Patent ID: 8598106

Claim:
A method of substantially reducing or controlling the formation of microbial colonies on or at a hard surface or skin and providing a residual reduction or controlling effect on or at the hard surface or skin, which method comprises applying to that hard surface or skin a formulation comprising: (A) a surfactant component comprising at least one non-ionic surfactant; and (B) an anti-microbial composition that comprises (i) an anti-microbial agent with surfactant properties which is at least one quaternary ammonium compound having the formula (CH 3 ) n (A) m N + X − , wherein each A represents, independently, a substituted or unsubstituted and/or straight chain or branched and/or interrupted or uninterrupted alkyl, aryl, alkylaryl, arylalkyl, cycloalkyl, heterocyclyl or alkenyl group or two or more of A together represent a substituted or unsubstituted heterocyclic ring, formed together with the nitrogen atom, and wherein the total number of carbon atoms in the groups A and CH 3 is at least 4; wherein the substituents for the groups A are selected from the group consisting of alkyl, substituted alkyl, alkenyl, substituted alkenyl, heterocyclyl, substituted heterocyclyl, cycloalkyl, substituted cycloalkyl, aryl, substituted aryl, alkylaryl, substituted alkylaryl, arylalkyl, substituted arylalkyl, F, Cl, Br, I, —OR′, —NR′R″, —CF 3 , —CN, —NO 2 , —C 2 R′, —SR′, —N 3 , —C(═O)NR′R″, —NR′C(═O)R″, —C(═O)R′, —C(═O)OR′, —OC(═O)R′, —O(CR′R″) r NC(═O)R′, —O(CR′R″) r NR″C(═O)R′, —O(CR′R″) r NR″SO 2 R′, —OC(═O)NR′R″, —NR′C(═O)OR″, —SO 2 R′, —SO 2 NR′R″, and —NR′SO 2 R″; wherein R′ and R″ are individually hydrogen, C 1 -C 8 alkyl, cycloalkyl, heterocyclyl, aryl, or arylalkyl, and r is an integer from 1 to 6, or R′ and R″ together form a cyclic functionality; wherein the term substituted as applied to alkyl, alkenyl, heterocyclyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, alkylaryl and arylalkyl refers to the substituents described above, starting with F and ending with —NR′SO 2 R″; wherein X′ is halide or sulphonate; wherein n is from 1 to 3 and m is from 1 to 3 provided that the sum of n and m is 4; and wherein if each A is an unsubstituted or uninterrupted alkyl, each A is independently a C 6 - 12 alkyl group; and (ii) a hydrophobic material which comprises at least one siloxane selected from those having the formula (H 3 C)[SiO(CH 3 ) 2 ] n Si(CH 3 ) 3 , and (H 3 C)[SiO(CH 3 )H] n Si(CH 3 ) 3 wherein n is from 1 to 24; and (iii) a polar solvent; wherein the formulation does not comprise an anionic surfactant, and the ratio of molecules of component (i) to component (ii) is from 100:1 to 5:1.