WO2013113576A1

WO2013113576A1 - Device for automatic dosing a dishwashing detergent

Info

Publication number: WO2013113576A1
Application number: PCT/EP2013/051021
Authority: WO
Inventors: Emile Robert BARRINK; Japser Nicolaas TEN BERGE; Ingvar Olger HENDRIKS; Bart Riekus POSTMUS
Original assignee: Unilever N.V.; Unilever Plc; Hindustan Unilever Limited; Conopco, Inc., D/B/A Unilever
Priority date: 2012-02-02
Filing date: 2013-01-21
Publication date: 2013-08-08

Abstract

The invention provides a device for fully automatic dispensing of a detergent composition into an automatic dishwashing machine over a plurality of washing cycles, the device comprising a housing which is capable of holding a blister package 7, and a blister package 7. Also, a housing capable of receiving a blister package 7 containing a detergent composition or additive to be dispensed is provided for. The invention further provides a blister package 7 comprising more than one blister cell containing a detergent composition or additive to be dispensed. In a further embodiment, the invention concerns a blister package 7 comprising detergent granules.

Description

Device for automatic dosing a dishwashing detergent

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The current invention is in the field of a device for fully automatic dispensing of the detergent composition into

dishwashing machine over a plurality of washing cycles.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Various proposals have been made in the past providing such a device. Most of these proposals are capable to deliver a detergent composition over a number of washes thereby

simplifying the task of dishwashing.

EP 1489956 describes a device having a housing and a wheel like plate, wherein the unit dose of detergent is released into the machine using a two step release mechanism.

It comprises a means for opening the package or compartment such as a piercing or cutting means to penetrate at least one of the compartment walls, and the housing comprises a

passageway to allow access of the wash liquor to the opened compartment.

EP1206594 describes a device for intake and dosed delivery of a composition into a dishwashing machine, and an opening device for the chambers. The opening is actuated by conditions within the machine. It further is provided with a blade or a spike, which damages the chamber containing a single dose of the active composition, so that it is torn open and its content is dissolved inside the chamber and subsequently released into the dishwasher .

WO03/073906 describes a device containing a housing and a blister, whereby the detergent composition is dosed using mechanical energy which is manually loaded by the user of the device .

These proposals all have a complex mechanism and so are

vulnerable to disruption or malfunctioning of the device.

Furthermore, due to the number of pieces in the device, production of the device is complicated. This also makes such a device quite expensive to produce. In addition, in many of these cases the detergent enters the housing holding said cartridge or blister, where it dissolves in the wash liquor present therein, after which the housing is opened and the dissolved detergent is released into the

dishwasher. It has been observed that thereby quite often the dissolution of the detergent is not always optimal and

undissolved detergent may remain inside the housing, cartridge or blister.

The current device provides a mechanism whereby the detergent is released into the wash liquor, thereby allowing optimal dissolution due to the fact that the wash liquor can freely move around the detergent and so allow all of the detergent to dissolve . SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The device according to the present invention provides a surprisingly simple, effective and reliable way to dispense a detergent composition.

According to a first object, the invention provides a device for fully automatic dispensing of a detergent composition into an automatic dishwashing machine over a plurality of washing cycles, the device comprising a housing which is capable of holding a blister package, and a blister package. According to a second object, the invention provides a housing capable of receiving a blister package containing a detergent composition or additive to be dispensed. The invention further provides a blister package comprising more than one blister cell

containing a detergent composition or additive to be dispensed. In a further embodiment, the invention concerns a blister package comprising detergent granules. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In a first embodiment, a detergent dispensing device for an automatic dishwashing machine is provided (figure 3) , the device comprising a housing containing at least a rotating means and a thermal actuator, said device further comprising at least one opening means capable of opening, and blister closing features capable of closing a blister cell of the blister package, a means at which the blister package can be attached onto the housing, and a blister package provided with at least two, and preferably a plurality of cells capable of

accommodating a detergent composition. The invention further concerns a housing for a machine dishwash detergent dispensing device (figure 1) containing at least a rotating means and a thermal actuator, said housing further comprising a at least one opening means capable of opening a blister cell and blister closing features capable of closing a blister cell of a blister package, and a means at which the blister package can be attached onto the housing.

