Patents Examined by Kery Fries
  • Patent number: 6291414
    Abstract: The invention relates to a detergent composition having a wool compatible high alkaline protease with at least one mutation in each of the regions 96-110 and 123-135 according to the BPN′-numbering. The detergent composition is preferably substantially free of bleach and does contain so-called dye transfer inhibition technology.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2001
    Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
    Inventors: Andre Cesar Baeck, Ann Katrien Marie Verschuere, Alfred Busch
  • Patent number: 6284722
    Abstract: The present invention is targeted to obtain a high-density granular detergent composition for clothes washing having sufficient detergency even when the amount of dosage is small without lowering its detergency even after long-term storage by blending a non-soap anionic surfactant and a crystalline alkali metal silicate in a state of non-contact as much as possible. The high-density granular detergent composition for clothes washing, the granular detergent composition having a bulk density of from 0.7 to 1.2 g/cm3, including (A) a non-soap anionic surfactant; (B) a crystalline alkali metal silicate; and (C) a metal ion capturing agent other than Component (B).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2001
    Assignee: Kao Corporation
    Inventors: Shu Yamaguchi, Hitoshi Tanimoto, Masaki Tsumadori, Hiroyuki Yamashita
  • Patent number: 6251144
    Abstract: During the desizing and enzymatic stonewashing of denim fabric and/or garments, redeposition of blue color often occurs back onto the surfaces of the denim. The invention relates to a redepositing or backstain inhibiting composition and a method requiring the inclusion of an added protease prior to, during or subsequent to the stonewashing process which reduces the redeposition of the blue dye and hence improves the stonewashing process when using redepositing or backstaining cellulases to give an appearance closer to that when using stones alone or nonredepositing cellulases in the stonewashing process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 1995
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2001
    Assignee: Genencor International, Inc.
    Inventors: Kathleen A. Clarkson, Pushkaraj J. Lad, M. M. Mullins, Curran M. Simpson, Geoffrey L. Weiss, Lindsay Jacobs
  • Patent number: 6235692
    Abstract: This invention relates to a foaming enzyme composition and delivery method useful for the cleaning and maintenance of moist conditions of the surfaces of soiled instruments, utensils and other devices prior to final cleaning and/or sterilization. The aqueous composition preferably consists of a combination of: (1) an enzyme cleaning solution, (2) foam-building ingredients; (3) a corrosion inhibitor; and (4) an antimicrobial agent. The composition may be dispensed from a pump spray as a stable foam which covers the surfaces of the instrument to be cleaned, and remains on the surface of the instrument for at least 30 minutes, and preferably until the instruments are finally cleaned and sterilized. The composition and delivery method of the present invention is particularly useful for the pre-cleaning of complex medical instruments such as endoscopes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2001
    Assignee: Cottrell International, LLC
    Inventors: John R. Scoville, Inna A. Novicova
  • Patent number: 6235697
    Abstract: A laundry detergent composition is provided for enhanced whitening and stain removal of washed laundry comprising: a) from about 1% to about 50%, by weight, of a surfactant or surfactant mixture selected from the group consisting of anionic and nonionic surfactants; b) a protease enzyme in an amount sufficient to provide from at least about 0.030 to about 3.0 Kilo Novo Protease Units (KNPU) of activity of protease enzyme per gram of detergent composition; c) a cellulase enzyme of the endoglucanase type in an amount sufficient to provide from about 0.5 to about 100 CMC units per gram of detergent composition; and d) from about 0.5% to about 10% by weight, of an acrylic acid-based polymer and copolymer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2001
    Assignee: Colgate-Palmolive Co.
