Devices and Methods for Packaging and Dispensing Unit Doses of Personal Care Products
Packaging and delivery systems for personal care products and methods of providing samples or single units of use, include dispensing devices that produce a spray, mist, or stream delivery of measured amounts of personal care products packaged in internally pierced blister unit doses which protect the quality of the unused product and reduce the amount of product wasted in providing samples.
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STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENTN/A
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONIn the personal care product industries, and especially the cosmetics, cosmeceuticals and fragrance industries, there is a recognized need for “unit of use” product packaging and dispensing suitable for mass distribution and/or in-store testing. Unit of use or unit dose packaging provides numerous benefits for manufacturers and marketers of such products including: improved shelf life, product quality, convenience, ease of use and product sampling. Companies attempt to grow their customer bases by distributing free samples of small quantities of their products, often via direct mail or as inserts in magazines, with the hope that the recipient consumer will use and enjoy the products, and eventually become a customer. The types of products distributed through these samples typically include cosmetic products, fragrances, essential oils, lotions, serums, creams, gels, powders, and other products that may be used, in many cases, on the skin or hair. Unit dose containers can also be used to simplify packaging and mixing of two or more dissimilar products such as a liquid and a powder by the consumer just prior to use. Unit dose packaging can further be used to distribute hygienic or cleaning products, such as toothpaste or liquid soaps. The unit dose container is designed to contain enough product for a single use or, in some cases, multiple uses of the product to preserve the quality of a commercial product until ready to use or so that the consumer can test the product a limited number of times before deciding whether to buy the product if he or she wishes to continue using it.
Current methods of packaging liquids and powders for samplers to be mailed or otherwise distributed to consumers often involve sealing the product in between two ply layers. The sealed, compressed package can then be inserted into mailings or magazines, or distributed by hand or from a display in public locations. There are notable disadvantages to this method, however. When a consumer expels the contents of the sealed sample, there is often a substantial amount of product left on the internal walls of the two ply layers. This results in a waste of product and money for the company, and even more so if the company compensates for the inaccessible product by packaging more than the amount of product necessary for a single use. Another important disadvantage is that these sealed samplers often cannot be applied in the same way that the commercial products are applied, especially in the case of fragrances or other products that are delivered through sprays, mists, or drops. For example, the distribution of perfume through a sealed liquid sample does not allow the consumer to test the product in the mist or spray form in which the product would be used if purchased. The use of the product in unintended forms, such as dabbing a concentrated amount of a fragrance on the skin, prevents the potential customer from experiencing the product in the manner that he or she would if they were to buy a full-sized container.
The alternative to sealed samplers is to provide consumers with larger quantities of perfume or other products in small sample bottles or pouches, requiring the company to provide substantially more product than is necessary for a single use. Indeed, another current method for packaging and distributing samples of fragrances is to distribute small glass vials containing a small quantity of the fragrance. The applicators that are included and used with these samples are typically one of three types: a dipstick, a rollerball, or a sprayer. This type of sample has many of the same disadvantages as the sealed samplers, however. Companies must provide much more product than is necessary for a single spray or use. Moreover, with the exception of sprayed samples, the vial applicators do not provide the same experience and application as would the commercial products. Another disadvantage which is unique to the vials is that they have the potential to break or leak, causing waste of product, negative experiences for the consumers, and even potential liability for the company.
In addition to the problems with distributed samples, problems of wastefulness occur when samples and testers are used in stores or other public locations. Stores that sell cosmetics and other personal care type products typically use in-store testers so that consumers can sample products in order to decide whether to buy them. These testers are often commercial sized bottles of the products, labeled as “testers,” that are left on display for the customers to try. This method of providing samples to customers creates a great deal of waste. Customers will often use a substantially greater amount of the product than is necessary for a single use, and unsupervised children are likely to expel large volumes of product. The financial consequences of this waste are especially damaging when the product is a more expensive commodity, such as a fragrance.
