GB2600798A

GB2600798A - Deodorising apparatus and method

Info

Publication number: GB2600798A
Application number: GB2110241.3A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Osband Philip
Original assignee: BOOT BANANAS Ltd
Current assignee: BOOT BANANAS Ltd
Priority date: 2020-11-04
Filing date: 2021-07-16
Publication date: 2022-05-11
Also published as: GB202110241D0; GB202017471D0

Abstract

A deodorising insert comprising a casing 4 of known porosity and an active powder 2 having a selected particle size distribution. There is a method of controlling an amount of active powder ingredient 2 dispensed from a casing 4 to a target substrate, wherein the method comprises: selecting a porous casing 4 with a known pore size, choosing a percentage of the active ingredient 2 to be dispensed per dose, and selecting a particle size distribution of the active ingredient 2 that includes the chosen percentage of particles below the pore size. The casing 4 is then filled with the active ingredient 2, and the casing 4 is engaged with the substrate. The casing 4 is preferably made from a cotton woven fabric and formed or incorporated into a deodorising insert. Preferably the active powdered ingredient 2 is a deodorising powder 2 which is selected to have a particle size distribution with 10-20% of particles having a size of less than 125 microns. In one embodiment the target substrate is a shoe interior and the deodorising insert is for inserting in footwear.

Description

DEODORISING APPARATUS AND METHOD

Field of invention

The present invention relates to a deodorising apparatus and method. More especially the invention relates to deodorising apparatus including a casing containing deodorising powder and a method of controlling the quantity and/or rate that the powder is dispensed from the casing.

Background to the invention

Deodorising powders are known and are commonly found packaged in a dispensable container such as a tube with flip top lid, designed for self application of the deodorising powders, to a target substrate such as a shoe interior. Or also commonly found sealed within a casing to make a deodorising insert which is then placed in the area requiring the deodoriser, for example a shoe. One such product is produced and marketed by the present applicant under the brand Boot Bananas®.

This has proved to be a successful product in the market.

A problem associated with known deodorising powders when packaged in self application dispensable tubes or containers that are not inserts, is that too much deodorising powder is commonly dispensed in an uneven manner resulting in residue being left in the application area. As well as wasting the active ingredient, the residue can make the inside of the shoe slippery and uncomfortable to wear, requiring it to be cleaned more often than would otherwise be necessary.

Deodorising inserts on the other hand have the opposite problem with the function of the deodorising powders in these inserts limited to neutralising odour molecules that reach them via vapour and moisture transmission or similar non direct pathways, due to the powders being sealed in a casing typically made of non-woven synthetic fabric or similar materials with no pores to create a barrier to the powders contained within. This prevents the deodorising powders inside the deodorising insert from working directly on odour molecules ingrained within the substrate or material of the footwear interior.

The apparatus and method of the present invention allows a controlled quantity of powdered active ingredients to be targeted on to a substrate inside an enclosed space (a shoe for example) by matching the powder content of the active ingredient with a specifically formulated particle size distribution with the pore size of the casing or housing of the deodorising insert that is placed within the space.

Statements of invention

According to a first embodiment of the invention, there is provided a method of controlling an amount of active powder ingredient dispensed from a casing containing the powder ingredient to a target substrate, the method comprising the steps of: selecting a porous casing for the active ingredient with a known pore size; choosing a percentage of the active ingredient to be dispensed per dose; selecting a particle size distribution of the active ingredient that includes the chosen percentage of particles below the pore size; filling the casing with said active ingredient; and engaging the casing with the substrate.

Preferably, casing is made from a cotton woven fabric.

Preferably, the active ingredient is selected to have a particle size distribution with 10-20% of particles having a size of less than 125 microns.

Preferably still, the active ingredient is selected to have a particle size distribution with 12-15% of particles having a size of less than 125 microns.

Preferably, the active powdered ingredient is a de-odourising powder.

Preferably the method further comprising the step of forming or incorporating the casing into a de-odourising insert.

According to as second aspect of the invention there is provided, a de-odourising insert comprising a casing of known porosity and an active powder ingredient having a particle size distribution selected in accordance with any preceding claim.

