CA1325112C - Method and device for washing laundry in a machine with a particulate product - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT

"Method and device for washing laundry in a machine with a particulate product"

Method for washing laundry in a machine according to which a metering and diffusing device of a reusable type is filled with a particulate product which is active during washing this device is placed in the machine with the laundry to be washed and then washing is performed in the usual manner. A device is used which comprises a flexible bag mounted on a ring 51 made from plastic material (polypropylene) for example with radial walls 53 in the shape of a helix providing openings 57 The product (detergent) is dissolved progressively and in practice does not merge from the device in solid form.

Description

13251~2 , The Present invention belongs to the field of ~ashing laundry in a machine. Its subject is a ne~ nethod for ~ashing which makes it possible to use in an optinun - manner products currently available on the market in S solid form, in particular in po~der form, ~hich are en-ployed in a ~ashing ooeration, for e~ample detergents or other special additives ~hich are active during vashing.
The invention also relates to a device for implenenting such a method.
~ashing is increasingly carried out in nachines using products in po~der forn, granules or other solid - forns in particles. ~achines for ~ashing laundry are principally drum-type nachines but there are also so-called agitator/pulsator-type machines. Regardless of the type of ~achine employed, sPecialists kno~ that con-ditions of use of such products are far froo being opti-- ~u~. In fact, there is a real probleo in providing a uni-forn distribution of the particulate product and its dissolution in the ~ashing nediun vithin the tub of the machine~ In the folloving text, illustrations ~ill be given more particularly of th- technical Problems in-volved in the case of pouder detergents, ho~ever, clearly, similar problens arise ~ith detergents in other forms as ~ith any additives ~hich are active during vashing.
Coepartments or containers are generally provided for receiving the appropriate quantity of povder deter-gent b-fore the ctual ~ashing operation. The active pulverul2nt product is supposed to be entrained by the uater into the tub of the oachine in step ~ith the pro-gress of the process. Ho~ever, it nay be obs~rved that the pouder uashing agent is far from being totally entrained by the ~ater such that reasonably large residua~ quanti-ties renain in the distribution container. Thus, the required quantity of po~der ~ashing agent is not actually consu~ed, ~hich reduces the efficacy of the ~ashing.
Moreover, containers in ~ashing ~achines are al~ays soiled ~ith residues originating fron previous operations. This difficulty is ~ell kno~n and is the subject of numerous complaints on the part of users. ~

Another technical proble~ posed by the use of powder detergents is that disso~ution o~ the active product ~ithin the tub is not co~plete such that the po~der entrained by the ~ater and vhich has been unable to be dissolved suitably therein falls directly to the botton of the tub According to the type of machine the loss of product in the drainage syste~ nay reach 20 X of the initial ~uan-tity placed in the containers The non-dissolved pouder is re~oved directly into the drainage of th- eachine, which finally leads to the user increasing the aJounts of po~der in order to ensure optinun ~-shing ; In order to avoid the aboven-ntioned dra~backs and losses of detergent in the distribution containers, a certain nunber of users have resorted to a do-it-your-self solution ~hich consists in placing the detergent po~der directly on the drun of the ~ashing aachine before con~encing the ~ashing operation This ~easure nay clearlr only be taken in the case of a top-opening dru- nachine and is itself not devoid of draubacks ln fact, although it ~ay be assuned that losses in the distribution con-tainers are eli0inated, this i5 not the case regarding losses in the drainage systen ~hich are in this case only slightly reduced In any ease, this solution is un-satisfactory because the povd~r passes through the hotes in the drun and co~es into dircct contact ~ith the laundry During rotation of the dru~ in the ~ater, the dissolution of the particles of detergent po~der having thereby cone ~ into contact ~ith the laundry has an unfavourable effect - on the latter fre~uently, particles of detergent have ;- 30 a colouration uith the result that the coloured granules - of the vashing agent dissolve by releasing the colourant - into the laundry and can thu~ cause stains on the latter Sinilarlr, if, in a desire to obtain a good uashing per-for~ance, the detergent conposition contains Peroxygen-ated conpounds, the reloYant granules, for e~a-plo per-borate granul~s, deco~pose on contact ~ith the laundrr - and nay discolour it-ns of pale colour Th-re is therefore an undisputed technical prob-le~ ~hich is linked to th- fact that the de~ergents or .~

