WO2002045961A1

WO2002045961A1 - Improvements in or relating to a tampon

Info

Publication number: WO2002045961A1
Application number: PCT/SE2001/002641
Authority: WO
Inventors: Johansson kÅRE
Original assignee: Kaare Johansson
Priority date: 2000-12-07
Filing date: 2001-12-03
Publication date: 2002-06-13
Also published as: SE0004519D0; AU2002218610A1; SE0004519L

Abstract

The present invention refers to an improvement in or relating to a tampon pad (1) for tampon printing of at least one picture by aid of at least one tampon (2) on at least one detail, whereby at least one part of the limiting surface (14) of said tampon (2) is provided with at least one wearing layer (5).

Description

Improvements in or relating to a tampon

The present invention refers to improvements in or relating to a tampon in an tampon pad intended to provide at least one wearing layer directly or ■ indirectly on old worn out tampon pads' and/or new tampons.

In structures of this type used on the market today tampon pads are used to tampon print pictures on details. This is done so that a picture is fetched by the tampon pad, said picture consists of a colour, which lies in recesses in a cliche, said picture is thereafter moved over by the tampon and is printed on the detail. The tampon pad is worn after a time of use when the tampon touches the cliche and the detail when the picture is moved over. When the pad is worn out it is consumed and it will be,thrown away. Often the tampon pads are worn out. Especially if it is used to tampon print pictures on details which are provided with at least some of the following surface structure as rugged, uneven, grooved and sharp- edged or other rough formations. The tampon pad is built up by at least one tampon and at least one disk formed body where the tampon is secured and also the tampon pad is provided with a fastening device. The tampon is made of a resilent soft and mainly plastic material, preferably a silicone material. The manufacturing ot the tampon is made in such a way that different materials are mixed into a mass, which thereafter is filled into a mould, in which it is allowed to stiffen. The mass is expensive and the cost is today about SEK 1.000 for each kilogramme. The tampon will then be fastened on a support. This is occured preferably by gluing it against the disklike body, e.g.a plywood sheet, in which said fastening device is provided, which in turn is fastened to an axis of a tampon printing machine, which can move the tampn pad in a predetermined path between the cliche and the detail. When the tampon pad is worn out an expensive fastening pocedure must be accomplished which mean that it will be expensive to throw away.

One object of the present invention is to eliminate the disadvantages of above mentioned structures and to simplify and cheapen the production of the same in providing these with a weaing layer.

