Patent Application
20120097697
Disclosed herein is a refillable wipes container for storing and dispensing wipes. Specifically, there is disclosed a refillable wipes container that is configured to provide a lock-and-key benefit such that only a particular style of refill pack will provide the desired function when used in conjunction with the wipes container.
Cleaning wipes are generally sold in plastic tubs, tubes, or other containers that are configured to permit a user to extract a wipe from the container, for example, by pulling the wipe through an opening in the container. When a wipes container includes an opening through which wipes can be withdrawn, the opening is typically covered by a liquid or vapor impervious lid or other barrier, especially if the wipes are wet wipes. It is not uncommon for a wipes tub to be sold pre-loaded with a supply of wipes, which can be replenished with additional wipes when the original supply of wipes is depleted. Since a significant portion of the cost of purchasing wipes may be related to producing a rigid plastic wipes tub, it may be desirable to use commonly known refill packs of wipes, which can be provided in a cheaper and/or more environmentally friendly package. But in at least some instances, wipes and/or refill packs of wipes provided by different suppliers may be similarly or even identically sized. Thus, a consumer may purchase a preloaded, refillable wipes container provided by a first manufacturer and refill it with wipes provided by a second, different manufacturer, which is generally undesirable to the first manufacturer.
Refillable wipes tubs typically include some type of indicia (e.g., graphic, trademark, unique shape or feature) which identifies the source of the wipes, a type of wipes stored in the tub, and/or a characteristic of a type of wipes stored in the tub. Such identifying indicia are generally intended to communicate a message to the consumer related to the quality or brand equity of the wipes product (i.e., the quality of the product and/or reputation of the provider). However, when a refillable wipes tub from one manufacturer is refilled with wipes from another manufacturer, users who are not aware that the wipes and the tub are from different providers may associate the wipes in the tub with the provider of the tub. In instances where the refill wipes are inferior to the wipes supplied by tub provider, a user may associate the inferior product with the provider of the tub, which could undesirably affect the user's opinion of the tub provider and/or one or more of the products supplied by the tub provider.
Refillable wipes container typically include a major lid that is hingedly joined to a wall of the container such that a user can open the major lid and place a new wipes cartridge or stack of wipes in the interior storage space of the wipes container. The major lid generally provides a moisture impervious barrier to minimize exposure of the contents of the wipes container to the external environment. The major lid typically includes a dispensing orifice for enabling a user to access the wipes stored in the container. Since it is common to store wet wipes in refillable containers, the dispensing orifice is typically covered with a moisture impervious barrier. In some instances, the moisture impervious barrier is in the form of a minor lid that is opened by a spring when a user presses a button on the container. While the button/spring configuration may provide a means for accessing the wipes and preventing substantial moisture loss from wet wipes, such a configuration may also add undesirable cost and complexity to the manufacturing process.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a refillable wipes container that functions as intended only when refilled with a particular type of wipes. It would also be desirable to provide a refillable wipes container that has a less complex mechanism for providing a moisture impervious barrier and accessibility to wipes stored in the container.
In order to provide a solution to the problems stated above, there is disclosed herein a wipes product comprising a reusable container for storing and dispensing wipes. The refillable wipes container including a major lid, a base, and one or more walls. The lid, base, and wall(s) define an interior storage space for storing wipes. A dispensing orifice is disposed in the major lid, which enables a user to access wipes stored in the interior storage space. A lock portion is disposed on the major lid, the lock portion being configured to engage with a key portion such that a substantially moisture impermeable barrier is formed over the dispensing orifice when the lock portion and the key portion are engaged. The wipes product further comprises a package of wipes comprising the key portion, the package of wipes being disposed in the interior storage space.
“Channel” means a narrow opening that extends through a substrate or component and has a length that is substantially greater than its width. For example, a channel may be an opening that extends through the lid of a wipes container and has a length that is at least 3 times its width.
“Disposed on” and variations thereof refer to the placement or position of one element relative to another element, where the elements are connected to or in physical contact with one another. For example, when a first element is disposed on a second element, the first and second elements may be joined together or formed together to provide an integral or unitary article. A first element may also be disposed on a second element when the first element is applied to the second element, for example, by a printing method or a coating method.
“Joined” refers herein to the attachment together of two or more components, either by direct affixment of a first element to a second element or by affixment of the first element to an intermediate element which is affixed to the second element.
