Creampad

The present invention regards a device for applying more evenly a liquid or a colloidal substance at a desired place. The invention further regards a valve layer in such a device, which layer in a controlled manner distribute the liquid or substance at the desired place, and a contact layer that will disperse the amount of liquid or substance that is dosed from the valve layer.

In order to apply various liquids or colloidal substances, hereinafter referred to as a product, on a desired spot or surface today are used different methods. The product can for instance be applied to a surface by the user simply placing the product from a bottle or tube on their hand and then manually spreading the product on the desired surface. This method is the most inexpensive, but it is also inefficient, messy and may result in a non-uniform application of the product. Furthermore, the bottles or tubes contain a fairly large quantity of the product and can therefore be inconvenient to carry with the user. One other method is to have separate bottles and applicator elements. The applicator element will soak up a quantity of the product when they are brought in contact with each other, whereby the user use the applicator element to disperse the product on a desired spot or surface. This method may result in spillage when applying the product to the applicator element, and some of the product may also be wasted as the applicator element itself will absorb some of the product. A further problem with this method is that the product to be applied may come in contact with the user's hands, which is not desirable, especially if the product is irritating for the skin.

Yet another method to apply a product at a desired surface is to use a disposable or single-use applicator that is supplied with a pre-determined quantity of the product. Such applicators are manufactured from a disposable material substantially fully infused with the appropriate product, for example, a cleansing cream, and sealed in a container. This results in relatively costly manufacture, since a greater quantity of the cosmetic product is applied to the sheet of material than is required. The applicator may also be so infused with the product to be applied that it will result in un- even application of product on the desired surface. It will also be very difficult to control the amount of product transferred from the applicator to the skin, increasing the chances of excessive application of the product.

The above mentioned products can for instance be liquids like wound cleansing agents, special cleansing liquid for various purposes such as, for examples, nail var- nish, varnish remnants, glue remnants etc and the colloidal substances can for instance be shoe cream, cosmetics, moisture creams, cleansing creams, self-tanning creams, various gel products for personal hygiene, soap etc.

US 3.466.131 disclose a dispensing package that comprises an applicator pad of porous material which is sealed to the underside of a housing. The housing encloses a rupturable capsule that contains the material to be dispensed. The liquid flow from the rupturable capsule to the pad is directed by channels formed in the housing. From US 4.878.775 it is known a liquid transfer device which comprises a support layer bonded to a permeable applicator pad to form a chamber in which is placed a carrying substrate filled with frangible microcapsules containing the liquid to be applied. The compression of the carrying layer ruptures the microcapsules and releases the liquid through the applicator pad. A common feature of the prior art is that the applicators are neither economical nor can control the applying of a product onto a surface.

One of the disadvantages of the prior art is the uncontrollable rate and/or direction at which the flowable material is squeezed and discharged out of the package. Due to its form of construction, there is furthermore no control to the flow from the package.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an economical device for containing and dispensing a liquid or substance in a convenient, uniform and simple manner to a surface.

It is further an object of the present invention to provide a device which is economi- cal and simple to manufacture.

Still an object of the present invention is to provide a device that is compact and can be transported or stored without being opened or desiccated.

It is further a object of the present invention to provide a device where a valve layer will open and "leak" the product when pressure inside a storage layer has exceeded a certain value and where a contact layer will apply the product on the surface.

These objectives are achieved with a device for applying a product onto a surface according to the invention as defined in the enclosed independent claim, where embodiments of the invention are given in independent claims.

The present invention is intended to provide a device that can apply a liquid or a colloidal substance in a controlled manner onto a surface or a spot and comprises several material layers that are fastened to each other in appropriate ways. Each layer has its own specific function. A typical device can for example be consisted of four layers, the layers being a backing layer, a storage layer, a valve layer and a contact layer. The backing layer constitute the rear surface of the device, and serves to protect the storage layer, the user's hands from the product and may also facilitate gripping of

the applicator by the user. The backing layer may be manufactured from a liquid- impermeable material, for instance a plastic film that has good welding properties, in order to attach it to the one or more of the other layers. This can for instance be done by means of a heat-seal or adhesive to prevent its removal from the storage layer or the valve layer

The storage layer according to the present invention may be provided by a fibre structure with intersecting fibres, where the fibres can be situated in one or several layers. The structure of the fibres will form cavities of a size and shape that enable it to contain the specific product that has to be stored. The size of the cavities may be varied depending on the viscosity of the product to be contained. As the structure is not absorbent, it has to be dosed with or be supplied in another way with a product it has to contain.

The storage structure may also be manufactured from a material having a different cell structure, for instance a rubber sponge material or a non-woven material, hav- ing sufficient porosity to absorb the product to be applied.

This will result in that the storage layer has an "elastic effect", where the storage layer will release the product when it is compressed but it will not necessarily release all of the product. When the pressure is relieved, the remaining product will be distributed in the storage layer. The perforations or openings in the storage layer may also be made artificial, this being important when a certain amount of a product is to be stored.

The storage layer may also be manufactured as a multi chambered layer, where this for instance is advantageous when the storage layer contain two or more different products that is not to be mixed before the device is to be used. This "chambering" may be achieved by a weakened welding, where this welding will burst when a certain pressure is applied on the storage layer.

