GB2425765A

GB2425765A - Multi-compartment scent sachet

Info

Publication number: GB2425765A
Application number: GB0509168A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Matthew Thomas Parkinson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2005-05-05
Filing date: 2005-05-05
Publication date: 2006-11-08
Anticipated expiration: 2025-05-05
Also published as: GB0509168D0; GB2425765B

Abstract

A sachet (10) of impermeable flexible material is divided into a plurality of separate, sealed compartments (12), preferably in a row, containing a scented substance, eg, powder, liquid or gel. The sachet (10) has a line of weakness (22) extending across the compartments (12), preferably along a common mid-line, along which it can be folded and ruptured, eg by assistance of a pull thread (24), to release scent. The line of weakness (22) can be positioned along a closure flap fold of an envelope, to which the sachet (10) is adhered, so that the sachet is ruptured when the envelope is slit open along this fold. The line of weakness (22) may be provided by a series of cut away apertures (20) between the adjacent compartments (12) and/or by the compartments (12) having a waisted shape with aligned narrow central regions (18). The sachet can be associated with a greetings card or a gift box, to be ruptured when that item is opened.

Description

P109869GB

SCENT SACHET

This invention concerns a sachet containing, or suitable for containing, a scented substance in liquid, powder or gel form. It is particularly, but not exclusively, intended for attachment to the inside of envelopes, of the type used for greeting cards and documents, or to the outside of greeting cards or of containers, of the type which may be used to present a gift.

Scented envelopes and greeting cards are well known. In the past these had a fragrant substance impregnated into the fabric of the paper or card, which rapidly dissipated.

More recently, fragrant substances have been encapsulated in frangible microcapsules which have been applied to envelopes by adhesive, for example as described in US4,720,423 and US4817,860, so that fragrance is released when the adhesive bond is broken. Rupturing of fragrancecontaining microcapsules by abrasion is also employed in so-called "scratch and sniff' products.

Small, sealed, flexible bags of impermeable material, which may be termed sachets, are well known for containing small, usually single-use quantities of hair care products (shampoos and conditioners) and other cosmetics (e.g. face creams). These are sometimes used for promotional purposes, in which case they may be individually adhered to promotional literature.

An object of the invention is to provide a reliable, alternative manner of releasing a fragrance upon opening a conventional correspondence envelope, i.e. an envelope of the type for containing a card or letter.

Another object of the invention is to provide, more generally, a reliable manner of releasing a fragrance from a greeting card or gift container or the like.

According to a first broadest aspect, the invention provides a sachet comprising a sealed flexible bag of impermeable material which is divided into a plurality of separate compartments and has a line of weakness extending across each of the compartments along which the compartments will tend to rupture upon application of local force thereto.

Thus, when applied to an envelope of conventional type having a closure flap delimited by a fold line, such a sachet, in accordance with the invention, may be adhered to the P109869GB inside of the envelope and its closure flap such that the line of weakness extends substantially along said fold line. Later, upon slitting or tearing open the envelope in customary manner, along its foresaid fold line, the sachet will also be ruptured along its line of weakness to release the fragrance. In this respect a pull thread may be included extending substantially along and beyond said fold line to facilitate rupture of the sachet along its line of weakness.

However, a sachet according to the invention may be employed in a different manner in conjunction with a container or folded card having a line of weakness and a pull thread whereby it may be opened along said line of weakness. A sachet according to the invention may be adhered to such a container or folded card such that the line of weakness of the sachet substantially overlies the line of weakness of the container or folded card so that the pull thread serves additionally to rupture the sachet upon opening of the container or card.

The line of weakness of the sachet, which typically extends across all of the compartments of the segmented structure of the sachet, may be provided in various different ways.

In some embodiments the line of weakness is provided by respective holes punched through the sachet material, and effectively cut away, between adjacent compartments.

In other embodiments the line of weakness is provided by the respective compartments each having larger end regions and a narrow central region therebetween, the line extending through the central regions, which are aligned.

In preferred embodiments both the above features are provided to define the line of weakness.

