A METHOD AND A MOULD ASSEMBLY

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a solid formulation product comprising steps of: positioning a platform into a cup comprising an open end comprising a skirt, such that the platform is at least partially received by the cup; then filing the cup with liquid formulation to a predetermined level such that the platform is at least partially submerged in the liquid formulation; solidifying the liquid formulation in the cup to form a solid formulation; once the solid formulation is formed, deforming then releasing the skirt.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a solid formulation product comprising steps of: positioning a platform into a cup comprising an open end comprising a skirt, such that the platform is at least partially received by the cup; then filing the cup with liquid formulation to a predetermined level such that the platform is at least partially submerged in the liquid formulation; solidifying the liquid formulation in the cup to form a solid formulation; once the solid formulation is formed, deforming then releasing the skirt, wherein deforming the skirt comprises compression of the skirt along a compressible axis of the skirt which causes expansion of the skirt along an expandible axis of the skirt which is substantially normal to the compressible axis of the skirt.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein: the skirt is oval-shaped or obround-shaped in cross-section; and the step of compressing the skirt along a compressible axis comprises radially compressing the skirt such that a maximum diameter of the cross-sectional shape is reduced.

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein: the platform comprises a retaining structure; and the step of filing the cup with liquid formulation to a predetermined level comprises filling the cup such that the retaining structure is fully submerged in the liquid formulation.

4. A method according to claim 1 wherein: the platform comprises an attachment element; and the step of filing the cup with liquid formulation to a predetermined level comprises filling the cup such that the attachment element is not submerged in the liquid formulation.

5. A method according to claim 4 comprising a subsequent step of attaching a reusable holder to the attachment element.

6. A method according to claim 1 wherein the liquid formulation is molten and is solidified by cooling to below its melting point.

7. A method according to claim 1 comprising a subsequent step of attaching a lid to the cup.

8. A mould assembly comprising a cup, which cup comprises an open end comprising a skirt, and a platform receivable within the cup; wherein the skirt is shaped such that when the platform is received within the cup a space is defined between the platform and the skirt.

9. A mould assembly according to claim 8 wherein the cup is resiliently deformable.

10. A mould assembly according to claim 8 wherein the cup is oval-shaped or obround-shaped in cross-section.

11. A mould assembly according to claim 10 wherein the platform is oval-shaped or obround-shaped in cross-section.

12. A mould assembly according to claim 8 wherein the platform comprises a retaining structure.

13. A mould assembly according to claim 8 wherein the platform comprises an attachment element.

14. A mould assembly according to claim 8 comprising a lid removably attachable to the open end of the cup.

Description

[0063] The invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0064] FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a mould assembly according to an embodiment of the second aspect of the invention;

[0065] FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of a method according to an embodiment of the first aspect of the invention;

[0066] FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of a mould assembly according to another embodiment of the second aspect of the invention;

[0067] FIG. 4 is a further schematic representation of the mould assembly shown in FIG. 3;

[0068] FIG. 5 is a top view of the mould assembly shown in FIG. 3;

[0069] FIG. 6 is a schematic representation of a method according to another embodiment of the first aspect of the invention;

[0070] FIGS. 7 and 8 are schematic representations of a cup and a platform forming part of the mould assembly shown in FIG. 3 with a solid formulation;

[0071] FIG. 9 is schematic representations of the mould assembly shown in FIG. 3 with a solid formulation; and

[0072] FIG. 10 is a schematic representation of a method of using a solid formulation product manufactured using the method shown in FIG. 5.

[0073] Referring initially to FIG. 1, a mould assembly 12 comprises a cup 14 and a platform 20 receivable within the cup 14. The cup 14 further comprises an open end 16 comprising a skirt 18 shaped such that when the platform 20 is received within the cup 14 a space is defined between the platform 20 and the skirt 18. Additionally, the platform 12 comprises a retaining structure 22 and an attachment element 24.

[0074] In this embodiment of the invention the cup 14, open end 16, skirt 18 and platform 20 are each shaped such that the platform 20 may be positioned through the open end 16 to rest level with the skirt 18 without needing to be held to stop it from dropping further into the cup 14. This is achieved due to the change in circumference of the cup 14 as it transitions into the skirt 18, the changing circumference forms a ledge 19 that the platform 20 may balance on.

