Extruded cleansing product

• US 20040048759A1
• Filed: 09/05/2002
• Published: 03/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide Incorporated (Kimberly-Clark Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide Incorporated (Kimberly-Clark Corporation)
• Inventors: Nelson, Michael J., Thomack, Vickie M., Christoffel, Sarah L., Stavinoha, Emil Sr., Sojka, Marci E., Ribble, Brendon F., Probst, Timothy J., Hochholzer, Robert C., Riegert, Joseph R., Hancock-Cooke, Catherine M., Kerins, John E.
• Granted Patent: US 7,960,326 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 510/141
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 8/046 Aerosols; Foams
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 8/26 Aluminium; Compounds thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 8/34 Alcohols
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 8/466 containing sulfonic acid derivatives; Salts
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 8/732 Starch; Amylose; Amylopectin; Derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 8/8129 Compositions of homopolymers or copolymers of compounds having one or more unsaturated aliphatic radicals, each having only one carbon-to-carbon double bond, and at least one being terminated by an alcohol, ether, aldehydo, ketonic, acetal or ketal radical; Compositions of hydrolysed polymers or esters of unsaturated alcohols with saturated carboxylic acids; Compositions of derivatives of such polymers, e.g. polyvinylmethylether
• CPC Class Codes: A61Q 19/10 Washing or bathing preparations
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 17/00 Detergent materials or soaps characterised by their shape or physical properties shaping soap C11D13/14
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 2111/42 Application of foam or a temporary coating on the surface to be cleaned
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 3/222 Natural or synthetic polysaccharides, e.g. cellulose, starch, gum, alginic acid or cyclodextrin
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 3/37 Polymers polymeric surface-active agents C11D1/008; polysaccharides C11D3/222

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a personal cleansing product which can be sized as a single use personal cleansing product. The cleansing product is an extruded foam product which can disintegrate upon contact with water when used in the standard fashion to wash. As the foam disintegrates, the cleansing agent held in the foam matrix is released. The disintegration of the product can take place slowly, over a period of time such that when an individually sized cleanser is used to scrub until it completely disintegrates, scrubbing duration is long enough to ensure desired levels of cleanliness have been attained. Alternatively, the product can disintegrate immediately, and release all of the soap at essentially one time. The product is an extruded foam expanded from a mixture of a natural starch, a nucleating agent, a water soluble disintegrant, a blowing agent, a water soluble polymer, and a soap base. Optionally, the foam can include a destructured starch, natural, dyes, fragrances, and the like to obtain specific product characteristics.

Claims

1. An extruded foam cleansing product comprising:

a water soluble disintegrant;

a natural starch;

a soap base;

a nucleating agent;

a water soluble polymer; and

wherein said foam disintegrates when the foam is in contact with water such that the soap base is released from the foam as the foam disintegrates.

2. The cleansing product of claim 1, comprising between about 5% and about 10% by weight nucleating agent.

3. The cleansing product of claim 1, wherein the nucleating agent comprises talc.

4. The cleansing product of claim 3, wherein the talc comprises food grade talc.

5. The cleansing product of claim 1, wherein the product comprises between about 5% and about 10% water soluble polymer.

6. The cleansing product of claim 5, wherein the water soluble polymer comprises polyvinyl alcohol.

7. The cleansing product of claim 1, wherein the product comprises between about 2% and about 10% natural starch.

8. The cleansing product of claim 1, wherein the product comprises between about 20% and about 65% by weight water soluble disintegrant.

9. The cleansing product of claim 1, wherein the water soluble disintegrant comprises dextrin.

10. The cleansing product of claim 9, wherein the water soluble disintegrant comprises maltodextrin.

11. The cleansing product of claim 1, wherein the foam disintegrates in less than about 2 minutes.

12. The cleansing product of claim 1, wherein the foam disintegrates over a period of time which is dependent upon the temperature of the water.

13. The cleansing product of claim 1, wherein the cleansing product comprises between about 10% and about 30% by weight soap base.

14. The cleansing product of claim 1, wherein said soap base comprises a synthetic detergent.

15. The cleansing product of claim 1, wherein said soap base comprises a fatty acid soap.

16. The cleansing product of claim 1, further comprising an additive selected from the group consisting of dyes, fragrances, emollients, vitamins, antioxidants, and mixtures thereof.

