Fluid storage reservoir
AssigneeOP-Hygiene IP GmbH
InventorHeiner Ophardt
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of storing a product that contains a volatile component within a fluid storage reservoir formed with enclosing walls having a permeability that permits limited passage of the volatile component from the storage reservoir to the atmosphere, preferably with the method increasing the shelf life of the product stored, and a fluid storage reservoir with a first container containing the fluid product to be dispensed including the volatile component and a second container containing a sacrifice material including the same volatile component with an intermediate transfer wall shared by both the first container and the second container for transfer of the volatile component between the first container and the second container. The product preferably is a surface cleaner or a hand sanitizer including 30 to 95% ethanol.
Claims38
A method of storing a product containing an initial concentration of a volatile component to increase shelf life of the product during which a concentration of the volatile component in the product is maintained above a minimum desired concentration, the method comprising:
- storing the product in providing an enclosed first container defining an enclosed first interior within a first enclosing wall member having an inner surface of the first enclosing wall member open into the first interior and an opposed outer surface of the first enclosing wall member,
- providing the product having an initial product concentration of the volatile component in the first interior of the first container with the inner surface of the first enclosing wall member in contact with the product,
- providing a transfer segment of the first enclosing wall member over which the outer surface is in contact with a sacrifice material containing the volatile component in an initial sacrifice concentration in the sacrifice material that is equal to or greater than the initial product concentration of the volatile component in the product,
- the transfer segment having a first permeability that permits passage of the volatile component to the first interior of the first container through the first enclosing wall member from the outer surface to the inner surface,
- providing an escape segment of the first enclosing wall member over which the outer surface is in contact with atmosphere with and the inner surface is in contact with the product in the first interior of the first container,
- the escape segment of the first enclosing wall member having a second permeability that permits passage of the volatile component from the first interior of the first container through the first enclosing wall member of the first container from the inner surface to the outer surface,
- the transfer segment having a third permeability that permits passage of the volatile component from the first interior of the first container through the first enclosing wall member from the inner surface to the outer surface, and
- the volatile component is an alcohol, and the product is a cleaning composition.
A method of storing a product containing an initial product concentration of a volatile component to increase shelf life of the product during which the concentration of the volatile component in the product is maintained above a minimum desired concentration, the method comprising:
- storing the product in an enclosed first container defining an enclosed first interior within a first enclosing wall member having an inner surface of the first enclosing wall member open into the first interior and an opposed outer surface of the first enclosing wall member with the product in the first interior of the first container with the inner surface of the first enclosing wall member in contact with the product,
- providing a second container defining an enclosed second interior within a second enclosing wall member having an inner surface and an opposed outer surface,
- providing a sacrifice material in the second interior of the second container in contact with the inner surface of the second enclosing wall member,
- the sacrifice material containing the volatile component in an initial sacrifice concentration,
- providing a transfer segment of the first enclosing wall member to define at least in part the second interior of the second container such that the outer surface of the first enclosing wall member over the transfer segment is in contact with the sacrifice material in the second interior of the second container and the inner surface of the first enclosing wall member over the transfer segment is in contact with the product in the first interior of the first container,
- the transfer segment having a first permeability that permits passage of the volatile component from the second interior of the second container to the first interior of the first container through the first enclosing wall member from the outer surface of the first enclosing wall member to the inner surface of the first enclosing wall member,
- providing an escape segment selected from the group consisting of:
- (a) a first escape portion of the first enclosing wall member of the first container with over which the inner surface of the first enclosing wall member is in contact with the product and the outer surface the first enclosing wall member is in contact with the atmosphere,
- with the first escape portion of the first enclosing wall member of the first container having a second permeability that permits passage of the volatile component through the first enclosing wall member of the first container from the first interior of the first container to the atmosphere, and
- (b) a second escape portion of the second enclosing wall member of the second container over which the inner surface of the second enclosing wall member is in contact with the product sacrifice material and the outer surface of the second enclosing wall member is in contact with the atmosphere, with the second escape portion of the second enclosing wall member of the second container having a third second permeability that permits passage of the volatile component through the second enclosing wall member of the second container from the second interior of the second container to the atmosphere,
- providing a collapsible outer bottle or collapsible outer bag having a wall,
- providing a collapsible inner bag having a bag wall,
- the first container comprising the inner bag, and the first enclosing wall member comprising the bag wall,
- the second container comprising the outer bottle or outer bag between the outer bottle or the outer bag and the inner bag, the second enclosing wall member comprising the wall of the outer bottle or outer bag,
- providing the sacrifice material in the second container,
- the transfer segment comprising the bag wall where an inner surface of the bag wall is in contact with the product within the inner bag and an outer surface of the bag wall is in contact with the sacrifice material within the outer bottle or outer bag,
- the second escape portion comprising the wall of the outer bottle or outer bag where an inner surface of the wall of the outer bottle or outer bag is in contact with the sacrifice material and an outer surface of the wall of the outer bottle or outer bag is in contact with the atmosphere.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.