    Inventors: Joseph Robert Knorr, Barbara Hepler, Mary Holmgren
  • Patent number: 6225268
    Abstract: A liquid detergent composition contains (1) 0.5 to 5% by weight of citrate, (2) 0.5 to 10% by weight of alcohol, (3) 5 to 15% by weight of cocinin, and (4) 70 to 94% by weight of water.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2001
    Assignee: Sinon Corporation
    Inventors: Mao-Tung Chang, Chiun-Chyi Chang
  • Patent number: 6211125
    Abstract: This invention relates to a method for thermal conditioning of hair which comprises: (a) applying to hair a rinse-off composition comprising: (1) a nonvolatile silicone conditioning agent; and (2) a carrier; (b) rinsing the composition from the hair with water; (c) applying heat via a heating appliance to the composition treated hair to dry or style the hair and wherein a reduction in the bending modulus caused by the silicone conditioning agent is at least 1.00%, and wherein the method of the invention results in the deposition on the hair of at least 30 ug silicone/ 1 g of hair.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2001
    Assignee: Helene Curtis, Inc.
    Inventors: Joanne Crudele, Wolfgang Bergmann, Kimberly Kamis, Pawel Milczarek, Varsha Shah
  • Patent number: 6211134
    Abstract: Novel &agr;-amylase enzymes are disclosed having a substution equivalent to G475R in Bacillus licheniformis. The disclosed &agr;-amylase enzymes show improved specific activity and starch hydrolysis performance. Also provided are polynucleotides encoding such enzymes, expression vectors including such polynucleotides, host cells transformed with such expression vectors, and the use of such enzymes in detergent compositions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 1997
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2001
    Assignee: Genecor International, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert M. Caldwell, Colin Mitchinson, Traci H Ropp
  • Patent number: 6204234
    Abstract: The present invention relates to cleaning compositions, including laundry, dishwashing, hard surface cleaner, oral/dental cleaning compositions, comprising a proteinic substrate based oxygenase, which provide effective and efficient cleaning of proteic based stains and/or soils such as protein containing food stains/soils and everyday body soils and provide sanitisation of the treated surfaces. Furthermore, the cleaning compositions of the present invention provide fabric realistic items cleaning and whitening performance when formulated as a laundry detergent composition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2001
    Assignee: The Proctor & Gamble Company
    Inventors: Ivan Maurice Alfons Jan Herbots, Alfred Busch
  • Patent number: 6204236
    Abstract: New enzyme granulates are described which contain an organic disulfide compound (R—S—S—R), particularly they contain the free amino acid cystine, optionally mixed with the amino acid cysteine. The new enzyme granulates are for us in detergent and cleanser compositions, particularly in dishwasher compositions, and they have properties. For example, insofar as protecting objects made of silver against tarnishing, for example, dishes, cutlery, and other objects to be cleaned.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2001
    Assignee: Genencor International, Inc.
    Inventors: Hubert A. Herrmann, Rolf Spannagl, Günther Richter
  • Patent number: 6197739
    Abstract: Compositions for use as soil removing agents in the food processing industry are disclosed. Food soiled surfaces in food manufacturing and preparation areas can be cleaned. The compositions are manufactured in the form of a concentrate which is diluted with water and used. The cleaning materials are made in a two part system which are diluted with a diluent source and mixed prior to use. The products contain high quality cleaning compositions and use a variety of active ingredients. The preferred materials, in a two part system contain detergent compositions, enzymes that degrade food compositions, surfactants, low alkaline builders, water conditioning (softening) agents, and optionally a variety of formulary adjuvants depending on product form.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2001
    Assignee: Ecolab Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas R. Oakes, Kristine K. Wick, Bruce R. Cords, Sandra L. Bull, Francis L. Richter
  • Patent number: 6197740
    Abstract: The present invention provides a detergent composition which is excellent in enzyme stability and exhibits excellent detergency particularly to protein-related dirt of socks and other items even under laundering conditions at a lower temperature. That is, the present invention provides a detergent composition comprising specific proportions of (a) an anionic surfactant, (b) a chlorine scavenger, (c) a protease whose &agr;-keratin-hydrolyzing activity at 10° C. is not less than 0.09×10−3 &mgr;g/mPU·min and (d) a protease whose &agr;-keratin-hydrolyzing activity at 10° C. is less than 0.09×10−3 &mgr;g/mPU·min.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2001
    Assignee: Kao Corporation
    Inventors: Shitsuw Shikata, Masafumi Nomura, Toshihiro Oki, Hitoshi Tanimoto, Tsutomu Tokumoto, Nobuyuki Ogura
  • Patent number: 6194363
    Abstract: The conditioning performance of small particle size emulsified silicone in a surfactant-based shampoo composition can be significantly boosted by the inclusion in the shampoo composition of an amino functionalised silicone. Accordingly, the invention provides an aqueous shampoo composition comprising, in addition to water: i) at least one surfactant chosen from anionic, nonionic, zwitterionic or amphoteric surfactants or mixtures thereof; ii) an amino functionalised silicone; and iii) emulsified particles of an insoluble, non-amino functionalised silicone, in which the average silicone particle size of the emulsified non-amino functional silicone in the shampoo composition is less than 2 microns.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2001
    Assignee: Unilever Home & Personal Care USA, division of Conopco, Inc.
