Portion unit of a cleaning agent

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11725165-B2
Application number	US-202017122092-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 15, 2020
Priority date	Jun 15, 2018
Publication date	Aug 15, 2023
Grant date	Aug 15, 2023

Abstract

A portion unit of a cleaning agent, having a cleaning agent composition and a chamber which receives the cleaning agent composition and includes a chamber wall that delimits the chamber and has a layer thickness D. The chamber includes a main volume and at least one auxiliary volume, and the cleaning agent composition can freely enter the at least one auxiliary volume from the main volume and vice versa, wherein the chamber wall is formed in a transition region between the main volume and the at least one auxiliary volume in a substantially stepped manner. The invention additionally relates to a method for producing such a portion unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A portion unit of a cleaning agent, comprising a cleaning agent composition and a chamber which receives the cleaning agent composition and comprises a chamber wall that delimits the chamber and has a layer thickness, the chamber comprising a main volume and at least one auxiliary volume, wherein the cleaning agent composition can freely enter the at least one auxiliary volume from the main volume and vice versa, and in that the chamber wall is formed in a transition region between the main volume and the at least one auxiliary volume in a substantially stepped manner, wherein the at least one auxiliary volume comprises a proportion of 1-30% of a total volume, consisting of the main volume and the at least one auxiliary volume, and wherein the entirety of the auxiliary volumes is shaped such that the auxiliary volumes have no mirror symmetry.

2. The portion unit of a cleaning agent according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one auxiliary volume is designed as a protuberance in the chamber wall and the maximum height of the protuberance is at least five times the layer thickness of the chamber wall.

3. The portion unit of a cleaning agent according to claim 2 , wherein the maximum height of the protuberance is at least ten times the layer thickness of the chamber wall.

4. The portion unit of a cleaning agent according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one auxiliary volume comprises a proportion of 3-15% of the total volume.

5. The portion unit of a cleaning agent according to claim 1 , wherein the chamber comprises two or more auxiliary volumes.

6. The portion unit of a cleaning agent according to claim 1 , wherein the portion unit has a triangular or circular or rectangular main shape.

7. The portion unit of a cleaning agent according to claim 1 , wherein the chamber wall comprises a water-soluble material.

8. The portion unit of a cleaning agent according to claim 7 , wherein the water-soluble material comprises a polyvinyl alcohol copolymer.

9. The portion unit of a cleaning agent according to claim 1 , wherein the chamber is filled with a plurality of cleaning agent compositions.

10. The portion unit of a cleaning agent according to claim 9 , wherein the chamber is filled with a plurality of cleaning agent compositions of different dosage forms.

11. The portion unit of a cleaning agent according to claim 9 , wherein the main volume is filled with a first cleaning agent composition having a first dosage form and the at least one auxiliary volume is filled with a further cleaning agent composition having a second dosage form which is different from the first.

12. The portion unit of a cleaning agent according to claim 1 , wherein the portion unit is produced in a thermal vacuum thermoforming method.

13. A method for producing a portion unit of a cleaning agent according to claim 1 , comprising the following steps:
a.) preheating a first water-soluble film portion over a thermoforming mold, of which the bottom has at least one recess;
b.) applying a negative pressure to the thermoforming mold, thereby sucking in the preheated film portion into the thermoforming mold and forming a receiving volume consisting of the first water-soluble film portion, wherein the receiving volume comprises a main volume and at least one auxiliary volume;
c.) filling a cleaning agent composition into the receiving volume;
d.) placing a cover element consisting of a second water-soluble film portion on the filled receiving volume;
e.) welding the cover element to the receiving volume in an edge region by means of moisture and/or temperature such that the main volume and the at least one auxiliary volume can communicate with one another;
f.) removing the portion unit from the thermoforming mold.

Assignees

• Henkel Ag & Co Kgaa

Inventors

• Meier Frank
• Sunder Matthias
• Trebbe Uwe

Classifications

• C11D2111/12

  Soft surfaces, e.g. textile · CPC title

• C11D17/045 Primary

  Multi-compartment · CPC title

• C11D3/3753

  Polyvinylalcohol; Ethers or esters thereof · CPC title

• C11D11/0017

  Chemistry & Metallurgy · mapped topic

• C11D17/042 Primary

  Water soluble or water disintegrable containers or substrates containing cleaning compositions or additives for cleaning compositions · CPC title