Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm Steven W. Miller
  • Patent number: 6808729
    Abstract: Basic cleaning compositions using toxicologically-acceptable ingredients for treating food such as produce, e.g., fruits and vegetables, and edible animal proteins are provided. Liquid formulations comprising, optionaly, less than about 0.5% detergent surfactat, such as potassium alkyl sulfate, that does not affect palatability and basic buffer to provide a pH of at least 10.5 are applied to food products immediately before consumption and allowed to stay for at least about one half minute to significantly reduce microorganism contamination. The food can be consumed without rinsing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2004
    Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
    Inventors: Brian Joseph Roselle, Thomas Edward Ward, David Kent Rollins
  • Patent number: 6803355
    Abstract: Detergent compositions are formulated with a mixture of hydrophobically modified cellulose polymers or oligomers and cyclic amine based polymers or oligomers. The cellulose/amine mixture maintains the integrity and appearance of fabrics laundered in the compositions. Dye maintenance and anti-pilling benefits are provided. The compositions are provided in containers which alert the user of the benefits provided by the compositions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2004
    Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
    Inventors: Rajan Keshav Panandiker, Jennifer Leupin Moe, William Conrad Wertz
  • Patent number: 6794355
    Abstract: The present invention relates to fabric enhancement compositions which provide reduced fabric abrasion damage. The compositions of the present invention comprise: a) one or more fabric abrasion polymers, said polymers comprising the following units: i) at least one monomeric unit comprising an amide moiety; ii) at least one monomeric unit comprising an N-oxide moiety; or iii) a polymer which contains at least one monomeric unit comprising an amide moiety and at least one monomeric unit comprising an N-oxide moiety; and b) the balance carriers and fabric conditioning or fabric enhancement ingredients.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2004
    Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
    Inventors: Serge Gabriel Pierre Roger Cauwberghs, Raphael Angeline Alfons Ceulemans, Neil James Gordon
  • Patent number: 6793192
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for molding three-dimensional articles having interstitials. The article has elongate elements and interstitials between the elongate elements. The interstitials may extend entirely through the article, or intercept only the periphery of the article. The article may be formed by injection molding, using two or more mold segments, each having elongate members. The mold segments are separated from each other in a separation direction. The separation direction is parallel to the elongate members of the mold segments and/or the elongate elements of the article. The method and apparatus according to the present invention is useful for making a static mixer, heat exchanger or similar article.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2004
    Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
    Inventor: Theodore Jay Verbrugge
  • Patent number: 6785924
    Abstract: A method of orienting shoes in a washing machine, and devices for aligning shoes in a washing machine are disclosed. The method of orienting shoes in a washing machine, and devices for aligning shoes in a washing machine reduce the time for drying the shoes after the washing process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2004
    Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
    Inventors: Steven Barrett Rogers, Kathleen Anne Perry
  • Patent number: 6786895
    Abstract: A disposable absorbent article, and a method of manufacture of the disposable absorbent article, which better contains fecal material within the article, and which prevents leakage of fecal material out of the article, and/or prevents movement of fecal material from the anal region to the genital region is described herein. The absorbent article utilizes barrier cuffs, an absorbent core, and a topsheet with at least one cut in the intermediate region of the absorbent article such that part of the intermediate region of the topsheet is lifted out of the plane of the rest of the topsheet by the barrier cuffs. The lifted portion forms a transverse barrier and a pocket between the topsheet and the absorbent core.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2004
    Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
    Inventor: Christoph Johann Schmitz
  • Patent number: 6784151
    Abstract: A multi-step process for making a granular detergent composition. The processing steps include adding to a mixer a first feed stream selected from a first powder, a first liquid, and mixtures thereof, to form a second feed stream. The second feed stream is added to a fluid bed dryer to form the granular detergent composition, and optionally, a third feed stream selected from a second powder, a second liquid, and mixtures thereof can be added to the fluid bed dryer. The granular detergent composition contains at least about 50% by weight of particles having a geometric mean particle diameter of from about 500 microns to about 1500 microns with a geometric standard deviation of from about 1 to about 2. Further, at least a portion of the particles contain a detersive surfactant or a detergent builder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2004
    Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
    Inventors: Scott William Capeci, Steven Matthew Gabriel, Girish Jagannath, Scott John Donoghue, Christopher Andrew Morrison
  • Patent number: 6779217
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a horizontally movable and downwardly biased appendage that extends laterally from a surface treating apparatus, such as a robotic floor cleaner. The robotic floor cleaner and/or appendage may use disposable cleaning sheets, such as dust clothes, wipes, sheet-brushes, and the like, to clean under objects or into corners but does not substantially interfere with the rotation of the surface treating apparatus about its axis when it is adjacent to encountered obstacles. The appendage can extend under low hanging obstructions to remove dirt, and reach into corners innavigable or unreachable by the robotic floor cleaner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2004
    Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
    Inventor: Charles William Fisher
  • Patent number: 6774099
    Abstract: A hand dishwashing compositions comprising; a) about 0.1% to about 99.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2004
    Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
    Inventors: Jeffrey John Scheibel, Thomas Anthony Cripe, Kevin Lee Kott, Daniel Stedman Connor, James Charles Theophile Roger Burckett-St. Laurent, Phillip Kyle Vinson, William Michael Scheper, Chandrika Kasturi
  • Patent number: 6770613
