WO2003029102A1

WO2003029102A1 - Unit dose laundering products

Info

Publication number: WO2003029102A1
Application number: PCT/EP2002/009171
Authority: WO
Inventors: Harriet Frederique Jeannette Hommes; Johannes Cornelis Van De Pas; Pieter Broer Van Der Weg
Original assignee: Unilever Plc; Unilever Nv; Hindustan Lever Limited
Priority date: 2001-09-28
Filing date: 2002-08-16
Publication date: 2003-04-10
Also published as: GB0123378D0

Abstract

A unit dose fabrics laundering product comprising a container sealed with a tear-off lid, the container being filled with a fabrics laundering composition.

Description

UNIT DOSE LAUNDERING PRODUCTS

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a unit dose product for laundering of textile fabrics, and methods for manufacturing the product .

Background of the Invention

In recent times, detergent powders for the laundering of textile fabrics have been increasingly superseded in the market by unit dose products in the form of tablets. Similarly, in the case of liquid products for the washing or rinsing of textile fabrics, instead of selling these in bulk in a bottle or pouch, there has been a trend in selling them in unit dose water-soluble capsules containing the liquid. The appeal of such products is convenience and cleanliness of handling, as well as easy determination of the correct dose. Normally, one or two tablets or capsules are simply placed in the washing machine with the fabrics.

In the case of tablets, the unit dose form does have some potential drawbacks in that sometimes, tablets dissolve, and disperse less rapidly in the wash liquor than would a powder. On the other hand, the encapsulated liquid unit dose products have suffered from problems such as degradation of the polymer film used to encapsulate the liquid, leading to potential fracture and leakage.

The use of a water-soluble encapsulating material also means that it is difficult to encapsulate aqueous liquid products since the water in them can attack the film. The aforementioned drawbacks have now been overcome by a new form of unit dose fabrics laundering product in which the composition is contained in a container with a tear-off lid. This also provides a number of other benefits as explained further below.

Definition of the Invention

The present invention provides, in a first aspect of, a unit dose fabrics laundering product comprising a container sealed with a tear-off lid, the container being filled with a fabrics laundering composition.

A second aspect of the present invention provides a method of manufacturing a unit dose product according to the first aspect of the invention, the method comprising forming the container by thermoforming from a sheet of plastics material, filling the container with the composition and sealing the lid to close the container.

As well as solving the aforementioned technical problem, the present invention provides a number of other benefits . Unlike the compositions encapsulated in a water soluble film, there is no significant loss of perfume (if included) from the composition through the container during storage . A perfume can be added to the outside of the containers, without risk of attack on the material from which they are made. The containers are less sensitive to aggressive formulations. The containers can more easily be surface decorated and the surface decoration would be less prone to degradation. The container is less sensitive to ambient humidity. Detailed Description of the Invention

The unit dose product according to the present invention can be used for the dosing of solid laundry compositions, either powder or tablet form, as well as both aqueous and substantially non-aqueous liquid products. This will all be described in more detail hereinbelow.

As used herein, the terms "fill" , "filled" and "filling" refer to both partial and complete filling.

The Container

The container is preferably formed of a water-insoluble thermoformable plastics material such as polystyrene, high or low density polyethylene, polypropylene, or cardboard. According to the second aspect of the invention, the container may then be formed by a thermoforming method from a sheet of the plastics material. However, in principle, other materials such as a metal (e.g. aluminium) foil could be used to create the container.

The container may comprise separate compartments containing different compositions which cannot mix whilst the lid is fully in place.

The Lid

The lid must be at least partly removable by a tear-off action. "Tear-off" is to be interpreted as covering both partial or complete removal . It may be conveniently formed of a plastics or metal foil (e.g. aluminium) sheet material, such as often used in the foods packaging industry. Conveniently, such sheet lids may be sealed to the rim of the container, preferably to a flange extending from the rim, by heat sealing or ultrasonic sealing. However, other bonding means such as adhesive may be used.

Product Forms

The unit dose product according to the present invention may be formed such that the container has two or more separate compartments, respectively sealed by means of the tear-off lid, so that the materials in each compartment cannot mix with each other, before being dosed into the washing machine. In that way, mutually incompatible components, e.g. bleach or enzymes, can be kept in respective separate compartments during storage.

A plurality of unit dose products according to the present invention may be formed together in a matrix, wherein individual unit dose products are held in the matrix by means of a tearable web. Such a tearable web may conveniently be integral with flange members extending from the rims of respective containers in the matrix. Then, in use, the consumer may tear-off an individual container leaving the remainder in the matrix.

The content of the containers may be emptied into the machine or machine dispenser or just placed in the machine as a whole, after opening. The present invention is useful for dosing both free flowing powders/granules, as well as tablets, aqueous liquid forms and substantially non-aqueous liquid forms. Typical fill volumes of contents for substantially non-aqueous liquids are from 5 to 120ml, for example 10 to 100ml, especially from 20 to 80ml. Typical fill volumes of contents for powders are substantially aqueous liquids are from 50 to 300ml, for example 80 to 250ml, especially from 90 to 220ml. Typical fill volumes of contents for tabletted powders are from 10 to 200ml, for example 20 to 150ml, especially from 30 to 120ml.

