Water-Soluble Strip for Rapid Dissolution Cleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cleaning products, such as liquid and granular detergents, occupy significant shelf space and are cumbersome, requiring large containers that are difficult to handle and store, and unit dose products take too long to dissolve in water, lacking actives on the surface for rapid dissolution.
Innovation Solution
A water-soluble strip with a degradable polymer film containing actives that dissolves quickly in the presence of oxygen and water, eliminating the need for large containers and simplifying the cleaning process by releasing cleaning agents directly into the washing machine or cleaning solution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cleaning products are offered in liquid or granular form in large containers, then cleaning effectiveness is maintained, but shelf space consumption and handling difficulty increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning product is divided into unit-dose packets, each containing a specific amount of cleaning agent. This segmentation allows consumers to store multiple small packets instead of one large container, significantly reducing the shelf space required while maintaining cleaning effectiveness through proper dosing.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple unit-dose packets are nested within a larger outer packaging container. This nesting approach allows compact storage of multiple doses in a space-efficient manner, reducing both individual packet size and overall storage requirements compared to traditional large liquid containers.
2Area of stationary object
If unit dose cleaning products are used, then shelf space is reduced, but dissolution time exceeds 2 minutes which is too long for effective cleaning
Solution Approach 1:
Surfactants and other water-soluble actives are applied specifically to the outer surface of the water-soluble film in the unit-dose packet. This localized placement of dissolution-promoting substances on the surface area creates preferential dissolution pathways that significantly accelerate water penetration and breakdown of the film, reducing dissolution time to under 2 minutes while maintaining the compact unit-dose format.
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 water-soluble strip reduces storage space, simplifies the cleaning process, and ensures effective cleaning by rapidly releasing actives, making it easier to use and handle compared to traditional cleaning products.
Implementation Method 1
a degradable carrier that degrades or dissolves in the presence of oxygen and/or water
Implementation Method 2
a degradable carrier that degrades or dissolves in the presence of oxygen and/or water
Implementation Method 3
The water soluble strip includes a carrier film and one or more actives contained on and/or in the carrier film
Data Source
AI summary
A water soluble strip that includes a carrier film that include water soluble polymer, one or more actives and one or more agents such as heat forming agent and/or degrading accelerator. The water soluble strip can optionally include other additives. The actives includes antimicrobial agent, cleaning agent and/or surfactant. The water soluble strip can include other materials. The heat forming agent and/or degrading accelerator, when used, are designed facilitate in degrading or dissolving the water soluble strip and/or increase the activity of the one or more actives. The water soluble film can be used for a variety of applications such as a hard surface cleaning strip, dishwashing strip, laundry cleaning strip, stop removing strip, drain unclogging strip, toilet bowl cleaning strip and the like. The water soluble strip eliminates the need to purchase and store numerous containers and/or heavy containers of cleaner that take up large amounts of shelf space.