Unit dose containers offer additional advantages for use in commercial product applications. They are typically small and compact making them easy and convenient to carry for the consumer. Unit of use packaging for commercial products ensures that the remaining supply of product is not exposed to environmental conditions such as oxygen, light, or water vapor for example, that would contaminate or degrade the quality of the product over time after the consumer begins use of the product.
There is a need, therefore, for more effective and less wasteful means for storing and dispensing measured amounts of product samples in a liquid, powder, gel, creme, foam, stream, spray, mist, or droplet form, to be provided as samples or convenient single use commercial products.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF INVENTIONThe present disclosure is directed to dispensing devices and methods for dispensing precise, unit amounts of personal care products, including cosmetics, cosmeceuticals, nutriceuticals, nutricosmetics, hygienic products, powders, liquids, fragrances, lotions, creams, gels, and serums. As used herein, a “personal care product” is any liquid, powder, high viscosity liquid or combinations thereof that is used for cosmetic purposes, personal care, general health or well-being or for personal hygiene, including but not limited to fragrances, essential oils, dermal treatments, skin coloring or masking, liquid soaps, makeup, toothpaste, breath freshener, hair serum, shaving cream, lotion, or hair gel, herbal preparations, electrolytes, vitamins, minerals, stimulants and other products generally applied to the body, in the mouth, to the skin, hair nails or taken orally. The personal care product is packaged in a unit dose container comprised of one or two or more interconnected chambers. One such chamber also contains an nozzle/piercer device comprised of a molded polymer material and having internal channels capable of dispensing the personal care product in a controlled manner. One or more unit dose containers are loaded into a dispenser device or cartridge at the time of manufacture or by the consumer.
The disclosed delivery devices and containers will find particular use in the fields of personal care products, including but not limited to perfumes, fragrances or essential oils, which can be distributed in single use, single dose dispensers or containers. Such products offer advantages over conventional samplers and testers as described elsewhere herein, and also provide convenient methods of delivery of personal care products that can be easily carried in a purse or pocketbook for “freshening” one's fragrance or environment when needed. The devices are also useful as “travel size” containers for both men and women, both of whom can easily carry a number of single doses in their luggage or shaving kit, and can be configured to resemble conventional bottle top spray devices. The devices also offer the advantage of allowing a user to mix fragrances or have a larger variety available at any one time, rather than having to buy or carry multiple conventional sized bottles of expensive fragrance, hair or skin care or coloring products and the like.
Dispenser devices may hold one or more such blisters or cartridges containing one or more blisters. In certain embodiments the dispenser device utilizes a mechanical mechanism such as a lever, hinge, cam or inclined plane mechanism actuated by the user to forcefully crush the blister in a controlled manner to expel the personal care product in a stream, drops, spray or mist in a desired volume and dispense characteristics through the internal nozzle/piercer. As used herein an internally pierced blister refers to a crushable container in which a formed piercer/nozzle object is wholly contained in the crushable container so that when the container is crushed, the piercer/nozzle penetrates one surface of the container and provides a channel for delivery of the contents of the container through the internal channels and nozzle of the piercing device. As used herein, blister unit dose container or internally pierced blister, unit dose container, or dosage form refers to an internally pierced blister containing a precise amount, generally an amount equal to a single use, of a personal care product. Several embodiments of internally pierced blisters and blister unit doses are described in pending application U.S. Ser. No. 13/233,661, which is incorporated by reference herein. The disclosed dispensing devices may be used with any of the unit dose containers described in the aforementioned application.
In certain embodiments, the disclosure can be described as directed to a unit dose containing blister containing two or more separate chambers that are interconnected by a sealed channel. Each chamber can contain a personal care product in the form of powders, liquids, fragrances, lotions, creams, gels or serums or combinations of any thereof. Applying external pressure to one of chambers opens the sealed channel connecting the chambers enabling the user to mix the contents for the purpose of combining two or more personal care products into a single use application inside the unit dose blister. The mixed product is then dispensed through the piercer/nozzle by crushing the remaining chamber.
