Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D75/00—Packages comprising articles or materials partially or wholly enclosed in strips, sheets, blanks, tubes, or webs of flexible sheet material, e.g. in folded wrappers
  • B65D75/008—Standing pouches, i.e. "Standbeutel"
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C11—ANIMAL OR VEGETABLE OILS, FATS, FATTY SUBSTANCES OR WAXES; FATTY ACIDS THEREFROM; DETERGENTS; CANDLES
  • C11D—DETERGENT COMPOSITIONS; USE OF SINGLE SUBSTANCES AS DETERGENTS; SOAP OR SOAP-MAKING; RESIN SOAPS; RECOVERY OF GLYCEROL
  • C11D17/00—Detergent materials or soaps characterised by their shape or physical properties
  • C11D17/04—Detergent materials or soaps characterised by their shape or physical properties combined with or containing other objects
  • C11D17/041—Compositions releasably affixed on a substrate or incorporated into a dispensing means
  • C11D17/042—Water soluble or water disintegrable containers or substrates containing cleaning compositions or additives for cleaning compositions

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a package or container for one or more water-soluble capsules containing a detergent composition.
• Detergent compositions for machine washing of laundry are provided in many forms such as free-flowing powders, liquids. Detergents in the form of compressed powder tablets are also commonly available.
• Tablets have several advantages over free-flowing powdered products and these are well documented, in particular, as they do not require measuring they are thus easier to handle and dispense into the wash load and allow for accurate dosing of detergent .
• Water-soluble capsules generally comprise a detergent composition encapsulated with water-soluble film, such as polyvinyl alcohol. Encapsulation allows for handling without direct contact with the detergent composition. This is especially advantageous when the detergent composition includes aggressive cleaning components which would irritate the skin on direct contact .
• a further advantage of water-soluble capsules is that this allows discretising of other types of detergent e.g. liquid. Liquid is far more readily dissolvable than compressed powder and so not prone to the dissolution problems encountered with tablets formed in this way.
• water-soluble capsules a problem encountered with water-soluble capsules is that the water soluble film material is vulnerable to increased levels of ambient humidity during storage and this can lead to premature dissolution of the film and as a result the capsule may rupture and release it contents.
• Another problem is that if, during storage, the film of the water soluble capsule becomes damp, it may then increase the possibility of in-wash lodging as a tacky film is more likely to stick to the washing machine door before it has chance to be caught up in the main wash.
• the invention provides one or more water-soluble capsules containing a detergent composition in combination with a package containing said one or more water-soluble capsules, characterised in that the package is formed from a material which has a Moisture
• Vapour Transfer Rate (M.V.T.R) of between 0.25 g/m /day to
• the water soluble capsules can be protected from ambient humidity during storage, by a simplified packaging.
• a further problem is that many existing packages are unsuitable for encapsulated detergent - as they are designed for powders (e.g. boxes/bags from which powder is scooped) or liquids (bottles/refill bags from which the liquid is poured) or boxes in which tablets are stacked.
• Such packaging does not capitalise on such characteristics of water-soluble film encapsulated detergent such as the possibility of direct handling.
• the package is self-standing by means of a collapsible base portion which expands from a collapsed position to an expanded position when one or more capsules is/are placed on the base, and is collapsible when empty so as to make the package substantially flat.
• the amount of plastic packaging material disposed in the environment can be substantially decreased as there is no need to also provide a separate support structure to allow the package to stand upright.
• the provision of a self-standing package is particularly advantageous when used with encapsulated detergent, as the capsules can be conveniently retrieved by reaching into the standing package, even when there is only a single capsule remaining therein.
• the package is formed as a single-walled body.
• single-walled should be construed as meaning that at any point the is only one wall thick. It includes a body comprising one or more walls which have a laminate structure .
• FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sealed package containing a round-shaped water-soluble capsule of liquid detergent, according to the invention
• Figure 2 is a front view of the package of Figure 1, shown empty;
• Figure 3 is a plan view of the package of Figure 1, viewed from the base;
• Figure 4 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the invention.
• Figure 5 is a front view of the package of figure 4.
• Figure 6 is a plan view of the package of Figure 4, viewed from the base;
• Figure 7 is a side view of the package of figure 4.
• the packaging system of the invention is intended to consist of a consumer unit containing the detergent composition of the invention and designed to be used/stored as such in the consumer homes .
