EP1174069A2

EP1174069A2 - Device for holding and applying fluid products

Info

Publication number: EP1174069A2
Application number: EP01117583A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Paolo Bartolucci
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2000-07-21
Filing date: 2001-07-20
Publication date: 2002-01-23
Also published as: ITBO20000451A1; ITBO20000451A0; EP1174069A3

Abstract

A device for holding and applying fluid products includes a watertight and openable container (1), a synthetic or natural sponge (2), and a fluid (3) fit for filling at least partially the empty cavities of the sponge (2) and the container (1), fit for holding said sponge (2) and said fluid (3).

The container (1) consists of a sealed envelope (4) made of flexible waterproof material, while the fluid (3) consists of a detergent or other products for the body care or body protection.

Description

The present invention relates to devices for holding and applying fluid products.
Particularly the invention refers to a device for holding and applying fluid products mainly fit for human body applications.
There are known devices consisting in sealed impermeable -envelopes holding liquid detergents for the personal hygiene, for instance liquid soaps, shampoo, and similar. These devices, typically of single-dose-type, are used for instance in the hotels.
The main drawback of these known devices consists in the difficulty of dosing the detergent: in fact the users, after opening the envelope, must draw sequentially several detergent doses for washing the different body portions or for making more washings. The operation is hard because of the envelope shape which, once opened, can be difficulty positioned in such a way to avoid the residual product leakage, furthermore the dosing depends on the tear dimensions which are difficult to be calibrated mostly when the envelope opening is made with wet hands.
Further drawback of the known devices consists in the difficulty to apply the fluid product to the body especially with wet hands, since the product naturally falls by dripping or is washed away.
There are known impermeable envelopes and watertight containers that can be closed again and contain one or more napkins, generally in nonwoven fabric, soaked with liquid products for instance for the hygiene without water, repellent for insects, refreshing, disinfectants and similar.
The main drawback of these known devices consists in the small amount of held liquid: in fact, especially in case of high environmental temperature, the time needed to unfold the napkin is sufficient to let evaporating a considerable part or the whole liquid amount. The imperfect seal of the containers for several napkins allows, sometimes, these latter become dry in quite short times, so that when needed the user has dry napkins.
The main object of the present invention is to propose a device for holding and applying fluid products to the body, fit for containing suitable volumes of these products.
A further object is to propose a device including means for applying fluid products to skin and/or hair. Further object is to propose a device suitable for making single-dose products and reusable products.
Another object of the present invention is to propose a device having a comfortable, easy and safe use, with an easy and inexpensive production.
The objects above-mentioned are achieved according to the content of the claims.
The characteristics of the invention are underlined in the following with particular reference to attached drawing, in which:

figure 1 shows an axonometric view of the preferred embodiment of the device object of the invention in an opening condition;
figure 2 shows an axonometric view of an element of the figure 1 device in a usable condition;
figure 3 shows a front view of a variant of the figure 1 device in a sealed condition;
figure 4 shows an axonometric partial section view of the main elements of a second embodiment of the figure 1 device;
figure 5 shows a section view of a variant of connected elements of figure 4 device;
figure 6 shows an axonometric view of an element profile of the figure 2 device.

