WARMING CONTAINER FOR WIPES

Abstract

A container for supplying warm wipes having a compartment for holding a plurality of wipes and at least one pocket for holding a chemical heat pack. The pocket has a first surface in thermal contact with the compartment holding the wipes and a second surface having at least one opening in direct contact with the atmospheric air. The opening is of sufficient size to permit atmospheric air to circulate to the chemical heat pack in the pocket and cause an exothermic heat reaction to occur within the chemical heat pack and warm the wipes by transmitting heat through the pocket first surface.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a container used to store, warm to above ambient temperatures and dispense moistened sheets of paper or cloth disposable wipes for personal use.

2. Description of Related Art

With a typical moistened wipe in a prepackaged container, the wipe usually contains a solution which has some evaporative qualities and upon contact with the air outside the container, the wipe will immediately and continually tend to drop in temperature until it contacts the skin. Upon contact with the skin, the wipe creates a cool sensation on the skin both from transfer of heat from the skin to the wipe and from the evaporation of the solution from the skin once the wipe has transferred a quantity of the solution onto the skin. This is of more particular concern when the situation involves using a wipe on an infant. The surprise of the cooler sensation often times is evident from various reactions of the infant. Some caretakers have found it less stressful on the infant by first applying the wipe to their own skin in order to increase the temperature of the wipe, but this can be both a contamination source and a consumption of time in a process in which both the caretaker and infant would prefer to minimize.

There have been several attempts to address this problem, for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,943,705, 5,004,894, 5,738,082, and 7,022,945. Even where such prior art employs a chemical heat source, there have been deficiencies in performance and heating of wipes using the disclosed containers. They in general have not been economical or simple to use, and do not provide optimum performance from the chemical heat source.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Bearing in mind the problems and deficiencies of the prior art, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a container for supplying warm disposable wipes.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a container for supplying warm wipes which employs a more effective method and system for activating the heat source therein.

A further object of the invention is to provide a container for supplying warm wipes which allows air to properly circulate within its chemical heat source and keep the chemical heat source separate from the wipes to be dispensed.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a convenient container for supplying warm disposable wipes wherein the container initially heats the first wipes to be dispensed by incorporating the heat source in more accessible parts of the container.

Still other objects and advantages of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part be apparent from the specification.

The above and other objects, which will be apparent to those skilled in the art, are achieved in the present invention which is directed to an apparatus for supplying warm wipes comprising a container having a compartment therein for holding a plurality of wipes and at least one pocket for holding a chemical heat pack therein. The pocket has a first surface in thermal contact with the compartment holding the wipes and a second surface having at least one opening therein in direct contact with the atmospheric air. The opening is of sufficient size to permit atmospheric air to circulate to the chemical heat pack in the pocket and cause an exothermic heat reaction to occur within the chemical heat pack and warm the wipes by transmitting heat through the pocket first surface. The pocket may be disposed on either the interior or exterior of a side, bottom or top of the container with a wall between the pocket and the container compartment.

The pocket may additionally include a slideable tray supported for movement into and out of the container so that the chemical heat pack may be placed in the tray when in the open position and be positioned inside the pocket after sliding the tray into its closed position. The compartment for the wipes may alternately be detachably connected to the portion of the apparatus containing the pocket for the chemical heat pack.

The pocket opening may be covered with a removable tab for initially sealing the chemical heat pack in an airtight pocket, the tab being removable from the opening to commence the exothermic reaction of the chemical heat pack.

The container may be a soft, resilient package with the pocket being secured to the top or bottom surface of the soft container. The soft, resilient package may alternately have a lid on the top surface with the pocket for the chemical heat pack being in the lid.

