阅读说明：本技术 包含香料颗粒的颗粒状衣物洗涤剂组合物及其使用方法 (Particulate laundry detergent composition comprising perfume particles and method of use thereof ) 是由 亚伦·瑞恩·法菲尔·蒂乌·西 王思源 沈睿 倪小慧 黄欣 陈鸿兴 朱汉江 维迪亚帕提· 于 2019-06-14 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明题为“包含香料颗粒的颗粒状衣物洗涤剂组合物及其使用方法”。本发明提供了一种特别适用于手洗织物的颗粒状衣物洗涤剂组合物,所述颗粒状衣物洗涤剂组合物包含一大部分的洗涤剂颗粒和一小部分的香料颗粒,同时此类香料颗粒中的每一个具有不小于3mm的最长尺寸和不超过5的纵横比,并且同时所述香料颗粒的特征在于如在25℃的去离子水中测量的不小于8分钟的溶解速率。(The present invention is directed to a granular laundry detergent composition comprising perfume particles and methods of use thereof. The present invention provides a particulate laundry detergent composition particularly suitable for hand washing fabrics, comprising a major proportion of detergent particles and a minor proportion of perfume particles, with each of such perfume particles having a longest dimension of not less than 3mm and an aspect ratio of not more than 5, and with the perfume particles being characterised by a dissolution rate of not less than 8 minutes as measured in deionised water at 25 ℃.)

1. A particulate laundry detergent composition comprising a major portion of detergent particles and a minor portion of perfume particles, wherein each of said perfume particles has a longest dimension of not less than 3mm and an aspect ratio of not more than 5, and wherein said perfume particles are characterized by a dissolution rate of not less than 8 minutes as measured in deionized water at 25 ℃.

2. The particulate laundry detergent composition according to claim 1, wherein each of said perfume particles has a shape selected from the group consisting of: spherical, hemispherical, compressed hemispherical, cylindrical, disk-shaped, circular, lentil-shaped, elliptical, cubic, rectangular, star-shaped, flower-shaped, and combinations thereof; wherein preferably each of said perfume particles has a hemispherical or compressed hemispherical shape.

3. The particulate laundry detergent composition according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the perfume particle is characterized by being at 0.5g/cm³To 0.98g/cm³Preferably 0.7g/cm³To 0.95g/cm³More preferably 0.8g/cm³To 0.9g/cm³A density within the range; and wherein preferably each of said perfume particles has a longest dimension in the range of 3mm to 10mm, preferably 4mm to 9mm, more preferably 5mm to 8mm and an aspect ratio of 1 to 5, preferably 1.5 to 4, more preferably 2 to 4.

4. The particulate laundry detergent composition according to any preceding claims, wherein the perfume particle is substantially free of surfactant, preferably substantially free of surfactant.

5. The particulate laundry detergent composition according to any preceding claims, wherein each of said perfume particles comprises from 0.1 wt% to 20 wt%, preferably from 0.5 wt% to 15 wt%, more preferably from 1 wt% to 10 wt% of a perfume ingredient; wherein preferably the perfume ingredient is selected from the group consisting of free perfume, pro-perfume, encapsulated perfume, perfume micro-capsule, and combinations thereof.

6. The particulate laundry detergent composition according to claim 5, wherein each of said perfume particles further comprises from 5 wt% to 99.9 wt%, preferably from 10 wt% to 99 wt%, more preferably from 30 wt% to 95 wt% of polyethylene glycol; wherein preferably the polyethylene glycol has a weight average molecular weight (Mw) of 2,000 to 20,000 daltons, preferably 3,000 to 18,000 daltons, more preferably 4,000 to 16,000 daltons.

7. The particulate laundry detergent composition according to claim 5 or 6, wherein each of said perfume particles further comprises from 0.0001 wt% to 1 wt%, preferably from 0.001 wt% to 0.5 wt%, more preferably from 0.005 wt% to 0.1 wt% of a colorant; wherein preferably the colorant is selected from the group consisting of dyes, pigments, and combinations thereof.

8. The particulate laundry detergent composition according to any preceding claims, wherein the perfume particle is present in an amount in the range of from 0.1% to 30%, preferably from 0.5% to 20%, more preferably from 1% to 15% by total weight of the particulate laundry detergent composition.

9. The particulate laundry detergent composition according to any preceding claims, wherein each of the detergent particles comprises from 10 wt% to 90 wt% of a surfactant selected from anionic surfactants, nonionic surfactants, cationic surfactants, amphoteric surfactants, zwitterionic surfactants, and combinations thereof; and wherein preferably the detergent particles are characterised by a median weight particle size (Dw50) in the range 250 μm to 1000 μm.

