Pre-Moistened Wipe Composition for Clean Feel Without Tackiness

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Solution Overview

Problem

Pre-moistened wipes often have a viscous and unpleasant feel due to high water and surfactant content, leading to excessive wetness, greasiness, or tackiness, making it difficult to balance cleaning efficacy with skin comfort.

Innovation Solution

A pre-moistened wipe with a porous fibrous sheet containing an unstable cleaning composition of greater than 92% water, 4-0.05% surfactant, and 3-0.05% water-insoluble polysaccharide particles, which are surface-resident and released during use, providing effective cleaning without lingering wetness or unpleasant skin feel.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If high amounts of water and surfactants are included to improve cleaning efficiency, then cleaning efficacy is improved, but the wipe produces a feeling of excessive wetness, greasiness, and/or tackiness

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecleaning efficacyVSAvoidexcessive wetness, greasiness, and/or tackiness
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the physical state of the cleaning composition from a stable solution to an unstable suspension by controlling particle concentration, size distribution, and environmental conditions (temperature, pH). This allows the composition to transition from a viscous state during storage to a released state during use, resolving the contradiction between maintaining cleaning efficacy and avoiding excessive wetness.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The cleaning composition is designed to be dynamic rather than static - it remains stable during storage but releases particles and transforms properties during use. The unstable suspension allows the system to adapt its state based on environmental conditions, providing effective cleaning when needed while avoiding the harmful effects of excessive viscosity during storage.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Stability of the object's composition

If thickeners and emulsifiers are included to stabilize the cleaning composition, then composition stability is improved, but the wipe has an undesirable feel

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecleaning composition stabilityVSAvoidundesirable feel
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of using thickeners and emulsifiers that permanently alter the composition's physical properties, the patent uses parameter changes in environmental conditions (temperature, pH, ionic strength) to control the stability of the suspension. The composition remains stable during storage under controlled parameters but releases particles during use when parameters change, avoiding the need for harmful stabilizing agents.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

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 cleans the skin while maintaining a pleasant feel, avoiding excessive wetness, greasiness, or tackiness, thus addressing the unmet needs of prior wet wipes.

Implementation Method 1

they will be freely released from the web as a result of the mechanical and hydraulic forces associated with use of the wet wipe

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectMechanical force: Mechanical Force

Implementation Method 2

they will be freely released from the web as a result of the mechanical and hydraulic forces associated with use of the wet wipe

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHydraulic force: Pressure Gradient

Implementation Method 3

Due to the instability of the cleaning composition the particles reside on the surface of the fibers forming the porous sheet

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectSurface tension: Surface Tension

Implementation Method 4

the particles reside on the surface of the fibers forming the porous sheet

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCapillary action: Capillary Action

Data Source

PatentUS10166174B2Wet wipes for personal care
Publication Date: 2019.01.01 KIMBERLY CLARK WORLDWIDE INC

AI summary

Pre-moistened wiping articles are provided comprising a fibrous web impregnated with a liquid cleaning composition including an unstable dispersion of water, surfactant, and water insoluble polysaccharide particles such as natural starch and/or microcrystalline cellulose. Due to the instability of the dispersion the particles primarily reside on the surface of the fibers forming the fibrous web and are freely released from the web as a result of the mechanical and hydraulic forces associated with use of the article. The pre-moistened wiping articles are suitable for use in personal care applications including use as perineal wipes. Embodiments of the invention further include methods of making pre-moistened wiping articles comprising a fibrous web impregnated with the unstable dispersion.