The present disclosure can therefore be described in certain embodiments as a delivery system for dispensing a measured amount of any cosmetic, cosmeceutical, nutriceutical, nutricosmetic, fragrance, essential oil, serum, paste, gel, lotion, cream, liquid, powder, or other personal care product. The system includes the use of any of the disclosed unit doses with a delivery device, or “dispensing device,” that is used to expel the product from the unit dose. The unit doses can be manufactured as either single dosages or multiple dosages on a single strip, in a cartridge or a disk to be dispensed sequentially. When a force is exerted on the dispensing device, the dispensing device crushes the unit dose container and expels the contents of the blister through the internal channels and out the discharge nozzle of the nozzle/piercing device in the same manner that the delivery devices deliver personal care product compositions in the embodiments of U.S. Ser. No. 13/233,661, incorporated herein by reference. In certain embodiments, the dispensers may be configured to administer only single use units or multiple units. In certain embodiments, the dispensers may be manufactured to be disposable after a single use or a certain number of uses. In other embodiments, the dispensers may be designed to be reloadable with unused dosages. In certain embodiments the dispensers are manufactured from recyclable or recycled material. In certain embodiments, the dispensers are comprised of plastics, polymers, or cellulose materials, and are produced via injection molding, thermoforming, casting, printing or stamping.
In exemplary embodiments, the dispensing device of the delivery system comprises two elongated arms which are connected at one end by a hinge. The hinge can be a separate piece connected to the two arms, or it can be a “living hinge” in which the arms and hinge are formed of a single piece of material. In such embodiments, a blister is held between the arms disposed such that the nozzle is adjacent to a dispensing opening in one of the arms. In certain embodiments, an elastic or paper band can be wrapped lengthwise around the two arms to hold the arms together against the blister during storage. In use, a user can simply hold the ends of the device between a thumb and finger and press the ends together to dispense the product. In certain embodiments, the elastic band can be removed after use and the device loaded with another blister, or the device can be a single use device. In other embodiments, the pressure may be exerted on the blister by some mechanical device, such as a ram or a plunger driven by a cam, inclined plane or lever mechanism, which creates a mechanical advantage for the device. For example, the lever arm may be configured with a living hinge in the midpoint with one end stationary and the other end adjacent the blister. Pressure on the midpoint or hinge forces the movable end of the lever against the blister to crush it and dispense the product. Alternatively, the blister may be disposed at one end of the device with the nozzle adjacent an outlet opening in the device. Upon activation by pressing the ends of the levers together, an arm or ram can be forced against the blister to expel the contents.
These devices offer many advantages for precise delivery of small amounts of flowable ingredients. Because the blister containing product is completely crushed and the contents forced out the internal piercing device, there is little wasted material. The amount of waste is dependent on the viscosity of the product, but the disclosed devices delivery a small amount of product with at least 70% of product delivered for more viscuous products such as lotions, for example, and deliver at least 80%, at least 90%, at least 95%, or at least 99% of the contents through the delivery channel. The devices additional provide the advantage of creating a spray or mist, when desired by forcing the product through the delivery channel under sufficient pressure. The devices thus delivery the product in a very short time frame, from about 10 milliseconds to about 500 milliseconds depending on the viscosity and the volume to be delivered.
In other exemplary embodiments, the dispensing device of the delivery system may consist of two rectangular members which are interlocked and house the blister unit dose. One of the members—the “crushing” member—wraps around the outer edges of second “dispensing” member such that the crushing member can slide up and down along the outside of the dispensing member in a telescoping interaction. In some embodiments, the dispensing member has protrusions that fit into linear slits in the edges of the crushing member such that the dispensing and crushing members cannot be pulled apart, but the crushing member can slide along the dispensing member within the length of the slits. The dispensing member houses the blister, which is sandwiched between the two members and is adjacent to the dispensing member at the blister's pierceable seal. As with other embodiments, there is an outlet through the dispensing member which is aligned with the pierceable seal of the blister so that the contents of the blister will be expelled through the internal channels and out the nozzle through the outlet when the blister is crushed. The crushing member of the dispensing device has an elevated, sloping surface or inclined ramp on the internal face that faces the dispensing member. As the pieces are pushed together the ramp squeezes and crushes the blister. In certain embodiments a flat member or plate is disposed between the blister and the ramp and in other embodiments, the ramp impinges directly on the blister.