In another aspect, the present invention is directed to a method of supplying warm wipes. The method comprises providing a container having a compartment therein for holding a plurality of wipes and at least one pocket for holding a chemical heat pack therein. The pocket has a first surface in thermal contact with the compartment holding the wipes and a second surface having at least one opening therein in direct contact with the atmospheric air. The opening is of sufficient size to permit atmospheric air to circulate to the chemical heat pack in the pocket and cause an exothermic heat reaction to occur within the chemical heat pack and warm the wipes by transmitting heat through the pocket first surface. The pocket may be disposed on either the interior or exterior of a side, bottom or top of the container with a wall between the pocket and the container compartment. The method includes providing wipes inside the container compartment, providing a chemical heat pack inside the pocket, and exposing the chemical heat pack to atmospheric air through the opening to permit the atmospheric air to circulate to the chemical heat pack and cause an exothermic heat reaction to occur within the chemical heat pack, thereby warming the wipes by transmitting heat through the pocket first surface into the compartment for the wipes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features of the invention believed to be novel and the elements characteristic of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The figures are for illustration purposes only and are not drawn to scale. The invention itself however both as to organization and method of operation, may best be understood by reference to the detailed description which follows taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of one embodiment of the container for warming disposable wipes in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the container shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a right side elevational view of the container shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the container shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a temperature indicator used with the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of another embodiment of the warming wipes container in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of the container shown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a bottom view of the container shown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of yet another embodiment of the warming wipes container in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of still a further embodiment of the warming wipes container in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a top plan view of a soft pack embodiment of the warming wipes container in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the container shown in FIG. 11

FIG. 13 is a top plan view of another soft pack embodiment of the warming wipes container in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a front elevational view of the container shown in FIG. 13.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)

In describing the preferred embodiment of the present invention, reference will be made herein to FIGS. 1-14 of the drawings in which like numerals refer to like features of the invention.

FIGS. 1-4 show a first embodiment of the present invention which comprises a container 12 having six approximately rectangular sides in a box-like configuration to provide a compartment for holding a stack of moist wipes. The container is preferably constructed of a hard but resilient molded polymer and contains wipes 14 in an interior portion. The container has top surface 16 having a lid 26 thereon, a bottom surface 18 opposite the top surface, a front surface 20 connected along its top and bottom edges to the top surface and the bottom surface, respectively, a rear surface 22 opposite the front surface, and two side surfaces 24 on opposite ends of the container. The top and bottom surfaces are preferably sized slightly larger than wipes 14 to permit easy insertion to and removal from container 12. Lid 26 has a substantially straight edge molded in with the top surface 16 creating an integral hinge 28, with the remaining free edge portion being substantially semicircular in shape. As an alternate, lid 26 may have a permanent flexible hinge adhesively attached to the lid edge and the top surface 16. The lid may have any other desired configuration. The curved portion of the edge of the lid is removably sealed with the top surface by a lid tab 32 located along portion of the curved edge tangent with the straight edge detachably fastening with a corresponding protruding slot 34 on the front surface 20. Wipes 14 stored within container 12 are readily accessible through lid 26. Such wipes may be wet, disposable personal wipes as described above, or any other type of wipes that for which heating is desired.

In order to provide heat to the wipes in the container, one or more pockets are provided in or on the container with walls that are along the exterior of the container for one or more chemical heat packs, for example dry heat oxidation packs. Such dry heat oxidation packs are well known for warming a user's hands or feet in cold weather, and typically employ a composition that undergoes an exothermic reaction when exposed to oxygen in atmospheric air. The pack may be one of several commercially available heat packs, for example, containing iron powder, salt, water, activated carbon, and vermiculite. An exterior pocket 30 is shown disposed on the outer surface of the container 12 in thermal contact with the container interior through side surface 24. Although plastics such as used for the container may be considered to be thermal insulators, by making the wall relatively thin, a sufficient amount of heat from the dry heat oxidation pack in the pocket will flow into the interior of the container holding the wipes. The proper thickness of the wall separating the pocket and container interior may be determined without undue experimentation. An access slit 36 on the upper edge of the pocket permits insertion of a dry heat oxidation pack 50 into the interior of the pocket. Pocket 30 is attached to the outside wall of the container 12 with at least one and preferably a plurality of openings on the exterior wall of the pocket directly accessing the atmosphere surrounding the container, here shown as substantially circular openings 40. These opening permit circulation of atmospheric air to the dry heat oxidation pack 50 in the pocket. The diameter of the openings may be between about 0.125 to 1.0 in. (3 to 25 mm), or such other size that allows for proper air contact to activate and warm the dry heat oxidation pack as it is disposed within the pocket.

