Thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) replacement pad

Abstract

A replacement mat for infants is made of foamed and / or unfoamed thermoplastic elastomers based on styrene block copolymers (TPS). The mat is flexible and has fold lines such that the mat can be rolled up, with integrated lighting and strips / straps for securing the mat to a surface. The cushion is formed by TPS injection molding, and therefore the integrated replacement cushion is achieved. The TPS can be made of a renewable biological material or can be 100% recycled after use to make a new replacement pad.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a changing mat / cushion (1) which includes an area (5) in which parents will have excellent operability and be able to easily change a baby's diaper.

[0002] The TPE changing mat (1) is provided with two barriers (2) on the left and right to prevent the child from rolling out. The TPE changing mat (1) is made of a flexible TPS (thermoplastic elastomer based on styrene block copolymer) material. The TPE changing mat (1) has a top (6) (head) and a bottom side (3) (feet), and the feet area (3) is placed at a lower position than the head end at a small angle from the head part (6) to the feet end (3), which allows liquid to flow downward to the feet end (3) at the bottom of the mat (1), making it easy to wipe off the liquid (urine). The changing mat (1) has a surface (5) for the baby to lie on where diaper changing can be carried out without soiling or wetting the surrounding environment, and the baby will feel comfortable because the material is soft and the mat will be very close to the skin feeling, neither too cold nor too hot, and the back of the changing mat can have folding lines, all depending on the solution of the mat, i.e., whether it is flexible or rigid.

[0003] The flexible TPE changing mat (1) is made of TPS material because this material is 100% recyclable. Usually, a changing mat will be made of some kind of foam to make the material softer and smoother to lie on, and this TPE mat (1) can also be made of TPE foam which has the same good properties as silicone, latex, rubber, and polyurethane foam. TPE foam can be made of bio-based particles, which is not possible with traditional conventional changing mat materials usually made of latex, rubber, polyurethane, or silicone. This thermoplastic elastomer based on styrene block copolymer is not made of rubber, latex, polyurethane, or silicone and is 100% recyclable.

[0004] The TPE changing mat (1) is usually made of a single-piece material and TPE foam, but can also be injection molded onto a rigid material (7) to make it also hard and non-flexible. The TPS changing mat (1) also provides a light (10) integrated into the mat, which provides light in the area where diapers are usually changed, especially very practical at night: when not wanting to turn on too many lights for fear of waking up the child and everyone in the room, it is practical that: there is no need to bother to turn on the light by hand, and when the baby is placed on the mat surface (5), the automatic sensor light in the mat will automatically turn on.

[0005] When traveling with a baby, the foldable and flexible TPE foam makes the changing mat (1) easy to carry, and the material will make the changing mat (1) non-slip and easy to install on the necessary surfaces and places (21, 25). The integrated light (10) enables diaper changing for the baby even without turning on the main light, and it can also provide lighting when the mat is taken to other places / traveled.

[0006] This material is very light and highly adaptable to room temperature. When the baby touches the TPE foam mat (1), it will provide a skin-like feeling. This TPE foam also makes the cleaning operation of the changing mat (1) very easy. The foam can withstand most cleaning agents and can be easily desensitized with ethanol and other conventional cleaning agents.

[0007] This TPE foam changing mat (1) material still retains all the good properties that are very important for a changing mat, but what really makes this mat different is that it is reusable.

[0008] Patent US2018 / 0055246 shows a changing mat. In US2018 / 0055246, the material used to manufacture the changing mat is non-recyclable. They mentioned EVA foam, but EVA foam made of vinyl material cannot be recycled, and the same problem exists for elastomeric polymers. If made of foam, they are also non-recyclable. They also mentioned polypropylene (PP). If made of this material, the mat will be hard and not elastic. Our invention, the TPE changing mat, is made of TPS (thermoplastic elastomer based on styrene block copolymer) material. This material is very soft, the softness of the material can be adjusted, and it is 100% recyclable. US2018 / 0055246 also pointed out the night light in their changing mat in 0039.

[0009] We hereby state again that our TPE changing mat integrates a light in the mat. We use an on / off sensor, while US2018 / 0055246 mentions a weight or load sensor - this is again very different from our invention because we don't have to place the baby on the mat to turn on the light - we use an induction light instead of a weight sensor.

[0010] TPE foam is 100% recyclable, and the TPE foam material does not contain formaldehyde because it is not vulcanized like silicone and rubber / latex.

[0011] However, some changing mats are made of different kinds of foams. Most of these mats are made of more than one material, and some mats are made entirely of polyurethane foam. The TPE foam changing mat is made of thermoplastic elastomer based on styrene block copolymer (TPS).

[0012] Generations of replacement pads are made of different foams or textiles, wood, and / or silicone or latex / rubber. Some replacement pads are even made by molding two materials together like a co-molding process, and then it looks like an integral replacement pad, usually unable to be disassembled for recycling.

