Patent Application
20180163338
The disclosure relates to a delayed release delivery system, and specifically to a container having a conditional sealable orifice, for example, for laundry and other applications.
Throughout human history chemical additives, such as detergents, have been used in conjunction with mechanical agitation to clean clothing. More recently the powdered laundry detergents have been losing group to liquid agents and in particular to liquid agents in dissolvable laundry detergent “pods.” However, while these “pods” appear to adequately disperse liquid laundry detergent they are not well suited to applications that require the use of a dry powdered laundry detergent. When applied to a dry powder, the dissolvable pods do not adequately disperse the powder, which can lead to undesired clumping of the detergent and unsightly residue left on clothing. Thus, new and improved technologies are needed to aid in the dispersion of dry powder detergents. Such improved technologies would also benefit other applications and industries where a dried substance needs to be adequately dispersed in a liquid environment.
Embodiments will be readily understood by the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the appended claims. Embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings.
In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration embodiments that may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope. Therefore, the following detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense.
Various operations may be described as multiple discrete operations in turn, in a manner that may be helpful in understanding embodiments; however, the order of description should not be construed to imply that these operations are order-dependent.
The description may use perspective-based descriptions such as up/down, back/front, and top/bottom. Such descriptions are merely used to facilitate the discussion and are not intended to restrict the application of disclosed embodiments.
The terms “coupled” and “connected,” along with their derivatives, may be used. It should be understood that these terms are not intended as synonyms for each other. Rather, in particular embodiments, “connected” may be used to indicate that two or more elements are in direct physical contact with each other. “Coupled” may mean that two or more elements are in direct physical contact. However, “coupled” may also mean that two or more elements are not in direct contact with each other, but yet still cooperate or interact with each other.
For the purposes of the description, a phrase in the form “A/B” or in the form “A and/or B” means (A), (B), or (A and B). For the purposes of the description, a phrase in the form “at least one of A, B, and C” means (A), (B), (C), (A and B), (A and C), (B and C), or (A, B and C). For the purposes of the description, a phrase in the form “(A)B” means (B) or (AB) that is, A is an optional element.
The description may use the terms “embodiment” or “embodiments,” which may each refer to one or more of the same or different embodiments. Furthermore, the terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,” and the like, as used with respect to embodiments, are synonymous, and are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.).
With respect to the use of any plural and/or singular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as is appropriate to the context and/or application. The various singular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sake of clarity.
The current technology was developed to solve a problem of providing for delayed release of powdered detergents into an aqueous medium, such as in a washing machine mid cycle. Water-soluble packaging such as PVOH films, labels, ties, etc. that are currently used in laundry pods and other products were found to be unsuitable for the delayed release of powdered detergents or other fabric care ingredients. For example the low water temperature soluble bags instantly dissolved, which does not allow for delayed release. The bags rated for higher temperature opened a bit more slowly (not much), and would either take a long time to fully dissolve, which did not adequately disperse the contents, or they would leave behind a nasty wad of PVOH goop.
To overcome these deficiencies, disclosed are systems, articles of manufacture, and methods for the delayed release of a dry powder in a liquid environment, for example for laundry and other applications. The disclosed systems are particularly suited for any surface treatment process for textiles or fabrics, for example, laundry, the application of epoxy-like coatings, dyeing processes, waterproofing, the application of antimicrobial/anti odor ingredients, the application of fire resistant coatings, and the application of mosquito repellant. The disclosed systems are amenable for use with multicomponent systems, such as epoxies, where it would be possible to have more than one container attached together each carrying one part of a multi-part system.
In embodiments, a delayed release delivery system includes a container having one or more conditionally sealed orifices for housing contents to be delivered. These conditionally sealed orifices are configured to open after prolonged contact with an aqueous environment. A sealing member is used for conditionally sealing the one or more conditionally sealed orifices. The sealing member can be selected such that prolonged contact with water causes the sealing member to weaken and allow the contents of the container to breach the seal, for example in conjunction with mechanical agitation of the container, such as might be found in a washing machine or mixing device.
The delayed release delivery system is typically configured so that the contents of the container are released after the system has been exposed to water in a mechanically agitated environment for about 1 minute to about 10 minutes, such as from 4 to 6 minutes, from 2 to 7 minutes, or from 1 to 5 minutes. Although, in some examples the delayed release delivery system is configured so that the contents are delivered at a time greater than 10 minutes. The delivery times can be adjusted based on the application, for example in certain applications, such as laundry, it may be advantageous to release the contents of the system after about 1 to about 5 minutes, while in other applications it may be advantageous to release the contents of the container after a more prolonged time, such as greater than 10 minutes.
A container for a delayed release delivery system is typically water tight and/or water resistant when sealed, for example to keep the contents from getting wet until a desired time, such as after a particular time that the delayed release delivery system is in contact with water. In embodiments, the container is a non-soluble film bag or other soft/flexible water resistant packaging. In embodiments, the container includes a laminate film packaging material, such as a commercially available laminate film packaging material, for example vinyl pouches, low-density polyethylene (LDPE), olefin bags, and the like. In embodiments, the laminate film packaging material comprises of a sandwich of PET/Polyester/Polytheylene/Aluminum/polyethylene/LLDPE.