In its third embodiment, the invention provides a blister package (7) for use in a machine dishwash detergent dispensing device, comprising more than one blister cell containing a detergent composition or additive to be dispensed, wherein each blister cell can be opened and closed. The back side of the blister is connected to the front side in such a way that at least a part of the back side can be separated from and re^¬ connected to the front side.

In a further embodiment, the invention concerns a blister package for use in a machine dishwash detergent dispensing device, comprising detergent granules having a diameter size in the range of 2 to 10 millimetres.

In the specification, were detergent composition is mentioned, any detergent composition is meant unless indicated otherwise. A detergent composition can be an all in one composition, a separate detergent ingredient, a combination of detergent ingredients, a rinse aid, or the like.

The invention provides for a very simple and effective device having a mechanism being highly reliable over many numbers of washing cycles. The device is capable of being used over more than 250 washes, even more than 300 washes, and it has been observed to still function properly after having been used in more than 500 dishwash cycles.

DEVICE

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the device is a portable device, which is adapted to be placed into a

dishwashing machine at any suitable place, for example in the space of the lower rack of a dishwashing machine. The device has a disc like shape, and is preferably placed in to the dish slot of a rack of the dishwashing machine, the lower rack usually being the most suitable for receiving the device, however some dishwashers may allow placement in the top rack. It is not required to specifically mount or fix the device within the machine and/or in to connect it to the electronics or mechanics thereof. The device is also preferably self standing meaning that it does not require any specific

connection with the machine to work properly.

In an alternative embodiment, the device can be mounted or fixed (removably or not) onto of the inside of the door of the dishwashing machine, for example by a suction cup, a magnet, tape, or another system with similar functionality. In another embodiment it may be preferred to attach the product to any other place of the interior of the machine dishwasher, for example, by pressure-sensitive adhesives, mateable woven and hook fastenings.

The device works autonomous, i.e. it is not controlled by the dishwashing machine.

Depending on the exact design of the housing, the device can be used for the dosing of a specific ingredient, of part of a detergent composition, or of the entire detergent composition. For example, the device can be used for the delivery of a so- called all in one detergent composition, or for the delivery of the ingredient with salt function, or the delivery of a rinse aid in the rinse cycle, or for a specific ingredient which may or may not be difficult to combine with other ingredients.

The device comprises a housing which contains opening means (5) which are not disruptive, there is no destruction of the material of the blister pack needed. It further comprises closing features (4) by which an opened cell of the blister package is closed during the wash cycle after the detergent is dosed into the wash liquor.

This provides the advantage that no pieces of food such as for example peas, parts of potato or pasta remain stuck in the empty compartments. Whereas prior art devices have the

disadvantage that water will stay in the opened blister

compartments which may be spilled upon removal of the device from the washing machine, so leading to highly undesired spillage of waste water on floor or clothes. With the current blister and device, the blister compartments are closed after the detergent has fallen out and so no water will remain in the compartments. This way, no spoiling upon handling of the device will occur.

The device of the current invention can be manufactured such that the moment of actual release of the detergent composition into the washing liquor releases the composition at a desired moment of the wash cycle. This can be done by choice of the spring load, or choice of the wax motor, and the combination of both. In this way, it is possible to make a device which releases the detergent composition exactly at the conditions such as temperature as desired. Accordingly, a device can be made that releases the detergent washing composition in the main wash cycle, or for example in case the dosing of a rinse aid is desired, in the rinse cycle of an automatic washing machine .

HOUSING

The device contains a housing capable of receiving and holding a blister package (as examplified in figure 1) .

The housing functions as a support for a blister package (2), and suitably has a front (9) and back (10) cover. At least one of these is present. The housing holds the mechanism by which the blister package can be rotated and a blister cell can be opened and closed.

