Process for manufacturing a detergent briquette

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR MANUFACTURING A DETERGENT BRIQUETTE COMPRISING MIXING TOGETHER 20 TO 40 PERCENT OF A NOR MALLY SOLID WATER SOLUBLE ANIONIC ORGANIC DETERGENT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF SULFATED AND SULFONATED SYNTHETIC DETERGENTS WITH 20 TO 70 PERCENT OF A NORMALLY SOLID WATER SOLUBLE INORGANIC HYDRATABLE BUILDER SALT, PRODUCING THEREFROM A PARTICULATE DETERGENT CONTAINING 2 TO 21% MOISTURE, APPLYING 4 TO 12% ADDED WATER TO THE DETERGENT PARTICLES TO INCREASE THE MOISTURE CONTENT THEREOF TO 6 TO 25% AND TO IMPROVE THE DISINTEGRABILITY OF THE BRIQUETTE LATER FORMED, SAID APPLICATION OF THE PREDETERMINED PROPORTION OF WATER BEING EFFECTED WHILE THE PARTICLES ARE TUMBLED THEREBY EFFECTING A UNIFORM DISTRIBUTION OF THE ADDED WATER OVER THE SURFACES OF THE DETERGENT PARTICLES, PRESSING THE DETERGENT PARTICLES INTO A LIGHTLY COMPACTED SOLID BRIQUETTE AT A PRESSURE OF BETWEEN 3 AND 100 POUNDS PER SQUARE INCH TO FORM A READILY DISINTEGRABLE BRIQUETTE AND APPLYING TO THE BRIQUETTE A PROPORTION BETWEEN 1 AND 5% OF A READILY WATER SOLUBLE SYNTHETIC ORGANIC FILM-FORMING POLYMER SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF POLYVINYL ALCOHOL, POLYVINYLPYRROLIDONE, SODIUM CARBOXYMETHYLCELLULOSE AND HYDROXYPROPYL METHYL CELLULOSE TO FORM ON THE BRIQUETTE SURFACE A WATER SOLUBLE FIM WHICH IS OF STRENGTH SUFFICIENT TO HELP MAKE THE DEGERGENT BRIQUETTE RESISTANT TO ABRASION AND ACCIDENTAL BREAKAGE, WHEN DRY, AND OF SUCH READY SOULBILITY THAT THE DETERGENT BRIQUETTE WILL BE READILY DISINTEGRABLE IN WATER.