10. The particulate laundry detergent composition according to any preceding claims, wherein the detergent particles are present in an amount in the range of from 50% to 99.9%, preferably from 55% to 99.5%, more preferably from 60% to 99%, by total weight of the particulate laundry detergent composition.

11. The particulate laundry detergent composition according to any preceding claims, wherein the detergent particles have a white or light-coloured appearance; wherein the perfume particle is visually contrasting to the detergent particle and preferably the perfume particle is blue, green, yellow, orange, pink, red, violet or grey in colour.

12. The particulate laundry detergent composition according to any preceding claims, wherein the perfume particles are present in an amount ranging from 1% to 15% by total weight of the particulate laundry detergent composition, and wherein each of the perfume particles has a hemispherical or compressed hemispherical shape and is characterized by: (a) a longest dimension in the range of 4mm to 9 mm; (b) an aspect ratio in the range of 2 to 4; and (c) at 0.8g/cm³To 0.9g/cm³Density within the range.

13. Use of a particulate laundry detergent composition according to any preceding claim for hand washing fabrics.

14. A process for hand washing fabrics using a granular detergent composition according to any preceding claim, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing the granular detergent composition;

(b) forming a laundry wash liquor by diluting the granular detergent composition with water at a weight ratio of about 1:100 to 1: 1000;

(c) hand washing the fabric in the laundry wash liquor; and

(d) the fabric is rinsed with water and the water is evaporated,

wherein during step (c) said perfume particle or insoluble part thereof is used to treat a selected area of said fabric.

15. A laundry detergent product, comprising:

(a) a waterproof or water-resistant flexible package having a longest dimension of no more than 25cm and an internal volume of no more than 200 ml; and

(b) from 10 grams to 100 grams of a granular laundry detergent composition disposed inside the waterproof flexible package, wherein the granular laundry detergent composition comprises a water-resistant polymer and a water-resistant polymerA laundry detergent composition comprising from 60 wt% to 99 wt% of detergent particles and from 1 wt% to 15 wt% of perfume particles, wherein each of said perfume particles has a hemispherical or compressed hemispherical shape and is characterized by: (a) a longest dimension in the range of 4mm to 9 mm; (b) an aspect ratio in the range of 2 to 4; and (c) at 0.8g/cm³To 0.9g/cm³Density within the range.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a particulate laundry detergent composition comprising perfume particles for use in laundering fabrics, especially in hand washing fabrics.

Background

It is known to incorporate functional particles (such as coloured aesthetic particles, enzyme particles, bleach particles, perfume particles, etc.) into granular laundry detergent products to enhance the cleaning performance of such products or to increase consumer liking for such products. Conventional wisdom holds that successful incorporation of such functional particles into granular laundry detergent products requires rapid dissolution, i.e., such functional particles should dissolve or disperse or disintegrate in about 5 minutes, preferably in about 3 minutes, more preferably in about 1 minute, in water at about 25 ℃. Preferably, such functional particles will dissolve or disperse or disintegrate in water at the same or similar rate as the base particles of such granular laundry detergent products. Therefore, the functional particles that are typically incorporated into granular laundry detergent products are either relatively small and thin, or contain surfactants or disintegrants in order to ensure that they dissolve or disperse or disintegrate rapidly on contact with water.

In contrast, relatively large and thick functional particles (e.g., perfume particles having a diameter of 3mm or more and an aspect ratio of 5 or less) containing little or no surfactant/disintegrant are typically sold as separate products. They are not incorporated into granular laundry detergent products because of the concern that slow dissolution of such functional particles will adversely affect the overall perception and acceptance of granular laundry detergent products by consumers.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention is surprisingly and unexpectedly found that the incorporation of relatively large and thick perfume particles having a relatively slow dissolution rate into particulate laundry detergent products not only does not adversely affect the perception and acceptance of such products by consumers, but rather provides a significantly improved freshening experience that is pleasing to consumers both visually and olfactory when they hand wash fabrics. Furthermore, consumers tend to use any insoluble perfume particles as a scouring aid to treat selected areas of fabric when the consumer sees them during the wash. Thus, consumers perceive such insoluble perfume particles as a product advantage rather than a disadvantage. Based on such surprising and unexpected consumer test results, the present invention provides a granular laundry detergent product incorporating such relatively large and thick perfume particles having a relatively slow dissolution rate.

In one aspect, the present invention relates to a particulate laundry detergent composition comprising a major portion of detergent particles and a minor portion of perfume particles, wherein each of said perfume particles has a longest dimension of not less than about 3mm and an aspect ratio of not more than about 5, and wherein said perfume particles are characterized by a dissolution rate of not less than about 8 minutes as measured in deionized water at 25 ℃.

In another aspect, the present invention relates to the use of the above-described granular detergent composition for hand washing of fabrics.

In another aspect, the present invention relates to a process for the hand laundering of fabrics using the above-described granular detergent composition, which process comprises the steps of:

(a) providing such a granular detergent composition;

(b) forming a laundry wash liquor by diluting a granular detergent composition with water in a weight ratio of about 1:100 to about 1: 1000;

(c) hand washing the fabric in a laundry wash liquor; and

(d) the fabric is rinsed with water and then rinsed with water,

wherein during step (c) the perfume particles or insoluble parts thereof are used to treat selected areas of the fabric.

These and other aspects of the invention will become more apparent upon reading the following detailed description of the invention.

Detailed Description

The features and advantages of various embodiments of the present invention will become apparent from the following description, which includes examples intended to give a broad representation of specific embodiments of the invention. Various modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this description and from practice of the invention. The scope of the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed, and the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the claims.

The dimensions and values disclosed herein are not to be understood as being strictly limited to the exact numerical values recited. Rather, unless otherwise specified, each such dimension is intended to mean both the recited value and a functionally equivalent range surrounding that value. For example, a dimension disclosed as "40 mm" is intended to mean "about 40 mm".

As used herein, terms such as "a" and "an" when used in a claim are understood to mean one or more of what is claimed or described. The terms "comprising", "containing", "including" and "including" are meant to be non-limiting.

The term "particulate laundry detergent composition" refers to solid powdered or particulate laundry detergent compositions, preferably free-flowing powdered or particulate laundry detergent compositions, such as all-purpose or heavy-duty detergents for fabrics, and laundry auxiliaries such as bleach actives, rinse aids, additives or pretreatment products.

The term "detergent particle" refers to a particle comprising one or more detersive actives such as surfactants, builders, bleach actives, enzymes, polymers, chelants, softeners, suds suppressors, suds boosters, brighteners, dye transfer inhibitors and the like. Preferably, such detergent particles comprise one or more surfactants, especially anionic surfactants and/or nonionic surfactants.

The term "perfume particle" refers to a particle comprising one or more perfume ingredients, such as free perfume, pro-perfume, encapsulated perfume, perfume microcapsules, and the like. Preferably, such perfume particles comprise perfume microcapsules, especially friable perfume microcapsules.

The term "aspect ratio" refers to the ratio of the longest dimension of a perfume particle to its shortest dimension. For example, when such perfume particles have a hemispherical or compressed hemispherical shape, the aspect ratio is the ratio between the diameter of the bottom of the perfume particle and its height.

The term "consisting essentially of …" means that the composition contains less than about 1%, preferably less than about 0.5%, of ingredients other than those listed.

Furthermore, the term "substantially free of means that the indicated material is present in an amount of from 0 wt% to about 1 wt%, preferably from 0 wt% to about 0.5 wt%, more preferably from 0 wt% to about 0.2 wt%. The term "substantially free" means that the indicated material is present in an amount of 0 wt% to about 0.1 wt%, preferably 0 wt% to about 0.01 wt%, more preferably it is not present at analytically detectable levels.

As used herein, all concentrations and ratios are by weight unless otherwise indicated. All temperatures herein are in degrees Celsius (. degree. C.) unless otherwise indicated. All conditions herein are at 20 ℃ and atmospheric pressure unless otherwise specifically indicated. All polymer molecular weights are determined as weight average molecular weights unless otherwise specifically indicated.

Perfume particle

The particulate laundry detergent compositions of the present invention comprise a minor proportion of perfume particles, for example in an amount ranging from about 0.1% to about 30%, preferably from about 0.5% to about 20%, more preferably from about 1% to about 15%, by total weight of such particulate laundry detergent compositions.

The perfume particle of the present invention is characterized by the following three (3) key features:

(1) a longest dimension of not less than about 3mm, such as about 3mm to 10mm, preferably about 4mm to about 9mm, more preferably about 5mm to about 8 mm;

(2) an aspect ratio of no more than about 5, such as from about 1 to about 5, preferably from about 1.5 to about 4, more preferably from about 2 to about 4; and

(3) a dissolution rate of not less than about 8 minutes, such as from about 8 minutes to about 60 minutes, preferably from about 10 minutes to about 45 minutes, more preferably from about 15 minutes to about 30 minutes, as measured in deionized water at 25 ℃, using the dissolution rate test described below.

