# US 12,006,410 B2 · Flexible, porous, dissolvable solid sheet articles having large pores and method of making same > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,006,410 B2 - Document ID: US12006410B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/101,091 - Filed: 2020-11-23 - Published: 2021-06-03 - Granted: 2024-06-11 - Earliest claimed: 2019-11-29 - Assignees: The Procter & Gamble Company - Applicants: The Procter & Gamble Company - Inventors: Carl David Mac Namara; Hongsing Tan; Robert Wayne Glenn, Jr.; Xiao Tian - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12006410B2 ## CPC - C08J 5/18: Manufacture of films or sheets - B29C 67/202: {comprising elimination of a solid or a liquid ingredient} - C08J 9/0033: {containing sulfur} - C08J 9/30: by mixing gases into liquid compositions or plastisols, e.g. frothing with air - C11D 17/042: {Water soluble or water disintegrable containers or substrates containing cleaning compositions or additives for cleaning compositions} - C11D 17/06: Powder; Flakes; Free-flowing mixtures; Sheets - C08J 9/0061: {characterized by the use of several polymeric components} - C08J 2201/03: Extrusion of the foamable blend - C08J 2201/05: Elimination by evaporation or heat degradation of a liquid phase - C08J 2205/044: Micropores, i.e. average diameter being between 0,1 micrometer and 0,1 millimeter - C08J 2205/05: Open cells, i.e. more than 50% of the pores are open - C08J 2205/06: Flexible foams - C08J 2300/12: Polymers characterised by physical features, e.g. anisotropy, viscosity or electrical conductivity - C08J 2300/14: Water soluble or water swellable polymers, e.g. aqueous gels - C08J 2329/04: Polyvinyl alcohol; Partially hydrolysed homopolymers or copolymers of esters of unsaturated alcohols with saturated carboxylic acids - C08J 2429/04: Polyvinyl alcohol; Partially hydrolysed homopolymers or copolymers of esters of unsaturated alcohols with saturated carboxylic acids - C08J: WORKING-UP; GENERAL PROCESSES OF COMPOUNDING; AFTER-TREATMENT NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C08B, C08C, C08F, C08G or C08H (working, e.g. shaping, of plastics B29) - B29C: SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING (making preforms B29B11/00; making laminated products by combining previously unconnected layers which become one product whose layers will remain together B32B37/00 - B32B41/00) - C11D: DETERGENT COMPOSITIONS; USE OF SINGLE SUBSTANCES AS DETERGENTS; SOAP OR SOAP-MAKING; RESIN SOAPS; RECOVERY OF GLYCEROL ## Abstract This provides a flexible, porous, dissolvable solid sheet article having large pores on its top surface as well as a method of making the same. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A process for making a sheet article, comprising the steps of: a) preparing a wet pre-mixture comprising a water-soluble polymer and a surfactant and having a viscosity of from 1,000 cps to 25,000 cps measured at 40° C. and 1 s−1; b) aerating said wet pre-mixture to form an aerated wet pre-mixture having a density of from 0.05 to 0.5 g/ml; c) aging said aerated wet pre-mixture for at least 5 min; d) forming said aged aerated wet pre-mixture into a sheet having opposing first and second sides; and e) drying said formed sheet for a drying time of from 1 minute to 60 minutes to make the sheet article. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The process according to claim 1, wherein the step c) is conducted for a duration from 5 min to 300 min. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The process according to claim 1, wherein said sheet of aged aerated wet pre-mixture is dried on a heated surface that has a controlled surface temperature of from 70° C. to 170° C. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The process according to claim 3, wherein said heated surface is the outer surface of a rotary drum dryer. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The process according to claim 4, wherein said heated surface is the outer surface of a heated moving belt. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The process according to claim 4, wherein in the step d), said sheet is formed by using a spinning bar that is rotating at a speed of from 5 to 80 rpm. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The process according to claim 6, wherein the spinning bar is positioned so that the distance between the spinning bar and the outer surface of the rotary drum is from 3 mm to 15 mm. ### Claim 8 (depends on 4) The process according to claim 4, wherein in step d), said sheet is formed by a feeding die having a feeding speed of from 0.1 m/min to 50 m/min. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The process according to claim 8, wherein the feeding die has a feeding thickness of from 0.5 mm to 10 mm. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The process according to claim 1, wherein the wet pre-mixture is characterized by: (1) a solid content ranging from from 25% to 45% by weight of said wet pre-mixture; and (2) a viscosity ranging from 5,000 cps to 23,000 cps as measured at 40° C. and 1 s−1. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The process according to claim 1, wherein the wet pre-mixture is preheated to a temperature of from 40° C. to 100° C., before aeration; and/or wherein the wet pre-mixture is maintained at a temperature of from 40° C. to 100° C. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The process according to claim 1, wherein the aerating in the step b) is accomplished by introducing a gas into the wet pre-mixture utilizing: a rotor stator mixer, a planetary mixer, a pressurized mixer, a non-pressurized mixer, a batch mixer, a continuous mixer, a semi-continuous mixer, a high shear mixer, a low shear mixer, a submerged sparger, or any combinations thereof. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The process according to claim 1, wherein the drying in the step e) is conducted at a temperature from 70° C. to 200° C. along a heating direction that forms a temperature gradient decreasing from the first side to the opposing second side of said formed sheet, wherein said heating direction is substantially opposite to the gravitational direction for more than half of the drying time. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The process according to claim 13, wherein the drying time is from 2 to 15 minutes; and/or wherein the drying temperature is from 95° C. to 140° C.; and wherein said heating direction is substantially opposite to the gravitational direction for more than 75% of the drying time. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1, wherein the aerated wet pre-mixture is aged for about 10 to about 150 minutes. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1, wherein said sheet of aged aerated wet pre-mixture is dried on a heated surface and the heated surface is a primary heat source for said sheet during drying. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The process of claim 16, wherein the heated surface is the only heat source for said sheet during drying. ### Claim 18 (depends on 4) The process of claim 4, wherein the rotary drum dryer is rotated at a speed of from 0.005 rpm to 0.25 rpm, during the drying step. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1, wherein the aerated wet pre-mixture is maintained at a temperature of from 10° C. to 100° C., during aging. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1, wherein the aerated wet premixture is maintained at a temperature of 20° C. to 40° C., during aging.