Patent Publication Number: US-2020283218-A1

Title: Pouched unit and method of using said pouched unit

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to a pouched unit comprising a dose of a substance which is enveloped by a main part of a pouch made from a water soluble material. In practice, such a pouched unit is often used for detergents, like a laundry detergent. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention is based on the insight that there is a need to inform the user. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention has the objective to provide an improved (or at least alternative) pouched unit. This objective is reached by a pouched unit comprising a dose of a substance which is enveloped by a main part of a pouch made from a water soluble material, wherein the pouch comprises a secondary part made from the water soluble material, the secondary part is attached to the main part via a weaker area of the water soluble material, which weaker area is configured to allow manual separation of the secondary part from the main part, and a message is provided on the secondary part. 
     The secondary part allows that a message can be added to pouched unit. The message may comprise user instructions for the user of the pouched unit. The weaker area allows that the additional water soluble material of the secondary part of the pouch can manually be removed before the main part of the pouch and its dose of substance is used. This way, a message can be provided to the user while preventing that the additional water soluble material of the secondary part negatively affects the use of the main part and its dose of substance. 
     In an embodiment of the pouched unit, the message comprises a text or a symbol. 
     In an embodiment of the pouched unit, the message is provided on the secondary part by a colourant. 
     In an embodiment of the pouched unit, the message is provided on the secondary part by a relief. 
     In an embodiment of the pouched unit, the pouch has a lower tensile strength at the weaker area when compared with the main part and the secondary part. 
     In an embodiment of the pouched unit, the secondary part extends away from the main part. 
     In an embodiment of the pouched unit, the substance in the main part of the pouch is a detergent material, such as a laundry detergent. 
     In an embodiment of the pouched unit, the water soluble material has been subjected to a weakening treatment at the weaker area. 
     In an embodiment of the pouched unit, the weaker area comprises one incision or multiple incisions in the water soluble material. 
     In an embodiment of the pouched unit, the pouch is only formed by the water soluble material. 
     In an embodiment of the pouched unit, the pouch is formed by at least two interconnected films of the water soluble material. 
     In an embodiment of the pouched unit, the main part comprises a main peripheral rim, the secondary part comprises a secondary peripheral rim, the at least two films are connected to each other at the main peripheral rim, the weaker area and the secondary peripheral rim, and the weaker area is located between the main peripheral rim and the secondary peripheral rim. 
     In an embodiment of the pouched unit, the main peripheral rim surrounds the substance and the secondary peripheral rim surrounds the message. 
     In an embodiment of the pouched unit, at least one recess is provided in the two interconnected films adjacent to the weaker area, and the recess extends between the main peripheral rim and the secondary peripheral rim. 
     In an embodiment of the pouched unit, a first recess and a second recess is provided in the two interconnected films adjacent to the weaker area, the first recess and the second recess extend between the main peripheral rim and the secondary peripheral rim, and the weaker area is located between the first recess and the second recess. 
     In an embodiment of the pouched unit, the weaker area is located between a main side part of the main peripheral rim and a secondary side part of the secondary peripheral rim, the main side part and the secondary side part extend in a side part direction, and the weaker area extends over a smaller distance in the side part direction than each of the main side part and the secondary side part. 
     The invention further relates to a method of using a pouched unit according to the invention. Said method comprises holding the main part of the pouch in one hand and holding the secondary part of the pouch in another hand, and manually separating the secondary part from the main part at the weaker area. 
     In an embodiment of the method, the substance in the main part is a laundry detergent and the method comprises;
         placing laundry in a washing machine,   analysing the message of the secondary part,   placing the main part of the in the washing machine after the secondary part has been manually separated from the main part, and   disposing the secondary part.       

    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION 
       Embodiments of the pouched unit and the method according to the invention will be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings in which corresponding reference symbols indicate corresponding parts, and in which: 
         FIG. 1A  schematically shows a front view of a first embodiment of the pouched unit according to the invention, 
         FIG. 1B  schematically shows a front view of the pouched unit of  FIG. 1A , wherein the main part and the secondary part have been manually separated, 
         FIG. 1C  schematically shows a view in perspective of the pouched unit of  FIG. 1A , 
         FIG. 2  schematically shows a view in cross section along line II-II of the pouched unit of  FIG. 1A , 
         FIG. 3A  schematically shows a front view in a second embodiment of the pouched unit according to the invention, 
         FIG. 3B  schematically shows a front view of the pouched unit of  FIG. 3A , wherein the main part and the secondary part have been manually separated, 
         FIG. 3C  schematically shows a view in perspective of the pouched unit of  FIG. 3A , 
         FIG. 4A  schematically shows a front view in a third embodiment of the pouched unit according to the invention, 
         FIG. 4B  schematically shows a front view of the pouched unit of  FIG. 4A , wherein the main part and the secondary part have been manually separated, and 
         FIG. 4C  schematically shows a view in perspective of the pouched unit of  FIG. 4A . 
     
