compositions comprised thereof

Claim 2

An anti-soiling and anti-redeposition adjuvant formulation comprising (i) an anti-soiling and anti-redeposition amount of at least one polymer A, said polymer itself having anti-soiling and anti-redeposition properties, wherein said polymer A is selected from the group consisting of a hydrophilic polyurethane, a copolyester and mixtures thereof, (ii) at least one solubilizing and dispersing agent B for the said polymer A, and (iii) at least one water repellent C present in an amount sufficient to act as a water repellent for said agent B.

Claim 3

The formulation as defined by claim 1, wherein the polymer A is a hydrophilic polyurethane resulting from the reaction of 10 to 70% by weight of a polyester base, the acid number of which is less than 3 mg of KOH/g and the hydroxyl number of which is less than or equal to 375 mg of KOH/g, with 90 to 30% by weight of a prepolymer having terminal isocyanate groups, which is obtained by reacting at least one non-ionic hydrophilic macrodiol with at least one diisocyanate, the ratio of NCO/OH being between 0.8 and 1.

Claim 4

The formulation as defined by claim 1, wherein the polymer A is a copolyester comprising recurring units of alkylene terephthalate and of polyoxyalkylene terephthalate.

Claim 5

The formulation as defined by claim 2, wherein the polymer A is a polyurethane resulting from the reaction of a polyester base which has a number-average molecular weight of 300 to 4,000 and comprises the condensation product of an acid selected from the group consisting of adipic acid or ester-forming derivatives thereof, terephthalic acid or ester-forming derivative thereof, sulfoisophthalic acid in the form of its sodium salt or ester-forming derivative thereof, and mixtures thereof, and at least one diol selected from the group consisting of ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol and higher homologues having a molecular weight which is less than or equal to 300, butane-1,3-diol and propane-1,2-diol, with a prepolymer having terminal isocyanate groups, and which is obtained by reacting at least one polyoxyethylene glycol, having a molecular weight of between 600 and 4,000, with at least one diisocyanate selected from the group consisting of hexamethylene-diisocyanate, toluene-diisocyanate and di-(isocyanatophenyl)-methane.

Claim 6

The formulation as defined by claim 3, wherein the polymer A is a copolyester comprising recurring units of ethylene terephthalate and of polyoxyethylene terephthalate.

Claim 7

The formulation as defined by claim 1, wherein the solubilizing and dispersing agent B is soluble in water and has a melting point between 35° and 150° C.

Claim 8

The formulation as defined by claims 1 or 6, wherein the solubilizing and dispersing agent B is selected from the group consisting of: polyoxyethylene glycols having a number-average molecular weight of between 1,000 and 30,000, or fatty acid ester or diester thereof; the non-ionic surface-active agents obtained by condensing ethylene oxide with an aliphatic or alkylaromatic co-reactant; urea, N-alkylureas containing from 1 to 4 carbon atoms in the alkyl radical and N,N- or N,N'-dialkylureas containing 1 to 2 carbon atoms in the alkyl radical; the mono- or diglycerides obtained from gylcerol and aliphatic fatty acids having from 12 to 20 carbon atoms; amides of aliphatic carboxylic acids possessing from 2 to 8 carbon atoms; and α-hydroxylic aliphatic carboxylic acids having from 2 to 5 carbon atoms.

Claim 9

The formulation as defined by claim 6, wherein the solubilizing and dispersing agent B is selected from the group consisting of: polyoxyethylene glycols having a number-average molecular weight ranging from 2,000 to 8,000; polyoxyethyleneated aliphatic alcohols resulting from the condensation of ethylene oxide with linear or branched chain fatty alcohols having from 8 to 22 carbon atoms, at the rate of 40 to 80 mols of ethylene oxide per mol of fatty alcohol; polyoxyethyleneated alkylphenols obtained by condensing ethylene oxide with alkylphenols, at the rate of 40 to 80 mols of ethylene oxide per mol of alkylphenol, the alkyl radical being linear or branched and containing from 6 to 12 carbon atoms; polyoxyethyleneated tristyrylphenols which have the structural formula: ##STR8## in which n can vary between 5 and 80.