The pocket may alternately be an internal pocket 30′ within the side wall of the container as shown in phantom lines in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4. In an interior pocket, the access slit for the dry heat oxidation pack 50 may be accessible through the opened lid 26 on the top surface 16 or may be formed directly through top surface 16 near side 24. The openings 40 to the container exterior are formed in side surface 24, which itself forms the outer wall of the pocket, and the interior wall 33′ of pocket 30′ provides the thermal contact with the wipes in the container interior. While the drawing figures show the pockets 30 and 30′ on the side ends 24 of the container, such pockets may be located on one or more of the other surfaces of container 12, either as internal or external pockets on the front, back, top or bottom surfaces. The number and placement of such pockets on the container is dependent on need for heat due to factors such as low ambient temperature, a lengthened time the warmed wipes are needed, or a large number of wipes in the container. While pockets 30 and 30′ are shown sized to hold one dry heat oxidation pack, they may be enlarged to accommodate two or more of such packs.

During use of the invention, at least one dry heat oxidation pack 50 is exposed to the atmosphere and activated, optionally by shaking or squeezing, and placed in at least one of the pockets. The number of dry heat oxidation packs used at one time is a function of the amount of heat needed for a particular use. As the number of dry heat oxidation packs which are activated increases, the heating rate of the wipes increases and the warmer the wipes will become in a specific length of time. With a greater number of dry heat oxidation packs placed in a single pocket, a longer the time of heat production is achieved, due to the fact that as dry heat oxidation packs are stacked on one another, reducing oxygen availability and thereby reducing the rate of heat-producing oxidation. This will allow the dry heat oxidation packs to generate at a minimal heat rate for a greater period of time.

FIG. 5 shows a temperature indicator 52 which may be attached to or incorporated integral with any of the surfaces of the container containing the wipes to allow the user to visually determine the temperature of the wipes. The temperature indicator 52 may be one of several currently available, such as those used on fish aquariums, that are substantially flat and have an adhesive backing in thermal contact with the wall to which it is adhered. The temperature indicator 52 is mounted on the interior of the container with a cutout portion 54 of the container permitting viewing of the temperature indicator and a thin transparent strip 56 on the exterior of the container over the cut out to protect the temperature indicator and provide thermal isolation from the atmospheric air.

FIGS. 6-8 depict another embodiment of the present invention which may be used as a compact version of the embodiment described above, as well as showing an alternate use of the dry heat oxidation pack 50 incorporated into the pocket 30 during manufacturing of the container. Container 12 has an interior compartment created by the walls for the wipe, which compartment is accessible through lid 26 as before. The wipes have been left out of the interior compartment for purposes of clarity, although they will typically be provided to the user within the container. The container 12 has external pocket 30 in thermal contact with bottom surface 18. At least one opening, and preferably multiple openings 40, are formed in the opposite exterior wall 31 of pocket 30 A removable activation tab 44 comprising a strip of adhesive tape on the exterior of the opposite wall initially covers openings 40. In this embodiment, dry heat oxidation pack 50 is provided in the pocket in an airtight environment prior to purchase by the user. When the user desires to warm the wipes, the user pulls the activation tab 44 from the pocket exterior wall 31 to remove the tape strip and expose openings 40, thereby allowing atmospheric air to circulate into the pocket and activating the oxidation process in the dry heat oxidation pack 50.

