HYGIENE PRODUCT

Abstract

The invention relates to a hygienic article product, which comprises: a plurality of hygienic inserts and / or sanitary pads intended to be inserted into underpants, on the rear side of each of which hygienic inserts and / or sanitary pads at least one adhesive layer having at least one covering strip that can be pulled off of the at least one adhesive layer is provided; and packaging for the hygienic inserts and / or sanitary pads. According to the invention, the hygienic inserts and / or sanitary pads are not packaged individually, and the packaging is a reclosable film packaging and / or paper packaging based on paper tissue packaging, in which film packaging and / or paper packaging the hygienic inserts and / or sanitary pads are inserted lying one over the other in a stack and from which film packaging and / or paper packaging the hygienic inserts and / or sanitary pads can be removed individually like paper tissues, and the film packaging and / or paper packaging has a reclosable opening on each of the narrow sides of the film packaging and / or paper packaging lying opposite one another.

Description

[0001] hygiene product

[0002] The present invention relates to a hygiene product comprising a plurality of hygiene pads and / or sanitary napkins intended for insertion into underwear, each of which has at least one adhesive layer on its back with at least one cover strip that can be peeled off the adhesive layer, and its packaging.

[0003] In the present invention, the term hygiene pads and / or sanitary napkins refers to panty liners, sanitary napkins for menstrual hygiene and / or incontinence pads.

[0004] Common sanitary pads and / or sanitary napkins are often individually wrapped, with a large number of these individually wrapped pads and / or sanitary napkins being sold in a foil bag or cardboard box. The individual packaging is made of plastic and encloses the pad and / or sanitary napkin, which is usually folded once or twice, or sometimes unfolded. To use the pad and / or sanitary napkin, it must first be removed from the foil bag or cardboard box and then also from its individual packaging. In addition, a paper and / or plastic backing strip is attached to the pad and / or sanitary napkin, which must also be removed before use. The current individual packaging of sanitary pads and / or sanitary napkins allows for hygienic storage until they are needed.Individually wrapped sanitary pads and / or sanitary napkins can, for example, be conveniently carried in a handbag. However, this results in a huge amount of packaging waste that has to be disposed of.

[0005] While individual packaging can theoretically be used to wrap a used sanitary pad and / or sanitary napkin for clean disposal, the waste problem associated with the amount of packaging material still persists. Given the already excessive environmental pollution caused by such vast quantities of packaging, this is no longer acceptable.

[0006] Furthermore, there are, for example, sanitary pads and / or sanitary napkins that are not individually wrapped and are only protected by a strip, and are sold in cardboard boxes. Once the cardboard box is opened, it cannot be resealed in such a way as to adequately protect the sanitary pads and / or sanitary napkins inside. Moreover, such cardboard boxes are bulky and therefore unsuitable for travel.

[0007] Finally, there are also prior art sanitary napkin packaging solutions in which individually wrapped sanitary napkins are contained within a film package. The film package can be torn open along its top surface by two parallel perforation lines extending centrally and transversely across the top surface. An adhesive strip is provided at one free end of the resulting strip, which remains attached to the film package. This strip is intended to secure the adhesive strip to the outside of the film package after a sanitary napkin has been removed. However, opening the film package causes it to open in such a way that the adhesive strip, even when secured to the film package, does not hygienically reseal the opening. The sanitary napkins can even fall out of the film package despite the adhesive strip being secured.Furthermore, this sanitary pad packaging is also too large for a handbag.

[0008] The publication EP 0 030 601 A1 discloses a conventional soft pack for paper tissues, but its application is also described as suitable for other cellulose products, such as napkins, sanitary napkins, etc. The soft pack, made of a plastic film, has a substantially cuboid structure forming a front wall, back wall, side walls, and end walls, with perforation lines defining parts of the pack that can be torn open. In particular, either the large front wall or the back wall is provided with a tear-off tab that tapers towards a grippable end and is defined by perforation lines, connecting perforations, or other markings that ensure the tearability of the material. The end of the tear-off tab is covered with an adhesive strip.

