Treated Paper And Nonwoven Material For Wiping Surfaces And Method Therefor

Abstract

Tissue-type paper and nonwoven material are uniformly impregnated with a nonaqueous liquid carrier selected from liquid hydrocarbons, glycols and pine oils containing an agent uniformly distributed therein automatically, by applying a predetermined quantity of treating fluid to any portion of the nontreated material. The agent is selected from waxes, silicones and materials producing a predetermined odor. The agent does not separate from the carrier until at least the treated material is substantially impregnated, and the carrier and agent remain in the material substantially as when it was impregnated and are deposited in the same proportions as a thin film on a surface wiped by the material.

Parent Case Text

This application is a continuation of my copending application for "Treated Paper and Tissue," filed July 27, 1965, Ser. No. 475,234, now abandoned.

Description

This invention relates to a disposable treated tissue and nonwoven material. More particularly, it relates to a treated tissue or nonwoven material, which may be used as is, to wipe a predetermined surface and deposit a thin, invisible film on such surface, and which material is then discarded; and a process for treating the tissue and material. The treated tissue and material may be used for a variety of personal and cleaning purposes, such as toilet tissue, facial tissue, and dusting and polishing cloths, and wipers.

Treated paper is old. However, all of the treatments to these materials are directed solely to affecting the paper or material. Hence, paper has been treated with ingredients that inhibit mold growth, bacteria growth, sticking of candy and the like on or to the treated paper. These treated materials are incapable of transmitting that treatment to another surface, since the treating material is dried or hardened after application. Further, the manner of treatment for paper on one hand, and tissue or nonwoven material on the other hand, is entirely different. Heretofore, paper, cloth or the like was treated with the desired ingredients by coating the surface by rollers or other mechanical means, or the paper or cloth was pulled through the treating liquid. While this method is feasible for strong papers and cloths, it is not practical, or is too expensive, for thin materials or multiple tissue paper. Similarly, for certain purposes an agent, such as a water-repellant, was distributed over the surface of cloth by dissolving the agent in a solvent, spreading the solution on the surface, and evaporating the solvent, thereby leaving the agent attached to the surface. This treatment also was with respect to the cloth itself, i.e., waterproofing it.

The present invention is directed to treating relatively weak paper materials, such as tissue papers and nonwoven materials. These materials are inexpensive and are intended to be disposable. The paper and nonwoven materials are treated not for affecting the properties of the paper and material, but to apply the treating fluid in the same proportions as originally applied to the paper, to another surface that is wiped with the treated paper or material, in a thin layer, in which the agent is uniformly distributed. In effect, the treated tissue or material acts as an applicator for the treating fluid, even while performing its primary function as a facial tissue or wiper or toilet tissue or duster.

The different end uses of the material treated in accordance with the present invention require different agents, all of which are completely dispersed in a nonaqueous carrier. The total quantity of treating fluid is applied to any portion of the tissue paper and distributes itself throughout the paper uniformly, in the same proportion of agent to carrier, as originally applied, so that a surface wiped with one portion of the treated paper will have the same quantity of agent remaining on it as another surface wiped with a different portion of the treated paper.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a disposable treated tissue or nonwoven material, which is useful for many purposes, including personal, toilet, and dusting and polishing of furniture and glass surfaces, and which is simple and convenient to use.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a treated paper, which is disposable, economical and effective in polishing delicate surfaces, such as furniture, cars, metal, plastic and glass, when wiped with any part of this treated paper. The treated paper applies a nondrying film in a thin layer, so as to provide a maximum polish and high gloss without leaving any smearing film.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a treated tissue, which is dry to the touch and having an emollient feel, which is usable as toilet tissue by sufferers of piles and other irritations of the anus.

It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a treated tissue having an emollient feel and a long shelf life, which can be applied to the nose by sufferers of colds and other respiratory afflictions, which provides a desired characteristic odor to relieve the distress caused by these ailments, as well as applying a soothing film for preventing chapping and irritation of the skin.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for preparing such treated paper in a simple manner.

Treated paper and nonwoven material prepared in accordance with the present invention is useful for many purposes, such as cleaning, polishing and dusting various types of surfaces, including furniture, automobiles, glass, mirrors and the like. The treated paper besides polishing collects and retains the dust in the air with resulting respiratory dangers, as well as the resettling of the dust on the surfaces cleaned. The treated tissue made in accordance with the present invention is emollient and can be used dry on the most delicate and fine wood finishes, and deposits an invisible thin film on the surface wiped without the need of further additional material, liquid, or additional polishing or rubbing. The present treated paper is easy to use and provides a high gloss on the wiped surface.

