ES1287349U - Packaging unit of sanitary items (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding) - Google Patents

Abstract

Packaging unit of at least one sanitary item (12) comprising a suitable envelope (14) to contain said sanitary article (12), where the envelope (14) comprises at least one sheet of paper material (16) that It has an internal surface (18) and an outer surface (20), where at least one perimeter portion of the internal surface (18) of said sheet of paper material (16) is attached to another perimeter portion of the same sheet of material Paper (16) or another sheet of paper material (16) by means of a first adhesive material (24), wherein said first adhesive material (24) is biodegradable. (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding)

Description

DESCRIPTION

Sanitary Ware Packaging Unit

field of invention

The present invention generally relates to the packaging of sanitary articles, in particular to flat articles, which have a thickness less than the other measurements, as well as folded articles whose resulting thickness is less than the other overall measurements of the folded article.

The invention, in particular, has been developed with a view to packaging absorbent sanitary articles such as, for example: feminine pads, pantyliners, light inco, panty liners, or the like.

In the following description, reference will be made to this specific sector of use, although without losing its generality.

The invention can also be used for the packaging of dressings (such as wound dressings, medicated dressings, pain patches, thermal patches with and without medication) and facial protection masks, all of them included in the definition of medical articles.

Description of the prior art

Sanitary articles with a thin shape, for example, feminine pads, are often individually packaged in their respective wrappers called sachets or bags.

The individual packaging of the sanitary articles can be carried out by placing the sanitary articles individually between two mutually superposed flexible sheets which sandwich-enclose a respective sanitary article and are joined to each other at their edges by means of an adhesive.

Solutions are also known in which each sanitary article is inside an envelope made up of a single sheet of flexible material folded in such a way as to form two or more flaps joined together at their edges by adhesive.

The packages may be formed from sheets of plastic material, eg polyethylene, or of paper material.

Manufacturers and users of packaging materials are increasingly using paper material to replace plastic material to reduce environmental impact.

However, in the sanitary ware packaging sector, the benefits from the point of view of environmental sustainability, derived from the use of paper material instead of sheets of plastic material, are partially undermined by the fact that the packages Paper bags are closed using adhesives of synthetic origin that compromise the biodegradability of the areas where the adhesive is applied.

Objective and summary of the invention

The present invention aims to provide a packaging unit for sanitary articles that has improved environmental sustainability with respect to known solutions.

According to the present invention, this objective is achieved with a packaging unit for sanitary articles that has the characteristics that constitute the object of claim 1.

The present invention relates to a packaging unit for at least one sanitary article that comprises a wrapper suitable for containing said sanitary article, where the wrapper comprises at least one sheet of paper material with an internal surface and an external surface, where at least one perimeter portion of the inner surface of said sheet of paper material is bonded to another perimeter portion of the same sheet of paper material or to another sheet of paper material by means of a first adhesive material, wherein said first adhesive material is biodegradable .

The first adhesive material may be compostable as well as biodegradable.

The paper material can also be biodegradable and can be compostable in addition to biodegradable. These aspects make the wrapper more environmentally friendly and easily disposable.

In the following description and in the claims, "sanitary articles" means: feminine pads, pantyliners, light inco, panty liners, dressings, facial protection masks and similar flat sanitary articles.

Sanitary ware wrappers once opened are thrown in the trash and remain there for a long time in the presence of degradable waste. The waste, when degraded, favors the proliferation of bacteria and other organisms. This process can often generate liquids and gases that remain in the environment in which said waste is found.

The liquids formed by the decomposition of the residues are easily absorbed by the paper material that forms the envelope of the packaging units according to the present invention. The absorption of liquids is more pronounced near the edges where the biodegradable adhesive material is applied. In this context, the wet perimeter zone favors the biodegradation of the adhesive material since wet paper is an optimal support for the proliferation of bacteria. This makes it possible to initiate and accelerate the biodegradation of the biodegradable adhesive material in a more effective way compared to the case in which the biodegradable adhesive material is used in wrappers made of plastic material which -unlike paper- does not absorb liquids. Therefore, a synergy effect is produced by combining the paper material with the biodegradable glue that allows to significantly improve the sustainability of the packaging unit that is easier to dispose of than typical plastic bags.