Thanks to the present invention a tampon pad has been provided, by which according to the invention can be used to tampon print many times more than the fact is by tampon pads according to previously known technique. The tampon according to the present invention is provided with at least one wearing layer provided somewhere on the surface of the tampon, below mentioned as the limiting surface of the tampon. The wearing layer is applied either on a second-hand tampon, which can be worn and which thus will be re-used instead of being thown away, or on a new tampon on its limiting, surface. The wearing layer can be of a better quallity than elsewhere in the tampon. Further it can be reinforced with glass fibre fabric or other reinforced material to decrease extending and thus a deformation of the picture during the printing procedure on irregular surfaces on a detail and further to increase the length of life of the tampon. The applying of the layer against the tampon can be done e.g. by aid of at least one of the following methods as dipping, painting, spraying, applying in at least one film and is fastened by by friction. During the applying the layer is formed like a stock condom, balloon or the like. The wearing layer can further be fastened anywhere point like andor wholly covering somewhere on the tampon pad, e.g. against the sheet formed body, against the anchoring section or dirrectly against the tampon by aid of any of the following methods: by burdock like strip, glueing, adhering, vulcanization, chemical compound, fixing by staples, squeezing e.g. against a groove, screwing, locking e.g. by aid of magnets or by aid of another fastening method. The above described fastening metods can of course be combined according to the present invention in a suitable manner if desired in order to fix one or several wearing layer. According to a preferable embodiment example of the invention used and trown away tampon pads and/or tampons are taken care of. The tampons are restored in that they by dipping or spraying are provided with a floating silicone mixture, whereby a new wearing layer is created. The dipping occursTike dipping candles, whereby the amount of dippings, how fast they are dipped and the consistency and quality of the flowing silicone mixture determines the thickness of the wearing layer and quality and wear strongness. Before the dipping occurs the tampon can be provided by a reinforcement. A spraying is made so that a smooth and fine disturbed wearing layer is created. This can be accomplished so that a suitable thickness is obtained in spraying one or several layers. By restoring of an old tampon wearings and grooves are filled up in the wearing layer applied, so that the tampon acts and looks like a new one. According to an alternative embodiment example of the invention the wearing layers are manufactured separately according to the methods mentioned above on a support having a predetermined and to the using range adapted form and are fastened thereafter against the tampon pad by at least some of the methods used above. The wearing layer is according to the invention directly or indirectly fastened against the tampon. In order to save money more when creating a tampon you can start using a cheaper material than the wearing layer in the rest of the tampon. This is called below as body. These materials can in this case be at least in any of the following states as: whole parts, small parts, granulate of these materials,still bigger parts of these materials, which have at least some of the following qualities as: rigid, elastic, plastic, flowing, and so on. These materials consist of at least some of the following materials: e.g. cloth, paper, cardboard, air, liquids, rubber, silicone or other sililar material, which partly or totally is used as filling out in the body in stead of using expensive as silicone_^ or mixtures there silicone is used, whereby a cheaper tampon can be manufactured during new production and restoring of old tampons according to the invention. Then the inner qualities are obtained in the tampon, as resilience and the re-elastic qualities for a relatively low price. The more expensive outer layer of silicone material is used in case mainly to obtain the outer qualities which means to fetch in a preferable way the picture from the cliche and later on to leave the picture onto the detail. This can be done having the correct adhesiv- ness in the surface layer. Anyone of the methods mentioned above can be used to create the wearing layers according to the invention, so that they also can be adapted to the qualities of the colours. This means that you also can print mechanically wearing colours containing mechaincally wearing f agments and also chemically aggressive colours. The most important advantages of the invention are that old tampon pads which before have been worthless and restore the same so that they will be as new again to a very low price. You increase in other words the life time very much what concerns the tampon pad. You can also quickly and easy change and provide stronger and more resistant wearing layer on both new and old tampons to a low cost. You can also increase the quality of the tampon printed picture by that the tampon is in a better condition and by that it can be provided by a reinforcement. Also new tampons can be provided with a much cheaper body and new wearing layers, which means that it is not necessary to use a more expensive material than what is required in order to manufacture a perfect tampon. '

The invention will now be described in more detail below with the aid of preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, on which

Figure 1 shows a section through a tampon pad according to the present invention in which comprises an inner and an outer body having a wearing layer, Figure 2 shows a section through an old tampon pad already used which has been restored according to the present invention,

Figure 3 shows a section through a tampon pad according to the present invention in which the tampon comprises a wearingjayer which has been anchored by a special fastening method.

As can be seen from the embodiment of the invention illustrated in fig. 1 a first embodiment example is shown of the tampon pad 1 which is made of a tampon 2, which is applied to sheet unit 3 at its fixing surface 4. The tampon 2 has a wearing layer 5 which is applied to the limiting surface 14 of the tampon 2. The wearing layer 5 has properties as softness, elasticy and a certain adhesivness, which makes it good in fetching the picture f om the cliche and to leave the same onto the detail. The tampon 2 is applied to the body 6, the inner parts 7 of which consist of a cheap material e.g. parts of cloths, paper, cardboard, air, liquids, rubber, silicone or other similar material and/or small pieces, granulate of these materials and/or still larger parts or these materials, which function as filling out so that the body 6 will have a certain form and size. In order to create elasticity and resilience the outer parts 8 of the body 6 is provided with an elastic material, which can be of silicone, rubber or the like, said outer part 8 is manufactured by at least one piece. Further a fastening device 9 is secured to the upper side of the sheet unit 3, so that the whole tampon pad 1 can be anchored to the shaft 10 of the tampon printing machine. The outer part 8 of the body 6 can in this case be manufactured, e.g. be casted in a mould and thereafter be filled with the material needed in order to create the inner part 7 of the body 6. Thereafter the body 6 is dipped in a floating mixture, preferable a silicone mixture, so that the wearing layer 5 is created. After that the silicone mixture has get stiff, the wearing layer 5 has been created which in this case will be elastic and resilience and which then is well anchored to against the body 6. This embodiment example of the invention is suitable preferable during manufacturing of new tampon pads 1.

