Abstract:
A unit-dose personal care product including a cleansing agent and a cleansing pad wrapped in a film of water-soluble material. The water-soluble material protects the cleansing pad and cleansing agent until the package is exposed to water, at which time the film dissolves and the user is left with a cleansing product comprised of the pad, cleansing agent and water. Also disclosed is a method of manufacturing the personal care product.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to cleansing products and, more specifically, to cleansing products enclosed in water-soluble packages. 
     Unit-dose personal care products, particularly cleansing products, traditionally contain a ready to use product in a convenient dispensable package. In these products, a cleansing pad is wrapped inside a package. Usually, a wet cleansing agent is absorbed into the cleansing pad before packaging. 
     These pre-moistened products have a variety of problems. One of the most significant problems is that, over time, the cleansing product will dry up, rendering the product useless. This process is frequently hastened by the presence of even a slight leak in the packaging. This deters users from buying the products in bulk, or storing the products for a significant period of time. 
     Another problem is that the user must dispose of the package. After removing the product from the package, the package serves no further purpose. This results in a large amount of waste, especially if the consumer uses such products frequently. Further, the packaging can easily become litter if not disposed of properly. 
     Additionally some products may not be easily combined due to irregular compositions, such as powders and solids. In some other cases, products need to be kept separate until the time of use because of shelf life or compatibility issues. In these situations, it does not make sense to combine the cleansing pad with the cleanser because the user will not have a ready-to-use product. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The aforementioned problems are overcome by the present invention wherein a unit-dose cleansing product is provided with a cleansing pad and powder contained within a water soluble pouch. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the water-soluble pouch package includes a water-soluble film, a cleansing agent and a pad, such as a non-woven pad, loofah or sponge. The water-soluble film forms a pouch loosely containing both the cleansing agent and the pad. With this construction, when the pouch is exposed to water the water-soluble film dissolves. The cleansing pad absorbs the water and wetted cleansing agent to create a ready-to-use cleansing product. 
     In a more preferred embodiment, citric acid and sodium bicarbonate are added to the cleansing powder. The sodium bicarbonate and citric acid react to increase the foam of the cleansing product when the pouch is exposed to water. The increased foam aids in breaking down the water-soluble film and masking the presence of film residue. 
     The present invention provides a simple and inexpensive cleansing product. The water-soluble pouch package does not require complex packaging, and is much more economical and environmentally friendly than unit-dose products in packages that are not water soluble. The pouch in which the cleansing pad and cleansing agent are housed is broken down in the presence of water, thus eliminating any waste from the product packaging. Additionally, the present invention does not have shelf life or incompatibility problems. 
     Also disclosed is a method of making a unit-dose personal care product including the steps of (1) forming a film of water soluble material; (2) folding the film in half; (3) sealing the edges of the film to create a pouch; (4) inserting an amount of cleansing powder into the pouch; (5) inserting a cleansing pad into the pouch; and (6) sealing the pouch closed. 
     These and other objects, advantages, and features of the invention will be more readily understood and appreciated by reference to the detailed description of the preferred embodiment and the drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a top plan view of a water-soluble pouch package in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a top plan view of a film for forming the pouch in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a top plan view of the film being folded; and 
         FIG. 4  is a top plan view of the folded film having two sides sealed and including the pad and cleanser. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     A water soluble pouch package  10  in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG.  1 . The package  10  generally includes a pouch  12 , a pad  14  and a cleanser  16 . The pouch  12  surrounds the pad  14  and cleanser  16 . Though the invention will be described with respect to a water-soluble pouch containing a cleansing pad and cleansing agent, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the invention is suitable for use in many applications, for example with hair dyes, sunscreens or insect repellant. 
     I. Apparatus 
     According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a pad  14  and predosed quantity of cleanser  16  are enclosed in pouch  12  to form a unit-dose cleansing package  10 . The pouch  12  is made of a water-soluble film so that when the package is exposed to water, the film dissolves and the user is left with the combined pad  14  and cleanser  16 . The pouch  12  can be composed of any water-soluble material that is sufficiently resilient to seal and protect the pad  14  and cleanser  16  during shipping and storage, but in a preferred embodiment the film  12  is made of a type of water-dissolvable polymer such as polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH). Alternative water-soluble materials include: water-soluble polyurethanes, such as polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP); PVP copolymers, for example, vinyl pyrrilidone/vinyl acetate copolymers, such as PVP/vinyl acetate; water-soluble acrylic acid copolymers and their esters and salts, for example, the partial ester copolymers of acrylic/methacrylic acid and a polyethylene glycol ether of a fatty alcohol, such as acrylates/steareth-20 methacrylates copolymer available, for example, from Rohm &amp; Haas under the trademark ACULYN 22; organic and inorganic salts of phenylbenzimidazole sulfonic acid (PSA), such as TEA-phenylbenzimidazole sulfonate and sodium phenylbenzimidazole sulfonate; water-soluble cellulosics, such as hydroxymethylcellulose, hydroxyethylcellulose, and hydroxypropylcellulose; water-soluble quaterniums, such as polyquaternium-7, polyquaternium-10, polyquaternium-37; carboxyvinyl polymers, such as carbomers and their salts, for example, sodium carbomer; and water-soluble polysaccharides, such as polydextrose and glucan. 
