U.S. patent application number 10/519915 was filed with the patent office on 2006-06-15 for water-soluble container.
Invention is credited to Bernard Guglielmini, Christopher Paul Ramsey.
Application Number | 20060124646 10/519915 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 30011232 |
Filed Date | 2006-06-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060124646 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Guglielmini; Bernard ; et
al. |
June 15, 2006 |
Water-soluble container
Abstract
A water-soluble container (1) has at least one discrete chamber
(30, 31; 130, 131) for containing product. At least part (20, 27)
of the entirety (125a, 125b) of a container wall (11, 25; 125a,
125b) of the at least one chamber dissolves before the remainder of
the chamber dissolves to allow product to escape.
Inventors: |
Guglielmini; Bernard;
(Crimolois, FR) ; Ramsey; Christopher Paul;
(Wantage, GB) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Vincent L Ramik;Diller Ramik & Wight
7345 McWhorter Place
Suite 101
Annandale
VA
22003
US
|
Family ID: |
30011232 |
Appl. No.: |
10/519915 |
Filed: |
June 26, 2003 |
PCT Filed: |
June 26, 2003 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/EP03/07798 |
371 Date: |
September 15, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
220/500 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 81/32 20130101;
B65D 81/3205 20130101; B65D 81/3261 20130101; B65D 65/46
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
220/500 |
International
Class: |
B65D 25/04 20060101
B65D025/04 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jul 3, 2002 |
EP |
02254680.8 |
Claims
1: A water-soluble container (1) comprising at least one discrete
chamber (30, 31; 130, 131) for containing product, at least a part
(20, 27) of a first wall (11, 25; 125a, 125b) of said at least one
chamber 30, 31; 130, 131) will dissolve before a remainder wall of
the chamber dissolves to allow product to escape, the at least part
(20, 27) of the first wall (11, 25) which dissolves before the
remainder wall dissolves defines a releasable part (19, 26), and
when the at least part (20, 27) of the first wall (11, 25)
dissolves the releasable part (19, 26) is released undissolved.
2: The container (1) as defined in claim 1, wherein the releasable
part (19, 26) is a panel (19, 26) and the at least part (20, 27) of
the first wall (11, 25) at least partly surrounds the panel (19,
26) whereby the panel (19, 26) is released when the at least part
(20, 27) of the first wall (11, 25) has dissolved.
3: The container (201) as defined in claim 1, wherein the at least
part of the first wall (225) includes at least one clip element
(220) which retains the releasable part (225) until dissolved.
4: The container (1) as defined in claim 1, wherein the at least
part (20, 27) of the first wall (11, 25) is thinner than the
remainder wall of the container.
5: The container (1) as defined in claim 4, wherein the material
thinning (20, 27) is arranged on the interior surface of the
chamber wall.
6: The container (1) as defined in claim 1, wherein the container
is formed by injection moulding.
7: The container (1) as defined in claim 1, wherein at least part
of the material from which the container is formed is polyvinyl
alcohol.
8: The container (1) as defined in claim 1, wherein at least part
of the material from which the container is formed is a polylactic
acid.
9. The container (1) as defined in claim 1, wherein at least part
of the material from which the container is formed is
starch-based.
10: The container (1) as defined in claim 1, wherein the whole of
the container is formed from the same material.
11: The container (1) as defined in claim 1, wherein the container
is flexible.
12: (canceled)
13: The container (1) as defined in claim 1 including a second
discrete chamber (130, 131) for containing product, at least a part
of a first wall (125a, 125b) of said second chamber (130, 131) will
dissolve before a remainder wall of the second chamber dissolves to
allow product to escape, and the at least part of the first wall
(125a, 125b) of the second chamber which dissolves before the
remainder wall thereof dissolves at a different dissolution rate
than the dissolution rate of the at least part (20, 27) of the
first wall (11, 25) whereby products in the chambers escape
sequentially therefrom.
14: The container (1) as defined in claim 13, wherein the container
is formed by injection moulding.
15: The container (1) as defined in claim 13, wherein at least part
of the material from which the container is formed is polyvinyl
alcohol.
16: The container (1) defined in claim 13, wherein at least part of
the material from which the container is formed is a polylactic
acid.
17. The container (1) as defined in claim 13, wherein at least part
of the material from which the container is formed is starch-based.
Description
[0001] The present invention relates generally to a water-soluble
container.
