Patent Application
20200332234
The majority of cleaning products on the market are in liquid or gel forms and packaged in a plastic tube, bottle, spray bottle, or pump dispenser. The problem is the packaging. Single use plastic is everywhere and it is wreaking havoc on the environment. Only 9% of all plastic is actually recycled, and packaging generates the largest portion of municipal waste (˜30%). Packaged products are inefficient for businesses and the people who buy them.
Removing the water from cleaning formulations removes the need for single use plastic packaging and the waste that comes with it, such as packaging waste, product waste, and the waste of resources used to ship water.
Thus, a need exists for new stable formulations of cleansers meet the needs of consumers, while also reducing the amount of waste generated in their production and shipping.
The application relates to stable, anhydrous cleanser concentrate formulations. The stable anhydrous cleanser concentrate formulations may be in a solid form such as a tablet. The solid stable anhydrous cleanser concentrate formulations comprise an acidic cleaner, a pH control agent which can be a basic cleaner, and an oily soil remover (a surfactant).
In one aspect, a method of producing an anhydrous tablet includes the steps of providing medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil; adding the MCT oil to a basic cleaner powder and a surfactant powder; absorbing the MCT oil into the basic cleaner powder and the surfactant powder to produce a powder blend; placing the powder blend in a tablet press; applying pressure to the powder blend in the tablet press; removing at least a portion of the MCT oil from the powder blend in the tablet press; using the portion of the MCT oil removed from the powder blend to create a hydrophobic layer on at least a portion of the exterior of the powder blend; removing pressure applied to the powder blend by the tablet press; and producing an anhydrous tablet from the pressed powder blend.
The method of producing an anhydrous tablet may include the step of adding additional ingredients to the powder blend after the MCT oil is absorbed into the basic cleaner powder and the surfactant powder.
In one aspect of the method of producing an anhydrous tablet, a portion of the MCT oil removed from the powder blend in the tablet press is removed by the pressure applied by the tablet press to the powder blend.
In one aspect of the method of producing an anhydrous tablet, the powder blend is not stuck to the tablet press after pressure is removed from the powder blend.
In one aspect of the method of producing an anhydrous tablet, the hydrophobic layer prevents the powder blend from sticking to the tablet press.
In one aspect of the method of producing an anhydrous tablet, the concentration of MCT oil is 0.05-1.00 wt %.
The method of producing an anhydrous tablet may include the step of adding fragrance to the powder blend.
The method of producing an anhydrous tablet may include the step of adding the MCT oil to a silica powder and absorbing the MCT oil into the silica powder.
In one aspect of the method of producing an anhydrous tablet, the MCT oil comprises MCT oil, fragrance, emulsifier, and/or dye.
In one aspect of the method of producing an anhydrous tablet, at least 70 kN of pressure is applied to the powder blend by the tablet press.
In one aspect of the method of producing an anhydrous tablet, a dimension of the tablet is smaller than an industry standard bottle opening.
In one aspect of the method of producing an anhydrous tablet, a dimension of the tablet is smaller than 28 millimeters.
In one aspect of the method of producing an anhydrous tablet, a dimension of the tablet is less than 0.75 inches.
In one aspect of the method of producing an anhydrous tablet, the ingredients of the tablet are not granulated prior to tablet production.
In one aspect of the method of producing an anhydrous tablet, the basic cleaner is selected from sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate and other alkali carbonates.
The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide further understanding and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate disclosed embodiments and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the disclosed embodiments. In the drawings:
In one or more implementations, not all of the depicted components in each figure may be required, and one or more implementations may include additional components not shown in a figure. Variations in the arrangement and type of the components may be made without departing from the scope of the subject disclosure. Additional components, different components, or fewer components may be utilized within the scope of the subject disclosure.
In addition, each of the drawings is a schematic diagram and thus is not necessarily strictly illustrated. In each of the drawings, substantially the same structural components are assigned with the same reference signs, and redundant descriptions will be omitted or simplified.
