Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
51 words
A process for preparing soap-containing particles which dissolve rapidly in cold water, comprising: (a) mixing 40-90 weight percent of a fatty acid soap, 2-40 weight percent of a nonionic organic surfactant, and 1-15 weight percent magnesium sulfate, to form a substantially homogeneous, plastic mass; and (b) shaping the mixture into particles.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
51 words
A process for preparing soap-containing particles which dissolve rapidly in cold water, comprising: (a) mixing 40-90 weight percent of a fatty acid soap, 2-40 weight percent of a nonionic organic surfactant, and 1-15 weight percent magnesium sulfate, to form a substantially homogeneous, plastic mass; and (b) shaping the mixture into particles.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
17 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the mixture is extruded to form spaghetti or noodle shaped particles.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
45 words
The process of claim 2 wherein the spaghetti particle has an average length of from about 2 to 20 mm and an average diameter of from about 0.2 to 2.0 mm, and an average bulk density of from about 0.9 to 1.3 g/cm 3 .
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
17 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the mixture is extruded to form tablet-, pellet-, or flake-shaped particles.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
240 words
The process of claims 1, 2, 3, or 4 further comprising dry-blending the particles with spray-dried base particles and discrete particles of cationic softener so as to form a detergent softener composition capable of imparting improved softness, detergency, antistatic and soil anti-redeposition properties to fabrics treated therewith in the wash cycle of a laundering process, the final composition comprising detergent base particles containing from 5 to 40% by weight relative to the composition of a water soluble, non-soap, organic surfactant, at least about 90% thereof being of the anionic type; and from about 10 to 60% by weight relative to the composition of a water soluble, neutral to alkaline builder salt; the cationic softener being selected from the group consisting of (a) aliphatic di(lower) C 1 -C 4 alkyl, di(higher) C 14 -C 24 alkyl quaternary ammonium salts (b) heterocyclic compounds, and mixtures of (a) and (b); so that the weight ratio of soap to cationic softener in the composition is from about 8:1 to 1:3, the present concentration of anionic surfactant being at least about 1:5x+5, wherein x represents the percent concentration of cationic softener, said cationic softener particles comprising from avout 2-20% by weight of the composition and being free of the soap-nonionic-magnesium sulfate mixture particles, said soap-nonionic-magnesium sulfate mixture particles comprising from about 2 to 20% by weight of the composition and being free of the cationic softener, and said detergent base being free of cationic softener.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
34 words
The process of claim 5 wherein said soap comprises an alkali metal salt of a C 10 -C 30 fatty acid, at least about 50 percent thereof being C 10 -C 18 fatty acid.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
36 words
The process of claim 5 wherein said nonionic organic surfactant is selected from the group consisting of the condensation product of alkylene oxide groups with alkylphenols and aliphatic alcohols, said alcohols containing from 8-22 carbon atoms.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
13 words
The process of claim 5 wherein said softener is distearyl, dimethyl ammonium chloride.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
14 words
The process of claim 5 wherein said anionic detergent is linear dodecyl benzene sulfonate.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
17 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the concentration of nonionic is from about 4-15 percent by weight.