JP7193853B2 - swab - Google Patents

Description

Application of Article 30, Paragraph 2 of the Patent Act (1) Website [Date of posting] February 1, 2019 [Address] https://www. heiwa medic. com/, https://www. heiwa medic. com/product/cotton_sticks/, https://www. heiwa medic. com/product/cotton_sticks/-30. html (2) Publication [Date of issue] February 4, 2019 [Publication name] Chubu Keizai Shimbun February 4, 2019, page 4, [Date of issue] February 8, 2019 [Published Name of article: Asahi Shimbun February 8, 2019 morning edition, page 21 (3) Exhibition [First exhibition date] January 22, 2019, January 23, 2019 [Exhibition name] 2019 West Japan Medical Product General Exhibition (4) Sales [First sale date] October 24, 2018 [Sales location] Chikahiko Ogawa Shoten Co., Ltd.

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a cotton swab, and more particularly to a cotton swab having a fiber lump portion capable of efficiently adsorbing and removing earwax without damaging the external auditory canal or the like inside the ear when picking the ear.

Conventionally, cotton swabs have a cotton ball portion or a fiber mass portion in which cotton is molded into a spherical mass at the tip of a paper or resin shaft portion. was inserted into the ear canal to remove earwax. In conventional cotton swabs, the cotton balls are molded into a ball-like mass with an adhesive, adhered to the tip of the shaft, and dried in the subsequent drying process. was (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2018-130317 A

However, with such a conventional cotton swab, since the cotton ball portion and the like are made of dry cotton, the user may sometimes feel that the touch of the cotton swab is not good while cleaning the ear, and the touch of the cotton swab is even better. There has been a demand for a cotton swab having a cotton ball part or the like that can In addition, in conventional cotton swabs, since the cotton balls and the like are made of dry cotton, there is a risk of damaging the external auditory canal, etc. inside the ear when the ear is cleaned by applying excessive force. there were.

The present invention has been made in view of these problems, and is a cotton swab that allows a user to feel better than the conventional product when cleaning the ear, and to use the ear canal inside the ear as compared to the conventional product. To provide a cotton swab capable of reducing the risk of damaging

The present invention has been made to solve at least part of the above problems, and can be implemented as the following application examples. In addition, the reference numerals in parentheses and supplementary explanations in this column indicate the correspondence with the embodiments described later in order to help the understanding of the present invention, and do not limit the present invention in any way. .

A cotton swab (1), which is an application example of the present invention, has a rod-shaped shaft (10) and at least one end of the shaft, which is impregnated with a predetermined additive , and fibers are formed into a mass. a fiber mass portion (15), wherein the predetermined additive comprises water, a predetermined adhesive component, glycerin or a glycerin derivative, and a predetermined moisturizing component, and the absolute dry fiber mass portion. is 60 to 120% by weight, and the fiber mass portion is formed into a mass by being infiltrated with the predetermined additive and fixed on the surface by applying the predetermined additive. This is the gist of it.

Further, in the cotton swab (1) of the application example described above, the predetermined additive is a water-soluble one as the predetermined adhesive component, and includes polyvinyl alcohol, carboxymethylcellulose, vinyl acetate, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, may contain at least one component of

Furthermore, in the cotton swab (1) of the application example described above, the predetermined additive may contain a component consisting of at least one of ethylhexylglycerin and diglycerin as the glycerin derivative.

In the cotton swab (1) of the application example described above, the predetermined additive contains, as the predetermined moisturizing component, a component composed of a molecule having two or more of at least one of a hydroxyl group and a carboxyl group. may

Furthermore, in the cotton swab (1) of the application example described above, the predetermined additive includes 1,3-propanediol, propylene glycol, 1,2-hexanediol, and 1,3-butylene as the predetermined moisturizing component. Glycol, dipropylene glycol, caprylyl glycol, dextrin, 1,2-pentylene glycol, sodium acetyl hyaluronate, hydrolyzed hydrogenated starch, hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid, glycosyltrehalose, sodium glutamate, sodium hyaluronate, at least It may contain one component.

In addition, in the cotton swab (1) of the application example described above, the predetermined additive may contain the predetermined moisturizing component with a weight ratio of 15 to 50% with respect to the absolute dry fiber mass portion. good.

