Detergent delivery mould

Abstract

A detergent packaging form comprising a) an outer packaging in the form of a folding box, with a base, a lid and side walls connecting the base and lid, b) cuboid detergent tablets with three different edge lengths and three double axes of rotation, wherein i) the outer packaging has a fill level of 85% to 99% by volume and ii) the outer packaging contains at least two detergent tablets arranged in the outer packaging such that the axes of rotation of the detergent tablets, along which they have the lowest tablet hardness, run parallel to the base of the outer packaging.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a detergent packaging form comprising an outer package and detergent tablets arranged in assorted form within the outer package. In particular, the invention relates to detergent packaging forms comprising assorted detergent tablets and outer packages with high fill levels.

[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 or abrasion, and ensuring the chemical stability of the detergent or cleaning agent dosing units, for example, against premature reaction 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 its 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.

[0006] Packaging systems with an octagonal base for tablet-shaped items are described in the international patent application WO 2004 / 058580 A1.

[0007] German patent application DE 100 18 003 A1 concerns packaging for cylindrical detergent tablets.

[0008] Cuboid-shaped washing or cleaning agents are disclosed in the international application WO 2004 / 046297 A1 and in the granted patent US 4,996,000.

[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 in outer packaging with a high fill level, the orientation of the detergent tablets characteristic of the subject matter of the claim results in an improvement in the storage and transport stability of these tablets.

[0012] The outer packaging is preferably designed 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. It is particularly preferred if the outer packaging has a flat base whose largest diagonal is more than twice, preferably more than four times, the height of the outer packaging.

[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, particularly the chemical stabilization of the detergent tablets, 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 further significant technical advantage of corrugated cardboard in connection with the present invention is its void volume. Designing the side walls of the outer packaging to include voids has proven surprisingly advantageous for the physical stability of the detergent tablets. Preferably, at least one of the side walls has a void volume of at least 10% by volume of the side wall's volume. Further improved stabilization of the detergent tablets can be achieved if at least two of the side walls have void volumes of at least 10% by volume of the respective side wall's volume. It is particularly advantageous if two opposing side walls of the outer packaging have void volumes of at least 10% by volume of the respective side wall's volume.Detergent packaging formats are particularly preferred in which all side walls of the outer packaging have a hollow volume that amounts to at least 10% by volume of the volume of the respective side wall.

[0019] Preferably, the detergent tablets are arranged in the outer packaging such that the axes of rotation of the detergent tablets, along which they have the lowest tablet hardness, are orthogonal to a side wall of the outer packaging which has a cavity volume which is at least 10 vol. %, of the volume of the side wall.

[0020] In addition to physical stability, the chemical stability of the detergent tablets is surprisingly also enhanced by the integration of cavities into the sidewalls of the outer packaging. One possible explanation is that the cavities, which interrupt the material of the sidewalls, hinder water from penetrating the outer packaging and / or that the cavities in the sidewalls buffer moisture ingress.

[0021] For the aforementioned reasons, particularly preferred outer packagings have one or more side walls in which the void volume is at least 20 vol.%, preferably at least 40 vol.% of the volume of the respective side wall.

[0022] The hollow volume in the side walls of the outer packaging can be achieved, for example, by using corrugated cardboard. A preferred alternative or complement to corrugated cardboard are hollow-edge boxes or boxless boxes, which, due to their design, are suitable for achieving hollow volumes of 10% by volume and higher.

[0023] 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 used per detergent tablet, but also surprisingly increases the physical stability of the detergent tablets, both with regard to tablet breakage and tablet abrasion. The fill level of preferred outer packaging is 88 vol.% to 99 vol.%, preferably 92 vol.% to 99 vol.%. "Fill level" refers to the proportion of the inner volume of the outer packaging occupied by the detergent tablets contained within.

[0024] The term "detergent tablets" refers to both those for washing textiles and those for cleaning hard surfaces such as ceramics, glass, metal, or tiles. Detergent tablets for washing textiles are particularly preferred because, due to the need for rapid disintegration in the wash water, they are generally characterized by a comparatively low tablet hardness. These tablets preferably weigh between 14 g and 42 g, more preferably between 20 g and 38 g, and particularly between 24 g and 34 g.

[0025] Due to their manufacturability and ease of removal from the outer packaging, detergent tablets with a flat underside, the largest diagonal of which is more than twice, preferably more than four times, the height of the detergent tablet, are preferred.

[0026] The cuboid detergent tablets are arranged in the outer packaging such that the axes of rotation of the detergent tablets, along which they exhibit the lowest tablet hardness, run parallel to the base of the outer packaging. This type of arrangement is particularly advantageous in the case of cuboid detergent tablets that have three twofold axes of rotation, wherein the tablet hardnesses exhibited by the detergent tablets along these three axes of rotation differ from one another. In preferred embodiments, the cuboid detergent tablets have three twofold axes of rotation, and the lowest tablet hardness exhibited by the detergent tablets along one of these three axes of rotation is at least 20%, preferably at least 40%, and particularly at least 60% lower than the next highest tablet hardness along one of the two remaining axes of rotation.

[0027] The tablet hardnesses exhibited by the cuboid detergent tablets along their three two-fold axes of rotation are preferably from 50 N to 300 N, more preferably from 70 N to 200 N. The lowest tablet hardness exhibited by the detergent tablets along one of their three axes of rotation is preferably in the range of 50 N to 150 N, more preferably from 60 N to 130 N. The tablet hardness is measured by deforming the tablet until it breaks, whereby the force acts on the tablet's side surfaces and the maximum force the tablet can withstand is determined. A tablet testing device from Sotax, for example, is suitable for determining the tablet hardness.

