PROVIDING TOOTHPASTE BEADS POSITIONED ON DISPENSING MEDIUM
Systems and methods to dispense toothpaste include toothpaste beads positioned onto a dispensing medium. The toothpaste beads may be individually stored and accessed for use on a toothbrush.
This application claims priority to the U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/181,267, entitled “Toothpaste Dots,” filed on May 26, 2009, and claims the benefit of the filing data thereof. The entire disclosure of the above is incorporated into this application by reference.
II. FIELD OF THE DISCLOSUREThe present disclosure relates to oral hygiene products, and more particularly, to toothpaste packaging and dispensing.
III. BACKGROUNDConventional toothpaste delivery mediums can be messy and wasteful. For example, it may be challenging for some to dispense an appropriate amount of toothpaste from a tube. An amount of toothpaste in the tube may further be unsalvageable. Bottle and pump dispensers may similarly deliver toothpaste in an imprecise amount and errant direction. Pre-packaged toothpaste and toothbrush combinations require a user to discard the toothbrush after a single use. Travel size restrictions may further limit the versatility of conventional toothpaste dispensers.
Toothpaste use may be improved by providing a plurality of toothpaste beads conveyed by a dispensing medium. The toothpaste beads may be individually stored and accessed and may comprise an appropriately sized quantity. Toothpaste beads positioned on the same dispensing medium may include one or more different shapes, colorings, designs, images, and flavors. The toothpaste beads of an embodiment may have a moderately dehydrated consistency. The toothpaste beads of different embodiments may range from being moist to dry. The toothpaste beads may include different thickness. For example, a toothpaste bead may be rounded or may be flat. A toothpaste bead may include an additive, such as a breath or flavor enhancing chemical.
An embodiment of the dispensing medium may comprise a plastic ribbon on which the toothpaste beads are positioned, or otherwise attached. A computer programmable machine may automatically position the plurality of toothpaste beads onto the dispensing medium according to a programmed plan. Characteristics, such as bead placement, size, thickness, color, etc., may be programmed into the bead placing machinery for execution. The dispensing medium may be spooled or stored in strips. The dispensing medium may be bendable or rigid.
The dispensing medium may be scored or otherwise segmented into sections that are associated with each toothpaste bead. Alternatively, the dispending medium may be manually torn or mechanically separated into portions in the absence of pre-scored portions. A cover layer may overlay the toothpaste beads for preserving or containing the toothpaste beads. Alternatively, the toothpaste beads may stick to the dispensing medium on their own. For example, either or both the toothpaste beads and the dispensing medium may be sticky or tacky at the time the toothpaste beads are positioned onto the dispensing medium. A toothpaste bead may alternatively be attached to the dispending medium using an intermediate, adhering substance, or by using heat treatment. The cover layer and the dispensing medium may be made from recyclable material, such as recyclable plastic. Portions of either or both of the cover layer and the dispensing medium may Include patterns, colors, and designs that are different than adjacent portions.
A dispenser may advance the dispensing medium in response to a user input. For example, a user may apply force to a button, handle, or trigger of the dispenser to mechanically advance the dispensing medium. The dispenser may automatically advance and cut the dispensing medium. A dispenser may be wall-mounted or may include a stand. The dispenser may additionally be pocket-sized. In another dispensing embodiment, the user may manually pull on a free end of the dispensing medium to advance it. The user may further manually detach a portion of the dispending medium from another portion. Different lengths or sizes of the dispensing medium may be individually packaged in to travel-sized containers (e.g., each container including a preset number of dispensing mediums of a certain size and length).
In use, a toothbrush may be wet and swiped along the dispensing medium to pick up the toothpaste bead. Alternatively, the toothpaste bead may have enough water content such that the toothbrush is not pre-wetted. When present, the cover layer may be first peeled away or otherwise removed. Alternatively, the toothpaste bead may be forcibly pushed through either of the cover layer or the dispensing medium. Where no cover layer is present, the user may press on, wriggle, or otherwise manipulate the dispensing medium in a manner that causes the toothpaste bead to fall onto a toothbrush.