~ashing agents in particulate form do not fulfil the oP-ti~u~ conditions of dissolution in ~ater during ~ashing In order to solve such a problen, the ~Pplicant has resorted to the design of a 0ethod according to vhich a device is firstly filled ~ith detergent, vhich device is then placed in the nachine ~ith the laundry to be washed ~n fact, the Applicant has developed this des;gn essentiatly in the case of li~uid detergents and, by vay of reference to illustrate such a state ot the art, Patent Application FR 84 06151, filed on 18th April 1984 and published under No 2,563,250, and entitled "~-thod for ~ashing laundry in a nachine vith a liquid detorgent and device for its application" nay b- nentioned In this case, the detergent contained in the device diffuse~ pro-gressive~y into the ~ashing nediun and into the laundry in the nachine In one enbodi-ent, the device has a filling orifice and orifices for the progressive relea~e of the li~uid ~ithin the Laundry during ~ashing Ho~ever, uhen it i5 desired to apply purely and si~ply such a design to the case of particulate deter-gents, practical difficulti~s are encountered in nu~erous cases These difficulties derive fron the fact that the di~solution of the solid particles of detergent in the vashing ~ater i5 not satistaetorily ensured if such a detergent i~ placed in a device coeprising orifices and then such a device i5 introduced into the achine ~ithin the laundry. In fact, it has be~n observed, that the ~ presenc- ot orifices on the device, eapable of ensuring - the diffusion of the detergent, did not pereit ~ati~tic-tory dissolution of the po~der Increasing the nueber and/or th- size of the orifices is not a satisfactory solution either because it encounters the s~ee draubacks as those nentioned at the beginning of the present de-scription, nanely losses of po~der in the drainage systen and/or contact ~ith the laundry uhile the particles are still solid Si-ilarly, a reduction in the nunber and/or di~ensions of orifices lead~, 5 has been ob~erved, to progressive blocking of the oritices by th- ~et po~der such that the detergent can no (onger leave the device in order to carry out the ~ashing function. All the above discussion thus sho~s that, generally, it is not possible to use po~der detergents in an optinun ~anner in metering and diffusing devices ~hich, noreover, have S prooved perfectlY suitable for ~iquid ~ashing agents.
In French Patent Publication FR 2614905, p~blished Nov. 10, 1988, for "Method and device for washing laundry in a machine", the Applicant proposed the use of a ~eter-ing and diffusing device containing a detergent in solid form and ensuring the prior dissolution of the po~der before its progressive release into the laundry nedium.
- ~ In one embodiment, such a device co~prises a body capable of being filled ~ith the desired quantity of detergent, removable neans for closing this body, the body or the said neans having holes or orifices for the release of the detergent, the said device being characterized in that it comprises means separating the part of the - device comprising the holes or orifices fron the part comprising the particulate detergent, the said means being designed in order to allou the ~ashing vater to pass through freely and to practically prevent the nas-sive and uncontrolled release of the particulate deter-gent. One device structure ~hich has-given very inter-esting practical results has the general shape ot a body of revolution ~hich can be closed by a reoovable cap and ~hich has holes permitting both ~ater to enter inside the device and also the diffusion of the detergent, the device being ~ore particularly characterized in that it conprises at least one plate ~ounted uithin the device in order to separate the cap and the part of the body containing the particulate deeergent, the said plate it-self having at least one orifice vhose surface is less than that of the holes or orifices in the cap. In this manner, the perforated plate enables the particulate de-tergent to be retained in the body of the device ~hilstallowing the vashing uater to dissolve this detergent before its release into the ~ashing ~achine.
The Applicant has pursued its research in order to solve the technical problems mentioned in Patent q~
W

132~112 Publication ~R 2~14905 ~hilst preserving the concept of diffusion and progressive disoersion in the washing medium and in the laundry of an active product avaiLable initially in particulate form, ~hilst ensuring the prior dissolution of this product before its diffusion. It is, in fact, desirable to develop a metering and diffusing de-vice ~hich, whilst retaining a simple structure, makes further improvements to the devices already proposed for this purpose in the case of particulate detergents and particularly ~akes it possible:
- to reduce the quantity of plastic naterial used in the device ~hich neets increasingly i-portant needs -- for environmental protection, regulations in this regard aiming to prevent ~aste from plastic articles uhich are not nornally destroyed in natural environments, - to achieve ~inimum bulk, in order to neet re-quirements of packaging, transPort and of storage, and - to eli~inate the noises caused by metering and ; diffusing devices in ~ashing machines in order to ~eet ~; 20 the expectations of certain users.
The present invention provides a solution to ~;~ these technical problens and also to other problems, as ~ill become apparent fron the follo~ing description, ~hilst entirely retaining the benefits of netering and diffusing devices it had already proposed for particulate detergents, particularly those forning the subject of Patent Pub1ication FR 2614905 abo~e The invention relates to a nethod for uash;ng laundry in a ~achine accord;ng to ~hich a netering and diffusing device of a reusab~e type is filled uith a particulate product ~hich is active during uashing, this device is Placed in the machine ~ith the laundry to be ~ashed and then uashing is performed in the usual ~anner, characteri~ed in that the said device essentially co~-prises a flexible sheath in the forn of a bag extendingaround at least one orif;ce ~hich allo~s the bag to be filLed ~ith the desired quantity of praduct, correspond-ing substantially to one ~ashing oPeration, and ~hich renains at least partially open during ~ashing, the aqueous A~