The most suitable paper materials for use in the production of packaging units according to the invention are those with a high wettability index (measured with a wicking test), which also favor the adhesion of the biodegradable glue). Potentially usable paper materials may have weights greater than 30 g/m2.

In a possible embodiment, a perimeter portion of the inner surface of the sheet of paper material is bonded to the outer surface of the same sheet of paper material by means of said first adhesive material. This embodiment can be used in those cases where the wrapper is folded in three parts and closed by an adhesive instead of a tab. The advantage of this embodiment is that the use of of tabs or other closure elements to close the wrappers.

In a possible embodiment, at least one release element is incorporated or applied in a central portion of the inner surface of the sheet of paper material, where said release element is configured to transfer to said sanitary article a second adhesive material suitable for removably attaching said sanitary article to a garment. Normally the release element can be silicone paper or a silicone layer. The release element is only placed in the center so it does not affect the decomposition process of the biodegradable glue at the edges of the wrapper. In addition, by locating the release element in the central area of the sheet of paper material, the need to silicone the entire surface of the sheet of paper material is avoided with the obvious advantage of reducing costs and making the sheet easier to process. to delete.

In some possible embodiments the release element may be biodegradable.

In a possible embodiment the second adhesive material can also be biodegradable.

The second adhesive material is normally a perennial glue, ie it retains its adhesive properties over time and can stick the absorbent article to clothing in a removable manner. The fact that this second adhesive material is also biodegradable favors its complete removal from clothing after use of the compress.

In a possible embodiment, the central portion of said internal surface is siliconed and the perimeter portion of the internal surface on which the first adhesive material is applied, at least in part, is not siliconed.

This embodiment refers to the use of silicone paper with non-silicone edges on which the biodegradable adhesive material is applied, so that the advantage of the biodegradable edges remains valid. By non-silicone zone, at least in part, we mean a zone in which the silicone coating has not been carried out, or alternatively, starting from a sheet with a silicone coated internal surface, an area where the silicone coating has been deactivated, for example mechanically (with elements such as blades or scraper teeth), or chemically (with agents that increase paper wettability).

In a possible embodiment, the first adhesive material is placed in the portion perimeter according to a pattern of discrete points. This reduces the amount of biodegradable adhesive material used, guaranteeing in any case the necessary hold and also favors the synergistic effect because the wet paper material surrounds the dots and therefore, in global terms, the total surface of the adhesive material affected by the wet paper is higher. In the case of continuously arranged adhesive material, the central region of the strip of adhesive material is not surrounded by moist paper as in the case of dot application.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings, offered solely by way of non-limiting example, where:

Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating a first embodiment of a packaging unit according to the present invention in an open configuration,

Figure 2 is a perspective view illustrating a second embodiment of a packaging unit according to the present invention in an open configuration,

- figure 3 is a perspective view illustrating the packaging unit of figure 2 in closed configuration,

- figures 4 and 5 are perspective views illustrating two variants of the packaging unit of figure 2 in open configuration, and

Figure 6 illustrates a further embodiment of a packaging unit according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

With reference to figures 1-6, reference number 10 indicates a packaging unit according to the present invention. The packaging unit 10 comprises an envelope 14 which serves to contain a sanitary article 12. The envelope 14 comprises at least one sheet 16 of paper material.

In the examples illustrated in the figures, the article 12 is a feminine pad, although it is understood that the present invention can be used for the packaging of any sanitary article with a thin shape, such as pantyliner, light inco, panty liner, dressings, masks face protection, etc.

Referring to Figures 1-5, the wrapper 14 may be formed from a single sheet 16 of paper material having an inner surface 18 and an outer surface 20. The sanitary article 12 is applied to the inner face 18 of the sheet. 16. The sheet 16 and the sanitary article 12 are folded along one or more fold lines 22 to form an envelope 14 containing the sanitary article 12 therein.

With reference to figures 1, 2, 4, 5, at least a perimeter portion of the inner surface 18 of the sheet of paper material 16 is joined to another portion of the same sheet of paper material 16 by means of a first adhesive material. .

