JP2564263B2 - Method for washing clothes in a washing machine with detergent liquid and apparatus for implementing the method - Google Patents

Abstract

Process for washing clothes in a washing machine, which comprises using a liquid detergent which is released gradually into the washing medium from a special device placed in the drum of the machine at the same time as the clothes instead of being released from the dispenser provided for the detergent on the washing machine. The rechargeable device is a container provided with a filling orifice and with vents for the liquid. The container may be a flat-bottomed sphere or a ring. <IMAGE>

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a washing machine having a detergent liquid or liquid detergent gradually introduced into a washing medium from a reloadable device arranged in a drum together with clothes to be washed. The present invention relates to a method of washing / cleaning clothes. The invention also relates to a device for implementing this method.

Detergent liquid compositions for washing clothes are commercially available. While these compositions have various advantages over many granular detergent compositions, their properties have not led to the expected widespread use. This is because compositions of this type are somewhat unsuitable for use in most washing machines currently on the market.

In practice, whether these washers are pre-filled with a horizontal tub or top-filled, the dispenser for the amount of detergent used in each wash cycle generally contains detergent liquid. Unsuitable for holding and then dispensing this into the wash liquor, most of the washing machines currently used by housewives only when powdered or granular detergents were only available on the market. It was designed.

Applicant's company has discovered that some of the detergent liquid composition contained in the detergent dispenser prior to switching on the washing machine is often not used for washing.

In fact, the first few ml of water introduced into the washing machine flushes out all of the detergent solution, often in the dehydration circuit where only a small amount of water was left over by the previous washing operation. Go directly into

If the detergent liquid gets into this circuit, the detergent liquid does not move into the laundry liquid that has impregnated the clothes at all during the filling of the washing liquid with water and during the actual washing. Will be removed along with. Such losses, i.e. the amount of unused detergent, are considerable, especially in certain types of washing machines. Most of the detergent liquid placed in the solid detergent dispenser is unused. The magnitude of such detergent losses depends, inter alia, on the volume of the dehydration circuit upstream of the pump, the rate of water introduction and the position of the point of water introduction. It will be appreciated that in many cases, the method of laundering in a washing machine using detergent liquid will be more expensive than expected. Nor is it surprising that housewives are unaware of such losses and do not use detergent solutions despite their advantages.

Therefore, the present invention is particularly effective for solving such inevitable detergent loss.

The present invention relates to a method for improving laundry washing / cleaning in a conventional washing machine, which comprises using a liquid detergent having a viscosity such that it does not flow freely even at room temperature.
In this improvement, the detergent is introduced into the wash liquor from a device that is placed in the wash tub with the garment, rather than being introduced from a dispenser provided by the washing machine manufacturer for detergent retention. It is released gradually.

This method is particularly applicable to a container having a filling port equipped with a lid means for discharging a predetermined amount of detergent liquid and a drain hole for gradually discharging the liquid, which depends on the quality of clothes to be washed, the degree of soiling and the capacity of a washing machine. Pour into the device, then place the device with the clothes in the washing tub, and then switch it on to allow the normal washing cycle of the washing machine to proceed, thereby removing the detergent. Gradually draining into the washing machine through the drain holes of the device located in the drum of the washing machine. The device containing the detergent is arranged in the drum of the washing machine such that the filling port and the drainage hole of the device are directed to above the drum. Therefore, in most current washing machines, the drum does not start to rotate until the tank is full, so the device will only start to release detergent in the presence of a sufficient amount of water, which may cause dry clothes or damp Prevents prolonged contact between clothing and concentrated detergent. However, if the drum begins to spin at the same time water begins to be introduced,
The device can be located on the bottom of the drum, or it can be located in the center of the garment. The housewife will easily be able to choose the position that best suits the particular circumstances of the laundry.

When the drum has finished spinning, the device is removed from the washing machine with the cleaned garment and used again.

This device, which constitutes another object of the invention, has at least one filling opening, the dimensions of which are such that the detergent can be easily washed whatever the viscosity of the detergent and the shape of the detergent container and the drainage opening. Determined so that it can be introduced. The filling port comprises adaptable lid means, which may be removable, such as a plug, cap, etc., and may or may not be fixed to the device body. Also, this lid is fixed around the neck of the filling port to form a funnel-shaped permanent fixing member that protrudes into the inside of the device, the length and diameter of the inner end of which make it impossible for the liquid that has entered the device to escape again. To determine. In the latter case, this fill port may resemble any of the drain holes that the device must have. The number and shape of these drain holes are not critical. A single drainage hole, or 2 to 10 drainage holes,
Alternatively, it is possible to have as many as 100 very small drainage holes. However, the detergent liquid is gradually discharged 2
It is preferable to provide the exhaust holes of 4 to 4.