Perfume particles having the longest dimensions, aspect ratios and dissolution rates described above can provide a significantly improved freshening experience that is both visually and olfactory pleasing to the consumer when the consumer is washing the fabric by hand, and is also more likely to be used by the consumer as a scouring aid to treat selected areas of the fabric during washing. If the longest dimension is less than 3mm or if the aspect ratio is greater than 5, the perfume particles may not be readily visible to the consumer during the hand washing process, or they may not be perceived as strong enough to be used as a scrubbing aid, thereby reducing or limiting their freshening experience. If the dissolution rate of such perfume particles is less than 5 minutes, a large proportion of these particles may be fully dissolved before they are noticed by the consumer, which will also result in a reduced or limited freshening experience.

The flavor particles of the present invention can be formed into tablets, pills, spheres, and the like. They may have any shape selected from: spherical, hemispherical, compressed hemispherical, cylindrical, disk-shaped, circular, lentil-shaped, elliptical, cubic, rectangular, star-shaped, flower-shaped, and any combination thereof. Lentil refers to the shape of lentil. A compressed hemisphere refers to a shape corresponding to a hemisphere that is at least partially flat such that the curvature of the curved surface is, on average, less than the curvature of a hemisphere having the same radius. The compressed hemispherical grains can have an aspect ratio (i.e., the ratio of their bottom diameter to their height normal to the bottom) of about 2.0 to about 5, alternatively about 2.1 to about 4.5, alternatively about 2.2 to about 4. By elliptically-shaped particles is meant particles having a maximum dimension and a second dimension orthogonal to the maximum dimension, wherein the ratio of the maximum dimension to the second dimension is greater than about 1.2, preferably greater than about 1.5, more preferably greater than about 2.

Preferably, the perfume particle of the present invention has a hemispherical or compressed hemispherical shape. Since the size of perfume particles is significantly different from that of detergent particles, it is inevitable that they are likely to separate from the detergent particles during transportation and storage. Such separation can result in the amount of perfume particles in the particulate laundry detergent composition varying significantly from dose to dose. It has been found that such hemispherical or compressed hemispherical shapes help to significantly reduce the segregation of perfume particles in particulate laundry detergent compositions, for example by almost half compared to spherical perfume particles.

The individual perfume particles of the present invention may each have a mass of from about 0.1mg to about 5g, alternatively from about 1mg to about 1g, alternatively from about 5mg to about 500mg, alternatively from about 10mg to about 250mg, alternatively from about 15mg to about 125mg, alternatively combinations thereof and any mg integer or range of mg integers within any of the aforementioned ranges.

In a preferred, but not required, embodiment of the invention, the perfume particles of the invention have a density below that of water, so that they can float on water and are more easily noticed by the consumer and more likely to be picked up by the consumer for use as a scrubbing aid during washing. For example, such perfume particles may have a particle size of about 0.5g/cm³To about 0.98g/cm³Preferably about 0.7g/cm³To about 0.95g/cm³More preferably about 0.8g/cm³To about 0.9g/cm³Density within the range.

The plurality of perfume particles of the present invention may have different shapes, sizes, masses and/or densities.

The perfume particles of the present invention may comprise from about 0.1 wt% to about 20 wt%, preferably from about 0.5 wt% to about 15 wt%, more preferably from about 1 wt% to about 10 wt% of one or more perfume ingredients, such as free perfume, pro-perfume, encapsulated perfume, perfume microcapsules, and the like. The perfume particle may comprise free perfume, encapsulated perfume and/or perfume microcapsules. In one embodiment, the perfume particle comprises free perfume and is substantially or essentially free of encapsulated perfume or perfume microcapsule. In another embodiment, the perfume particle comprises encapsulated perfume (i.e., perfume carried by a carrier material such as starch, cyclodextrin, silica, zeolite, or clay) or perfume microcapsules, but is substantially or essentially free of free perfume. In another embodiment, the perfume particle comprises both free perfume and encapsulated perfume or perfume microcapsule, for example, in a weight ratio in the range of from about 1:5 to about 5:1, alternatively from about 1:4 to about 4:1, still alternatively from about 1:3 to about 3: 1.

Preferably, such perfume particles comprise Perfume Microcapsules (PMCs), especially friable PMCs. For the purposes of the present invention, the term "perfume microcapsule" or "PMC" covers both perfume microcapsules and perfume nanoparticles. In one embodiment, the PMC comprises a melamine/formaldehyde shell, which is commercially available from Appleton, Quest International, International flavor & Fragrances, or other suitable sources. In a preferred embodiment, the PMC housing is coated with a polymer to enhance the ability of the PMC to adhere to the fabric. The perfume particle of the present invention may comprise from about 0.1 wt% to about 20 wt%, preferably from about 1 wt% to about 18 wt%, more preferably from about 5 wt% to about 15 wt% of perfume microcapsules.

