Packaged Shading Dye Particles for Laundry Whitening

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing laundry detergents with shading dyes lack flexibility and convenience in providing adjustable whitening, often resulting in excessive detergent usage and potential fabric staining.

Innovation Solution

A packaged composition comprising particles with a carrier, such as polyethylene glycol, and a shading dye, which can be used independently or incorporated into laundry detergents, providing adjustable whitening without fabric staining.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If shading dyes are incorporated into laundry detergents to provide whitening, then the whitening effect is achieved, but the consumer cannot adjust the dosage and may use excessive detergent leading to fabric staining

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvewhitening effectVSAvoiddosage control
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the detergent system by providing separate components: a laundry detergent and a standalone shading dye composition. This allows consumers to use the shading dye independently or in combination with detergent, enabling precise control over whitening dosage without affecting fabric staining risk.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent enables dynamic adjustment of whitening dosage by allowing consumers to vary the amount of shading dye applied based on fabric needs. The separate packaging and labeling guide consumers on optimal dosing, making the system adaptable to different whitening requirements while preventing over-application.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Reliability

If additional detergent is added to achieve extra whitening, then more whitening is provided, but this increases cleaning ingredient usage and fragrance deposition

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvewhitening effectVSAvoidcleaning ingredient waste
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the shading dye function from the detergent matrix, creating a separate shading dye composition. This allows the whitening function to be provided independently without carrying unnecessary cleaning ingredients and fragrances, eliminating waste of those components while achieving the desired whitening effect.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies local quality by providing targeted whitening only where needed through separate shading dye application. Consumers can apply shading dye specifically to fabrics requiring whitening without adding cleaning ingredients and fragrances to the entire laundry load, reducing unnecessary substance usage.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Reliability

If shading dyes are used in laundry detergent, then whitening is achieved, but the color of the shading dyes dominates the overall appearance of the composition

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvewhitening effectVSAvoidcomposition appearance control
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the product system into separate components: a clear or translucent laundry detergent and a separate shading dye composition with its own packaging. This eliminates the appearance dominance issue by allowing each component to maintain its aesthetic properties independently, while the labeling system provides clear visual information about usage.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP3365420B2Packaged composition
Publication Date: 2025.06.04 PROCTER & GAMBLE CO
  • EP3365420B2 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3365420B2 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3365420B2 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A packaged particulate composition having a carrier and a shading dye, wherein at least 80% of the particles have a density less than about 1.25 g/cm3, wherein at least 80% of the particles have a mass between about 0.1 mg to about 5 g, and wherein each of the particles has a maximum dimension of less than about 10 mm. A process for treating laundry comprising the step of dosing to a laundry washing machine or a laundry wash basin from about 5 g to about 60 g of the packaged composition.