- 6 _ 132S112 ~ashing mediun Penetrating inside the bag at least through the orifice of the latter and ~ith a vie~ to the oro-gressive dissolution of the Particulate product, the latter being thus progressively released during uashing S predo~inantly in the form of an agueous solution passing at least through the orifice of the bag.
According to the invention, the bag is nade fron a ~aterial capable of retaining the particulate product ~ithout allo~ing it to pass through in solid form and of ~ithstanding the ~ashing and drying tenperatures of the laundry in a nachine.
According to a preferred embodinent of the in-vention, the naterial of ~hich the bag i5 nade is designed . :
- to allov the aqueous ~ashing ~ediue to penetrate through the bag to~ards the particulate product contained therein and to allou an active ageuous solution, originating trom the progressive dissolution of the particulate product - and passing t'hrough the bag, to diffuse fro~ the inside to~ards the outside of the latter. In thi e~bodi-ent, the bag is permeable to vater. The penetration of the '` aqueous ~ashing medium i5 achieved both through the ori-fice of the bag and through the latter, and the ditfusion or release of the active solution of the product is also achieved through the orifice of the bag and through the latter.
~'~ The nethod of the invention nay be applied not only to detergents in solid torn but also to any parti-' ~ culate product ~hich is active during-~ashing chosen, for - exa-ple, from bleaching agents such as agents releasing - 30 chlorine or active oxygen ~peroxygenated conpounds), bleaching catalysts, bleaching activators, bactericides, foam regulators, ~hitening ag-nts, agents preventing the redeposition of dirt, enz~nes, softeners, agents exerting an action for re00ving grease stains or alternatively constituents ~hich do not act directlY on dirt but uhich can be used in a nachine laundry ~ashing process, for example agents ensuring the protection of internal parts and elements of the ~a~hing ~achine.
In the present description, the tern "particulate 132~112 , product" encompasses all the forns ot presentation of such solid products, such as pouders, granules, tlakes, pellets and other sinilar physical structures capabte of being dissolvad in ~ater under nor~al ~ashing conditions S The nethod of the invention is particularly interesting ~ith detergents presented in the forn of so-called high-density particles ~hich are currentLy already devel-oped in certain countries They present advantage~
in terms ot packaging, transport and ~tor~g- conpared ~ith sinilar traditional products, due to the r~duction in bu~k that they afford Ho~ever, because of their chenical conposition and their physical structure cha-racteristics such high-density particle detergents tend to involve losses in the distribution container and in the drainage circuits ~hich are ev-n greater than tra--~ ditional po~der detergents The ability ot these ne~
detergents to dissolve is, in certain case~, less than that ot knoun products Individual packaging used for these high-density particle detergents ott-n have a snal-ler volu~e Yhich e-ans that there is less space available for inserting Jetering and dittusing devic-s These neu technical problens, linked to the appearance of high-density particle detergents, are aLso solved by th- nethod -~ of the present invention ~hich enploys a eetering and ZS diffu~ing device conprising e~sentially a bag in flexible naterial The d-vice enployed according to the invention is di~tinet in nunerous a~pects fron certain kno~n neans ot the prior art vhich con~isted of sachets or pockets capable ot containing a detergent or an additive useful in ~ashing, it being possible for such products to be present in particulate forn in the sachet Firstly, the pocket~ or sachets of the prior art contain a pre-netered ~uantity of product and cannot be reused Their design does not allo~ the progressive release of the pro-duct, th- latter being distributed conPl-t~ly either in-nediately at the beginning of the vashing cyc~e o- during ~ the latter The device of th- inv-ntion does not present ; the dra~back~ of the ~ach-t~ or pock-ts ot the prior art - 8 - 1 32i~112 According to the invention, th- device is o- the reusable tyPe and the guantity of product (detergent or any addi-tive) nay be ~etered as desired by virtue of the presence of the orifice ~hich serves for filling vith the product ~oreover, the person skilled in the art knous that to permit the diffusion of the active product the sachets or pockets of the prior art must co~pri5e a valL uhich is soluble in ~ater or in the ~ashing nedium or alterna-tiveLy, in the case in vhich this ~aLl is not solubLe in water, joints or connections capable of dissolving in or-der to reLease the products must be provided. In the first case, that of uatQ--soluble valls, there ;s no - problen ~ith regard to the uashing machin-, but the sachets or pockets are difficult to store and to ~arket in practice due to their sensitivity to hu~idity This solution is thus technically unacceptable unless much more expensive neasures are adopted in relation to the design ot the vall On the other hand, ~ith insoluble sachets or poc~ets~ the body of the latter is released - 20 at the same time as the aetiv~ product vhich involves serious draubacks for the eLements of the vashing mach-;ne, the pockets or sachets emptied of their contents then cau~ing various types of damage, such a~ the bLoc~-age of drainage circuits Such practical difticulties Z5 are well kno~n to the person s~illed in the a t and thus do not have to be explained in further detail.
Unlike the ~eans of the prior art, thc device of the invention eay be recovered at th- end of vashing vithout any ri k for the machine, uhich is entireLy es-sential for th~ practical re~uirements of users The method of the invention may be empLoyed vitha large variety of devices coaprising fLexibLe bag.
The material of ~hich the flexible bag is nade may be of any type provid-d it has sufficient resistance to ~ater and to the ~ashing ~edium at the tenperatures e0ployed during ~ashing and during drying, ~hich can range uP to 150C apProximately. It can thus be a ~oven or non-~oven m~terial made fron natural or ~ynthetic fibres or fron a mixture ot the latt~r Purely by ~-Y ot - 9 - 132~112 illustration use may be ~ade ot a bag for~ed tro~ a flex-ible sheath of pure cotton either in the torn of a fabric ~ith a nesh opening smaller than 0 5 o- approxi~ately or in the for~ of a non-~oven article vith openings rang-ing particularly fron 0 5 to 0 ~ nn The bag oay alsobe nade fro~ extruded or coextruded filns vith perfo-rations The dinensions of the latter nay vary vithin ~ide linits according to the nature and the particle size of the particulate product ~y vay of indication fil~s ~ tO ~ith perforations of approxi~ately 380 icrons ~ay be - used Hovever the naterial of the bag does not have to be a textile ~aterial The sheath nay also b- nade tron a trellis of plastic ~aterial or fron a sheet of pap-r or another porous cellulos~ eaterial vhich is r-sistant eO vater If the naterial reguired for the flexible bag does not itself possess sufficient resistance to vater, it ~ay be equipped ~ith a coating rendering it resistant to vater In the case of porou~ paper, for exaople the coating ~3y consist of a latex-based binder conbined vith a hydrophobic substance Hitherto the invention has been described on the basis of the preferred eobodi~-nts vhich consist in using a flexible bag vhose sheath or vall co~prises pores or openings in varied foros and di-ensions, cither organi~ed as in the casa of a fabric, or randon as in the case of non-voven ~aterial~ Hovever, for the ree~uireuents of the invention, it is a~o possible to use a fl~xible big ~hose sheath is eoopletely ieper-eable to vater and to th- ~ashing nediun, in vhich c-se the tranfers of fluid into th~ in~id- of the bag and tovards the outside of the latter tak- place only through the orifice of the bag - Such eobodinents are, in fact, possible by taking steps to arrange in the orifice ~eans aking it possible to achieve the prior dissolution of the particulate products, as vill be d-scribed belov The outer shape of the b-g ~ay also b- very var-iable and according to an inter-~ting characteristic of the invention it is possible to adapt this shape to the type o~
part;culat~ product used as vell a~ to the conditions in .~
.
.;