“Moisture impermeable” or “moisture impervious” means that an element resists and, ideally, prevents the passage of liquid and/or gaseous compositions (e.g., water and/or water vapor) from one side of the element to the opposing side of the element. For example, a wipes container for storing wet wipes will typically include one or more walls that resist the passage and/or penetration of liquid water and water vapor through the wall of the wipes container in order to prevent or at least delay moisture loss from the wet wipes. Thus, the walls of the container are said to be moisture impermeable.
“Nonwoven” refers to a porous, fibrous structure made from an assembly of continuous fibers, coextruded fibers, noncontinuous fibers or combinations thereof, without weaving, knitting, or felting. Non-limiting examples of suitable processes for making a nonwoven include spunbonding, carding, meltblowing, air laying, wet laying, coform, and the like. The nonwoven structure may comprise one or more layers of such fibrous assemblies, wherein each layer may include continuous fibers, coextruded fibers, noncontinuous fibers and combinations thereof.
“Reusable” means that a component may be used more than once for the same function without showing significant loss of utility or degradation of properties. A refillable wipe container is an example of a reusable article.
“Wipe” refers a fibrous substrate, for example a nonwoven, used for cleaning skin and other surfaces. “Wet-wipe” refers to a wipe that includes more than 10% of a liquid composition by weight based on the weight of the wet-wipe. The liquid composition may be impregnated into the wipe or the liquid composition may be fugitive (i.e., free to move from one portion of the wet wipe to another portion).
Various types of disposable wiping products such as, for example, wipes, facial tissues, bath tissues, paper towels, and napkins are commonly used by consumers. Such wiping products can include dry products or saturated or pre-moistened wiping products. Saturated or pre-moistened wiping products are used in a variety of different wiping and polishing applications. Pre-moistened wipes are commonly sold in a stack of individual, folded sheets packaged in a plastic container or tub for use as baby wipes. In other applications, the wipes are treated with an antibacterial agent and packaged as a sanitary wipe. Refillable wipes tubs suitable for storing and dispensing wipes include tubs formed from material(s) and by process(es) commonly known in the art. For example, some rigid plastic wipes containers are formed from polypropylene in an injection molding process. In another example, a refillable wipes container may be formed from thermomolded foam of ethylene vinyl acetate to provide a tub with desirable sensory appeal such as feeling warm to the touch. Wipes tubs suitable for use herein may be made from a single piece of material as a unitary tub, or be assembled from two or more discrete parts joined to together to form an integral tub. Nonlimiting examples of suitable wipes container materials and processes for making wipes containers are disclosed in U.S. Publication Nos. 2008/0083774; 2008/0222929; 2008/0223868; and 2009/0321299.
Refill packs for use with refillable wipes containers are typically formed from flexible, liquid and/or vapor impermeable materials known in the art. The material used to make the refill packages are generally less expensive than the material used to make the refillable tub and in at least some instances may be more environmentally friendly (e.g., by being formed from biodegradable material or taking up less space in a landfill). For example, a refill pack may be formed from a relatively thin, flexible polyolefin material in a commonly known flow wrap process. In certain embodiments it may be desirable to form the refill package and/or the wipes contained therein from biodegradable materials, such as polyester, polylactic acid, and/or oxo-biodegradable polyolefin.
Wipes suitable for use herein may be in the form of a nonwoven web, a film, or a laminate of two or more layers of nonwoven and/or film material. The fibers used to form nonwoven materials suitable for use herein may be formed from naturally occurring materials (e.g., cellulose, cotton, rayon, silk) or synthetic materials (e.g., elastic and/or plastic polyolefin; polyester; nylon) or a combination of natural and synthetic fibers. The fibers may be long fibers or short fibers, sometimes referred to as staple fibers, or a combination of long and short fibers. The fibers may have the same or different shapes (e.g., round, rectangular, multi-lobal, combinations of these), diameters (i.e., denier), opacity, strength, elasticity, etc. The fibers and/or layers, when a laminate structure is desired, may be joined to one another by any suitable process known in the art (e.g., thermal bonding, high pressure bonding, adhesive, cohesive, mechanical bonding, ultrasonic, autogenous bonding, combinations of these and the like). The wipe substrate may include apertures and/or regions of different density. The wipes may include a cleaning composition (e.g., lotion, personal care composition, antibacterial composition, astringent composition, hard surface cleaning composition). The cleaning composition may be in form of a liquid, solid, paste, gel, emulsion or other suitable form for applying to a surface. In some instances, it may be desirable to provide a liquid composition on the wipe substrate that includes a volatile component and/or water. The wipes may be joined to one another to provide “pop-up” dispensing. That is, when a wipe is dispensed from the tub, the next wipe is partially dispensed such that it can be readily grasped by a user without having to reach into the container). Configurations for providing pop-up type wipes include, for example, perforation, interleaving (e.g., c-folding, z-folding), adhesive bonding, friction bonding, combinations of these and the like. Wipes may be dry (e.g., include less than 10% water by weight based on the weight of the wipe) or wet (e.g., more than 10%, 20%, 50% or even 80% by weight based on the weight of the wipe). The wipe substrate may include a personal care composition and/or cleaning composition disposed thereon and/or impregnated therein. Nonlimiting examples of wet and dry wipes and the compositions for use therewith are disclosed in U.S. Publication Nos. 2005/0008680; 2005/0150784A1; and U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,581,273; 5,620,694; 5,744,149; 5,972,361; 5,980,931; 6,063,397; 6,074,655; 6,132,746; 6,153,208; 6,280,757; 6,338,855; and 6,495,151.
