Fabric article treating method and apparatus

• US 20060191157A1
• Filed: 04/20/2006
• Published: 08/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Original Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Inventors: Gerlach, Christian Gerhard Friedrich, DuVal, Dean Larry, Combs, Mary Jane, Barron, Bradford Scott, Pancheri, Eugene Joseph, Rienzo, Paul Eugene
• Granted Patent: US 7,392,600 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 34/329
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 37/42 Safety arrangements, e.g. for stopping rotation of the receptacle upon opening of the casing door
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 58/203 Laundry conditioning arrangements

Abstract

A dispensing device for use in combination with a clothes dryer wherein the device is designed to uniformly treat fabric. The invention further relates to a method for treating a fabric article in need of treatment that combines a clothes dryer and liquid dispensing system designed to uniformly treat fabric.

Claims

1. An in-home method for treating a fabric article in need of treatment comprising:

a. providing a fabric article treating system designed for domestic use, wherein the system comprises

     1) a clothes drying appliance, and

     2) a source of an electrically charged liquid, and optionally,

     3) a safety system capable of preventing contact of the electrically charged liquid to a user of the fabric article treating system;

b. placing the fabric article in need of treatment within the clothes drying appliance;

c. operating the fabric article treating system such that the source of the electrically charged liquid delivers an electrically charged liquid to the fabric article placed within the clothes drying appliance such that the fabric article is treated.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the source of the electrically charged liquid is located inside of the clothes drying appliance.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the electrically charged liquid comprises water.

4. The method according to claim 3 wherein the electrically charged liquid further comprises a non-volatile mineral agent.

5. The method according to claim 3 wherein the electrically charged liquid further comprises one or more fabric article actives selected from the group consisting of:

solvents, surfactants, wrinkle releasing agents, anti-static agents, anti-shrinking agents, antibacterial agents, wetting agents, crystal modifiers, soil release agents, colorants, brighteners, perfume, odor reducers/eliminators, deodorizer/refreshing agents, stain repellents, color enhancers, starch, sizing agents, and mixtures thereof.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the method further comprises the step of:

d. drying the treated fabric article.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein the fabric article is treated with the electrically charged liquid while the fabric article is in motion within the clothes drying appliance.

8. The method according to claim 1 wherein the source of an electrically charged liquid comprises a liquid reservoir and/or a nozzle for delivering the electrically charged liquid.

9. A fabric article treating system designed for domestic use, wherein the system comprises 1) a clothes drying appliance, and 2) a source of an electrically charged liquid, and optionally, 3) a safety system capable of preventing contact of the electrically charged liquid to a user of the fabric article treating system.

10. The fabric article treating system according to claim 9 wherein the source of the electrically charged liquid comprises a liquid dispensing device which is associated with the clothes drying appliance is a manner such the electrically charged liquid is dispensed within the clothes drying appliance.

11. The fabric article treating system according to claim 10 wherein the liquid dispensing device is integrated into the clothes drying appliance.

12. The fabric article treating system according to claim 9 wherein the source of the electrically charged liquid comprises one or more orifices.

13. The fabric article treating system according to claim 12 wherein each orifice has an outlet diameter from about 0.1 μ

m to about 1000 μ

m.

14. The fabric article treating system according to claim 12 wherein the electrically charged liquid is dispensed from the one or more orifices at a flow rate of less than about 100 ml/minute.

15. The fabric article treating system according to claim 9 wherein the electrically charged liquid is delivered hydrodynamically to each orifice or to a number of orifices with a volume flow rate of from about 1 to about 10 ml/min for each orifice.

16. The fabric article treating system according to claim 9 wherein the liquid is charged to an applied potential in the range of from about 0.2 to about 50 kV.

17. The fabric article treating system according to claim 9 wherein the electrically charged liquid comprises a moiety that can acquire an electric charge.

18. The fabric article treating system according to claim 17 wherein the moiety exhibits a resistivity of less than about 10⁵ Ohms*m.

19. The fabric article treating system according to claim 17 wherein the electrically charged liquid comprises a moiety that can retain an electric charge for a time period sufficient for the electrically charged liquid to contact the fabric article.

