Patent US4844821A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US4844821A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Stable liquid laundry detergent/fabric conditioning composition
Assignee: Procter and Gamble Co
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Filing: 1988-02-10
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Granted: 1989-07-04
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Expires: 2008-02-10
Abstract
Abstract Disclosed are stable liquid laundry detergent and liquid fabric softener compositions containing a Smectite-type clay fabric softener and an antisettling agent in a low water/polyol formulation and, optionally, a softness enhancing amount of a polymeric clay-flocculating agent. Also disclosed is a method for producing these compositions and a step-wise method of using them to obtain fabric softening.
Inventors
- 👤 Robert Mermelstein
- 👤 Frederick A. Hartman
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 09:48
CPC Classifications
C; C11; C11D; C11D3/00; C11D3/0005; C11D3/001; C11D3/0015; C11D3/02; C11D3/12; C11D3/124; C11D3/1246; C11D3/1253; C11D3/1266
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 24
Claim 1
Independent Claim
157 words
A stable liquid laundry care composition comprising: (a) from about 1% to about 25%, by weight, of a Smectite-type clay having a longest individual particle dimension of less than about one micron and an ion exchange capacity of at least about 50 meq/100 g; (b) from about 0.25% to about 5%, by weight, of an antisettling agent selected from the group consisting of organophillic organo-clays, fumed silicas or mixtures thereof; (c) from about 5% to about 45% by weight of water; and (d) from 0% to about 5%, by weight, of a polyol containing from about 2 to about 6 carbon atoms and from about 2 to about 6 hydroxy groups, such that the combined water and polyol content of the composition does not exceed about 45%, by weight; wherein said antisettling agent is sufficiently activated by high shear mixing such that said composition has a Brookfield Yield Value of at least about 1.5 dynes/cm 2 .
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
157 words
A stable liquid laundry care composition comprising: (a) from about 1% to about 25%, by weight, of a Smectite-type clay having a longest individual particle dimension of less than about one micron and an ion exchange capacity of at least about 50 meq/100 g; (b) from about 0.25% to about 5%, by weight, of an antisettling agent selected from the group consisting of organophillic organo-clays, fumed silicas or mixtures thereof; (c) from about 5% to about 45% by weight of water; and (d) from 0% to about 5%, by weight, of a polyol containing from about 2 to about 6 carbon atoms and from about 2 to about 6 hydroxy groups, such that the combined water and polyol content of the composition does not exceed about 45%, by weight; wherein said antisettling agent is sufficiently activated by high shear mixing such that said composition has a Brookfield Yield Value of at least about 1.5 dynes/cm 2 .
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
18 words
A composition according to claim 1 further comprising an effective softness enhancing amount of a polymeric clay-flocculating agent.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
40 words
A composition according to claim 2 wherein the clay-flocculating agent is a polymer derived from monomers selected from the group consisting of ethylene oxide, acryl amide, acrylic acid, dimethylamino ethyl methacrylate, vinyl alcohol, vinyl pyrrolidone, ethylene imine, and mixtures thereof.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
24 words
A composition according to claim 3 wherein the polymeric clay-flocculating agent is polyethylene oxide with a molecular weight between about 300,000 and about 5,000,000.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
21 words
A composition according to claim 4 comprising from about 0.001% to about 10%, by weight, of the polyethylene oxide clay-flocculating agent.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
27 words
A composition according to claim 1 wherein the Smectite-type clay is selected from the group consisting of montmorillonites, volchonskoites, nontronites, hectorites, saponites, sauconites, vermiculites, and mixtures thereof.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
12 words
A composition according to claim 6 wherein the Smectitetype clay is montmorillonite.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
38 words
A composition according to claim 1 wherein the antisettling agent is an organophillic organo-clay comprising the reaction product of an organic cation containing at least one alkyl group containing at least 10 carbon atoms and a montmorillonite clay.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
16 words
A composition according to claim 8 wherein the organic cation reagent is a quaternized ammonium cation.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
23 words
A composition according to claim 1 wherein the polyol is selected from the group comprising of 1,2-propanediol, ethylene glycol, glycerol, and mixtures thereof.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
11 words
A composition according to claim 10 wherein the polyol is 1,2-propanediol.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
74 words
A composition according to claim 1 comprising (a) from about 2% to about 7%, by weight, of a montmorillonite clay, (b) from about 0.01% to about 0.3%, by weight, of polyethylene oxide with a molecular weight between about 300,000 and about 5,000,000, (c) from about 0.5% to about 2%, by weight, of an organophillic quaternized organo-montmorillonite antisettling agent and (d) a combined water and 1,2-propanediol content from about 5% to about 45%, by weight.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
39 words
A liquid detergent composition according to claim 1 further comprising from about 1% to about 40%, by weight, of a detersive surfactant selected from the group consisting of anionic, nonionic, semi-polar, ampholytic, zwitterionic, and cationic surfactants, and mixtures thereof.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
29 words
A composition according to claim 13 wherein the detersive surfactant is selected from the group consisting of linear alkyl benzene sulfonates, alkyl polyethoxylated alcohols, alkyl sulfates, and mixtures thereof.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
42 words
A liquid fabric softener composition according to claim 1 further comprising from about 10% to about 55%, by weight, of liquid carrier selected from the group consisting of monohydric alcohols containing from about 1 to about 6 carbon atoms, and mixtures thereof.
