DETERGENT OFFER FORM

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a detergent packaging form comprising an outer package and detergent granules arranged in assorted form within the outer package. In particular, the invention relates to detergent packaging forms comprising assorted detergent granules that can be easily and safely removed by the consumer after opening the outer package.

[0002] The packaging and presentation of detergents and cleaning agents are subject to constantly changing requirements. For some time now, a major focus has been on convenient dosing by the consumer and simplifying the steps required for washing or cleaning. One technical solution is offered by pre-portioned detergent or cleaning agent dosing units, such as water-soluble containers with one or more compartments for powdered or liquid detergents or cleaning agents. Another technical solution is provided by detergent tablets, which can be single-phase or multi-phase.

[0003] Both water-soluble containers and detergent tablets are generally hygroscopic due to the active ingredients they contain. To prevent water absorption, the pre-portioned detergent or cleaning agent dosing units are individually packaged using waterproof packaging materials, such as flow packs based on water-insoluble polymer films. Alternatively, multiple detergent or cleaning agent dosing units can be packaged in a single container, which itself has a water vapor barrier, thus reducing water access to the dosing units.

[0004] Regardless of whether the packaging materials used to reduce water ingress enclose single or multiple detergent or cleaning agent dosing units, their use is undesirable for ecological reasons. Therefore, one goal of developing innovative detergent packaging formats is to provide solutions and designs that, based on recycled, recyclable, or biodegradable materials, realize the technical advantages of non-recyclable, non-biodegradable, or non-biodegradable materials to the greatest extent possible. Optimizing and further developing existing sustainable technical solutions offers a starting point for this development.

[0005] A technical problem that receives particular attention with regard to detergent or cleaning agent dosing units, especially detergent or cleaning agent tablets, is ensuring the transport and storage stability of these units. The term "transport and storage stability" encompasses both ensuring the physical stability of the detergent or cleaning agent dosing units, for example, against breakage, and ensuring the chemical stability of the detergent or cleaning agent dosing units, for example, against premature degradation and the resulting degradation of the unit's shape. A classic approach to ensuring the transport and storage stability of detergent or cleaning agent tablets involves packaging them in individual flow packs with three-sided welds and the characteristic finned seams of these flow packs.These flow packs are typically made from non-biodegradable, water-insoluble polymer films and, in addition to the detergent or cleaning agent dosing unit, also enclose a considerable volume of air. This air volume, along with the aforementioned fin seams, ensures the physical integrity of the dosing units under mechanical stress due to their damping effect. Furthermore, the water-insoluble polymer films prevent unwanted water ingress from the ambient air, thus also chemically stabilizing the detergent or cleaning agent dosing units. Packaging systems with an octagonal base for tablet-shaped items are described in international patent application WO 2004 / 058580 A1.

[0006] German patent application DE 100 18 003 A1 concerns packaging for cylindrical detergent tablets.

[0007] Cuboid-shaped washing or cleaning agents are disclosed in international application WO 2004 / 046297 A1.

[0008] European patent application EP 3 599 274 A1 describes multi-phase cleaning agent pouches.

[0009] Against the background of the previously described prior art, the application aimed to provide detergent portion units that can be manufactured using simplified processes, possess high transport and storage stability, and can be easily packaged using minimal amounts of packaging material. Finally, the detergent portion units should offer high product performance and be easy and safe for the consumer to handle.

[0010] A detergent offering form according to claim 1 is suitable for solving these tasks.

[0011] Surprisingly, it has been found that the specific orientation of the cuboid detergent pellets in the outer packaging, in combination with its specific design, makes it easier for the consumer to remove and handle the pellets.

[0012] The outer packaging is preferably designed as a folding carton, in particular as a one-piece folding carton. Preferred outer packaging has a flat base whose largest diagonal is greater than the height of the outer packaging. This design of the outer packaging increases its stability and allows for easy opening and removal.

[0013] To achieve a high fill level, it has proven advantageous for the outer packaging to have a rectangular base. For the same reason, and to improve the stackability of the outer packaging, it is preferred that the outer packaging has a lid surface that is parallel to the base. Cuboid-shaped outer packaging is particularly preferred.

[0014] To increase storage stability, and in particular to chemically stabilize the detergent molds, it has proven advantageous for the outer packaging to be resealable. Suitable closure elements include, for example, adhesive, snap, or plug-in elements, with adhesive and plug-in elements being particularly preferred. Examples of closure elements are snap closures or releasable adhesive closures.

[0015] For sustainability reasons, recycled and / or recyclable materials are preferred for the production of the outer packaging. Preferably, the packaging materials are based on renewable raw materials. The use of packaging materials based on pulp and recycled paper is particularly preferred.

