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US 5,164,100 AGranted
Fabric softener compositions containing a polymeric fluorescent whitening agent
AssigneeLever Brothers Company, Division of Conopco, Inc.
InventorsMatthew E. Langer, Ferial Khorshahi, John F. Hessel, Simon R. Ellis
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention pertains to fabric softener compositions comprising a surfactant, a fatty acid and a polymeric whitening agent which contains both a fluorescent portion and a hydrophilic portion. Applicants have shown that the polymers can be used in (1) softener compositions wherein biodegradable cationic surfactants are used; and (2) in concentrated softener compositions (i.e., compositions containing 40-80% fabric softener). In concentrated compositions, desirably the use of FFA is minimized or eliminated.
Claims17
A fabric softener composition comprising:
- (a) 2 to 40% of a mixture comprising:
- (1) 0 to 95% of a cationic ammonium salt selected from the group consisting of alkyl or alkenyl quaternary ammonium salts, alkyl pyridinium salts substituted immidazolinium salts;
- (2) 1-95% of a biodegradable cationic ammonium salt selected from the group consisting of alkyl ester quaternary compounds;
- (3) 0.01 to 20% free fatty acid;
- (4) 0 to about 95% primary, secondary or tertiary amine;
- (5) from 0% to 95% of a condensation product of C.sub.8 to C.sub.18 alkyl carboxylic acid and alkylpolyamine;
- and
- (6) 0 to 40% of a polysiloxane or alkyl, alkoxy, or alkylamine modified polysiloxane;
- (b) a copolymer whitening agent containing a fluorescent group and a hydrophilic group;
- and
- (c) water;
- wherein the copolymer (b) has the formula ##STR12## wherein R is a difunctional aryl group or a difunctional straight or branched alkyl chain having 4 to 16 carbons;
- R.sub.1 is hydrogen, an aliphatic group having 1 to 20 carbons, an aryl, an alkaryl, a secondary amine, an alkali metal sulfonate, an alkali metal carboxylate, an alkyl ether or a halogen atom;
- R.sub.2 is a straight or branch chain alkoxy group having 1 to 16 carbons, an aryloxy or a substituted aryloxy group;
- R.sub.3 is a straight or branch chain alkyl group having 1 to 16 carbons;
- and
- R.sub.4 is a difunctional fluorescent moiety;
- x is selected such that the difunctional hydrophobic group is present at 0-49 mol % of the composition mixture when the copolymer is polymerized;
- y is selected such that the R.sub.2 group is present at 0-45% mol % of the mixture;
- z is selected such that the (OR.sub.3).sub.n group is present at 5-45 mol % of the mixture wherein n is an integer between 2 and 200;
- and
- w is selected such that the R.sub.4 group is present at 1-50 mol % of the reaction mixture.
19 more elements
A fabric softener composition comprising:
- (a) 40 to 80% of a mixture comprising:
- (1) 15 to 95% of a cationic ammonium salt selected from the group consisting of alkyl or alkenyl quaternary ammonium salts, alkyl pyridinium salts and substituted immidazolinium salts and alkyl ester quaternary compounds;
- (2) 0 to 20% free fatty acid;
- (3) 0 to about 95% primary secondary or tertiary amine;
- (4) from 0% to 95% of a condensation product of C.sub.8 to C.sub.18 alkyl carboxylic acid and alkyl polyamine;
- and
- (5) 0 to 40% of a polysiloxane or alkyl, alkoxy, or alkylamine modified polysiloxane;
- (b) a copolymer whitening agent containing a fluorescent group and a hydrophilic group;
- and
- (c) remainder water and optional ingredients,
- wherein the copolymer (b) has the formula ##STR21## wherein R is a difunctional aryl group or a difunctional straight or branched alkyl chain having 4 to 16 carbons;
- R.sub.1 is hydrogen, an aliphatic group having 1 to 20 carbons, an aryl, an alkaryl, a secondary amine, an alkali metal sulfonate, an alkali metal carboxylate, an alkyl ether or a halogen atom;
- R.sub.2 is a straight or branch chain alkoxy group having 1 to 16 carbons, an aryloxy or a substituted aryloxy group;
- R.sub.3 is a straight or branch chain alkyl group having 1 to 16 carbons;
- and
- R.sub.4 is a difunctional fluorescent moiety;
- x is selected such that the difunctional hydrophobic group is present at 0-49 mol % of the composition mixture when the copolymer is polymerized;
- y is selected such that the R.sub.2 group is present at 0-45% mol % of the mixture;
- z is selected such that the (OR.sub.3).sub.n group is present at 5-45 mol % of the mixture wherein n is an integer between 2 and 200;
- and
- w is selected such that the R.sub.4 group is present at 1-50 mol % of the reaction mixture.
18 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.