    
    
     The  FIGS. 1A-C  and  2  show a first embodiment of the pouched unit  1  according to the invention. The pouched unit  1  comprises a dose of a substance  2  which is enveloped by a main part  3  of a pouch  4  made from a water soluble material  5 . The pouch  4  comprises a secondary part  6  made from the water soluble material  5 . The secondary part  6  is attached to the main part  3  via a weaker area  9  of the water soluble material  5 . The weaker area  9  is configured to allow manual separation of the secondary part  6  from the main part  3 . 
     The secondary part  6  comprises a message  7  with user information for the user. The weaker area  9  allows that the additional water soluble material  5  of the secondary part  6  of the pouch  4  can manually be removed before the main part  3  of the pouch  4  and its dose of substance  2  is used. This way, the message  7  can be provided to the user while preventing that the additional water soluble material of the secondary part  6  negatively affects the use of the main part  3  and its dose of substance  2 . 
     The pouch  4  has a lower tensile strength at the weaker area  9  when compared with the main part  3  and the secondary part  6 . This facilitates the manually separation of the secondary part  6  from the main part  3 . 
     The secondary part  6  extends away from the main part  3 . This facilitates the addition of the message  7  to the secondary part  6 . 
     The substance  2  in the main part  3  of the pouch  4  is a detergent material, more specifically a laundry detergent. The message  7  comprises user instructions for the user of the pouched unit  1 . The message  7  may comprise different information, such a warning for toxic materials. The message  7  may comprise a text or a symbol  8 . The message  7  is provided on the secondary part  6  by a colourant  11 . The water soluble material  5  is transparent. 
     The water soluble material  5  is a polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH). Other types of water soluble materials may be used. 
     The water soluble material  5  has been subjected to a weakening treatment at the weaker area  9 . The weaker area  9  comprises multiple incisions  10  in the water soluble material  5 . In another example, the weaker area  9  comprises one incision  10  in the water soluble material  5 . 
     The pouch  4  is only formed by the water soluble material  5 . This means that the pouch  4  itself only contains the water soluble material  5 . It is possible that another material is provided on the pouch, such as a colorant. 
     The pouch  4  is formed by two interconnected films  16 A,  16 B of the water soluble material  5 . The two films  16 A,  16 B are transparent. In other examples, the water soluble material  5  is translucent, or opaque. The water soluble material  5  may coloured. 
     The main part  3  comprises a main peripheral rim  17 . The secondary part  6  comprises a secondary peripheral rim  18 . The at least two films  16 A,  16 B are connected to each other at the main peripheral rim  17 , the weaker area  9  and the secondary peripheral rim  18 . The weaker area  9  is located between the main peripheral rim  17  and the secondary peripheral rim  18 . The main peripheral rim  17  surrounds the substance  2  and the secondary peripheral rim  18  surrounds the message  7 . 
     The method of using the pouched unit  1  comprises holding the main part  3  of the pouch  4  in one hand and holding the secondary part  6  of the pouch  4  in another hand, and manually separating the secondary part  6  from the main part  3  at the weaker area  9 . More specifically, the method comprises placing laundry in a washing machine, analysing the message  7  of the secondary part  6 , placing the main part  3  of the in the washing machine after the secondary part  6  has been manually separated from the main part  3 , and disposing the secondary part  6 . 
     The  FIGS. 3A-C  show a second embodiment of the pouched unit  1  according to the invention. A first recess  20 A and a second recess  20 B is provided in the two interconnected films  16 A,  16 B adjacent to the weaker area  9 . The first recess  20 A and the second recess  20 B extend between the main peripheral rim  17  and the secondary peripheral rim  18 . The weaker area  9  is located between the first recess  20 A and the second recess  20 B. 
     In another example, only one recess is provided in the two interconnected films  16 A,  16 B adjacent to the weaker area  9 , and the recess extends between the main peripheral rim  17  and the secondary peripheral rim  18 . 
     The main peripheral rim  17  comprises a first main side part  21 A, a second main side part  21 B, a third main side part  21 C, and a fourth main side part  21 D. The secondary peripheral rim  18  comprises a first secondary side part  22 A, a second secondary side part  22 B, a third secondary side part  22 C, and a fourth secondary side part  22 D. The weaker area  9  is located between the first main side part  21 A of the main peripheral rim  17  and the first secondary side part  22 A of the secondary peripheral rim  18 . The first main side part  21 A and the first secondary side part  22 A extend in a side part direction  23 . The weaker area  9  extends over a smaller distance in the side part direction  23  than each of the first main side part  21 A and the first secondary side part  22 A. 
     The  FIGS. 4A-C  shows a third embodiment of the pouched unit  1  according to the invention. Also in this embodiment, the substance  2  comprises a detergent. 
     The message  7  is provided on the secondary part  6  by a relief  12 . More specifically, the relief  12  is braille to inform people who are blind or visually impaired. In other examples, the relief  12  has the form of text or as symbol  8 . 
     As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which can be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. Further, the terms and phrases used herein are not intended to be limiting, but rather, to provide an understandable description of the invention. 
     The terms “a” or “an”, as used herein, are defined as one or more than one. The term plurality, as used herein, is defined as two or more than two. The term another, as used herein, is defined as at least a second or more. The terms including and/or having, as used herein, are defined as comprising (i.e., open language, not excluding other elements or steps). Any reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims or the invention. 
     It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made to the pouched unit and the method without departing from the scope as defined in the claims.