[0002] Water-soluble containers as such are well-known and have a
variety of uses, such as in clothes washing. For example, CA
1112534 describes a water-soluble container for a detergent
composition. The water-soluble material may be, for example,
polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH). This document describes a single chamber
with a film form wall of constant thickness. Because the chamber
wall is of constant thickness, the entire wall must be dissolved
before any product can escape. In certain circumstances product may
be required quickly, before the time when the entire container has
dissolved.
[0003] According to the present invention there is provided a
water-soluble container comprising one or more discrete chambers
for containing product, at least part of the wall of the or at
least one of the chamber/s is adapted to dissolve before the
remainder of the chamber to allow product to escape. This means
that product can escape from a chamber without requiring complete
dissolution of the chamber. This can be useful for decreasing the
time taken for product to be released. It can also allow for a
greater degree of control over when product is released because the
area required to be dissolved is reduced.
[0004] A container according to the present invention with more
than one chamber gives the possibility for a system combining the
advantage of not requiring a whole chamber to dissolve before a
product is released, together with the possibility of sequential
release of products. In its simplest form a chamber provided with
the means for allowing product to escape before complete
dissolution could be associated with a chamber not having those
means. More complicated systems could involve chambers which allow
products to escape after different times before complete
dissolution.
[0005] The ability of such containers to provide for sequential
release of multiple products is extremely useful. For example,
clothing washing usually includes a detergent stage and a stage
later in the washing cycle in which a softening agent is
introduced. Dish-washing sometimes includes a detergent stage and a
separate rinsing stage. In many cases it would be preferable and
sometimes essential for different stages of washing operations to
be kept completely separate.
[0006] By providing for sequential release of products the present
invention removes the need for manual intervention at different
stages of washing cycles and allows the complete washing product to
be packaged and supplied together.
[0007] The at least part of the wall will most usually be an
exterior surface of the container thereby releasing product from
the container when it dissolves. However, it is also possible that
the at least part of the wall forms part of a chamber which is
housed within another chamber which itself includes water, whereby
the contents of the chambers are mixed when the at least part of
the wall dissolves. This might be useful, for example, if the
product in the inner chamber is activated by product in the outer
chamber. This allows activation in a controlled environment before
the activated product is released into the exterior of the
container and could be useful for products which become unstable
once activated.
[0008] There are many ways in which the container could be formed
in order that product is released from the chamber when the part of
the wall dissolves. For example the part of the wall could itself
comprise a closure part which dissolves to form an opening in the
chamber.
[0009] Alternatively, the part of the wall may define a releasable
part. When the part of the wall dissolves the releasable part is
released, itself as yet undissolved, to form an opening in the
chamber. For example, the releasable part may be a panel and the at
least part of the wall at least partly surrounds the panel so that
it is released, either completely or partially, when the part of
the wall dissolves. Alternatively the part of the wall may comprise
one or more clip elements, such as a hook. The clip elements
initially clip the closure part to the container but then dissolve
and release the releasable part. In this way only a small section
of the wall dissolves and yet a large opening can be provided
quickly.
[0010] There are many ways in which the part of the wall could be
formed in order that it dissolves before the remainder of the
container. For example, the at least part of the wall could be made
from a thinner section of material and/or from a different material
with a faster rate of dissolution than the remainder of the
container.
[0011] In embodiments where the at least part of the wall is
thinner than the remainder of the container the material thinning
may be arranged on the interior surface of the chamber wall. This
is particularly relevant when the at least part of the wall defines
a thin channel, because if the material thinning was arranged on
the exterior surface the channel could become saturated with
dissolved material, which would impede further dissolution.
[0012] In order to simplify production and allow for high volume
production the container may be formed by injection moulding. In
embodiments where the at least part of the wall is a thin section
surrounding a panel, the area of the panel may form the gate region
for injection moulding. This ensures that the thin section is
correctly moulded by avoiding problems with moulded regions which
are remote from the injection point.
[0013] As stated above, differential dissolution characteristics
may be achieved by forming the container from two or more different
materials at least some of which are water-soluble. It may,
however, be preferable for simplification of the production process
for the whole of the container to be formed from the same
material.
[0014] In some embodiments at least part of the material from which
the container is formed is a polyvinyl alcohol. Alternatively at
least part of the material may be a polylactic acid or a starch
based material.
[0015] The container may be flexible. This may be as a result of
the choice of material and/or the thickness of the walls.