[0028] For tablet stability, it has proven advantageous to chamfer the edges bounding the top and bottom surfaces. To further increase tablet stability, it may also be advisable to round the edges of the surface connecting the top and bottom surfaces.

[0029] The density of preferred detergent tablets 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 tablet density and the high fill level, the detergent formulations 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.

[0030] Preferred detergent tablets 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.

[0031] The roughness values ​​preferred according to the invention reduce the abrasion of the tablets during manufacture and transport and at the same time ensure sufficient adhesion of the tablets to the material of the outer packaging and to the other tablets in the outer packaging, thereby stabilizing them within the outer packaging.

[0032] To improve tablet integrity, the detergent tablets may have a foil wrapper, and it is particularly preferred if each detergent tablet has a separate foil wrapper.

[0033] 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.

[0034] 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< .

[0035] The production of polyvinyl alcohols and polyvinyl alcohol copolymers generally involves the hydrolysis of intermediate polyvinyl acetate. 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%.

[0036] 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.

[0037] 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.

[0038] To increase tablet stability and ensure sufficient fill level in the outer packaging, it is preferred to shrink the foil packaging onto the detergent tablets.

[0039] For reasons of sustainability in the design of the detergent packaging, it may be advisable to forgo foil packaging for the detergent tablets.

[0040] In fact, the detergent tablets in the detergent formulations according to the invention have proven to be unexpectedly stable. This applies in particular to detergent tablets which, due to their hygroscopicity, for example due to the integration of tablet disintegrants, tend to have reduced transport and storage stability.

[0041] Detergent tablets which are particularly suitable for packaging in the detergent forms according to the invention are in particular detergent tablets which have a water absorption (2 weeks, 35°C, 80% relative humidity) above 20 mg / g, preferably above 30 mg / g.

[0042] Detergent tablets are also suitable for packaging in detergent forms if they exhibit a volume expansion (2 weeks, 35°C, 80% relative humidity) above 5 vol%, preferably above 7 vol%, and particularly from 8 vol% to 18 vol%. This type of volume increase can be observed, for example, in detergent tablets containing a disintegration aid, in particular a polymeric disintegration aid, such as a disintegration aid based on polyvinylpyrrolidone or cellulose.

[0043] To reduce the packaging area per detergent tablet, it is preferred if the detergent packaging comprises at least ten, preferably at least twenty, particularly preferably at least thirty detergent tablets, which are arranged in the outer packaging such that the axis of rotation of the detergent tablets, along which they have the lowest tablet hardness, runs parallel to the bottom surface of the outer packaging.

[0044] When integrating a larger number of detergent tablets into the detergent dispenser, their stability can be further improved by a targeted arrangement of the tablets. Detergent dispensers comprising at least ten, preferably at least twenty, and particularly preferably at least thirty detergent tablets have proven advantageous, as they are arranged in the outer packaging such that each detergent tablet is in direct contact with at least three other detergent tablets.

[0045] Further advantages are embodiments in which the detergent packaging comprises at least ten, preferably at least twenty, particularly preferably at least thirty detergent tablets, which are arranged in the outer packaging such that the axis of rotation of the detergent tablets, along which they have the lowest tablet hardness, runs parallel to the bottom surface of the outer packaging and this axis of rotation coincides with at least one axis of rotation of lowest tablet hardness of a detergent tablet in direct contact.

Claims

1. Detergent supply form comprising a) an outer packaging in the form of a folding box with a rectangular base, a lid surface and side walls connecting the base and the lid surface, characterized by b) cuboid detergent tablets with three different edge lengths and three two-digit axes of rotation, wherein i) the outer packaging has a filling degree of 85% by volume to 99% by volume and i) the outer packaging contains at least two detergent tablets, which are arranged in the outer packaging in such a way that the axes of rotation of the detergent tablets, along which they have the lowest tablet hardness, run parallel to the base surface of the outer packaging.

2. Detergent supply form according to claim 1, wherein the outer packaging is made of cardboard.

3. Detergent supply form according to one of the previous claims, wherein the outer packaging is made of corrugated cardboard.

4. Detergent supply form according to one of the previous claims, wherein at least one side wall of the outer packaging has a hollow volume which is at least 10% by volume of the volume of the side wall.

5. Detergent supply form according to one of the previous claims, wherein the cuboid detergent tablets have three two-fold axes of rotation and the lowest tablet hardness, which the detergent tablets have along one of these three axes of rotation, is at least 20%, preferably at least 40% and in particular at least 60% below the next higher tablet hardness along one of the two remaining axes of rotation.

6. Detergent supply form according to one of the previous claims, wherein the cuboid detergent tablets have three two-point axes of rotation and the lowest tablet hardness exhibited by the detergent tablets along one of these three axes of rotation is from 50 N to 150 N, preferably from 60 N to 130 N.

7. 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 tablets, which are arranged in the outer packaging in such a way that the axis of rotation of the detergent tablets along which they exhibit the lowest tablet hardness runs parallel to the base surface of the outer packaging and this axis of rotation coincides with at least one axis of rotation of minimum tablet hardness of a detergent tablet in direct contact.

8. Detergent supply form according to one of the previous claims, wherein the detergent tablets have a film packaging which is shrunk onto the detergent tablets.

9. Detergent supply form according to one of the previous claims, wherein the detergent tablets have a water absorption (2 weeks, 35°C, 80% relative humidity) above 20 mg / g, preferably above 30 mg / g.

10. Detergent supplyform according to one of the previous claims, wherein the detergent tablets have a volume expansion (2 weeks, 35°C, 80% relative humidity) above 5 vol.%, preferably above 7 vol.%, and in particular of 8 vol.% and 18 vol.%.