Brief description of drawing

One embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the figure which is a schematic illustration of the apparatus constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

Detailed description of preferred embodiments invention The embodiment described refers to a deodorising powder 2 that is dispensed through a casing 4 into a shoe (not shown).

It is envisaged that the apparatus and method could be equally applied to any other particulate contained within a casing to be dispensed to an area outside the casing, where there is a need to control the quantity and/or rate in which the particulate is dispensed.

Although the apparatus is a deodorising insert for a shoe, it could equally be applicable for any other wearable item such as a glove.

The active ingredients are in powdered form and have a selected particle size distribution with no more than 12-15% of the particles being smaller in size than 125 microns. The powder composition 2 is housed or contained in a casing 4 made from a cotton woven fabric which has a selected pore size of 125 micros so to allow only particle sizes of 125 microns or less to pass through.

The figure 2 shows the casing 4 with pores 6 having a size X of 125 microns, a particle 8 having a size Y of greater than 125 microns and a particle 10 having a size, within the disbursement range, of less than 125 microns. In this case only the particle 10 will be dispensed when the casing is placed against a substrate requiring de-odourising.

The casings 4 shown in the figures are provided for illustration purposes only and could take any form or shape.

Matching a defined proportion of particle size distribution with the pore size of the casing ensures that a (small) controlled dose of deodorising ingredient is dispensed to the interior of the shoe each time the casing is placed inside the shoe.

The casing 4 may itself form the entire deodorising insert or may only form part of the overall insert form.

The dose is selected to be sufficient to allow the deodorising active ingredients to make direct contact with the fabric ingrained with odour and more effectively neutralise the malodour, whilst at the same time not leaving a noticeable residue inside the shoe.

The particle size distribution is carefully selected so that only a calculated percentage of the powdered ingredients 2 are able to penetrate way through the housing 4. Incremental adjustments can be made to increase or decrease the active ingredient dispensed through the casing 4 when the casing 4 introduced into tor onto a substrate within an enclosed space to provide the optimum dispersion rate required for the task, ingredients and environment.

In the event that a higher dispersion rate of active ingredients is required, for example if the odour particles are bound more strongly to the substrate, or the area to be neutralised has a larger volume, then a different formulation of particle size distribution is selected to provide a larger dosage.

The increased dosage could for example be achieved by increasing the percentage of particles less than 125 micron particles to 20-30% of the overall active ingredient.

Increasing the particle percentage will result in increased powder dispersion during placement of the insert which, in turn, would increase neutralising effect.

The casing or housing 4 could be made from other materials, such as other woven or non- 1 0 woven fabric with the applicable weave or pore size. It could also be made from other non-traditionally non-porous materials which have been adapted to have pores, for example by etching micro-pores into the surface of hard plastic.

Another important factor in the effectiveness of the dispersion is the internal pressure created by the fill level of powder ingredients to internal volume of the housing. If the powder is filled to a high level inside the housing 4 the powder will create a larger internal pressure causing the powder ingredients to flow at a slower rate. This would also have the effect of reducing the dispersion rate.

It follows that increase the volume of the housing 2 for the same volume of powder will have the effect of reducing the fill rate thereby lowering the internal pressure and increasing the dispersion rate providing a high dosage of active ingredient.

Claims

CLAIMS1 A method of controlling an amount active powder ingredient dispensed from a casing containing the powder ingredient to a target substrate, the method comprising the steps of: selecting a porous casing for the active ingredient with a known pore size; choosing a percentage of the active ingredient to be dispensed per dose; selecting a particle size distribution of the active ingredient that includes the chosen percentage of particles below the pore size; filling the casing with said active ingredient; and engaging the casing with the substrate.
2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the casing is made from a cotton woven fabric.
3 A method according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the active ingredient is selected to have a particle size distribution with 10-20% of particles having a size of less than 125 microns.
4 A method according to claim 3, wherein the active ingredient is selected to have a particle size distribution with 12-15% of particles having a size of less than 125 microns
5. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the active powdered ingredient is a de-odourising powder.
6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the method further comprising the step of forming or incorporating the casing into a de-odourising insert.
7 A de-odourising insert comprising a casing of known porosity and an active powder ingredient having a particle size distribution selected in accordance with any preceding claim.