[0016] In a first preferred embodiment, the outer packaging is made of cardboard. Besides its availability and recyclability, the advantages of cardboard lie in the wide variety of available grades and basis weights. Preferred cardboards have a basis weight of 150 to 400 g / m².

[0017] Corrugated board, which has proven technically superior to cardboard in some respects, is used in a particularly preferred embodiment for the manufacture of the outer packaging. Corrugated board is characterized by high strength despite its low weight and is a suitable material for storage and transport, even in large containers.

[0018] A key component of the detergent packaging according to the invention is the detergent form. A "form" is a single body that stabilizes itself in its imprinted shape. This dimensionally stable body is formed from a molding compound (e.g., a composition) by selectively bringing this compound into a predetermined shape, e.g., by pouring a liquid composition into a mold and subsequently hardening the liquid composition, or by compressing a particulate premixture, for example, using a tableting process. It is particularly preferred if the detergent form is in the form of tablets or comprises tablets.

[0019] The term "detergent particles" refers to both forms of detergent for textiles and forms of detergent for cleaning hard surfaces such as ceramics, glass, metal, or tiles. Detergent particles, especially those for textiles, are particularly preferred because, due to the need for rapid disintegration in the wash liquor, they are generally characterized by a comparatively low hardness. These detergent particles preferably weigh between 14 g and 42 g, more preferably between 20 g and 38 g, and particularly between 24 g and 34 g.

[0020] Due to their manufacturability and ease of removal from the outer packaging, detergent molded bodies are preferred in which the surface diagonal of the top and bottom surfaces is larger than the surface diagonal of its lateral surfaces. For the same reasons, detergent molded bodies are preferred in which the surface diagonal of the top and bottom surfaces is more than one and a half times, preferably more than twice, the surface diagonal of their end faces.

[0021] The density of preferred detergent molds is 1.1 g / cm³ to 1.5 g / cm³, preferably 1.15 g / cm³ to 1.3 g / cm³. As a consequence of the high mold density and the high fill level, the detergent dispenser forms according to the invention have comparatively high densities, for example densities in the range of 0.9 g / cm³ to 1.4 g / cm³, preferably in the range of 1.05 g / cm³ to 1.3 g / cm³.

[0022] Preferred detergent molds have a rough top surface or a rough bottom surface with an average roughness of 25 µm to 1000 µm, preferably 50 µm to 800 µm. Roughness describes the deviation of a real surface from an ideally smooth surface and is determined, for example, by confocal laser scanning microscopy.

[0023] The roughness values ​​preferred according to the invention reduce the abrasion of the molded parts during manufacturing and transport and at the same time ensure sufficient adhesion of the molded parts to the material of the outer packaging and the other molded parts located in the outer packaging, thereby stabilizing them within the outer packaging.

[0024] A key feature of the detergent packaging according to the invention is its high fill level of 85 to 99 vol.% of the outer packaging. This high fill level not only reduces the amount of packaging material that can be used for each detergent pellet, but also surprisingly increases the physical stability of the detergent pellets, both with regard to pellet breakage and abrasion. The fill level of preferred outer packaging is 85 vol.% to 99 vol.%, preferably 88 vol.% to 99 vol.%, and particularly preferably 92 vol.% to 99 vol.%. "Fill level" refers to the proportion of the internal volume of the outer packaging occupied by the detergent pellets contained within it.

[0025] To reduce the packaging area per detergent body, it is preferred if the detergent offering form comprises at least ten, preferably at least twenty, particularly preferably at least thirty detergent bodies, which are arranged in a sorted manner in the outer packaging.

[0026] As previously described, preferred detergent formulations comprise tableted components. Detergent formulations which are particularly suitable for packaging in the detergent form according to the invention are those which b1) a rigid gel body and b2) a coating substance in the form of a tablet, which partially covers the surface of the rigid gel body, comprise or consist of these. In this embodiment, the gel body and the coating substance are preferably bonded together.

[0027] With regard to the formulation of the active ingredients contained in the detergent granules, as well as with regard to the dissolution properties and appearance of these detergent granules, it has proven advantageous if the gel body comprises at least 16%, preferably at least 25%, and particularly at least 30% of the total surface area of ​​the detergent granule. Accordingly, preferred detergent granule forms are characterized in that the coating substance covers 10% to 70%, preferably 30% to 65%, and particularly 40% to 60% of the surface area of ​​the gel body. Preferably, the gel body comprises at least 50% by volume, and preferably at least 60% by volume, of the detergent granule.

[0028] Preferred gel bodies still contain dye.

[0029] Preferred detergent formulations comprise a transparent gel body. A gel body is defined as "transparent" if, in the wavelength range of 410 to 800 nm, it exhibits a transmission above 10%, preferably above 40%, and particularly above 60% at at least one wavelength, preferably 600 nm. The transmission is determined by visual-infrared (VIS) spectrometry at a sample temperature of 20°C and a cuvette length of 10 mm.