17. The cleansing product of claim 1, further comprising an encapsulated additive.

18. The cleansing product of claim 1, further comprising an abrasion enhancing additive.

19. The cleansing product of claim 1, further comprising destructured starch.

20. The cleansing product of claim 19, wherein said product comprises less than about 25% by weight destructured starch.

21. An extruded foam cleansing product formed from a mixture comprising:

a water soluble disintegrant;

a nucleating agent;

a soap base;

a natural starch;

a water soluble thermoplastic polymer;

a blowing agent; and

wherein said foam disintegrates when the foam is in contact with water such that the soap base is released from the foam as the foam disintegrates.

22. The cleansing product of claim 21, further comprising destructured starch.

23. The cleansing product of claim 22, wherein the mixture comprises less than about 25% by weight destructured starch.

24. The cleansing product of claim 21, wherein the mixture comprises between about 20% and about 50% by weight water soluble disintegrant, between about 10% and about 30% by weight soap base selected from the group consisting of synthetic detergents, fatty acid soaps, and mixtures thereof, between about 5% and about 10% water soluble thermoplastic polymer, between about 5% and about 10% by weight of a blowing agent, between about 5% and about 10% by weight nucleating agent, between 0% and about 25% destructured starch, and between about 2% and about 10% natural starch.

25. The cleansing product of claim 24, wherein the foam disintegrates in less than about 2 minutes.

26. The cleansing product of claim 24, wherein the foam disintegrates upon contact with water.

27. The cleansing product of claim 24, wherein said foam disintegrates over a period of time that is dependent upon the temperature of the water.

28. The cleansing product of claim 21, wherein the blowing agent comprises an alcohol.

29. The cleansing product of claim 28, wherein the alcohol comprises ethanol.

30. The cleansing product of claim 21, wherein the water soluble disintegrant comprises dextrin.

31. The cleansing product of claim 30, wherein the water soluble disintegrant comprises maltodextrin.

32. The cleansing product of claim 21, wherein the nucleating agent is food grade talc.

33. The cleansing product of claim 21, wherein the water soluble thermoplastic polymer comprises polyvinyl alcohol.

34. The cleansing product of claim 21, said mixture further comprising an additive selected from the group consisting of dyes, fragrances, emollients, vitamins, antioxidants, and mixtures thereof.

35. The cleansing product of claim 21, said mixture further comprising an encapsulated additive.

36. The cleansing product of claim 21, said mixture further comprising an abrasion enhancing additive.

37. A process for producing an extruded cleansing product comprising:

forming a mixture, said mixture comprising less than about 25% by weight destructured starch, between about 20% and about 65% by weight water soluble disintegrant, between about 10% and about 30% by weight soap base selected from the group consisting of detergents, fatty acid soaps, and mixtures thereof, between about 5% and about 10% by weight nucleating agent, between about 2% and about 10% by weight natural starch, between about 5% and about 10% water soluble thermoplastic polymer, and between about 5% and about 10% by weight alcohol; and

expanding said mixture by passage through an extruder to form a foam.

38. The process of claim 37, wherein said mixture is formed in a mixer prior to being transferred to said extruder.

39. The process of claim 37, wherein said extruder is a single screw extruder.

40. The process of claim 37, wherein said extruder is a twin screw extruder.

41. The process of claim 40, wherein said twin screw extruder is a conical twin screw extruder.

42. The process of claim 37, wherein said extruder operates at a screw speed of between about 50 and about 250 rpm.

43. The process of claim 37, wherein said extruder defines a feed zone at a temperature of between about 80°

C. and about 130°

C. and a nozzle at a temperature of between about 100°

C. and about 175°

C.

44. The process of claim 37, wherein said extruder is a co-extruder.

45. The process of claim 37. further comprising cutting said foam to form an extruded cleansing product of a particular shape.

46. The process of claim 45 further comprising attaching two or more shaped extruded cleansing products together to form a conglomerate of cleansing products.

47. The process of claim 45, further comprising embossing said particular shape.

48. The process of claim 37, further comprising molding said foam.

49. The process of claim 37, further comprising injection molding said foam.