~hich this product ~ust be released, exa~ole~ ot ~hich ~ill be given bel~. 3y ~ay of illu~tration, the bag nay be a substant1ally cylindrical sheath extending in the extension of the orifice, the diaoeter of the sheath thus being substantially equal to that of the orifice. Ho~-- ever, it is also possible to use sheaths ~hich taper fron the orifice or ~hich, on the other hand, flare out fron the latter. A sheath ~ith a tapered shape ensures a relatiYely nore rapid release of the particulate product, Yhilst a flared sheath allo~s a relatively ~lover release.
In addition, given that the device according to the in-vention is of the reusable type and that the u~er nay ~eter the quantity of particulate product as desired, the - flexible bag nay have several arks corresponding to filling leYels and consequently to the variable quantities of particulate products.
It has been stated above that the device according to the invention presented at least one orifice pernitting ; both the filling of the bag uith the active product and its release in a predissolved for~ into the washing nediu-and into the laundry inside the nachine. In the sinplest enbodi~ent, uhich is preferred, the device conprises a single orifice vhich nay have any cross-section: circular, oval, square, rectangular and the like. Satisfactory practical results have been obtained ~ith orifices having a circular cross-section.
It is appropriate for the orifice of the bag to be defined by a eeans acting a5 a support for the sheath of the bag. This nay be achieved si~ply by neans of a ring having, a~ cross-section, that required for the ori--fice. This ring ay be eade troo a naterial of quitc variable hardness, the only condition being that the orifice is held open during vashing. The naterial of ~hich the ring is nade ~ay be a plastic or eetallic ~a-terial or alternatively ~ood or cardboard rendered re-sistant to ~ater and any other sinilar ~aterial. Satis-factory practical results are obtained ~ith plastic ~a-terials ~hich are easy to vork in order to achievt the desired configurations of the ring. 3y vay of exa~ple, ;,, - 1~ 132~ 12 polyethylene and po~ypropylene arc particuldrly suitable.
It has been stated above that the orifice of the bag should be held open, at least partially, during ~ash-: ing in order to per~it the progressive release of an a~ueous solution of the active product. Thus, in an ex-tre~e case, use nay be ~ade of flexible bag devices in ~hich the orifice is entirely free, but it is preferred in general to use devices in vhich the oritice addition-ally co~prises ~eans enabling it to be covered, excepe for certain predeter~ined openings. A very large nunber of enbodinents are possible provided that th- eans asso-ciated uith the ring defining the oritice sioultaneously allo~:
- the bag to be filled ~ith the particulate pro-duct, - the particulate product to be prevented froe leaving the bag in bulk in a particulate fore during ~ashing, - - the inside of the bag to be rendered accessible to the ~ashing nediu~ so as to ensure the prior disso-lution of the particulate product, the release of the latter then taking place essentially in the forn of a solution passing, at least partially, through the orifice froe the inside to~ards the outside of the bag.
Cle-rly, the ~eans intended to cover the orifice ~ill have to be adapted to the shape and to the nature of the ring d-fining the latter. Purelr illustrative -exa-pl-s uill be given belov. Satisfactory practical results have been obtained ~ith a ring having radial ~alls converging at a solid central area, sueh that openings are thereby nade bet~een each of the said radial ~alls.
The valls in question nay be straight or, on the other hand, have a particular profile, fo~r exanple in the tor~
of a h-lix. Ho~ever, many other variants are possible:
3~ for exanple provision nay be oade inside the bag defining the orifice for ualls vhich ar- concentric to this ring, going to~ards the inside of the latter, uith radial ~alls disposed bet~een the said internediat~ oartitions and the Oueer ring.

.. ,~ .... ...

- 12 - 1 ~ 2 r'I~ ~
~ y neans of routine tests, the Person ~killed in the art is capable ot choosing the shaPes and the di~en-sions of the openings ~ade in the orifice in order to obtain the best results according to the trpe of active S product to be used during Yashing Illustrative exa~ples Yill be given belo~
According to a co~p(inentary enbodinent, the shape of the ring surrounding the flexible bag nay be chosen so as to facilitate neasurenent of the particulate ~ 10 product in a larger-size pack, for exanPle a barrel To - this end, the ring ~ay be arrang-d such that its outer ; edge acts as a neasuring trough In order to facilitate grip, the ring nay also have surfac- irregularities, e~-bossed or indented, enabling the fingers to grip satis-factorily Hovever, it i5 also possible to fix on the ring a uenber naking it possiblc to grip it Such a meober nay be per~anently aounted, in uhich case it is preferably of snall size, or as a variant, this ne-ber consists of a larger handle vhich ay be fixed in a re~ovable nanner by any appropriate neans onto the body of the ring According to an interesting characteristic of the present invention, the choice of a particular type of ~etering and diffusing devices vith a flexible bag nay ZS be adaptQd to the active product to be used during vash-ing Therefor-, devices vho~e orifice reoains coepletely oPen during vashing and vhich do not co-prise any closing ~ean~ ay be used to contain detergents or additives ~ho~e con~tituents only dissolv- slo~ly in vater An exa~ple of a dQtergent co-position having such character-istic~ is as folloYs:
Alkyl sulphate~ 7-1Q X
fatty acid 1- 3 X
Alu~iniuu and sodiu~ silicates15-25 X
35 ~ater-soluble poly~er~ 1- 3 X
Sodiun silicate 3- 8 X
- Sodiun ~ulphate 10-4Q X
Sodiu~ carbonate S-70 X
Alcala~e ~enzy~e) 0- 2 X
' .
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.