The perfume particle of the present invention may also comprise a water soluble polymer, such as polyethylene glycol (PEG). Preferably, each of the perfume particles comprises from about 5 wt% to about 99.9 wt%, preferably from about 10 wt% to about 99 wt%, more preferably from about 30 wt% to about 95 wt% PEG, and more preferably such PEG is characterized by a weight average molecular weight (Mw) of from about 2,000 daltons to about 20,000 daltons, preferably from about 3,000 daltons to about 18,000 daltons, more preferably from about 4,000 daltons to about 16,000 daltons. Particularly suitable PEGs are commercially available from BASF under the trade name PLURIOL E8000.

The perfume particles of the present invention may optionally comprise one or more colorants, such as dyes, pigments, and combinations thereof, in an amount ranging from about 0.0001% to about 1% by weight, preferably from about 0.001% to about 0.5% by weight, more preferably from about 0.005% to about 0.1% by weight. More preferably, the colorant imparts a colour to the perfume particle selected from blue, green, yellow, orange, pink, red, violet, grey etc, such that such perfume particles visually form a contrast with the white or light-coloured appearance of the detergent particles in the particulate laundry detergent composition of the present invention.

The perfume particles of the present invention may also comprise water-soluble or water-dispersible fillers, such as sodium chloride, sodium sulfate, sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, sugars, starches, modified celluloses, silicas, zeolites, clays, and the like.

It is particularly preferred that the perfume particles of the present invention are substantially or essentially free of surfactant, as the presence of such surfactant can accelerate the dissolution of the perfume particles in water, which is undesirable in the context of the present invention. More preferably, the perfume particle of the present invention is substantially free or substantially free of any detersive active.

In a most preferred embodiment of the present invention, the perfume particles are present in the particulate laundry detergent composition in an amount in the range of from 1% to 15% by total weight of such particulate laundry detergent composition, while each of the perfume particles has a hemispherical or compressed hemispherical shape and is characterized in that: (a) a longest dimension in the range of 4mm to 9 mm; (b) an aspect ratio in the range of 2 to 4; and (c) at 0.8g/cm³To 0.9g/cm³Density within the range. Such perfume particles used in such specific amounts provide a good balance between maximizing the consumer freshening experience and minimizing the separation of the perfume particles from the detergent particles.

Detergent granules

The particulate laundry detergent compositions of the present invention comprise a majority of the detergent particles, for example, in an amount ranging from about 50% to about 99.9%, preferably from about 55% to about 99.5%, more preferably from about 60% to 99%, by total weight of such particulate laundry detergent compositions.

The detergent particles of the present invention may comprise one or more detersive actives such as surfactants, builders, bleach actives, enzymes, polymers, chelants, softeners, suds suppressors, suds boosters, brighteners, dye transfer inhibitors and the like. The detergent particles may be spray-dried particles and/or agglomerated particles and/or extruded particles. Such detergent particles may be selected from: surfactant granules, including surfactant agglomerates, surfactant extrudates, surfactant needles, surfactant bars, surfactant flakes; polymer particles, such as cellulosic polymer particles, polyester particles, polyamine particles, terephthalic acid polymer particles, polyethylene glycol polymer particles; builder particles, such as sodium carbonate and sodium silicate co-builder particles, phosphate particles, zeolite particles, silicate particles, carbonate particles; filler particles, such as sulfate particles; dye transfer inhibitor particles; dye fixative particles; bleach particles, such as percarbonate particles, in particular coated percarbonate particles, such as percarbonate coated by carbonate, sulphate, silicate, borosilicate, or any combination thereof; perborate particles; bleach catalyst particles such as transition metal bleach catalyst particles or peroxyimine cation based bleach catalyst particles; preformed peracid particles, particularly coated preformed peracid particles; and a co-bleach particle of a bleach activator; a source of hydrogen peroxide and optionally a bleach catalyst; bleach activator particles such as sodium oxybenzenesulfonate bleach activator particles and tetraacetylethylenediamine bleach activator particles; chelant particles, such as chelant agglomerates; a hueing dye particle; a brightener particle; enzyme granules, such as protease granules, lipase granules, cellulase granules, amylase granules, mannanase granules, pectate lyase granules, xyloglucanase granules, bleaching enzyme granules, cutinase granules, and co-granulation of any of these enzymes; clay particles such as montmorillonite particles or particles of clay and silicone; flocculant particles, such as polyethylene oxide particles; wax particles, such as waxy agglomerates.

Preferably, such detergent particles are surfactant particles comprising from about 10 wt% to about 90 wt%, preferably from about 15 wt% to about 80 wt%, more preferably from about 20 wt% to about 70 wt% of a surfactant selected from the group consisting of anionic surfactants, nonionic surfactants, cationic surfactants, amphoteric surfactants, zwitterionic surfactants, and combinations thereof. Preferably, the detergent particles of the present invention comprise anionic surfactant and/or nonionic surfactant.