The described embodiments can be used to deliver the contents of any unit amount of personal care product, including liquids, powders, gels, creams, lotions, high viscosity liquids or combinations thereof. The blisters for use in the described delivery systems can be of various sizes to accommodate different products, and can deliver precise volumes in the range from 5 microliters to 5 milliliters, for example. While not limiting the volumes that can be delivered with the disclosed devices, it is understood that a unit dose of a liquid such as a fragrance can be as small as between 50 and 200 microliters of the liquid. For powders, again without imposing limits on the volume, it is understood that for some embodiments the unit dose blisters can contain between 10 and 50 milligrams of powder, for example. For higher viscosity liquids, such as lotions or creams, a unit blister can be manufactured to deliver between 1 and 3 milliliters of product, for example.
As used herein, the term “unit dose,” “unit amount,” “dosage form,” or “unit dose container” are used interchangeably and can refer to a container for a single or even multiple applications of a personal care product, or a single use amount of a plurality of products. Unit doses as described herein can also deliver flowable substances for uses not related to personal care in a controlled spray geometry in a convenient manner. Such uses include but are not limited to lighter fluids, lubricants, paints, dyes, solvents, and the like. All such uses are contemplated by the disclosure.
Throughout this disclosure, unless the context dictates otherwise, the word “comprise” or variations such as “comprises” or “comprising,” is understood to mean “includes, but is not limited to” such that other elements that are not explicitly mentioned may also be included. Further, unless the context dictates otherwise, use of the term “a” or “the” may mean a singular object or element, or it may mean a plurality, or one or more of such objects or elements.
The following drawings form part of the present specification and are included to further demonstrate certain aspects of the present invention. The invention may be better understood by reference to one or more of these drawings in combination with the detailed description of specific embodiments presented herein.
Certain embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to delivery systems for unit doses that contain a measured dose of a personal care product, wherein the unit doses contain a pierceable section such that the unit dose container can be pierced to release the contents under pressure. When using the term “under pressure” in the disclosure, it is understood that the pressure is typically an externally applied pressure that creates an internal pressure within the unit dose container itself. In typical operation, a plunger, lever, ram, cam, wheel, or some other mechanical device contacts the unit dose container with sufficient force to crush the unit dose container against a piercing member and force the contents out of the nozzle. The piercing member is contained within the unit dose container. The unit dose container may be generated using methods well known to those of skill in the art, including, for example, form fill seal technology or blow fill seal technology. The form-fill-seal process can be used to create a blister, for example a blister pack, from rolls of flat sheet or film, filled with the personal care product, and closed or sealed on the same equipment. This process involves a formed base which has the cavity in which the personal care product, or an agent that may be mixed or combined with a personal care product, is placed, and a lidding, for example of foil, through which the agent is dispensed out of the blister. Blow fill seal technology involves forming, filling, and sealing a unit dose container in a continuous process in a sterile enclosed area inside a machine.
An example of a unit dose container with an internal piercing member is shown in
The piercing nozzle of
A blister unit dose container is shown during use in
Another embodiment of a blister unit dose container 100 is shown in
Blister unit dose container 100 is shown in
In certain embodiments, the disclosure is directed to unit doses that contain more than one personal care product in separate chambers, or more than one component of a personal care product that is to be mixed or combined just prior to or during dispensing. The chambers may also have one personal care product and a second personal care product that is to be mixed or combined with the agent prior to dispensing. The personal care products and mixing agents in separate chambers may be liquid compositions, solid compositions, or one or more liquid compositions and one or more solid compositions. The solid compositions may be, for example, powdered personal care product compositions or lyophilized compositions. The personal care product or mixing agents in the chambers are typically different, but the same personal care product or mixing agent may be present in more than one chamber of the same unit dose. An example of a dual chambered blister unit dose container 22 is shown in
The unit dose container 22 is shown during the dispensing steps in
In certain embodiments it is desirable to control the spray pattern of the dispensing products. The surface features and configuration of the internal channel or channels of the piercing/nozzle mechanism can be designed for different types of spiral, vertical and other flow and the design can be adjusted for different viscosities of the fluid or solid to be dispensed. For example, surface features such as one or more chambers, bends, angled surfaces, spirals, ribs, flutes or constrictions may be added to create a vortex, to further mix the contents of the blister, to change the fluid property type from laminar to turbulent or vice versa or to change fluid properties such as pressure, velocity, surface tension or viscosity.