, ., :.
' .' - 13 - 132~112 In the above conPo~ition and also in the other exa~ples ~hich follo~, all th- parts are expr--sed by ~eight unless other~ise indicated Another exanple of a detergent conposition vhich S ~ay be used for ~ashing deLicate articles and ~hich nay be e~ployed ~ith a oetering and diffusing device ~ith an open orifice is as follovs:
Alkyl sulPhates 10-20 X
- Fatty acid 1- 3 X
10 Aluniniu~ and sodiuo silicates20-30 X
Sodiun silicate 1- 5 X
- Sodiun sulphate 20-40 X
Sodiu~ carbonate 0- S S
Additives ~hich nay a~50 be used in such a eetor-ing and diffusing device are, tor exa-ple, products ex-erting a softening action on the vashing ~ater A netering and diffusing device conprising an orifice ~ith closing neans oa~ be used vith detergents for nain ~ashes for uhich it is appropriate to avoid di-rect contact betveen the laundry and certain of its con-stituents. ~y ~ay of exa~ple of ~ detergent conpositionfor nain uashes included in this category, the folloving nay be nentioned:
A~ky~ su~phates 7-10 X
25 Fatty acid 1- 3 S
Alueiniuo and sodiuo silicates15-2S S
~ater-solublo poly~ers 1- 3 X
Sodiun perborate 10-25 S
Sodiu~ silicate 3- 8 X
30 Sodiuv sulPhate 10-40 X
~; Sodiu- carbonate S-10 X
Alcalase 0- 2 X
In a co~plinentary oanner, the above co~position ~ay conprise up to S X of a bleaching aetivator such as 3S N,N,N',N'-tetracetylethylenedianine or lt-rnatively isonon~l hydroxyben~enesulphonate.
In practico, the voluoe ot the flexibl~ bag nust be chosen as a function of the ~e-sure of ctivo product to be distributed during ~ashing Yhen this is a detergent ',', J

., . . ' - 14 - 132~112 composition appropriate volune values tor the flexible bag are tro~ approxinately 250 nl to 400 nl ~hich enables ~uantities, by ~eight, in the order of 150 to 250 9 per ~ash, ot particulate detergent to be introduced therein S It is again appropriate to note that the nethod of the invention ~hich uses a ~etering and diffusing de-vice ~ith a flexible bag nakes it possible to use deter-- gent conpos;tions ~hich currently cannot find a practica~
app~ication because of the fact that they cannot be dis-tributed suitably fron the container or conpart~ent uith ~hich the ~ashing ~achine is equiPPed Thi~ is already true for certain high-donsity detergent coepositions ~hich have already been entioned above Ho~ever, the sane renark nay bc eade ~ith regard to other detergent co~positions having nediocre solubility in ~ater The ~ethod of the invention thus naxes it possibLe to use detergent co~Positions giving better ~ashing Perfornance for example by reducing or even elininating charg-s of a sodiun sulPhate type vhilst increasing the proportions of, for exanple, an anionic and nonionic surface-active agent In addition, the invention ~ay be eeployed ~ith particulate products of very variable particle si~-, given that the person s~illed in the art has several paraeeters available in the eetering and diftusing devic~ for choo~-ing the nost approPriate device according to the natureof the active product the aterial of ~hich the flexible bag i~ ade ~5 uell as the shape of the latter, the ori-fice vith or vithout closing veans, the shapes and di-ension~ of the orifice and the openings it co-priscs if there i~ a cloling e-ans and other si~ilar paraneters ~ ~hen ention i~ eade in the present description - of an o-ific- or of an op-ning, these terns are intended ~; to designate passages having any shape through uhich the products presented in particulate forn or liquid, pasty or other products oay pass ~ The above description and the follouing specific ;j~ exanples give a good illustration of the technical prob-le~s solved by the invention a~ Y~ll as the advant~g-s it 9iv~5.

'",' ,5 1325112 The ~ethod of the invention ~akes it Possible to distribute detergents, additives or other active ~ashing products available in particulate for~ actually ~ithin the laundry in th- nachine vhich provides higher concen-S trations of deeergent solution in contact vith the laun-dry and thus increases ~ashing quality and perfor~ances The invention virtually elininates losses of ac-tive product, in particular of detergent, vhich occur ~hen using the ~etering co~partnent of the vashing nachine, losses in the drainage circuit of the nachine being re-duced.
- The quantity of plastic naterial used in the ~etering and diffusing device is very s-all because it is reduced to that of the ring defining the orifice and carrying the flexible bag In certain cases, there i~
not even any need to use plastic oaterial to produce such a ring. Thus the invention gives better enYiron-ental protection because the ~ater;als of vhich the device is ~ade are very largely degraded in the natural nvironnent Practical tests have also shovn that enPloying the netering and diffusing device vith a flexibl- bag does not cause any noise inside the ~achine during the ~ashing operation. 9ecause of its lov ~eight the device does not cause any da~age to the laundry.
~ ZS The very s~all bulk of the oetering and diffusing - device nakes it poss;ble to coebine it, in an optiuu~
- oanner for packaging, vith particle products such a~ de-tergents and other additives ~hich are useful in uashing Use can therefor~ be nade of individual packs containing larger ~uantities of particulate product and/or packs uhich the~$~lv-s have a reduccd bulk. The device in question is very easy to handle and to stor- because it occupies only a very s-all space j Unlike the pockets or sachets containing a pre-- 35 deter~ined nea~ure of active product, the invention ~akes it possible to use any desired ~uantity of produce, ac-cording to the nature of the latter The eost appropriate ~etering and diffusing device tor the characteristics of the product is conse~uently chosen, a type ot device then - 1~- 132~
being allocated to an individual product pack.
The ethod of the invention is again very easy to inplenent because the netering and ditfusing device eay serve directly to neasure the particulate active product. Once the ~ashing operation is conpleted, the device is easily recovered in the ~achine and it can then be reused. Even if the user torgets the device in the nachine or in the dryer, this does not Present any dra~-back for the latter nor for the laundry in a subsequent 1û ~ashing operation.
The person skilled in the art uill understand that the present invention thus offers great flexibility for solving the various technical probleot of uashing laundry in a eachine ~ith particulate active products.
The invention ~ill again be illustrated, ~ith-out being li-ited in any vay, by the follouing descrip-tion oade ~ith reference to the appended dravings in uhich:
Fig. 1 i5 a diagrao-atic representation, in front - 20 viev, of a -tering and diffusing device vhich nay be used in the ethod of the inventio~.
Fig. Z is a vieu si-ilar to Figure 1, represent-ing a variant.
Fig. 3 is a vie~ si~ilar to Figure~ 1 and 2, ZS representing another variant.
fig. ~ is a section illustrating the nounting of the fl~xibl~ bag on a support ring.
Fig. 5 is a plan vieu of a ring d-fining the ori-fice of the bag.
Fig. 6 is a viev si-ilar to figure 5, i~lustrat-ing variant.
fig. ~ it a vieu si-ilar to Figur~s S and 6, . . .
illustrating nother variant.
; Fig. 8 i5 a diagra~-atic p~an viev shouing a ring ~ith gripping eans.
Fig. 9 is a vie~ si-ilar to Figure 8, illustrat-. .
ing a variant.
fig. 10 is a viev si~ilar to Figure 8, illustrat--~ ing anoth-r variant.
:

