Garment stain removal product which uses sonic or ultrasonic waves

• US 6,689,730 B2
• Filed: 04/23/2002
• Issued: 02/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Original Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Inventors: Hortel, Thomas Charles, Senapati, Nagabhusan
• Primary Examiner(s): Douyon, Lorna M.
• Application Number:
  US10/128,091
• Publication Number:
  US 20020155965A1
• Time in Patent Office: 658 Days
• Field of Search: 510/277, 510/283, 510/406, 510/432, 510/439, 813/7
• US Class Current: 510/277
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 25/08 Pads or the like for cleaning clothes using adhesive surfaces A47L25/005
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 3/12 by sonic or ultrasonic vibrations washing or rinsing machines for crockery or tableware using sonic or ultrasonic waves A47L15/13; of natural teeth, of prostheses using ultrasonic techniques similar to those used for natural teeth A61C17/20; application of ultrasonic vibrations to chemical, physical or physico-chemical processes in general B01J19/10
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 17/04 combined with or containing other objects
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 17/041 Compositions releasably affixed on a substrate or incorporated into a dispensing means
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 17/049 Cleaning or scouring pads; Wipes
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 2111/46 applying energy, e.g. irradiation
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 3/3947 Liquid compositions
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 3/43 Solvents

Abstract

A garment stain removal product and process is disclosed. The product includes a liquid cleaning composition which contains water, an organic solvent and a surfactant, an absorbent stain receiver, and a sonic or ultrasonic wave generating source for imparting sonic or ultrasonic waves onto stains on textiles. The sonic or ultrasonic wave source is, for example, a hand-held, pen-shaped device with a directed point to focus the sonic or ultrasonic waves at the stain to be removed.

Claims

1. A garment stain removal kit comprising:

a) a liquid cleaning composition; and

b) a battery-operated, hand-held sonic or ultrasonic vibrational device comprising a sonic or ultrasonic wave generating source for imparting sonic or ultrasonic waves onto stain on garments wherein said sonic or ultrasonic wave generating source comprises a vibrating horn or tip at one distal end of said device such that said sonic or ultrasonic waves are focused at the stain to be removed, wherein said horn or tip comprises a smooth, rounded surface and wherein said liquid cleaning composition and said sonic or ultrasonic wave generating source are contained together in said device.

2. The stain removal kit according to claim 1 wherein the liquid cleaning composition comprises an ingredient selected from the group consisting of water, sunfactants, organic solvents and mixtures thereof.

3. The stain removal kit according to claim 2, wherein the liquid cleaning composition comprises an organic solvent comprising butoxy propoxy propanol.

4. The stain removal kit according to claim 2, wherein the liquid cleaning composition comprises a surfactant selected from the group consisting of anionic surfactants, nonionic surfacrants, cationic surfactants and mixtures thereof.

5. The stain removal kit according to claim 1 the kit further comprises an absorbent stain receiver article.

6. The stain removal kit according to claim 5 wherein the absorbent stain receiver article comprises a material selected from the group consisting of:

continued wood pulp, creped cellulose wadding, hydrogel-forming polymer gelling agents, creped tissues, creped nonwovens containing fibers comprised of absorbent polymers, modified cross-linked cellulose fibers, capillary channel fibers, absorbent foams, thermally bonded airlaid materials, absorbent sponges, synthetic staple fibers, polymeric fibers, peat moss and mixtures thereof.

7. The stain removal kit according to claim 1 wherein the device is in the form of a pen-shaped device.

8. The stain removal kit according to claim 1 wherein the liquid cleaning composition is associated with the device such that the device can dispense the liquid cleaning composition.

9. The stain removal kit according to claim 8 wherein the device can dispense the liquid cleaning composition while concurrently imparting sonic or ultrasonic waves.

10. The stain removal kit according to claim 1 wherein the kit further comprises instructions for using the kit to remove and/or reduce a stain from a garment, the instructions comprising the steps of:

a) applying an effective amount of the liquid cleaning composition to the stain;

b) imparting sonic or ultrasonic waves to the stain using the device; and

c) optionally, contacting an absorbent stain receiver article with the stain while applying pressure so as to absorb the stain into the absorbent stain receiver article.

11. The stain removal kit according to claim 1 wherein steps a) and b) occur concurrently.

12. The stain removal kit according to claim 10 wherein the liquid cleaning composition is associated with the device such that the device dispenses the liquid cleaning composition in step a).

13. The stain removal kit according to claim 1 wherein the liquid cleaning composition comprises:

a) from about 0.1% to about 10% by weight of an organic solvent;

b) from about 0% to about 7% by weight of hydrogen peroxide;

c) from about 0% to about 3% by weight of a peroxide-stabilizing amount of a chelating agent;

d) from about 0.05% to about 2% by weight of a surfactant; and

e) the balance water; and

f) optionally, other cleaning ingredients.

14. A process for removing a stain from a garment comprising the steps of:

a) applying an effective amount of a liquid cleaning composition to the stain; and

b) imparting sonic or ultrasonic waves to the stain using a battery-operated, hand-held sonic or ultrasonic vibrational device comprising a sonic or ultrasonic wave generating source for imparting sonic or ultrasonic waves onto stain on garments wherein said sonic or ultrasonic wave generating source comprises a vibrating horn or tip at one distal end of said device such that said sonic or ultrasonic waves are focused at the stain to be removed, wherein said horn or tip comprises a smooth, rounded surface and wherein said liquid cleaning Composition and said sonic or ultrasonic wave generating source are contained together in said device, such that the stain is removed and/or reduced; and

c) optionally, absorbing the removed and/or reduced stain with an absorbent stain receiver article by applying pressure to the stain with the absorbent stain receiver article.

15. The process according to claim 14 wherein the liquid cleaning composition comprises an ingredient selected from the group consisting of water, surfactants, organic solvents and mixtures thereof.

16. The process according to claim 14 wherein steps a) and b) occur concurrently.

17. The process according to claim 14 wherein the liquid cleaning composition is associated with the device such that the device dispenses the liquid cleaning composition in step a).