[0030] The coating material of the detergent molds is preferably opaque. Coating materials are considered "opaque" if, in the wavelength range of 410 to 800 nm, at least one wavelength, preferably 600 nm, exhibits a transmission of less than 20%, preferably less than 10%, and particularly less than 1%. The transmission is determined by visual-infrared (VIS) spectrometry at a sample temperature of 20°C and a cuvette length of 10 mm.

[0031] The use of opaque coating materials, especially when combined with transparent gel bodies, creates a product appearance that allows the consumer to distinguish between the surfaces covered by the coating material and those not covered by it, and to specifically grasp the detergent portion unit, for example when removing it from the outer packaging which contains several detergent molded bodies, by the surfaces covered by the coating material and thus avoid direct contact with the gel body.

[0032] Due to their optical properties and simpler manufacturing process, preferred coating materials, such as tablets, are white, i.e., not colored. The white color of the coating material is particularly suitable for printing.

[0033] As an alternative to a preferably opaque white coating, the coating material can also be colored. Coloring the coating material allows, for example, the visual communication of specific product characteristics, such as its effect or smell. Finally, coloring the coating material can simplify its visual identification.

[0034] To ensure visual differentiation between the gel body and the coating substance, the colored coating substance preferably does not have the same color as the gel body. In preferred detergent formulations, the gel body and the coating substance exhibit a color difference ΔE above 30, preferably above 50. Of course, colored coating substances can also be printed.

[0035] To facilitate the removal of the detergent gel bodies from the outer packaging, it is advantageous if the water-soluble coating substance, for example in the form of two tablets, covers the surface of the gel body on two opposite sides. It is particularly preferred if the gel body has a bottom and a top, and the water-soluble coating substance covers at least part of both the bottom and the top of the gel body.

[0036] Furthermore, this type of surface coating offers advantages in terms of packaging the detergent molded bodies, especially when packaging several detergent molded bodies together in an outer packaging, as this reduces the risk of the gel phases of the molded bodies sticking together or to the outer packaging.

[0037] For the aforementioned reasons, gel bodies are preferred which have a bottom and a top surface and in which the coating substance covers at least 40%, preferably at least 60%, and particularly at least 80% of both the bottom and top surfaces of the gel body. It is especially preferred if the coating substance completely covers both the bottom and top surfaces of the gel body.

[0038] When packaging a large number of detergent pellets into a detergent dispenser, the fill level of the outer packaging can be optimized by strategically arranging the pellets. Dispensers in which the pellets are arranged within the outer packaging in such a way that each pellet is in direct contact with at least one other have proven particularly advantageous. This increased fill level and direct contact also reduces the pellets' susceptibility to breakage and abrasion, thus improving their stability during transport.

[0039] Preferred detergent containers have surfaces with varying degrees of roughness. Different surface roughness allows consumers to differentiate the surfaces of the containers by touch when removing them, thus improving product safety. This is particularly relevant for detergent containers that do not have separate foil packaging. Preferred detergent containers have a rough top or bottom surface with an average roughness of 25 µm to 1000 µm, preferably 50 µm to 800 µm. Roughness describes the deviation of a real surface from an ideally smooth surface and is determined, for example, by confocal laser scanning microscopy.

[0040] The roughness values ​​preferred according to the invention reduce abrasion of the molded parts during manufacturing and transport and simultaneously ensure sufficient adhesion of the molded parts to the material of the outer packaging and to the other molded parts located within the outer packaging, thereby stabilizing them within the outer packaging. In preferred detergent packaging formats, the detergent molded parts are therefore arranged in the outer packaging in such a way that each detergent molded part has at least one rough upper or lower surface in direct contact with the inside of a side surface.

[0041] To prevent molded parts from adhering to adjacent molded parts within the outer packaging, these parts can be separated from each other, at least partially, by partitions. Preferred partitions have a height that is 5 to 80%, preferably 10 to 60%, and particularly 20 to 50% of the shortest distance between the two end faces of the detergent molded parts.

[0042] The detergent molded bodies may have a separate foil packaging.

[0043] If film packaging is used, film packaging made of a water-soluble film material is preferred. The water-soluble film material can comprise one or more structurally different water-soluble polymers. Particularly suitable water-soluble polymers include polymers from the group of (optionally acetalized) polyvinyl alcohols (PVALs) and their copolymers.

[0044] Water-soluble film materials are preferably based on a polyvinyl alcohol or a polyvinyl alcohol copolymer whose molecular weight is in the range of 10,000 to 1,000,000 gmol -1< , preferably from 20,000 to 500,000 gmol -1< , particularly preferably from 30,000 to 100,000 gmol -1< and particularly from 40,000 to 80,000 gmol -1< .

