Abstract:
A container and a method of assembling a container which cleanly and conveniently disposes of used feminine products. The container is manufactured from a sheet, normally of paper treated to be water resistant. It is folded and sealed about itself to form a triangular container, with a wide opening along one side. The opening is sealed with a releasable sealing agent. Once used, the container can then be folded into a small, convenient package which can easily be carried in a purse, and disposed of at the user&#39;s convenience.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates to the disposal of personal hygiene products. More specifically, the invention relates to a portable product used to dispose a used sanitary article such as a sanitary napkin, incontinence pad, etc.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    Many people are faced with the challenge of disposing used sanitary articles in a discrete and efficient manner. Personal hygiene products such as incontinence pads and condoms are difficult to dispose of. Women, in particular, are faced with very personal challenges when they need to dispose of feminine products away from home. Women will often resort to wrapping the used sanitary napkin or tampon in an awkward bundle of toilet tissue. This does not provide a secure wrapping. More often than not, restrooms in restaurants, stores, and in places of work do not have convenient waste receptacles in the toilet stalls. Even when such receptacles are provided, many women choose not to use them, for health and/or safety reasons. If she is in the home of a friend, the pad cannot be flushed, and leaving it in the friend&#39;s waste container will create an unpleasant odor. In this case, she may tuck the bundle of toilet tissue into her purse to carry it until she gets home.  
           [0003]    Methods and products to dispose of used sanitary napkins are known in the art. The most common product available is the Sanibag™, manufactured by Beier &amp; Company, which is sometimes provided in public restrooms. The Sanibag is formed as a relatively long, rectangular bag with an open top, which provides a narrow opening for receiving the sanitary napkin. Unfortunately, the Sanibag is awkward to work with due to its design, and seals poorly. In other known products, the disposal product is directly attached to the pad itself, but this creates an undesirable bulkiness when worn.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0004]    [0004]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an assembled container constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention, the container being shown in a receive position.  
         [0005]    [0005]FIG. 2 is a plan view of a sheet used to form the container, the sheet being shown prior to assembly.  
         [0006]    FIGS.  3 - 8  illustrate progressive folding stages of the sheet of FIG. 2 as it is assembled into the container and the store position.  
         [0007]    [0007]FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an assembled container in a folded store position.  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a second example of an assembled container constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention, the container being shown in a receive position.  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a sheet used to form the second example of the container, the sheet being shown prior to assembly.  
         [0010]    FIGS.  12 - 15  illustrate progressive folding stages of the sheet of FIG. 11 as it is assembled into the container and a store position.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 16 is a perspective view of an assembled container in a folded store position.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 17 illustrates folds lines for an alternative store position for the container of FIG. 5.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 18 is a perspective view of the container of FIG. 17 in the alternative store position.  
         [0014]    FIGS.  19 - 21  illustrate progressive folding stages of the sheet of FIG. 11 as it is assembled into an alternative container similar to that of FIGS.  12 - 15 .  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 22 is a side elevation view of the container of FIGS.  19 - 21  folded into a store position.  
         [0016]    FIGS.  23 - 24  are side elevation views of the container of FIGS.  19 - 21  illustrating folding steps for an alternative store position.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0017]    Referring now to the drawings, the assembled container  10  is shown in FIG. 1 in the receive position, whereby the container  10  is in position to accept a used napkin. The container  10  has two opposing sheets,  12   a  and  12   b . Container  10  is further defined by the receptacle end  13  and base end  14 . The receptacle end  13  has a relatively large opening mouth  11 . On the base end  14 , there is a bottom point  21 .  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 2 shows the layout of a sheet  26  prior to assembly of the container  10 . The sheet  26  can be made of anything that will fold easily and maintain a crease. Furthermore, this sheet  26  may be formed of or coated with a material that is resistant to the seepage of liquid. For example, the sheet  26  may be provided as paper treated with water-resistant material. The sheet  26  is generally rectangular in shape, and a tab  22  extends for approximately one half the length of the longer side of the rectangle. As is shown in FIG. 2, the sheet  26  may have a length that is twice as long as its width.  
