Pouch for internal mixture of segregated reactants and applications thereof

Abstract

A pouch for internal mixture of segregated reactants includes an outer containment envelope with a sealed reactant compartment inside. A middle shear strip and two outer strips, together defining two shear lines, are connected to the reactant compartment. The outer strips are folded under the reactant compartment with their tips anchored to the containment envelope. The middle strip extends away from the reactant compartment and through a slit in the containment envelope. Pulling on the middle strip causes the shear lines to lengthen until the reactant compartment is shorn open to release a reactant. A permeable second reactant compartment containing a second reactant may also be disposed inside the containment envelope, and may include a slit through which the middle strip passes. The reaction in the pouch may be exothermic and the pouch may be applied to any object to be heated such as a wet wipes dispenser.

1 - 30 . (canceled) 
     
     
         31 . A self-heating wet wipe dispenser, comprising:
 a wet wipe dispenser having a dispensing surface with a dispensing aperture through which wet wipes are dispensed;   a heating unit in contact with the wet wipe dispenser, the heating unit comprising a containment envelope having a slit oriented toward the wet wipe dispenser, wherein the containment envelope contains a first reactant separated from a second reactant,   wherein the first reactant is reactive when contacted with the second reactant such that, when contacted, the first and second reactant participate in an exothermic chemical reaction that creates a heated gas that escapes the containment envelope through the slit.   
     
     
         32 . The self-heating wet wipe dispenser of  claim 31 , wherein the slit is oriented toward the dispensing aperture. 
     
     
         33 . The self-heating wet wipe dispenser of  claim 31 , wherein the first reactant and second reactant are separated by a shearable seal. 
     
     
         34 . The self-heating wet wipe dispenser of  claim 31 , wherein the first reactant is contained in a permeable compartment inside the containment envelope. 
     
     
         35 . The self-heating wet wipe dispenser of  claim 31 , wherein the heating unit is connected with the wet wipe dispenser. 
     
     
         36 . The self-heating wet wipe dispenser of  claim 35 , wherein the heating unit is connected with the wet wipe dispenser by a hinge. 
     
     
         37 . The self-heating wet wipe dispenser of  claim 31 , wherein the slit defines an opening in a material comprising the heating unit extending between an interior of the heating unit an area external to the heating unit. 
     
     
         38 . A method of heating a wet wipe dispenser, comprising
 breaking a seal between a first and a second reactant in a heating unit to induce an exothermic reaction that produces a heated gas, wherein the heating unit comprises a containment envelope that contains the first and second reactant prior to the exothermic reaction and a slit through the containment envelope, and wherein the heated gas escapes the outer containment envelope through the slit; and   permitting the heated gas to contact and heat the wet wipe dispenser.   
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 38 , further comprising orienting the slit toward the wet wipe dispenser. 
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 38 , wherein the heating unit is connected with the wet wipe dispenser. 
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 40 , wherein the heating unit is connected with the wet wipe dispenser by a hinge. 
     
     
         42 . The self-heating wet wipe dispenser of  claim 38 , wherein the slit defines an opening in a material comprising the containment envelope extending between an interior of containment envelope an area external to the containment envelope. 
     
     
         43 . A self-heating wet wipe dispenser, comprising:
 a wet wipe dispenser having an upper dispensing surface with a dispensing aperture through which wet wipes are dispensed and a lower surface;   a pouch containing a first and a second reactant, wherein the first and second reactants are separately contained in the pouch, and wherein the pouch is connected to, or adhered to, the wet wipe dispenser;   wherein when a user causes the first and second reactants to mix in the pouch an exothermic reaction occurs to produce a heated pouch, and wherein the wet wipe dispenser is heated by contacting the heated pouch with the upper dispensing surface or the lower surface.   
     
     
         44 . The self-heating wet wipe dispenser of  claim 43 , wherein the wet wipe dispenser is heated by rotating the heated pouch onto the upper dispensing surface or onto the lower surface. 
     
     
         45 . The self-heating wet wipe dispenser of  claim 43 , wherein the pouch is connected to the wet wipe dispenser by a hinge. 
     
     
         46 . The self-heating wet wipe dispenser of  claim 42 , wherein the wet wipe dispenser is heated by rotating the heated pouch about the hinge onto the upper dispensing surface or onto the lower surface. 
     
     
         47 . The self-heating wet wipe dispenser of  claim 46 , wherein the hinge comprises a sheet of plastic. 
     
     
         48 . A self-heating wet wipe dispenser, comprising:
 a wet wipe dispenser unit having a dispensing surface with a dispensing aperture through which wet wipes are dispensed;   a heating unit in contact with the wet wipe dispenser unit, the heating unit comprising a containment envelope containing a first reactant separated from a second reactant,   wherein the first reactant is reactive when contacted with the second reactant such that, when contacted, the first and second reactant participate in an exothermic chemical reaction that creates heat that heats the wet wipe dispenser unit.