The wipes container 300 may include an orifice 335 for enabling a user to access wipes stored in the interior storage space 310. In certain embodiments, the orifice 335 may include a liquid and/or vapor impermeable material (e.g., barrier film/membrane) that extends across the orifice 335 to inhibit moisture loss from any wet wipes that may be stored in the container 300. The moisture impermeable barrier film may include a slit 336 to permit wipes to pass through the orifice 335. It may be desirable to configure the slit 326 to minimize the open area through which moisture vapor can pass, while at the same time providing suitable resistance to the wipes such that “chaining” (i.e., when the individual wipes do not properly separate from one another during dispensing) and “fallback” (i.e., when a wipe falls back into the storage space rather than “popping up” for use) do not occur. The exemplary wipes container 300 shown in
In certain embodiments, it may be desirable to provide a wipes container formed from a material that provides a desirable sensory perception (e.g., warm, soft), such as a cloth-like material. For example, foamed synthetic polymeric materials may be used to provide wipes containers having an effusivity and hardness that users perceive as being desirably warm to the touch and of sufficient quality or durability to be reusable. One particularly suitable example of a foamed, synthetic material for use herein includes foamed poly(ethylene vinyl acetate) (“EVA”). EVA is typically made by copolymerizing ethylene and vinyl acetate monomers. The EVA may be foamed and formed into any shape, as desired. Suitable examples of EVA and methods of making and shaping EVA foam are described in PCT Publication No. WO 01/02473, filed by Hsu, et al., on Jun. 28, 2000. EVA foams may include some percentage of EVA such as, for example, greater than or equal to 1% EVA by weight, based on the weight of the EVA foam. However, difficulties may arise when attempting to produce EVA foams that have relatively low levels of EVA (e.g., less than 5%). Therefore, it may be desirable to select EVA foams that are greater than 10% EVA by weight, based on the weight of the EVA foam, for example, between 12% and 18% EVA. Higher levels of EVA may also be used, for example, any amount of EVA between 18% and 100%, as long as a wipes container that includes such EVA foam provides the desired effusivity value. Suitable effusivity values at 25° C. and 32° C. include values of less than 550, for example, between 100 and 400, 200 and 300, over any value within these ranges, when measured according to the Sensory Warmth Test detailed in copending U.S. Publication No. 2009/0321299, filed by Gehring, et al. A particularly suitable example of a synthetic polymeric material for use in the wipes containers disclosed herein is thermomolded EVA sold under the product name Solatex 40, available from Tacosola, located in Novo Hamburgo, Brazil. Other suitable polymers and process are disclosed in U.S. Pub. No. 2009/0321299.
When the supply of wipes in a reusable or refillable wipes container is depleted, the supply may be replenished with a fresh supply of wipes. Typically, refill packages of wipes, sometimes referred to as cartridges, are configured to be placed directly into a refillable wipes tub. As mentioned previously, however, some refill cartridges may fit into more than one type of tub (e.g., tubs provided by a competitor in the marketplace). In order to limit the refill cartridges used to replenish the wipes to those supplied by the provider of the wipes tub, the cartridge may include a key portion that engageably complements a lock portion disposed on the wipes container. That is, the lock and key portions, when engaged with one another, provide a wipes product that functions as intended (e.g., properly dispenses wet wipes and helps reduce moisture loss from the container).