These drain holes must be located above the maximum fill level of the device, since not all drain holes are generally equipped with a lid system. On the other hand, their respective positions are arbitrary. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the total amount of detergent solution is 1-10
These drainages as a function of the shape of the drainage holes, their position and the viscosity of the detergent fluid used by routine tests so that they drain into the wash liquor within minutes, preferably within about 3 minutes. The number of holes could be determined. One has to take into account the fact that, for a particular device filled with a particular detergent, its discharge time depends on the diameter of the drum of the washing machine in which it is used, the speed of rotation and the extent to which the drum is filled with clothing. Is clear.

The device can be made of a variety of materials, which must be non-breakable and withstand temperatures up to about 100 ° C. Many synthetic resins will be suitable, such as low density polyethylene, polypropylene or other elastomers.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the wall of the device is made of a transparent material so that the housewife can see the liquid level in the device during the filling operation of the device to prevent accidental spillage, Or with a transparent window.

In a preferred embodiment, the device comprises a reference mark indicating the amount of liquid introduced. In that case, the same device can be used for washing machines of different capacity, or the amount of detergent can be adapted to the washing operation to be carried out.

In addition, the device has a smooth outer surface and no sharp corners, in order to eliminate the risk of the garment being worn too quickly by friction. However, the walls of the device must be rigid enough that the pressure of grasping the device with the fingers does not cause the walls to deform and become awkward.

In a preferred embodiment, when filling the device with detergent,
The device is perfectly stable and has a wide enough bottom so that it does not tip over.

A variant of the device according to the invention comprises means for fixing the device to the drum of the washing machine, such as a suction disc or a hook. This means can limit the noise caused by rolling of the device in the drum during the wash cycle and the frictional action of the device on the rotating garments. In any case, the device is held against the wall of the drum containing the garment.

In the clothes washing / cleaning method according to the present invention,
Fill the above equipment with detergent. The detergent comprises at least one surfactant containing the usual ingredients, namely a liquid vehicle and, if appropriate, cleaning additives (builders), foam regulators, enzymes and enzyme stabilizers, bleaches, mud suspensions and fabrics. Including conditioner.

The detergent liquid composition used in the washing process of the present invention may further contain a fluorescent brightening agent, a perfume, a coloring agent, an opacifying agent, an antioxidant, a bactericide, a bulking agent and the like.

The surfactant present in the composition used in the method of the present invention can be anionic, nonionic, amphoteric or zwitterionic and also mixtures thereof. Examples of these surfactants are shown in Japanese Patent Application No. EP-A.
-0.028.865 No. This application p.5, l.32
~ P.7, l.21, cationic surfactants can also be added. The amount of surfactant present in the liquid composition is generally from 5 to 70% by weight of the total and generally depends on the presence of detergent additives. If the additive is present, its amount will be low. Among the known additives, mention may be made of phosphates, polyphosphates, alkali metal salts of nitrilotriacetic acid and citric acid, or synthetic violite.

The liquid vehicle of the composition can be water, organic solvents such as aliphatic monoalcohols and polyalcohols up to 6 carbon atoms and their ethers, or mixtures thereof.

Optional components in liquid laundry compositions include known sequestering agents such as polyacrylates, polymaleates, and copolymers of unsaturated acids with methyl vinyl ether, polyvinylpyrrolidone and sodium salts of carboxymethylcellulose. mud suspensions, hydrotropes such as salts of alkyl aryl sulfonic acids, and C ₁₆ -C ₂₂ can be given foam control agents such as fatty acids and polysiloxanes. All these compositions are incorporated in the detergent liquid compositions used according to the invention in variable amounts known to those skilled in the art.

Polyalkylsiloxanes are also incorporated into detergent liquid compositions due to their softening properties.

It is clear that the amount of detergent liquid used in the method of the invention depends on the composition of the detergent, the nature and condition of the clothes to be washed and the capacity of the washing machine. The device according to the invention can contain about 100-400 ml of liquid, its total internal volume is about 150 ml to about 500 ml, but for very effective detergents, smaller devices can be designed. And for washing machines used in the enterprise, it is entirely possible to design larger equipment.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to embodiments shown in the drawings.

The device of FIG. 1 has a maximum diameter of 105 mm and a height of 65 mm excluding the threaded plug. The assembly consists of clear polyethylene. The wall thickness is 0.6 mm. The diameter of the filling port 2 having the lid 1 is 40 mm, and the diameter of the two drain holes 3 is 5 mm.
Is. These drain holes are at a distance of 45 mm from the bottom of the container (distance measured vertically). The body of this device is equipped with two level marks 4 corresponding to the volumes of 130 ml and 180 ml respectively.
Is provided. In some cases, a wire ending in a key that fits into a hole made in the surface of the drum is tightened around the neck of the device.

