Water Permeable Pouch for Controlled Detergent Release
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional hand dishwashing methods using composite sponges are inefficient due to the need to manually dispense detergent, leading to overdosing or underdosing, and the scouring pad's stiffness makes it difficult to clean hard-to-reach areas, while also being prone to bacterial contamination.
Innovation Solution
A hand dishwashing cleaning article featuring a water-permeable pouch with a surfactant system, filaments, and a scrubbing substrate that allows controlled release of the cleaning composition, providing effective abrasive cleaning and minimizing bacterial contamination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a composite cleaning sponge with a scouring pad is used, then abrasive cleaning action is effective, but the stiffness makes it difficult to conform to contours of dishware and access hard-to-reach areas
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning sponge is divided into multiple layers with different properties: a compliant foam layer for conforming to surfaces, and a separate scouring pad layer for abrasive cleaning. This segmentation allows each layer to perform its specialized function without compromising the other.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses a composite structure combining foam material and scouring pad material in a single cleaning sponge. The foam provides compliance and conformability, while the scouring pad provides abrasive cleaning capability, achieving both soft and hard cleaning functions simultaneously.
2Ease of operation
If liquid detergent is manually dispensed from a bottle or dispenser, then cleaning composition can be applied, but consumers may overdose or underdose resulting in inefficient cleaning
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning sponge is pre-loaded with a controlled amount of liquid detergent within its porous structure. When activated with water, the detergent is automatically released in the correct dosage without requiring manual measurement or dispensing by the consumer.
Solution Approach 2:
The detergent is pre-applied to the cleaning sponge at the manufacturer's recommended dosage before use. This preliminary action eliminates the need for consumers to measure and apply detergent during the cleaning process, ensuring consistent and accurate dosing.
3Productivity
If a scouring pad is used to remove caked-on soil, then effective cleaning is achieved, but the high stiffness prevents easy conforming to dishware contours
Solution Approach 1:
The scouring pad is separated into a distinct layer from the foam body, allowing the foam to provide compliance for accessing contours while the scouring pad layer provides targeted abrasive action where needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The scouring pad is positioned specifically on the surface of the foam sponge, providing localized abrasive cleaning capability exactly where soil removal is needed, while the rest of the sponge remains soft and compliant for contour following.
4Strength
If the scouring pad forms a barrier in the sponge, then structure is maintained, but absorption of water or liquid detergent is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The scouring pad is designed with a porous structure that allows water and liquid detergent to penetrate through it, maintaining both structural integrity and fluid absorption capability. The porosity enables the scouring pad to function as both a structural element and a permeable layer.
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 enables efficient cleaning of tough soils in hard-to-reach areas with controlled detergent release, reducing bacterial growth and improving user convenience by eliminating the need for manual detergent dispensing.
Implementation Method 1
the apertures comprise tapered capillaries, wherein the tapered capillaries have a base in the plane of the first substrate and an apex remote from the plane of the first substrate, having an average base opening dimension of from 0.015 cm to 0.635 cm, and an average apex opening dimension of from 0.01 cm to 0.254 cm
Implementation Method 2
the cleaning composition comprises: i) from 1% to 60%, by weight of the cleaning composition of a surfactant system; ii) from 3% to 50%, by weight of the cleaning composition of filaments comprising fibers, fines or mixtures thereof
Implementation Method 3
from 1% to 60%, by weight of the cleaning composition of a surfactant system
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~5B
Figure 6A~8
AI summary
The invention relates to a hand dishwashing cleaning article having a hand dishwashing cleaning composition enclosed in a water permeable pouch. The cleaning composition has a first side and a second side and includes: (a) a surfactant system; (b) filaments; and (c) water. The pouch has a first substrate adjacent to the first side of the cleaning composition and a second substrate adjacent to the second side of the cleaning composition. The first substrate preferably includes a film, preferably a multiplanar film preferably having apertures. The second substrate includes a scrim of stretchable thermoplastic material laminated to an elastic polymeric film with openings for releasing the cleaning composition from the cleaning article.