(A) is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the cotton swab 1 of the first embodiment, and (B) is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a fiber lump portion 15 in the cotton swab 1. FIG. (A) is a diagram showing a table for explaining the weight ratio of the fiber mass portion 15 and the additive in the cotton swab 1, and (B) shows each name and weight ratio of a plurality of components in the additive. FIG. 4C is a diagram showing a table for explanation, and (C) is a diagram showing a table for explaining the weight ratio of each component in the fiber mass portion 15 of the cotton swab 1 and the additive. FIG. 3 shows a table describing the results of a sensory test conducted on the feeling of use of the cotton swab 1 compared to conventional cotton swabs. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a cotton swab 2 of a second embodiment; FIG.

Embodiments to which the present invention is applied will be described below with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the following embodiments, and can take various forms as long as they belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

[First embodiment]
<Structure of cotton swab 1>
First, the overall configuration of a cotton swab 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1(A) and 1(B). FIG. 1(A) is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a cotton swab 1 of this embodiment, and FIG. 1(B) is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a fiber lump portion 15 in the cotton swab 1 of this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1(A), the cotton swab 1 has a shaft portion 10 and two fiber mass portions 15 . The shaft portion 10 is formed by molding a thermoplastic resin containing polypropylene into a rod shape. The fiber mass portion 15 is formed by forming a cocoon-shaped (or cannonball-shaped) mass of predetermined fibers (in this embodiment, cotton) at both ends of the shaft portion 10. A predetermined additive, which will be described later, is applied and impregnated.

As shown in FIG. 1B, the overall length of the cotton swab 1 is 79.0±2.0 [mm], and the length of the shaft 10 in the fiber mass portion 15 in the central axis direction is The length L is 15.0±2.0 [mm], and the diameter D of the fiber lump portion 15 in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the shaft portion 10 is 4.7±1.0 [mm]. It has become.

<About additives>
With reference to FIGS. 2(A) to 2(C), the additives to be applied and infiltrated into the fiber mass portion 15 described above will now be described. FIG. 2(A) is a diagram showing a table for explaining the weight ratio of the fiber mass portion 15 and the additive in the cotton swab 1, and FIG. FIG. 2(C) is a diagram showing a table explaining the weight ratio of each component contained in the fiber lump portion 15 of the cotton swab 1 and the additive.

As shown in FIG. 2A, in the cotton swab 1, the weight of the two absolute dry fiber masses 15 is 50 mg (one fiber mass 15 is 25 mg), and the two fiber masses 15 are coated and The infiltrated additive is 30-60 mg. That is, the additive having a weight ratio of 60 to 120 wt % with respect to one absolute-dry fiber mass 15 is applied to and soaked into one fiber mass 15 . The additive applied to and soaked into the fiber lumps 15 has a relatively low viscosity (for example, 20 to 40 mPa·s), and is applied to the fiber lumps 15. In some cases, it may be impregnated with a single application or may be impregnated with a plurality of applications so as to achieve the above weight ratio.

As shown in FIG. 2(B), the additive is composed of an adhesive component, a first moisturizing component, a second moisturizing component, and a base component. The adhesive component is polyvinyl alcohol, which is a water-soluble adhesive, and the weight percentage in the additive is 1.4 wt%. The first moisturizing component is glycerin, which has high hygroscopicity, and the weight percentage in the additive is 50 wt%. The second moisturizing component is 1,3-propanediol, which contains two or more hydroxyl groups in one molecule and has high moisturizing and antiseptic properties, and the weight ratio in the additive is 25 wt%. . The base component is water, and the weight percentage in the additive is 23.6 wt%.

As shown in FIG. 2(C), when 30 to 60 mg of the additive is applied and infiltrated into 50 mg of the two absolutely dry fiber lumps 15 (cotton), the two fiber lumps 15 are: Contains 0.4 to 0.8 mg of adhesive component (polyvinyl alcohol), contains 15 to 30 mg of first moisturizing component (glycerin), and contains 7.5 to 15 mg of second moisturizing component (1,3-propanediol ) and contains 7.1 to 14.2 mg of the base component (water). In other words, the weight ratio of each component of the additive to one absolute dry fiber lump portion 15 is 0.8 to 1.6 wt% for the adhesive component (polyvinyl alcohol) and 30% for the first moisturizing component (glycerin). ~60 wt%, the second moisturizing component (1,3-propanediol) is 15-30 wt%, and the base component (water) is 14.2-28.4 wt%.

