Health-and-hygiene appliance comprising a dispersible component and a releasable component disposed adjacent or proximate to said dispersible component; and processes for making said appliance

• US 20070142256A1
• Filed: 12/15/2005
• Published: 06/21/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide Incorporated (Kimberly-Clark Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide Incorporated (Kimberly-Clark Corporation)
• Inventors: Lang, Frederick, Ribble, Brendon
• Granted Patent: US 7,612,031 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 510/141
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 17/00 Detergent materials or soaps characterised by their shape or physical properties shaping soap C11D13/14
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 17/041 Compositions releasably affixed on a substrate or incorporated into a dispensing means
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 17/042 Water soluble or water disintegrable containers or substrates containing cleaning compositions or additives for cleaning compositions
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 17/049 Cleaning or scouring pads; Wipes

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a health-and-hygiene appliance comprising a dispersible component and a releasable component. Some or all of the releasable component is not homogeneously distributed throughout the dispersible component. Instead, the releasable component is disposed adjacent or proximate to the dispersible component, as would occur if the dispersible component was coated, sprayed, injected, deposited, printed, or otherwise associated with a formed dispersible component. One example of such an appliance is a cleansing product in which, on exposure to liquid, such as water, the dispersible component disperses or disintegrates, thereby releasing, and making available, all or substantially all of the releasable component, in this case a soap, cleanser, or other formulation. The releasable component may be released prior to, concurrent with, and/or after dispersal or disintegration of the dispersing component. The appliance can be sized for convenient handling by a caregiver or user—e.g., a child—and for delivery of a pre-selected amount of the releasable component in a single use.

Claims

1. A health-and-hygiene appliance, the appliance comprising:

a dispersible component having an exterior surface, wherein the dispersible component is adapted to substantially disperse in liquid; and

a releasable component comprising a cleaning formulation, wherein at least a portion of said releasable component is attached to at least a portion of said exterior surface of said dispersible component; and

wherein said releasable component is adapted to substantially release from said dispersible component before, during, or after dispersal of the dispersible component in liquid.

2. The health-and-hygiene appliance of claim 1 wherein the dispersible component disperses in water.

3. The health-and-hygiene appliance of claim 2 further comprising a binder, wherein said binder serves to attach at least a portion of the releasable component to at least a portion of the dispersible component.

4. The health-and-hygiene appliance of claim 3 wherein the binder comprises fat, oil, shea butter, wax, gum Arabic, a hydrocolloid, a water-soluble adhesive, a water-dispersible adhesive, a water-soluble hot-melt adhesive, maltodextrin, a gum solution, a starch solution, or some combination thereof.

5. The health-and-hygiene appliance of claim 1 wherein the releasable component is distributed substantially uniformly across the exterior surface of the dispersible component.

6. The health-and-hygiene appliance of claim 1 wherein the dispersible component further comprises a cleaning formulation.

7. The health-and-hygiene appliance of claim 1 wherein the dispersible component comprises an extruded foam.

8. The health-and-hygiene appliance of claim 1 wherein the appliance is adapted to convey a signal to a user of the appliance upon use of said appliance.

9. The health-and-hygiene appliance of claim 8 wherein the signal is detected by the user of the appliance by sight, by hearing, by touch, by smell, or some combination thereof.

10. The health-and-hygiene appliance of claim 8 wherein the signal is effected by a color-changing dye, a microencapsulated ingredient, a water-insoluble ingredient, an effervescing ingredient, or some combination thereof.

11. The health-and-hygiene appliance of claim 8 wherein the signal is effected by an interaction between two or more ingredients employed by the appliance.

12. The health-and-hygiene appliance of claim 2 wherein the mass of the releasable component is greater than about 0.1 gram.

13. The health-and-hygiene appliance of claim 2 wherein the appliance is adapted to be used once.

14. The health-and-hygiene appliance of claim 2 comprising a surfactant, wherein the surfactant is present in the releasable component, or in both the releasable component and the dispersible component.

15. The health-and-hygiene appliance of claim 2 wherein the appliance defines a shape configured to be dispensed in amounts selected by a user of the appliance.

16. The health-and-hygiene appliance of claim 2 comprising a moisturizing ingredient, wherein the moisturizing ingredient is present in the releasable component, or in both the releasable component and the dispersible component.

17. The health-and-hygiene appliance of claim 2 comprising an encapsulated ingredient, wherein the encapsulated ingredient is present in the releasable component, or in both the releasable component and the dispersible component.