- 17 ^ 1~2~1t~
~ he nctering and dittu~ing device designated by the general reterence 10 in Figure 1 essentiaLly coeprises a ring 1 and a bag 2 in flexible material, for exanple in a cotton fabric The size of the openings of the tabric Z oust be such that it is possible to prevent the free passage of a particulate product, particularly of a detergent, Placed inside the bag, even in the case of the finest particles In the exaeple represented in Figure 1, the bag 2 has a general shape ~hich is approxi~ately cylindrical but variants have been represented in figures 2 and 3 ~hich illustrat~ different shapes In Figure 2 the device 20 conprises a ring 21 carrying a flexible bag 22 ~hich tapers tovards the point ~he device 30 of Figure 3 cooprises a ring 31 and a fle-tS xible bag 32 ~hich flares out fron the orifice definedby the ring 31 The shaPe of the bags na~et it possible to vary the characteristics for retaining the particulate product inside the bags and, conse~uently, the diffusi-bility in the uashing nediun and in the Laundry of the particulate product in a predissolved for~ Therefore, the bag 22 in Figure 2 provid-s nore raPid diffusion characterist ks than the bag 32 in Figure 3, the struc-ture of the ring 31 and of the corresponding oritice be-ing the sane Figure 4 is a viev in section shoving diagran-natically the eounting of a flexible bag 42 on a suport rinq 41 In this exaJple, the latter is nade fron a plastic ~aterial, for exanPle in polypropylene It is for~-d fro~ an outer vall 43 connected to an inner ~all 44, the l-tter being substantially straight ~et~een these t~o ualls th-re is provided a conPart-ent 45 inside Yhich nay b- in~erted th- xtr~ne edge 46 of the bag 42 In order to ensure the bag 42 is held on the ring 41, any . . ~
suitabLe neans ~ay be used, tor e~anPle an adhesive cap-able of ~ithstanding the tenperatures enployed in ~shing ~achines, ;ncluding those us-d for drying, it being pos-sibl- for the tenperatures th~n to range up to t50C
Figure 5 shous diagraveatically in plan vie~ the structure ot a ring vhich has given ~atisfactory practicaL