    Inventor: Andrew Malcolm Murray
  • Patent number: 6191092
    Abstract: A stabilized liquid enzyme preparation containing a cleaning-active enzyme, a solvent selected from the group consisting of ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, glycerol, and mixtures thereof, and a stabilizer comprising a basic nitrogen compound selected from the group consisting of N,N-bis-(3-aminopropyl)-dodecyl amine, a salt of N,N-bis-(3-aminopropyl)-dodecyl amine, and mixtures thereof. Also, a method of cleaning an article by diluting the stabilized liquid enzyme preparation with water in a weight ratio of enzyme preparation to water of 1:500 to 1:5000 to form a cleaning solution, adding to the cleaning solution 0.01% to 0.2% by weight, based on the weight of cleaning solution, of a buffer concentrate to adjust the pH of the cleaning solution to 7 to 10; and contacting the article with a portion of the cleaning solution to effect cleaning thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2001
    Assignee: Henkel Kommanditgesellschaft auf Aktien
    Inventors: Siegfried Bragulla, Andreas Potthoff, Wilfried Serve
  • Patent number: 6187732
    Abstract: The present invention relates to variant EGIII cellulases which have improved stability and/or performance. The variant cellulases have replacements at sensitive residues to improve stability and/or performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2001
    Assignee: Genencor International, Inc.
    Inventors: Timothy Fowler, Colin Mitchinson
  • Patent number: 6187740
    Abstract: Granular detergent compositions contain a bleach and a cellulase enzyme derived from Trichodenna SPP. The compositions are especially useful in a fabric laundering process where bleaching activity is desired.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2001
    Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
    Inventors: Jean-Luc Philippe Bettiol, Christiaan Arthur Jacques Kamiel Thoen
  • Patent number: 6184188
    Abstract: This invention is a fabric delivery system for liquid laundry detergent compositions which comprises a &bgr;-ketoester selected from a Markush group of &bgr;-ketoesters. Laundry compositions also contain surfactants and carriers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2001
    Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
    Inventors: John Cort Severns, Mark Robert Sivik, Jill Bonham Costa, Frederick Anthony Hartman, Joseph Paul Morelli
  • Patent number: 6184189
    Abstract: Stable liquid enzyme compositions containing an ophthalmically acceptable enzyme and methods involving the combined use of these compositions with a polymeric antimicrobial agent are disclosed for the simultaneous cleaning and disinfecting of contact lenses. Methods for a daily use regimen are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2001
    Assignee: Alcon Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Bahram Asgharian, Bor-Shyue Hong
  • Patent number: 6180577
    Abstract: A method for inhibiting attachment of germs to the skin which comprises applying to the skin a composition comprising: (a) a skin cleansing effective amount of a surfactant or mixture of surfactants; (b) a silicone in amounts effective to inhibit attachment of germs to the skin, and rinsing said composition from the skin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2001
    Assignee: Colgate-Palmolive Company
    Inventors: Shamim Alam Ansari, Thomas Gregory Polefka
  • Patent number: 6180588
    Abstract: A cleaning tool for cleaning the walls of a swimming pool or other concrete structures. Two different sized aggregate or abrasives are combined with a binder to provide an improved cleaning device. The binder and the aggregates are matched so as to wear at substantially identical rates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2001
    Assignee: Tracey Dalton
    Inventor: Roy J. Walters