1 Claim 12
2 A method for washing soiled dishes comprising charging a
3 mechanical dishwashing composition to a wash liquour in a washing
4 machine, the composition comprising [a composition defined essentially the
5 same as the composition of claim 1]
6 wherein said method comprises charging said dishwashing
7 composition to a cold, penultimate rinse cycle preceded by a
8 heated, final rinse cycle of a dishwashing sequence.
9
10 D. Discussion
11 We are told in the specification under a heading styled "The Related
12 Art," which we take to mean the prior art, that "[t]he machine dishwashing
13 process comprises washing articles in a main wash cycle and rinsing them
14 in one or more rinse cycles." Specification, page 1, ¶ 0002, lines 1-2.
15 Generally the wash program of a machine dishwasher involves a sequence of
16 water fill, wash/rinse and water drain cycles which are automatically
17 performed by the machine without operator intervention. Specification,
18 page 5, ¶ 00013, lines 1-3. Applicants' description of the prior art is
19 consistent with our experience with dishwashers. What applicants
20 apparently believe is novel is the use of the anti-scaling polymer and vehicle
21 in what applicants call a penultimate rinse and preferably both the
22 penultimate rinse and a final rinse cycle. Specification, page 5, ¶ 00013,
23 lines 3-8. The invention "contrasts with [what is said to be the] historic
24 practice in this art of dosing scale inhibitors via rinse cycle compositions
25 added only to the final rinse cycle." Specification, page 5, ¶ 00013,
26 lines 8-10. Applicants go on to say that "[i]t is not generally appreciated that
27 any component of the role of a rinse cycle composition can be efficiently
4
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Last modified: November 3, 2007