FABRIC SPRAY COMPOSITIONS

Abstract

An aqueous fabric spray composition comprising: a. 0.5 to 2 w.t. % non-functionalised silicone, wherein the silicone is in the form of an emulsion, the emulsion having a particle size of 1 nm to 300 nm b. Free perfume having a particle size of 1 nm to 30 um.

Claims

1. A fabric spray composition comprising: a. 0.5 to 2 w.t. % non-functionalised silicone, wherein the silicone is in the form of an emulsion, the emulsion having a particle size of 1 nm to 300 nm, and b. free perfume having a particle size of 1 nm to 30 m, wherein the fabric spray composition is aqueous.

2. The fabric spray composition according to claim 1, wherein the non-functionalised silicone is a polydimethylsiloxane polymer.

3. The fabric spray composition according to claim 1, wherein the fabric spray composition further comprises a malodour ingredient.

4. The fabric spray composition according to claim 1, wherein the fabric spray composition comprises a non-ionic surfactant.

5. The fabric spray composition according to claim 1, wherein the non-ionic surfactant has an hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) value of 8-18.

6. A fabric spray product comprising: a. an aqueous fabric spray composition, the fabric spray composition comprising: i. 0.5 to 2 w.t. % non-functionalised silicone, b. a hand-held spray device, which is manually operable to produce a spray of the fabric spray composition, the hand-held spray device comprising: i. a reservoir containing the fabric spray composition and; ii. a spray mechanism, the spray mechanism being manually operable to discharge the fabric spray composition wherein said spray mechanism comprises a nozzle, the nozzle having a discharge orifice which is configured to produce a spray having a cone angle in the range of 50 to 100 degrees and/or a spray which comprises droplets having an average diameter in the range of 20 to 200 m.

7. A fabric spray product according to claim 6, wherein the fabric spray composition further comprises 0.0001 to 10 w.t. % free perfume.

8. A fabric spray product according to claim 7, wherein the free perfume has an emulsion particle size of 1 nm to 30 m.

9. A fabric spray product according to claim 6, wherein the non-functionalised silicone is a polydimethylsiloxane polymer.

10. A fabric spray product according to claim 6, wherein the non-functionalised silicone is in the form of an emulsion, the emulsion having a particle size of 1 nm to 300 nm.

11. A fabric spray product according to claim 6, wherein the fabric spray composition further comprises a malodour ingredient.

12. A fabric spray product according to claim 6, wherein the fabric spray composition comprises a non-ionic surfactant.

13. A fabric spray product according to claim 6, wherein the non-ionic surfactant has a hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) value of 8-18.

14. A method of refreshing fabric, comprising the step of spraying the aqueous fabric spray composition according to claim 1 onto fabric.

15. (canceled)

16. A method of refreshing fabric, comprising the step of spraying the aqueous fabric spray product according to claim 6 onto fabric.

17. (canceled)

Description

DRAWINGS

[0133] So that the invention may be more readily understood, and so that further features thereof may be appreciated, embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0134] FIG. 1 is a side elevational view showing a liquid reservoir of the product illustrated in FIG. 1, with spray mechanism of the product removed;

[0135] FIG. 2 is a schematic part-sectional view showing a spray mechanism of the product;

[0136] FIG. 3 is a schematic part-sectional view, generally similar to that of FIG. 2, but which shows an alternative configuration of spray mechanism;

[0137] FIG. 4 is a side elevational view showing an exemplary fine mist spray, which may be produced by the product.

[0138] FIG. 5 shows droplet size distribution plots acquired from measurements on a Malvern Spraytec instrument, with the peak maximum corresponding to the average droplet size.