The first adhesive material 24 is applied along perimeter portions of the inner surface 18 of the sheet 16 located on the outside of the sanitary article 12. The first adhesive material 24 may be applied to the inner surface 18 of the sheet 16 forming a discrete dot pattern. The discrete dot pattern may be in the form of rectilinear strips as illustrated in the figures. Alternatively, the first adhesive material 24 may be applied in continuous strips.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 1, the sheet 16 and the sanitary article 12 are folded along a single fold line 22. The sheet of paper material 16 folded along the fold line 22 forms two flaps 16a, 16b. In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 1, the first adhesive material 24 can be applied along three rectilinear strips that extend along a transverse edge and along two lateral edges of one of the two flaps 16a, 16b in which the sheet of paper material 16 is divided. Once the sheet 16 is folded along the transverse fold line 22, the adhesive material 24 applied on the inner face of the flap 16a adheres to the inner face 18 of flap 16b and encloses the sanitary article 12 between the two flaps 16a, 16b joined together along their respective edges.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figures 2-5, the sheet of paper material 16 and the sanitary article 12 are folded about two fold lines 22 parallel to each other. In this case, the sheet of paper material 16 folded along the fold lines 22 forms two outer flaps 16c, 16e and a central flap 16d. The first adhesive material 24 can be applied to the inner faces 18 of the two outer flaps 16c, 16e. In particular, on one of the two external flaps 16c, the adhesive material 24 can be applied along three rectilinear strips, parallel - respectively - to the transverse edge and to the two lateral edges of the external flap 16c. On the other outer flap 16e the adhesive material 24 can be applied along two rectilinear strips parallel to the two lateral edges of the second external flap 16e. The second outer flap is folded around the fold line 22 so that the two strips of adhesive material 24 contact the inner surface of the central flap 16d. Next, the first outer flap 16c is folded so that the adhesive material 24 contacts the outer surface 20 of the second outer flap 16e. This geometry allows the wrapper to be closed without the use of tabs or other additional closure elements.

The paper material that makes up sheet 16 may be a biodegradable kraft paper. The paper material that forms sheet 16 may be compostable as well as biodegradable. The paper material that forms the sheet 16 may have a grammage of less than 80 g/m2. The paper material that forms the sheet 16 can have a grammage between 30 and 80 g/m2. The paper material 16 may have a wettability index measured according to the vertical wicking test. Through this test, it is possible to classify the paper materials that have a greater wettability and/or absorption capacity with respect to the plastic materials normally used in the sector. Paper materials that have greater absorption and/or wettability properties with respect to plastic materials turn out to be more appropriate for the application of the present invention. On the other hand, depending on the measurements of the packaging unit and the sanitary article that it must contain, there is the possibility of selecting the paper material that presents a good compromise between the wettability and/or absorption properties and the structural properties of the material itself. of paper that must not be too fragile so that it does not break during use and/or transport.

In accordance with the present invention, the first adhesive material 24 is biodegradable. In one embodiment, the first adhesive material 24 may be compostable as well as biodegradable. The first adhesive material 24 may be a biodegradable hot-melt adhesive. Hot-melt adhesives, also known as hot-melt adhesives, are polymeric adhesives that are initially in a solid state and soften by heating and are deposited on the surface to be glued. Hot-melt adhesives can be obtained based on PHA (Polyhydroxyalkanoate), a biodegradable and compostable polymer that is obtained from bacterial fermentation from sugars and lipids. By controlling the polymerization, this material can be obtained in such a mixture that it can be used as a hot melt adhesive. By virtue of its composition, this material is biodegradable according to ASTM D6400 and EN13432 standards, and compostable. The softening temperature may be 110°, while the actual heating temperature of the adhesive may be in the range of 115°-135°.

Biodegradable adhesive materials based on natural rubber (rubber), pine resin and similar vegetable resins, plasticizers based on vegetable or animal oils can also be obtained. Biodegradable adhesive materials can also be obtained from alkyd resins, widely used in the paint industry, or fish glue or, more generally, from animal or vegetable glues.

Referring to Figures 4 and 5, the wrapper 14 may comprise a release element 26 which may be incorporated or applied to a central portion of the inner surface 18 of the sheet of paper material 16. The release element 26 may be formed of a strip of silicone paper, as illustrated in the embodiment of Figure 4. The release element 26 may also be formed of a layer of silicone incorporated or applied to the inner surface 18 of the sheet 16, as in the embodiment illustrated in Figure 5.

A second adhesive material 28 is applied to the release element 26. The second adhesive material 28 may be a perennial glue suitable for removably adhering the sanitary article 12 to a garment. Release element 26 is configured to transfer second adhesive material 28 to sanitary article 12.