<About usability of cotton swab 1>
Next, with reference to FIG. 3, a sensory test conducted on the feel of use of the cotton swab 1 of the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 shows a table illustrating the results of a sensory test conducted on the feeling of use of cotton swab 1 compared to conventional cotton swabs. In the sensory test, a plurality of subjects with dry ear canals were actually cleaned with a conventional product (a conventional cotton swab that does not use the additive of this embodiment) and a cotton swab 1. The content is such as to evaluate the content of the evaluation regarding the feeling of use on a preset 5-point scale. FIG. 3 summarizes the ratio of each evaluation content based on the 32 evaluations obtained by the sensory test. Here, the 5-level evaluation content regarding the feeling of use is an evaluation of the cotton swab 1 regarding the feeling of use, whether it can be performed moistly, smoothly, and comfortably when cleaning the ears, and the evaluation “5” is very good. , evaluation "4" indicates a good feeling in use, evaluation "3" indicates a normal feeling in use, evaluation "2" indicates a poor feeling in use, and evaluation "1" indicates a very bad feeling in use.

As shown in FIG. 3, in the test results regarding the feeling of use when using the conventional product and the cotton swab 1, 53% of the evaluations were that the feeling of use was very good for the evaluation “5”, and the evaluation was “4”. 22% said that the feeling of use was good, 13% said that the feeling of use was normal for evaluation “3”, and 6% said that the feeling of use was bad for evaluation “2”. , and 6% of the respondents gave an evaluation of "1" as the feeling of use was very poor. In other words, 75% of the subjects evaluated that the cotton swab 1 of the present embodiment had a better feel when used than the conventional product. Therefore, it was found from the result of the sensory test that the cotton swab 1 of the present embodiment can make the user feel that the touch is better than that of the conventional product.

[Second embodiment]
With reference to FIG. 4, the cotton swab 2 of the second embodiment will now be described. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a cotton swab 2 that is an example of another embodiment. Since the additive in the cotton swab 2 of the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, the description of <additive> is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 4, the cotton swab 2 includes a shaft portion 20, a fiber mass portion 25, and an earpick portion 28. The shaft portion 20 and the fiber mass portion 25 have the same configuration as the cotton swab 1 of the above-described embodiment. is. The earpick part 28 is formed by molding cotton into a spatula shape at one end of the shaft part 20 where the fiber mass part 25 is not formed, and then applying and soaking the above-mentioned additive. Here, "forming the cotton into a spatula shape" means forming the cotton into a thin, flat, and curved plate-like shape, in other words, forming it like the shape of a "pot" of a spoon. means that

[Features of First and Second Embodiments]
According to the cotton swabs 1 and 2 of the above-described embodiments, in the fiber mass portions 15 and 25 and the earpick portion 28, water, polyvinyl alcohol as an adhesive component, glycerin as a first moisturizing component, and second moisturizing component An additive consisting of 1,3-propanediol containing two hydroxyl groups in one molecule has a weight ratio of 60 to 120% by weight with respect to the absolute dry fiber lumps 15 and 25 and the earpick portion 28. The fibers are formed in a lump by being coated and infiltrated so as to be

In the case of the cotton swab 1 and the cotton swab 2, the fiber mass portions 15 and 25 and the earpick portion 28 contain water, glycerin as the first moisturizing component, and two hydroxyl groups in one molecule as the second moisturizing component. An additive consisting of 1,3-propanediol is applied in a weight ratio of 60 to 120% by weight with respect to the bone-dried fiber lumps, etc., thereby forming the fibers into lumps. Therefore, it is possible to prevent fraying of the fibers and maintain high wettability. In particular, since glycerin, which is the first moisturizing component, has high hygroscopicity, it is possible to maintain high infiltration in the fiber mass portions 15 and 25 and the earpick portion 28 . Therefore, the cotton swabs 1 and 2 can make the skin feel better than the conventional product when cleaning the ear, and reduce the risk of damaging human skin such as the external auditory canal of the ear compared to the conventional product. be able to.

