U.S. patent application number 11/719256 was filed with the patent office on 2008-11-13 for closure with dispersible composition.
Invention is credited to Karl-Ludwig Gibis, Chris Efstathios Housmekerides, Dietmar Van Loyen.
Application Number | 20080277373 11/719256 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 33548485 |
Filed Date | 2008-11-13 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080277373 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Gibis; Karl-Ludwig ; et
al. |
November 13, 2008 |
Closure With Dispersible Composition
Abstract
A closure for a container. The closure comprises a channel which
extends therethrough. The channel is filled with a composition
capable of being dispersed in an aqueous medium at an elevated
temperature. The dispersible composition comprises a fragrance.
Inventors: |
Gibis; Karl-Ludwig;
(Limburgerhof, DE) ; Housmekerides; Chris Efstathios;
(Ludwigshafen, DE) ; Van Loyen; Dietmar;
(Ludwigshafen, DE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
NORRIS, MCLAUGHLIN & MARCUS
875 THIRD AVE, 18TH FLOOR
NEW YORK
NY
10022
US
|
Family ID: |
33548485 |
Appl. No.: |
11/719256 |
Filed: |
November 21, 2005 |
PCT Filed: |
November 21, 2005 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/GB2005/004459 |
371 Date: |
June 12, 2007 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
215/364 |
Current CPC
Class: |
D06F 39/024 20130101;
A47L 15/4445 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
215/364 |
International
Class: |
B65D 39/00 20060101
B65D039/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Nov 19, 2004 |
GB |
0425418.1 |
Claims
1. A closure for a container, the closure comprising a channel
which extends therethrough, the channel being filled with a
composition capable of being dispersed in an aqueous medium at an
elevated temperature, wherein the dispersible composition comprises
a fragrance.
2. A closure according to claim 1, wherein around 0.5-2 grams of
dispersible composition is used in the closure.
3. A closure according to claim 1, wherein the dispersible
composition comprises between 1 to 40 wt % of fragrance.
4. A closure according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the dispersible
composition incorporates one or more further components.
5. A closure according to claim 4, wherein the dispersible
composition incorporates as a further component an anti-foam
agent.
6. A closure according to claim 1, wherein the dispersible
composition disperses by melting.
7. A closure according to claim 6, wherein the dispersible
composition disperses at around 50.degree. C.
8. A closure according to claim 1, wherein the dispersible
composition comprises a paraffin wax.
9. A closure according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the
closure is mounted on a container which container contains an
automatic dishwashing formulation.
10. A container containing an automatic dishwashing formulation,
the container having a closure according to claim 1.
11. A container according to claim 10, wherein the automatic
dishwashing formulation is a drain cleaner formulation or is a
machine cleaner formulation.
12. (canceled)
Description
[0001] The present invention relates to a closure, particularly to
a closure suitable for a container for placement in a washing
machine such as a dishwasher.
[0002] Closures for bottles and other containers are well known.
Typical closures may comprise a screw cap, a cork or a crimped cap.
These closures are conventionally removed (manually or with the aid
of a tool such as a bottle opener) so that the contents of the
bottle or container may be accessed.
[0003] A further class of closures are those which seal a bottle or
container and which are not removed before use, but instead are
removed in the medium in which the contents of the container are to
be dispensed. This type of closure has been found to be beneficial
where the contents of the container are potentially harmful to a
user, thus the contents are kept separate from the user and only
allowed to be released in the medium of use. In this way the
closure can be used to ensure the contents are released at the
correct point in time in the medium.
[0004] In order to form such a closure the closure material
requires several properties.
[0005] Firstly the closure has to be resilient enough to provide a
seal until the contents are required by a user. As the contents of
containers sold for domestic use typically comprise aqueous based
compositions the selection of suitable closure materials is usually
limited to those materials which have a low solubility in
water.
[0006] Additionally the closure has to be able to be dispersed in
the medium in which the contents are required. As the contents of
containers sold for domestic use are typically sold for use in a
domestic washing/dishwasher machine the material has been selected
such that it may be dispersed (by dissolution/melting) at the usual
temperature of operation of such machines (around 20-80.degree.