The detailed description set forth below is intended as a description of various implementations and is not intended to represent the only implementations in which the subject technology may be practiced. As those skilled in the art would realize, the described implementations may be modified in various different ways, all without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. For example, while the tablet production discussed herein may be implemented in many different forms, the disclosure will show in the drawings, and will herein describe in detail, implementations with the understanding that the present description is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the tablet production and is not intended to limit the broad aspects of the disclosure to the implementations illustrated. Accordingly, the drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not restrictive.
This disclosure relates to a method of producing a solid stable anhydrous concentrate, such as a cleanser concentrate, in tablet form. The inventors have discovered solid formulations that are both good for the environment and effective for cleaning purposes. The advantages of these solid formulation over the traditional liquid cleansers include chemical stability, reduced packaging, and convenience for the consumer. The tablets and production methods may be used with a variety of concentrates, such as, for example, a bathroom cleaner, a multi-surface cleaner, a glass cleaner, a hand soap, a laundry detergent, or a dish soap. Exemplary embodiments of the tablets are listed below.
The tablets may be produced using a direct compression process. Direct compression (or direct compaction) is the process by which tablets are compressed directly from a powdered substance and suitable excipients into a firm compact tablet without employing the process of granulation.
Powdered ingredients may be blended homogeneously using a blender, such as a ribbon blender, V-blender, paddle blender, or drum mixing. The blended powder may be then fed into the hopper of a tablet press. An example tablet press is a Stokes model DS3, 15 station press with a keyed turret. A desired amount of the powder may be placed into a die of the tablet press. The desired amount may be determined by volume or weight, for example. The powder is compressed within the die, such as by applying pressure to the powder with one or more punches, such as an upper punch and a lower punch. The force of compression combines the powdered ingredients into a solid tablet. The desired compression pressure, weight of tablet, and hardness of tablet may be set before or as the tablets get compressed. In some embodiments, the desired hardness of tablet may be greater than 18 kpa.
Proper tablet production requires balancing three purposes: (i) maintaining the desired shape and dimensions of the tablet, (ii) minimizing a dimension of the tablet, such as the thickness, and (iii) including all the necessary ingredients in the tablet while allowing for efficient tablet production.
Maintaining the desired shape and dimensions of the tablet is required to ensure that the tablet can easily be passed through an industry standard bottle opening and neck. An industry standard bottle opening and neck size may be, for example, 28 millimeters. As stated in more detail below, some tablets, such as those for a cleaning solution, may be placed within a bottle filled with water in order to dissolve the tablet in water to create the cleaning solution. Ensuring that the tablet easily passes through an industry standard bottle opening and neck allows the use of industry standard bottles and caps and avoids the need for custom tooling, which lowers the cost and improves the efficiency of using the resulting cleaning solution. Further, using industry standard bottles and caps allows the use of industry standard threading that has established strength and integrity. Maintaining a shape and dimensions that easily allow the end user to insert the tablet in a bottle without significant effort may result in a more pleasant and more tidy experience for the end user with less splashing.
The bulk density of the powdered ingredients may be between 0.65-0.95 grams per cubic centimeter, for example. Such a value of bulk density may allow each tablet to be the required weight and desired shape to pass through an industry standard bottle opening and neck. If the bulk density is too low, the tablets may not be the required weight and/or shape, depending on the limitations of the tablet press.
Minimizing a dimension of the tablet, such as the thickness, may allow the tablet to fit within packages or envelopes that can be delivered through relatively low cost shipping methods, such as postal services. For example, producing a tablet with a dimension that is less than 0.75 inches may allow the tablet to be shipped in a standard United States Postal Service flat mail package, which has relatively low shipping costs. Allowing for low cost delivery of the tablets is important for businesses that sell products through e-commerce and ship products directly to consumers, as opposed to businesses that sell products in brick-and-mortar stores, because the volume of products shipped with e-commerce businesses is much higher.
Including all the necessary ingredients in the tablet while allowing for efficient tablet production is challenging because certain ingredients may cause the powdered ingredients to stick to parts of the tablet press during production. Ingredients for exemplary tablets are included below. For example, concentrations of surfactant ingredients greater than about 5 weight %, such as 5-25%, may cause the tablet to stick during production. As a second example, including fragrance ingredients greater than about 0.5 weight %, such as 0.5-2%, may cause the tablet to stick during production. Sticking occurs when portions of the powdered ingredients attach and stick to the faces of the punches instead of locking together to create the tablet. Sticking results in overall inefficient tablet production due to defective tablets and machine delays. The defective tablets must be discarded and stuck material on the tablet press requires stopping production to clean the tablet press.
