Container for fabric treatment composition

• US 10,202,565 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2014
• Issued: 02/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: Roselle, Brian Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Barr, Michael E
• Assistant Examiner(s): Osterhout, Benjamin L
• Application Number:
  US14/565,855
• Publication Number:
  US 20160168518A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,525 Days
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 17/041 Compositions releasably affixed on a substrate or incorporated into a dispensing means
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 17/047 Arrangements specially adapted for dry cleaning or laundry dryer related applications
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 39/022 in a liquid state D06F39/024 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 58/203 Laundry conditioning arrangements

Abstract

A container for a fabric treatment composition having: (a) a container floor extending to a floor boundary; (b) a sump adjacent to at least a portion of the container floor, wherein a portion of the container floor adjacent the sump has a container floor elevation head, wherein the sump has a sump elevation head less than the container floor elevation head adjacent the sump, at least a portion of the sump being located on a longitudinal axis of the container; (c) a peripheral wall extending from the container floor; and (e) a needle piercable membrane operatively engaged with the peripheral wall to define an interior volume, wherein the interior volume contains between about 10 mL and about 100 mL a liquid fabric treatment composition.

Claims

1. A container for a liquid fabric treatment composition comprising:

a. a container floor extending to a floor boundary;

b. a sump adjacent to at least a portion of said container floor, wherein the portion of said container floor adjacent said sump has a container floor elevation head, wherein said sump has a sump elevation head less than said container floor elevation head adjacent said sump, at least a portion of said sump being located on a longitudinal axis of said container wherein the sump and container floor are configured to be received by a fabric refreshing device;

c. a peripheral wall extending from said container floor and each portion of the peripheral wall configured to intercept said container floor at a generally fixed of about 1 degree to less than about 90 degrees; and

d. a membrane configured to be pierced by a needle and operatively engaged with said peripheral wall to define an interior volume, wherein said interior volume contains between about 10 mL and about 100 mL of the liquid fabric treatment composition.

2. The container according to claim 1, wherein said container comprises a peripheral flange extending from said peripheral wall in a direction away from said container floor and said needle pierceable membrane is sealed to said peripheral flange.

3. The container according to claim 2, wherein when said container is resting on a flat surface with said container floor oriented towards said flat surface, said peripheral flange is parallel to said flat surface.

4. The container according to claim 2, wherein said peripheral flange extends entirely about said peripheral wall.

5. The container according to claim 4, wherein said needle pierceable membrane is sealed to said peripheral flange entirely about said peripheral flange, and wherein the needle pierceable membrane opposes the container floor.

6. The container according to claim 5, wherein said liquid fabric treatment composition is provided in a volume such that there is at least about 2 mm of headspace between said needle pierceable membrane and said liquid fabric treatment composition.

7. The container according to claim 6, wherein said liquid fabric treatment composition is provided in a volume of between about 60 mL and about 80 mL.

8. The container according to claim 2, wherein said container floor, said sump, said peripheral wall, and said peripheral flange comprise a thermoset polymer.

9. The container according to claim 1, wherein said container floor, said sump, and said peripheral wall comprise a hydrophobic substrate.

10. The container according to claim 1, wherein said liquid fabric treatment composition is provided in a volume such that there is at least about 2 mm of headspace between said needle pierceable membrane and said liquid fabric treatment composition.

11. The container according to claim 1, wherein said needle pierceable membrane comprises a material selected from a group consisting of metallic foil, polymer film, and combinations thereof.

12. The container according to claim 1, wherein said liquid fabric treatment composition is provided in a volume of between about 60 mL and about 80 mL.

13. The container according to claim 1, wherein said liquid fabric treatment composition contains between about 0% and about 99.5% by weight water.

14. The container according to claim 1, wherein said liquid fabric treatment composition is an aqueous composition comprising surfactant.

15. The container according to claim 1, wherein said liquid fabric treatment composition is free from mono- and diglycerides and esters thereof, ethoxylated mono- and diglycerides, glyceryl esters, polyglyceryl esters, fatty carboxylates, sorbitan esters and ply sorbates, fatty acid esters based on glycols and sugars, and lecithins.

16. The container according to claim 1, wherein said liquid fabric treatment composition has a contact angle with at least one of said container floor and said peripheral wall of between about 1 degree and about 90 degrees.

17. The container according to claim 1, wherein said container has a transverse axis intersecting said longitudinal axis and orthogonal to said longitudinal axis wherein said container comprises a plurality of said sumps and said transverse axis is between said sumps.

18. A process for treating a fabric comprising steps of inserting the container of claim 1 into a port of a fabric refreshing device, preparing the fabric refreshing device for operation, and activating operation of the fabric refreshing device.

20. The container according to claim 7, wherein said liquid fabric treatment composition contains between about 0% and about 99.5% by weight water.

19. A container for a fabric treatment composition comprising:

a. a container floor extending to a floor boundary;

b. a sump adjacent to at least a portion of said container floor, wherein the portion of said container floor adjacent said sump has a container floor elevation head, wherein said sump has a sump elevation head less than said container floor elevation head adjacent said sump, at least a portion of said sump being located on a longitudinal axis of said container wherein the sump and container floor are configured to be received by a fabric refreshing device;

c. a continuous peripheral wall extending from said container floor;

d. a peripheral flange extending from said continuous peripheral wall in a direction away from said container floor; and

e a membrane configured to be pierced by a needle and sealed to said peripheral flange to define an interior volume, wherein said interior volume is configured to contain between about 10 mL and about 100 mL of a liquid fabric treatment composition, and wherein the needle pierceable membrane opposes the container floor;

wherein said container floor and said continuous peripheral wall comprise a flow enhancing surface, such that at least one of the said container floor and each portion of the said continuous peripheral wall configured to have a contact angle with said liquid fabric treatment composition of between about 1 degree and less than about 90 degrees;

wherein said liquid fabric treatment composition is provided in a volume such that there is at least about 2 mm of headspace between said needle pierceable membrane and said liquid fabric treatment composition; and

wherein the liquid fabric treatment composition is an aqueous composition comprising surfactant.