Hand held dispensing and application apparatus

Abstract

A dispensing and application apparatus designed to contain pre-measured amounts of a flowable substance. The apparatus comprises a compartment 130 for storing the substance that is partially enclosed by a frangible seal 210, an applicator 100, and an expandable chamber 170 designed to accept and dissipate the hydraulic force created when pressure is applied to the compartment 130, rupturing the frangible seal 210, and expelling the substance into the chamber 170. The applicator 100 is attached to the chamber 170 with an applicator bond area 180. The expandability of the chamber 170 is conferred by expandability of the applicator 100, and is varied in different embodiments by altering the ratio between the area of the applicator bond area 180 and the area of the applicator 100. The frangible seal 210, in one of many embodiments, may be a chevron shape stress riser 250 with a point of inflection 240 oriented towards the compartment 130. A removable cap may cover the applicator.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The instant invention relates to hand held dispensing packages, and particularly to a flexible package for storing and dispensing a fluid substance, wherein a controlled rupture seal facilitates transfer of the substance into an unsealed area behind a foam applicator at the time of dispensing. The integral foam applicator facilitates a clean and even spreading of the dispensed substance. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] Measured amounts of various fluid substances are increasingly commonly dispensed in relatively small flexible packages often composed of plastic or foil. The fluids include a wide variety of products, including foodstuffs such as condiments (for example ketchup, mustard, relish and the like), personal care products such as shampoos and skin creams, cleaning products such as various packaged “wipes,” and pharmaceutical products such as medications. [0003] A typical example is the ubiquitous single serving ketchup pack, which is generally forme...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0017] The present invention is designed to contain a flowable substance that can be dispensed by applying pressure upon the compartment area, where the substance is stored. The pressure ruptures the frangible seal and expresses the substance into the chamber, behind the applicator. The expansion of the chamber walls and the resilience of the applicator pad allows the substance to spread out behind and into the applicator, where it is available to be expelled and applied.

[0021] Experimentation with various designs of frangible seals revealed that various possible designs achieved at least some degree of success. For example, the frangible seal could be a straight frangible seal fabricated to be thinner, or to be less securely heat-sealed, than the primary seal. In a second design, the frangible seal with a stress riser was oriented away from the pressure and provided good results. However, in the preferred embodiment, a frangible seal with a chevron shaped stress riser with the point of maximum inflection oriented towards the pressure, was found to present optimal characteristics in terms of breaking reliability and adequate seal rupture area.

[0023] The apparatus according to the invention may also have a removable cap for the applicator pad, which depending on the exact design and characteristics of the cap, can maintain cleanliness, or even sterility, of the applicator pad. The apparatus offers a low cost disposable packaging for a wide array of flowable substances, which can include, by way of example and not limitation; pharmaceutical antiseptics, salves, cosmetics, ointments and creams. Additionally, the apparatus provides a package that offers convenience in storage, resistance to package breakage, better sanitation, and lower spillage or waste. In addition, the inventive apparatus provides packaging that allows a user to apply a small measured quantity of a substance in a controlled manner without getting it on the fingers or hands and without the necessity of using the fingers, hands or an additional implement to spread the substance. The ability to easily apply the dispensed substance without direct hand contact with the substance improves aesthetic and hygienic concerns during application, and avoids contamination of the substance as it is dispensed.

Problems solved by technology

The prior art describes the concept of an applicator attached to flexible foil wings of a dispensing package, but experimentation with such a design revealed that it was deficient in any number of applications.

First, if the applicator foam was attached as separate pads (opposing pads disposed on the underside of outwardly folding wings) there was a tendency for the dispensed substance to break through the frangible seal and squirt out on the user or floor, before it could be absorbed and spread by the absorbent pads.

Alternatively, when the absorbent pad was designed as a single pad spanning a small central opening in the packaging seal, the problem remained unattenuated, as the dispensed substance tended to shoot through the absorbent pad, with the same ill effects noted above.

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