In embodiments, the container is a bag, sachet, and/or pouch and the sealing member is a pressure sensitive sticker that is applied to seal an orifice in the container. In embodiments, the container includes a front sheet, a back sheet, edges sealing the front sheet to the front sheet such that the container defines a cavity disposed between the front sheet and the back sheet for holding the contents to be delivered. In embodiments, the one or more conditionally sealed orifices include at least one orifice in the front sheet. In embodiments, the one or more conditionally sealed orifices include at least one orifice in the back sheet. In embodiments, the one or more conditionally sealed orifices include at least one orifice in the front sheet and at least one orifice in the back sheet. In embodiments, the one or more conditionally sealed orifices include one or more flaps, which can be held in place by the sealing member, for example to cover the orifice (see, for example,
The size of orifice can be variable relative to the size of the container. In some specific examples, the container has a width of about 4.85 inches and a height of about 6.25 inches. In some specific examples, the orifice has a width of about 2.00 inches and a height of about 2.00 inches. In some specific examples, the sealing member has a width of about 3.00 inches and a height of about 3.00 inches. As can be seen from
One of the important factors in the choice of container and/or orifice size and/or relative size to one another. For example the size and shape can be chosen so that when the sealing member is breached substantially all of the contents are released from the container, such is inside of the washing machine. Thus, the orifice should be selected to be large enough to not impede any of the material from getting out.
In embodiments, a sealing member is selected that becomes weakened, for example mechanically, when exposed to water, such that mechanical tumbling, as one might find in a washing machine, facilitates rupture of the sealing member. By selection of the appropriate materials for the sealing member, the timing of this release can be effectively tuned such that the contents of the container are released at a desired time, for example about 1 to about 5 minutes after starting a washing machine. In embodiments, the orifice is configured so that substantially all of the contents of the container are released upon opening of the orifice.
In embodiments, the sealing member includes a sticker and/or label which is at least partially water soluble. In embodiments, the sticker includes a face sheet, a backing material, and an adhesive, for example laid down in that order, wherein the adhesive is configured to couple to the container. In embodiments, the sticker includes a permanent acrylic adhesive, a paper backing, and a surface coat. Typically this film or sticker is not intrinsically water soluble, but the paper backing rapidly loses any mechanical strength upon becoming wet or damp and is essentially abraded off during tumbling, such as might be experienced in a washing machine. In embodiments, the adhesive is not water soluble and stays behind on the container for easy removal. The tumbling action puts enough deformation on the container to cause the sealing member to fail. In embodiments, a combination of mechanical force and solubility of the sticker open the orifice and spill the contents. In embodiments, the sealing member is a sticker or label that comprises a surface finish overlying a paper layer and permanent pressure sensitive adhesive under the paper layer (see, for example
In some embodiments, the top coat present on the top surface of the sticker can be selected to control, at least partially, the rate of disintegration of the label. In some embodiments, the top coat is a varnish, which provides texture, but it also seals/covers the paper temporarily controlling the rate of disintegration. In some embodiments, the top coating is chosen so that the contents are released in the first approximately 5 minutes after addition to the aqueous environment. In some embodiments the topcoat for a matte or glossy finish is on the order of 5-15 μm. These coatings are typically comprised of some polymer binder and clay. The glossiness or matte finish is due to the relative microporosity of the topcoat and can be achieved with a wide variety of materials. In addition, the compression of the paper as it rolls also helps to increase the density of both the paper and the coating.
In embodiments the contents of the container comprise a water soluble or water dispersible powder, such as laundry detergent. In embodiments the contents of the container comprise a bonding agent or activator that would be used as part of a two-part reaction such as an epoxy, dyeing process, textile surface coating process, or other surface treatment. The disclosed systems, and methods are particularly useful for dispersing particles, such as those compositions disclosed in International Patent Application No. PCT/US2016/059579, which is specifically incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Thus, in some embodiments, a disclosed delayed release delivery system includes one or more of the compositions disclosed in International Patent Application No. PCT/US2016/059579.
In embodiments, the container comprises a first container and the delayed release delivery system comprises one or more additional containers for holding the same or different contents than the first container. In embodiments, the first container and the one or more additional containers are configured to burst at different delay times. In embodiments, the first container and the one or more additional containers are configured to burst at the same delay times.
In the embodiment shown in
Although certain embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that a wide variety of alternate and/or equivalent embodiments or implementations calculated to achieve the same purposes may be substituted for the embodiments shown and described without departing from the scope. Those with skill in the art will readily appreciate that embodiments may be implemented in a very wide variety of ways. This application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the embodiments discussed herein. Therefore, it is manifestly intended that embodiments be limited only by the claims and the equivalents thereof.