In one aspect of this disclosure, adding a medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil to the powder formulation may prevent the powdered ingredients from attaching and sticking to the faces of the punches and/or die during tablet production. MCT Oil is a caprylic capric triglyceride and its Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) Registry Number is 65381-09-1. Suitable examples of MCT oil may include Acme Hardesty MCT Oil 3585/3595, Columbus Foods MCT 585, and Stepan Neobee 1053. The MCT oil may comprise about 0.05-1.00 weight % of the powder formulation to prevent sticking.
As shown in
In step 107, the powder blend with the absorbed MCT oil may be placed in the tablet press to form the tablet through compression. In steps 109 and 111, as the powder blend with the absorbed MCT oil is compressed, MCT oil may be pressed out of the powder. Pressure of about 7 tons (70 kN) or higher, for example, may be required to press the MCT oil out of the powder. Applying a pressure less than 7 tons may not cause sufficient MCT oil to come out of the powder to prevent powdered ingredients from sticking to the faces of the punches and/or die during tablet production. Additionally or alternatively, increasing the pressure from a lower amount to about 7 tons or more may clean residual powder that is stuck on the tablet press.
In steps 113, the MCT oil may create a hydrophobic layer on the exterior of the powder within the tablet press. The hydrophobic layer may prevent the powder from sticking to the tablet press during tablet production. The hydrophobic layer may be created on some portion of the exterior of the powder or on the entire exterior. In step 115, the tablet is produced as the pressure is removed from the powder blend.
In some embodiments, such as a dish soap for example, the method of producing the tablets includes blending a first set of the ingredients of the soap formulation, adding a second set of the ingredients, and blending the first and second set of the ingredients. In some embodiments, the method of producing the tablets includes blending a first set of the ingredients of the soap formulation, adding a second set of the ingredients, blending the first and second set of the ingredients, adding a flow aid, and blending the first and second set of the ingredients and the flow aid. In some embodiments, for example, the first set of the ingredients include a filler and a water softening agent, the second set of the ingredients comprise a surfactant, an enzyme, and a water softening agent.
Exemplary steps to produce a dish soap tablet with direct compression may include:
When the solid stable anhydrous concentrate formulation is in the form of a tablet, the tablets may range in size from about 200 mg to about 9000 mg or from about 200 mg to 5000 mg. The tablets may be about 200 mg, about 300 mg, about 400 mg, about 500 mg, about 600 mg, about 700 mg, about 800 mg, about 900 mg, or about 1000 mg. In a preferred embodiment, the tablets are round or oblong, however other geometric shapes are contemplated. The anhydrous tablets may include an amount of liquid, such as 5-10% or preferably 6.5%.
Example tablets, and punches and dies that may be used to produce the tablets are shown in
The exemplary embodiments listed below may be made in tablet form with the aspects of this disclosure.
One set of non-limiting exemplary embodiments is disclosed below:
Another set of non-limiting exemplary embodiments is disclosed below:
Yet another set of non-limiting exemplary embodiments is disclosed below:
Yet Another set of non-limiting exemplary embodiments is disclosed below:
Yet another set of non-limiting embodiments is disclosed below:
Yet another set of non-limiting embodiments is disclosed below:
Another set of non-limiting exemplary embodiments are disclosed below:
Materials used in the following examples and their sources are listed below.
A glass cleaner tablet was produced, using the following ingredients:
Glass Cleaner: Tablet weight (g)—5.0 g
To preserve 20 oz of tap water with the glass cleaning concentrate formulation disclosed herein, 1.50-2.00 grams of preservatives are needed. In order for the tablets to dissolve in reasonable time (−8-10 mins), about 45-55% Effervescent ingredients are needed. After all the other ingredients (Surfactant, Binder, Lubricant, etc) are combined, the lowest weight is landing around 4.5 grams. A 5.0 grams for glass cleaner tablets are prepared to give little extra Effervescent ingredients to help reduce the dissolution time.