Instead of or in addition to either or both of the above features, the material of the sachet may be weakened along a line which extends across each of the compartments. This may conveniently be along a mid-line and/or an axis of symmetry of the sachet. Such weakening could be accomplished in a preliminary manufacturing step, before the compartments are filled, eg by heat treatment or stretching of the material along the line.

P109869GB The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. I is a plan view of a preferred practical embodiment of the sachet of the invention; Fig. 2i s a fragmentary perspective view, to an enlarged scale, showing how the sachet of Fig. I can be folded and ruptured; Fig. 3 is a small scale schematic plan view of an envelope according to the invention; Fig. 4 is a similar view of a greeting card according to the invention; Fig. 5 is a small scale schematic perspective view of a container according to the invention; and Figs. 6 to 10 are fragmentary plan views of further embodiments of a sachet in accordance with the present invention.

With reference to Figs. 1 and 2 a preferred embodiment 10 of the sachet of the invention comprises a bag of flexible, impermeable material, such as laminated plastics. The bag consists of overlying sheets of the selected impermeable material, sealed to each other around the periphery, eg by known heat-sealing techniques, and also sealed to each other at equidistant intervals to form a plurality of separate compartments 12. In Fig. 1, a row of six identical compartments 12 are shown. Each of the compartments is of hourglass shape, having wider end regions 14 and a narrower central region 16 therebetween where the end regions 14 taper to a waist 18. A respective aperture 20 in the material of the sachet is cut away between each adjacent central region 16.

The compartments 12 of the sachet each contain a scented powder, or liquid or gel.

The segmented nature of the sachet means that if one compartment is inadvertently ruptured prematurely only a small portion of the scented substance is lost.

The apertures 10, alternating with the narrower regions 16 of the compartments, extend in alignment along a central band of the segmented sachet 10 to create a line of weakness 22. When the sachet is folded over along this mid-line, as shown in Fig. 2, the line of weakness 22 is even more pronounced.

P109869GB As shown, a pull thread 24, of any suitable tough twine, yarn or plastics material is preferably provided along the central line of weakness 22 to facilitate rupture of each compartment 12 along this line.

The segmented sachet 10 may be produced using standard production techniques for end to end bag production with sequential heat sealing and hole punching and with contents being inserted into the respective compartments, eg by nozzles, before a final edge seal is effected. Alternatively, in the case of a powder or a sufficiently viscous gel, a dusting or respectively a portion of same, may be applied to a first sheet before a second sheet is laid thereover to provide the other walls of the bags.

The sachet 10 shown in Figs I and 2 may be attached to a conventional envelope 30 for correspondence or a greeting card, as shown in Fig. 3. The envelope 30 has a closure flap 32 delimited by a fold line 34. The closure flap 32 is then sealed in the normal way, thus folding the sachet 10 over along its line of weakness 22. If the envelope is subsequently slit open along its fold line 34, which is a very common way of opening envelopes, the sachet will be ruptured and the fragrance of its contents released. As an additional feature, as indicated in Fig. 3, the pull thread 24 may be applied along the fold line 34 after the sachet 10 is adhered there, with ends protruding sufficiently to be gripped so as to be used as an alternative way of tearing along the fold line to open the envelope and simultaneously be pulled through the sachet to effect rupture of the sachet 10.

Figs. 4 and 5 show how the same sachet 10 and pull thread 24 may alternatively be attached to the exterior of a greeting card 40 or of a gift box 50.

In the former the sachet 10 is again folded over along its line of weakness 22 and adhered to the card 40, half at the front and half at the rear to close a side of the card where its front and rear leaves are later to be opened.

Thus, the line of weakness 22 overlies the open edge of the card 40 with half of the sachet 10 adhered along the edge margin of the exterior of each leaf. In use, the sachet is ruptured along the line of weakness 22, by means of a pull thread or otherwise, to open the card 40 and at the same time release the fragrance of the sachet contents.

P109869GB The box 50 shown in Fig. 5 is very similar, the sachet 10 in this case being adhered over a join between two parts of the box 50 so that the line of weakness 22 overlies the join.

