Compliant Personal Care Article With Water-Penetrable Substrate

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional personal care products, such as bar soaps, are non-compliant and rigid, making them difficult to use effectively for skin and hair cleansing, and often result in clutter, increased water consumption, and environmental waste due to their design and composition.

Innovation Solution

A personal care article comprising a compliant personal care composition with a water penetrable substrate, where the composition is greater than 3500 wt.% of the total substrate, allowing for improved conformity to skin and hair surfaces, reusability, and controlled water flux to optimize cleansing properties and reduce waste.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Stability of the object's composition

If bar soap is made rigid for structural stability, then it maintains its shape, but it cannot conform to skin and hair surfaces for effective cleansing

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestructural stabilityVSAvoidconformity to skin and hair surfaces

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the soap composition dynamically adjustable in rigidity. The soap contains a rigidifying agent that can be activated or deactivated to change the physical state of the soap from rigid to compliant and back, allowing it to adapt to different usage requirements and surface geometries while maintaining structural integrity when needed

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent utilizes parameter changes by modifying the rigidity parameter of the soap through the addition of rigidifying agents. The composition can transition between different rigidity states (compliant to rigid) by changing the concentration or activation state of the rigidifying agent, enabling the soap to conform to surfaces during application and maintain shape during storage

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Ease of operation

If personal care products are used with implements (washcloths, sponges), then cleansing experience is enhanced, but water consumption increases and environmental waste increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecleansing experienceVSAvoidwater consumption and environmental waste

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the personal care composition with the implement (washcloth, sponge, or puff) into a single integrated product. The composition is applied directly to the implement and remains associated with it throughout the cleansing process, eliminating the need for separate bottles, bars, or tubes of cleansing products and reducing both water consumption and environmental waste

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates a multi-functional product that combines the cleansing composition with the mechanical implement. The integrated article performs both the function of delivering cleansing agents and the function of providing mechanical exfoliation or lathering, replacing the need for multiple separate products and reducing overall resource consumption

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Ease of operation

If personal care composition is applied to implements, then cleansing is enhanced, but additional steps are required and usage becomes more complex

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecleansing enhancementVSAvoidusage steps

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines the personal care composition and the implement into a single pre-assembled article, eliminating the need for consumers to separately apply the composition to the implement. The integrated design allows users to simply use the article directly, reducing the number of steps and simplifying the usage process while maintaining the enhanced cleansing benefits

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

4Loss of substance

If compliant personal care articles are designed for reusability, then environmental waste is reduced, but durability must be maintained through multiple uses

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveenvironmental wasteVSAvoiddurability through multiple uses

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of substanceVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies dynamics by making the soap composition's rigidity adjustable over time and with use. The rigidifying agent can be activated to maintain structural integrity and durability during storage and handling, while allowing the soap to become compliant during actual cleansing uses. This dynamic property enables the article to withstand multiple uses and repeated handling without degrading, ensuring reliability and reusability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The compliant personal care article provides enhanced cleansing properties, reduces water consumption, and minimizes environmental impact by allowing for efficient deposition of benefit agents and prolonged use, while maintaining suitable lathering characteristics.

Implementation Method 1

a water penetrable first substrate adjacent to the composition

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectPermeation: Permeation

Data Source

PatentUS9592181B2Personal care articles and methods

Publication Date: 2017.03.14 PROCTER & GAMBLE CO

AI summary

A personal care article can include a composition and a substrate. The article can be compliant to a surface.