To successfully dispense the personal care product, the product must flow through the piercing nozzle with enough velocity to create the desired spray geometry. As described herein, this is accomplished by pressing on the blister form with sufficient force to push the piercing nozzle through the lid material, completely crushing the unit dose container and forcing the contents through the nozzle with the required velocity. During this dispensing operation, the seal of the lid material to the blister material must be strong enough that no leakage occurs prior to the nozzle piercing the lid.
A trimmed unit dose container is shown in
In certain embodiments, as shown in
An embodiment of a piercing nozzle 900 for use in an internally pierced blister is shown in
The fluid path through the piercing nozzle is shown in more detail in
As described herein, the piercing nozzles can also be used with or without a solid central column depending on the intended use.
Certain embodiments of this disclosure are directed to devices that dispense a measured dose of a personal care product contained in a blister unit dose. An embodiment of such a dispensing device used for dispensing single sample doses of a personal care product is shown in
When the latching mechanisms 1138 catches on the outside of the outer rail 1142, the lever arm is locked in its upward position by the posts and the dispensing device is in the ready position. To dispense the product contained in the blister, the user exerts a force downward on the lever arm, causing the posts 1136 on either side of the device to push the latching mechanisms along the outer rail of the plunging mechanism. As the latching mechanism rides along the outer rail, it exerts a force on the ram, pushing it and the entire plunging mechanism 1130 into the blister.
In certain embodiments, a dispensing device for personal care products is configured such that two rectangular pieces are pushed together, and an internal ramping mechanism produces a mechanical advantage by forcing a plunger into an internally pierced blister, crushing it and causing the contents to be expelled. An embodiment of such a dispensing device 1200 is shown in
The device in
As the exploded view in
Another embodiment of a personal care product dispensing device that uses an internal ramping mechanism to crush an internally pierced blister is shown in
The feature that distinguishes embodiment 1300 from 1200 is the structure of the internal ramping mechanism that crushes the blister when the crushing piece is pushed together with the dispensing piece. As shown in
In certain embodiments, a dispensing device for personal care products is constructed from two elongated plates and a flexible band, as shown in
Certain embodiments of this disclosure are directed to dispensing devices for sequentially dispensing or administering single doses of a personal care product from individual blisters housed on a strip which contains multiple blister unit doses.
All of the devices and methods disclosed and claimed herein can be made and executed without undue experimentation in light of the present disclosure. While the devices and methods of this invention have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, it will be apparent to those of skill in the art that variations may be applied to the devices and/or methods and in the steps or in the sequence of steps of the methods described herein without departing from the concept, spirit and scope of the invention. All such similar substitutes and modifications apparent to those skilled in the art are deemed to be within the spirit, scope and concept of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
Claims
1. A packaging and delivery system for dispensing single use amounts of a personal care product comprising:
- a dispensing device comprising:
- (a) a housing defining a cavity shaped to hold a blister delivery device, the housing comprising: a pair of opposing arms joined by a hinged connection at one end thereof; and a dispensing outlet disposed in the housing and providing an opening from the outside into the cavity;
- (b) an internally pierced formed blister disposed in the cavity adjacent the dispensing outlet, said blister comprising: a blister formed from a stretched flexible film material into a recess with an open end; a piercable surface sealed to the open end of the blister to form an internal chamber enclosed by the formed recess; a flowable personal care product contained in the internal chamber; a piercing nozzle wholly contained in the internal chamber, the piercing nozzle comprising: a base, a hollow elongated body projecting from the base at a first end and forming a discharge nozzle at a second end opposite the base, one or more inlet openings and channels providing a fluid path from the internal chamber through the base and into the internal channel of the piercing nozzle and out the discharge nozzle; and
- (c) a ram device disposed in the housing with a first end adjacent the cavity;
- wherein the blister is disposed in the cavity with the discharge nozzle proximate the outlet and the base proximate the ram and wherein when the device is activated, the ram is forced into the cavity effective to crush the blister and dispense the flowable personal care product.