The detergent particles may be characterized by a median weight particle size (Dw50) of from about 250 μm to about 1000 μm, preferably from about 300 μm to about 950 μm, more preferably from about 400 μm to about 850 μm.

Preferably, such detergent particles have a white or light-coloured appearance, while the perfume particles have a blue, green, yellow, orange, pink, red, violet or grey colour, such that they visually form an contrast with the detergent particles.

Granular laundry detergent composition

In addition to the perfume and detergent particles described above, the particulate laundry detergent composition of the present invention may comprise one or more detergent ingredients. Suitable detergent ingredients include: detersive surfactants including anionic detersive surfactant, nonionic detersive surfactant, cationic detersive surfactant, zwitterionic detersive surfactant, amphoteric detersive surfactant, and any combination thereof; polymers including carboxylate polymers, polyethylene glycol polymers, soil release polyester polymers such as terephthalic acid polymers, amine polymers, cellulose polymers, dye transfer inhibiting polymers, dye blocking polymers such as condensation oligomers produced by the condensation of imidazole and epichlorohydrin, optionally in a ratio of 1:4:1, 6-hexamethylenediamine derivative polymers, and any combination thereof; builders including zeolites, phosphates, citrates, and any combinations thereof; buffers and alkalinity sources including carbonates and/or silicates; fillers, including sulfates and bio-packing materials; bleaching agents, including bleach activators, available oxygen sources, preformed peracids, bleach catalysts, reducing bleaches, and any combination thereof; a chelating agent; a photo-bleaching agent; a toner; a whitening agent; enzymes, including proteases, amylases, cellulases, lipases, xyloglucanases, pectate lyases, mannanases, bleaches, cutinases, and any combination thereof; fabric softeners, including clays, silicones, quaternary ammonium salt fabric softeners, and any combination thereof; flocculants such as polyethylene oxide; perfumes including starch encapsulated perfume accords, perfume microcapsules, perfume loaded zeolites, schiff base reaction products of ketone perfume raw materials and polyamines, blooming perfumes, and any combination thereof; aesthetic substances, including soap rings, layered aesthetic particles, gelatin beads, carbonate and/or sulfate speckles, colored clays, and any combination thereof: and any combination thereof.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the particulate laundry detergent composition comprises one or more builders (excluding carbonates as described above) in an amount ranging from about 1 wt% to about 40 wt%, typically from 2 wt% to 25 wt%, or even from about 5 wt% to about 20 wt%, or from 8 wt% to 15 wt%, by total weight of such composition. As used herein, a builder refers to any ingredient or component that is capable of enhancing or improving the cleaning efficiency of a surfactant, for example by removing or reducing "free" calcium/magnesium ions in the wash solution, to "soften" or reduce the hardness of the wash liquor.

It is particularly desirable that the pressure in the tank,such granular laundry detergent compositions have relatively low levels of phosphate builder, zeolite builder, and silicate builder. Preferably, it comprises a total of up to 15 wt% phosphate builder, zeolite builder and silicate builder. More preferably, such granular laundry detergent compositions comprise from 0 wt% to about 5 wt% phosphate builder, from 0 wt% to about 5 wt% zeolite builder, and from 0 wt% to about 10 wt% silicate builder, with the total amount of these builders totaling no more than 10 wt% by total weight of the composition. Still more preferably, the granular laundry detergent composition comprises from 0 wt% to about 2 wt% phosphate builder, from 0 wt% to about 2 wt% zeolite builder, and from 0 wt% to about 2 wt% silicate builder, with the total amount of these builders totaling no more than 5 wt% by total weight of the composition. Most preferably, the granular laundry detergent composition comprises from 0 wt% to about 1 wt% of phosphate builder, from 0 wt% to about 1 wt% of zeolite builder, and from 0 wt% to about 1 wt% of silicate builder, with the total amount of these builders totaling no more than 2 wt% by total weight of the composition. The composition may also comprise one or more of any other supplementary builder, one or more chelating agents, or generally any material that removes calcium ions from solution by, for example, chelation, complexation, precipitation, or ion exchange. In particular, the composition can comprise a calcium binding capacity of at least 50mg/g and a calcium binding constant log K Ca of at least 3.50 at a temperature of 25 ℃ and 0.1M ionic strength²⁺The substance of (1).