Thus the housing contains a rotating means ( (3) in combination with (13)), an opening means (5), closing means (4), a thermal actuator (11), a spring (14), a gear wheel (13) and at at least one of a front (9) or back cover (10) . Preferably it has a front and back cover. The housing suitably contains a mechanism (2) by which blister package can be removably attached to the housing, for example by a clipping mechanism similar to what is known for compact discs cartridges. In this way, when all unit doses have been used, only the blister package needs to be replaced.

Preferably, this mechanism (2) is part of the gear wheel (13) .

The housing contains one or more openings (la, lb) which allow the detergent composition to fall out by gravity and to be mixed with the washing liquor during the washing cycle. This opening can be a hole (la) or grid (lb) or a combination thereof. Once the unit dose of detergent is released from the blister package, the detergent is in contact with the washing liquor and so can mix with and/or dissolve in the washing liquor .

The opening of a blister cell is actuated by means within the housing, which are activated by conditions inside the machine and exist exclusively during a dishwashing cycle. Such can be the pH of the washing liquor, or the temperature of the washing liquor .

The energy for the holding and release of the detergent is fully provided by the conditions within the dishwashing

machine. No external energy needs to be added and hence, a reliable device capable of repeatingly providing the dishwasher with a unit dose of detergent is foreseen with the device of the current invention.

Suitably, the actuator is a thermal actuator. The thermal actuator can be a thermal bimetal, shape memory polymer, a shape memory metal, a wax motor or any other means capable of movement actuated by temperature change. In its most preferred embodiment the thermal actuator is wax motor (11) .

By choice of the thermal actuator used, the temperature at which the ingredient is delivered into the dishwashing machine can be set. By careful selection this allows the device to deliver the detergent component into the wash liquor during the part of the washing cycle desired. This way, the detergent can for example be delivered at the beginning of the washing cycle, in the first rinse cycle or in the last rinse cycle.

The thermal actuator has a piston rod attached to it (figure 6, (11)) which moves back and forth with the expansion and

reduction of the material of the actuator. The thermal actuator moves being triggered by increased

temperature of the washing liquor, and thereby pushes a lever (12) . The lever is rotatably fixed onto an axis, which axis suitably is part of the housing front or back cover.

The lever rotates around an axis and by this rotation the moving end pushes the frame (figure 2) upwards, and so rotates the gear wheel (13) . Because the blister is connected to the gear wheel to which the mechanism for attaching the blister package is attached or is made as part of (2), also the blister rotates .

The wax motor has attached to it a spring (14) which is strong enough to push back the piston attached to the wax motor when the temperature of the wax decreases due to a lower temperature of the wash liquor.

It was found that the spring with an adjustable preload can be used to find the desired combination of thermal actuator and strength of the spring. As thermal actuators are commonly applied in many different areas and so are available with different set-off temperature, the men skilled in the art will be capable of selecting the actuator and spring desired for a particular temperature at which the detergent should be dosed. Preferably, a rotation lock (15) is present which prevents the gear wheel from rotating backwards.

The housing contains at least one opening means (5) and closing features (4) by which one cell of the blister package can be opened and closed during the wash cycle. The opening means is not disruptive, there is no destruction of the material of the blister pack needed. The device does not have any sharp means, such as for cutting or piercing, which in case of unsolicited use, the person holding the device can be injured. Hence, an improvement in safety of handling is provided for.

The opening means (5) preferably is wedge-shaped, and is activated by a thermal actuator.

Also present within the housing are closing features (4) capable of pushing the opened part of the back side of the blister back. The blister cell will so close.

Suitably, the blister closing features are notches. The opening means (5) , preferably being wedge shaped, and blister closing features are suitably attached to a frame (figure 2) and preferably are part of said frame.

Accordingly, the housing comprises a frame with connected thereto, or being part thereof, a wedge shaped means.