RESERVOIR/CONTAINER

[0139] FIG. 1, an exemplary reservoir-defining container 1. The particular configuration of container 1 as illustrated is provided in the form of an elongate and generally straight-sided cylindrical bottle, having an inwardly tapered upper shoulder region 2 which narrows to define an upstanding annular lip 3 at the uppermost end of the container and which is centred on the longitudinal axis 4 of the container. The lip 3 is shown to have an external screw thread 5 to facilitate releasable engagement between the container 1 and the spray mechanism 6. As will become apparent, however, other forms of releasable engagement between the container 1 and the spray mechanism bare possible. As will be appreciated, the reservoir-defining container 1 defines an internal volume 7 for the receipt of a fabric spray composition 8. It is proposed that the product will be provided to an end user in an initial pre-filled condition, in which the reservoir will already be substantially filled with an appropriate volume of the fabric spray composition 8.

[0140] It is envisaged that in some embodiments the container 1 will be moulded from a suitable plastic material of a type known for use in the consumer products field. However, it is also possible for the container 1 to be formed from, or at least to comprise, glass.

[0141] It is also to be appreciated that whilst the fabric spray composition-containing reservoir of the embodiments disclosed herein is defined by the container 1 itself, other variants are envisaged in which the reservoir might be provided as a separate vessel containing the fabric spray composition 8, the vessel simply being housed and supported within the container 1, for example the bag on valve technology.

[0142] Fabric Spray Composition

[0143] Example fabric spray compositions are provided in Example 1, table 1.

[0144] Spray Mechanism

[0145] Aspects of the spray mechanism 6 are illustrated schematically in more detail in FIG. 2. In this particular configuration of the spray mechanism 6 is housed within a shroud 9. And may be screwed onto container 1, by means of reciprocal screw thread 5, which engages with screw treat 5 on container 1.

[0146] As will become apparent, the spray mechanism 6 is configured for manual operation, by hand, by a user of the product, and comprises a spray mechanism such that it is operable without the use of a pressurized propellant of the sort used in so-called aerosol sprays. The spray mechanism 6 may thus comprise a hand-operable pump 10, which may take any convenient form such as, for example, a positive displacement pump, a self-priming pump, or a reciprocating pump. The pump 10 is mechanically connected to an actuator, which in the particular arrangement illustrated in FIG. 2 takes the form of a push-button 17 which is accommodated within an aperture 12 provided through the upper end of the shroud 9, for convenient actuation by a user's finger whilst holding the product. The push-button 11 is shown mounted to the end of a plunger 13 which extends into an internal housing of the pump 10 and which actuates the pump 10 when driven downwardly via operation of the push-button 11.

[0147] An inlet 14 of the pump 10 is shown connected to an inlet pipe 15, which may take the form of a length of flexible tubing. As will be appreciated, when the shroud 9 and its associated spray mechanism 6 are mounted to the container 1, the inlet pipe (dip tube) 15 will extend downwardly from the mechanism and will terminate with its open end 16 located at the bottom of the fabric spray composition reservoir defined by the container 1. The inlet pipe 15 thus facilitates the draw-up of fabric spray composition 8 from the reservoir upon operation of the spray mechanism 6.

[0148] The spray mechanism 6 also comprises a nozzle 17 which is fluidly connected to an outlet of the pump 10, and which is substantially completely enclosed within the shroud 9 so as to terminate at a discharge end 18 which located adjacent, and is substantially aligned with, the outlet aperture 19 of the shroud 9. A small discharge orifice 20 is formed in the nozzle 17 and is configured to direct an aerosol in the form of a fine mist of the fabric spray composition 8 outwardly through the outlet aperture 19 in the spray direction 21, upon operation of the spray mechanism 6. As will be noted, the spray direction 21 is preferably substantially orthogonal to the respective longitudinal axes 4, of the container 1, so as to be easily directed towards a fabric garment or the like by a user of the product 1.

[0149] In order to ensure the creation of an appropriately fine mist of the fabric spray composition 8, the spray mechanism 6 may comprise an atomiser. The atomiser will be configured to break up a dose of the liquid drawn through the inlet tube 15, into a large number of small droplets and will thereby create the desired fine mist of the fabric spray composition 8 for discharge from the product. It is envisaged that in some embodiments the atomiser will be provided as an integral feature of the nozzle 17. The atomiser may comprise a swirl chamber and/or a lateral dispersion chamber.