A glass cleaner tablet was produced, using the following ingredients:
A multi-surface low pH cleanser tablet was produced, using the following ingredients:
A high pH multi-surface cleanser tablet was produced, using the following ingredients:
Multi-Surface Tablet size—6.5 g
A low pH multi-surface low pH cleanser tablet was produced, using the following ingredients
A low pH bathroom cleanser tablet was produced, using the following ingredients:
A high pH bathroom cleaner tablet was produced, using the following ingredients:
Bathroom Tablet size—6.5 g
A low pH bathroom cleanser tablet was produced, using the following ingredients:
A foaming hand soap tablet was produced, using the following ingredients:
<5%
A foaming hand soap tablet was produced, using the following ingredients:
A foaming hand dish soap is produced, using the following ingredients:
Another foaming hand dish soap is produced, using the following ingredients:
A dish soap for dish washer is produced, using the following ingredients:
A laundry detergent tablet was produced, using the following ingredients:
In one aspect, disclosed is a method of using some of the tablets described herein including the steps of (1) filling a spray bottle or vessel with volume of 16-34 oz with water, (2) adding the tablet to the water-filled spray bottle, and (3) dissolving the tablet in water by no stirring or shaking required. In some embodiments, one or more tablets may be added to the water-filled spray bottle. For example, two tablets may be added to the spray bottle simultaneously or in a row before ultimately using the liquid solution for its purpose.
Each individual tablet, when exposed to water and stirred or shaken, will dissolve into a liquid solution. Upon experiencing dissolution of the tablet, the user may proceed with cleaning or washing as usual. Individual tablets may be packaged together in suitable bulk quantities.
In one aspect, disclosed is a method of using any of the dish soap described herein including the steps of (1) wetting a sponge/rag or the dish surface with water, (2) placing the dish soap onto the sponge/rag or the dish surface, (3) scrubbing the dish surface with the sponge or let the dish soak (when the dish soap is placed on the dish surface directly), and (4) rinsing the dish with water. For the ease of use, the dish soap in a powder form can be placed in a container that is convenient to dispense the dish soap, such as a salt shaker type, an auto dose, spout for powder or flip top.
In one aspect, disclosed is a method of using any of the laundry tablets described herein including the steps of (1) placing the tablet in a container of a washing machine wherein the container is reserved for detergent and (2) turning on the power for the washing machine.
The tablets may be stored in any suitable container, such as but not limited to plastic, glass, aluminum, ceramic, or acrylic container. The container may contain a desiccant. The container may be re-usable and refilled with new tablets as needed.
While some exemplary implementations have been illustrated and described, numerous modifications come to mind without significantly departing from the spirit of the disclosure, and the scope of protection is only limited by the scope of the accompanying claims. Terms such as “top,” “bottom,” “front,” “rear,” “upper,” “lower,” and the like as used in this disclosure should be understood as referring to an arbitrary frame of reference, rather than to the ordinary gravitational frame of reference. Thus, a top surface, a bottom surface, a front surface, and a rear surface may extend upwardly, downwardly, diagonally, or horizontally in a gravitational frame of reference. Furthermore, to the extent that the term “include,” “have,” or the like is used in the description or the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprise” as “comprise” is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim.
The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. Phrases such as an aspect, the aspect, another aspect, some aspects, one or more aspects, an implementation, the implementation, another implementation, some implementations, one or more implementations, an embodiment, the embodiment, another embodiment, some embodiments, one or more embodiments, a configuration, the configuration, another configuration, some configurations, one or more configurations, the subject technology, the disclosure, the present disclosure, other variations thereof and alike are for convenience and do not imply that a disclosure relating to such phrase(s) is essential to the subject technology or that such disclosure applies to all configurations of the subject technology. A disclosure relating to such phrase(s) may apply to all configurations, or one or more configurations. A disclosure relating to such phrase(s) may provide one or more examples. A phrase such as an aspect or some aspects may refer to one or more aspects and vice versa, and this applies similarly to other foregoing phrases.
A reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless specifically stated, but rather “one or more.” Pronouns in the masculine (e.g., his) include the feminine and neuter gender (e.g., her and its) and vice versa. The term “some” refers to one or more. Underlined and/or italicized headings and subheadings are used for convenience only, do not limit the subject technology, and are not referred to in connection with the interpretation of the description of the subject technology. Relational terms such as first and second and the like may be used to distinguish one entity or action from another without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various configurations described throughout this disclosure that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and intended to be encompassed by the subject technology. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the above description.
While this specification contains many specifics, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of what may be claimed, but rather as descriptions of particular implementations of the subject matter. Certain features and steps that are described in this specification in the context of separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination. Moreover, although features and steps may be described above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, one or more features and steps from a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from the combination, and the claimed combination may be directed to a subcombination or variation of a subcombination.
The subject matter of this specification has been described in terms of particular aspects, but other aspects can be implemented and are within the scope of the following claims. For example, while operations are depicted in the drawings in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. The actions recited in the claims can be performed in a different order and still achieve desirable results. As one example, the processes depicted in the accompanying figures do not necessarily require the particular order shown, or sequential order, to achieve desirable results. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Moreover, the separation of various system components in the aspects described above should not be understood as requiring such separation in all aspects, and it should be understood that the described program components and systems can generally be integrated together in a single product or packaged into multiple products.
The title, background, brief description of the drawings, abstract, and drawings are hereby incorporated into the disclosure and are provided as illustrative examples of the disclosure, not as restrictive descriptions. It is submitted with the understanding that they will not be used to limit the scope or meaning of the claims. In addition, in the detailed description, it can be seen that the description provides illustrative examples and the various features are grouped together in various implementations for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. The method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed subject matter requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the claims reflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed configuration or operation. The claims are hereby incorporated into the detailed description, with each claim standing on its own as a separately claimed subject matter.
The claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects described herein, but are to be accorded the full scope consistent with the language claims and to encompass all legal equivalents. Notwithstanding, none of the claims are intended to embrace subject matter that fails to satisfy the requirements of the applicable patent law, nor should they be interpreted in such a way.
The disclosed systems and methods are well adapted to attain the ends and advantages mentioned as well as those that are inherent therein. The particular implementations disclosed above are illustrative only, as the teachings of the present disclosure may be modified and practiced in different but equivalent manners apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings herein. Furthermore, no limitations are intended to the details of construction or design herein shown, other than as described in the claims below. It is therefore evident that the particular illustrative implementations disclosed above may be altered, combined, or modified and all such variations are considered within the scope of the present disclosure. The systems and methods illustratively disclosed herein may suitably be practiced in the absence of any element that is not specifically disclosed herein and/or any optional element disclosed herein. While compositions and methods are described in terms of “comprising,” “containing,” or “including” various components or steps, the compositions and methods can also “consist essentially of” or “consist of” the various components and steps. All numbers and ranges disclosed above may vary by some amount. Whenever a numerical range with a lower limit and an upper limit is disclosed, any number and any included range falling within the range is specifically disclosed. In particular, every range of values (of the form, “from about a to about b,” or, equivalently, “from approximately a to b,” or, equivalently, “from approximately a-b”) disclosed herein is to be understood to set forth every number and range encompassed within the broader range of values. Also, the terms in the claims have their plain, ordinary meaning unless otherwise explicitly and clearly defined by the patentee. Moreover, the indefinite articles “a” or “an,” as used in the claims, are defined herein to mean one or more than one of the element that it introduces. If there is any conflict in the usages of a word or term in this specification and one or more patent or other documents that may be incorporated herein by reference, the definitions that are consistent with this specification should be adopted.
As used herein, the phrase “at least one of” preceding a series of items, with the terms “and” or “or” to separate any of the items, modifies the list as a whole, rather than each article of the list (i.e., each item). The phrase “at least one of” allows a meaning that includes at least one of any one of the items, and/or at least one of any combination of the items, and/or at least one of each of the items. By way of example, the phrases “at least one of A, B, and C” or “at least one of A, B, or C” each refer to only A, only B, or only C; any combination of A, B, and C; and/or at least one of each of A, B, and C.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/836,368, filed Apr. 19, 2019, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein for reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62836368 | Apr 2019 | US |