The granular laundry detergent composition of the present invention may comprise one or more solid carriers selected from the group consisting of sodium chloride, potassium chloride, sodium sulfate and potassium sulfate. In a preferred, but not required, embodiment, such particulate laundry detergent compositions comprise from about 20% to about 65% by weight sodium chloride and/or from about 20% to about 65% by weight sodium sulfate. When the particulate laundry detergent composition is in concentrated form, the total amount of sodium chloride and/or sodium sulfate in such compositions may, for example, total a total amount of from about 0 wt% to about 60 wt%.

Process for using particulate laundry detergent composition

The particulate laundry detergent composition of the present invention is typically used for cleaning and/or treating fabrics. It can be used for machine washing of fabrics (using top-loading or front-loading washing machines, which may be fully or semi-automatic) as well as hand washing of fabrics, but it is particularly suitable for hand washing of fabrics. Such hand washing methods may include the steps of: (a) providing a particulate laundry detergent composition as hereinbefore described; (b) forming a laundry wash liquor by diluting a granular detergent composition with water in a weight ratio of about 1:100 to 1: 1000; (c) hand washing the fabric in a laundry wash liquor; and (d) rinsing the fabric with water while, during step (c), the perfume particles, or insoluble parts thereof, are used to treat selected areas of the fabric. Thus, consumers may readily experience an enhanced freshening experience during such hand washing processes.

The laundry wash liquor pH is selected to be most suitable for the fabric to be cleaned, among a wide range of pH spanning, for example, from about 5 to about 11, preferably from about 8 to about 10. The composition is preferably used at a concentration of about 200ppm to about 15,000ppm in solution. The water temperature is preferably in the range of about 5 ℃ to about 100 ℃. The water to fabric ratio is typically from about 1:1 to about 30: 1.

The wash liquor may comprise 40 litres or less of water, or 30 litres or less, or 20 litres or less, or 10 litres or less, or 8 litres or less, or even 6 litres or less of water. The wash liquor may comprise from above 0 litres to 15 litres, or 2 litres and to 12 litres, or even to 8 litres of water. In the case of diluted wash conditions, the wash liquor may comprise 150 litres or less of water, 100 litres or less of water, 60 litres or less of water, or 50 litres or less of water, especially for hand wash conditions, and may depend on the number of rinses.

Typically, from 0.01Kg to 2Kg of fabric per litre of wash liquor is dosed into the wash liquor. Typically, 0.01Kg, or 0.05Kg, or 0.07Kg, or 0.10Kg, or 0.15Kg, or 0.20Kg, or 0.25Kg of fabric per liter of wash liquor is dosed into the wash liquor.

Optionally, 50g or less, or 45g or less, or 40g or less, or 35g or less, or 30g or less, or 25g or less, or 20g or less, or even 15g or less, or even 10g or less of the composition is contacted with water to form a wash liquor.

Package for containing a particulate laundry detergent composition

The present invention has also found that when a particular size (e.g., no greater than 25 cm) is used²×25cm²) Can further reduce perfume particle segregation when packaged to contain a specific dose (e.g., from about 10 grams to about 100 grams) of the granular laundry detergent composition of the present invention.

Preferably, a finished laundry detergent product is provided comprising a waterproof or water-resistant flexible package having a longest dimension of no more than about 25cm and an internal volume of no more than about 200ml, and from about 10 grams to about 100 grams of the above-described granular laundry detergent composition is placed inside such flexible package. For example, the flexible package has a longest dimension in the range of about 5cm to about 23cm, preferably about 6cm to about 20cm and an internal volume in the range of about 15ml to about 180ml, preferably about 20ml to about 150 ml. The amount of particulate laundry detergent composition disposed inside such flexible packages may range from about 15 grams to about 90 grams, preferably from about 20 grams to about 80 grams, more preferably from about 25 grams to about 60 grams.

To further reduce segregation and maximize the refreshing experience perceived by the consumer, it is preferred that the particulate laundry detergent composition comprises from about 60 wt% to about 99 wt% of detergent particles and from about 1 wt% to about 15 wt% of perfume particles, wherein each of such perfume particles has a hemispherical or compressed hemispherical shape and is characterized by: (a) a longest dimension in the range of about 4mm to about 9 mm; (b) an aspect ratio in the range of about 2 to about 4; and (c) at about 0.8g/cm³To about 0.9g/cm³Density within the range.

Test method

The following techniques must be used to determine the characteristics of the perfume particles, detergent particles and particulate laundry detergent compositions of the present invention in order for the invention described and claimed herein to be fully understood.

Test 1: dissolution Rate test

Dissolution rate testing is used to measure the dissolution rate of particles.

The test was performed by adding 400ml of deionized water to a 400ml clear glass beaker at room temperature (25 ℃) and then dispersing about 1 gram of the test particles into the deionized water. A stopwatch was used to count the total time required before the particles were completely dissolved.