As can be seen from fig. 2, an alternative embodiment example of the invention is illustrated, according to which the wearing layer 5 is applied to an old worn out tampon 2, so that it will be restored and can be used again. The wearing layer 5 covers in this case over a predetermined part of the limiting surface 14 of the tampon, preferably the area where wearings and grooves 11 exsist on the old tampon 2, which then is the body 6. During the application of the wearing layer 5 the wearings and grooves 1 are covered, so that the same will be reinforced and filled over or closed. A distance 12 can be left, whereby a certain part of the limiting surface 14 of the old tampon 2 is not covered by the wearing layer 5.

As can be seen from the embodiment example of the invention illustrated in fig. 3, the wearing layer 5 is applied over the limiting surface 14 of the tampon 2 by aid of rolling on, so that the wearing layer 5 is formed like a sock, condom, balloon or the like. The weaing layer 5 is point like and/or fixed directly to the tampon by aid of at least one of the following anchoring devices 13 and/or methods: by aid of burdoc like strips, fixing by staples, squeezing e.g. against a groove, screwing, locking, e.g.by magnets or any other anchoring method.

One or several wearing layers 5 can of course be applied according to invention, so that they are located partly or totally on each other, beside each other, where the wearing layers 5 are manufactured and applied to at least one or some of the methods mentioned above.

Claims

1. An improvement in or relating to a tampon pad (1) for tampon printing of at least one picture by aid of at least one tampon (2) onto at least one detail, characterized in that at least one part of the limiting surface (14) of the tampon (2) comprises at least one wearing layer (5).

2. An improvement according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one part of the wearing layer is applied onto a worn out tampon (2).

3. An improvement according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one part of the limiting surface and/or the wearing layer (5) of the tampon (2) comprises some type of reinforcement.

4. An improvement according to claim 1, characterized in that the creating of the wearing layer (5) is obtained by at least one of the following methods such as dipping, painting, spraying, squeezing on.

5. An improvement according to claim 1, characterized in that the application of the wearing layer (5) is accomplished by at least one fastening device (13) and/or by at least one of the following methods such as anchoring with burdoc like strips, friction, gluing, adhesiveness, vulcanization, chemical compound, fixing by staples e.g.against a groove, screwing, locking, e.g.by aid of magnets or someone else fastening method.

6. An improvement according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the manufacturing of the wearing layer (5) is made separately on a support having a predetermined and to the use range adapted form.

7. An improvement according to claim 1, characterized in that the tampon (2) consists of at least one body (6).

8. An improvement according to claim 7, characterized in that at least one part of the body (6) is built up by at lest one of the following materials namely e.g. cloth, paper, cardboard, air, liquids, rubber, silicone or other similar material.

. An improvement according any of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one part of the body (6) includes inner parts (7) consisting of a cheap material e.g. some or any of the following: wholly parts of cloths, paper, cardboard, air, liquids, rubber, silicone or another similar material and/or still larger parts of these materials and outer parts (8) are built up by at least one of the following materials: silicone, rubber or the like.

10. An improvement according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the outer parts (8) of the body (6) are manufactured in at least one piece.

11. An improvement according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that at least one of the outer parts (8) of the body (6) are manufactured in e.g.is casted in a mould, whereby a space is created for the inner part (7) of the body (6).

12. An improvement according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one part of the wearing layers (5) is formed like a sock, condom, balloon or the like, said wearing layers (5) are manufactured before they are applied onto the tampon pad (l).