GB2299101A

GB2299101A - A personal hygiene system including menthol

Info

Publication number: GB2299101A
Application number: GB9606078A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Neil Edward Hobday
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1995-03-22
Filing date: 1996-03-22
Publication date: 1996-09-25
Anticipated expiration: 2016-03-22
Also published as: GB2299101B; GB9505762D0; GB9606078D0

Abstract

A personal hygiene product specifically for use on the male penis comprises a moist wipe of a fabric or paper material having a liquid impregnated therein. The liquid comprises a biologically compatible, sterile, unperfumed and alcohol-free base and includes menthol. The liquid may be medicated or non-medicated. A pack (12) containing one or more such moist wipes has sachets each of which comprises three contiguous, hermetically sealed envelopes (14, 15, 16) of metal or plastics foil with the pack and envelopes being provided with a tear strip. Two of the envelopes contain moist wipes and the third contains a condom.

Description

A PERSONAL HYGIENE SYSTEM This invention relates to a personal hygiene system.

Moist wipes are used for various purposes and are provided, for example, for hand cleaning, freshening the hands and face after eating, application of perfume, cleansing and disinfecting after changing a child's napkin, and for feminine hygiene purposes.

However, hitherto there has been no product which has been suitable for use for male personal hygiene.

A man using a conventional WC can make use of toilet paper following passing urine.

However in public conveniences, there is no similar facility available at urinals. Many men experience problems of odour, wetness and soreness following use of public urinals.

These problems may be especially severe in older men in whom the prostate gland is enlarged and the passage of urine is slow.

It may also not be convenient for good standards of hygiene to be observed before and after sexual activity. Such problems are particularly acute for uncircumcised men.

Because of the delicate nature of the body tissues involved, it is inadvisable to use general multi-purpose moist wipes of the type used for hand cleansing for example, because they are frequently alcohol based and contain perfume and other additives which may cause skin reaction. Furthermore, the size and packaging of such products is unsuitable.

The present invention seeks to provide an improved personal hygiene system.

According to the invention there is provided a personal hygiene system comprising a product specifically for use on the male penis, the product comprising: a moist wipe of a fabric or paper material having a liquid impregnated therein; and wherein the liquid comprises a biologically compatible, sterile, unperfumed and alcohol-free base and includes menthol.

The liquid may be non-medicated or alternatively may include anti-bacterial, anti-fungal or other medicated substances.

Viewed from a further aspect, the invention provides a pack containing one or more moist wipes as set out in the preceding paragraphs, the pack comprising a hermetically sealed envelope of metal or plastics foil. The envelope or pack may be provided with a tear strip.

In a further embodiment, a pack may include a plurality of sealed envelopes contiguous with each other, at least one of the envelopes containing a condom. In a preferred embodiment, the package may comprise three envelopes, two of which contain wipes according to the foregoing paragraphs and the third of which contains a condom.

Viewed from a still further aspect, the invention provides a dispenser apparatus comprising a body having a downwardly facing aperture, the body being provided with a means for receiving a dispenser pack comprising a plurality of wipes according to the first aspect of the invention, the wipes being interleaved or detachably connected one to the next, for sequential withdrawal from the dispenser. The dispenser may be provided with a timing device to ensure a time delay between sequential withdrawal of wipes from the dispenser.

The invention is further described hereinafter, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 illustrates a preferred form of wipe embodying the present invention; Figure 2 and Figure 3 illustrate stages in folding the wipe for sale; Figure 4 illustrates a sale pack; Figure 5 is a side elevational view of a fixed dispenser; Figure 6 is a front elevational view of the dispenser of Figure 5; and Figure 7 is a sectional view of a pack for fitment to the dispenser of Figure 6 as viewed on the section line 7-7 of Figure 6.

Referring firstly to Figure 1 of the drawings, a personal hygiene system comprises a wipe 10 of sterile textile gauze or non-woven material. The wipe is rectangular in shape and may have a suitable logo embossed or printed on it at 11.

The material of the wipe 10 will be chosen so as to be compatible with a moistening agent which will be referred to in more detail below. In particular, the material of the wipe must have sufficient wet strength and must be chemically non-reactive with the moistening agent. It must also avoid any allergenic materials.