With reference to figures from 1 to 3, numeral 1 indicates a container, numeral 2 a sponge and numeral 3 a fluid product for instance liquid detergent, a solution for the body hygiene, a disinfectant liquid, a solar oil or other cosmetics or a repellent liquid against the insects or other. It is provided that the fluid can be also a product fit for the animal care or the object maintenance.
The preferred embodiment provides that the container 1 is constituted by an envelope 4 substantially rectangular, made of flexible and waterproof material, for instance film sheets of the so-called "joined" type, inside which the sponge 2 and the fluid 3, soaking the sponge 2, are sealed.
It is provided that the envelope 4 can be made by a tubular, for instance carried out by welding the longitudinal edges of a band refolded into tubular shape, cut in portions of suitable length and closed by welding each end 5. To make easier the opening of the envelope 4 there is at least an opening mean 6, for instance a notch positioned in a welding area.
It is provided that the sponge 2, made of material fit for absorbing fluid, because the relaxation following a compression and/or the capillarity, and fit for releasing the fluid soaked thereto because of a compression, is carried out in synthetic material, such as for instance flexible solid foam with open cells or hydrophile fibers, or in natural materials such as, for instance, natural sponge, cotton fabric sponge and the like.
In production phase, the sponge 2, impregnated with the fluid 3, is sealed in the envelope 4 in which it can be positioned a further amount of fluid 3, by providing the absorption by the sponge 2, in consequence of the relaxation and the expansion of this latter, when removed from the envelope 4.
Preferably the amount of fluid 3 in the envelope 4 corresponds to a single use dose.
On using, the user tears off the envelope 4 in correspondence of the opening mean 6, removes the sponge 2 and uses it for applying the fluid 3.
In the exemplifying case in which the device of the present invention is made for the personal hygiene and the fluid 3 is a bath foam, the user opens the envelope 4, removes the sponge 2, and for instance leans this latter on a soap holder and uses several times the bubblebath, during bath or shower, exploiting the progressive release of the bubblebath from the sponge 2. After use the sponge can be disposed.
The second device embodiment, shown in figure 4, provides that the container 1 consists of a vessel 7, for instance made of semi-rigid plastic, having an opening 9 removably associated to a watertight cap 8. For single-dose devices the cap 8 can be a simple detachable closing film of the type used in the food packaging. Alternatively and particularly if the device is fit to be used again, the cap 8 is provided closable for instance of screw or joint type. The cap 8 of closable type allows preserving in the container 7 besides the sponge 2, a reserve of fluid 3 that allows the repeated use of the device.
The opening 9 of the vessel 7 has a truncated conical portion 12 whose smallest base 13 is fixed to the vessel 7 and has an area slightly smaller than the areas of the transversal sections of the sponge 2. The extraction of the sponge 2 cause a light compression of this latter in the portion of the opening 9 corresponding to the smallest base 13 in such a way to eliminate the excess of fluid 3 from the sponge 2. The shape of the truncated conical portion 12 of the opening 9 makes easier inserting the sponge into the vessel 7.
The sponge 2, when it is positioned inside the container 7, partially fill the opening 9 in such a way to guarantee an easy grip and removal of said sponge 2. Obviously the opening 9 can be without the truncated conical portion 12.
A variant of the second embodiment, shown in figure 5, provides fixing an end of the sponge 2 to the inner side of the cap 8. This solution facilitates the removal of the sponge 2 from the container 7 and allows also a comfortable "tampon application", particularly useful in some cases, for instance when the fluid 2 is a skin disinfectant.
Independently of the device embodiment, the sponge 2 may assume different shapes: particularly it may have substantially a parallelepipedal or cylindrical shape or a shape reproducing the profile of figurative graphical elements, such as for instance the bell of figure 6.
The main advantage of the present invention is to provide a single-dose or reusable device for ready availability and application of sufficient amount for one or more uses.
A further advantage is to provide a device, including means for applying fluid products to the skin and/or the hair, comfortable, safe, effective and inexpensive.

Claims

Device for holding and applying fluid products characterized in that includes:
- a watertight and openable container (1);

- a sponge (2);

- a fluid (3) fit for soaking the sponge (2) and filling at least partially the container (1) in which said sponge (2) and said fluid (3) are contained.
Device according to claim 1 characterized in that the container (1) consists of a sealed envelope (4) made of flexible waterproof material.
Device according to claim 2 characterized in that the envelope (4) is carried out by a closed tubular by welding each end (5).
Device according to claim 2 characterized in that the peripheral portion of the envelope (4) has at least an opening mean (6).
Device according to claim 1 characterized in that the container (1) consists of a vessel (7) having an opening (9) having a watertight cap (8) removably coupled thereto.
Device according to claim 5 characterized in that the cap (8) is of watertight closable type.
Device according to claim 1 characterized in that the sponge (2) has substantially a shape parallelepipedal or cylindrical or reproducing the profile of figurative graphic elements.
Device according to claim 5 characterized in that the sponge (2) is fixed to the portion of the cap (8) faced inwardly the vessel (7).
Device according to claim 5 or claim 8 characterized in that the opening (9) has a truncated conical portion (12) whose smallest base (13) is fixed to the vessel (7) and has an area slightly smaller than the areas of the transversal sections of the sponge (2), partially filling the opening (9) in correspondence of a containment condition of said sponge (2) into the vessel (7); the smallest base being fit for removing from the sponge (2) the excess of fluid (3) soaked therein and the truncated conical portion (12) fit for making easier the introduction of the sponge (2) into the vessel (7).
Device according to any of the preceding claims characterized in that the fluid (3) consists of a detergent or medicine, or repellent against the insects, or cosmetic product and that the sponge (2) and the container (1) are made of materials resistant to said kinds of fluid.