[0009] An alternative form for a tissue packaging is disclosed in German patent application DE 295 04 873 U1. The paper tissue packaging described therein has an additional packaging compartment on the front, back, side, top or bottom of the packaging, which serves to hold used tissues and is separated from the compartment containing the fresh tissues by a partition.

[0010] German patent application DE 89 11 486 U1 discloses a soft packaging device for the packaging of non-rectangular, flexible flat objects, in particular elongated, end-rounded panty liners, which are wrapped with film material in a folded state, wherein, according to the invention, a plurality of flat objects folded into a rectangular shape are stacked on top of each other and surrounded by a cuboid packaging cover that fits relatively closely to the stack, and wherein the packaging cover is designed to be opened over the entire width of a cuboid side face and at least a part of its depth and to be resealable.

[0011] Publication DD 2 76 624 A1 discloses a method for manufacturing sanitary napkins with adhesive strips, wherein the adhesive strip is applied using a hot-melt adhesive and subsequently covered with a release strip. An absorbent core is lined on the side of the napkin facing away from the body with a liquid-impermeable film. The absorbent core is encased in a layer of cellulose wadding, and the entire napkin is wrapped in nonwoven fabric and sealed on all sides. The adhesive strip is then applied to the nonwoven fabric.

[0012] German patent application DE 20 2004 015 961 U1 describes a hygiene product comprising an absorbent product and a combined cleaning product. The absorbent product can be a sanitary napkin, a panty liner, or an incontinence product. The cleaning product is a cotton pad or a cleaning wipe. In one embodiment, the absorbent product is folded, and the cleaning product is placed on top of it and partially folded in. The absorbent product and cleaning product are packaged together in a bag, which also serves as a cover for an adhesive strip attached to the absorbent product.

[0013] It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide hygienic pads and / or sanitary napkins that can be hygienically packaged and conveniently transported, for example, in a handbag, without generating much packaging waste.

[0014] This problem is solved by a hygiene product comprising a plurality of sanitary pads and / or sanitary napkins intended for insertion into underwear, each of which has at least one adhesive layer on its back with at least one removable cover strip, and its packaging, wherein the sanitary pads and / or sanitary napkins are not individually wrapped and the packaging is a resealable film and / or paper packaging similar to a paper tissue package, in which the sanitary pads or sanitary napkins are placed in a stack on top of each other and from which the sanitary pads and / or sanitary napkins can be individually removed like paper tissues, and wherein the film and / or paper packaging has a resealable opening on each of the narrow sides opposite each other.

[0015] The hygiene product according to the invention comprises both the packaging and the hygiene pads and / or bandages placed therein, and optionally further means placed in the packaging that serve hygiene in the broadest sense.

[0016] In the present invention, several hygiene pads and / or sanitary napkins, having only at least one cover strip and no individual packaging, are contained in a foil and / or paper packaging that corresponds to or resembles a paper tissue package.

[0017] The description that the packaging is a resealable film and / or paper package similar to a paper tissue package means that the packaging is constructed as described in publication EP 0 030 601 A1. Thus, the packaging in the present invention is also a soft package. The packaging used in the present invention, which corresponds to a paper tissue package, has a substantially cuboid structure forming a front wall, back wall, side walls, and end walls, with perforation lines defining parts of the package that can be torn open. In particular, either the large front wall or the back wall is provided with a tear-off tab that tapers towards a graspable end and is defined by perforation lines and connecting perforations or other markings that ensure the tearability of the material.The end of the tear-off tab is covered with an adhesive strip.

[0018] This foil and / or paper packaging can be opened by, for example, breaking a pre-perforated tab in the foil from which the packaging is formed. Then, as is also the case with paper tissues, a tab formed by breaking the foil can be lifted, and a sanitary liner and / or pad can be removed from the foil and / or paper packaging. The remaining sanitary liners and / or pads remain clean and protected inside the foil and / or paper packaging. The foil and / or paper packaging can then be resealed.

