Patent Application
20080139661
The invention relates generally to moistening fluids and more particularly to moistening fluids that destroys and/or inhibit the growth of biological organisms.
In mail processing systems, moistening devices are used to wet the flap of an envelope in preparation for sealing the envelope or moistening a tape for sealing objects, or adhering labels. Conventionally, flap wetting is accomplished by feeding the envelopes flaps past a moisture applicator such as a brush, a wick, or other moist surface, allowing the moist surface to come into contact with the water-moistening adhesive on the envelope flap. The prior art also utilized sprayer systems to moisten envelope flaps. The moisture causes the adhesive to soften and to become sticky. The moistened envelopes' flaps are closed and the adhesive is pressed between the flap and the body of the envelope to form a seal. The envelope is then either ejected into a stacker, or passed on to another part of the mail processing system for further processing.
Envelope flap moistening devices generally fall into two categories, contact and non-contact moistening devices. Contact systems generally deposit moisture onto an envelope flap by contact with a wetted substrate or narrow slotted device that allows fluid to flow, based upon the capillary action of the slotted device's contact with the flap. Non-contact systems generally spray moisture onto the envelope flap. In non-contact flap moistening systems, envelope flap moistening has been performed with a nozzle and the aid of a pumping system. In the aforementioned systems the moistening fluid is stored in a reservoir or remains in internal tubing, where certain types of bacteria, fungi, and algae have an opportunity to grow.
The bacteria, fungi and algae have a natural source of food because the envelope adhesive generally contains dextrin i.e., a corn and/or potato starch.
The following microorganisms were found in representative samples taken from moistening systems: Sphingomonas paucimobilis (bacteria); Geotrichum species (fungus); Yeasts; Pseudomonas stutzeri (bacteria); Fusarium species (mold); Aspergillus niger (mold); Acinetobacter species (bacteria); Blue green algae; Caulobacter species (bacteria); Pseudomonas aeruginosa (bacteria); Pseudomonas fluorescens (bacteria); Brevendimonas species (bacteria); Flavomonas species (bacteria); Cladosporium species (fungus); Oididendron species (fungus) Penicillium species (mold).
A disadvantage of current moistening devices is that they use moistening fluids that are conducive to the growth of bacteria, fungi, and algae.
Another disadvantage of current contact moistening devices is that sometimes-significant amounts of bacteria, fungi, and algae grow before the moistening fluid is completely used, and due to the inappropriate selection of a biocide or an insufficient concentration of the biocide, it is not adequate to stop growth.
A further disadvantage of current contact moistening devices is that the growth of bacteria, fungi, and algae may result in the inconsistent wicking of the substrate causing it to become unevenly saturated, which results in decreased moistening and/or clogging of the filters and tubing in moistening systems.
A further disadvantage of current systems is that the excessive growth of bacteria, fungi, and algae results in the production of unpleasant odors.
A further disadvantage of some current moisteners is that they have an alcohol type odor.
An additional disadvantage of some current moisteners is that the evaporation of the moistening fluid causes a tacky residue build up.
A still further disadvantage of some current moisteners is that the evaporation of the moistening fluid causes envelope feeding deck surfaces to become tacky and lead to misfeeding of mail pieces.
This invention overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art by providing moistening fluids that destroys many types of bacteria, fungi, and inhibits the growth of other types of bacteria, fungi, and algae. The moistening fluids of this invention are safe for use in an office environment, i.e., they are non-toxic, have no tacky residue build up and may be transported by common carriers without any safety precautions. The moistening fluids may be used in mailing systems to seal envelope flaps, adhere labels to mail pieces, i.e., letters, flats, or packages. They may also be used to adhere labels and tapes to objects. The moistening fluids may also be placed in a device or dispenser that is a stand alone container.
An advantage of this invention is that the surface tension of the moistening fluid is within the range of 27.1-40.6 dynes/cm. Disinfectants are usually solutions of low surface tension. This allows them to spread out on the cell walls of bacteria and disrupt them.
Properties of the moistening fluids under consideration are conductivity, alkalinity/acidity, wicking, surface tension, plastic compatibility, moistening sealing weight, viscosity, zone of inhibition, turbidity, specific gravity, rolling tack and challenge test.
Conductivity is the ability of a material to conduct electric current. Since the charge on ions in solution facilitates the conductance of electrical current, the conductivity of a solution is proportional to its ion concentration. Thus, the conductivity is an important physical parameter in the preparation of the moistening fluids described herein.
pH is a value taken to represent the acidity or alkalinity of an aqueous solution; it is defined as the logarithm of the reciprocal of hydrogen-ion concentration of a solution.
Alkalinity is the measurement of pH value above 7 and acidity is the measurement of a pH value below 7.
The pH value is important, because it demonstrates the moistening fluid's ability to be handled safely and operate safely in most systems.
The ability to destroy and/or inhibit the growth of certain types of bacteria, fungi, and algae is improved by the addition of detergents, biocides, and alcohols at specific ratios.
Rolling tack is a measure of the resistance of a cylinder to roll down an incline and a measure of time it takes. A coated film is allowed to evaporate and placed on the incline prior to placing the cylinder in place.
