Patent Application
20220322811
This is a nonprovisional patent application under 35 U.S.C. § 111(a).
This disclosure relates generally to the manufacture of personal hygiene material containers and relates more particularly to the prevention of leakage of hygiene material when injected, poured, decanted, or inserted into a personal hygiene material container during the manufacture fill process.
Personal hygiene material containers are utilized for a host of applications. Personal hygiene material containers house different types of personal hygiene materials, which when engaged with by a user, are typically applied to the body in some fashion. These containers come in a wide range of shapes and sizes, and moreover, employ multiple types of extraction, extrusion, and application by the containers' users given a specific goal. What remains the same, however, in all varieties, is the necessity to find, build, and maintain efficiencies across the entirety of the manufacture process.
The instant device achieves this goal through the use of a novel approach to the prevention of leaks during the manufacture fill process. The instant device employs a leakage prevention insert, absent in the pertinent prior art—which typically only employs a mechanism for extrusion of the hygiene material in the absence of a seal—which, when inserted into the body of the device, creates an overhang along the entirety of its circumference. This overhang directly abuts the interior wall of the device, thus creating a tight and complete seal. Therefore, during the manufacture fill process, when the hygiene material is injected, poured, or decanted into the body of the device in its liquid form, the leakage prevention insert not only prevents leakage of the hygiene material, but also maximizes retention of the device itself, saving precious resources from scrappage and the delays associated with manufacturing inefficiencies.
The following detailed description of certain embodiments and best mode will be set forth with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
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The components of the personal hygiene material container 10 are constructed in any particular instance according to each manufacturer's specific requirements with respect to the parameters of all of the components listed herein. In at least one nonlimiting example, both the inner core 110 and outer core 120 are produced by spiral core winding equipment. For this equipment, the tooling within the machine is set such that it matches the desired maximum diameter for the inner core 110 of the personal hygiene material container 10.
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Once the inner lining 130 is adequately coated with the chemical or chemical mixture and the layers of source material are covered in the adhesive, both the inner lining 130 and the source material are fed into the spiral core winding machine. The spiral core winding machine then combines, per manufacturer specifications, any number of layers of source material together. During this process, the inner lining 130 is fed into the spiral core winding machine first, followed subsequently by a plurality of layers of source material. The spiral core winding machine rolls a continuous, rigid, spiral core. The continuous, rigid, spiral core is cut by a cutting machine at predefined lengths based on the manufacturer's specifications.
This set of steps of the method of making; coating source material with adhesive, feeding it into the spiral core winding machine, rolling a continuous core, and cutting the core at predetermined lengths; is performed twice: a first time for the inner core 110 and a second time for the inner core 120, where the lengths of the predetermined cuts are relative to the manufacturer's requirements for the inner and inner core 120, respectively. Once both the inner and outer cores 110, 120 have been made, they are adhered and pressed together, where the inner core 110 is placed within the inner core 120. This step of layering the cores yields a single, rigid, cylindrically wrapped, combined core. The maximum outer diameter of the combined core is determined by the manufacturer's specifications for the total number of layers of source material desired, inclusive of the inner lining 130.
An additional step in the method of making a personal hygiene material container 10 is the providing and assembly of the cap 200. The cap 200 is made by a spiral core winding machine.
In the instance of the cap 200, the wall of the cap 200 is comprised of the inner core 120. In line with the manufacturer's requirements, layers of source material are fed to a station or machine which coats them with adhesive. The layers of source material are fed into the spiral core winding machine, rolled into a continuous, cylindrically wrapped, rigid core, and then cut by a cutting machine at predetermined lengths.
An additional step in the method of making a personal hygiene material container 10 is the making and assembly of the lid 220 of the cap 200. The lid 220 of the cap 200, in the embodiment depicted, is in the form of a circular disc. The disc is comprised of the same source material as that of the inner and outer cores 110, 120. Again, per the manufacturer's requirements, the lid 220 is comprised of the a plurality of layers of source material. Each layer is again fed to a station or machine that coats it in adhesive. The source material for the lid 220 is then fed into a machine which combines the layers of the adhesive covered source material together through the use or combination of force, heat, or some other process such that the layers permanently bind together. The combined layers of source material are then fed into a die-cutting machine where the individual lids 220 are cut out. The newly cut lids 220 are then fed into another station or machine where their edges, having a thickness, are coated with adhesive. Once the edges are coated in adhesive, they are fed into another machine where they are pressed into the interior space of the cap 200 to a predetermined extent. Because the circumference of the lid 220 is greater than that of the inner core 110 yet less than that of the inner core 120, the lid 220 is affixed in place both by press-fit immobilization and the use of an adhesive. Additionally, the outer surface of the lid 220 directly abuts the rolled and wrapped portion of the terminal edge of the wall of cap 200, additionally immobilizing the lid 220 and securely enclosing one end of the cap 200.
An additional step in the method of making of the personal hygiene material container 10 is the making and assembly of the hygiene material elevator. The hygiene material elevator 300, in the embodiment depicted, is in the form of a circular disc, where the circular disc has a plurality of layers. The hygiene material elevator 300 is comprised of the same source material as that of the inner and outer cores 110, 120. The layers of the hygiene material elevator 300 which directly abut the personal hygiene material is first coated with the chemical or mixture of chemicals of the inner lining 130 of the inner core 110 mentioned herein, such that the chemical or mixture of chemicals prevents adhesion between the surface of the hygiene material elevator 300 and the personal hygiene material itself, both in its liquid and solid states. Next, each layer of the hygiene material elevator 300 is fed to a station or machine that coats it in adhesive. The adhesive covered layers of the hygiene material elevator 300 are combined through the use or combination of force, heat, or some other process such that the layers permanently bind together. The combined layers of source material are then fed into a die-cutting machine where each individual hygiene material elevator 300 is cut out. Once cut out, the hygiene material elevators 300 are fed into another machine where they are pressed into the interior space of the inner core 110 of the body 100 up to a predetermined extent, where one side of the hygiene material elevator 300 directly abuts the leakage prevention insert 400 and the chemical coated side abuts the hygiene material.