Additionally, tissue paper may be treated in accordance with the present invention with a nonaqueous liquid carrier vehicle and a chemical which produces an odor, which alleviates the distress occasioned by nasal, throat or bronchial ailments. One such chemical is menthol, represented by the formula C.sub.10 H.sub.19 OH and its homologues. Other chemicals are thymol, represented by the formula CH.sub.3 (C.sub.3 H.sub.7)C.sub.6 H.sub.3 OH and its homologues, and camphor, represented by the formula C.sub.10 H.sub.16 O and its homologues. Menthol and thymol and their homologues have properties in common and may be classified under the broad group of phenols and their corresponding carbocyclic products of varying degrees of saturation. The chemical homogenously mixed with the carrier retains its odor-forming properties, even for a long period of shelf life, and produces a slow, continuous release of the odor for a relatively long period of time, much longer than if the chemical were applied directly, and the present invention not used.

In use the treated tissue is used in the conventional manner in wiping the nose. The odors of the chemical used provides relief to the user and the pliable treated tissue deposits a thin film of oil and odor-producing chemical on the sensitive skin about the nose and lips of the user, which oil prevents irritation and chapping of the skin, and the odor remains for a relatively long period. After use the tissue is discarded.

Also, other chemicals can be used to provide desired odors to the impregnated paper, including "essential oils" and artificial scents, which produce animal, tree, plant, flower, astringent and medicinal odors, which are well known in the cosmetic and perfumery field. "Essential oils" are volatile oils derived from the selected plants and flowers carrying the characteristic odor or flavor of the plant or flower used. (See "The Condensed Chemical Dictionary"--7th Edition, Reinhold Publishing Corp. 1961, 1966.)

Similarly, toilet tissue may be impregnated with a liquid hydrocarbon and a silicone, in accordance with the present invention, which will sooth the irritated skin by depositing a thin layer of oil on the skin of the user without any greasy feeling.

Heretofore, in the manufacture of treated facial and toilet tissues and polishing and dust cloths made of paper, cotton and the like, it has been customary to impregnate the material with an aqueous solution containing the treating ingredients by spraying, soaking and the like, which ingredients were then air dried on the material. Because of the nature of the structure of the cloth or special types of paper, these could be subjected to treatment with an aqueous solution for long periods of time without deleterious effect. In attempting to apply these aqueous processes to the treatment of conventional paper, such as tissue paper, it was found that the results were not satisfactory. It was found that paper treated with an aqueous solution could not absorb more than one percent of water without altering its structure. The absorption of this small amount of water would not result in the deposition of adequate amounts of the treating material, such as polishing agents on the paper. It was thus necessary to devise a method to deposit an adequate amount of the treating material on the paper without altering the structure of the paper. Also, the dried paper required wetting in some manner from an outside source before using, in order to be effective.

In accordance with the present invention, the paper being treated will absorb sufficient treating material, such as a polishing agent, menthol or other ingredients, to render the paper useful for the purpose intended, such as polishing and dusting, a toilet tissue or a facial type of tissue, without altering the structure of the paper if the paper is treated with a nonaqueous liquid vehicle, in which the treating material is substantially uniformly distributed. The treating liquid is self-spreading throughout the entire sheet and is spread evenly over the entire surface of the paper. No separate drying operation is required, as was necessary previously.

A variety of nonaqueous liquid vehicles are known, which are useful for the purpose of the present invention. Among these may be mentioned liquid hydrocarbons, glycols and pine oils. The preferred liquid vehicles are the normally liquid hydrocarbons, e.g., normally light liquid hydrocarbon oils, aliphatic naphthas, Stoddard solvents, kerosenes (refined), paraffinic hydrocarbons, natural mineral oil and white mineral oil.

Since the products of the present invention generally come in contact with the skin, the nonaqueous liquid vehicles generally employed are those that are nontoxic or nonirritating when the paper contacts the skin.

All of the ingredients are preferably completely dispersible in the nonaqueous vehicle, and remain so, so that subsequent agitation is not needed to redisperse the ingredients in the vehicle before use. By using the proper percentage of liquid vehicle, a total all-side surface treatment is assured. This is especially important when tissue paper is being used, which comes in one-, two-, three-, four-ply, or more.

For some purposes, certain agents should be incorporated in the paper. Thus, for example, there may be added to the liquid vehicle a silicone, wax or menthol, scent, perfume or other agent or combination of these, which will be absorbed by the paper when the paper is processed in accordance with this invention.

With the present invention, waxes, scents, pine alcohols, essential oils and/or silicones can be added to the required degree and the resulting admixture remains clear indefinitely without separation. This will permit the production of the treated paper for the many different purposes intended in the invention.

Some waxes, which are suitable for use, are carnauba, beeswax, candelilla, paraffin, ceresin, esparto, ouricuri, rezo-wax and other known waxes.

A feature of the present invention is the fact that no separation of the essential constituents of the treating composition occurs. This is true of the treating liquid before it is applied to the nonwoven material or tissue, as well as the treating composition disposed on the paper or tissue. Since the treatment of the paper in accordance with the present invention may involve contacting the paper with a treating solution for several days, it is very important that the components of the treating liquid do not separate out during this period. Furthermore, since it may take several days for the treating fluid to reach the deeper plies of paper, it is essential for the proper treatment of these deeper plies that the constituents of the treating fluid do not separate out.