         [0019]    Seal strips  23   a  and  23   b  may be affixed to the sheet. These seal strips  23   a  and  23   b  can be formed of any releaseable sealant known in the art. These seal strips serve to seal the container  10  shut when it is completely assembled as shown in FIG. 1 and in use.  
         [0020]    The dashed lines  24 ,  25   a ,  25   b , and  27  of FIG. 2 represent fold lines in the sheet  26 . To first make the container  10 , corner points  20   a  and  20   b  are folded along fold lines  25   a  and  25   b  such that both corner points  20   a  and  20   b  meet at bottom point  21 . At this point, the sheet  26  has been folded into an intermediate product  30 . The intermediate product  30  resembles an isosceles triangle, as shown in FIG. 3, and is defined by two panels,  32   a  and  32   b , and fold line  24  is an axis running along the centerline of intermediate product  30 .  
         [0021]    Next, the bottom corner points  31   a  and  31   b  are folded toward each other along the fold line  24 . At this point the seal strips  23   a  and  23   b  may meet and create a seal at the mouth opening  11 . The sheet  26  now resembles a right triangle  40 , as shown in FIG. 4. The tab  22  is folded along fold line  27  (also seen in FIG. 2) until it is contiguous with the body of right triangle  40 . The tab  22  is then affixed to the body of the right triangle  40  to create a water resistant seal. The seal can be formed using any of the well-known sealants, glues or tapes.  
         [0022]    At this point, the container  10  is now formed from the sheet  26  and is in the receive position, as best shown in FIGS. 1 and 5. The container  10  includes two opposing sheets  12   a  and  12   b , which meet at a first edge  57 , a second edge  58 , and a third edge  56 . The sheets  12   a  and  12   b  are secured together along the first edge  57  and the second edge  58 . Along the third edge  56  the opposing sheets  12   a  and  12   b  are not secured together, allowing mouth opening  11  to be formed.  
         [0023]    The container  10  may be opened to receive a used sanitary napkin, tampon, condom, or other personal item. The container is opened by pulling apart the opposing sheets  12   a  and  12   b  at the receptacle end  13 . This breaks the seal between sealants  23   a  and  23   b , to open the container and provide a large mouth opening  11 . A user can then place the used sanitary article inside the container  10  and then reseal the container  10  by pressing the opposing sheets back together at the mouth area  11 , thereby re-engaging the sealant  23   a  and  23   b.    
         [0024]    It is also well within the scope of this invention for a container formed by two opposing sheets, with two edges permanently secured, with the third edge releasably secured, to be assembled in several different ways. This includes, but is not limited to, securing two common triangular sheets of paper together along two edges, or folding a triangular sheet of paper in half to form two similar opposing triangular sheets, then securing along one edge.  
         [0025]    The container  10  can be further folded into a store position to occupy a smaller space. As shown in FIG. 5, a base end fold line  51  and a receptacle end fold line  52  are defined. Further, transverse fold lines  53   a  and  53   b  are shown. As shown in FIG. 6, receptacle end  13  is folded down around receptacle end fold line  52 . Receptacle end fold line  52  can be selected at a distance from the mouth  11  such as to facilitate ease of handling and use. Thus the distance from receptacle end fold line  52  to mouth  11  should be long enough such that the user can grasp and easily manipulate the mouth  11  to open it. If no sealing strips  23   a  and  23   b  are used, the act of folding the mouth end closed is an effective sealing method.  