FIG. 9 shows another embodiment of the present invention in which the container 12′ and the wipes therein (not shown) are detachably connected to and removable from a warmer 70. Wipes container 12′ has an interior compartment for holding the wipes similar to the to previous embodiment except that it has no dry heat oxidation pack pockets secured to or integral with the container walls or surfaces. Container 12′ instead has a thin bottom surface such that heat generated below the surface may be efficiently transferred therethrough to any wipes in the container and has on its upper surface a snap cover with a molded hinge connecting the lid to the top surface. The wipes are initially placed in the container through the top lid 16, and the lid is resealed to make the interior of the container substantially air tight. Subsequently, container 12 containing the wipes is lowered into the open top of warmer 70.

Warmer 70 has a bottom and four rectangular sides 58 which correspond to the front, back, and side surfaces of the container, and have lateral dimensions minimally larger than those of container 12′ to allow the container to slide down into the warmer 70. The container is lowered until the edges of the bottom thereon contact a set of at least two rails 72 permanently attached to or integral with at least two opposing interior sides 58 of the warmer. The rails located near the lower portion of the warmer sides 58, and leave sufficient space when the container is disposed thereon for at least one, and preferably a plurality of, dry heat oxidation packs 50 to be positioned below in the pocket formed by the container 12′ bottom and the warmer 70 bottom. The dry heat oxidation pack may be inserted and removed through a slot opening 86 on one of the sides 58 of the warmer or, alternatively, be placed in the bottom of the warmer prior to the container being lowered therein. In the lower portion of the warmer below the rails there is at least one, and preferably a plurality of, openings 40 on one or more sides 58 of the warmer to allow atmospheric air circulation for the oxidation process of the dry heat oxidation pack. The number and size of the openings will depend on the rate of heating needed for warming the wipes. The warmer has clips 88 on the top edge of opposite sides in which a carrying strap 90 may be permanently or removably attached. In this embodiment, the container for the wipes and the warmer section are separate, and the warmer section may be reusable and configured to hold wipes containers currently available on the market. The user would simply dispose of the empty wipe container after the wipes are gone, and place another container of wipes into the warmer.

FIG. 10 shows a reusable embodiment of the present invention whereby a dry heat oxidation pack may be activated and placed in a pocket having a slidable tray 74 located in the lower portion of the container 12 containing the wipes. A divider 76 separates the tray region in the lower container portion from the upper portion of the container which comprises the compartment in which the wipes may be located. Divider 76 is preferably a thin sheet of thermally conductive material substantially parallel to and spaced above the bottom surface of the container. The wipes are supported by divider 76, with the divider allowing the heat generated by dry heat oxidation packs (not shown) on tray 74 to transfer to the upper compartment containing the wipes. The lid may be similar to that of previous embodiments or, as the alternative shown in FIG. 10, may have a snap top 78 removably sealed with an oval dispensing opening 80 for access of the wipes. The top surface may be hinged to the rear surface to allow container access for additional wipes to be placed inside the container. The rear surface and sides of the container have openings 40 as previously described located in the lower tray section of the container to allow atmospheric air circulation to continue the exothermic chemical reaction in the dry heat oxidation pack.

A disposable embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 11 and 12. Container 12″ is a soft pack made of a flexible plastic or foil upper and lower sides 60a, 60b, respectively, forming the compartment within which wipes 14 are held. The container has a stiff plastic lid 82 on the upper side 60a containing a pocket 30′ on its interior surface for insertion and removal of a dry heat oxidation pack through a slot on the pocket side. The upper wall of the pocket has multiple openings 40 through lid 82, initially sealed with the activation tab 44, for circulation of atmospheric air once the tab is removed. Pocket 30′ is in thermal contact with the wipes through lower wall 33′ when the lid is in the closed position. One advantage of this embodiment is that, because of the soft side walls 60, container collapses down to the size of the stack of wipes 14 held therein, and the top wipe closest to the dispensing opening is in direct contact with the thermally conductive wall 33′ of the pocket, which permits the quick heating of the wipes to be used first.