132~112 resutts in the implementation of the method o~ the in-vention. It essentially comprises a periPheral ~all 51 arranged in the same manner as the ring 41 represented in Figure 4. A pellet 52 is nounted in the centre of the ring 5t, from ~rhich pellet there extend a certain nuober (in the example chosen this number is equal to 6) of ~embers 53 in the foro of turbine blades. Eet~een the members 53 are provided openings 57. A ring of the type represented in Figure 5 makes it possible both to fill an associated flexible bag and to prevent a nassive release of particulate product through the openings 57.
In fact, during operation of the machine, the device is tumbled at the same time as the laundry ~hich enhances the contact of the particulate product ~ith the ~ashing me-diun, the latter penetrating simultaneously through thepores of the flexible bag and through the openings 57.
On the other hand, the particulate product does not, in practice, emerge in a solid non-dissolved torm by virtue of the presence of the blades 53. Clearly, the exanple of figure 5 is only illustrative. Nunerous other variants ~ay also be provided. ~y ~ray of indication, Figure 6 sho~s a representation of a ring conprising a peripheral ~rall 61, an inner hub 62 and straight radial partitions - 64 in order to provide betveen theo openings 67. ln Figure 7, a ring is seen vhich comprises a peripheral all 71, an intermediate vall 73 of concentric shape and an inner hub 72. Bet~een the valls 71 and 73 are pro-vided radial partitions 7~ providing between then openings 77. Similarly, bet~een the ~al~ 73 and the inner hub'72 there are provided radial ~alls 75 providing bet~een then - openings 78. Results equivalent to those of the device of Figure 5 may be obtained using the devices of Figures 6 and 7, choosing in an appropriate manner the number and ; the si2e of the openings thereby achieved.
' 35 Figures 5 to 6 have been given only by ~ay of '~ illustration fon the person skilled in the art. The latter na~ a~so use structr~res ~rhich Yere t~e subject of Figures 4 to Z3 of above mentioned Patent Publication FR 2614905 and _ 19 _ 132~
;ntroduced b~ reference in th- present specitication figures 5 to 6 represent rings ~hich alL conprise inside certain aenbers vhich act as closing oeans to pre-vent the particulate product tron being released in solid S forn fron the inside of the bag Hovever, according to the nature of the particulate product to be u~ed, it is perfectly possible to use rings uhich leave the orifice of the bag entirely free This type of ring i5 repre-sented in Figures 8 and 9 For the require~ents of the illustration, the ring in figure a conprises a Peripheral ~all 81 equipped ~ith a tab 82 which can act as a gripping neans The tab ~2 facilitat-~ the introduction of the ;~ particulate product ~hen the latt-r i~ aeasured in a pac~ ~ith a viev to its et-ring in the bag Figur- 9 - 15 illu~trates a variant in ~hich the ring 91 aay be equip-ped vith a handle 92, presented separately and vhich can be fixed in a renovable eanner at 93 by any appropriate rapid fixing ~eans, particularly by clipping or catching Figur- 10 sho~s anoth-r variant according to - 20 ~hich the ring 101 co-prise~ sur~ac- irregularities on its outer edge intend-d to tacilitat- gripping ~ith the fingers In the exanple chos-n, these irregularities are foroed by a recets 102, for xa-ple for accoonodating the thu-b, and t l-ast one oth-r r-c-ss 103, for acco-~odating th- index finger of the s-~e hand The user can th-r--fore, in a verr sinple eann-r, sei~e the ring 101 uith a viev to Silling the bag associat-d therevith The eetering and diffusing devices us-d in the uethod of the invention hav- been illustrated in Figures 4 to 10 vith rings defining a circular orifice lt has alreadr been stated that thi~ shaPe i~ not in ~nr ~r obligatory and that it is also Possible to use oval or other types of outlines for the requiren~nts of vashing, - devices ~hich do not have a sharp edge are preferred, so that no da~age is caused to the laundrr For this reason round or oval structures ar~ generally pref-rred rather than structure~ uith a squar- or r-ctangular cross-section, even if the edge~ ar- round-d In any case, th- p-r~on skilled in th- art nay adopt any shaP- or ~tructur-, - 20 - 132~112 particularly if the ring is produced in Plastic ~aterial, because its manufacture is facilitated by kno~n ~oulding techni~ues, for exanple by injection noulding Ho~ever, as has already been indicated absve, it is not inperative S for the ring to be produced in a plastic oaterial, and other naterials ~ay also b- suitable ~ he invention ~ill again be illustrated by the folloving specific exanPles relating to the i~plenentation of the nethod of the invention 2n all these examples, a metering and diffusing device has been used vhich con-prises a fle~ible bag ~ith a volune of froo 250 ~l to - 400 nl, having the approxinate ~hape represented in Fig-ure 2 Its orifice vas defined by a polypropylene ring as illustrated above ~ith reterence to figure S In the tests reported belo~, ~ashing of the laundry ~as perfor~ed vith neasures of detergent varying between 150 and 250 9 In certain tests, the bag ~as produced froo a cotton fabric, the nesh openings of vhich had a si2e less than 0 5 eo approxinately Other tests vere perforned using a bag in non-~oven cotton, having oPenings in a range tro~ approxinately 0 5 to 0 8 e~ and equivalent results were obtained By vay of active product in the tests, a detergent coeposition for a nain vash ~as used such a5 defined 25 belov Alkyl sulphat-s 7-10 X
Fatty acid 1- 3 X
Aluoiniuu nd sodiu~ silicates15-25 X
~ater-soluble polyoers t- 3 X
30 Sodiu~ perborate 10-25 X
Sodiu- silicat~ 3- ~ X
Sodiuu sulphate 10-~0 X
Sodiuu carbonate S-10 X
Alcalase 0- 2 X
All the above parts are given by ueight 2n cer-tain tests, a guantity, ~hich could range up to 5 X, of a bleaching activator, naoely t-traacety~ ethy~ene dianine, ~as added to th- above conposition In all ca~es, excel-lent results ~ere obtained in ~ashing pertor-ances - 21 - 132~
The conparative tests ~ere perfor~ed to evaluate the sPeed of dissolution of one and the sane granular detergent co~POsition for a ~ain ~ash of the type ~hich has just been described in conditions si~ilar to those for vashing laundry in the nachine Use ~as nade of a ; netering device according to the present invention con-prising a ring such as represented in Figure 5 and a bag nade fron a csextruded polypropylene filn ~ith openings ot approxi~ately 380 oicrons. ~oreover, the sane tests tO ~ere perforned on a ~etering device conPrising a ring vhich uas idontical but extended by a solid polyethylene body. In both cases, the volune of th- device corre-sponded to 200 9 approxieately. The results obtained shoved that the sPeed of dissolution of the cooposition vas ~ore rapid with the device according to the invention, as sho~n by the neasurenents nade on the quantity of deter-gent released into the bath, above all during a period of 8 to 10 ninutes after placing the device in the nachine rhis is particularly tavourable for ~ashing laundry.
Co~plinentary coaparative tests uere perfor~ed to de~onstrate the advantages given by a netering and diffusing device vith a flexible bag in ~ashing laundry in a naehine. rhe tests reported belo~ ~ere perforned uith, on the one hand, a device according to the inven-tion co~prising a cotton fabric bag fixed on a ring of the typ- repre~ented in figure 5 and, on the other hand, a device conorising a rigid Polyethylene body integrally joined to ring identical to that in Figure 5. In all ca~e~, use va~ nade of the granular detergent conPosition for a oain ~ash vhich has been defined.
- The test conditions for va~hing Laundry in a eacbin~ ~ere as follovs:
; rype of uashing nachine: connercially available ~iele and Sie~ens vashing nachines 35 ~ashing tenperature respectively 30C, 60C and ~ash cycle: oain ~ash only hardness of ~ater average value corresponding to tap ~ater fron the nains system.