A further advantage of this moistening fluid is that it has a pleasant odor.
An additional advantage of this moistener is that it has a pleasant odor masking out the alcohol smell.
An additional advantage of this invention is that the moistening fluid prevents a sticky or tacky residue build up upon evaporation of the moistening fluid.
An additional advantage of this invention is that the moistening fluid prevents a sticky or tacky residue build up in the wicks and/or applicators of moistening systems upon evaporation of the moistening fluid.
An additional advantage of this invention is that the moistening fluid prevents a sticky or tacky residue build up in the reservoirs of moistening systems upon evaporation of the moistening fluid.
An additional advantage is that the moistening fluid of this invention residue build upon evaporation does not cause a tacky surface on the feeding deck of a postage meter unit which will not cause non-feeding or skewing of envelopes.
The formulation of the moistening fluids of this invention is capable of being used in mail processing machines and systems. Composition of the moistening fluids, in accordance with the invention comprises detergent, biocide, alcohol, dye, fragrance and water.
The general composition of the moistening fluids is as follows:
The following detergents were used in the examples described herein:
The following biocide was used in the examples described herein:
The following Alcohol was used in the examples described herein:
The following Dye was used in the examples described herein:
The following waters were used in the examples described herein:
The following Fragrances were used in the examples described herein:
To determine the efficacy of the moistening fluids to inhibit and/or kill bacteria, fungi, and algae, a Zone of Inhibition test was conducted. The procedure for Zone of Inhibition testing is as follows:
Equipment
Procedure
To determine the ability of the moistening fluids to seal envelopes in mailing systems envelope, sealing tests were performed.
Equipment:
Procedure:
To determine the speed of wicking, i.e., the ability of a fluid to be drawn up the fibers, of a brush of a moistening system, wicking tests were performed.
Equipment:
To determine the ability of the moistening fluids to inhibit and/or destroy the growth of specific bacteria, fungi and algae, in mailing systems, the moistening fluid was subjected to Challenge Testing (Modified American Society For Testing Materials (ASTM) D-2574), with the following organisms:
Acinetobacter sp.
Sacchromyces cereviseae
Penicillium sp.
Candida albicans
Cladosporium sp.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Geotrichum sp.
Escherichia coli
Caulobacter sp.
Aspergillus niger
The Challenge Test consists of a 7-day study for the above mentioned microorganisms in which each microorganism is inoculated into an aliquot of moistening fluid and subsequently tested as to the viability of each organism, after specific increments of contact time.
Material:
Procedure:
Log Reduction Explanation:
“Log” stands for logarithm, which is the exponent of 10. For example, log2 or 10×10 or 100 for a 10-fold or one decimal or 90% reduction in numbers of recoverable bacteria in a test food vehicle. And 1 log reduction would reduce the number of bacteria 90%. The 5 log refers to 10 to the 5th power or reduction in the number of microorganisms by 100,000-fold. For example, a product containing 100,000 pertinent microorganisms, a 5-log reduction would reduce the number or pertinent micro-organisms by 99.999%.
Two Practical Ways of Looking at 5-Log Reduction:
The surface tension of a liquid is the attractive force exerted by the molecules below the surface upon those at the surface/air interface. An internal pressure is thus created, which tends to restrain the liquid from flowing. Water is typically around 72 dynes/cm at 20° C.
The viscosity is the internal resistance to flow exhibited by a fluid, the ratio of shearing stress to rate of shear. The unit of viscosity is poise which equals 100 centipoise.
The fragrance test consists of subjectively determining the pleasantness of the odor of the moistening fluid by a panel of individuals.
Turbidity is a measurement of the cloudiness of a liquid caused by the presence of finely divided suspended material in the liquid. The Hach Ratio TM/XR Turbidimeter is a laboratory nephelometer capable of measuring
Turbidities up to 1999 nephelometric turbidity units (NTU) and as low as 0.001 NTU. The manufacturer of the above Turbidimeter is the Hach Company, which is located at P.O. Box 389, Loveland, Colo. 80539.
Procedure: A beam of light is directed through the test sample. Detectors are placed to measure the 90-degree light scatter, the forward scattered light and the light transmitted through the sample. The particles in the path of the light cause the NTU readings to result in increased values.
To determine the amount of time rolling tack which will be produced by an evaporated moistening fluid film on a Rolling Ramp Tack Tester is described below.
Procedure: The moistening fluid for each example was formulated and mixed by a magnetic stir bar. Approximately 300 ml of fluid was transferred to a glass wide mouth jar. The jar without a top was placed into an oven at 60 degrees Celsius for at least 2.5 days. The jar was removed from the oven and allowed to cool to ambient condition (15 minutes). The open jar was weighed on a Mettler Balance to the nearest 1/100 of a gram. The weight was recorded and then the jar was placed into the oven for another hour. The jar was taken out of the oven allowed to cool again and weighed. If the weight was similar to the first value the low boiling residuals were removed from the fluid. This sample will be used for coatings on plastic film. This accelerated evaporation is similar to the residues remaining on surfaces after the moistening fluid is allowed to evaporate. If the weight was less than the original value the jar was placed again into the oven until the weight stabilized. The remaining residual in the jar will be applied to a thin 0.01 mm clear polyester film.