18. The health-and-hygiene appliance of claim 1 wherein the dispersible component defines an interior cavity.

19. The health-and-hygiene appliance of claim 18 further comprising a second releasable component contained in said interior cavity, wherein the second releasable component is the same or different than the releasable component attached to the exterior surface of the dispersible component.

26. A package comprising:

a container, wherein one or more health-and-hygiene appliances of claims 1 or 20 are contained in said container; and

a statement disposed on or in said container associating use of said appliance with good hygiene habits.

27. A kit comprising

a container, wherein one or more health-and-hygiene appliances of claims 1 or 20 are contained in said container;

and

at least one other, different personal-care product contained in said container.

29. A package comprising a container, wherein the container contains one or more health-and-hygiene appliances of claims 2 or 20, and wherein said container comprises a water-impermeable material.

30. A package comprising a container, wherein the container contains one or more health-and-hygiene appliances of claims 2 or 20, and wherein each appliance is further contained in an individual wrapper comprising a water-impermeable material.

40. A message embodied in a tangible medium and adapted to be communicated to potential customers, wherein said message refers to the health-and-hygiene appliance of claims 2 or 20.

41. The message of claim 40, wherein the message is embodied in an Internet Web page.

20. A health-and-hygiene appliance, the appliance comprising:

a dispersible component comprising an extruded foam and having an exterior surface and an internal cavity, wherein the dispersible component is adapted to substantially disperse in liquid; and

a releasable component comprising a cleaning formulation, wherein the releasable component is disposed adjacent or proximate to said dispersible component; and

wherein said releasable component is adapted to substantially release from said dispersible component before, during, or after dispersal of the dispersible component in liquid.

21. The health-and-hygiene appliance of claim 20 wherein all of the releasable component is contained in said interior cavity.

22. The health-and-hygiene appliance of claim 20 wherein one or more ingredients employed by said appliance convey a signal to a user of the appliance upon use of said appliance.

23. The health-and-hygiene appliance of claim 22 wherein the signal is effected by the interaction of two or more ingredients employed by the appliance.

24. The health-and-hygiene appliance of claim 23 wherein the signal is detected by the user by sight, by hearing, by touch, by smell, or some combination thereof.

25. The health-and-hygiene component of claim 20 further comprising a second releasable component, wherein the releasable component is attached to the exterior surface of the dispersible component, and wherein the second releasable component is contained in the interior cavity and is the same or different than the releasable component attached to the exterior surface of the dispersible component.

28. A kit comprising a container, wherein a plurality of health-and-hygiene appliances of claims 8 or 22 are contained in said container, and wherein at least two of said health-and-hygiene appliances effect different signals, whether the signals are different by color, by sound, by touch, by smell, or some combination thereof.

38. A method of developing good hygiene habits, the method comprising the steps of:

dispensing or positioning in the hands of a user the health-and-hygiene appliance of claims 8 or 22; and

using the product for a time sufficient to effect a signal detectable by said user.

39. A method of developing good hygiene habits, the method comprising the steps of:

dispensing or positioning in the hands of a user the health-and-hygiene appliance of claims 8 or 22; and

using the product for a time sufficient to substantially disperse the dispersing component of said appliance, thereby substantially releasing the releasing the releasable component.

31. A process for making a health-and-hygiene appliance, the process comprising the steps of:

providing a dispersible component;

providing a releasable component comprising a cleaning formulation; and

attaching at least a portion of the releasable component to the dispersible component to form a health-and-hygiene appliance, wherein the dispersible component is adapted to substantially disperse in liquid, and wherein the releasable component is adapted to substantially release from the dispersible component upon dispersal of the dispersible component in liquid.

32. The process of claim 31 wherein the releasable component comprises a powder, and wherein the releasable component is attached to said dispersible component in a tumbler-drum.

33. The process of claim 32 further comprising the step of applying a binder to the dispersible component prior to, or concurrent with, attaching the releasable component to said dispersible component.

34. The process of claim 31 wherein the dispersible component is an extruded foam and the releasable component is a powder.

35. The process of claim 31 wherein the releasable component comprises a surfactant.

36. The process of claim 31 further comprising the step of forming one or more shapes from the dispersible component or the combination of the dispersible component and releasable component.

37. The process of claim 36 wherein the shape or shapes interlock such that substantially no waste is produced when forming said shape or shapes.