In FIGS. 13 and 14 the soft pack container 12″ is shown, but with pocket 30 for the dry heat oxidation pack located on the opposite, bottom side 60b of the container. The dispensing of the wipes from the interior compartment may be via a lid on upper side 60a similar to lid 82 shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 (without the interior pocket and air openings). Alternatively a more economical version may have the dispensing opening created by pulling off a section of the upper surface 60a made with perforations 84 as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14.

The dry heat oxidation pack may be made part of the containers and apparatus described herein during manufacturing and be made replaceable or, alternately, may be provided by the user. One commercially available dry heat organic oxidation pack which may be used is HotHands® produced by Heatmax, Inc. of Dalton, Ga. Where the user provides the dry heat oxidation pack, the package would have its exterior protective packaging removed to commence the activation of the heat production process. The dry heat oxidation pack would typically be a package containing the combination of iron powder, salt, water, activated carbon, and vermiculite. This combination, when exposed to the air, produces an exothermic reaction through oxidation. Typically available heat packs generate heat for about 2-8 hours. Since the rate at which heat is produced is a function of the rate at which oxygen is supplied to the reaction, limiting the amount of air allowed to contact a dry heat oxidation pack would restrict the amount of heat produced.

Although some of the previous embodiments have been described on the basis that the invention is refillable either with dry heat oxidation packs made specifically for the invention or with presently available dry heat oxidation packs, any of the embodiments may be a one-time-use disposable container of warming wipes that have the wipes and the dry heat oxidation packs built into the container. The warming of the wipes may be then commenced by pulling out the activation tab covering the openings of the pockets, or alternately removing a cellophane covering, or snapping a breakable vial within the dry heat oxidation pack to allow the chemicals to combine and react. If there are more wipes in the container that are typically used in one application, a plurality of pockets containing the dry heat oxidation packs would allow the invention to be used several times if less than all of the dry heat oxidation packs are activated in one use.

The wipes also entail several embodiments which include but are not limited to their size, various compositions incorporated in the wipes such as scents, lotions, antimicrobial agents, and designs on the wipes to appeal to different users such as fish or animals for the hunter/fisherman, infant designs for caretakers, and floral designs for general use. An antimicrobial sponge may also be provided with the wipes in the container to impede the growth of bacteria or fungus.

Thus, the present invention provides a container for supplying warm wipes which employs a more effective method and system for activating the heat source therein, particularly with dry heat oxidation packs. The container allows air to properly circulate within its chemical heat source and keep the chemical heat source separate from the wipes to be dispensed. The container is able to initially heat the first wipes to be dispensed by incorporating the heat source in more accessible parts of the container.

While the present invention has been particularly described, in conjunction with a specific preferred embodiment, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description. It is therefore contemplated that the appended claims will embrace any such alternatives, modifications and variations as falling within the true scope and spirit of the present invention.

Claims

1. An apparatus for supplying warm wipes comprising:

a container having a compartment therein for holding a plurality of wipes; and

at least one pocket for holding a chemical heat pack therein, the at least one pocket having a first surface in thermal contact with the compartment holding the wipes and a second surface having at least one opening therein in direct contact with the atmospheric air, the at least one opening being of sufficient size to permit atmospheric air to circulate to the chemical heat pack in the pocket and cause an exothermic heat reaction to occur within the chemical heat pack and warm the wipes by transmitting heat through the pocket first surface.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the pocket is disposed on an exterior of a side, bottom or top of the container and the pocket first surface comprises a wall between the pocket and the container compartment for holding the wipes and the pocket second surface comprises a wall opposite the first surface.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the pocket is disposed on an interior of a side, bottom or top of the container and the pocket first surface comprises a wall between the pocket and the container compartment for holding the wipes and the pocket second surface comprises the side, bottom or top of the container.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the pocket includes a slideable tray supported for movement into and out of the container between closed and open positions such that a chemical heat pack may be placed on the tray when the tray is in the open position and the chemical heat pack is positioned inside the pocket after sliding the tray into its closed position.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the container compartment for the wipes is detachably connected to the portion of the apparatus containing the pocket for the chemical heat pack.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least one pocket opening is covered with a removable tab for initially sealing the chemical heat pack in substantially an airtight manner in the pocket, the tab being removable from the opening to commencing the exothermic reaction of the chemical heat pack.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the container is a soft, resilient package and the pocket is secured to a top or bottom surface of the soft container.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the container has a lid for dispensing wipes held in the compartment, and the pocket for the chemical heat pack is in the lid.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the pocket for the chemical heat pack is on a side or bottom of the container.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the pocket for the chemical heat pack is on a top of the container.