Release element 26 may be attached to inner surface 18 of sheet 16 by additional adhesive material. Advantageously, this latter adhesive may be configured as the first adhesive material 24.

In some possible embodiments the release element 26 may be biodegradable.

In a possible embodiment, the second adhesive material can also be biodegradable.

Referring to Figure 5, the inner surface 18 of the sheet of paper material 16 may be siliconed to form the release element 26. The perimeter portion of the inner surface 18 on which the first adhesive material 24 is applied, at less in part, it is not siliconed. The silicone layer may be applied only to a central part of the sheet 16 leaving the perimeter portions non-silicone or else the inner surface of the sheet of paper material 16 may be entirely siliconed and the silicone layer may be removed. of the perimeter portions with mechanical procedures (knives or scraper teeth) or chemical procedures (with agents that increase the wettability of the paper).

In one possible embodiment, the sheet of biodegradable paper material 16 may be formed from a continuous tape of indefinite length from a roll or reel. The continuous tape can be provided with discrete silicone-coated areas spaced apart longitudinally. The first and second adhesive materials can be applied to the continuous tape while it is advancing in a machine direction. Therefore, the sanitary articles 12 can be applied to defined areas of the web. The sanitary articles 12 can be inserted into the web with a defined phase relationship, such that the sanitary articles 12 are disposed in the interior areas of the continuous web without interfering with the areas where the first adhesive material has been applied and the second 24, 28. The continuous tape 16 can have discrete silicone areas arranged in phase with the application areas of the adhesive materials 24, 28 and of the sanitary articles 12. According to some embodiments, it is possible to make discrete silicone areas separated from each other. These silicone-coated areas are arranged in phase with the sanitary articles 12 that are deposited on them. The continuous tape may be cross-cut to form discrete individual sheets 16 before or after application of the sanitary articles 12.

Referring to Figure 6, in one embodiment the wrapper 14 may comprise two sheets of paper material 16 having respective inner surfaces 18 bonded together by a first biodegradable adhesive material 24 applied to perimeter portions of the inner surface 18 of the envelope. one of said sheets 16 and adhering to corresponding perimeter portions of the inner surface 18 of the other sheet 16. The two sheets 16 enclose between them a respective sanitary article 12 in the form of a sandwich. In this case, a release element 26 can also be provided, which transfers a second adhesive material 28 to the sanitary article 12.

Naturally, without prejudice to the principle of the invention, the forms of implementation and the details of embodiment may vary widely with respect to what has been described and illustrated, without thereby exceeding the scope of the invention as defined in the attached claims. .

Claims (10)

1. Packaging unit for at least one sanitary article (12) comprising an envelope (14) suitable for containing said sanitary article (12), where the envelope (14) comprises at least one sheet of paper material (16) that has an internal surface (18) and an external surface (20), where at least a perimeter portion of the internal surface (18) of said sheet of paper material (16) is joined to another perimeter portion of the same sheet of material of paper (16) or another sheet of paper material (16) by means of a first adhesive material (24), said first adhesive material (24) being biodegradable. 2. The packaging unit of claim 1, wherein said at least a perimeter portion of the inner surface (18) of said sheet of paper material (16) is joined to the outer surface (20) of the same sheet of material of paper (16) by means of said first adhesive material (24). 3. The packaging unit of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein a release element (26) is incorporated or applied in a central portion of said inner surface (18) of said sheet of paper material (16), wherein said release element (26) is configured to transfer to said sanitary article (12) a second adhesive material (28) suitable for removably sticking said sanitary article (12) to a garment. 4. The packaging unit of claim 3, wherein said release element (26) is biodegradable. 5. The packaging unit of claim 3 or claim 4, wherein said second adhesive material (28) is biodegradable. 6. The packaging unit of any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein said central portion of said internal surface (18) is siliconed and said perimeter portion of said internal surface (18) on which said primer is applied adhesive material (24), at least in part, is not siliconed. 7. The packaging unit of any one of the preceding claims, wherein said first adhesive material (24) is compostable. 8. The packaging unit of any one of the preceding claims, wherein said paper material is biodegradable. 9. The packaging unit of any one of the preceding claims, wherein said paper material is compostable. The packaging unit of any one of the preceding claims, wherein said first adhesive material (24) is disposed on said perimeter portion in a pattern of discrete dots.