In certain embodiments, the cartridge may include a key portion in the form of a flexible flap that can be inserted through a channel formed in the wipes container. Once inserted through the channel, the flap may extend far enough to be placed over the dispensing orifice of the container. When formed from a moisture impermeable material, the flap may provide a moisture barrier over the dispensing orifice of the container without undesirably interfering with a user's ability to access the wipes stored in the container. The flap may be initially joined to the refill cartridge with an adhesive so that the flap is not unintentionally disengaged from the refill cartridge prematurely, which may uncover the orifice in the refill container and expose the wipes to the external environment. In certain embodiments, The flap may include an adhesive or other fastener (e.g., hook/loop, tab/slot, button/hole, snap, plug/seal, cohesive and the like) that permits a user to releasably and reattachably join at least a portion of the flap to at least a portion of the container once the cartridge is opened and the flap is extended through the channel. In this way, the flap can be securely positioned over the orifice of the container. The flap may be configured to include other features (e.g., gaskets, seals, and the like) that function together or independently to help reduce moisture loss from inside the container and/or extend the useful life of a wipe stored in the container. Nonlimiting examples of such features are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,910,579, issued on Jun. 28, 2005 to Reinke, et al.
In certain embodiments, the refill cartridge 415 may include a flap 438. The flap 438 may be sized and/or positioned to cover the orifice 437 of the cartridge 415. The flap 438 may be formed from the same material and/or during the same process as the cartridge 415, or the flap 438 may be formed from and different material and/or separate process and subsequently joined to the cartridge 415. The flap 438 may include a tab 439 or other suitable feature that enables a user to easily grasp and manipulate the flap 438. In certain embodiments, the flap 438 may be openably and/or refastenably joined to the outer packaging of the cartridge 415. For example, the flap 438 may be secured to the outer packaging with one or more adhesives (e.g., pressure sensitive adhesive). In certain embodiments, the flap 438 is configured to provide a refastenable barrier over the orifice 437 of the cartridge 415, thereby allowing the refill cartridge 415 to be used as a stand-alone product (i.e., a product that can be used as intended without placing the product in a reusable tub). In certain embodiments, the flap 438 may be formed by perforating or scoring a portion of the outer packaging to provide areas of weakness that define the edges of the flap 438 such that a user is able to tear the flap 438 away from the outer packaging without damaging or otherwise impairing the function of the flap 438 and/or outer packaging. In certain embodiments, the tab 439 or other grasping feature may be joined to the outer packaging in the same or different manner as the flap 438. However, it is to be appreciated that it may be desirable for the tab 439 to remain unsecured from the outer packaging to provide a more easily graspable tab 439. The cartridge 415 may include a mechanical fastening system such as a hook and loop type mechanical fastening system. The flap 438 and/or tab 439 may include one part of the fastening system (e.g., the hooks) while the outer packaging includes the complementary portion of the fastening system (e.g., the loops).
In a particularly suitable embodiment, the flap 538 is refastenably attached or attachable to the container 510. The flap 538 may include an adhesive or cohesive that is attachable to a portion of the wipes container 510, but not a wipe substrate or skin. Alternatively or additionally, the flap 538 may include an adhesive that adheres to the wipe substrate. The adhesive may be the same adhesive used to secure the flap 538 to the outer packaging of the refill cartridge. In certain embodiments, a mechanical fastening system may be used to secure the flap 538 and/or tab 539 to the container 510. For example, the flap 538 and/or tab 539 may include a portion of a hook and loop type fastening system (e.g., the hooks) and the container 510 may include the complementary portion of the fastening system (e.g., the loops). In another example, the container 510 may include a slot positioned such that the tab 539 can be inserted into the slot to secure the flap 538 over the orifice 535. In other examples, snaps, buttons, magnets, and/or electrostatic fastening systems may be exploited for use herein.
The wipes container 510 is openable and closable (e.g., as shown in
The dimensions and values disclosed herein are not to be understood as being strictly limited to the exact numerical values recited. Instead, unless otherwise specified, each such dimension is intended to mean both the recited value and a functionally equivalent range surrounding that value. For example, a dimension disclosed as “40 mm” is intended to mean “about 40 mm.”
All documents cited in the Detailed Description of the Invention are, in relevant part, incorporated herein by reference; the citation of any document is not to be construed as an admission that it is prior art with respect to the present invention. To the extent that any meaning or definition of a term in this document conflicts with any meaning or definition of the same term in a document incorporated by reference, the meaning or definition assigned to that term in this document shall govern.
While particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is therefore intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of this invention.
