U.S. patent number 3,674,688 [Application Number 04/867,920] was granted by the patent office on 1972-07-04 for wrinkle removing product and process.
This patent grant is currently assigned to RLR Chemical Company, Inc.. Invention is credited to Harold K. Purcell, Leonard Schwartz, Jerome J. Wieselman.
United States Patent |
3,674,688 |
Schwartz , et al. |
July 4, 1972 |
WRINKLE REMOVING PRODUCT AND PROCESS
Abstract
A product and process of removing wrinkles and surface effect
blemishes from fabric textile materials such as upholstery, drapery
and clothing is disclosed. The product is an alcohol-aqueous
solution of a surfactant or surface tension reducing material which
is a liquid at room temperature and which will evaporate to dryness
in a short time. The surfactant material is preferably a quartenary
ammonium compound with a dialkyl dimethyl ammonium chloride
compound being most satisfactory. The process of using the wrinkle
removing material involves spraying the aqueous-alcoholic solution
on the wrinkled fabric and allowing the fabric to dry. The wrinkle
removing material will usually evaporate to dryness in from 15
minutes to 1 hour.
Inventors: |
Schwartz; Leonard (St. Louis,
MO), Purcell; Harold K. (Pasadena Hills, MO), Wieselman;
Jerome J. (Olivette, MO) |
Assignee: |
RLR Chemical Company, Inc. (St.
Louis, MO)
|
Family
ID: |
25350714 |
Appl.
No.: |
04/867,920 |
Filed: |
October 20, 1969 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
252/8.91;
38/144 |
Current CPC
Class: |
D06M
13/463 (20130101); D06M 2200/40 (20130101); D06M
2200/20 (20130101); D06M 2200/50 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
D06M
13/463 (20060101); D06M 13/00 (20060101); D06m
013/46 () |
Field of
Search: |
;252/8.8 ;117/139.5CQ
;28/74,76 ;38/144 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Guynn; Herbert B.
Assistant Examiner: Pitlick; Harris A.
Claims
We claim:
1. A method of preparing a wrinkle removing material which is
effective on porous textile fabrics comprising, preparing an
alcohol-aqueous solution and adding a surfactant to the solution,
the surfactant being added in proportions of from about 0.4 to 0.6
of 1 percent by weight; the alcohol-aqueous solution consisting
essentially of from about 75 percent to 85 percent by weight water,
and from 15 percent to 25 percent by weight of an alcohol selected
from the group consisting of isopropyl alcohol and ethyl alcohol;
the surfactant being selected from the group consisting of
quaternary ammonium salts surfactants having the structural
formula
where R and R.sub.1 are alkyl chains from 16 to 18 carbon atoms;
said material being effective to remove wrinkles when applied to a
porous textile material.
2. A product for removing wrinkles from porous textile fabric
materials selected from the group consisting of natural fiber
materials, porous synthetic fiber materials, and blends containing
natural and porous synthetic materials consisting essentially of an
alcohol-aqueous solution of a surfactant material having from about
75 percent to 85 percent by weight water, from about 15 percent to
25 percent by weight alcohol selected from the group consisting of
isopropyl alcohol and ethyl alcohol, and from about 0.4 percent to
0.6 percent by weight of a quaternary ammonium salt surfactant
having the structural formula
where R and R.sub.1 are alkyl chains having from 16 to 18 carbon
atoms, said material being effective to remove wrinkles when
applied to a porous textile material.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is known in the art of caring for fabrics that wrinkles and
creases in the fabric material can be removed by the application of
moisture to the wrinkled material. In the past it has been
necessary to use some means incorporating heat and/or pressure to
get moisture into the yarns of the wrinkled textile material in
order to provide the relaxing or tension removing effect on the
yarns which is needed to remove the wrinkles. The application of
heat and/or pressure has taken a number of forms; the housewife
commonly uses a steam iron or an iron with a moistened ironing
cloth to apply moisture and to drive the moisture into the fabric
with heat, from the iron heating unit, and pressure from the weight
of the iron and the force applied through the iron handle.
Commercially, heat and/or pressure has been applied through use of
a device such as the steam press or steam mangle where hot steam
under pressure is applied to the wrinkled fabric as the fabric is
tightly held between the jaws of the press or passed between
pressure rolls.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
We have discovered that it is possible to use a chemical wrinkle
removing solution to remove creases and wrinkles from textile and
fabric materials without using heat and/or pressure to wet the
yarns of the fabric material and relax the surface tension of the
material sufficiently to remove the wrinkles. We have also
discovered a composition of a chemical wrinkle removing material
and a process of using the chemical wrinkle removing material to
soften the wrinkled yarns of textile fabric material to remove
wrinkles without the application of heat and/or pressure. The
wrinkle removing material may be conveniently packaged and carried
in small containers so that it may be used at any time. It can be
carried in luggage so that a traveler may remove the wrinkles from
his clothing on arriving at his destination without having to take
his clothing to a pressing shop or carry an iron. The process is
simple and is much more convenient than an irOning operation.