C.).
[0007] These factors together with cost considerations have
dictated that wax has been used as the closure material: wax is
insoluble in water and has an appropriate melting point. An example
of a container having such a closure is a machine cleaner for
placing within a dishwashing machine comprising a bottle having a
wax closure.
[0008] It is an object of the present application to provide an
improved closure.
[0009] According to a first aspect of the present invention there
is provided a closure for a container, the closure comprising a
channel which extends therethrough, the channel being filled with a
composition capable of being dispersed in an aqueous medium at an
elevated temperature, wherein the dispersible composition comprises
a fragrance.
[0010] Most preferably the container is used to retain a
composition to be dispersed into an automatic washing machine. Thus
according to a second aspect of the present invention there is
provided a container holding an automatic washing formulation, the
container having a closure which comprises a channel extending
therethrough, the channel being filled with a composition capable
of being dispersed in an aqueous medium at an elevated temperature,
wherein the dispersible composition comprises a fragrance.
[0011] In use the closure of the present invention has been found
to be surprisingly advantageous. One of the main advantages of
having a fragrance separated from the remainder of the formulation
in the container and also adjacent to the exterior of the
formulation packaging is that the impact of the fragrance upon a
consumer, when selecting the product in a shop, is heightened.
[0012] Furthermore the impression of the fragrance on the consumer
when using the formulation in the container is enhanced throughout
the whole washing cycle. This is especially useful in the context
of automatic dishwashing as a pleasing waft of fragrance is noticed
by a consumer both during dishwasher operation and when opening the
dishwasher at the end of the wash cycle.
[0013] With both of these advantages it has been noticed that a
small amount of fragrance is needed in the closure/container of the
present invention to achieve the desired fragrance effect. The
amount required is much smaller than that which would be needed if
the fragrance were present in the composition. This is
exceptionally significant: of all of the components present in an
automatic washing formulation fragrances (although generally
present at low concentration) are probably the most expensive. Thus
anything that is able to reduce the amount of fragrance needed has
a large effect on the price of the overall formulation.
[0014] A further advantage is that of safety, more chiefly child
safety. As the fragrance is separate from the automatic washing
formulation it has been found that the odour of the automatic
washing formulation is much less attractive (although not in
use--see above). Indeed the odour of the formulation is much more
`chemical-like` (i.e., smelling of chemicals) rather than smelling
of pleasant fragrance odours such as flowers or fruit. As a result,
the formulation becomes considerably less attractive to children.
Thus the danger of ingestion of the formulation by a child is
greatly lessened, without the need for a
`child-resistant-closure`.
[0015] Normally around 0.5-2.0 grams of dispersible composition is
used in the closure, more preferably 0.8-1.5 grams and most
preferably 1.0-1.2 grams. Generally the closure comprises between 1
to 40 wt % of fragrance (e.g. about 5 wt % or about 20 wt %).
[0016] The dispersible composition may incorporate one or more
other components usually found in an automatic washing
formulation.
[0017] In a preferred embodiment (for an automatic dishwasher
formulation) the dispersible composition incorporates an anti-foam
agent. This has found to be particularly advantageous when the
automatic washing formulation in the container is aqueous as often
anti-foam agents are hydrophobic due to their hydrophobicity the
anti-foam agents can be difficult to integrate into an aqueous
formulation (often turbidity or separation/settling is
observed.
[0018] Where present the anti-foam agent may comprise from 40-75%
of the dispersible composition
[0019] Preserved examples of anti-foam agents include
silicones.
[0020] The dispersible composition may comprise a plurality of
separate/individual compositions. These may be present as an
admixture or may be arranged adjacent one another, e.g. in a layer
or concentric structure. The channel may have a number of separate
portions or associated retaining recesses to retain the
separate/individual compositions.
