Cleaning product comprising an inverted container assembly and a viscous cleaning composition
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Solution Overview
Problem
Inverted containers used for liquid hand dishwashing cleaning products face challenges with leakage and stringing issues due to transient liquid pressure increases and high viscosity of marketed compositions, which existing solutions have not fully addressed, impacting handling and storage.
Innovation Solution
A cleaning product with an inverted container assembly and a surfactant system comprising an anionic surfactant and a primary co-surfactant in a specific ratio (8:1 to 1:1), which reduces leakage and stringing by lowering shear viscosity and improving the composition's elasticity, preventing liquid from leaking upon impact and forming a crust.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a resilient valve is incorporated into the opening to prevent leakage, then leakage prevention is improved, but the device complexity increases and leakage may still occur upon impact
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the resilient valve component entirely from the bottle exit, replacing it with a formulation-based solution. The liquid composition itself is engineered to prevent leakage through controlled viscosity and elastic properties, eliminating the need for mechanical valve components and their associated complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the liquid composition by controlling its viscosity (50-5000 cP) and elastic properties through specific surfactant systems. This parameter optimization allows the liquid to resist leakage under impact conditions without requiring additional mechanical components.
2Reliability
If a closing cap is added to the inverted container, then leakage prevention is improved, but the ease of operation deteriorates as single-handed dosing becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The liquid composition provides self-protection against leakage through its inherent viscoelastic properties. The formulation automatically resists hydraulic hammer pressure and prevents stringing without requiring external mechanical protection devices, maintaining the simplicity of the inverted container design.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If the liquid composition has high viscosity to reduce stringing, then stringing prevention is improved, but the ease of operation worsens due to difficulty in dosing and dissolution
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the viscosity parameter to a specific range (50-5000 cP) and engineers the elastic properties of the liquid through surfactant selection. This creates a balanced state where the liquid has enough viscosity to prevent stringing but remains sufficiently fluid for easy dosing and rapid dissolution in water.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a composite surfactant system combining anionic surfactants with amphoteric or nonionic co-surfactants in specific ratios. This composite formulation achieves the desired viscoelastic properties that simultaneously prevent stringing and maintain dosability, neither of which can be achieved with single surfactant types alone.
4Stability of the object's composition
If the inverted container is subjected to temperature increase during storage, then the stability is challenged by internal pressure increases, but leakage occurs as a harmful effect
Solution Approach 1:
The patent engineers the liquid composition with specific viscosity and elastic parameters that remain stable across temperature variations. The surfactant system maintains consistent physical properties that prevent leakage even when thermal expansion causes internal pressure increases during storage.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively reduces leakage and stringing, allowing for more rugged handling of the inverted container and preventing liquid from drying and forming crusts, thus minimizing waste and ensuring easier dosing and storage.
Implementation Method 1
The cleaning composition comprises from 1% to 60% by weight of the total composition of a surfactant comprising: i) an anionic surfactant; and ii) a primary co-surfactant system wherein the composition comprises the anionic surfactant and the primary co-surfactant system in a weight ratio of from 8:1 to 1:1, preferably from 4:1 to 2:1, more preferably from 3.5:1 to 2.5:1 to provide a cleaning composition having a shear viscosity of from 10 mPa·s to 10,000 mPa·s
Implementation Method 2
The Applicants have surprisingly discovered that by formulating the cleaning composition (100) having a specific surfactant system... which enables the cleaning composition (100) to have a lower shear viscosity profile... which functions to substantially reduce or prevent leakage upon impact of the inverted container (11)
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a cleaning product including an inverted container assembly comprising an inverted container and a liquid dispenser attached to a bottom surface of the inverted container, and a viscous cleaning composition contained in the inverted container assembly. The present invention also relates to the use of the cleaning product for cleaning dishware.