Wiping article

Abstract

A wiping article that has excellent portability and, when necessary, that can be set to a wet state for use. The wiping article is formed by compressing a sheet material, which has a shape and size that can be used for hand wiping etc., into a small size and receiving it in a pack. The pack (11) has a flat structure, and the inside of the pack is partitioned into at least two chambers (12, 13) by a partition belt. The partition belt can seal liquid (17) in and has strength and structure that lead to breakage of the belt under pressure exceeding a predetermined level. The sheet material (10) is compressed and formed into a shape and size that can be used for hand wiping etc. when the liquid is impregnated into the material to swell and expand it. The sheet material is placed in one (12) of the two chambers of the pack, and the liquid that is impregnated into the sheet material to swell it when the partition belt is broken is placed in the other chamber (13).

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD[0001]The present invention relates to a wiping article having a configuration in which a sheet material having a shape and a size which allow usage as a hand towel or the like is compressed compactly and stored in a pack.BACKGROUND ART[0002]A wash cloth, a wet napkin, a wet towel or the like have various appellations, and there are commercial products used for a common purpose of wiping various parts of a body such as hands or a face or the like, and these products may be considered as the wiping articles of the same family. These products include those produced by impregnating a nonwoven fabric cut into a finite form with moisture content and packaging individually in a plastic film bag, or those formed continuously with perforated lines or the like at a regular pitch and filled in a container so as to allow the same to be pulled out from a port thereof. Since the wiping article of this type is in a state to be ready to use immediately, it is in a large and volumino...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0009]The compactly compressed sheet material as described above is stored in the pack, is caused to expand in the pack for use, and thereafter is taken out from the pack for use. Therefore, the pack should have a configuration which is able to store the compactly compressed sheet material and liquid to be supplied thereto separately. In the present invention, as one of the configurations which satisfy the above-described condition, the pack having a flat structure and the interior divided into at least two chambers by the separating band is used, the separating band is provided so as to have the hermeticity against liquid and to be broken to connect the two chambers when the pressure higher than the predetermined level is applied. As a typical form of the container as described above, there is a flat bag-shaped structure, that is, the pack. The pack can be rolled or bent without problem, and is superior in portability.

[0010]The compactly compressed sheet material might cause an accidental swallowing and, if it is accidentally swallowed, it absorbs water content and expands with the elapse of time, so that it cannot be spewed out or, it is dangerous unless it is taken out surgically, and accidents of suffocation, is actually occurred. However, in the present invention, since the compactly compressed sheet material is stored in the pack until a stage of post-expansion and is taken out thereafter, the risk of the accident of suffocation is prevented. Although the liquid is encapsulated in the pack, the liquid is used only for causing the compressed sheet material to expand and hence is absorbed completely by the sheet material in the pack, and hence it is not leaked out even a drop.

[0020]In the wiping article in the pack configured as described above, heating means for heating the sheet material which is expanded by the impregnation with the liquid is provided in the pack in parallel, so that the sheet material may be warmed up for use (the invention described in claim 6). As the heating means, using a warmer employing an oxidative effect of iron powder, which is referred to as a disposable warmer or a throwaway warmer, is most preferable in terms of the price, the safety, and the user-friendliness.

[0021]It is also possible to employ cooling means for cooling the sheet material which is expanded by being impregnated with the liquid in parallel in the pack, so that the sheet material may be cooled down for use (the invention described in claim 7). As the cooling means, using a commercially available keep cool member filled with a chemical substance is most preferable in terms of the price, the safety, and the user-friendliness.

[0023]Since the present invention is configured and acts as described above, the invention achieves an advantage such that the wiping article which is compact and is superior in portability, is able to be maintained in the dry state until the time of use, and is able to be expanded when necessary for use in a wet state is provided. Also, the present invention has an advantage that the wiping article having the structure such that the interior of the pack is separated into two chambers by the breakable separating band, in which the separating band is broken adequately and relatively easily to cause the sheet material in one of the two divided portions in the interior to be impregnated with the liquid in the other portion and cause the same to be expanded is provided, since the breaking force inducing portion is formed and the easy-breaking portion formed of the separating band is arranged at the distal end portion of the above-described breaking force inducing portion. Also, according to the present invention, since the separating band is reliably broken by, for example, applying an impact blow on the one chamber of the pack in which the liquid is encapsulated, the wiping article which is usable in a wet state without necessity of a tool or an auxiliary tool at all is provided. In addition, it may be used in a warm state by using the heating means in parallel, and may be used in a cold state by using the cooling means in parallel. Also, according to the present invention, since the sheet material is stored in the pack and is not taken out therefrom until it is expanded by the impregnation with the liquid although it is in a compactly compressed state, the accidental swallowing of the same in the compactly compressed state is prevented. In addition, by forming the sheet material into a shape to be adhered to the face, it is usable as a pack material for cosmetic use.

Problems solved by technology

Since the wiping article of this type is in a state to be ready to use immediately, it is in a large and voluminous packaging form, and hence there is a problem of portability.

Also, since the material such as the nonwoven fabric is in a state of being in contact with the moisture content for a long time, there is a problem of expiration date for use and there is also a possibility of alteration.

Therefore, in addition to the existence of the problems as described above, there is a problem such that it cannot be used when heating by the microwaves is not possible, and hence it cannot be used in an environment where there is no facility of microwave heating.

However, in this configuration, there are problems such that the dry wash cloth member is downsized only to a folded state, it is difficult to know how much extent the water or the liquid has moistened the wash cloth member from the individually packaged liquid bag, and it is troublesome to remove the individually packaged liquid bag.

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