The relative proportions of the ingredients contained in the impregnating liquid may be varied considerably without departing from the spirit of this invention. In the preferred practice of the invention, the ratio of the treating liquid to the weight of treated paper will vary in the range of from about 10 to 70 parts by weight of the treated paper. For example, a multiple of paper sheets, size 12 inches .times.24 inches, requires for end use a 25 percent treatment. The weight of the paper unit untreated is 10 grams; therefore, 2.5 grams of the solution is applied to any part of this paper unit, which distributes itself throughout the paper evenly in a relatively short time.

The range of wax or combination of waxes added can vary from 1 percent to 40 percent of the impregnating liquid, with about 7 percent to 15 percent being preferred; the silicone added should not be less than one-tenth of a percent and the range of the odor-producing chemical can vary from about fifteen-hundredth of a percent to about seven-tenths of a percent, all percentages being by weight of the impregnated sheet.

The following examples are further illustrative of the present invention. It is to be understood, however, that this invention is not limited thereto.

EXAMPLE 1

The percentages of the materials indicated below in this example, are based on the total weight of the treating liquid made in accordance with the present invention.

Seven percent of carnauba wax and three percent paraffin wax was mixed with a solution containing 87 % hydrocarbon distillate.sup.(1)

Example 2

A solution was prepared by mixing 1% menthol and 1% lavender with 97 % of hydrocarbon distillate.sup.(1) and 1% cosmetic silicones.sup.(3).

The above solutions were affixed onto two test samples of paper. The treating solutions were free-flowing and a predetermined amount was applied locally to one spot or part of the surface of the paper to be treated. Within a few days, the solution penetrated every part of its corresponding paper to provide a uniform distribution of the treating solution throughout the paper and over the entire surface. For the purpose of this invention, a permanently dispersed and uniform distribution of the vehicle throughout the paper is necessary.

In preparing the treated sheet constituting the product of this invention, the sheet is treated in any convenient manner with a predetermined quantity of the nonaqueous treating solution from about 71/2% to about 70% of the weight of the treated paper product applied locally to any spot or part of the surface thereof. The entire quantity of treating liquid applied to the paper is absorbed and retained by the paper. Advantageously, the treated paper or tissue is packaged in the normal manner, and within a relatively short time, i.e., several hours to a few days, the treating solution spreads by itself to penetrate every part of the paper without any further act being necessary to provide a uniform and homogeneous distribution of the treating solution throughout the paper. The treated paper feels dry to the touch.

An impregnated paper sheet made in accordance with the present invention is soft and clothlike, so that it covers all of the areas or surfaces to be wiped or contacted. The treated paper is pliable and soft, so that the most sensitive skin surface or furniture surface rubbed with it will not be irritated, marred or scratched. Dust or loose dirt on the furniture adheres to the surface of the treated sheet when the furniture is wiped by the sheet used as a polishing or dusting cloth. In view of the large surfaces of the sheet, a large amount of dust can be collected. If smearing or transferring a heavy layer of oil to the surface wiped is to be avoided, care should be taken as to how much treating liquid is applied to the paper. Further, the added agents, especially the odor-producing compounds, such as menthol, are retained on the sheets and on the surface wiped, for long periods of time, with little or insignificant loss of effective power. Thus, the present invention provides long shelf life for the treated paper.

Claims

What I claim is:

1. A medicated tissue for depositing a thin film on the skin of the user which emits a medical odor comprising tissue paper uniformly impregnated with a nonaqueous treating fluid consisting essentially of a liquid hydrocarbon oil containing an agent uniformly distributed therein, said agent being selected from menthol, a homologue of menthol, thymol, a homologue of thymol, camphor, and a homologue of camphor, said agent being not less than 0.1% by weight of the treated tissue and the treating fluid being at least about 71/2 to 70% of the weight of the impregnated tissue with the proportion of the liquid hydrocarbon oil being greater than that of the agent, there being no separation of the liquid hydrocarbon oil and agent until at least the tissue is substantially impregnated, said liquid hydrocarbon oil and said agent releasably remaining uniformly distributed in said tissue during the normal life of the tissue in the state substantially as when the tissue was impregnated and capable of being deposited as a film on the skin of the user wiped by the tissue wherein the agent and an oil are homogeneously mixed on the skin of the user to provide a slow continuous release of the odor of the agent.

2. A tissue in accordance with claim 1, wherein said agent further has the characteristic odor of a selected animal, plant, flower, tree or medicine, and a silicone, said agent not exceeding 2% of the treated tissue.

3. A tissue according to claim 1, wherein the weight of liquid hydrocarbon and said agent is at least about 10% to 70% by weight of the impregnated paper.

4. A tissue according to claim 2, wherein said agent includes about 1% of menthol, 1% of lavender and about 1% to 8% of a silicone, all percentages being based on total weight of the treating fluid, and said carrier being a white mineral oil.