• the units shown are bags/pouches and can be made either from raw stock or from preformed and/or prefolded sheet material, and can be sealed by various means, e.g. by heat, adhesives/glue, tapes.
• the bags/pouches herein are made of films, either monolayer, including coextruded materials, or laminated; such films are typically paper or plastic or combinations of the two; preferred materials for the bags herein are plastic and/or paper laminates.
• Plastic, materials are typically polyolefines, and both plastic and paper can be virgin or recycled material; the films herein can be printed in different ways, typically gravure, flexo, offset .
• films with moisture barrier properties obtained by resins, either coextruded or in different laminated layers, or coating by e.g. lacquers.
• One combination of the invention is shown, comprising a plastic bag 1 which contains one or more water soluble capsules 3 (only one shown) of detergent liquid.
• shaped water-soluble capsules may be used e.g. round, as shown in figures 1, 3 and 4 or rectangular (sometimes referred to as ⁇ pillow-shaped' ) as shown in figure 5.
• the plastic bag 1 is constructed from a laminar material comprising two layers: an outer layer of polyester (PET) which is 12 microns thick and an inner layer of low linear density polyethylene (LLDPE) 150 microns thick.
• PET polyester
• LLDPE low linear density polyethylene
• the bag has two rectangular side walls 2, 4 which are heat (or glue) -sealed together along corresponding longitudinal edges and which is closed at one end (the base portion 17) by a base wall 6 and at the other end (the upper portion 18) by 20, 22 seals both which are described below in greater detail .
• a base wall 6 which is formed from a rectangular sheet of plastic, perimeter portions of which are heat (or glue) -sealed to respective edges portions of the end portions 8, 10 of the side walls 2,4.
• the sealing portion 12 i.e. the part forming the seal with the base wall 6) is shaped such that the effective base area 16 is very generally elliptical (as shown more clearly in figure 3) .
• a resealable closure member 20 which comprises a plastic zip 20 having corresponding engagement portions fixed on respective side walls 2,4, internally of the bag 1.
• the package further includes a permanent heat or glue seal 22 in the uppermost portion 18a.
• a permanent heat or glue seal 22 in the uppermost portion 18a.
• the bag 1 can then be opened and sealed/resealed repeatedly by use of the zip 20.
• the bag 1 is self-standing on a substantially flat surface shown generally at 14, (and which could be for example a shelf, work top etc.,) when one or more capsules is/are placed on the base portion: the weight of the capsule acts downward on the base wall which thereby expands laterally to support the capsule and as a result the package is disposed in an upright position.
• the construction as described above allows the bag to be formed one wall thick but self-standing and without a supporting structure such as a box.
• the laminar material comprises two layers: an outer layer of polyester (PET) which is 12 microns thick and an inner layer of low linear density polyethylen (LLDPE) 180 microns thick.
• PET polyester
• LLDPE low linear density polyethylen
• This increased thickness of the LLDPE layer provides a reduced MVTR and additional stability for larger packs (e.g. where say 20 -30 or more capsules are packaged) .
• FIG. 4-7 A further embodiment is shown in figures 4-7.
• This bag is structure as for the package above except that it has outwardly curved sides which provide extra volume.
• the bag may have an increased outer curvature at the base so as to lower the centre of gravity of the package when one or more capsules, are contained so providing a more stable package.
• the package of figures 4-7 may comprise any suitable material, such as that in the embodiment shown in figures 1-3.
• the detergent liquid contained in the water soluble capsules exemplified here comprises:
• capsules contain a granular laundry detergent powder as follows :
• the detergent composition may take any suitable form e.g. any liquid, gel, granulated powder or combination thereof. It is of course to be understood that the invention is not intended to be restricted to the details of the above embodiments which are described by way of example only.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
• Oil, Petroleum & Natural Gas (AREA)
• Wood Science & Technology (AREA)
• Organic Chemistry (AREA)
• Packages (AREA)
• Detergent Compositions (AREA)
• Wrappers (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=9926928

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (8)

Families Citing this family (22)

Family Cites Families (8)

• 2001
  • 2001-12-03 GB GBGB0128946.1A patent/GB0128946D0/en not_active Ceased
• 2002
  • 2002-09-17 AU AU2002333849A patent/AU2002333849B2/en not_active Ceased
  • 2002-09-17 US US10/497,595 patent/US20050061704A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2002-09-17 WO PCT/EP2002/010415 patent/WO2003047998A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2002-09-17 EP EP02804168A patent/EP1451079A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2002-09-17 CA CA002465393A patent/CA2465393A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2002-09-17 BR BR0214172-8A patent/BR0214172A/pt not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2002-11-29 AR ARP020104609A patent/AR037473A1/es not_active Application Discontinuation

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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