It is intended that the wipe 10 should be folded twice lengthwise as illustrated in Figure 2 and then transversely as illustrated in Figure 3 so as to be of a compact size, typically the size of a conventional credit or business card. The wipe in this form would be intended for sale in an individual hermetically sealed envelope made of metal or plastics foil and provided with a tear strip.

However a plurality of envelopes may be provided side by side and two wipes may be packaged with a condom, for example as illustrated in a sale pack shown in Figure 4. The sale pack comprises a box 12, typically the size of a cigarette carton, within which are provided a plurality 13 of sachets, each of which comprises three contiguously arranged envelopes 14,15,16, integrally secured together. The outer envelopes 14 and 16 each contain a wipe 10 and the central envelope 15 contains a condom.

Figures 5 and 6 show a bulk dispenser of wipes, suitable for fitment close to the urinal of a gentlemen's toilet. The dispenser comprises a body 17 having a securely fitted top 18 through which it can be loaded with wipes which are disposed in a package 19 illustrated in a sectional view in Figure 7. The lower end of the dispenser is provided with a slot generally indicated at 20 through which a wipe 10 can be withdrawn. A timer mechanism is provided, shown in chain-dotted outline at 21. The timer is arranged to prevent withdrawal of more than one wipe at a time from the dispenser 17.

Each of the wipes 10 within the dispenser 17 is folded as shown in Figure 3. However the wipes are interleaved as diagrammatically illustrated in the section view at Figure 7 through a pack of wipes. The pack 22 is provided in sealed form and has a pierceable opening at 23 at the base which coincides with the opening 20 of the dispenser. The pack 22 is fed in by removal of the lid 18 and is dropped into the dispenser, the lowermost wipe 10 being revealed and being interlinked with the timing device 21.

The dispenser 17 may again have a suitable logo 24 displayed on the front.

Each wipe is provided with a moistening agent which may comprise a base liquid which is sterile and biologically compatible. It is preferred that the base liquid is alcohol-free.

It is also desirably unperfumed and free from as many additives as possible to ensure minimum skin sensitivity.

The male hygiene and cleansing system requires a formulation of moistening agent which cleanses, moistens and deodorises. It must also be compatible with the material of the wipe so as to wet the latter without causing chemical reaction or physical deterioration of the wipe. It must also be compatible with use on the skin. Additionally, particularly where the wipe is packaged with a condom, it is essential that the base liquid of the wipe moistening agent should not cause deterioration of the latex rubber of other material of the condom.

The base liquid must be sterile and may include suitable medication such as anti-fungal or anti-bacterial agents which are also biologically compatible, for example the anti-fungal agent Clotrimazole. The liquid should preferably include menthol as providing freshness, a mild astringent effect and a suitably masculine fragrance.

Claims

1. A personal hygiene system comprising a product specifically for use on the male penis, the product comprising: a moist wipe of a material having a liquid impregnated therein; and wherein the liquid comprises a biologically compatible, sterile, unperfumed and alcohol-free base and includes menthol.

2. A personal hygiene system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the material is a fabric or paper material.

3. A personal hygiene system as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the liquid is nonmedicated.

4. A personal hygiene system as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the liquid includes a medicated substance.

5. A personal hygiene system as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the liquid includes an anti-bacterial substance.

6. A personal hygiene system as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the liquid includes an anti-fungal substance.

7. A personal hygiene system comprising a pack containing one or more moist wipes as claimed in any of the preceding claims, the pack comprising at least one hermetically sealed envelope of metal or plastics foil.

8. A personal hygiene system as claimed in claim 7 wherein the pack is provided with a tear strip.

9. A personal hygiene system as claimed in claim 7 or 8 wherein the envelope is provided with a tear strip.

10. A personal hygiene system as claimed in claim 7, 8 or 9 wherein the pack includes a plurality of sealed contiguous envelopes, at least one of the envelopes containing a condom.

11. A personal hygiene system as claimed in claim 10 wherein the pack comprises three envelopes, two of which contain moist wipes as claimed in any of claims 1 to 6 and the third of which contains a condom.

12. A dispenser apparatus comprising a body having a downwardly facing aperture, the body being provided with a means for receiving a dispenser pack comprising a plurality of moist wipes as claimed in any of claims 1 to 6, the wipes being interleaved or detachably connected one to the next, for sequential withdrawal from the dispenser.

13. A dispenser apparatus as claimed in claim 12 provided with a timing device to ensure a time delay between sequential withdrawal of wipes from the dispenser.