Fabric treatment compositions
AssigneeThe Procter & Gamble Company
InventorsWahib Nassif Zaki, Alan Pearce Murphy
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Anti-static fabric softening articles and methods which utilize a composition comprising a cationic fabric softener in combination with a "sorbitan ester" as a second fabric softener and release aid. The composition is releasably affixed or incorporated into a dispensing means and applied to fabrics in an automatic laundry dryer.
Claims22
An article of manufacture adapted for providing fabric softening within an automatic laundry dryer, said article comprising:
- a. a fabric softening amount of a softening composition having a melting point above about 38.degree. C and being flowable at dryer operating temperatures, said composition comprising:
- i. from about 50% to 92% by weight of the composition of a cationic fabric softener material;
- and
- ii. from about 8 up to 50% by weight of the composition of a fatty alkyl sorbitan ester component selected from the group consisting of C.sub.10 to C.sub.26 fatty esters of sorbitan and ethoxylates of said esters wherein one or more of the unesterified --OH groups in said esters contain from 1 to about 20 oxyethylene moieties;
- the weight ratio of cationic fabric softener material to sorbitan ester component being greater than 1:1;
- and
- b. a dispensing means which provides for release of said softening composition within an automatic laundry dryer at dryer operating temperatures, wherein when said dispensing means is a flexible substrate in sheet configuration the fabric softener is releasably affixed to said substrate to provide a weight ratio of softening composition to dry substrate ranging from about 10:1 to 0.5:1.
A method for imparting a softening and anti-static effect to fabrics in an automatic laundry dryer comprising commingling pieces of damp fabrics by tumbling said fabrics under heat in an automatic clothes dryer with an effective amount of a fabric softening composition, said composition having a melting point greater than about 38.degree. C and being flowable at dryer operating temperatures, said composition comprising:
- a. from about 50% to 99.9% by weight of the composition of a cationic fabric softener material;
- and
- b. from about 0.1% up to 50% by weight of the composition of a fatty alkyl sorbitan ester component selected from the group consisting of C.sub.10 to C.sub.26 fatty esters of sorbitan and ethoxylates of said esters wherein one or more of the unesterified -OH groups in said esters contain from 1 to about 20 oxyethylene moieties;
- the weight ratio of cationic fabric softener material to sorbitan ester component being greater than 1:1.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.