    Abstract: A process for making substantially anhydrous surfactant compositions which, at room temperature, are shear thinning non-Newtonian pastes with a yield point that allows them to be easily worked in commercial apparatus. The process employs hydrotropes, anionic surfactants and nonionic surfactants in a drying step to provide the pastes. The pastes are especially suitable for incorporation into anhydrous liquid detergent products.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2004
    Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
    Inventors: Yousef Georges Aouad, Christopher John Lienhart
  • Patent number: 6767882
    Abstract: A process for preparing detergent particles having a coating layer of water-soluble inorganic material is provided. The detergent particle comprises a particle core of a detergent active material. This particle core is then at least partially covered by a particle coating layer of a water soluble inorganic material. Particularly preferred are non-hydrate inorganic coating materials including double salt combinations of alkali metal carbonates, and sulfates. The particle coating layer may also include detergent adjunct ingredients such as brighteners, chelants, nonionic surfactants, co-builders, etc. The process includes the steps of passing the particle core through a coating mixer such as a low speed mixer of fluid bed mixer and coating the particle core with a coating solution or slurry of the water soluble inorganic material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2004
    Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
    Inventors: Girish Jagannath, Manivannan Kandasamy, Ganapathy Venkata Ramanan, Eric San Jose Robles, Kenji Shindo, Tomotaka Inoue
  • Patent number: 6764986
    Abstract: There is provided a process for producing particles of amine reaction product by means of an acid carrier. Processed amine reaction products and finished compositions incorporating such processed product are also herein provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2004
    Assignee: Procter & Gamble Company
    Inventors: Alfred Busch, Johan Smets
  • Patent number: 6753305
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a process of disinfecting a hard-surface with a composition comprising cinnamon oil and/or an active thereof whereby disinfecting benefits are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2004
    Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
    Inventors: Floriana Raso, Alberto Caselli
  • Patent number: 6752330
    Abstract: A liquid sprayer is provided. This liquid sprayer includes a bottle having an opening and a sprayer housing attached to the bottle. This sprayer housing includes an electrical motor, a voltage source for powering the electrical motor, a pump driven by the motor, a switch for completing an electrical circuit, a nozzle mechanism attached to the sprayer housing for spraying a liquid. The liquid sprayer also includes a deformable “pinched tube” mechanism which prevents liquid from flowing through the nozzle when the sprayer is not being used. The sprayer housing also includes a trigger movably connected to the sprayer housing for closing the switch, translating the piston and creating a leak-tight seal by squeezing the “pinched tube”.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2004
    Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
    Inventors: Phillip Joseph DiMaggio, Robert James Good, Joseph Rae Krestine, Michael Joseph Murray, Alen David Streutker
  • Patent number: 6750189
    Abstract: The fabric care compositions comprising A) from 0.1% to 10% by weight amino acid based polymers which are alkoxylated with an average of 0.1 to 30 alkyleneoxy units; B) from 1% to 80% by weight, of a fabric softening active; and C) the balance carriers and adjunct ingredients wherein said compositions provide colored fabric with protection against the deleterious effects of mechanical wear and exposure to laundry-leaching added ingredients inter alia bleaching materials or water-borne materials inter alia heavy metal ions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2004
    Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
    Inventors: Shulin Larry Zhang, Sherri Lynn Randall, Rajan Keshav Panandiker
  • Patent number: 6746976
    Abstract: Disclosed are thin until wet materials that are suitable for use as acquisition members for absorbent articles (e.g., diapers, catamenial products, and adult incontinence devices). Preferred materials according to the present invention are either: 1) fibrous assemblies that utilize wet strength means to stabilize the material or 2) compressed regenerated cellulosic sponges so that, when the material is saturated with an aqueous fluid, it has an expanded wet density of between about 0.04 grams/cm3 and about 0.4 grams/cm3 and an expanded capillary desorption height of less than about 25 cm and a temporary binding means that helps maintain the material at a compressed dry density between about 0.06 grams/cm3 and about 1.2 grams/cm3 until the material is exposed to an aqueous fluid. The ratio of the compressed dry density to the expanded wet density is also greater than about 1.5:1. A suitable process for making the materials and absorbent structures using the materials are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2004
    Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
    Inventors: Edward Joseph Urankar, Gerald Alfred Young, Mattias Schmidt, James Albert Cleary, Matthias Konrad Hippe, Giovanni Carlucci
  • Patent number: 6746435
    Abstract: A shaped sanitary napkin. The sanitary napkin of this invention has an absorbent means, such as an absorbent core, and two flaps extending outwardly from the absorbent means. Each flap is associated with the absorbent means along a nonlinear line of juncture and each has two axes of flexibility. In use, the absorbent means is secured in the crotch of a panty and the flaps are secured about the elastic edges of the panty so that, when the panty is worn, the absorbent means is held adjacent the body while the flaps form a wall at each side of the absorbent means and seals against the body. Both the walls and the seals serve to prevent soiling of the body and clothing by menstrual fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 1995
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2004
    Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
    Inventor: Kees J. Van Tilburg
  • Patent number: 6743006
    Abstract: An extrusion/coating die. The die has an internal cavity and one or more static mixers in the die cavity. The static mixer fills the die cavity at its respective cross section. The die may also have one or more auxiliary inlets for separately admitting material/energy to the die.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2004
    Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
    Inventors: Shaffiq Amin Jaffer, Mark Lewis Agerton, Geoffrey Marc Wise
  • Patent number: D492203
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2004
    Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
    Inventors: Terence Graham Curtis, Paulus Antonius Augustinus Hofte, Benjamin Vaughan Wilkinson, Catharina Maria Rachel G. Bens, An Josehpa Maria Camps, Joris Gustaaf Jozef Tack
  • Patent number: D494394
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2004
    Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
    Inventors: Carol Anne Leong-Son, Chris Joseph Kazakeos