         [0026]    Base end  14  is folded in the opposite direction, i.e. away from the downward folded mouth  11 , around the base end fold line  51 . Base end fold line  51  may be positioned half way from base point  21  to the receptacle end fold line  52 . In this manner base point  21 , when folded, will meet with roughly a midpoint of the receptacle end fold line  52 .  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 7 shows the positions of transverse fold lines  53   a  and  53   b . The transverse fold lines  53   a  and  53   b  are at a right angle to bottom fold  51  and the end points of the bottom fold line  51  are coincident with the bottom end points of the transverse fold lines  53   a  and  53   b . Mouth endpoints  70   a  and  70   b  are folded inward along the transverse fold lines  53   a  and  53   b , respectively, towards and overlapping the bottom point  21 . The mouth endpoints  70   a  and  70   b  may be held to the bottom point by a fastener  72  (FIG. 8), which may be in the form of a releasable tape, a bead of releaseable glue, or other adhesive.  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 8 shows the container  10  in the fully folded store position  80 . A perspective view of container  10  in the fully folded store position  80  is shown in FIG. 9. In the store position, the container  10  is transformed into a convenient, easy to carry, and compact disposal system. The user can easily seal a used pad inside the container, and put the entire package into her purse, confident that it will not leak, and dispose of it at her convenience.  
         [0029]    A second example of folding the container  10  into a smaller store position is shown in FIGS.  17 - 18 . A fold line  171   a  is defined by endpoints at the approximate midpoint of unsecured edge  56  and the approximate midpoint of secured edge  58 . A second fold line  171   b  is defined by endpoints at the approximate midpoint of unsecured edge  56  and the approximate midpoint of secured edge  57 . A strip of tape or similar adhesive is adhered to the sheet  12   a  (directly behind the sheet  12   b ).  
         [0030]    The store position is created by folding the container  10  about the fold lines  171   a  and  171   b , such that the mouth endpoints  70   a  and  70   b  are both folded to and meet at the bottom point  21 . The strip of tape is then applied as shown in FIG. 18, and the mouth endpoints  70   a  and  70   b  are secured at the bottom point  21 .  
         [0031]    As best shown in FIG. 17, a seal strip  173  may be provided along the unsecured edge  56  for closing the container  10  once a used hygiene product has been deposited therein. The seal strip  173  may be in the form of a releasable adhesive, such as a sprayed repositional adhesive, covered by a backing strip, so that the adhesive is exposed only when needed by removing the backing strip.  
         [0032]    In a second example of the container, as shown in FIG. 10, the assembled container  100  is shown in the receive position, whereby the container  100  is in position to accept a used napkin. The container  100  has a basket portion  102  defining a mouth  101 . It also has a lip sealant  125  and a rear panel sealant  124 . These sealants can be constructed of anything known in the art to be effective sealants or adhesives such as tape. It has a relatively wide receptacle end  128  and a relatively narrow base end  129 . The container  100  has secured edges  103   a ,  103   b , and  103   c , and an unsecured edge  104 . The container  100  has an overall hexagonal shape.  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 11 shows the layout of a liquid resistant sheet  110  prior to assembly of the container  100 . The sheet  110  has a length l, a width w, and a top edge  112 . In the first step, the sheet  110  is folded about first folding axis  111 , with the bottom panel  113  folded up contiguous against the top panel  114  of the sheet. The first folding axis  111  can be located anywhere along the length l, so long as the distance from the first folding axis  111  to the top edge  112  is greater than one half the width w. In the present example the first folding axis is located approximately ⅔ of the length l from the top edge  112 . Referring back to FIG. 10, the top panel  114  and the bottom panel  113  define two opposing panels, front panel  126  and rear panel  127  of the container  100 .  
         [0034]    Once the first fold has been created, the sheet  110  resembles the layout in FIG. 12. Bottom corner fold lines  121   a  and  121   b  and lip fold line  122  are then defined. Although the bottom corner fold lines  121   a  and  121   b  can be chosen to lie at any angle, an approximately 45° angle is shown. Once the bottom corners  124   a  and  124   b  are folded about the bottom fold lines  121   a  and  121   b  contiguous against the front panel  126 , there remains a lip area  123 . The lip fold line  122  is most advantageously chosen to have common endpoints with the bottom corner fold lines  121   a  and  121   b  as shown in FIG. 12. The lip area  123  is folded down around the lip fold line  122  contiguous with front panel  126 .  