[0019] This can be achieved, for example, by providing an adhesive strip on the closure flap, which allows the closure flap to be fixed to the rest of the film and / or paper packaging. The adhesive strip has an adhesive layer that allows for easy adhesion, but also easy manual release of the adhesive strip from the film and / or paper packaging material.

[0020] The foil and / or paper packaging containing the sanitary pads and / or bandages is lightweight and compact, making it easy to carry, for example, in a handbag. Although the sanitary pads and / or bandages are hygienically protected within the foil and / or paper packaging, using a particular pad or bandage requires only removing at least one of the protective strips. This strip, along with the thin foil and / or paper packaging (which only needs to be disposed of once all the pads and / or bandages have been used), constitutes the only waste material that the user needs to dispose of. This represents a significant reduction in waste compared to current technologies.

[0021] The at least one cover strip is preferably a paper strip, but can also be made of another material, such as plastic or a composite material.

[0022] After removing the backing strip, the adhesive layer remains at least mostly on the back of the respective sanitary pad or napkin, so that the sanitary pad or napkin can be fixed in the crotch area of ​​underwear when used as intended.

[0023] In the hygiene product according to the invention, the hygiene inserts and / or bandages placed in the foil and / or paper packaging are either unfolded or folded at least once, whereby their length is, for example, halved or reduced to a third compared to their unfolded state of use.

[0024] If, in the present invention, the sanitary pads and / or sanitary napkins preferably have a shorter length than conventional sanitary pads and / or sanitary napkins, or are folded, they can easily be placed in the film and / or paper packaging, which is typically shorter than conventional sanitary pads and / or sanitary napkins and resembles a paper bag or tissue packaging.

[0025] In the present invention, a film or paper packaging can be used just like a transparent film packaging otherwise used for packaging paper tissues. However, in the present invention, being modeled on a paper tissue packaging does not necessarily mean that the film or paper packaging must be designed exactly like a paper tissue packaging. The film or paper packaging used in the invention can, for example, taper along one side of its length and thus be adapted to the shape of the sanitary pads and / or sanitary napkins placed therein, or be significantly shorter than a conventional paper tissue packaging. In the present invention, the sanitary pads and / or sanitary napkins lie flat on top of each other in the film or paper packaging.Preferably, the sanitary pads and / or bandages are arranged so that the back of one pad and / or bandage, which has a cover strip, lies on the front of another pad and / or bandage. The pads and / or bandages can be arranged in the same orientation or in alternating orientations within the film or paper packaging. The latter is advantageous if the pads and / or bandages have a shape that tapers in length, for example, on one side. In this case, the cuboid shape of the film or paper packaging is well filled.

[0026] Because the film and / or paper packaging has a resealable opening on each of its opposite narrow sides, these two narrow sides are advantageously suitable for removal. This can be used, for example, to store different hygiene inserts and / or bandages in the film and / or paper packaging, which can then be removed from the respective narrow sides.

[0027] In advantageous embodiments of the hygiene product according to the invention, the film and / or paper packaging has at least one openable and closable closure flap, the width of which corresponds essentially to the width of a narrow side of the film and / or paper packaging. The respective closure flap is formed from a cover area made exclusively from a material region of the front or back of the film and / or paper packaging and an adhesive strip adhering to the cover area. Since the cover area is formed only from the material of the front or back of the film and / or paper packaging, and the rest of the film and / or paper packaging retains its shape, the film and / or paper packaging does not open after being opened, but only reveals the area beneath the cover area.The resulting cover area almost completely seals the opening when it is attached to the outside of the film and / or paper packaging using the adhesive strip. Because the closure flap, and thus the cover area, has a width that corresponds to the width of the narrow side from which the sanitary pads and / or bandages are removed from the film and / or paper packaging, the sanitary pads and / or bandages are particularly easy to remove from the film and / or paper packaging.