With the frame, the wedge is pushed in between the front side and back layer of the blister (figure 5a, 5b) . Thus the wedge thereby separates part of the front and back side of a blister cell (figure 5b) . Accordingly an opening between the front and back layer of the blister is made large enough for the

detergent composition to be dosed by the influence of gravity (figure 5c) . Upon cooling down of the wax motor, the spring pushes back the frame to its original position. Attached to the frame, or separate therefrom one or more blister closing features such as notches (4) are present. By movement of the frame back to its original position, the notches move backwards as well and so push the opened back side of the blister package back into the frontside, so that it snaps into place. This way the now empty blister cell is closed. In a preferred embodiment this part clicks into the opening in the front part of the blister cell and so will remain closed. This can be achieved by click fingers or any other mechanism such as a non-curing glue. After emptying the position of the opening device and of the empty cell is altered relative to another over a distance of at least one adjacent cell, so that on re-activation the opening of at least one further cell by the opening means is made possible. Suitably, the frame opens the blister and dosing of the detergent takes place, followed by rotation of the gear wheel and hence, of the blister package.

The detergent suitably falls out of the blister by gravity. The detergent can fall into a compartment of the device where it can mix with or dissolve in the washing liquor. In an equally suitable embodiment the device does not have a compartment for holding, but has an opening (la) through which the detergent can fall onto the bottom of the dishwasher or mix directly with the washing liquor.

In a highly suitable embodiment, the housing contains a front (9) and back cover (10), a thermal actuator (11), suitably being a wax motor known in the art, a lever (12), a frame

(figure 2) with at least one opening feature (5) and closing means (4) connected to it, a spring (14), a gear wheel (13), and a rotation lock (15) .

The housing material is preferably chosen such that the

material is able to withstand the conditions within the

dishwasher, such as high temperature, high pH etc. Suitable materials are, for example, polypropylene, mineral enforced polypropylene, polyamine, polymethyl methacrylate and other plastics . BLISTER PACKAGE

The invention is also related to a blister package (7) for use with the device according to the present invention.

The blister package is provided with at least one, and

preferably a plurality of cells to accommodate a detergent composition. Preferably, each blister cell contains at least one dosage of a machine dishwash detergent.

The blister package (7) is in the form of a wheel like plate with the blister cells arranged in at least one circle along the circumference thereof, whereby in a further preferred embodiment the blister cells have a triangular shape. In a further preferred embodiment the triangular shaped blister cells fill the surface of the disc shape to a large extent. For example, at least 60%, preferably at least 70%, further preferred 80, 85 or even more and 90% is covered by this blister cells and efficient use of space is obtained and the size of the disc can be minimised without compromising the number of blister cells and hence unit doses present in the blister package. Since it is preferred that any device placed in the machine takes up as little space as possible, the device can be designed to be as small as possible.

The blister package comprises a front part (16) and a back part (17), which are partially or completely removably connected. Upon the application of the force of the wedge, the sides can be partially removed from each other. At least the part of the front and a back side which are not removably connected are connected to each other for example by glue, pressure, heat, welding or another technique known in the art to connect plastic sheets together. Accordingly, the blister pack contains the detergent or detergent ingredient portions stored into a sealed blister package.

Preferably, there is a small elongated opening (8) between each blister cell, the opening being in the diametral direction. The length of the opening is chosen similar to the length of the back side that the blister cell will open on force being exercised upon it by the opening means such as wedges.

The back side of the blister is connected in such a way that at least a part of the back side can be separated from and re^¬ connected to the front side (figure 5c) . The back of the package preferably has small portions which are made such that it can have the function of a hinge (18) . This technique is commonly applied for plastic material. The thickness, shape and material of a small elongated portion of the back side is chosen such that the part that can move will hinge. Typically the hinge is located about 10 mm from the outside of the compartment. If force is applied with for instance a wedge shaped part, the blister will open allowing detergent to be dosed (figure 5c) .