[0021] Most preferably the dispersible composition disperses by
melting. The dispersible composition preferably disperses at the
temperature of operation of an automatic washing machine, usually
around 20-80.degree. C., more preferably around 50.degree. C. This
is particularly useful for an automatic dishwasher. The container
can be placed in the automatic dishwasher without the consumer
having to open the container and expose themselves to the often
aggressive formulation contained therein. During the operation of
the dishwashing machine when the temperature therein exceeds
50.degree. C. the dispersible composition becomes dispersed and the
formulation is released. This means that release of the composition
into the pre-wash (which typically operates at a temperature lower
than 50.degree. C.) is avoided.
[0022] The dispersible composition most preferably comprises a
paraffin wax. The paraffin wax dispersible composition preferably
has a melting point of around 50.degree. C. As the fragrance
typically reduces the melting point of the wax, generally a wax
having a melting point higher than 50.degree. C. is employed to
ensure that the overall composition has this melting point. The
`pure` wax preferably has a melting point of about 55.degree.
C.
[0023] For protection, e.g. in storage/transport, the closure may
have an additional sealing means. Generally the dispersible
composition is covered by a removable sticker (e.g., an
aluminium/paper/plastic sticker) before use. The sticker may be
peeled away by the consumer before placing the container in the
dishwasher. Other additional sealing means may comprise a screw
cap.
[0024] Clearly the container and thus the size of the closure can
be varied to suit the requirements of use. Generally the container
is sized to accommodate around 250 cm.sup.3 of an automatic machine
formulation.
[0025] Most preferably the formulation in the container is an
automatic dishwashing formulation. Generally the automatic
dishwashing formulation is a drain cleaner/machine cleaner
formulation. Such as drain/machine cleaner generally incorporates
components such as acid, builder, surfactant, preservative, dye,
stabiliser and thickener.
[0026] A preferred example of a machine/drain cleaner formulation
is below.
TABLE-US-00001 Component Wt % Nonionic surfactant 0.1-20% Citric
acid 1-30% UV stabilizer 0-0.1% Dye 0-0.1% NaCl 0-5% NaSO4 0-5% PEG
0-5% Water balance
[0027] This may be a bi-phase formulation.
[0028] A further example of a machine/drain cleaner formulation is
below.
TABLE-US-00002 Component Wt % Cationic surfactant 1-5% Nonionic
surfactant 0-1% Cumene sulfonate 3-5% Citric acid 5-30% Dye 0-0.1%
Water balance
[0029] This may be a bi-phase formulation.
[0030] A further example of a machine/drain cleaner formulation is
below.
TABLE-US-00003 Component Wt % Nonionic surfactant 0-5% Citric acid
5-30% Monopropylene gycol 0-5% Cumene sulfonate 0-10% Water
balance
[0031] This may be a bi-phase formulation.
[0032] The invention is further illustrated in the following
figures, wherein:--
[0033] FIGS. 1 and 2 are cross-sectional views of a closure in
accordance with the present invention.
[0034] FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a closure 1. The closure
1 comprises a channel 2. The channel 2 is circular and comprises a
wider upper section 2a and a narrower lower section 2b. Disposed
within the channel 2 is a dispersible material 3, comprising a
fragrance. The dispersible material 3 is preferably a water
insoluble wax, such as paraffin wax.
[0035] The closure 1 has a dependent curtain 4 for attachment to a
bottle (not shown). The dependent curtain 4 may comprise a screw
thread for screwing onto a bottle. Alternatively the curtain 4 may
comprise a `snap-fit` mechanism for attachment to a bottle.
[0036] FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of a closure 1. This
closure 1 has all of the features of the first closure. In addition
disposed around the channel 2, the closure 1 comprises a groove 5.
The groove 5 may be used to contain a second dispersible material
3a, in addition to the primary dispersible material 3 disposed in
the channel 2.
[0037] In use the closure 1 is exposed to an aqueous medium such as
the washing liquor of an automatic dishwashing machine (not shown).
The dispersible material 3 (and 3a where present) remains intact
until the temperature of the aqueous medium is high enough to
initiate melting of this material 3. When this occurs any contents
of the bottle are exposed to the aqueous medium and may be released
from the bottle.
* * * * *