[0028] Preferably, only a single perforation line is provided between the covering area of ​​the respective closure flap in the unopened state of the film and / or paper packaging and the remaining material of the front or back of the film and / or paper packaging. This perforation line defines the shape of the covering area of ​​the closure flap. The perforation line is preferably realized by a single perforation line, but can also be realized by several perforation lines running one above the other or closely next to each other.

[0029] In other embodiments, instead of perforations, other predetermined breaking points can be used in the film material of the film and / or paper packaging.

[0030] In preferred embodiments of the invention, the perforation line or predetermined breaking point pattern is semicircular. However, it can also be angular or wavy, or have a pattern that forms a square covering area.

[0031] Typically, the sanitary pads or bandages used in the present invention have a usable length in the range of 140 mm to 160 mm, preferably 150 mm. In specific embodiments of the present invention, the sanitary pads or bandages, in their unfolded usable state, have a length in the range of 100 mm to 120 mm, preferably 110 mm. This length is sufficient in many cases to fulfill the function of absorbing blood and / or secretions. The specified length corresponds to the length of a conventional paper tissue package. Thus, the sanitary pads or bandages can be inserted into the film and / or paper packaging and stored therein without having to be folded.

[0032] In other embodiments of the invention, the sanitary pads or bandages are folded at least once transversely to their longitudinal orientation within the film and / or paper packaging to shorten their storage length. However, the sanitary pads and / or bandages can also be folded more than once, for example, to halve or divide their storage length into thirds. It is particularly hygienic if, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the sanitary pads or bandages are folded such that the at least one cover strip is on the outside of the respective sanitary pad or bandage after folding. In this embodiment, when removing the respective sanitary pad or bandage from the film and / or paper packaging, it is grasped by the at least one cover strip and not on its absorbent side, which will later face the body, so that the absorbent side remains hygienically clean.This also applies to the remaining hygiene pads or bandages in the foil and / or paper packaging after one of the hygiene pads or bandages has been removed, which is advantageous, for example, if the foil and / or paper packaging is not completely resealed after one of the hygiene pads or bandages has been removed, or if the seal of the foil and / or paper packaging is damaged.

[0033] It has proven particularly advantageous if the foil and / or paper packaging has a resealable opening on at least one of its narrow sides and the sanitary pads or bandages are inserted into the foil and / or paper packaging in such a way that the folded edges of the respective sanitary pads or bandages are on the side of the opening of the packaging. This allows the respective sanitary pads or bandages to be easily pulled out of the foil and / or paper packaging by a simple movement, for example, between the thumb and forefinger, at the folded edge.

[0034] In the present invention, the narrow sides of the film and / or paper packaging are not the two largest visible sides, i.e., the front and back of the film and / or paper packaging, but rather the narrower sides that form either the top and bottom or the two long sides of the film and / or paper packaging.

[0035] In one embodiment of the invention, a first closure flap of a first of the two resealable openings can be provided on a front side of the film and / or paper packaging, and a second closure flap of a second of the two resealable openings can be provided on a back side of the film and / or paper packaging. This embodiment of the invention can also be used for storing sanitary pads and / or sanitary napkins on the one hand and paper tissues on the other.Accordingly, in one variant of the present invention, it is provided that a stack of sanitary pads and / or bandages and a stack of tissues are placed one on top of the other in the foil and / or paper packaging in such a way that the sanitary pads and / or bandages can be removed from a first resealable opening on a first of the narrow sides of the foil and / or paper packaging and the tissues can be removed from a second resealable opening on a second of the narrow sides of the foil and / or paper packaging.

[0036] Preferred embodiments of the present invention, their structure, function and advantages are explained in more detail below with reference to figures, wherein:

[0037] Figure 1 schematically shows a simple embodiment of a hygiene product in a perspective view;

[0038] Figure 2 schematically shows the embodiment of the hygiene product from Figure 1 with the foil packaging opened;

[0039] Figure 3 schematically shows a possible embodiment of an invention.