Claim 17
Independent Claim
203 words
A method for producing a stable liquid laundry care composition comprising the high shear mixing, at a shear rate of greater than about 10,000 sec -1 , at a liquid temperature from about 70° F. to about 100° F., for about 4 to about 10 passes, of a mixture comprising; (a) from about 1% to about 25%, by weight, of a Smectite-type clay having an ion exchange capacity of at least about 50 meq/100 g; (b) from about 0.5% to about 2%, by weight, of an antisettling agent selected from the group consisting of organophillic quaternized organo-clays, fumed silicas, and mixtures thereof; (c) from about 5% to about 45%, by weight, of water; and (d) from 0% to about 5%, by weight, of a polyol containing from about 2 to about 6 carbon atoms and from about 2 to about 6 hydroxy groups, such that the combined water and polyol content of the composition does not exceed about 45%, by weight; such that the fabric softening clay particle size is reduced to less than about one micron and the antisettling agent is fully dispersed and activated such that the composition has a Brookfield Yield Value of at least about 1.5 dynes/cm 2 .
Claim 18
Independent Claim
203 words
A method for producing a stable liquid laundry care composition comprising the high shear mixing, at a shear rate of greater than about 10,000 sec -1 , at a liquid temperature from about 70° F. to about 100° F., for about 4 to about 10 passes, of a mixture comprising; (a) from about 1% to about 25%, by weight, of a Smectite-type clay having an ion exchange capacity of at least about 50 meq/100 g; (b) from about 0.5% to about 2%, by weight, of an antisettling agent selected from the group consisting of organophillic quaternized organo-clays, fumed silicas, and mixtures thereof; (c) from about 5% to about 45%, by weight, of water; and (d) from 0% to about 5%, by weight, of a polyol containing from about 2 to about 6 carbon atoms and from about 2 to about 6 hydroxy groups, such that the combined water and polyol content of the composition does not exceed about 45%, by weight; such that the fabric softening clay particle size is reduced to less than about one micron and the antisettling agent is fully dispersed and activated such that the composition has a Brookfield Yield Value of at least about 1.5 dynes/cm 2 .
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
43 words
A method according to claim 16 wherein the mixture comprises from about 2% to about 7%, by weight, of a montmorillonite clay, an organophillic quaternized organomontmorillonite antisettling agent, and a combined water and 1,2-propanediol content from about 5% to about 45%, by weight.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
21 words
A method according to claim 16 wherein the mixture further comprises an effective softness enhancing amount of a polymeric clay-flocculating agent.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
64 words
A method according to claim 18 wherein the mixture comprises from about 2% to about 7%, by weight, of a montmorillonite clay, from about 0.01% to about 0.3%, by weight, of polyethylene oxide with a molecular weight between about 300,000 and about 5,000,000, an organophillic quaternized organo-montmorillonite antisettling agent, and a combined water and 1,2-propanediol content from about 5% to about 45, by weight.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
15 words
A stable liquid laundry care composition produced in accordance with the process of claim 16.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
15 words
A stable liquid laundry care composition produced in accordance with the process of claim 18.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
53 words
A method of softening fabrics comprising the steps of: (a) placing the fabrics in an aqueous solution; (b) adding to the solution the composition according to claim 1 at a concentration from about 0.004% to about 2%, by weight; and (c) commencing agitation of the solution within about 5 minutes after step (b).
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