The invention involves preparing an alcohol-aqueous solution of a
surfactant material which will penetrate the yarns of the fabric
material and wet the yarns to provide the softening and surface
tension removing effect necessary to relax the fabric sufficiently
to allow the wrinkles to fall out. The surfactant material solution
will penetrate fabric treating and stain resistant materials such
as "Scotchgard" and will still soften the yarns and remove the
wrinkles. After the fabric has been softened sufficiently to remove
the wrinkles, the solution evaporates leaving a smooth wrinkle free
fabric behind.
The wrinkle removing solution is preferably applied by spraying it
as a fine mist on the wrinkled area of the fabric. The fabric is
hung in the desired shape and the wrinkled area is brushed lightly
with a soft brush, or even with the hand, and the fabric material
is allowed to dry.
The alcohol-aqueous solution is preferably a solution of a fast
drying alcohol such as isopropyl alcohol or ethyl alcohol in water.
Distilled water is preferred since it does not have any dissolved
solids to leave in the fabric material to cause stains or rings.
The surfactant material is preferably a surfactant of the cationic
type and is most preferably an organic quaternary ammonium compound
such as a quaternary ammonium salt. A suitable surfactant material
is a dialkyl dimethyl ammonium chloride having the following
formula:
where R and R.sub.1 are alkyl chains having 16 to 18 carbon
atoms.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
It is desirable to provide a material which will penetrate and wet
the yarns of a wrinkled fabric material without saturating the
fabric so that the fabric material can dry in a short time without
heat. It is also necessary to get sufficient moisture to the
wrinkled yarns of the fabric material to wet and relax the yarns
sufficiently to remove the wrinkles. To achieve these conflicting
ends, wetting the yarns sufficiently to relax them, not saturating
the fabric, and providing a fast drying time of the fabric without
heat, an alcohol-aqueous solution is used which has a surfactant
material incorporated in it. The surfactant material operates to
penetrate and wet the yarns with water without saturating the
fabric. The alcohol-aqueous solvent base evaporates quickly and
does not mark or damage the fabric. The combination of surfactant
in an alcohol-aqueous solvent is even capable of penetrating
materials which have been treated with fabric protectors or stain
preventing coatings, such as "Scotchgard," removing the wrinkles in
the coated fabric materials, and then drying to leave the
protective coating intact. A perfume may be incorporated in the
product to provide a pleasant residual scent in the treated
fabric.
Preferably a distilled or demineralized water is used so that the
product will not leave residual dissolved solids in the treated
fabric after the fabric has dried. Fast drying alcohols are
preferred in the alcohol-aqueous solvent solution such as isopropyl
alcohol or ethyl alcohol.
The surfactant material is preferably of the cationic type and
should have the property of being able to penetrate and wet the
yarns of wrinkled fabric in a low concentration solution. The
surfactant should not harm the fabric or the dye system of the
fabric and should not leave a residual ring or mark in the fabric
on drying. Organic quartenary ammonium salts have proven to be the
most satisfactory of the cationic surfactant materials. In
particular, a dialkyl dimethyl ammonium chloride has proven to be
the most satisfactory material. The dialkyl dimethyl ammonium
chloride has the structural formula:
where R and R.sub.1 are alkyl chains having from 16 to 18 carbon
atoms. A suitable dialkyl dimethyl ammonium chloride surfactant may
be obtained from the Armour Industrial Chemical Company under the
tradename Arquad 2HT. The surfactant material contains about 24
percent hexadecyl and 75 percent octadecyl chains. The long alkyl
chains of the surfactant materials seem to be partly responsible
for the relaxing effect of the surfactant material. It is probable
that as the positively charged surfactant material attaches itself
to the relatively negatively charged textile material and wets it,
the surfactant molecule orients itself toward the yarns or fibers
in the textile material leaving the alkyl chains exposed. The
exposed alkyl chains impart surface softness and lubricity to the
yarns and relax the surface tension in the wrinkled yarns.
Typically, the finished product will contain between about 75 and
85 percent by weight distilled water, between about 15 and 25
percent by weight alcohol, between about 0.4 and 0.6 percent by
weight surfactant, and between about 0 and 0.5 percent by weight
perfume. The perfumes used may be any of the commercially available
scents which are soluble in an alcohol-aqueous cosolvent
system.
The product may be packaged in aerosol cans having pressurized
propellants or in pump-mist containers of a variety of sizes, both
for commercial or for personal use. Aerosol containers of a size to
fit in luggage or a purse are particularly useful for people who
travel. Travelers commonly have wrinkled clothing and frequently do
not have convenient access to a cleaning and pressing shop.
The product can be simply used to eliminate the wrinkles from a
fabric material, such as a garment, by hanging the garment in the
desired shape and spraying the wrinkled area with a fine mist of
the product. Care should be exercised to avoid saturating the
fabric for best results. The sprayed area should be brushed lightly
with a soft brush or with the hand and allowed to dry. If the
fabric is badly wrinkled, a second application may be necessary.