[0040] hygiene product from one perspective; and

[0041] Figure 4 shows another possible embodiment of a hygiene article product according to the invention in a perspective view.

[0042] Figures 1 and 2 schematically show a hygiene product 1 a, each in a perspective view.

[0043] The hygiene product 1a has a foil packaging 2, which is designed similarly to a paper tissue package. In Figure 1, the foil packaging 2 is closed; in Figure 2, it is open. Instead of the foil packaging 2, packaging made of paper and / or a foil-paper composite material can also be used. In the illustrated embodiment, the foil packaging 2 is transparent, but this need not be the case in other embodiments of the invention. Furthermore, the foil packaging 2 can be printed.

[0044] The foil packaging 2 is cuboid in shape. The corner edges of the cuboid may be rounded.

[0045] The foil packaging 2, in its unopened state as shown in Figure 1, has a perforation pattern with predetermined breaking points 3, at which the foil packaging 2 can be easily broken open manually. In the illustrated embodiment, the predetermined breaking points 3 are perforations in the material of the foil packaging 2. In the example shown, the predetermined breaking points 3 are semicircular in the material of the foil packaging 2, so that a sealing flap 4 is formed when the predetermined breaking points 3 are broken open.

[0046] In the illustrated embodiment, the foil packaging 2 contains sanitary pads and / or sanitary napkins 6 in the form of panty liners. As can be seen schematically in Figure 4, the panty liners are stacked one on top of the other in the foil packaging 2 such that the absorbent side and the back of the flat panty liners lie parallel to the two largest side surfaces of the cuboid, which form the front and back of the foil packaging 2.

[0047] In the view shown in Figure 2, the predetermined breaking points 3 are broken and the closure flap 4 is open. The closure flap 4 has a cover area formed from the material of a front side of the film packaging 2, on which an adhesive tab 5 is provided. This tab allows the closure flap 4 to be fixed to the front side of the film packaging 2 for closing. An adhesive layer is located on the underside of the adhesive tab 5, enabling it to adhere to the material of the film packaging 2. This adhesion can be easily released manually, allowing the film packaging 2 to be easily opened and then closed again using the closure flap 4. In other embodiments of the invention, the adhesive tab 5 can be omitted.Instead of panty liners, in other embodiments of the present invention, for example sanitary napkins or incontinence pads can also be included as hygiene pads and / or sanitary napkins 6 in the foil packaging 2.

[0048] The hygiene pads or bandages 6 used in the illustrated embodiment have a working length L of between 140 mm and 160 mm, preferably 150 mm, in their unfolded state of use.

[0049] The sanitary pads and / or bandages 6 are each folded at least once transversely to their longitudinal orientation, forming at least one fold 8. The folding is carried out such that a cover strip 7, located on an adhesive layer provided on the reverse side of the respective sanitary pad and / or bandage 6, is on the outside. This ensures that the respective sanitary pad and / or bandage 6 in Figure 2 is grasped at the cover strip 7 and not on the absorbent side of the sanitary pad and / or bandage 6 for removal from the foil packaging 2.

[0050] In other embodiments of the present invention, not shown, the sanitary pads and / or bandages 6 can also be provided unfolded in the film packaging 2. In these embodiments, the sanitary pads and / or bandages 6 preferably have a length adapted to that of a conventional paper tissue package in the range of 100 mm to 120 mm, preferably 110 mm.

[0051] The sanitary pad and / or bandage 6 is individually pulled out of the foil packaging 2, while the other sanitary pads and / or bandages 6 placed in the foil packaging 2 remain in their original position inside the foil packaging 2. After removing the sanitary pad and / or bandage 6, which is typically located at the front, the flap 4 is closed again.

