Personal hygiene wipe package

Abstract

A package for holding personal hygiene wipes. A heater has a pair of packages each having one or more personal hygiene wipes placed against it with the access opening to the wipes faces away from the heater. The heater includes an inner actuation pouch and an outer heat generating pouch. A pressure differential between the outer pouch and the inner pouch causes the activation agent to be thrust into contact with the heat generating material.

1 . A packaged, heatable personal hygiene wipe device, comprising:
 a first package of personal hygiene wipes having an opening on one surface for removal of the wipes;   a second package of personal hygiene wipes having an opening on one surface for removal of the wipes;   a heater positioned between the first and second packages of wipes such that openings on the packages are not obstructed by the heater, the heater comprising:   an outer pouch sealingly supporting both the first and second packages and having an inner pouch inside it;   the inner pouch having an actuation agent therein and a seal keeping the actuation agent in the inner pouch;   the outer pouch having heat generating materials therein, the heat generating materials being adapted to generate heat upon activation by the actuation agent upon breaking the seal keeping the actuation agent in the inner pouch; and   a pressure differential between the pressure in the inner pouch and the outer pouch such that the inner pouch has a higher pressure, whereby, upon breaking the seal keeping the actuation agent in the inner pouch, the activation agent is driven into the outer pouch to activate the heat generating materials.   
   
   
       2 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the pressure differential is caused by a vacuum inside the outer pouch. 
   
   
       3 . The device of  claim 2 , wherein the amount of vacuum in the outer pouch is sufficient to give a pressure of from about 8 to 13 psi. 
   
   
       4 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the pressure differential is caused by an elevated pressure inside the inner pouch. 
   
   
       5 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the actuation agent is water and the heat generating material is crystalline calcium oxide. 
   
   
       6 . The device of  claim 5 , wherein the heat generating material further includes citric acid and powdered zeolite admixed therein and wherein the ratio of calcium oxide to citric acid to powdered zeolite is from about 14 to 20 for calcium oxide, from about 1 to 2 for citric acid, and from about 7 to 10 for powdered zeolite, and the weight of the crystalline calcium oxide to the volume of water ranges from about 1:2 to about 1:1. 
   
   
       7 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the surface area of the heater in contact with the first and second packages is approximately the same as the surface area of each package. 
   
   
       8 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the first and second packages are bonded to the heater. 
   
   
       9 . The device of  claim 8 , wherein the bonding is selected from heat sealing, gluing, sonic healing and RF sealing. 
   
   
       10 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the heat generating material includes a quantity of exotherm delaying material coated thereon to slow down the penetration of the actuation agent. 
   
   
       11 . A method for packaging heatable personal hygiene wipe device, comprising the steps of:
 providing a first package of personal hygiene wipes having an opening on one surface for removal of the wipes;   providing a second package of personal hygiene wipes having an opening on one surface for removal of the wipes;   placing a heater between the first and second packages of wipes such that openings on the packages is not obstructed by the heater, the heater comprising:   an outer pouch sealingly supporting both the first and second packages and having an inner pouch inside it;   the inner pouch having an actuation agent therein and a seal keeping the actuation agent in the inner pouch;   the outer pouch having heat generating materials therein, the heat generating materials being adapted to generate heat upon activation by the actuation agent upon breaking the seal keeping the actuation agent in the inner pouch; and   a pressure differential between the pressure in the inner pouch and the outer pouch such that the inner pouch has a higher pressure, whereby, upon breaking the seal keeping the actuation agent in the inner pouch, the activation agent is driven into the outer pouch to activate the heat generating materials.   
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the pressure differential is caused by a vacuum inside the outer pouch. 
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the amount of vacuum in the outer pouch is sufficient to give a pressure of from about 8 to 13 psi. 
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the pressure differential is caused by an elevated pressure inside the inner pouch. 
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the actuation agent is water and the heat generating material is crystalline calcium oxide. 
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the heat generating material further includes citric acid and powdered zeolite admixed therein and wherein the ratio of calcium oxide to citric acid to powdered zeolite is from about 14 to 20 for calcium oxide, from about 1 to 2 for citric acid, and from about 7 to 10 for powdered zeolite, and the weight of the crystalline calcium oxide to the volume of water ranges from about 1:2 to about 1:1. 
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the surface area of the heater in contact with the first and second packages is approximately the same as the surface area of each package. 
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 11 , including the step of bonding the first and second packages to the heater. 
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the bonding is selected from heat sealing, gluing, sonic healing and RF sealing. 
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the heat generating material includes a quantity of exotherm delaying material coated thereon to slow down the penetration of the actuation agent.