Patent Application
20050003991
This invention relates to rapid dissolving film formulations for the quick and convenient delivery of surfactants upon the addition of water, e.g. a soap for personal washing applications or detergent for use in cleaning clothes or in other household cleaning applications.
In the form of personal wash strips (hand soap), films according to the present invention comprise a water soluble film base containing any desired combination of standard or custom soaps, surfactants and wetting agents, optionally in combination with fragrances and oils.
In the form of detergent strips, a water soluble film base carries a concentrated detergent of the type typically used for laundry or dish soaps. The film itself can be a foaming or non-foaming product and may optionally include fragrances or other desired modifiers.
I have found that certain water soluble polymers, particularly carbohydrate based hydrocolloids such as sodium carboxymethyl cellulose and other water soluble carboxymethyl celluloses, will hold sufficient surfactant such as hand soap and be sufficiently quickly dissolving to rapidly generate a desirable open foam upon the addition of water with agitation (e.g. rubbing of hands together, dissolution in washing machine, etc.).
Film-form compositions have widely been used to carry nutrients, flavors and medicinal compounds, such as breath fresheners, in orally disintegrating or dissolving films, as for example, the edible dissolving gelatin scripts described in my co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/695,905. Very different physical parameters are required, however, for films intended to function as soap for personal hygiene or detergent for household cleaning and laundry applications. Compositions according to the present invention are in the form of a thin film which dissolves on contact with water. For personal hygiene applications such as a hand soap, the size of each individual film portion would normally be in the range of six to twelve cm2 and in use would completely disappear in under ten seconds when rubbed between the hands of the user with a small amount of water.
Soap and detergent strips according to the present invention afford great convenience of use. In the case of personal soaps, the user need no longer carry around bulky liquid packs as the film compositions can be carried in a pocket or purse. For industrial cleaning applications, the measured film portions provide better dose control, in which users get the exact amount of detergent or soap required based upon the quantity of film used or dispensed.
Dosage control is also of importance in personal applications where soaps include antimicrobials or particularly strong surfactants, where it would not be desirable for the user to obtain more than the portion that is contained on the strip. Related to this consideration is the ability of film-form compositions according to the present invention to be used in mechanical dosing applications in institutions and public restrooms. Less soap and less packaging are used up than by current dispensing techniques to minimize environmental impact.
Surfactant-bearing strips according to the present invention comprise three essential components:
As with commercial soaps and detergents in bulk form, the film delivery strips according to the invention may also include any of a wide number of modifying agents. These would include colors, flavors, moisturizers, skin conditioners and fragrances. There is a very wide range of products that could find use as modifying agents, depending on the exact requirements of the product. For example, for moisturizing soap films, vegetable oils and other emolients such as aloe and lanolin could be used, as is the case in known personal wash formulations.
Modifiers could also include antimicrobial agents such as chlorhexidine and its salts, chloroxylenol including parachlorometaxylenol (PCMX), hexachlorophene, iodine and iodophors, quaternary ammonium compounds, and triclosan. Depending on the applications it may also be desirous to use emolient esters, talk (talcum powder), silk luster concentrates and various phosphate esters.
Films according to the invention can be prepared in a variety of thicknesses depending upon the specific requirements of the finished product. Usually, the thickness of the film would fall in the range of fifteen to six hundred microns. The burst strength of the film can be modified with the specific bases to meet the requirement of the end product. A typical burst strength range would be between two and fifty psi. Plasticization of the film and the base polymer could be adjusted to meet specific requirements for elongation.
Some specific compositions of detergent and soap strips which I have prepared are given below as examples. All film compositions according to the present invention, however are prepared according to the following general process:
The examples below illustrate specific compositions within the present invention.
The two formulations above would be used for general household cleaning products. The appropriate amount of film would be added to, say, a bucket of hot water to produce the cleaning solution.
The above formulation is useful in applications where a large amount of foam is not desirable, for example, as dish detergent in strip form for use in a dishwashing machine.
Examples 4 and 5 illustrate soap strips for use as hand soap in personal hygiene. It will be understood that the formulation of rapid-dissolving film-form compositions using base polymers of the kind described herein will have application to a large number and wide variety of surfactants beyond those specifically illustrated by example in the description of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is defined by the following claims.
This application claims priority based on U.S. provisional patent application No. 60/459,630 filed on Apr. 3, 2003, which is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60459630 | Apr 2003 | US |