     The pad  14  is loosely contained in the pouch  12  and is capable of absorbing the cleanser  16  and water to create a foaming cleansing product. Any conventional cleansing pad can be used, such as a cloth, sponge or cut loofah. In the preferred embodiment the pad  14  is a non-woven cloth, and in a further preferred embodiment the non-woven cloth is composed of polyester and cellulose. The pad  14  is approximately the same shape as the pouch  12  to facilitate maximum absorption of the cleanser  16  by the pad  14 . While the invention will be described in relation to a substantially square pad  14  and pouch  12 , the invention is useful with pads and pouches of a variety of shapes. 
     The cleanser  16  is loosely enclosed in the pouch  12  along with the pad  14  and can be any desired cleansing agent, but is preferably a granulated cleansing agent. A granulated cleansing agent is preferred because it can most easily be combined with the pad  14  in the presence of water to produce a conventional cleansing product. However, other forms of cleansing products, such as cakes or gels, can also be used as desired. Further the cleansing product can be caked or otherwise pre-fixed to the pad. In the case of gels or liquids, the cleansing agent can be pre-absorbed by the pad. In a preferred embodiment the cleanser  16  is a surfactant powder consisting primarily of crystalline sorbitol and containing up to 2% polyethylene beads. 
     In a preferred embodiment, citric acid and sodium bicarbonate are added to the cleanser  16 . These additives interact to produce foam, which both assists in breaking down the pouch  12  and increases the foam of the cleanser  16 . Increased foam is a desirable characteristic of a cleansing product. Additionally, the foaming reaction causes the pouch  12  to break down more quickly and reduces the amount of film residue present on the cleansing product. The foam also masks the film residue. Other additives, such as aloe extract or fragrance, can be added as desired. 
     The construction of the package  10  is best illustrated in FIG.  1 . The pouch  12  is a substantially rectangular pocket made of a film of water-soluble material. The dimensions of the pouch  12  are such that, when the left side  20 , right side  22  and top  24  of the pouch  12  are sealed, the interior  26  of the pouch  12  can accommodate the pad  14  and cleanser  16 . The pad  14  and cleanser  16  are preferably loosely contained in the pouch  12 , but can be tightly enclosed, for example by vacuum sealing the pouch  12  about the pad  14  and cleanser  16 . 
     To use the water soluble pouch package, water is poured over the pouch  12 . The water dissolves the PVOH film. Once the PVOH dissolves and the water contacts the cleanser  16 , the cleanser  16  begins to foam. The chemical reaction between the sodium bicarbonate and citric acid, if used, increases the foam. The cleansing pad absorbs the water and cleansing powder to create a ready-to-use cleansing product. If a cut loofah is used for the pad  14 , the loofah expands when placed in contact with the water and absorbs the cleanser  16 . The loofah can then be used to exfoliate the skin, with the wetted cleanser  16  providing cleansing foam. 
     II. Method 
     A method of creating the package  10  of the present invention from a single film  30  will now be more particularly described with reference to  FIGS. 2-4 . It is to be understood that, though this method is directed to creating the package  10  from a single film, several other methods exist for creating the package  10  of the present invention, such as creating the pouch from two or more films. 
     As can be seen in  FIG. 2 , the first step in creating the package  10  is to lay a water-soluble film  30  flat. As shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the film  30  is folded in half, and the left side  20  and right side  22  of the film  30  are sealed. The left side  20  and right side  22  can be sealed by any conventional means, but in a preferred embodiment the sides of the film  30  are heat sealed. The fold  32  creates the bottom of the pouch  12 , thus after sealing the left side  20  and right side  22  of the film, only one side, the top  34 , remains open. 
     An opening exists along the top  34  of the pouch  12 . The pad  14  and cleanser  16  are inserted through the opening into the pouch  12 . The opening must be of sufficient dimensions to allow insertion of both the pad  14  and the cleanser  16 . After inserting the pad  14  and cleanser  16 , the top  34  of the film  30  is sealed to create a water-soluble package  10 . The top  34  of the film  30  can be sealed by a variety of means, but preferably is heat sealed. 
     The above description is that of a preferred embodiment of the invention. Various alterations and changes can be made without departing from the spirit and broader aspects of the invention as defined in the appended claims, which are to be interpreted in accordance with the principles of patent law including the doctrine of equivalents. Any reference to claim elements in the singular, for example, using the articles “a,” “an,” “the” or “said,” is not to be construed as limiting the element to the singular.