[0150] FIG. 3 illustrates a slightly modified version of the spray mechanism 6 illustrated in FIG. 2. The version illustrated in FIG. 3 shares many aspects of the version illustrated in FIG. 2, and so identical or equivalent components are identified by the same reference numbers and will not be described in detail again. However, the alternative configuration illustrated in FIG. 3, does not have a spray mechanism actuator in the form of a push-button, but instead has an actuator in the form of a finger-operable trigger or lever 22. As will be noted, the trigger or lever 22 is mounted relative to the pump 10 via a pivotal connection 23, such that the trigger or lever is operable via pivotal movement to actuate the pump 10. The trigger or lever 22 protrudes from the spray mechanism 6, passes through an elongate slot 24 formed in the sidewall of the shroud 9 (and optionally below the outlet aperture 19), and terminates in a free end which is spaced from the shroud 9. The slot 24 is sized so as to accommodate the pivotal range of movement of the trigger or lever 22 when actuated.

[0151] As will be appreciated, upon actuation of the pump 10, either via the push-button 11 in the case of the FIG. 2 arrangement, or via the trigger or lever 22 of the FIG. 3 arrangement, the pump 10 will draw a dose of the fabric spray composition 8 from the reservoir, whereupon the atomiser will atomise the dose. The atomised dose will then be discharged through the discharge orifice 20 as an aerosol in the form of a fine mist 25, as illustrated in FIG. 4. As already indicated, the mist 25 will be discharged in a spray-direction 21 which is substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal axis 4 of the container 1. It is considered advantageous for the discharge orifice 20 of the nozzle 17 to be configured to produce the fine mist 25 in a substantially circular cone pattern, and in a spray having a cone angle A in the range of 50 to 100 degrees. A spray pattern of this type has been found to provide very good coverage when the product is used to spray the fabric spray composition 8 onto a garment or the like, without the creation of localised areas of staining. More particularly, nozzle 17 and its associated atomiser may be configured in some embodiments to generate droplets within the mist 25 having an average diameter of in the range of 20 to 200 m.

[0152] In some embodiments, it is envisaged that the spray mechanism 6 will be configured to draw a dose of the fabric spray composition 8 having a volume of between 0.05 to 1 g upon each actuation, for atomisation and discharge in the form of the fine mist 25. In the case that the spray mechanism 6 is a continuous spray mechanism, a spray rate of 0.05 to 1 ml/sec is preferred.

[0153] In FIGS. 2 and 3, the spray mechanism is housed by the shroud 5. In alternative embodiments, the shroud can be absent.

[0154] Spray Cone Angle

[0155] FIG. 4 demonstrates that calculation of the spray cone angle. Spray cone angle measurements are made by positioning a camera to the side of a spray device. The spray device is operated (e.g. the actuator is depressed) and an image is captured shortly after so as to record an image of the spray plume. The image is then analysed so as to identify the upper and lower boundaries of the spray plume and the image annotated with lines corresponding to these boundaries, the lines extending from the discharge orifice of the nozzle outwards along the boundaries. The cone angle A is measured as the angle between the upper and lower lines, as shown in FIG. 4.

[0156] Droplet Size

[0157] An example of droplet size measurement results is shown in FIG. 5. The data was acquired using a Malvern Spraytec instrument as discussed herein. The average droplet size is the peak maximum on the droplet diameter-volume fraction plot, in this case being about 75 m.

[0158] Average droplet size and droplet size distribution is measured using a Malvern Spraytec particle and spray droplet size measurement device (ex Malvern Instruments Ltd, UK). The size of spray droplets and spray particles are measured using laser diffraction. The intensity of light scattered as a laser beam passes through a spray is measured. This data is then analyzed by the measurement device to calculate the size of the droplets that created the scattering pattern. The spray device is positioned in the device holder so that the laser beam (1 cm diameter) crosses the centre of the spray plume about 15 cm from the nozzle discharge orifice.