20. The fabric article treating system according to claim 17 wherein the delivery of the electrically charged liquid is influenced by one or more of the following variables:

orientation of the source of the electrically charged liquid in the clothes drying appliance, air or fabric article temperature in the clothes drying appliance, relative air humidity in the clothes drying appliance and/or water retention of the fabric article within the clothes drying appliance.

34. The fabric article treating system according to claim 20 further comprising one or more sensors.

21. An article of manufacture comprising:

a. a composition comprising a moiety capable of acquiring an electric charge; and

b. instructions for using the composition in a clothes drying appliance such that the moiety acquires an electric charge and retains the electric charge for a time period sufficient for the composition to contact a fabric article being treated within the clothes drying appliance.

22. A method for the treatment of a fabric article with one or more refreshing, deodorizing and/or finishing compositions comprising at least one of the steps of:

(a) identifying an apparel characteristic of said fabric article;

(b) identifying a desired benefit for said fabric article;

(c) identifying at least one refreshing, deodorizing and/or finishing composition appropriate for the apparel characteristic identified in (a) and/or the desired benefit identified in (b) of said fabric article, wherein the compositions comprise a moiety capable of acquiring an electric charge; and

(d) contacting said fabric article with an effective amount of an identified refreshing, deodorizing and/or finishing composition from (c), wherein the moiety within the composition possesses an electric charge for a time period sufficient for the composition to contact the fabric article.

23. The method according to claim 22 wherein the desired benefit is selected from the group consisting of:

softening, crispness, water and/or stain repellency, refreshing, anti-static, anti-shrinkage, antimicrobial, durable press, wrinkle resistance, odor resistance, abrasion resistance, anti-felting, anti-pilling, appearance enhancement and mixtures thereof.

24. The method according to claim 22 wherein said apparel characteristic of said garment is determined by versioning.

25. The method according to claim 22 wherein said step of contacting the fabric article (d) occurs in a clothes drying appliance.

26. The method according to claim 22 wherein the appropriate refreshing, deodorizing and/or finishing composition further comprises:

(i) a moiety capable of acquiring an electric charge;

(ii) an effective amount of a desired benefit agent;

(iii) optionally, a carrier;

(iv) optionally, an effective amount to absorb or reduce malodor, of an odor control agent; and

(v) optionally, additional fabric care agents;

wherein said composition has a pH of from about 2 to about 11 and a viscosity of less than about 10,000 cps and/or a surface tension of less than about 100 dynes/cm.

27. The method according to claim 22 further comprising step (e) drying said fabric article.

28. A fabric article treating system wherein the fabric article treating system comprises:

1) a clothes drying appliance, and

     2) a source of an electrically charged liquid, wherein the source of the electrically charged liquid is a self-contained stand-alone device.

29. The fabric article treating system of claim 28 wherein said device is removably attached to the clothes drying appliance.

30. The fabric article treating system of claim 28 wherein said device is attached to the interior of the clothes drying appliance.

31. The fabric article treating system of claim 28 wherein the source of electrically charged liquid is a hydraulic nozzle, sonic nebulizer, high pressure fog nozzle, air atomization nozzle, an orifice, or a combination thereof.

32. The fabric article treating system of claim 28 including a liquid which is electrically charged prior to the time it is separated from the source of said electric charge.

33. The fabric article treating system of claim 28 including a liquid which is electrically charged after the liquid is separated from the source of the electric charge.

35. A fabric article treating system designed for domestic use, wherein the system comprises 1) a clothes drying appliance, 2) a source of an electrically charged liquid, and 3) a grounding component.

36. The fabric article treating system of claim 35 wherein the grounding component comprises a metal plate.

37. A fabric article treating system designed for domestic use, wherein the system comprises 1) a clothes drying appliance and a source of an electrically charged liquid wherein the source of electrically charged liquid is a component or subassembly of the clothes drying appliance.

38. The fabric article treating system of claim 37 wherein the source of electrically charged liquid includes a hydraulic nozzle, sonic nebulizer, high pressure fog nozzle, air atomization nozzle, an orifice, or a combination thereof.

39. The fabric article treating system of claim 38 wherein the fabric article treating system comprises a water line, a refillable reservoir, a nonrefillable reservoir, or a combination thereof.

40. The fabric article treating system of claim 37 further comprising an electrically charged liquid wherein the electrically charged liquid contacts the interior of the clothes drying appliance while the clothes drying appliance is in motion or while the clothes drying appliance is not in motion.