The present invention will now be explained in more detail by reference to the following description of preferred embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: -

Brief Description of the Drawings

Figure 1 shows a matrix of unit dose containers according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 shows a perspective view of a matrix of unit dose containers of a second embodiment of the present invention; and

Figure 3 shows a cross-section through a unit dose container according to a third aspect of the present invention. Description of Preferred Embodiments

Turning now to Figure 1, there is shown a matrix 1 thermoformed from polystyrene. It comprises six unit dose products 3, 5, 7, 9 etc., according to the present invention. Each of these unit dose products contains a cup- shaped container 11, 13, 15, 17 etc. The mouth 19 etc. of each container 11 etc. has extending substantially at right angles from the rim 21 etc. of the cup shaped container 11, a peripheral flange 23 etc.. In the matrix, lines of weakness, e.g. by being formed of a thinner plastics material, are formed at the boundaries 25 etc. between adjoining flanges 23, 27 etc..

Thus, the matrix of cup shaped containers 11 etc. is formed by thermoforming from a plastics sheet, to form the cup- shape containers 11 etc. with their respective peripheral flanges at the mouth thereof, joining the containers 11 etc. in the matrix.

Each of the containers is filled with a granular or liquid detergent composition. A thin aluminium-based foil lid 29 is then formed over all of the mouths 19 etc. and peripheral flanges, 21, 27 etc.

A suitable powder formulation has the following composition made by admixing a base powder formed by a mechanical granulation process with post-dosed ingredients as follows:-

alkylbenzene sulphonic acid

C₁₂-C₁₃ alcohol ethoxylated with an average of 7 ethyleneoxy units

Sokolan CP5 acrylate/maleate detergency builder

Sodium carboxymethyl cellulose

Tetraacetyl ethylenediamine

A suitable aqueous liquid formulation is:

A suitable substantially non-aqueous liquid formulation is

In use, the consumer simply tears along the respective lines of weakness between adjacent containers in the matrix to separate-off one of the unit dose products. Then, the lid piece (i.e. the foil torn-off with the individual unit dose) , may be removed from the mouth thereof by peeling it back. The unit dose product is then placed into the washing machine, either dosed in the drum, from or in the container, or else transferred from the container into the dispenser and thence into the machine . Turning now to Figure 2, there is shown a matrix 31 comprising 10 shallow-dish containers 33 etc. formed in analogous fashion to the matrix of containers 1 in Figure 1.

These are held in the matrix by respective flanges 35 etc. extending from the upper surface of each container. The individual containers 33, after filling the laundry composition, are sealed with respective foil lids 37. However, the gaps between individual containers are not covered with foil. Each peripheral flange 39 extending from the rim of each container 33, substantially at right angles to the wall of the container, is formed with a tab 41. The foil lid 37 etc. also overlies this tab 41, so that the tab can be broken off from the rim 39 and used to lift the foil lid, after the individual container has been separated from the matrix by breaking the respective connecting flange 35 etc.. The tab 41 may be formed with a line of weakness to facilitate its breaking away from the rim 39.

Turning now to Figure 3, there is shown a cross-section through a dual-compartment unit dose product 51 according to the present invention. The thermoformed container 53 is surrounded at the mouth thereof, by an externally projecting horizontal flange 57. However, the container 53 is formed so as to have a first compartment 59 and a second compartment 61, mutually separated by a division 63 in the wall 53 of the container. This division terminates in an upper flange 65, on the level of the externally projecting peripheral flange 57. A foil lid 67 is sealed to the peripheral flange 57 and the upper flange 65 of the dividing wall, so that product 69 in the first container 59 cannot mix with product 71 in the second compartment 61. However, in use the consumer peels-off the lid and the container is placed in the washing machine, whereupon the components can mix together with the wash liquor.

Typically, the first compartment 59 is smaller than the second compartment 61. It may contain a lower volume of a material based on an ingredient incompatible with one or more components of the larger amount of second composition 71. For example, the first composition 69 may contain a bleach which is often incompatible with other materials such as enzymes or fluorscer, which might be present in the remainder of the composition 71.

In all these embodiments, the container can simply be removed from the washing machine after rinsing and drying.

In the light of the described embodiment, modifications of those embodiments, as well as other embodiments, or within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims, will now become apparent to persons skilled in this art .

Claims

1. A unit dose fabrics laundering product comprising a container sealed with a tear-off lid, the container being filled with a fabrics laundering composition.

2. A unit dose product according to claim 1, wherein the container is formed of a plastics material.

3. A unit dose product according to either preceding claim, wherein the lid is formed of a metal foil, plastic foil, paper or cardboard.

4. A unit dose product according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the lid is formed of a plastics foil.

5. A unit dose product according to any preceding claim, wherein the container-comprises a plurality of compartments each sealed by the lid, at least two of the compartments respectively containing different compositions .

6. A matrix of a plurality of unit dose products according to any preceding claim, wherein individual unit dose products are held in the matrix by means of a tearable web .

7. A unit dose product according to any preceding claim, wherein the composition is a fabrics washing composition.

8. A unit dose product according to any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the composition is a fabrics rinsing composition.

9. A method of manufacturing a unit dose product according to claim 2, comprising forming the container by thermoforming from a sheet plastics material, filling the container with the composition and sealing the lid to close the container.

10. A method according to claim 8, wherein the lid is sealed to the container by heat or ultrasonic sealing.