[0075] Referring now to FIG. 2, a method of manufacturing a solid formulation product according to an embodiment of the invention is designated generally by the reference numeral 100. The method 100 comprises a positioning step 102, a filling step 103, a solidifying step 104 and a deforming step 105.

[0076] The method 100 may be used with any suitable mould assembly, and in one embodiment of the invention the mould assembly 12 of FIG. 1 is used to carry out the method. The method 100 is therefore described below with reference to the mould assembly 12.

[0077] The positioning step 102 comprises positioning a platform 20 into a cup 14 comprising an open end 16 comprising a skirt 18, such that the platform 20 is at least partially received by the cup 14.

[0078] The cup 14 may be any suitable size or shape to act as a mould for the formation of a solid formulation. The platform 20 may be any suitable size and shape so that it may, at least partially, be received by the cup 14 through the open end.

[0079] The filling step 103 follows the positioning step 102 and comprises filing the cup 14 with liquid formulation to a predetermined level, determined such that the platform 20 is at least partially submerged in the liquid formulation. In embodiments of the invention the liquid formulation may be a liquid deodorant formulation and/or a liquid antiperspirant formulation.

[0080] The solidifying step 104 involves solidifying the liquid formulation in the cup to form a solid formulation and may either be started as soon as liquid formulation is present in the cup or once the filling step is complete. In embodiments of the invention the solid formulation may be a solid deodorant formulation and/or a solid antiperspirant formulation.

[0081] Solidifying the liquid formulation may comprise reducing the temperature of the liquid formulation, increasing the pressure on the liquid formulation or adding an additive to the liquid formulation to cause it to solidify. For example, the liquid formulation may be molten and may be solidified by reducing its temperature below its melting point.

[0082] The deforming step 105 may be performed once the solid formulation is formed and comprises deforming then releasing the skirt 18 of the cup 14.

[0083] Deforming the skirt 18 may cause deformation of the cup 14 which may in turn cause the cup to separate from the solid formulation formed inside it. The separation of the cup 14 from the solid formulation may obviate potential issues such as adhesion, vacuum formation and/or capillary action which could otherwise cause the solid formulation to become stuck in the cup 14. Thus the deforming step 105 may reduce the likelihood of the solid formulation being damaged when it is removed from the cup 14.

[0084] Referring now to FIG. 3, a mould assembly 112 comprises a cup 14 and a platform 20, similarly to the mould assembly 12 shown in FIG. 2, and further comprises a label 26 and a lid 28. The label 26 is positionable within the cup 14 and is further positionable over the platform 20 such that the attachment element 24 extends through apertures 27 in the label 26.

[0085] The lid 28 is removably attachable to the open end 16 of the cup 14. In FIG. 4, the lid 28 is attached to the open end 16, thereby forming a closure over the cup 14 and sealing the platform 20 and label 26 within the cup 14.

[0086] In this embodiment of the invention the cup 14 is resiliently deformable which may be advantageous as, following deformation, the cup 14 may return to its original shape. This means that, even following a deformation to the cup 14, the lid 28 may be attachable to the open end 16.

[0087] Both the cup 14 and the platform 20 are oval-shaped in cross-section. In FIG. 5, the cross-section of the cup mould assembly 112 is shown and comprises a maximum diameter X and a minimum diameter Y.

[0088] Referring now to FIG. 6, a method 200 of manufacturing a solid formulation product is similar to the method 100 shown in FIG. 1 except that it comprises further steps.

[0089] As well as the method 200 comprising a positioning step 202, a filling step 203, a solidification step 204 and a deforming step 205 that correspond respectively to steps 102, 103, 104 and 105 of method 100, the method 200 further comprises a preliminary step 201 carried out prior to the positioning step 202. The method 200 also comprises a labelling step 206 and a lidding step 207 each carried out subsequently to the deforming step 205.

[0090] The method 200 may be carried out using any suitable mould assembly and in one embodiment of the invention the mould assembly 112 of FIGS. 3 and 4 is used. The method 200 is therefore described below with reference to the mould assembly 112.

[0091] The preliminary step 201 comprises positioning the cup 14 in a puck 60, on a factory line for example.

[0092] The positioning step 202 comprises positioning the platform 20 into the cup 14 such that the platform 20 is at least partially received by the cup 14.

[0093] The filling step 203 comprises filling the cup 14 with a liquid formulation 32 to a predetermined level, determined such that the platform 20 is at least partially submerged in the liquid formulation 32. Further, the predetermined level, is determined such that the retaining structure 22 is fully submerged in the liquid formulation 32 but the attachment element 24 is not submerged in the liquid formulation 32.