Once the detergent is dosed, the closing features such as one or more notches will close the opened part of the back side when the frame is pushed back in its original position.

Accordingly, the blister package is opened and after the detergent been dispensed, the cell of the blister in which the detergent is no longer present is closed.

The blister package is made of plastic material with deep drawn cells. Both front and back side are preferably made of plastic material. As the device contains a detergent composition or additive for a multitude of washes, the blister will protect the detergent composition or additive for as many as n-1 washes, n being the total number of washes contained by the blister. Thereto the blister is to be sealed properly. In case a dry detergent composition is present inside the blister cells, the sealing of the blister cells is one in such a way that its content, is protected from humidity. Methods there to are available to the man skilled in the art. Materials from which the blister can be produced include, but are not limited to polyesters such as polyethyleentereftalate, high or low density polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene polyamide, or polystyrene. The deep drawing of the blister package can be carried out by thermo forming, injection moulding or any alternative suitable technique.

The size of the blister package can be chosen as desired, thereby only taking the space of a plate, even when so many doses are present. In the devices available on the market, having the shape of a glass the increase of the number of unit doses present immediately leads to enlarging the size of the device, which means that the space occupied in the dishwasher increases with it. This is considered highly undesirable by the consumer. Therefore, the number of unit doses present and such a prior art device is very limited.

As the device can be used putting it in a dish slot of the dishwasher, the maximum diameter of the blister package will be determined by maximum height available in a dishwashing

machine. Accordingly it can have the diameter size of a dinner plate and so can accommodate up to 35, 25, 20 unit doses. To optimise for user convenience, it is desired that the number of doses present in a blister package is in the range of 10 to 25, conveniently finding the number of doses in the range of 12 to 20, further preferred 14 to 20 doses being present. The number of doses present is conveniently balanced by the size of the device and cost of buying a refill for the consumer, and convenience for the consumer. An optimum with respect to unit dose size, size of the device and number of doses is found when about 12 to 20 and preferably 15 to 18 doses are present on the blister package.

Upon replacement of the blister package, a further equal amount of dishwashing cycles is possible without in between addition of detergent composition being required.

The blister package comprises more than one blister cell each containing a detergent composition or additive sufficient or required for one washing cycle, hereinafter referred to as a unit dose.

This amount can be provided for in any suitable form, such as powders , tablets, granules, grains, gels, liquids or any combination thereof, or be composed of mini tablets or the like. The composition can be a machine dishwash detergent composition, a rinse aid, a salt additive or any other

detergent additive ingredient. In a preferred embodiment within this invention, the unit dose is provided for in the form of grains. Such grains are

particles suitably have a diameter size in the range of 2 to 10 millimetres, preferably 3 to 8 millimetres, and further

preferred 3 to 7 millimetres, or any range combined from the ranges as indicated. The size is measured by sieving, choosing the mesh size of the length of the particles. The grains are suitably prepared by extrusion of a detergent paste, followed by cutting the extrudate into particles of the desired length. Preferably, the detergent is made into ellipsoids. Such can for example have a short axis of 2-6 mm and a long axis of 3-8 mm, and preferably a size of 3-5 mm short axis and 4-6 mm long axis. For example suitable grains have been used in the

invention of a size of 3 mm short axis and 4 mm long axis. This was found to be very suitable embodiment for reliable release from a blister cell when opened at a width of 6 mm, length of the longitudinal openings being about 10 mm. The detergent is released into the dishwasher by gravity.

In case of a rinse additive, the typical dosage will be between 2 and 4 grams per wash. Such a rinse additive can be a

composition suitable to prevent spotting on dishes, or a composition containing caring ingredients, or a composition containing both.

A unit dose suitably will weight between 10 and 25 gram, and preferably between 12 and 20 gram, with a weight in the range of 15 to 18 gram most suitably being applied. The device is typically between 20 and 30 cm in height, 15 to 20 cm in width and between 2 and 5 cm thick. More specifically the height is between 24 and 26 cm, width between 17 and 19 cm and thickness between 3 and 4 cm. The device can be fitted with a blister having a diameter typically in the range of 14 and 19 cm, more specifically in the range of 16 and 17 cm.