[0016] Where a container has several walls, the term "wall" can
refer to any one or more of the walls. A spherical container, for
example, has a single wall whereas a cube has six walls. The term
is therefore generic and could refer to any part of the material
defining the chamber.
[0017] The present invention will now be more particularly
described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying
drawings, in which:
[0018] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a housing formed as part of
a container according to a first embodiment;
[0019] FIG. 2 is a section along line II-II of FIG. 1,
[0020] FIG. 3 shows the housing of FIG. 2 with a lid component
attached;
[0021] FIG. 4 shows the container of FIG. 3 following an initial
exposure to water;
[0022] FIG. 5 is a section through a container according to an
alternative embodiment;
[0023] FIG. 6 is a section of a container according to an
alternative embodiment; and
[0024] Referring first to FIGS. 1 and 2 there is shown a housing 10
of generally parallelopiped shape comprising a base wall 11, side
walls 12, 13 and end walls 14, 15. The housing is hollow and is
open opposite the base 11 to form a tray-like structure. The
housing 10 is formed from a water-soluble material. The material
could be, for example, a grade of PVOH which dissolves at
approximately 50.degree. C. The interior of the housing 10 is
divided into two discrete chambers 30, 31 by spaced parallel
partition side walls 16, 17 which extend from end wall 15 and are
joined at their ends by a partition end wall 18. Each of the
partition walls 16, 17, 18 extends the full height of the housing
walls 11, 12, 13, 14, 15. The portion of the base wall 14 which is
bounded by the partition walls 16, 17, 18 includes a panel 19
surrounded by a region of material thinning 20 the purpose of which
will be described in more detail below.
[0025] Referring now to FIG. 3 the housing of FIGS. 1 and 2 is
shown forming part of a container 1. The housing 10 is closed by a
lid 25. The chambers 30, 31 are filled with different products
before the lid 25 is applied. The lid 25 includes a panel 26 and
region of material thinning 27 opposite and identical to those of
the housing 10. The lid 25 may be secured to the housing 10 by any
convenient means such as welding adhesion, interference fit or
clipping. In this embodiment the seal is a face seal bond which is
chemically activated, in this case by water, and supported
internally by a wall 28 depending from the lid 25.
[0026] In this embodiment the thickness of the housing walls and
the lid is approximately 0.4 mm. This is about the thinnest that
material can be without a risk of `pin holes` i.e. tiny holes in
the material which could compromise the integrity of the chamber.
The material thinnings are approximately 0.15 mm thick and are
formed by reducing a small part of the uniform thickness of the
container.
[0027] In use, the container 1 is placed in an aqueous environment
and the temperature is raised beyond the dissolution temperature of
the container material. As the container 1 begins to dissolve the
material thinned regions 20, 27 will completely dissolve before the
remainder of the container. As a result, the panels 19, 26 are
released from the lid 25 and the base wall 14 such that product can
escape from the chamber 31. Of course the panels 19,26 do not have
to be completely released to be effective. For example the material
thinned regions 20, 27 could extend part way round the panels 19,
26 such that the panels 19, 26 become flaps which hinge open.
Product from the chamber cannot escape until the remainder of the
container has dissolved.
[0028] Referring now to FIG. 5 there is shown an alternative
embodiment. In this embodiment two discrete chambers 130,131 are
formed from two separate, hollow cube-shape housings 110a, 110b
which are bonded together along adjacent side walls 112a, 112b.
Each housing 110a, 110b is open along one side but closed by a lid
125a, 125b, in this embodiment sealed to the housings by adhesion.
The lids 125a, 125b are formed from different grades of PVOH which
dissolve at different rates, with the material of the lid 125a
having the faster dissolution rate. In this embodiment therefore
the lid 125a of the housing 110a dissolves before the lid of
housing 110b, to allow its product to escape first.
[0029] Referring to FIG. 6 there is shown a container 201 with a
single chamber 230. A generally cuboid housing 210 comprises a base
wall 211 and side walls 214, 215. An open side of the housing 210
is closed by a lid 225.
[0030] The lid 225 is held onto the housing 210 by a clip 220
extending from its periphery. The clip 220 engages under a bead 235
formed around the open side of the housing 210.
[0031] The clip 220 is thinner than the remainder of the container
201. Accordingly, in use of the container the clip 220 dissolves
before the remainder of the container so that the bead 235 no
longer retains the lid 225, and therefore allows the lid 225 to be
released from the housing 210.
* * * * *