Further, according to the cotton swab 1 and the cotton swab 2 of the above-described embodiments, 1,3-propanediol, which is a molecule having two or more hydroxyl groups, is added as the second moisturizing component of the additive to the absolutely dry fiber lumps. It is contained so that the weight ratio with respect to etc. is 15 to 50% by weight. For such cotton swabs 1 and 2, the additives applied to the fiber mass portions 15 and 25 and the earpick portion 28 contain water and two hydroxyl groups in one molecule, which are the second moisturizing ingredients. Since the additive consisting of 3-propanediol is contained, it is possible to reduce the oily feeling while maintaining high infiltration in the fiber mass portions 15, 25 and the earpick portion 28, resulting in a smooth feel. .

[Other embodiments]
In the cotton swabs 1 and 2 of the above-described embodiments, the first moisturizing component of the additive is glycerin, but it may be a glycerin derivative that is a moisturizing component with high hygroscopicity. Specific examples of glycerin derivatives include ethylhexylglycerin and diglycerin. In addition, the first moisturizing component may consist of glycerin and one of the above-described glycerin derivatives, or may consist of a plurality of types of glycerin and the above-described glycerin derivatives. good too. Even an additive using such a first moisturizing component can produce the same effect as the cotton swab 1 and the cotton swab 2 of the above-described embodiment.

In the cotton swabs 1 and 2 of the above-described embodiments, the second moisturizing component of the additive was 1,3-propanediol, which contains two hydroxyl groups in one molecule. or both in one molecule (in one monomer if the second moisturizing component is a polymer). Specifically, examples of the second moisturizing component include propylene glycol, 1,2-hexanediol, 1,3-butylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, caprylyl glycol, dextrin, 1,2-pentylene glycol, and acetyl hyaluronic acid. sodium phosphate, hydrolyzed hydrogenated starch, hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid, glycosyltrehalose, sodium glutamate, sodium hyaluronate. In addition, the second moisturizing component may consist of one of these plural components (including 1,3-propanediol), but may consist of two or more components. There may be. In addition, for example, a cotton swab coated with an additive containing propylene glycol instead of 1,3-propanediol as the second moisturizing component was subjected to the same sensory test as in the above-described embodiment, and was found to be 75% or more. of subjects evaluated that the cotton swab had a better feel when used than the conventional product. In other words, it can be said that even an additive using a second moisturizing component such as these can exhibit the same effect as the cotton swab 1 and the cotton swab 2 of the above-described embodiment. In particular, since propylene glycol has antiseptic and antifungal properties, the cotton swab can also improve antiseptic and antifungal properties in the mass of fibers and the like.

Furthermore, in the cotton swab 1 and the cotton swab 2 of the above-described embodiments, the shaft portion 10 is formed by molding a thermoplastic resin containing polypropylene into a rod shape. It may be formed by forming paper into a bar shape. Specifically, for example, as various thermoplastic resins, there are polystyrene, polycarbonate, ABS resin, etc. Even if it is made of one kind of resin among these plural kinds of resins (including polypropylene) However, it may be composed of two or more kinds of resins. In addition, in the cotton swab 1 and the cotton swab 2 of the above-described embodiments, the fiber mass portion 15 and the like are formed by lumping cotton as the predetermined fiber, but various fibers can be used as the predetermined fiber. There may be. Specifically, for example, the predetermined fibers include various natural fibers such as wool, various chemical fibers such as polyester, and various regenerated fibers such as rayon. , or may be composed of two or more types of fibers.

In the cotton swabs 1 and 2 of the above-described embodiments, the adhesive component of the additive is polyvinyl alcohol, which is a water-soluble adhesive, but various components may be used as long as they are water-soluble adhesives. Specifically, the adhesive component includes, for example, carboxymethyl cellulose, vinyl acetate, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, and the like, and may consist of one of these plural types of components.