The device with a blister package can also be made as a dosing means for the delivery of a machine protection composition. In this case a typical dose is 40 grams. Such a composition can be dosed from a blister package with large cells, or the device can be made such that it doses twice per wash. This gives the opportunity to dose at 2 moments in the wash, for instance in the main wash and in the final rinse.

EXAMPLES

Example 1

The apparatus described in this document can be used to dose a detergent in the beginning of the main washing cycle of a dishwashing machine. The heat sensitive element is configured in such a way that it triggers the dosing when heated above 35 degrees C.

In Table 1 the composition of a liquid machine dishwash

detergent is provided. Of this liquid, 15 grams per blister cell is used. The detergent will be dose in the main wash of an automatic dishwasher.

Table 1: liquid detergent

Ingredient amount (%)

Aqua 38.1

Tetrasodium Glutamate 30

Diacetate

Citric acid 14

Nonionic surfactant 8

(liquid)

Polyacrylic Acid (anti- 7

scalant )

Bismuth Citrate 1

TAED 1

Hydrophilic/hydrophobic 0.5

polymer

Protease 0.1

Amylase 0.1 Perfume 0.1

Dye 0.1

Example 2

A detergent composition is prepared of the ingredients listed in table 2. There to, the ingredients are mixed and be

(co) granulated into small grains of about 4 mm length and width. About 18 grams of this granular composition is added per blister cell. The blister cells have a triangular shape, each being about 40 mm long.

A disc blister package will be prepared to contain 15 blister cells each filled with 18 grams granules of the composition indicated in table 2. The blister package is connected to a housing as indicated in figure (2) the housing contains a wax motor which is activated when the temperature rises above 35°C. Above this temperature, a blister cell is opened, whereby dimensions were chosen such that the opening is about 6 mm wide and 10 mm high. The detergent granules will exit the blister cell, through the opening in the housing and drop on the bottom of the machine dishwasher, where the granules will rapidly dissolve due to their large surface area.

Table 2 : granular detergent

Example 3

The device described above can be used to improve the spotting performance of a washing cycle. In this case, the device is tuned to dose at quite high temperatures which are typical for the final rinse. The blister contains an acidic formulation with nonionic surfactants. When this formulation is dosed, it will lower the pH of the final rinse. Also, it will dispense surfactants which will improve the wetting performance.

Claims

1. A detergent dispensing device for an automatic dishwashing machine, the device comprising a housing containing at least a rotating means and a thermal actuator, said device further comprising at least one opening means capable of opening, and blister closing features capable of closing a blister cell of the blister package, a means at which the blister package can be attached onto the housing, and a blister package provided with at least one, and preferably a plurality of cells capable of accommodating a detergent composition .

2. A housing for a machine dishwash detergent dispensing

device according to claim 1, containing at least a

rotating means and a thermal actuator, characterized in that said housing further comprising at least one opening means capable of opening a blister cell and blister closing features capable of closing a blister cell of a blister package, and a means at which the blister package can be attached onto the housing.

3. A housing according to claim 2, wherein the housing

further contains a front and back cover, a wax motor, a lever, a frame with at least one opening feature and closing means connected to it, a spring, a gear wheel, and a rotation lock.

4. A blister package for use in a machine dishwash detergent dispensing device according to claim 1, comprising more than one blister cell containing a detergent composition or additive to be dispensed, characterized in that each blister cell can be opened and closed.

A blister package according to claim 4, wherein the back side of the blister is connected to the front side in such a way that at least a part of the back side can be separated from and re-connected to the front side.

A blister package according to any one of claims 4 or 5, wherein containing at least twelve dosages of a machine dishwash detergent is present.

A blister package according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the blister package comprises detergent granules having a diameter size in the range of 2 to 10

millimetres .