         [0035]    At this point the container  100  is formed from the sheet  110  and is in the receive position, as best shown in FIG. 10. The secured edges  103   a ,  103   b , and  103   c  are common edges of the front panel  126  and rear panel  127 . The unsecured edge  104  is an edge of the front panel  126  which is contiguous with the body of the rear panel  127 . The container  100  may be used to receive a used sanitary napkin. The front panel  126  is pulled away from the rear panel  127  to provide a mouth  101 . The user can then place the used sanitary napkin in the container  100 .  
         [0036]    The user can then fold the container  100  into a store position  160  thereby sealing the container  100  (FIG. 16). Folding will also cause the container  100  to occupy a smaller volume of space for easy transport. The side fold lines  130   a  and  130   b  of FIG. 13 are chosen such that they don&#39;t excessively lessen the volume the container  100  is able to store, yet are chosen minimize the volume the container  100  occupies while in the store position  160 . The side edges  131   a  and  131   b  are folded inwards about the side fold lines  130   a  and  130   b  contiguous with the rear panel  127 .  
         [0037]    The fold line  140  of FIG. 14 is chosen to be coincident with the receptacle end  128  of the container  100 . The container  100  is folded about the fold line  140  such that the basket  102  is contiguous with the rear panel  127 . This will engage the lip sealant  125  against the rear panel  127  and effectively seal the basket  102 .  
         [0038]    The remaining portion of the rear panel  127  not covered by the basket  102  is then folded down over the basket  102  (FIG. 15). The fold line  150  is coincident with the base end  129  of the container  100 . The rear panel sealant  124  is then affixed to the basket  102 . The container  100  has now been fully folded into the store position  160  as depicted in FIG. 16. Again, the container  100  is transformed into a convenient, easy to carry, and compact disposal system. The fold lines  130   a ,  130   b ,  140 , and  150  may be pre-formed in the container  100  to facilitate folding of the container  100  into the store position.  
         [0039]    The container  100  can further be placed in alternative store positions, as shown in FIGS.  19 - 24 . Two fold lines  190   a  and  190   b  are chosen such that when the upper corner points  191   a  and  191   b  are folded about the fold lines  190   a  and  190   b , the upper sheet portion  193  is the mirror image of the basket portion  102 . The upper sheet portion  193  is then folded about a fold line  192  such that an intermediate position  212  is formed. The intermediate position  212  can then be folded into yet a smaller position, if so desired. The intermediate position  212  can be folded in half about a fold line  211  as shown in FIG. 21. The container  100  is then folded into second store position  220 . It can be secured by any method known in the art such as a strip of tape.  
         [0040]    The intermediate position  212  can be folded into a thirds about fold lines  230   a  and  230   b , as shown in FIG. 23. A third store position  240  results. Again, the third store position can be secured by any means known, including a strip of decorative tape.  
         [0041]    As best shown in FIG. 20, the entire upper sheet portion  193  may be coated with an adhesive to form a seal portion  195 . The seal portion  195  may be used to secure the container over the basket  102  after an article has been deposited therein. The seal portion  195  may be covered by a backing sheet so that the adhesive is exposed only when needed by removing the backing sheet.  
         [0042]    The container can be enhanced in several different way. A deodorizing element can be added in the form of a pad, powder, or any other products known in the art to deodorize and/or kill bacteria in a small confined area. The container can be enhanced by adding an absorbent material such as cotton. The container can further be enhanced by creating using many different colors and prints of the sheet. Still further, it will be understood that the product may be provided in a variety of sizes suitable for disposing various personal hygiene products, including diapers, incontinence pads, or condoms. Furthermore, the disposal product may be sized to enclose a plurality of hygiene products. Still further, the container may be formed with additional folds, particularly when provided in larger sizes, to decrease the size of the container when in the store position, thereby increasing the portability of the container.  
         [0043]    As best shown in FIG. 20, the entire upper sheet portion  193  may be coated with an adhesive to form a seal portion  195 . The seal portion  195  may be used to secure the container over the basket  102  after an article has been deposited therein. The seal portion  195  may be covered by a backing sheet so that the adhesive is exposed only when needed by removing the backing sheet.  
         [0044]    The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom, as modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.