[0052] Figure 3 schematically shows an embodiment of a hygiene product 1b according to the invention, wherein the same reference numerals as in the preceding figures denote the same elements of the invention, and reference is hereby made to their description above. In the hygiene product 1b, the film packaging 2 has predetermined breaking points 3, 3' on both sides, opposite each other transversely, from which corresponding tabs 4 can be formed, with which the film packaging 2 can be opened. This makes it possible to remove hygiene pads and / or sanitary napkins 6 or other hygiene products, such as paper tissues 9, inserted into the film packaging 2 from both sides, as can be seen in Figure 4. The paper tissues 9 are stacked on top of or underneath the similarly stacked hygiene pads and / or sanitary napkins 6 in the film packaging 2, as shown in Figure 4.

[0053] Figure 4 schematically shows a further embodiment of a hygiene product 1 c according to the invention, wherein the same reference numerals as in the preceding figures denote the same elements of the invention, with reference hereto to their description above.

[0054] Figure 4 also shows two dispensing openings provided by corresponding tabs 4, 4' on the film packaging 2. However, unlike in Figure 3, these are located on the same narrow side 21 of the film packaging 2.

[0055] The above statements regarding foil packaging 2 apply analogously to foil and / or paper packaging.

Claims

CHANGED REQUIREMENTS Received at the International Bureau on April 30, 2020 1. Hygiene product (1a, 1b, 1c) comprising a plurality of hygiene pads and / or sanitary napkins (6) intended for insertion into underwear, each of which has at least one adhesive layer with at least one removable cover strip (7) on its back, and its packaging, characterized by that the sanitary pads and / or bandages (6) are not individually repackaged and the packaging is a film and / or paper packaging (2) in which the sanitary pads or bandages (6) are placed in a stack on top of each other and from which the sanitary pads and / or bandages (6) can be individually removed, and the film and / or paper packaging (2) has on opposite narrow sides of the film and / or paper packaging (2) an openable and closeable closure flap (4, 4') whose flap width corresponds to the narrow side of the film and / or paper packaging (2).

2. Hygiene product according to claim 1, characterized in that the respective closure flap (4, 4') is formed from a cover area formed exclusively from a material area of ​​a front or back of the film and / or paper packaging (2) and an adhesive strip adhering to the cover area.

3. Hygiene product according to claim 2, characterized in that a single perforation line is provided between the covering area of ​​the closure flap (4, 4') in the unopened state of the film and / or paper packaging (2) and the remaining material of the front or back of the film and / or paper packaging (2).

4. Hygiene product according to claim 3, characterized in that the perforation line pattern is semicircular. AMENDED SHEET (ARTICLE 19) 5. Hygiene product according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the hygiene pads or bandages (6) have a usable length (L) between 100 mm and 120 mm in their unfolded state of use.

6. Hygiene product according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the hygiene pads or bandages (6) are unfolded or folded transversely to their longitudinal orientation for storage in the foil and / or paper packaging (2).

7. Hygiene product according to claim 6, characterized in that the hygiene pads or bandages (6) are folded such that the at least one cover strip (7) is on the outside of the respective hygiene pad or bandage (6) after folding.

8. Hygiene product according to claim 7, characterized in that the film and / or paper packaging (2) has a resealable opening on at least one of its narrow sides and the hygiene inserts or bandages (6) are inserted into the film and / or paper packaging (2) such that the fold edges (8) of the respective hygiene inserts or bandages (6) are on the side of the resealable opening of the film and / or paper packaging (2).

9. Hygiene product according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a first closure flap (4) of a first of the two resealable openings is provided on a front side of the film and / or paper packaging (2) and a second closure flap (4') of a second of the resealable openings is provided on a back side of the film and / or paper packaging (2).

10. Hygiene product according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a stack of hygiene pads and / or bandages (6) and a stack of paper tissues (9) are placed one on top of the other in the foil and / or paper packaging (2) such that the hygiene pads and / or bandages (6) can be accessed from a first resealable opening at a first- AMENDED SHEET (ARTICLE 19) ten of the narrow sides (21) of the foil and / or paper packaging (2) and the paper tissues (9) can be removed from a second resealable opening on a second of the narrow sides (22) of the foil and / or paper packaging (2). AMENDED SHEET (ARTICLE 19)