And (3) testing 2: sieve testing

This test method is used herein to determine the particle size distribution of the detergent particles of the present invention. The particle size distribution of detergent particles is measured by sieving the particles through a series of sieves of progressively decreasing size. The weight of material remaining on each sieve was then used to calculate the particle size distribution.

This Test was performed using ASTM D502-89, "Standard Test Method for Particle Size of Soaps and Other Detergents", approved at 26.5.1989, with the addition of the sieve instructions used in the analysis, to determine the median Particle Size of the Test particles. According to section 7 "Procedure using machine-sizing method", a set of clean and dry sieves comprising U.S. standard (ASTM E11) sieves #8(2360 μm), #12(1700 μm), #16(1180 μm), #20(850 μm), #30(600 μm), #40(425 μm), #50(300 μm), #70(212 μm) and #100(150 μm) is required. The above described set of screens is used for a given machine screening method. The detergent particles of interest were used as samples. A suitable screen shaker is available from w.s.tyler Company (Mentor, Ohio, u.s.a). The data was plotted on a semi-logarithmic graph by plotting the micron-sized openings of each sieve against the abscissa of the logarithm and the cumulative mass percentage (Q3) against the linear ordinate.

An example of the above data Representation is given in FIG. A.4 of ISO 9276-1:1998, "reproduction of results of particulate size analysis-Part 1: Graphical reproduction". The median weight particle size (Dw50) is defined as the abscissa value at which the cumulative weight percent is equal to 50 percent and is calculated by linear interpolation between data points directly above (a50) and below (b50) the 50 percent value using the following formula:

D_w50＝10[Log(D_a50)-(Log(D_a50)-Log(D_b5o))*(Q_a5o-50％)/(Q_a50-Q_bso)]

wherein Q_a50And Q_b50Cumulative weight percent values for the data immediately above and below the 50 th percent, respectively; and D_a50And D_b50Mesh micron values corresponding to these data. If the 50 th percentage value is below the finest mesh (150 μm) or above the coarsest mesh (2360 μm), after a geometric accumulation of no more than 1.5, additional screens must be added to the set until the median value falls between the two measured meshes.

And (3) testing: aspect ratio of particles

For non-spherical particles, the longest and shortest dimensions of the particle can be measured by using a vernier caliper. To reduce the variation in data, typically 10 particles can be measured and then the average result used. Particle aspect ratio herein is calculated using the following formula: aspect ratio is longest dimension/shortest dimension.

And (4) testing: separation test

A 600g sample of standard laundry detergent powder was prepared containing the desired target percentage of differently shaped particles. The above powder detergent was mixed in a rocking mixer for 5 minutes and then discharged into a plastic bag.

The powder samples were divided into 6 x 100g subsamples using a laboratory sampler (CAPCO rotary full flow splitter).

Each 100g sub-sample was placed in a plastic bag and then each sub-sample was mixed by hand for one minute in an inverted figure-eight motion. Two stainless steel conical funnels were provided. The angle between the side wall of the funnel and the vertical is about 55 degrees. The bottom of each of the hoppers has a circular hole with a diameter of about 3cm and a movable sliding gate valve (plug) to block/stop the flow. The top funnel was placed about 10cm above the bottom funnel, with each funnel having an approximate volume of about 1.5 liters. The outlet of the top funnel was blocked with a stopper and a 100g sub-sample was poured into the funnel. The outlet of the lower funnel was blocked with a plug and the subsample was allowed to flow from the upper funnel to the lower funnel. The subsample is then allowed to flow from the lower funnel into a small beaker ("first beaker") until the total weight of the subsample in the first beaker reaches about 25g +/-3 g. The flow of sample from the lower funnel was stopped and another beaker ("second beaker") was placed under the first beaker. The above steps are repeated to allow the sub-sample to flow from the lower funnel into the second beaker until the total weight of the sub-sample in the second beaker reaches about 25g +/-3 g. The above procedure was repeated to fill 4 beakers with 4 x 25g subsamples.

Another 100g sub-sample was then placed in the top funnel and the above steps were repeated to collect another 4 x 25g sub-sample from the bottom of the lower funnel.

After all 6 x 100g sub-samples have been processed, the weight of the sub-samples in each beaker is measured, samples having a sub-sample weight within a predefined limit of 25g +/-3g are selected, and the shaped particles in each sub-sample are then screened out and weighed.

The wt% of shaped particles was calculated as the weight of shaped particles/total subsample weight. The standard deviation and Relative Standard Deviation (RSD) of the wt% of shaped particles in all subsamples was calculated, while RSD was calculated as ═ standard deviation of wt% of shaped particles/wt% of average shaped particles.