[0045] The production of polyvinyl alcohols and polyvinyl alcohol copolymers generally involves the hydrolysis of intermediate polyvinyl acetates. Preferred polyvinyl alcohols and polyvinyl alcohol copolymers have a degree of hydrolysis of 70 to 100 mol%, preferably 80 to 90 mol%, particularly preferably 81 to 89 mol%, and especially 82 to 88 mol%.

[0046] Preferred polyvinyl alcohol copolymers comprise, in addition to vinyl alcohol, an ethylene-unsaturated carboxylic acid, its salt, or its ester. Particularly preferred are such polyvinyl alcohol copolymers containing, besides vinyl alcohol, sulfonic acids such as 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid (AMPS), acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, acrylic acid esters, methacrylic acid esters, or mixtures thereof; among the esters, C1-4 alkyl esters or hydroxyalkyl esters are preferred. Further monomers include ethylene-unsaturated dicarboxylic acids, for example, itaconic acid, maleic acid, fumaric acid, and mixtures thereof.

[0047] Due to their availability, ease of processing and biodegradability, film packaging is preferred which consists of at least 40 wt.%, preferably at least 60 wt.% and in particular at least 80 wt.% polyvinyl alcohol.

[0048] To increase the stability of the molded bodies and to ensure a sufficient fill level in the outer packaging, it is preferred to shrink the film packaging onto the detergent molded bodies.

[0049] For reasons of sustainability in the design of the detergent packaging, it may be advisable to forgo film packaging for the detergent pellets. Preferably, water-insoluble and / or water-soluble film packaging for the detergent pellets is avoided. As explained, the specific orientation of the cuboid detergent pellets within the outer packaging allows the consumer to remove them safely, thus making the use of film packaging unnecessary for consumer protection.

[0050] The easy removal of the detergent pellets from the outer packaging can be further facilitated by the design of the outer packaging. Preferably, the outer packaging is designed such that, when open, four sides of two detergent pellets are partially visible. To simplify removal, it is particularly preferred if the outer packaging is designed such that, when open, at least 20%, and preferably at least 30%, of the surface of each detergent pellet is visible.

[0051] The advantages described above can be achieved, for example, by the outer packaging having a lid which is pivotably deflected on a first side surface and wherein the lid comprises the lid surface as well as a part of the first side surface and a part of the second side surface opposite the first side surface.

[0052] Alternatively, the outer packaging can be designed such that its lid, which is pivotably deflected at a first side surface, encompasses the lid surface as well as a part of the first side surface and a part of each of the remaining side surfaces.

Claims

1. Detergent supply form comprising a) an outer packaging with a rectangular base surface, a lid surface opposite the base surface, and side surfaces connecting the base surface and the lid surface b) cuboid detergent shapes with a top side, a bottom side, two sides connecting the top side and the bottom side, and two end sides, different from the sides, connecting the top side and the bottom side, wherein i) the outer packaging contains at least two detergent molds, ii) the end faces of the detergent molding bodies have a smaller area than their side faces, iii) the detergent shapes are arranged in the outer packaging in such a way that all detergent shapes have one end face in direct contact with the base surface of the outer packaging, and iv) the outer packaging is designed such that, when open, at least three sides of each detergent molding are visible.

2. Detergent supply form according to claim 1, wherein the detergent molding bodies are in the form of tablets or comprise tablets.

3. Detergent supply form according to one of the previous claims, wherein the detergent supply form comprises at least ten, preferably at least twenty, particularly preferably at least thirty detergent molding bodies.

4. Detergent form according to one of the previous claims, wherein the detergent form body b1) a dimensionally stable gel body and b2) a coating substance in the form of a tablet, which partially covers the surface of the dimensionally stable gel body.

5. Detergent supply form according to one of the previous claims, wherein the gel body has an underside and an upper side and the water-soluble coating substance covers both the underside and the upper side of the gel body over its entire surface.

6. Detergent supply form according to one of claims 4 or 5, wherein the gel body occupies at least 50% by volume, preferably at least 60% by volume, of the detergent supply form.

7. Detergent product form according to one of the previous claims, wherein the outer packaging has a filling degree of 85% by volume to 99% by volume, preferably 88% by volume to 99% by volume, and in particular 92% by volume to 99% by volume.

8. Detergent supply form according to one of the previous claims, wherein the outer packaging is designed such that, when open, at least 20%, preferably at least 30%, of the surface of each detergent molded body is visible.

9. Detergent presentation form according to one of the previous claims, wherein the outer packaging has a lid which is pivotably deflected on a first side surface and wherein the lid comprises the lid surface as well as a part of the first side surface and a part of the second side surface opposite the first side surface.

10. Detergent packaging according to one of the previous claims, wherein the outer packaging has a lid which is pivotably deflected at a first side surface and wherein the lid comprises the lid surface as well as a part of the first side surface and a part of each of the remaining side surfaces.