[0094] The solidifying step 204 comprises solidifying the liquid formulation 32 to form a solid formulation 34 within the cup 14.

[0095] FIGS. 7 and 8 show the cup 14 with the solid formulation 34 formed within it and the platform 20 partially embedded in the solid formulation 34. In particular, due to the predetermined level to which the cup 14 is filled with the liquid formulation 32, the retaining structure 22 is fully embedded within the solid formation 34 whereas the attachment element 24 is spaced apart, and extends away, from the solid formulation 34.

[0096] The deforming step 205 comprises deforming then releasing the skirt 18. This may be possible due to a space 19 defined between the platform 20 and the skirt 18 (shown in FIGS. 7 and 8).

[0097] In particular, the deforming step 205 comprises radially compressing the skirt 18 along a compressible axis to reduce its maximum diameter X. This may cause the cup 14 to deform in shape which may include an expansion of the minimum diameter Y along an extendible axis. Meanwhile, the corresponding diameter of the solid formation 34 may not expand, or may not expand to the same degree, meaning that spaces may form between the solid formulation 34 and the cup 14. Such separation of the cup 14 from the solid formulation 34 may facilitate removal of the solid formulation 34 from the cup 14 with low risk of causing damage to the solid formulation 34.

[0098] The labelling step 206 comprises positioning a label 26 over the solid formulation 34.

[0099] Lastly, the lidding step 207 comprises attaching a lid 28 to the cup 14, specifically to the open end 16. The method 200 thereby uses each component of the mould assembly 112 to manufacture a solid formulation product 40.

[0100] For this step, it may be particularly advantageous that the cup 14 is resiliently deformable as this may ensure that the lid 28 is correctly attachable to the cup 14, even following the deforming step 205. For example, FIG. 9 shows that the lid 28 may adapted to fit precisely over the open end 16 such that, if the cup 14 were to be permanently deformed by the deforming step 205 it is possible that the lid 28 may not attach to the cup as intended. If the closure of the cup 14 failed, it is possible that the solid formulation 34 inside may deteriorate before it is used by the consumer.

[0101] Referring now to FIG. 10, a solid formulation product such as the solid formulation product 40 manufactured according to the method 200 shown in FIG. 6 may be attached to a reusable holder 50 in order to refill a refillable stick 52. A method 300 of using the solid formulation product 40 comprises a first step 301, a second step 302, a third step 303 and a fourth step 304.

[0102] The first step 301 comprises removing the lid 28 from the cup 14. This reveals both the label 24 (which may provide information about the solid formulation such as its brand, ingredients and allergy information) and the attachment element 24.

[0103] The second step 302 comprises positioning the solid formulation product 40 in contact with the reusable holder 50. In particular, the attachment element 40 may be aligned with a complimentarily adapted feature forming part of the reusable holder 50, such as a socket with which the attachment element 24 is engageable.

[0104] The third step 303 comprises engaging the solid formulation product 40 with the reusable holder 50 via the attachment element 24. This may involve rotating the solid formulation product 40 through 90° relative to the reusable holder 50, for example.

[0105] The fourth step 304 comprises removing the cup 14 from the solid formulation 34 and platform 20, thereby revealing the solid formulation 34 for topical application to the skin. Earlier separation of the cup 14 from the solid formulation 34 during the method 200 (shown in FIG. 6) may facilitate the removal of the cup 14 with low risk of causing damage to the solid formulation 34.

[0106] A reusable cap (not shown) may then be attached to the reusable holder 52, over the solid formulation 34, to protect the solid formulation 34 between uses.

[0107] Accordingly, a solid formulation 34 may be mounted to a reusable holder 50 via a platform without the user needing to touch the solid formulation 34 with his or her hands. Further, the solid formulation product 40 may facilitate the repeated use of a refillable stick 52 which may be more sustainable than purchasing a new single-use stick each time the solid formulation is exhausted.

[0108] Preferences and options for a given aspect, feature or parameter of the invention should, unless the context indicates otherwise, be regarded as having been disclosed in combination with any and all preferences and options for all other aspects, features and parameters of the invention. For example, each step or feature of the method 200 (shown in FIG. 6) which is not explicitly included in the method 100 (shown in FIG. 1) may be regarded as having been disclosed in combination with the steps and features of the method 100.