The film was cut into a section 30 cm long by 20 cm wide and placed onto a K Control Coater 101, manufactured by RK Print Coat Instruments Limited, Litlington, Royston, Herts, SG8 OQZ, United Kingdom, to apply the moistening fluid residual. The K Control Coater is a metal flat bed with a thin layer of elastomer sheet and plastic sheet. The K Coater allows for the attachment of K Lox flexi graphic proofing kit consisting of a metal engraved anilox 200 cell/per linear inch roller with cell volume of 10.2 cubic centimeters per square meter and rubber roller all manufactured by RK Print Coat Instruments LTD.
The coating machine base unit has an on/off switch and speed control and forward and reverse control. A sheet of spoil paper was placed on the base coating machine and held in place with a clip to absorb excessive residue. The clear polyester previously cut sheet was placed on the spoil paper and held with a clip. Next the K Lox unit was secured to the base unit by tightening the knobs at each end. A spatula was used to remove residue from the sample jar. The residue was poured onto the full length of rubber roller nip to metal roller. The speed of the coating unit was set at 18.3 cm per second. The coated sheet was allowed to set at ambient for 15 to 30 minutes. The coated sheet was cut into 6.0 cm wide sections of the clear polyester substrate. This sheet was placed coated side up onto the Rolling Ramp Tack Tester.
The Rolling Ramp Tack Tester consists of an aluminum sheet with dimensions of length 55.5 cm, width 9 cm and thickness 0.37 cm. One side of the ramp is sitting on a laboratory jack. The height of the jack is 4.66 cm and thickness of ramp is 0.37 cm making a total upright height of 5.03 cm. The other end of the ramp is sitting on a flat surface. This creates the incline for the 100 gram brass roller with length 3.45 cm and diameter of 2.21 cm. On one edge of the ramp are two Omicron sensors (325 Mb EE-SPY 302) 23 cm apart. The sensors are connected to a power supply providing 5 volts which is also connected to an oscilloscope (Tektronic TDS 3034B 4-channel with digital color) to display the output. The sensors read the time it take for the roller to travel the 23 cm distance. A section of uncoated film was cut to length 30 cm and 6.5 cm wide and placed on the ramp. The roller was placed <1.0 cm away from the first sensor at the highest angle of the ramp and released, to roll down the ramp and pass the second sensor. The oscilloscope provided the time for the roller to travel to the second sensor a distance of 23 cm. This was repeated five times and the milliseconds recorded. The uncoated film was removed from the ramp. A coated sheet was placed on the Rolling Ramp Tack Tester. The roller was cleaned with acetone dried and placed <1.0 cm from the first sensor then released. The time was recorded and the roller was cleaned again with acetone. The sheet was removed from the ramp. A new coated sheet was placed on the ramp and previous steps repeated. A total of five-coated sections were tested and average time and standard deviation recorded.
Test Results for the Rolling Ramp Tack Tester when using no moistening fluid and uncoated film.
Properties of Example 1
Performance of Example 1
Properties of Example 2
Performance of Example 2
Properties of Example 3
Performance of Example 3:
Properties of Example 4
Performance of Example 4.
Properties of Example 5
Performance of Example 5
Properties of Example 6
Performance of Example 6
Properties of Example 7
Performance of Example 7
Properties of Example 8
Challenge Test
Log Reductions
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Cladosporium
cladosporioides
Geotrichum candidum
Performance of Example 8
Properties of Example 9
Performance of Example 9
Properties of Example 10
Wicking Test Time—
Challenge Test
Log Reductions
Caulobacter
Acinetobacter
Penicillium
Cladosporium
Geotrichum
E coli
Pseudomonas
Candida
Aspergillus
Sacchromyces
cereviseae
Performance of Example 10:
Properties of Example 11
Performance of Example 11
Properties of Example 12
Performance of Example 12
Properties of Example 13
Performance of Example 13
Properties of Example 14
Viscosity—0.89 cps.
Performance of Example 14
Properties of Example 15
Viscosity—1.00 cps.
Challenge Test
Log Reductions
Caulobacter
Pseudomonas
Candida
Aspergillus
Sacchromyces
cereviseae
Performance of Example 15
The above embodiments have been given by way of illustration only, and other embodiments of the instant invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, from consideration of the detailed description. Accordingly, any limitation on the instant invention is to be found only in the claims.
Reference is made to commonly assigned co-pending patent application Ser. No. 11/011,268 filed Dec. 14, 2004, entitled “MOISTENING FLUIDS THAT DESTROY AND/OR INHIBIT THE GROWTH OF BIOLOGICAL ORGANISMS” in the names of Maureen A. Spisinski, Richard A. Bernard and William E. Ryan, Jr. and Ser. No. 11/300,995 Filed Dec. 15, 2005, entitled “Fragranted MOISTENING FLUIDS THAT DESTROY AND/OR INHIBIT THE GROWTH OF BIOLOGICAL ORGANISMS” in the names of Richard A. Bernard and William E. Ryan, Jr.
