Lever Brothers Company, Division of Conopco, Inc.

Lever Brothers Company

Douglas Wraige

Geoffrey Newbold

Michael J Garvey

Alan J Fry

Sara Jane Edwards

Alan Phillip Davies

John D Wagner

William J Iley

John Lloyd

John Leonard Metcalfe

Pauline Farnworth

Kumar Sunil

John M Robb

Stephen Anderson

Jonathon Osler

In a process for making detergent tablets comprising spraying a coating of a water-soluble organic polymeric binder onto the exterior of particles of detergent composition containing detergent active and detergency builder and compacting the composition, the improvement comprises spraying an external coating of a film-forming water-soluble organic polymer onto the tablets. The coating on the tablet exterior reduces friability and abrasion and provides extra enhancement of strength while permitting disintegration/dissolution in a wash liquor.

Preparation of laundry detergent tablets

Detergent tablets, compacted from detergent powder containing detergent active and detergency builder, contain a polymer which acts as binder and as a disintegrant when the tablets are added to water. Preferably the binder is sprayed into the powder before compaction. The strength of such tablets is improved, without detriment to other properties, by tabletting at a temperature above ambient but below melting point of the polymeric binder. Preferably the temperature is only 5.degree. C. to 10.degree. C. below the melting point of the binder.

Production of detergent tablet compositions

A tablet of compacted particulate detergent composition in which the tablet, or a discrete region thereof, consists essentially of a matrix of particles substantially free of particles &lt;200 .mu.m. Particles of detergent-active compound and detergent builder and optionally particles of detergent base powder are individually coated with binder/disintegrant capable, when the tablet is immersed in water, of disrupting the structure of the tablet.

Detergent tablets having specific particle size distribution

A tablet of compacted particulate detergent composition comprises a detergent-active compound, a detergency builder, and optionally other detergent ingredients. The tablet, or a discrete region thereof, consists essentially of a matrix of particles substantially all of which have a particle size within a range having upper and lower limits each lying within the range of from 200 to 2000 .mu.m and differing from each other by not more than 700 .mu.m.

Detergent compositions

A tablet of compacted detergent powder comprises an anionic detergent-active compound, a detergency builder, and optionally other detergent ingredients. The tablet is the compaction product of a particulate mixture of:

A fabric conditioning article is provided comprising a substrate and, applied to the substrate, a fabric-softening material and a bleach agent, wherein the substrate comprises at least two separate areas, the first area comprising softening material and being substantially free of peroxy bleach, and the second area comprising peroxy bleach and being substantially free of softening material.

Fabric conditioning

A container having at least one opening seal, which seal is mechanically strong in the dry state but disintegrates in water at temperature of 40.degree. C. or below under the influence of mechanical agitation. The seal is formed from a mixture of a water-labile adhesive and a heat-sealable component.

Sealable containers

A multicompartment sachet product for delivering treatment agents to the washing machine or dishwasher comprises a first compartment capable of releasing its contents (solid or liquid) within 3 minutes from the start of the wash process, and a second compartment of water-permeable material provided with a pore-occluding coating and/or in the form of a sachet within a sachet so that release of its contents (powder) is delayed for at least 5 minutes from the restart of the wash process and/or retarded.

Compartmented product for dispensing treatment agents in a washing or

After washing fabrics can be treated with a conditioning agent, for example a fabric softener. In one method of treatment a substrate impregnated with a conditioning agent is contacted with the washed fabrics in tumble drier. The agent is transferred to the fabric during the repeated contacts between the substrate and fabric. The invention is the use of a substrate having a more dense structure at the outer surface. This more dense structure, which can be formed from laminated foam polymers, reduces the release of the agent so that the release is more even over a number of cycles.

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Chester, United Kingdom

Douglas Wraige