The fabric will dry within about fifteen minutes to one hour.
The product is effective on all porous textile materials, but is
not effective on fiber glass materials or on polished finished
surfaces, i.e., on fabric materials which have a synthetic resin
coating. By porous textile materials we mean to include all fabric
materials other than fiber glass materials, the non absorbent
synthetic materials such as nylon, and those materials having
polished finished surfaces. The porous textile materials include
textiles made from natural fiber materials of both animal and
vegetable origin; such as wool, cotton, and linen; textiles made
from the porous, absorbent man made fibers such as rayon, acetate,
and acrylic; and blends of natural fibers and/or porous man made
fibers with non absorbent fibers.
The invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art
from the above description; however, the following examples are
included to further exemplify the methods of practicing the
invention and are not intended to be of limiting scope.
EXAMPLE 1
A wrinkle removing material having the following composition:
distilled water 80 parts by weight isopropyl alcohol 20 parts by
weight dialkyl dimethyl ammonium chloride 0.5 parts by weight
perfume (Felton G.S.- 31) 0.1 parts by weight
was prepared by dissolving the dialkyl dimethyl ammonium chloride
in the isopropyl alcohol and adding the luke warm distilled water.
The perfume was added to the mixed solution and stirred until the
solution was homogeneous. The solution was filtered and filled into
3 -ounce pressurized aerosol cans by a conventional filling
operation.
EXAMPLE 2
A wrinkle removing material having the following composition:
distilled water 75 parts by weight denatured ethyl alcohol 25 parts
by weight dialkyl dimethyl ammonium chloride 0.4 parts by weight
perfume 0.1 parts by weight
was prepared by the method of Example 1.
EXAMPLE 3
A wrinkle removing product having the following composition:
distilled water 85 parts by weight isopropyl alcohol 15 parts by
weight dialkyl dimethyl ammonium chloride 0.6 parts by weight
was prepared by the method of Example 1 except that the product was
filled into one quart containers fitted with mist pumps.
EXAMPLE 4
A wrinkle removing product having the following composition:
distilled water 80 parts by weight denatured ethyl alcohol 20 parts
by weight dialkyl dimethyl ammonium chloride 0.4 parts by
weight
was prepared by the method of Example 1.
EXAMPLE 5
A wrinkle removing product having the following composition:
distilled water 80 parts by weight denatured ethyl alcohol 20 parts
by weight dialkyl dimethyl ammonium chloride 0.5 parts by
weight
was prepared by the method of Example 1.
EXAMPLE 6
The product prepared by the method of Example 1 was tested on a
pair of men's heavy wool trousers which had hung for 3 months on a
wire hanger. The trousers had a distinct crease at the place where
they had passed over the hanger bar. The trousers were hung by the
cuffs from a clip hanger and sprayed with an aerosol can from the
batch produced by Example 1. The nozzle of the can was held
approximately 15 inches from the creased area and the crease was
sprayed with a mist of the product until damp but not saturated.
The trousers were allowed to dry for 45 minutes and were examined.
It was not possible to determine where the hanger crease had been.
There was no residual mark or stain in the fabric of the
trousers.
EXAMPLE 7
A pair of men's light weight trousers which were heavily wrinkled
after being worn while wearing a seat belt on an hour and one half
flight via a commercial plane was treated with the wrinkle removing
material produced by the method of Example 1. The wrinkled area of
the trousers was lightly sprayed with the material and the trousers
were hung by the cuffs. The wrinkled area of the trousers was
brushed lightly by hand and the trousers were allowed to dry for
about 1 hour. On examination, it was found that all of the wrinkles
were gone.
EXAMPLE 8
A man's cotton summer weight sports jacket which was badly wrinkled
at the elbows and on the back was treated with the material
prepared by the method of Example 5. The jacket was placed on a
coat hanger and the wrinkled areas were sprayed with a fine mist of
the product. The sprayed area was lightly brushed with a soft brush
and allowed to dry for thirty minutes. On examination, the wrinkles
were found to be gone.
EXAMPLE 9
A woman's cotton skirt which was wrinkled through the hip area was
treated as described in Example 8. After drying for 30 minutes the
wrinkles had disappeared.
EXAMPLE 10
A set of antique satin drapes having deep fold creases was treated
by hanging the drapes on a traverse rod and moving the drapes to a
partially open position. The product produced by the method of
Example 1 was sprayed on the creased areas as described in Example
6; the sprayed areas were lightly brushed by hand; and the folds in
the drapes were smoothed by hand. After drying for 30 minutes the
creases has disappeared.
It is realized that variations in these and related factors could
be readily made within the concept taught herein. Hence, the
invention is intended to be limited only by the scope of the
appended claims and the reasonable equivalents thereof.
* * * * *