2. The packaging and delivery system of claim 1, wherein the ram device comprises lever, hinge, cam or inclined plane.
3. The packaging and delivery system of claim 1, wherein the flowable personal care product comprises a liquid, powder, high viscosity liquid or combinations thereof.
4. The packaging and delivery system of claim 1, wherein the flowable personal care product is a cosmetic, cosmeceutical, nutriceutial, nutricosmetic, hygienic product, fragrance, lotion, cream, gel, a serum, essential oil, dermal treatment, skin coloring agent, skin masking agent, liquid soap, makeup, toothpaste, breath freshener, hair serum, shaving cream, lotion, or hair gel.
5. The packaging and delivery system of claim 1, wherein the flowable personal care product is a product for topical application to the mouth, lips, skin, hair, or nails of a user.
6. The packaging and delivery system of claim 1, wherein a first arm provides the outlet and the opposing arm is the ram.
7. The packaging and delivery system of claim 6, wherein a band is wrapped lengthwise around the two arms to hold the arms together against the blister during storage.
- wherein the connector is a band which surrounds the outer surfaces of the dispensing arm and the lever arm.
8. The packaging and delivery system of claim 7, wherein the band is a flexible material is selected from a group consisting of paper, plastic, rubber, and tape.
9. The packaging and delivery system of claim 1, the blister contains from 50 to 200 milliliters of flowable personal care product.
10. The packaging and delivery system of claim 1, the blister contains from 10 to 50 microliters of flowable personal care product.
11. The packaging and delivery system of claim 1, the blister contains from 1 to 3 milliliters of flowable personal care product.
12. A packaging and delivery system for dispensing single use amounts of a personal care product comprising:
- a dispensing device comprising:
- (a) a housing defining a cavity shaped to hold a blister delivery device, the housing comprising: a pair of opposing substantially rectangular, planar members each member comprising opposing ends and opposing sides, wherein the members are connected along the sides in a slidable, telescopig connection; and a dispensing outlet disposed a first planar member and providing an opening from the outside into the cavity;
- (b) an internally pierced formed blister disposed in the cavity adjacent the dispensing outlet, said blister comprising: a blister formed from a stretched flexible film material into a recess with an open end; a piercable surface sealed to the open end of the blister to form an internal chamber enclosed by the formed recess; a flowable personal care product contained in the internal chamber; a piercing nozzle wholly contained in the internal chamber, the piercing nozzle comprising: a base, a hollow elongated body projecting from the base at a first end and forming a discharge nozzle at a second end opposite the base, one or more inlet openings and channels providing a fluid path from the internal chamber through the base and into the internal channel of the piercing nozzle and out the discharge nozzle; and
- (c) a ramp device disposed in the housing attached to an inner face of the second planar member;
- wherein the ramp is inclined such that sliding the members such that one telescopes into the other forces the ramp against the blister effective to crush the blister and dispense the flowable personal care product.
13. The packaging and delivery system of claim 12, wherein the device further comprises a planar member disposed between the ramp and the blister.
14. The packaging and delivery system of claim 12, wherein the flowable personal care product comprises a liquid, powder, high viscosity liquid or combinations thereof.
15. The packaging and delivery system of claim 12, wherein the flowable personal care product is a cosmetic, cosmeceutical, nutriceutial, nutricosmetic, hygienic product, fragrance, lotion, cream, gel, a serum, essential oil, dermal treatment, skin coloring agent, skin masking agent, liquid soap, makeup, toothpaste, breath freshener, hair serum, shaving cream, lotion, or hair gel.
16. The packaging and delivery system of claim 12, wherein the flowable personal care product is a product for topical application to the mouth, lips, skin, hair, or nails of a user.
17. The packaging and delivery system of claim 12, the blister contains from 50 to 200 milliliters of flowable personal care product.
18. The packaging and delivery system of claim 12, the blister contains from 10 to 50 microliters of flowable personal care product.
19. The packaging and delivery system of claim 12, the blister contains from 1 to 3 milliliters of flowable personal care product.
20. A method for providing samples or single use packaging of a personal care product comprising:
- providing a single dose dispensing device comprising: a blister formed from a stretched flexible film material into a recess with an open end; a piercable surface sealed to the open end of the blister to form an internal chamber enclosed by the formed recess; a flowable personal care product contained in the internal chamber; and a piercing nozzle wholly contained in the internal chamber, and a mechanism for manually crushing said internally pierced blister;
- wherein crushing the blister in the device dispenses a precise single dose amount of personal care product in a spray, mist or stream through the piercing nozzle.
21. The method of claim 20, wherein the packaging protects the personal care product from light, moisture, and air prior to dispensing.
22. The method of claim 20, wherein the personal care product comprises a liquid, powder, high viscosity liquid or combinations thereof.
23. The method of claim 20, wherein the personal care product is a cosmetic, cosmeceutical, nutriceutial, nutricosmetic, hygienic product, fragrance, lotion, cream, gel, a serum, essential oil, dermal treatment, skin coloring agent, skin masking agent, liquid soap, makeup, toothpaste, breath freshener, hair serum, shaving cream, lotion, or hair gel.
24. The method of claim 20, wherein the personal care product is a product for topical application to the mouth, lips, skin, hair, or nails of a user.
25. The method of claim 20, wherein the blister contains from 50 to 200 milliliters of personal care product.
26. The method of claim 20, wherein the blister contains from 10 to 50 microliters of personal care product.
27. The method of claim 20, wherein the blister contains from 1 to 3 milliliters of flowable personal care product.
28. The method of claim 20, wherein the dispensing device is reusable.
29. The method of claim 20, wherein the dispensing device contains multiple single dose blisters which can be dispensed in sequence.
30. The method of claim 20, wherein the personal care product is a fragrance.
31. A method for providing samples or single use packaging of a personal care product comprising:
- providing a single dose dispensing device sized to be contained in a magazine or standard size letter envelope, said dispensing device comprising: a blister formed from a stretched flexible film material into a recess with an open end; a piercable surface sealed to the open end of the blister to form an internal chamber enclosed by the formed recess; a flowable personal care product contained in the internal chamber; and a piercing nozzle wholly contained in the internal chamber, and a mechanism for manually crushing said internally pierced blister;
- wherein crushing the blister in the device dispenses a precise single dose amount of personal care product in a spray, mist or stream through the piercing nozzle;
- placing a single dose dispensing device into a magazine or bulk advertising mailer.
32. The method of claim 31, wherein the personal care product comprises a liquid, powder, high viscosity liquid or combinations thereof.
33. The method of claim 31, wherein the personal care product is a cosmetic, cosmeceutical, nutriceutial, nutricosmetic, hygienic product, fragrance, lotion, cream, gel, a serum, essential oil, dermal treatment, skin coloring agent, skin masking agent, liquid soap, makeup, toothpaste, breath freshener, hair serum, shaving cream, lotion, or hair gel.
34. The method of claim 31, wherein the personal care product is a product for topical application to the mouth, lips, skin, hair, or nails of a user.
35. The method of claim 31, wherein the personal care product is a fragrance.
36. The method of claim 35, wherein the dispensing device is asthetically designed to resemble a fragrance bottle pump spray top.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 23, 2015
Publication Date: Oct 1, 2015
Inventors: Timothy Sullivan (Cedar Park, TX), Michael Shaw (Cedar Park, TX), Jeff Gjertsen (Cedar Park, TX)
Application Number: 14/666,004