Turning more particularly to the drawings,
Embodiments may encourage good hygiene by offering varieties of differently flavored, colored, and shaped toothpaste beads. Cleanliness may be facilitated by the measured quantity and contained nature of each toothpaste bead. The toothpaste beads may be convenient for travel and packaging.
While the present invention has been illustrated by a description of various embodiments and while these embodiments have been described in considerable detail, it is not the intention of the Applicant to restrict, or any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. For example, attaching a toothpaste bead to a dispensing medium may include positioning the toothpaste bead in between layers of the dispensing medium. The invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to the specific details, representative apparatus, methods, and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the scope of Applicant's general inventive concept.
Claims
1. An apparatus, comprising:
- a dispensing medium configured to be separated into a plurality of portions; and
- a plurality of toothpaste beads positioned on the dispensing medium, wherein at least one toothpaste bead of the plurality of toothpaste beads is positioned on each of the plurality of portions, and wherein at least a portion of the one toothpaste bead is configured to be removed from the dispensing medium onto a toothbrush.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a first toothpaste bead of the plurality of toothpaste beads differs from a second toothpaste bead of the plurality of toothpaste beads by a characteristic that includes at least one of a shape, an image, an additive, a thickness, a size, a design, a color, and a flavor.
3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a cover layer positioned on a side of a toothpaste bead opposite the dispensing medium.
4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the cover layer is translucent.
5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of toothpaste beads are arranged in at least one of a raw and a grid.
6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the dispensing medium is scored along adjacent portions.
7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the portions of the dispensing medium include at least one of different markings, different colors, different images, and different designs.
8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a dispenser configured to separate the portions of the dispensing medium.
9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the dispenser is configured to advance the dispensing medium.
10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the dispensing medium is configured to be spooled.
11. A method of dispensing toothpaste, the method including:
- automatically positioning a plurality of toothpaste beads onto a dispensing medium, wherein the dispensing medium is separable into portions each having a toothpaste bead of the plurality of toothpaste beads positioned thereon, wherein at least a portion of the toothpaste bead is configured to be removed from the dispensing medium onto a toothbrush; and
- packaging the dispensing medium for sale.
12. The method of claim 11, further comprising positioning a cover layer over a toothpaste bead of the plurality of toothpaste beads, wherein the cover layer and the dispensing medium form a cavity that includes the toothpaste bead.
13. The method of claim 12, further comprising configured the cover layer to be peeled away from the toothpaste bead.
14. The method of claim 11, configuring a first toothpaste bead of the plurality of toothpaste beads to differ from a second toothpaste bead of the plurality of toothpaste beads by a characteristic that includes at least one of a shape, an image, an additive, a thickness, a size, a design, a color, and a flavor.
15. The method of claim 11, further comprising spooling the dispensing medium.
16. The method of claim 11, further comprising arranging a plurality of toothpaste beads into at least one of a row and a grid.
17. The method of claim 11, further comprising scoring the dispensing medium.
18. The method of claim 11, further comprising executing program code configured to selectively modify a characteristic of a toothpaste bead of the plurality of toothpaste beads, wherein the characteristic is selected from a group consisting of: a shape, an image, at additive, a thickness, a size, a design, a color, and a flavor.
19. A method of dispensing toothpaste, the method including:
- advancing a plurality of toothpaste beads towards a separating mechanism, wherein the toothpaste beads are configured to be positioned onto a toothbrush;
- aligning a toothpaste bead of the plurality of toothpaste beads with the separating mechanism; and
- separating the toothpaste bead using the separating mechanism.
20. The method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of toothpaste beads comprise a strip.
Type: Application
Filed: May 26, 2010
Publication Date: Dec 2, 2010
Inventor: Joelle J. Scholer (Wilmington, NC)
Application Number: 12/788,295
International Classification: B65D 85/42 (20060101);