US4128484A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Fabric softening compositions
Assignee: Procter and Gamble Co
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Filing: 1975-07-14
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Granted: 1978-12-05
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Expires: 1995-07-14
Abstract
Abstract An aqueous emulsion comprising a fatty alkyl ester of a polyhydric alcohol and a cationic surfactant provides a fabric softening composition of unexpected efficacy. In particular, the use of a sorbitan ester with a cationic surfactant provides a softening agent which deposits effectively onto fabric from an aqueous bath.
Inventors
- 👤 Brian D. Barford
- 👤 Lawrence Benjamin
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 20:00
CPC Classifications
C; C11; C11D; C11D3/00; C11D3/0005; C11D3/001; C11D3/0015; C11D1/00; C11D1/66; C11D1/835; D; D06; D06M; D06M13/00; D06M13/10; D06M13/224; D06M13/322; D06M13/325; D06M13/328; D06M13/35; D06M13/46; D06M13/467; C11D1/38; C11D1/62; C11D1/667; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S260/00; Y10S260/15; Y10S260/19; Y10S260/20
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 17
Claim 1
Independent Claim
157 words
A fabric softening composition in the form of an aqueous dispersion, comprising: (i) from about 3% to about 20% by weight of a disperse phase comprising (a) at least about 30% by weight of a fatty acid partial ester of a polyhydric alcohol or anhydride thereof containing from 3 to about 8 carbon atoms; and (b) at least about 5% by weight of a cationic surfactant selected from non-cyclic quaternary ammonium salts having at least one C 12 -C 30 alkyl chain, C 8 -C 25 alkyl imidazolinium salts, and C 12 -C 20 alkyl pyridinium salts; the particles of the disperse phase being characterized by an average particle size of less than about 4 microns, said dispersed particles having a positive charge distribution on the surface thereof; and (ii) the balance of the composition comprising a liquid carrier selected from the group consisting of water and mixtures of water and C 1 -C 4 monohydric alcohols.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
157 words
A fabric softening composition in the form of an aqueous dispersion, comprising: (i) from about 3% to about 20% by weight of a disperse phase comprising (a) at least about 30% by weight of a fatty acid partial ester of a polyhydric alcohol or anhydride thereof containing from 3 to about 8 carbon atoms; and (b) at least about 5% by weight of a cationic surfactant selected from non-cyclic quaternary ammonium salts having at least one C 12 -C 30 alkyl chain, C 8 -C 25 alkyl imidazolinium salts, and C 12 -C 20 alkyl pyridinium salts; the particles of the disperse phase being characterized by an average particle size of less than about 4 microns, said dispersed particles having a positive charge distribution on the surface thereof; and (ii) the balance of the composition comprising a liquid carrier selected from the group consisting of water and mixtures of water and C 1 -C 4 monohydric alcohols.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
22 words
A softening composition according to claim 1 in which the partial ester is a C 12 -C 20 alkyl ester of sorbitan.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
23 words
A softening composition according to claim 1 in which at least about 80% of the disperse phase comprises the components (a) and (b).
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
118 words
A softening composition according to claim 1 wherein the particles of the disperse phase consist essentially of from about 70% to about 95% by weight of a fatty acid partial ester of a C 3 -C 8 polyhydric alcohol, or anhydride thereof, and from about 5% to about 30% by weight of a cationic surfactant of the formula R 1 R 2 R 3 R 4 N.sup.⊕ X.sup.⊖ wherein R 1 is C 12 -C 20 alkyl; R 2 , R 3 and R 4 are each C 1 -C 4 alkyl or hydroxyalkyl; and X is an anion, the particles of the disperse phase being characterized by an average particle size of less than about 2 microns.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
37 words
A softening composition according to claim 4 in which the partial ester of the polyhydric alcohol or anhydride in a member selected from the group consisting of esters of glycerol, diglycerol, xylitol, sucrose, pentaerythritol, sorbitol and sorbitan.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
29 words
A softening composition according to claim 5 in which the partial ester is a member selected from the group consisting of lauric, myristic, palmitic, stearic and behenic acid esters.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
15 words
A softening composition according to claim 6 in which the partial ester is sorbitan monostearate.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
16 words
A softening composition according to claim 4 in which the cationic surfactant is cetyl trimethylammonium halide.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
154 words
A softening composition according to claim 1 wherein the disperse phase comprises: (a) from about 40% to about 80% by weight of a fatty acid partial ester of a C 3 -C 8 polyhydric alcohol or anhydride thereof; (b) from about 2% to about 20% by weight of a cationic surfactant of the formula R 1 R 2 R 3 R 4 N.sup.⊕ X.sup.⊖ wherein R 1 is C 12 -C 20 alkyl, R 2 , R 3 and R 4 are each C 1 -C 4 alkyl or hydroxyalkyl,, and X is an anion; and (c) from about 10% to about 55% by weight of a cationic surfactant of the formula R 1 R 2 R 3 R 4 N.sup.⊕ X.sup.⊖ wherein R 1 and R 2 are each C 12 -C 22 alkyl, R 3 and R 4 are each C 1 -C 4 alkyl or hydroxyalkyl and X is an anion.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
37 words
A softening composition according to claim 9 in which the partial ester of the polyhydric alcohol or anhydride is a member selected from the group consisting of esters of glycerol, diglycerol, xylitol, sucrose, pentaerythritol, sorbitol and sorbitan.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
29 words
A softening composition according to claim 10 in which the partial ester is a member selected from the group consisting of lauric, myristic, palmitic, stearic and behenic acid esters.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
15 words
A softening composition according to claim 11 in which the partial ester is sorbitan monostearate.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
17 words
A softening composition according to claim 12 in which the cationic surfactant (b) is cetyl trimethylammonium halide.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
36 words
A softening composition according to claim 12 in which the cationic surfactant (c) is a member selected from the group consisting of ditallowalkyl dimethyl ammonium bromide, ditallowalkyl dimethyl ammonium chloride and ditallowalkyl dimethyl ammonium methyl sulfate.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
61 words
A softening composition according to claim 1 in which the disperse phase consists essentially of from about 30% to 95% by weight of a fatty acid partial ester of sorbitan and from about 5% to 70% by weight of a quaternary ammonium halide having two C 12 -C 22 alkyl groups and two C 1 -C 4 alkyl or hydroxyalkyl groups.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
23 words
A softening composition according to claim 15 wherein the partial ester is sorbitan monostearate, and the cationic surfactant is ditallowalkyl dimethyl ammonium chloride.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1981-12-04 | 1982-06-05 | 1982-12-05 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1985-12-04 | 1986-06-05 | 1986-12-05 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1989-12-04 | 1990-06-05 | 1990-12-05 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |