KR20010080475A - Single pop-up wet wipe dispensing system - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to wet wipes for home and industrial cleaning applications and for human use, such as baby wipes, cosmetic removal and other skin care applications. The wet wipes are stacked and included in the dispensing vessel 20. According to the present invention, improved wipe pop up dispensing is provided by a combination of dispensing apertures 29 of dispensing vessel 20 having a certain dimension in combination with the wipe stack, wherein the wipe is between two adjacent wipes. The average separation force of is provided to be from 75 g / cm ² to 250 g / cm ² .

Description

SINGLE POP-UP WET WIPE DISPENSING SYSTEM}

Wet wipes are typically pre-moistened, disposable paper handkerchiefs that can be used in a variety of applications, both home and industrial, and perform a variety of functions. Wet wipes are used to wipe surfaces of both living and non-living objects and can provide a number of benefits and skin care benefits, such as cleaning, cleaning, and disinfection.

One particular application is the use of wet wipes to wipe parts of the human body, especially when water washing is not possible, for example when traveling. Wipes are also commonly used for personal hygiene wipes, such as, for example, wet wipes for women, and are generally also used for washing and wiping the human body such as anal, perineal and genital washes and face and hand washes. Wet wipes may also be used to apply substances to the body, including removing and applying makeup, skin conditioners and drugs. Other applications of wipes are those used during diaper change and also for the treatment of adult and baby dermatitis caused in part by the use of diapers and incontinence devices. Wet wipes also apply the composition to other surfaces or to surfaces that need to be cleaned industrially, such as, for example, kitchen and bathroom surfaces, glasses, shoes and surfaces of machinery or automobiles, for example. It can be applied to Wet wipes also include items used to clean or care for pets.

Wet wipes are generally provided as a combination structure of synthetic and natural fibers, such as polyolefin fibers, viscose fibers and cotton fibers, which are generally moistened with aqueous compositions containing surfactants, preservatives, oils and perfumes, among others. . The wipe is then generally packaged in a container to facilitate transportation and storage.

There are two basic container types for such wet wipes: multi wipe containers and single wipe packages. In a typical multi-wipe container, a warpable or rigid moisture impermeable container is used, and the wipe is folded and stacked therein in such a device so that one wipe is exposed and removed by the consumer at a time. Such containers typically have tubular structures or bendable rectangular packages that can be resealed after opening.

A problem with current wet wipe products is that it is not easy to dispense wipes one by one from the wet wipe stack and / or container. This problem is particularly acute in the use environment, such as when the consumer is holding the baby during diaper change. Under such conditions, the consumer is able to easily grasp and separate an unfolded wipe from the container and stack, using only one hand, without lifting up the wipe container from the surface on which the wipe container is placed during the wiping operation. in need. This is not, however, satisfactorily achieved in current production.

The problem of the lack of satisfactory dispensing of one wet wipe from the stack and container is due to a number of reasons. First, a wet wipe is typically folded and placed on top of one another or embedded with an adjacent wipe and another on top of one to form a stack. However, the exact position of the leading edge of the top wipe of the current stack cannot be easily identified, either tactilely or visually. This is because the substrate material of the wipe is typically homogeneous and, therefore, especially when folded, the leading edge of the wipe is indistinguishable from the wipe substrate material it is leaning against. In addition, the leading edge portion of the wipe also tends to stick to the underlying wipe substrate material on which it rests. So even tactile confirmation of an edge by dragging or moving a finger across the wipe surface does not cause immediately identifying the position of the edge.

Second, once the position of the leading edge is identified, it is difficult for the consumer to grasp and hold the substrate material sufficiently to separate one wipe from the stack it leans on. The consumer can only squeeze the narrow portion of the leading edge frequently so that it can't be held tight so the wipe slides easily from the consumer's finger.

This problem with wet wipe dispensing has been recognized in the prior art. US 5 540 332, for example, describes the distribution of wet wipes and how to produce such wipes. Improved distribution is achieved by providing a repeating non-linear pattern, such as a sinusoidal structure, at least in part of one of the end edges of the wipe. However, the problem of one wet wipe dispensing is neither explained nor overcome by the use of non-linear leading edges.

Another proposed solution to the dispensing problem is described in US Pat. No. 4,778,048, which discloses a product comprising a wet wipe stack inclined at the edge in the container for improved access, dispensing and the same liquid distribution. In a preferred embodiment, the edge of each wipe has a Gurley Stiffness greater than the stiffness of the body of the wipe. However, providing such a rigid edge is in itself an undesirable characteristic of wet wipes. Wet wipes, especially those used in sensitive areas of the skin, such as baby wipes, require some softness. The edges of the hardened wipe are no longer suitable for the applications actually recognized in the patent itself, so that the wipe has a substrate surface that is less suitable for use. This edge portion may also cause inflammation, so care should be taken to reduce or avoid contact with the skin. In addition, the edge stiffness does not solve the problem of one wipe distribution on the other hand. In addition, providing such non-linear edges to nonwoven substrates using current manufacturing techniques also causes the edges of the substrate to wear out, which is also very undesirable.

Another important factor influencing the problem of dispensing one wet wipe from the wet wipe stack is the tendency of the wipe substrate material to stick to itself. This is due in particular to the compression of the wipe stack, the actual weight of the wipe stack itself, and the presence of attractive forces between the base material and the composition lotion of the wipe during manufacture and storage. As a result, when the wipe is folded to form a stack, the substrate material tends to stick to itself and to the substrate material of the adjacent wipe. As a result, once the consumer lifts the wipe out of the stack or pulls the wipe through the dispensing orifice, the wipe tends to maintain its folded structure. Also, the wipe typically remains at least partially stuck to the adjacent wipe it is leaning against. Thus, also during the operation of removing the wipe from the stack, adjacent wipes are also at least partially separated from the stack. As a result, the consumer not only needs to unfold the wipe before beginning to apply the desired wipe, but also needs to separate the wipe from adjacent wipes in the stack and return the wipe to the stack in the container. This is obviously particularly uncomfortable for consumers who use baby wipes during diaper change.

The problem of sticking substrate wipes has been recognized in the prior art. An attempt to solve this problem has been to provide some embedding structure to the wipe as described in JP 08 089 439, for example.

However, many of the proposed embedding structures have problems associated with them. In particular, when the degree of overlap of the base material between adjacent wipes as a result of the insertion is large, the problem that the substrate sticks to is only exacerbated so that the wipes are actually always released in pairs. On the other hand, if the overlap between adjacent wipes is minimized to ensure one wipe distribution, there is no appreciable separation of adjacent wipes from the stack, and the problem of identifying leading ends again occurs.

Another problem with current wet wipe stacks is that a large amount of adjacent wipe substrate material is still exposed through the orifice, after the wipe distribution has been completed, especially due to the folded structure with many overlaps of substrate material between adjacent wipes. will be. As a result, the wipes become dry and unsuitable for use and should be discarded. EP 747 313 proposes a means of dealing with this problem and discloses several folded papers, such as wet tissue paper, for continuous arrangement through the container orifice. In this way, up to one quarter of the adjacent wipe length is exposed through the dispensing orifice. However, such paper tissue products cannot be used for all wet wipe applications, such as baby wipes, since wet tissue paper is not satisfactory in terms of softness and strength. In particular, such wet tissues tend to tear during use and are therefore not suitable for use as wet wipes.

Alternatively, it has been proposed to provide specifically designed dispensing containers, so-called pop-up dispensers, to enhance dispensing action. Such dispensers include containers with top panels with orifices. The pop-up dispenser acts on the principle of providing a dispensing orifice, the dispensing orifice being relatively small, sized and structured such that the combination with the wipe stack has a specific folding structure to hold the top of adjacent wipes during dispensing. It is decided. Such a container is so designed that during operation of removing the top wipe from the container through the aperture, the adjacent wipe is lifted from the stack so that the adjacent wipe partially protrudes through the orifice once the top wipe is removed. In this way, the top wipe is positioned for easy viewing by the consumer. This type of pop-up dispenser allows the wipe to be provided in a continuous roll with a perforation therein or as an individually folded wipe as described for example in US Pat. No. 5,560,514.

Unfortunately, the provision of dispensers with typically very small dispensing apertures is not considered desirable by the consumer. In particular, such small orifices prevent the consumer from being able to see and examine the contents of the container and the number of wipes remaining therein. In addition, if the popup fails and the wipe adjacent to the dispensed wipe is not lifted from the stack, the small dispense orifice size makes it difficult for the consumer to easily feed the wipe through the dispense orifice and the need to disassemble the dispenser itself. Likewise, a consumer encounters a similar problem if he inadvertently removes too many wipes from the dispenser and tries to push them back into the dispenser.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a wet wipe dispensing system that facilitates the separation of one wipe from the stack and container so that the wipe can be unfolded and used immediately without any of the aforementioned problems.

The present invention relates to a dispensing system for a wet wipe comprising a container and a wet wipe stack therein, which performs enhanced pop-up dispensing of individual wipes from a wet wipe stack.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a stack of wet wipes in a dispensing vessel 20.

2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a wipe 1 having a leading edge panel 2, a center panel 4, and a trailing edge panel 3, folded into a Z-shaped folded structure.

3A and 3B are cross-sectional views illustrating a preferred folding and embedding structure for a wet wipe according to the present invention.

The present invention thus relates to a wet wipe for cleaning parts of the human body and other surfaces such as baby wipes. In particular, the present invention relates to a pop-up wet wipe dispensing system for facilitating easy dispensing and separation of one wipe from a wet wipe stack in a dispensing vessel throughout the decreasing height of the stack. Dispensing container comprises a container body, and, wherein the container body comprises a bottom and top upper portion comprises a dispensing aperture having a cross-sectional area of from 14cm ² to 65cm ^2. Wipes as defined by the test method here, it has an average of two separation force (average separation force) of from between two wipes 75g / cm ² to 250g / cm ^2.

According to the present invention a wet wipe comprises a substrate coated or impregnated with a liquid composition. The substrate may be woven or nonwoven, foams, sponges, battings, balls, puffs or films, most preferably nonwovens and may consist of natural or synthetic fibers or mixtures thereof. have. The fiber composition is a mixture of hydrophilic fibrous materials, such as viscose, cotton, or flax, and hydrophobic fibrous materials, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polypropylene (PP), with 20% to 80% hydrophilic material. It is preferred that it is a weight ratio of 80% to 20% of the hydrophobic material. Two particularly preferred compositions are 50% viscose / 50% PP and 50% viscose / 50% PET. The base material is at least 20gm^-2, Preferably 150gm^-2Have a lower basis weight, and most preferably the basis weight is 20 gm^-2To 70gm^-2It is in the range of, more preferably 50gm^-2From 65gm^-2Until. The substrate can have any caliper. Typically, when the substrate is made by a hydroentangling process, the average substrate caliper is less than 0.8 mm. The average caliper of the substrate is more preferably 0.1 mm to 0.4 mm. The substrate caliper is measured according to the standard EDANA Nonwovens Industry Methodology, Reference Method # 30.4-89. The bulk density of the substrate is 1.0 g / cm³The following is preferable and 0.9 g / cm³Less than or equal to 0.7 g / cm³Most preferable is the following.

In addition to the fibers used to make the substrate, the substrate may have other ingredients or materials added thereto, as known in the art. The type of preferred additive will depend on the particular end use of the substrate under consideration. For example, in wet wipe products such as wet tissues, paper towels, facial tissues, baby wipes and other similar air laid products, high wet strength is a desirable property. Thus, it is sometimes desirable to add chemicals known in the art, such as wet strength resins, especially for cellulose based substrates. A general paper on the type of wet strength resin used in the prior art for paper can be found in the paper and paperboard wet strength of the pulp paper industry combination, TAPPI Monograph Series Vol. 29 (New York, 1965). . In addition to the wet strength additives, it is also desirable to include any dry strength and lint control additives such as starch binders known in the art. Furthermore, the substrate may also include an opaque agent, for example a medicament for improving the optical properties of the substrate material such as titanium dioxide.

According to the invention the substrate can be produced by any method known in the prior art. For example, nonwoven substrates may be formed by dry forming techniques such as air-laying or moisture laying on paper making machines, for example. Other nonwoven fabrication techniques may also be used, such as melt blown, spun bonded, needle punched, and spun laced methods. Preferred method is hydroentangling.

The substrate may comprise one or multiple layers, preferably two or three layers of material. These layers may be the same in terms of composition and / or manufacturing techniques or a combination of any of the materials described above. One of the layers is preferably a scrim reinforcement layer, as described, for example, in US patent application Ser. No. 09/133294.

According to the invention the substrate of the wet wipe comprises a central panel and two opposing end edge panels, a leading edge panel and a trailing edge panel. Each of the panels has a first top surface and a second bottom surface.

Each folded wipe 1 extends longitudinally in the machine direction from the first leading end edge 2 to the second trailing end edge 3. The folded web also has side edges 4, 5 extending longitudinally from the first leading end edge 2 to the second trailing end edge 3. Each folded wipe 1 may comprise a first panel fold 6, which is generally parallel to the leading edge 2 and generally perpendicular to the side edges 4, 5. The first panel fold 6 is spaced apart longitudinally from the leading edge 2 to provide a leading edge panel 9 extending between the first panel fold 6 and the leading edge 2. As used herein, the panel is the portion of the wipe that extends between the two folds or between the fold and the edge end.

The folded wipe may also include a second panel fold 7, a center panel 8, a trailing edge panel 10. The second panel fold 7 is generally parallel to the first panel fold 6 and is spaced apart in the longitudinal direction from the first panel fold. The central panel 8 is coupled to the leading edge panel 9 at the first panel fold 6 and extends between the first panel fold 6 and the second panel fold 7.

The trailing edge panel 10 couples to the central panel 8 at the second panel fold 7. The trailing edge panel 10 extends between the second panel fold 7 and the trailing end edge 3. The wipe is, as best seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the first and second panels to provide the leading edge panel, the center panel, and the trailing edge panels 9, 8, 10 in a Z-fold structure. Fold at fold (6, 7). In the Z-folded structure, the panel 9 lies above and adjacent a portion of the panel 8 and the panel 10 lies below and adjacent a portion of the panel 8. However, other folding structures, such as type C folding or type J folding, can equally be applied. Also in addition to the panels described above herein, the wipe may have additional panels. In particular, the leading edge panel and / or trailing edge panel may also be provided with additional folding to provide leading edge panel lips or trailing edge panel lip. Such ribs provide the leading edge panel or trailing edge panel with a panel lip fold, adjacent and spaced apart from the leading or trailing edge of the folded substrate, to provide a lip extending between the panel lip fold and the end edge. Formed by. The panel lip fold can be folded to the bottom surface of the leading edge panel such that the leading end edge is below the leading end edge panel. This structure is particularly beneficial for facilitating grip of the edges. Alternatively, the leading edge panel may be folded such that the leading end edge rests on the top surface of the leading edge panel. The lip may also be located on the top or bottom surface of the trailing edge panel. The lip typically extends from 4 cm to 0.1 cm, preferably from 2 cm to 0.25 cm, from the leading or trailing edge to the leading edge panel lip folding or trailing edge panel lip folding.

2 and 3, the folded wipe 1 is folded between the adjacent folded wipes 1. For example, a panel, such as panel 10 of once folded wipe 1, can be sandwiched between panels 9, 8 of an adjacent, underlying folded wipe. According to the invention the wipes are stacked in groups of separate folded wipes. The multiple stacks of separate folded wipes are then combined into one on top of the other to provide the stack shown in FIG. However, the number of wipes in a separate stack and the combination of stacks may vary as needed depending on the container in which they are to be combined. Particularly preferred folding structures of wipes according to the invention are described in European patent application nos. 97108388.6, PCT / US98 / 10603 and EP 747 313 and incorporated herein by reference.

According to the invention, the overall dimensions of the substrate material may depend on and depend on the intended application of the wipe. In one non-limiting, exemplary embodiment where the wipe is used as a baby wipe, each folded wipe 1 is 10 cm to 30 cm when measured longitudinally from the leading end edge 2 to the trailing end edge 3. It has an unfolded length to. For each folded wipe 1, the space between the first panel fold 6 and the second panel fold 7 can be from 2 cm to 7 cm, while the leading edge panel 9 and the trailing edge panel ( 10) may be from 2cm to 7cm in length. In a preferred embodiment the space between the first panel fold 6 and the leading end edge 2 is more preferably from 3 cm to 6 cm, even more preferably between about 3 cm and 5 cm. More preferably, the space between the first panel fold 6 and the second panel fold is from 3 cm to 12 cm, even more preferably between about 10 cm and 12 cm. More preferably, the space between the second panel fold 7 and the trailing edge is between 3 cm and 6 cm and even more preferably between about 3 cm and 5 cm.

According to the present invention, improved pop up distribution of wipes may range from 75 g / cm ² to 250 g / cm ² , preferably 100 g / cm ² , as the average separation force between two adjacent wipes is later defined in the test method. To 200 g / cm ² , more preferably 125 g / cm ² to 175 g / cm ² , by combining the dispensing aperture of the dispensing vessel described above with a stacked wipe as described below. Although not necessarily in theory, it is believed that an upper limit of separation force is required in order to prevent chaining of the wipe while the lower limit ensures the stability of the substrate and prevents the wipe from falling back.

According to the invention any means can be used in which the separation force between adjacent wipes can be applied so as to meet the above requirements so that any of these means includes both physical or mechanical means, chemical means and combinations thereof. Preferably such means should be selected to minimize the influence of the means on the properties of the substrate material itself in order for the wipe to maintain its desired properties such as softness, absorbency and wet strength, and such means may be applied to a wet wipe panel. It may be provided at any stage of.

Suitable physical / mechanical means for providing separation force on the surface of a wet wipe are for example embossing, crimping, thermal bonding, ultrasonic bonding and for example water jet printing. Printing). Such methods are well known to those skilled in the art. One preferred method uses a cotton cloth partially bonded to another layer, as described in US Pat. No. 09/133294, which is incorporated by reference, to provide a surface shape of peaks and valleys on the surface of the wipe substrate. to provide surface topography.

Alternatively, the fibers constituting the substrate material may be chosen to be hydrophobic and / or may be selected to provide a low friction substrate, for example by reduction in the presence of fibers that prolong or protrude from the substrate surface. . Similarly, the manufacturing method used for the substrate may also be selected to provide the desired separation force. For example, damping reduces separation, but airing is considered to increase separation.

Suitable chemical means for controlling the separation force between wipes include Dow Corning's silicone release coating, lubricants, available from Midland, Mich., Available as Seal-Off 7677 and seals on Seal-off 7677. Crosslinkers, available as off-off 7048, are added at a weight ratio of 100 to 10, respectively. Another suitable treatment is a horn of two silicones, each in a weight ratio of 100 to 2.5, available commercially under the trade names UV 9300 and UV 9380C-D1 from General Electric Company of Silicon Product Division, New York Waterford. It is a coating of UV curable silicone containing a blend. When such a silicone blend is used at a substrate coating application level of at least 0.25 g, the surface area, although other coating levels have been found to be suitable for some applications depending on, for example, the nature of the substrate and the properties of the lotion, surface area Preferably between 0.5 grams and 8.0 grams of silicon per square meter of has worked satisfactorily. Other suitable treatment materials include fluoropolymers (ie, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) commercially available under the trade name "TEFLON") and fluoropolymers such as chlorofluoropolymers. It includes, but is not limited to. Other materials that have proven to be suitable are mineral oils, although silicone materials, preferably long chained and / or branched silicones, are currently preferred for wet wipes for their biocompatibility properties. hydrocarbons such as petrolatum, latexes, paraffins, quaternary ammonium compounds, oils, essentials and the like. Preferred silicones include dimethicone copolyols. Others include any commercial waterproofings listed in Confectionery Manufacturers Publishing, McFeonion Division, McFonton Volume 2 Functional Materials 1995 (the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference), among which Akzo Nobel Chemicals, Inc. Preferred are GrapHsize, available, and Norgarde 10-T, available from Norman, Fox. Another suitable means includes coating with a photosensitive resin. According to the invention such chemicals may be applied to the surface of the panel by any means such as coating, spraying, extrusion, printing, or injecting the surface itself or substrate fibers. Such chemicals may be added to the substrate as components of the lotion or independently.

According to the invention, the wet wipes are stacked and then stored in the rigid dispensing vessel 20. The vessel 20 includes a vessel body 21 comprising a lower portion 22 and an upper portion 23. The vessel 20 may be provided in any shape, such as a cube, rectangle, cylinder, or the like, depending on the intended end use and the nature and shape of the wet wipe. Preferably the vessel 20 comprises a body portion having a bottom wall 24, an end wall 25, a side wall 26 and an optional top wall 27, which are rectangular and typically integrally molded. do. The container is preferably molded from any suitable plastic material, for example by thermoforming or injection molding techniques. Suitable plastics include polypropylene, polyethylene, polystyrene, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, polyester, polyvinyl chloride, polycarbonate and high density polyethylene. The vessel 20 is preferably formed from polypropylene. Typically such containers have dimensions of about 30 cm x 20 cm x 12 cm, preferably 25 cm x 15 cm x 10 cm.

In a preferred embodiment the container of the present invention is provided with a lid 28. The lid 28 is typically mounted on the container body 21 at the top 23 and secured to the container body by threads, snap fittings, interengaging ribs, frictional engagements, and the like. Can be. Alternatively, the lid 28 may be attached to the container body 21 by a hinge mechanism. The wipe is placed directly in the vessel 20 or alternatively the wipe is then stacked in a moisture impermeable wrapper, such as a foil or polymeric film wrapper, to provide a refill package for refilling the vessel. Can be packed.

A dispensing aperture 29 is provided in the upper portion 23 of the container body 21 which is integral with the container body 21 and is provided with a top wall 27 or provided by a lid 28 attached to the container body 21. Is provided. According to the invention dispensing aperture 29 it is selected to provide an open surface area of from 14cm ² to 65cm ^2, preferably from up to 15cm ² 50cm ^2, more preferably from 20cm ² to 35cm ^2. The aperture can have any shape, such as circular, rectangular, elliptical, or S-shaped and can also have wings as described, for example, in WO98 / 199946. Most preferably, the aperture has a rectangular or elliptical shape. The aperture must be rigid and free from sharp edges or corners that wipe or wipe the consumer's fingers without significantly changing its shape during use. The top of the container may also be provided with a groove such that any excess wipe substrate protruding from the aperture may be positioned between the lid and the body portion.

According to the invention, the base material is typically injected or coated in a liquid composition. It is an advantage of the present invention that the stack structure allows various compositions to be used with the base material without significantly affecting the dispensing mechanism. This is not only useful for allowing varying properties of the composition, but also allows for varying loading of the composition throughout the stack to prevent the composition from anchoring to the bottom of the stack. According to the invention the term liquid composition means any composition which is in liquid form when the wipe is in contact with the surface. Typically, the composition may be aqueous, alcohol-based, or emulsion, either water-in-oil, oil-in-water or complex emulsions, preferably The emulsion is an oil-in-water emulsion. The emulsion may also contain a lipid phase that can be broken by applying minimal pressure, such as, for example, cleaning the skin. Typically the composition comprises from 2% to 50% and 50% to 98% by weight, preferably deionized or distilled water, of the active said composition. Of the active ingredients, preferably from 2% to 20% are in the oil phase and the remainder in the aqueous solution phase.

According to the present invention the wet wipe is provided with an emulsion composition comprising an oil phase in the range of 1% to 20%, preferably 2% to 10% by weight of the composition. Advantageously, the oil-based phase is obtained from natural sources such as plant or animal oils and can be synthetic or any mixture thereof. Suitable plant and animal oils used herein are waxes such as beeswax, lanolin, candelilla and oils such as glycerin esters and glycerin ethers, fatty acid ethers and capric triglycerides such as fatty alcohols, fatty acid esters and caprylic And octypalmitate. Suitable mineral oils include petroleum based oils such as paraffin and petroleum jelly. Synthetic oils used herein include oils based on ethylenic polymers such as polyethylene wax or silicone. Suitable silicone oils include polydimethylsiloxanes, volatile cyclo-methicones, dimethiconols, siloxysilicates and amino- and phenyl derivatives of siloxanes and mixtures thereof. Examples include dimethicone (Dow Corning 200 fluid), cyclomethicone and dimethiconol (Dow Corning 1401 fluid), cetyl dimethicone (Dow Corning 2502 fluid), dimethicone and trimethylsiloxysilicate (Dow Corning 593 fluid), cyclo Methicone (Dow Corning 244,245,344 or 345 fluid), phenyl trimethicone (Dow Corning 556 fluid), or a combination thereof.

Oil-in-water emulsions typically require emulsifiers. The emulsifiers that can be used in the present invention are preferably emulsified mainly in oil-in-water emulsions. Emulsifiers are present in the range of 0.02% to 5.0%, preferably 0.02% to 3.0% by weight of the composition.

In a preferred embodiment the emulsifier is one of a copolymer of C10-C30 alkyl acrylate and one or more acrylic acid monomers, simple esters of methylacrylic acid crosslinked with allyl ether of methylacrylic acid or sucrose or allyl ether of pentaerythritol Emulsifier of the polymerization type such as. Emulsifiers so employed in the present invention include Ceteaeth-12, Cetearet-20 or Pemulen TR1 and TR2, available from the B.F. Goodrich Company. However, other known emulsifiers such as ethoxylated fatty alcohols, glycerin esters of fatty acids, soaps, sugar inducing agents are also suitable for use herein. Other useful emulsifiers include those disclosed in detail in EP-A-328 355.

According to the present invention the composition may comprise a stabilizing agent or preservative. Stability agents suitable for use herein are preferably phenoxyethanol, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, methylparaben, propylparaben, ethylparaben, butylparaben, sodium benzoate, preferably present in the range of 0.1% to 1.0%. , Potassium sorbate, benzalconium chloride, and disodium salt ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (hereafter referred to as EDTA) or other EDTA salt (sequestrene). Sequestrene is a series of complexing agents, generally a metal complex of ethylenediamine-tetraacetic acid with a salt. The total amount of stability agent should range from 0.1% to 4.0% by weight of the composition.

The composition of the present invention further comprises emollient or wetting agent from 0.02% to 5.0% by weight of the composition. Preferably the emollient is water soluble and includes propylene glycol, polyhydric alcohols such as glycerin, and also water soluble lanolin derivatives.

Optical components that may be used in the present invention also include antifungal agents, antibacterial agents, skin protectants, fat soluble cleansing agents, preferably nonionic or amphoteric water soluble surfactants or detergents, pH adjusters, perfumes, fragrances and the like.

The delivered viscosity should be less than 500 mPas, preferably in the range of more than 100 mPas up to 300 and most preferably in the range of 120 to 180 mPas in order for the emulsion to provide good cleaning performance to the wet wipe.

In making a wet wipe product according to the invention, the composition is applied to at least one surface of the base material. The composition may be applied at any time during the manufacture of the wet wipe. Preferably, the composition can be applied to the substrate after the substrate has dried. Any of a variety of application methods may be used that evenly distributes the slippery material that is fully molten or completely liquid. Suitable methods include spraying, printing (ie, flexographic printing), coating (ie, gravure coating or flood coating), extrusion, whereby the composition is brought into contact with the substrate through a tube The substrate, on the other hand, passes across the tube or combination of these application techniques. For example, spraying the composition onto a rotating surface, such as a calender roll, spraying then transfers the composition to the surface of the substrate. The composition may be applied to one or both surfaces of the substrate, preferably to both surfaces. Preferred application methods are extrusion coatings.

The composition may also be applied non-uniformly to the surface of the substrate. Non-uniform means that, for example, the amount of the composition distribution, the pattern, can vary on the surface of the substrate. For example, any surface of the substrate may have more or less amount of the composition, including surface portions that have no composition on it. The composition is typically added in an amount from about 0.5 g to 10 g per gram of substrate, preferably from 1.0 g to 5 g per gram of substrate, and most preferably from 2 g to 4 g per gram of dry substrate.