An additional step in the method of making of the personal hygiene material container 10 is the making and assembly of the leakage prevention insert 400. The leakage prevention insert 400, in the embodiment depicted, is in the form of a circular disc, where the circular disc is comprised of at least one layer. The leakage prevention insert 400 is comprised of the same source material as that of the inner and outer cores 110, 120. Next, each layer of the leakage prevention insert 400, if comprised of multiple layers, is fed to a station or machine that coats it in adhesive. The source material for the leakage prevention insert 400 is then fed into a machine which combines the layers of the adhesive covered source material together through the use or combination of force, heat, or some other process such that the layers permanently bind together. The combined layers of source material are then fed into a die-cutting machine where each individual leakage prevention insert 400 is cut out.
At this step, the leakage prevention insert 400 is cut to a circumference that is greater than a first circumference of the inner core 110. The excess diameter of the leakage prevention insert 400 facilitates an interaction between the leakage prevention insert 400 and the interior wall of the inner core 110. Once cut out, each leakage prevention insert 400 is fed into another machine where it is pressed into the interior space of the inner core 110 of the body 100 up to a predetermined extent. The additional diameter creates an overhang 410, such that a tight seal is formed between the leakage prevention insert 400 and the inner wall of the inner core 110.
Furthermore, the leakage prevention insert 400 further interacts with the rolled and wrapped portion of the terminal edge of the inner core 120, further securely sealing the personal hygiene material container 10. The result of this two-pronged seal is that during the manufacturing fill process, when the hygiene material, in its liquid form, is injected, poured, or decanted into the empty space of the personal hygiene material container 10, a de minimis amount of hygiene material is lost to leakage or spillage. Further due to this two-pronged seal, not only does the manufacturer gain production efficiencies, but because leakage is prevented, the manufacturer also avoids scrappage of source material and containers.
An additional step in the method of construction of the personal hygiene material container 10 is the rolling and wrapping of the terminal edge of the inner core 120. After the inner core 110 and the inner core 120 are combined and adhered together, the terminal edge of the inner core 120 is passed to a station or machine which rolls and wraps the terminal edge of the inner core 120 over the terminal edge of the inner core 110 and into the interior space of the container such that it directly abuts the inner wall of the inner core 110. The rolled and wrapped portion edge of the outer core's 120 terminal edge is immobilized and affixed in place by the combination of press-fit restriction and an adherent.
An additional step in the method of making of the personal hygiene material container 10 is the rolling and wrapping of the terminal edge of the cap 200. After the cap 200 is rolled and cut to size, the terminal edge of the cap 200 is passed to a station or machine which rolls and wraps the terminal edge over and into the interior space of the cap 200 such that it directly abuts the inner wall of the inner cap 200. The rolled and wrapped portion of the cap 200's terminal edge is immobilized and affixed in place by the combination of press-fit restriction and an adherent.
An additional step in the method of making of the personal hygiene material container 10 is the addition of printed labeling and artwork 140 which adorns the device. Per manufacturer specifications, a source material, such as, but not limited to, paper, is fed into a lithography and offset printing machine. Once fed into the lithography printing machine, a printer prints or laminates the source material with the required aesthetic ornamentation 140. Furthermore, the manufacturer may choose to include foil stamping, embossing, debossing, or other customizations which will ultimately adorn the surface of the device. In the event that a manufacturer includes this type of aesthetic adornment, the printed, laminated, embossed, or debossed layer of source material is fed into a cutting machine where it is cut into individual labels relative to the specifications of the size of the body 100 and cap 200 of the device. The side of the printed source material 140 that comes into direct contact with the body 100 and cap 200 of the device is treated with an adhesive. Once the adhesive is applied, the individually cut printed labeling and artwork 140 is fed into another machine which wrap and affix the labeling 140 around the container 10.
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The forms of the invention herein disclosed constitute presently preferred embodiments and many other forms and embodiments are possible. It is not intended herein to mention all the possible equivalent forms or ramifications of the invention. It is understood that the terms used herein are merely descriptive, rather than limiting, and that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.
It is to be understood that the foregoing is a description of one or more preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention. The invention is not limited to the particular embodiment(s) disclosed herein, but rather is defined solely by the claims below. Furthermore, the statements contained in the foregoing description relate to particular embodiments and are not to be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention or on the definition of terms used in the claims, except where a term or phrase is expressly defined above. Various other embodiments and various changes and modifications to the disclosed embodiment(s) will become apparent to those skilled in the art. All such other embodiments, changes, and modifications are intended to come within the scope of the appended claims.
As used in this specification and claims, the terms “for example,” “for instance,” “such as,” and “like,” and the verbs “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and their other verb forms, when used in conjunction with a listing of one or more components or other items, are each to be construed as open-ended, meaning that the listing is not to be considered as excluding other, additional components or items. Other terms are to be construed using their broadest reasonable meaning unless they are used in a context that requires a different interpretation.