11. A method of supplying warm wipes comprising:

providing a container having a compartment therein for holding a plurality of wipes and at least one pocket for holding chemical heat pack therein, the at least one pocket having a first surface in thermal contact with the compartment holding the wipes and a second surface having at least one opening therein in direct contact with the atmospheric air, the at least one opening being of sufficient size to permit atmospheric air to circulate to a chemical pack in the pocket and cause an exothermic heat reaction to occur within the chemical heat pack and warm the wipes by transmitting heat through the pocket first surface;

providing a wipes inside the container compartment;

providing a chemical heat pack inside the at least one pocket; and

exposing the chemical heat pack to atmospheric air through the at least one opening to permit atmospheric air to circulate to the chemical pack in the pocket and cause an exothermic heat reaction to occur within the chemical heat pack, thereby warming the wipes by transmitting heat through the pocket first surface into the compartment for the wipes.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the pocket is disposed on the exterior of a side, bottom or top of the container and the pocket first surface comprises a wall between the pocket and the container compartment for holding the wipes and the pocket second surface comprises a wall opposite the first surface, and wherein the chemical heat pack is exposed to the atmospheric air through the at least one opening in the pocket second surface.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the pocket is disposed on the interior of a side, bottom or top of the container and the pocket first surface comprises a wall between the pocket and the container compartment for holding the wipes and the pocket second surface comprises a wall opposite the first surface, and wherein the chemical heat pack is exposed to the atmospheric air through the at least one opening in the pocket second surface.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the pocket includes a slideable tray supported for movement into and out of the container between closed and open positions and wherein the chemical heat pack is placed on the tray when the tray is in the open position and the tray is slid into its closed position whereby the chemical heat pack is positioned inside the pocket and the chemical heat pack is exposed to the atmospheric air through the at least one opening.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the container compartment for the wipes is detachably connected to the portion of the apparatus containing the pocket for the chemical heat pack and wherein the compartment for the wipes is detached from the apparatus containing the pocket for replacement of the chemical heat pack or for providing additional wipes.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein the at least one pocket opening is covered with a removable tab for initially sealing a chemical heat pack in substantially an airtight manner in the pocket, the tab being removable from the opening to commencing the exothermic reaction of the chemical heat pack and including removing the tab from the opening to expose the chemical heat pack to the atmospheric air.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein the container is a soft, resilient package and the pocket is secured to a top or bottom surface of the soft container and wherein the chemical heat pack is exposed to the atmospheric air through the at least one opening to permit atmospheric air to circulate to the chemical pack in the pocket and cause an exothermic heat reaction to occur within the chemical heat pack, thereby warming the wipes by transmitting heat through the pocket first surface into the compartment for the wipes.

18. The method of claim 11 wherein the container has a lid for dispensing wipes held in the compartment, and the pocket for the chemical heat pack is in the lid and wherein the chemical heat pack is exposed to the atmospheric air through the at least one opening in the lid.

19. The method of claim 11 wherein the pocket for the chemical heat pack is on a side or bottom of the container and wherein the chemical heat pack is exposed to the atmospheric air through the at least one opening.

20. The method of claim 11 wherein the pocket for the chemical heat pack is on the top of the container and wherein the chemical heat pack is exposed to the atmospheric air through the at least one opening.