The device shown in Fig. 2 is a hollow sphere with a diameter of 80 mm, and this sphere is partially cut so that the container stands upright on a flat bottom.
Further, the swingable lid 11 provided with a hinge 12 has a partial spherical shape corresponding to the spherical shape, and a liquid introduction port 13 formed by cutting the spherical shape by a surface is shown. This device is made of translucent polypropylene and has a transparent window 14,
Two capacity marks 15 are drawn in this window. Three drain holes 16 are located above the upper liquid fill level.

The device shown in FIG. 3 has a hollow ring shape with an outer diameter of 6 cm and an inner diameter of 3 cm, and a circular hole having a diameter of 2 cm is formed as a filling port 21. The filling port 21 includes a lid 22, which has a hinge 23 and a locking device 24. 3mm diameter on top of ring
4 drainage holes 25 are formed.

Example 1 In one embodiment for carrying out the method of the present invention, the apparatus of the present invention shown in FIG.
Fill 0 ml.

% (Weight) Sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate (linear dodecyl) 11.3 Triethanolamine alkyl (copla) -sulfate 4.0 Ethoxylated alcohol (C _13-17 ; 7C ₂ H ₄ O) 12.0 Fatty acid (C _{12 to} C ₁₄ ). 10.0 Oleic acid 5.0 Diethylenetriaminepentamethylphosphonic acid 0.6 Ethanol 8.6 Propanediol 3.0 Final pH 7.7 NaOH-Secondary component Place the device on a garment in a commercially available pre-filled washing machine and wash. / Proceed the Suzugi cycle normally. When finished, remove clothing and equipment from the machine. The device contained only a few drops of water and could be removed as is for subsequent use.

Example 2 3.2 kg of clothes are introduced into a blunt-type top-loading washing machine having a capacity of 5 kg, and the drum is rotated while the tank is filled with water. Before closing the washing machine, place the device of FIG. 1 filled with 180 ml of detergent solution having a viscosity of 0.12 Pa.S on the clothes. 1 minute and 30 seconds after starting the drum, it was confirmed that all of the detergent had entered the washing liquid. The total operating cycle of the washing machine was about 50 minutes.

Example 3 Washing was carried out under the same conditions as in Example 2, but in this case a Philippe type washing machine was used. In this case, the device released the detergent in about 3 minutes.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1-1 is a plan view of the device of the present invention, and FIG. 1-2 is A-.
Sectional view taken along line A and section of its plug, Figure 2 is a sectional view of a device according to the invention in the shape of a flat-bottom sphere with a hinged lid and two drainage holes, and also Figure 3. Is
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a ring-shaped device according to the invention with four drainage holes. 1,11,22 …… Lid 2,13,21 …… Filling port 3,16,25 …… Drainage hole

Claims (10)

(57) [Claims] 1. A method for washing / cleaning clothes in a washing machine using a detergent liquid, which comprises providing an apparatus comprising a container having a filling port provided with a lid means and a drain hole for gradually discharging the liquid. Injecting a predetermined amount of detergent liquid into the device, and arranging the device in the drum of a washing machine filled with clothes, with its filling port and drain hole facing above the drum. , And turning on the washing machine to proceed with the normal washing cycle, whereby the detergent liquid is gradually discharged into the washing machine through the drain hole of the device arranged in the drum of the washing machine. A method comprising: 2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the device is fixed to the inner wall of the washing machine by suitable means. 3. A detergent liquid filling the apparatus is a) 5-70 selected from anionic, nonionic, amphoteric and zwitterionic surfactants or mixtures thereof.
% By weight of a surfactant, b) a liquid vehicle and, if appropriate, c) an additive to suitable detergents including cleaning additives, enzymes and foam control agents, fabric conditioners including fabric softeners, and fluorescent brighteners, The method according to any one of claims 1 and 2, which comprises a secondary component selected from a fragrance, a coloring agent, an opacifying agent, a bactericide, and the like. 4. A washing machine for washing or cleaning clothes in a washing machine using a detergent solution, which is placed in the washing machine at the same time as the clothes to be washed. A device for gradually discharging into a device, characterized in that the device is a container having a filling port provided with a lid means and a drain hole for gradually discharging the liquid. 5. The device according to claim 4, characterized in that the device consists of a smooth, natural or synthetic impermeable substance which is stable up to about 100.degree. 6. A device according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that a transparent window is made in the device body. 7. A device according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the device is made of a transparent material. 8. A device according to any one of claims 4 to 7, characterized in that the device has 2 to 8 drainage holes of 2 to 10 mm in diameter. 9. Device according to any one of claims 4 to 8, characterized in that the device has a capacity of 100 to 400 ml. 10. 100 to 400 ml having a viscosity of 0.1 to 0.4 Pa.S after the drum of the washing machine is rotated for 1 to 10 minutes.
9. A device according to any one of claims 4 to 8, characterized in that it has a drainage hole configured to discharge the detergent liquid according to claim 4.