Preferably this is ruptured by a pull thread, shown at 24, to open the box 50 and simultaneously release fragrance.

The foregoing is illustrative not limitative of the scope of the invention and many variations in detail are possible. Some possible variations are shown in Figs. 6 to 9.

In Figs. 6 and 7 the compartments 62 of the segmented sachet 60 do not have narrow or waisted central regions. They are formed as simple rectangular enclosures, but there are relatively broad sealed regions 64 between each compartment 62, where top and bottom sheets of sachet material are bonded, and apertures 66 are cut out centrally from these sealed regions 64. In Fig. 6 the apertures 66 are substantially square, whereas in Fig. 7 they are diamond-shaped. These apertures 66 provide the line of weakness 68, along which the sachet 60 in either Figure may be folded and ruptured. However, there may also be an actual weakness in the sachet material, along this line 68, and as previously a pull thread may be applied along this line 68, in association with either sachet 60, to facilitate its rupture.

Fig. 8 shows another version of sachet 70 where the compartments 72 are again of hourglass shape alternating with sealed regions 76 of diamond shape. A line of weakness 74, preferably formed in the sachet material itself, passes through the waisted mid-lines of the compartments 72, but there are no apertures. A V-shaped nick 78 at the end may facilitate rupture along the line of weakness 74.

Fig. 9 shows yet another version of sachet 80 very similar to Fig. 8, but where the compartments 82 are of I-shape with a stepped narrower central region or waist 86 to each, instead of a taper to a mid point. The compartments 82 alternate with sealed regions 84 of converse shape, ie, a stepped broad central region and narrow end regions, where the top and bottom sheets of sachet material are bonded to each other.

Again there are no apertures, but a line of weakness 88, which may be formed in the material of the sachet 80 itself, extends along a central longitudinal axis through the waisted regions 86 and the broad central seal regions Again a V-shaped nick 89 at one end may facilitate the rupture of the sachet.

P109869GB Although the sachet of the invention is suitable for containing a scented substance, it need not necessarily contain this, and may in some circumstances be employed to contain a different type of substance, such as an ink or dye or even an antiseptic substance.

Claims

P109869GB CLAIMS

1. A sachet comprising a sealed flexible bag of impermeable material which is divided into a plurality of separate compartments and has a line of weakness extending across each of the compartments along which the compartments will tend to rupture upon application of local force thereto.

2. A sachet according to claim 1 wherein at least one cut away aperture is provided in the impermeable material between adjacent compartments and the line of weakness extends through this aperture or each such aperture.

3. A sachet according to claim 2 and comprising three or more compartments lying side by side in a row, in which respect the apertures between adjacent compartments are arranged in a corresponding row along and between the row of compartments.

4. A sachet according to any preceding claim wherein at least one of the compartments has larger end regions and a narrow waist region therebetween, and the line of weakness extends through the waist region.

5. A sachet according to claim 4 and comprising three or more compartments each of which has larger end regions and a narrow waist region therebetween, and wherein the line of weakness extends through aligned waist regions.

6. A sachet according to any preceding claim wherein the compartments contain a scented powder, or a scented liquid, or a scented gel.

7. A sachet according to any preceding claim having an associated pull thread arranged along the line of weakness.

8. An envelope having a closure flap delimited by a fold line and a sachet according to any preceding claim adhered to the inside of the envelope and its closure flap such that the line of weakness extends substantially along said fold line.

P109869GB

9. An envelope according to claim 8 further including a pull thread extending substantially along and beyond said fold line to facilitate rupture of the sachet along its line of weakness.

10. A container or folded card having a line of weakness and a pull thread whereby it may be opened along said line of weakness and also having a sachet according to any preceding claim adhered thereto such that the line of weakness of the sachet substantially overlies the line of weakness of the container or folded card so that the pull thread serves additionally to rupture the sachet upon opening of the container or card.

11. A sachet for containing a scented substance substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated by Figs. I and 2 or by any of Figs. 6 to 9 of the accompanying drawings.