[0159] Measurements are made for a period of 5 seconds while repeatedly firing (actuating) the spray. This process is repeated 3 times.

EXAMPLE 1

[0160]

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Spray Compositions according to the present invention Spray Spray Spray Composition 1 Composition 2 Composition 3 (w.t. % of (w.t. % of (w.t. % of active active active Ingredient ingredient) ingredient) ingredient) PDMS 0.5 1.0 1.5 (pre emulsified) .sup.1 Free oil perfume .sup.2 0.34 0.34 0.34 Malodour 0.2 0.2 0.2 counteractant PEG-40 0.8 0.8 0.8 hydrogenated caster oil (non-ionic surfactant) .sup.3 Minors and water To 100 To 100 To 100 .sup.1 emulsion droplet size less than 160 nm .sup.2 in the form of an emulsion, emulsion droplet size according to the invention .sup.3 HLB 15

[0161] Method of Manufacture:

[0162] A vessel was charged with water and maintained at 20 C.5 C. To the vessel was added the silicone emulsion and minors, with stirring. A pre-mix was produced by blending melted non-ionic surfactant (45 C.) with the free oil perfume and anti-malodour technology whilst keeping this blend at 45 C. The premix was then added to the vessel with mixing.

[0163] Test Protocol:

[0164] 2020 squares of knitted cotton and woven cotton fabric were prepared.

[0165] The cloths were washed on a 40 C. cotton cycle with a non-bio detergent and 35 mls of fabric conditioner (UK Comfort).

[0166] The cloths were lined dried for 24 hours.

[0167] One set of cloths were left un-sprayed and used as a control.

[0168] Each cloth was sprayed with one of the Compositions 1-3. The cloths were sprayed while hanging on a clothes maiden. Cloths were sprayed from a distance of 5 inches, with 3 squirts of the composition being sprayed onto each cloth. This resulted in 0.7 g of the composition being administered to each cloth. The clothes were lined dried for a further 24 hours.

[0169] Panel Test:

[0170] 14 participants took part in the panel test. Over the panel test, they were presented with 12 different cloths: three untreated, three treated with spray composition 1, three treated with spray composition 2, three treated with spray composition 3). Cloths were presented in a random order and the participants asked to asked to score each on different features: Smoothness, Roughness, Coated feeling, Stiffness and Silkiness, on a scale of 1 to 10.

[0171] The scores were recorded and an average of all scores calculated.

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Scores for Woven Cotton Average Score Smooth Rough Coated Stiff Silky No Spray 2.63 4.13 0.76 5.06 0.59 Spray 3.1 3.45 0.69 4.23 0.69 Composition 1 (0.5%) Spray 3.53 3.38 0.73 4.17 0.85 Composition 2 (0.5%) Spray 3.12 3.29 0.8 4.21 0.96 Composition 3 (0.5%)

TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Scores for Knitted Cotton Average Score Smooth Rough Coated Stiff Silky No Spray 5.5 1.53 1.29 0.99 1.48 Spray 5.64 1.65 1.26 0.86 1.27 Composition 1 (0.5%) Spray 5.71 1.43 1.34 0.66 1.36 Composition 2 (0.5%) Spray 5.87 1.26 1.45 0.58 1.59 Composition 3 (0.5%)

[0172] SmoothBoth materials increase in smoothness as % of PDMS increases

[0173] RoughBoth materials decrease in roughness as % of PDMS increases

[0174] StiffBoth materials show decreasing stiffness as % of PDMS increases

[0175] SilkyKnitted cotton shows 1.5% as most silky, woven cotton shows increasing silkiness as PDMS levels increase.

[0176] The results demonstrate that on two different types of materials, having different initial properties, that from 0.5 to 1.5% the fabric becomes smoother, less rough, less stiff and silkier. However, as these positive characteristics increase the negative feeling of coated also increases. The range of 0.5 to 2% demonstrates an improvement in the fabric properties, within a consumer acceptable level of coated feeling.