Drying: in a sha~er dryer Load of laundry ordinary household article fabri:s in batches of 2 kg (30C) and 3 ~9 (60 and 90C) ~ith, as points of conparison, four pairs of identical characteristic saeples per test, the nunber of - coaparative tests being 24 The ~ashing results vere evaluated by experts who 10therefore nade 288 visual evaluations (i e 12 per test) based particularly on the characteristic sanples The rate of preference (61 ~) expr~ssed ;n favour of a flexible bag device of the invention vas clearly greater than that (39 X) vith r-spect to the rigid device 15The above results shou therefore the superiority of perfornances achieved by the invention in ~ashing laundry in a nachine As the person s~illed in the art ~ill easily understand, eany odifications nay be ~ade to the present 2û invention vithout, houever, departing froo its scope Therefor-, in the above exaoples the invention has above all been illustrated in its application to particulate detergents, but it nust also be understood that the in-~ vention nay also be used vith other oarticulate active ; 25 products ~hich re useful in vashing, ~hich ay be pre-sented s-parately and exert their specific eftects at chos-n onents in the ~ashing cycle, either at the be-ginning of th- latter or during uashing , :
' ' , .

Claims (21)

1. Method for washing laundry in a machine ac-cording to which a metering and diffusing device of a reusable type is filled with a particulate product which is active during washing, this device is placed in the machine with the laundry to be washed and then washing is performed in the usual manner, characterized in that the said device essentially comprises a flexible sheath in the form of a bag extending around at least one ori-fice which allows the bag to be filled with the desired quantity of product, corresponding substantially to one washing operation, and which retains at least partially open during washing, the aqueous washing medium penetrat-ing inside the bag at least through the orifice of the latter with a view to the progressive dissolution of the particulate product, the latter being thus progressively released during washing predominantly in the form of an aqueous solution passing at least through the orifice of the bag.

2. Method according to Claim 1, characterized in that the particulate product which is active during washing is a detergent for a main wash or for washing delicate articles, including a detergent presented in the form of high-density particles.

3. Method according to Claim 1, characterized in that the particulate product which is active during washing is chosen from bleaching agents such as agents releasing chlorine or active oxygen (peroxygenated con-pounds), bleaching catalysts, bleaching activators, bac-tericides, foam regulators, whitening agents, agents preventing the redeposition of dirt, enzymes, softeners, agents exerting an action for removing grease stains or alternatively constituents which do not act directly on dirt but which can be used in a machine laundry washing process, for example agents ensuring the protection of internal parts and elements of the washing machine.

4. Method according to Claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the bag is made from a material capable of retaining the Particulate product without allowing it to pass through in solid form and of with-standing the washing or drying temperatures of the laundry in a machine, particularly up to 150°C appro-ximately.

5. Method according to Claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the flexible bag is made from a material which is permeable or impermeable to water.

6. Method according to Claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the material of which the bag is made is designed to allow the aqueous washing medium to penetrate through the bag towards the particulate product contained therein and to allow an active aqueous solution, originating from the progressive dissolution of the par-ticulate product and passing through the bag, to diffuse from the inside towards the outside of the latter.

7. Method according to Claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that use is made of a flexible bag metering and diffusing device with a completely free orifice in combination with an active product that must be dissolved and released rapidly and which does not con-tain any constituent harmful to the laundry by direct contact with the latter.

8. Method according to Claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that use is made of a metering and dif-fusing device with a flexible bag whose orifice comprises closing means in combination with an active product cap-able of being dissolved rapidly but more slowly released within the washing medium, for example a detergent for a main wash in the case of which it is appropriate to avoid direct contact between the laundry and certain of its constituents.

9. Method according to Claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the flexible bag is formed from a woven or non-woven material of natural fibres such as cotton, or synthetic fibres or mixtures of these, or from extruded or coextruded films having perforations

10. Method according to Claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the flexible bag is made from a trellis of plastic material or from a sheet of paper or another porous cellulose material which is resistant to water.

11. Method according to Claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the material of the flexible bag is equipped with a coating rendering it resistant to water.

12. Method according to Claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the outer shape of the flexible bag is adapted to the type of particulate product used and may be, for example, a substantially cylindrical sheath extending in the extension of the orifice, or alternatively a sheath tapering from the orifice or flaring out from the latter.

13. Method according to Claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the device comprises a single ori-fice whose cross-section is circular, oval, square, rec-tangular and the like, cross-sections of rounded shape being preferred.

14. Method according to Claim 1, characterized in that the orifice of the bag is defined by a means acting as a support to the sheath of the bag, in particular in the form of a ring having as cross-section that provided for the orifice.

15. Method according to Claim 14, characterized in that the material of which the ring is made is a plastic material such as polyethylene or polypropylene, a metal or alternatively wood or cardboard rendered resis-tant to water or any similar material.

16. Method according to Claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the orifice is completely free.

17. Method according to Claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the orifice comprises means enabling it to be closed, except for certain predetermined openings.

18. Method according to Claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the orifice is defined by a ring having radial walls converging at a solid central area, it being possible for the said walls to be straight or to have a particular profile, for example in the form of a helix.

19. Method according to Claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the ring defining the orifice of the flexible bag is shaped in order to facilitate measurement of the particulate product in a larger-size pack, for example a barrel.

20. Method according to Claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the orifice is defined by a ring comprising a member facilitating its grip, mounted permanently or consisting of a larger handle which may be fixed in a removable manner onto the body of the ring.

21. A metering and diffusing device for particulate product, said device being suitable for use in the method of any one of claims 1-20, said device comprising a flexible sheath in the form of a bag, said bag extending around at least one orifice, said orifice being adapted to allow the bag to be filled with a quantity of particulate product, corresponding to one washing operation, and means attached about the orifice of the bag which maintains the orifice at least partially open during washing, whereby an aqueous washing medium penetrating inside the bag at least through the orifice of the bag with a view to the progressive dissolution of the particulate product, the product being thus progressively released during washing predominantly in the form of an aqueous solution passing at least through the orifice of the bag.