In one embodiment of the present invention the backing layer and the adjacent valve layer, by being connected to each other, may provide a receptacle for the product to be applied. This result in that the storage layer may be loosely arranged within the cavity of the receptacle or the storage layer may also be omitted. In this case the receptacle will contain the product to be applied. The receptacle may also be manufactured to form a multi chambered receptacle.

A valve layer according to the present invention admits the product from the underlying storage material or storage receptacle to pass through it. Material in this valve layer may consist of a non-absorbing material. The valve layer has an openwork surface either being perforated or by being manufactured with naturally openings on its surface. These perforations or openings have a form and/or size which are

adapted to disperse or distribute the product in a desired direction and/or in a desired amount. The form and size of the perforations or openings will also depend on the product to be applied.

Furthermore, the perforations or openings in the valve layer may be arranged on a part of or the whole surface of the layer. The layer can also have different perforations or openings in different areas of the surface in order to dose different amounts.

The valve layer is essentially non-absorbent (manufactured from a plastic film or the like) and has properties that make it a barrier to the product contained in the storage layer below it, but where the perforations or openings will open when a cer- tain pressure in the storage layer is exceeded.

The valve layer may also be manufactured from several stratums of a non-woven material, whereby these stratums together form natural openings through which the product is to be transported.

The valve layer can further be two- or three-dimensional. The contact layer, which is the layer that is in contact with the surface on which the product is to be applied, can be a film or a fabric (non-woven). The layer has a suitable surface that is selected according to the application for which it is to be used. If the device for instance is used as a shoe cream applicator, then the contact layer will have a surface that is suited for spreading out and polishing the shoe when the shoe cream is applied. If for instance the device is used to cleanse skin with sterile cleansing liquid, the contact layer must have a surface that is soft against the skin and preferably have a desired degree of roughness to enable it to remove dirt etc. from the user's skin. In such cases the material must often be sterile during use and may therefore be protected by a separate layer that is torn off before use of the device. The different layers in the device are in appropriate ways connected or attached together. In one embodiment of the present invention the backing layer, the storage layer and the valve layer may be attached to each other along their edges.

In one other embodiment only the backing layer and the valve layer are connected to each other, while the storage layer may be loosely arranged between these layers. In yet another embodiment also the contact layer may be part of the sealed construction, which is to be connected with the backing layer, the storage layer and the valve layer, thereby forming a sealed construction.

In an alternative embodiment the contact layer may be glued or melted to the valve layer. As an extra security, a substantially impermeable protective cover may be arranged across the surface of the contact layer, to protect it from contaminants such as dust,

bacteria, moisture etc. prior to use of the device. The protective cover may be manufactured from a plastic film or any other suitable material, and the protective cover is attached to the contact layer by adhesion, lamination or any other suitable method. The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of preferred non-limiting embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 illustrates a principal configuration of a device according to the present invention;

Figure 2 illustrates different ways of connecting the various layers of the device according to the present invention; and

Figure 3 shows different shapes of a valve layer according to the present invention.

In figure 1 the principal configuration of a device according to the present invention is shown. The device comprises four different layers, where each layer has its own function.

A backing layer 1 must prevent the stored product to slip through it and is therefore made from a liquid-impermeable material. On its backside, that is the side turning away from a storing layer 2, the backing layer 1 have a holding device (not shown).

Above the backing layer is arranged a three-dimensional storage layer 2. The storage layer 2 contains the product that is to be applied onto a surface, where the product substance can either be supplied to the storage layer before the different layers are connected together or it can be supplied after that the different layers have been connected. This may for instance be the case if the storage layer 2 is omitted and a storage receptacle for the product instead is formed by the backing layer 1 and a adjacent valve layer 3 being connected. The product can then for instance be supplied by nozzles and/or needles.

The valve layer 3 is perforated with perforations or openings 5, where the form and shape of these perforations or openings 5 are shown in figure 3.

On the top of the device is arranged a contact layer 4, where this layer will allow a pass through of the product from the valve layer 3 and to the surface on which the product is to be applied. The upper side of the contact layer 4, that is the side facing the surface which is to be applied a product, will then disperse the product onto the surface in a more even way.

Three different embodiment of the device is shown in figure 2, where the first embodiment shows that the backing layer 1 , the storage layer 2 and the valve layer 3 in an appropriate way are connected together along their edges.

In the other embodiment only the backing layer 1 and the valve layer 3 are connected, while the storage layer 2 is arranged loosely as a separate part within the cavity formed by the backing layer 1 and valve layer 3.

In the third embodiment is shown that the storage layer 2 is omitted, whereby the product to be applied is to be stored within a receptacle that is formed of the backing layer 1 and the valve layer 3.

In figure 3 is shown a valve layer 3, where the surface of the valve layer 3 shows different patterns and or shapes the perforations or openings 5 may be arranged in, in order to control and to distribute the liquid or colloidal substance in a desired direction. These perforations or openings 5 will also attend to deliver a correct amount of liquid or colloidal substance to the contact layer 4.

In its simplest form a perforation or opening 5 can only be a straight line, as showed in A, two parallel lines as shown in B, two lines forming a angle between themselves as shown in C and G; the perforations or openings 5 can also have a more complex shape as shown in D and E, where they form a nearly closed circle or two semicircle facing each other.

One can of course also combine one or more of the above indicated shapes, as shown in F.