Preferably, the composition may be applied to the substrate at any point after the composition has dried. For example, the composition may be applied to the substrate before or after calendaring and before winding on a parent roll. Typically, this application will be performed on an unwound substrate from a roll having a width corresponding to a significant number of wipes intended to be produced. The substrate with the composition applied to the substrate is then subsequently cut to produce individual wipes.

Test method

Separation force test method

This method measures the force required to remove a wet wipe. This mimics the mechanical converting of the wipe, but excludes variables such as differences in folding or packaging design. Test results depend not only on the nature of the substrate and lotion but also on the folding design.

Manufacturing the sample

1. Weigh a stack of 20 dry folded wipes and calculate the weight to be obtained with a given lotion load. The wipes are placed in a plastic box and moistened with approximately 125 ml of lotion. Half of the lotion is poured into the stack, after which the stack is turned over and the remaining lotion is applied. Then squeeze the stack by hand in the box to moisturize the entire sample.

2. Then remove the stack from the plastic box and place the stack on a plastic block slightly larger than the stack. Squeeze the excess lotion with another plastic block until the required weight for a given lotion load (calculated in step 1) is reached.

3. The wipes are then placed on plastic foils on top of each other that are folded in turn and have an overlap corresponding to the overlap length of the folded structure (shown as l ₁ and l ₂ in FIG. 3A). The upper surface of the wipe stack is then covered by plastic foil.

4. The stack is placed on the floor / hard surface. A piece of undeformable plastic, at least as large as the overlap area, is placed on top of the stack and the stack is compressed to 20 kg for 15 seconds. Canisters containing water can be used as weight to produce a total weight of 20 kg. Care should be taken to lower the canister very slowly to ensure that the initial pressure exerted by the canister does not exceed 20 kg.

Measuring Separation Force

1. Samples should be measured immediately after converting. However, preparing two samples at once, then compressing both, and then measuring both can be acceptable.

2. To measure the separation force, the upper plastic foil is opened. Frequently, the first wipe remains attached to the upper plastic foil or at least becomes looser. In any case, the first wipe is removed and the measurement starts with the second and third wipe pairs.

3. The third wipe is carefully removed from the stack, as is the second wipe attached to the top of the stack. The wipe is tightened in the tension measuring machine. The machine pulls the wipe apart to give it the necessary force in grams.

4. The entire stack is measured in pairs of two. The final wipe is discarded too, so a sample of each of the original 20 wipes will give 9 data points.

5. The standard deviation is usually in the range of about 5%.

As noted above, the present invention is used in a dispensing system for a wet wipe that includes a container and a wet wipe stack therein that performs enhanced popup distribution of individual wipes from the wet wipe stack.

Claims (9)

The vessel 20 includes a plurality of wet wipes, the vessel 20 includes a vessel body 21, the vessel body includes a lower 22 and an upper 23, and the upper (23) has a cross-section of the dispensing aperture (dispensing aperture) comprises a (29), said aperture (29) from 14cm ² to 65cm ^2, as the wipe is defined by a test method in this , having an average of two separation force (average separation force) of from between two wipes 75g / cm ² to 250g / cm ^2, the distribution vessel (dispensing container) (20). The dispensing container (20) of claim 1, wherein the separation force is from 100 g / cm ² to 200 g / cm ² . The method of claim 1, wherein the separating force is in, dispensing vessel 20 from 125g / cm ² to 175g / cm ^2. The dispensing container (20) of claim 1, wherein the dispensing aperture (29) has a cross-sectional area from 15 cm ² to 50 cm ² . The dispensing vessel 20 of claim 1, wherein the aperture 29 has a rectangular or elliptical shape. As a dispenser 20 comprising a plurality of wipes according to claim 1, Each of the wipes folded into a Z-shaped folded structure and interleaved with at least one adjacent wipe. As the wet wipe according to any one of claims 1 to 6, Each of the wipes comprises a substrate and a liquid composition, wherein the liquid composition comprises a silicone oil. As the wet wipe according to any one of claims 1 to 6, Each wipe comprises a substrate comprising a hydrophobic fiber selected from polyethylene terephthalate, polypropylene, or mixtures thereof. As the wet wipe according to any one of claims 1 to 6, Each of the wipes comprises a substrate, wherein the substrate is a hydroentangled nonwoven fabric.