[0013] The TPS foam replacement pad (1) is injection molded in one process with one material and / or several flexible components and / or rigid components. The difference between this TPS replacement pad (1) and known replacement pads lies in the production method and materials used, with or without co-molding and / or overmolding, where there is a rigid center under the TPS. The TPE replacement pad (1) of the present invention is made of solid TPS or / and together with rigid components inside the TPE foam.

[0014] The TPS replacement pad can be manufactured in a one-piece tool or by first molding the back (7) separately with one material and then assembling it with the foam on the top surface (5).

[0015] This TPE replacement pad is made of flexible and / or rigid TPS (thermoplastic elastomer based on styrene block copolymer) because it is a safe material without any harmful components and can be obtained in the form of renewable pellets. The key factor of this TPE replacement pad made of one or several flexible components and / or rigid components is that it can be recycled and injection molded with green materials, which are residues from sugar mills and corn production, and this material is 100% recyclable. Then, the used replacement pad can be shredded into pellets and reused again for new replacement pads, thus forming a closed loop for the replacement pads.

[0016] TPE foam is a very strong foam. Compared with polyurethane, it has a closed fiber structure. This durable TPE foam material, i.e., thermoplastic elastomer based on styrene block copolymer, can stay dry and is easy to clean. Compared with known replacement pads made of rubber, polyurethane, or silicone, the TPE material shows strong resistance to oil, food, and various chemicals, and this material can also withstand frost, boiling, and sunlight (UV). Compared with other foams usually used for such pads, the thermoplastic elastomer based on styrene block copolymer is 100% recyclable and can be made from renewable materials.

[0017] The TPS replacement pad is easy to clean and stays clean.

[0018] Every day, thousands of replacement pads are thrown away and burned simply because they cannot be recycled.

[0019] A new family generally wants a new changing pad because changing a baby's diaper is a private and bacteria-filled matter, so people don't buy second-hand pads like they would a second-hand bike.

[0020] Therefore, this new material for changing pads is extremely important and suitable because it can both solve the task of changing a child's diaper, while the TPS material can also withstand the environment in which the pad usually is. In fact, in most cases, it is better or more similar than rubber, polyurethane, and silicone, but most importantly, it can be recycled. TPS is harmless and safe, free of phthalates, and it can even be produced from biomaterials, which is an environmentally friendly solution. However, the fact that TPS can be 100% recycled must be one of the most important parameters for bringing this new invention to the world.

[0021] This TPS changing pad also provides lights in the pad - these sensor lights are easily removable when the TPS material is reused, and the light panel can also be reused.

Claims

1. A thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) changing mat (1) for infants, said mat (1) consisting of one or several injection-molded flexible and / or rigid parts with varying thicknesses, and comprising an upper lying surface (5) with a barrier (2), a liquid collection area, and a foot end (3), said foot end (3) being the thinnest part and said barrier (2) being thicker than said lying surface (5), whereby said mat (1) is angled so that liquid applied to said lying surface (5) flows to said foot end (3) of said mat (1), said mat (1) being flexible to be able to be folded (16) and / or made of a rigid backplate (7), thus allowing said mat (1) to be placed on an uneven surface, characterized in that, The mat (1) is made entirely of foamed and / or unfoamed thermoplastic elastomer based on styrene block copolymer (TPS).

2. The TPE replacement mat (1) according to claim 1, which has a handle (12) to facilitate handling when moving / lifting the TPE replacement mat (1).

3. The TPE replacement mat (1) according to claim 1, which will have a folding sheet (4) or folding pattern under the lying surface (5) of the mat (1).

4. The TPE replacement mat (1) according to claim 1, which is made of flexible TPS with or without folding lines (16) such that the mat can be rolled into a tube (23), and the tube (23) can have an attached locking device (24) to prevent the tube (23) from unfolding when the mat (1) is folded.

5. The TPE replacement mat (1) according to claim 1, which can also be made to fit into a frame (27) surrounding the TPE replacement mat (1), and the frame (27) will be made of rigid material.

6. The TPE replacement mat (1) according to claim 1, the mat (1) has thinner folding lines (16) such that the TPE material folds at the desired locations (16, 23).

7. The TPE replacement mat (1) according to claim 1, wherein the mat can have an integrated light (10), and the integrated light has a switch sensor, powered by a battery or by solar energy.

8. The TPE replacement mat (1) according to claim 1, which has straps / strips (8, 9) attached to the sides (2), and the straps / strips are configured to fix the mat (1) to a surface / table (21) or place it in a standing frame / table (21) or a wall-mounted replacement station (25) to ensure that the TPE mat (1) remains in the same position when closing the wall-mounted device (c) or prevent the mat (1) from falling during use, and the strips (8, 9) are also configured to prevent a baby from rolling out of the mat (1) over the barrier (2).

9. The TPE replacement mat (1) according to claim 1, which is made of renewable TPS (thermoplastic elastomer based on styrene block copolymer).

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