Detergent for cleaning tire wheels and cleaning method

• US 5,929,004 A
• Filed: 10/10/1997
• Issued: 07/27/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: No Touch North America
• Original Assignee: No Touch North America
• Inventors: Kijima, Tetsuo, Ikeda, Atsushi, Ushijima, Takashi, Shinohara, Seigo
• Primary Examiner(s): Gupta, Yogendra N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Webb, Gregory E.
• Application Number:
  US08/948,577
• Time in Patent Office: 655 Days
• Field of Search: 510/435, 510/199, 510/238, 510/245, 510/241, 510/189, 510/191, 510/426, 510/100, 510/428
• US Class Current: 510/100
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 1/123 derived from carboxylic acids, e.g. sulfosuccinates
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 1/22 derived from aromatic compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 1/37 Mixtures of compounds all of which are anionic
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 2111/42 Application of foam or a temporary coating on the surface to be cleaned
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 3/044 Hydroxides or bases
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 3/046 Salts
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 3/30 Amines; Substituted amines ; Quaternized amines
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 3/40 Dyes ; Pigments

Abstract

This invention there provides a detergent for cleaning tire wheels, which is applied in a foamy state onto the tire wheels, thereby allowing a grime adhered to the surface of the tire wheels to come off from the tire wheels, which contains a surfactant, at least one alkali compound selected from the group consisting of ammonia and amino group-containing alkali compounds, and a color change indicator capable of changing its own color when transferred from an alkaline condition to a neutral condition, in which the alkali compound is contained in the detergent in such an amount that the compound is eliminated from the detergent by reaction with carbon dioxide for the same period of time as required to release most amounts of grime from the surface of tire wheels, and a method of cleaning tire wheels with the detergent.

Claims

1. A detergent for cleaning tire wheels, which is applied in a foamy state onto the tire wheels, thereby allowing grime sticking onto the surface of the tire wheels to come off from the surface, which comprises

an anionic surfactant, wherein said anionic surfactant is a mixture of alkylbenzene sulfonates and alkylsulfosuccinates,

at least one alkali compound selected from the group consisting of ammonia and amino group-containing alkali compounds, and

a color chance indicator capable of changing its own color when turned from an alkaline condition to a neutral condition,

in which the alkali compound is contained in the detergent in such an amount that the compound is eliminated from the detergent by reaction with carbon dioxide for the same period of time as required to release most amounts of grime from the surface of tire wheels.

3. The detergent according to claim 1, further containing one or both of pigments and dyes.

4. The detergent according to claim 1, wherein said amino-containing alkali compound is at least one selected from the group consisting of morpholine and alkanolamine.

5. The detergent according to claim 1, wherein said color change indicator is phenolphthalein.

6. The detergent according to claim 1, wherein said color change is a mixture of phenolphthalein and thymolphthalein.

2. A method of cleaning tire wheels, which comprises

depositing onto a tire wheel in a foamed state, a detergent which comprises a surfactant, at least one alkali compound selected from the group consisting of ammonia and amino group-containing alkali compounds, and a color change indicator capable of changing its color when turned from an alkali condition to a neutral condition, and in which the alkali compound is present in an amount such that said alkali compound is eliminated from the deterrent by reaction with carbon dioxide over a period of time required to release most amounts of grime from the surface of the tire wheel, and

removing the foamed detergent from the tire wheel when the foamed detergent changes color.

7. The method according to claim 2, wherein the detergent further contains one or both of pigments and dyes.

8. The method according to claim 2, wherein said amino-containing alkali compound is at least one selected from the group consisting of morpholine and alkanolamine.

9. The method according to claim 2, wherein said color change indicator is phenolphthalein.

10. The method of claim 2, wherein said color change is a mixture of phenolphthalein and thymolphthalein.