Claim 10

The formulation as defined by claim 1, wherein the water repellent C has a melting point between 35° and 150° C.

Claim 11

The formulation as defined by claims 1 or 9, wherein the water repellent C is selected from the group consisting of: linear or branched chain saturated fatty acids having from 12 to 22 carbon atoms; and microcrystalline waxes obtained by mixing normal paraffins, branched paraffins and naphthenic hydrocarbons having from 36 to 60 carbon atoms.

Claim 12

The formulation as defined by claim 10, wherein the water repellent C is stearic acid.

Claim 13

The formulation as defined by claim 1, wherein the weight ratio of solubilizing and dispersing agent B to polymer A is between 0.5 and 5.

Claim 14

The formulation as defined by claim 12, wherein the weight ratio of water repellent C to solubilizing and dispersing agent B is between 0.03 and 1.

Claim 15

The formulation as defined by claim 1, wherein same is in the form of a powder consisting essentially of particles having a diameter which is less than or equal to 2 mm.

Claim 16

The formulation as defined by claim 14, wherein same essentially consists of a mixture of the polymer A, the solubilizing or dispersing agent B and the water repellent C, in amounts such that the weight ratios of solubilizing and dispersing agent B to polymer A and of water repellent C to solubilizing and dispersing agent B are respectively from 1 to 4 and from 0.1 to 0.4, and wherein same is in the form of fine particles having a diameter of between 0.5 and 1 mm.

Claim 17

A process for the preparation of the formulation as defined by claim 1, comprising heating the polymer A to a temperature between 100° and 200° C., adding thereto the solubilizing and dispersing agent B, homogenizing the mixture which results, and thence adding thereto water repellent C.

Claim 18

The process as defined by claim 16, wherein the mixture obtained is ground under conditions such that the resultant particles have a diameter which is less than or equal to 2 mm.

Claim 19

The formulation as defined by claim 6, the said solubilizing and dispersing agent B having a melting point between 35° and 90° C.

Claim 20

The formulation as defined by claim 8, wherein n varies between 30 and 80.

Claim 21

The formulation as defined by claim 9, the said water repellent C having a melting point between 35° and 90° C.

Claim 22

The formulation as defined by claim 12, the said weight ratio being between 1 and 4.

Claim 23

The formulation as defined by claim 13, the said weight ratio being between 0.1 and 0.4.

Claim 24

A detergent composition comprising a detergent surfactant and the formulation as defined by claim 1.

Claim 25

The detergent composition as defined by claim 23, further comprising a detergent builder.

Claim 26

The detergent composition as defined by claim 24, further comprising at least one member selected from the group consisting of a foam-controlling agent, an inorganic salt, a bleaching agent, another anti-redeposition agent, an optical brightener, a perfume, a colorant and an enzyme.

Claim 27

The composition as defined by claim 24, comprising from 0.1 to 5% by weight of said formulation, and from 5 to 50% by weight of said surfactant.

Claim 28

The composition as defined by claim 26, comprising from 0.3 to 3% by weight of said formulation, and from 5 to 25% by weight of said surfactant.

Claim 29

The composition as defined by claim 26, comprising from 10 to 60% by weight of said detergent builder.

Claim 30

The composition as defined by claim 28, further comprising from 10 to 20% by weight of a bleaching agent.

Claim 31

An aqueous washing bath comprising the detergent composition as defined by claim 24.

Claim 32

The washing bath as defined by claim 30, comprising at least 5 mg of polymer A per liter of aqueous bath.

Claim 33

The washing bath as defined by claim 31, comprising from 15 to 80 mg of polymer A per liter of aqueous bath.

Claim 34

In the washing of a textile article in an aqueous washing bath, the improvement which comprises utilizing as the detergent therefor, the detergent composition as defined by claim 24.

Claim 35

The washing as defined by claim 33, the same being conducted at a temperature of from 0° to 100° C.

Claim 36

The washing as defined by claim 34, the same being conducted at a temperature of from 20° to 90° C.

Claim 37

The washing as defined by claim 33, said textile article comprising synthetic polyester fibers.