Dispensing of rinse additives into the rinse cycle during automatic machine laundering of fabrics

• US 20030172960A1
• Filed: 02/13/2003
• Published: 09/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Original Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Inventors: Aouad, Yousef Georges, Still, James Douglas, Neergaard, Arthur Hampton
• Granted Patent: US 7,036,177 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 134/26
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 39/024 mounted on the agitator or the rotating drum; Free body dispensers

Abstract

Disclosed are systems, methods, devices and kits for the timed dispensing of laundry rinse additive materials into the drum of an automatic washing machine as that machine is used to carry out a fabric laundering operation. To bring about such dispensing of rinse additives, a housing structure device is placed within the drum of an automatic washing machine, a unit dose insert package, containing laundry rinse additives in at least one compartment of the insert, is placed within the housing structure, and the machine is run through the several stages of its laundering cycle. Means are provided to open at least one rinse additive-containing compartment of the insert later in the laundering cycle to dispense contents of this compartment into the washing machine drum as rinse additive materials. The means for opening such compartments of the insert are activated by centrifugal force arising during the spin cycle of the laundering operation. This spin cycle centrifugal force also holds the contents of the opened insert compartment(s) within the structure until the rinse cycle of the laundering operation, whereupon those contents are dispensed from the housing structure into the washing machine drum.

Claims

1. A system for providing laundry rinse additive material to the rinse water during the rinse cycle which occurs during a fabric laundering operation carried out in a drum-containing automatic washing machine, which system comprises:

A) a unit dose package containing a laundry rinse additive material;

B) a rigid housing structure into which said additive-containing unit dose package can be inserted at the beginning of the laundering operation, said housing structure being positioned within the drum of said automatic washing machine in a location which brings it into significant contact with rinse water during the laundering operation;

C) means associated with said unit dose package or said housing structure or both to open said unit dose package, said opening means being activated by centrifugal force applied to said unit dose package during the spin cycle occurring in the operation of said automatic washing machine, whereby upon opening of said unit dose package the contents thereof can be emptied from said package into said rigid housing structure and held within said structure by said centrifugal force during said spin cycle; and

D) aperture means associated with said housing structure for providing gravitational flow of said laundry additive material from said housing structure into said rinse water in said washing machine drum after cessation of said centrifugal force at the end of said spin cycle.

2. A system according to claim 1 wherein said rigid housing structure is attached to a specific spot within said washing machine drum where it stays for the duration of the laundering operation.

3. A system according to claim 2 wherein said insert contains one compartment for rinse additive material.

4. A system according to claim 2 wherein said insert contains two compartments for rinse additive material.

5. A system according to claim 1 wherein said insert is rigid and constructed from thermoformed polymeric material.

6. A system according to claim 1 wherein said insert is constructed at least in part from flexible polymeric material.

7. A system according to claim 2 wherein said compartment opening means associated with said housing structure comprises means for puncturing at least one of the compartments of said insert.

8. A system according to claim 2 which delivers from about 5 to 50 grams of rinse additive material to at least one rinse cycle during said fabric laundering operation

9. A system according to claim 8 wherein, after cessation of the spin cycle, substantially all of the contents of the opened rinse additive compartment(s) of the insert flow into said washing machine drum through holes in said housing structure.

22. A kit comprising the combination of a rigid housing structure and one or more rinse additive-containing unit dose inserts as described in claim 7.

23. A kit comprising at least one rinse additive-containing unit dose insert in combination with a set of instructions describing the method of using said insert in the system of claim 1.

10. A method for introducing laundry rinse additive material into the rinse water during the rinse cycle which occurs in a fabric laundering operation carried out in a drum-containing automatic washing machine, which method comprises:

A) providing a unit dose package containing a laundry rinse additive material;

B) inserting said additive-containing unit dose package into a rigid housing structure;

C) at the beginning of the operation of the automatic washing machine positioning said housing structure, with said additive-containing unit dose package therein, within the drum of said automatic washing machine in a location which brings it into significant contact with rinse water during the laundering operation;

D) running said automatic washing machine through its spin cycle to thereby apply centrifugal force to said additive-containing unit dose package within said housing structure, said centrifugal force serving to activate package opening means associated with said package or said housing structure or both, and to thereby open said package, release the contents thereof, and hold said contents within said rigid housing structure; and

thereafter

D) removing the centrifugal force from said opened package by ending the spin cycle during operation of said automatic washing machine; and

thereafter

E) allowing the laundry additive material within said rigid housing structure to pass by gravitational flow through apertures in said housing structure into the rinse water present in the drum during the rinse cycle in the operation of said automatic washing machine.

11. A method according to claim 10 wherein said rigid housing structure is attached to a specific spot within said washing machine drum where it stays for the duration of the laundering operation.

12. A method according to claim 11 wherein said insert contains one compartment for rinse additive material.

13. A method according to claim 11 wherein said insert contains two compartments for rinse additive material.

14. A method according to claim 10 wherein said insert is rigid and constructed from thermoformed polymeric material.

15. A method according to claim 10 wherein said insert is constructed at least in part from flexible polymeric material.

16. A method according to claim 11 wherein said compartment opening means associated with said housing structure comprises means for puncturing at least one of the compartments of said insert.

17. A method according to claim 11 which delivers from about 5 to 50 grams of rinse additive material to at least one rinse cycle during said fabric laundering operation

18. A method according to claim 17 wherein, after cessation of the spin cycle, substantially all of the contents of the opened rinse additive compartment(s) of the insert flow into said washing machine drum through holes in said housing structure.

19. A rinse additive dispensing device suitable for positioning within the drum of an automatic washing machine for fabric laundering and suitable for dispensing laundry rinse additive material from a unit dose insert into the rinse water during the rinse cycle which occurs during a fabric laundering operation carried out in a drum-containing automatic washing machine, which device comprises:

A) a housing structure suitable for holding an openable unit dose package containing laundry rinse additive material;

B) an opening within said housing structure suitable for permitting insertion into said housing of said openable unit dose package containing said rinse additive material;

C) means for positioning said housing against the inner wall of the drum of said washing machine such that during the spin cycle of washing machine operation said housing is capable of holding and retaining, by virtue of centrifugal force applied during said spin cycle, the rinse additive material released from said openable unit dose package into said housing during said spin cycle; and

;

D) aperture means placed within said housing in such a manner as to permit said released laundry additive material, after cessation of said centrifugal force, to pass by gravitational flow through said aperture means within said housing structure into the rinse water present in said drum during the rinse cycle in the operation of said washing machine.

20. A dispensing device according to claim 19 which further comprises means for opening at least one rinse additive-containing compartment of an insert placed therein, said opening means being activated by centrifugal force arising when said dispensing device is positioned within said washing machine drum during the spin cycle of said laundering operation.

21. A dispensing device according to claim 20 wherein all opening means comprise means for puncturing at least one of the compartments of the insert to be held within said housing structure.