Further, in the cotton swab 1 and the cotton swab 2 of the above-described embodiment, the additive is composed of the adhesive component, the first moisturizing component, the second moisturizing component, and the base component. Preservatives such as benzoic acid esters) and sodium benzoate may also be included. A cotton swab having a fibrous mass part infiltrated with an additive containing such a preservative can be easily stored in a more hygienic and suitable condition than a cotton swab that does not contain a preservative. be. In addition, 1,3-propanediol, propylene glycol, and the like, which are additives in the cotton swab 1 of the above-described embodiment, act as solubilizers for these preservatives, so that the additive containing the preservative is infiltrated. Therefore, the antiseptic effect can be spread over the entire fiber mass.

Further, in the cotton swab 1 and the cotton swab 2 of the above-described embodiments, the member coated with the additive such as the fiber mass portion 15 is formed at both ends of the shaft portion 10, but only one end portion of the shaft portion is formed. It may be formed only in the For example, a fiber lump portion coated with an additive is formed only on one end of the shaft portion, and a fiber lump portion or the like is not formed on the other end portion of the shaft portion, which serves as a handle portion. It may be something like In addition, in the cotton swab 1 and the cotton swab 2 of the above-described embodiments, the additive is applied only to the fiber lumps and the like at one end of the shaft, and the fiber lumps and the like at the other end of the shaft are coated with the additive. It is also possible to use a fiber block portion coated with only an adhesive component like a conventional product.

Furthermore, in the cotton swab 1 and the cotton swab 2 of the above-described embodiments, one fiber lump portion 15 or the like is made of 25 mg of cotton as the predetermined fiber, but the predetermined fiber may have various masses. good too. For example, one fiber mass portion is made of less than 25 mg of cotton, and the diameter D is smaller than that of the above-described embodiment, or one fiber mass portion is made of more than 25 mg of cotton, The diameter D may be larger than in the embodiments described above. Moreover, in the cotton swab 1 and the cotton swab 2 of the above-described embodiment, the shape of the fiber mass portion 15 and the like is cocoon-shaped (or cannonball-shaped), but may be of various shapes. For example, the fiber mass portion may have a teardrop shape with a pointed tip, or may be processed so that the side surface of the fiber mass portion is formed with predetermined unevenness.

Although the present invention has been described above based on the embodiments and modifications, the above-described embodiments are intended to facilitate understanding of the present invention and do not limit the present invention. The present invention may be modified and modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims, and the present invention includes equivalents thereof.

1, 2... Cotton swab, 10, 20... Shaft part, 15, 25... Fiber lump part, 28... Earpick part.

Claims (6)

a rod-shaped shaft;
a fiber mass portion in which a predetermined additive is infiltrated at at least one end portion of the shaft portion and fibers are formed in a mass;
with
The predetermined additive is
Consists of water, a predetermined adhesive component, glycerin or a glycerin derivative, and a predetermined moisturizing component, and has a weight ratio of 60 to 120% with respect to the absolute dry fiber mass ,
The fiber mass part is
By applying the predetermined additive, the predetermined additive is infiltrated and the surface is adhered to form a mass.
A cotton swab characterized by: The swab of claim 1, wherein
The predetermined additive is
A cotton swab, wherein the predetermined adhesive component is water-soluble and contains at least one of polyvinyl alcohol, carboxymethylcellulose, vinyl acetate, and ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer. The cotton swab according to claim 1 or claim 2,
The predetermined additive is
A cotton swab comprising at least one of ethylhexylglycerin and diglycerin as the glycerin derivative. The cotton swab according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The predetermined additive is
A cotton swab, comprising, as the predetermined moisturizing component, a component composed of a molecule having at least one of a hydroxyl group and a carboxyl group as two or more functional groups. The cotton swab according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The predetermined additive is
As the predetermined moisturizing ingredients, 1,3-propanediol, propylene glycol, 1,2-hexanediol, 1,3-butylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, caprylyl glycol, dextrin, 1,2-pentylene glycol, acetyl A cotton swab characterized by containing at least one component of sodium hyaluronate, hydrolyzed hydrogenated starch, hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid, glycosyltrehalose, sodium glutamate and sodium hyaluronate. The cotton swab according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The predetermined additive is
A cotton swab, wherein the predetermined additive contains the predetermined moisturizing component in a weight ratio of 15 to 50% with respect to the absolute dry fiber mass.

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