EP0903089A1 - Container for microwave heating of hot-melt material - Google Patents

Abstract

A container (10) is divided by a metal separating grille (32) into a heating compartment (30) which is microwave transparent and a storage compartment (30) which is microwave impermeable, as is the grille. The metal grille has a mesh size designed to absorb or reflect microwaves, e.g. 1.5 mm per side. The lower part of the container has an inner or outer covering of a microwave impermeable material to form the storage compartment, and contains a scoop (21) also of microwave impermeable material. The upper compartment contains a second scoop (31) of a microwave permeable material, with the grille forming its base. A duct (14) leading from the base of the container to a lip (16) facilitates pouring of the molten wax.

Description

The present invention relates to a microwave heating container of hot-melt material, in particular depilatory wax, making it possible to transport this material to bring it into a microwave oven, to heat the material in the oven until it melts, then come out and pour the melted material into a hand-held dispenser, such as a roller dispenser allowing the wax to be spread in a continuous strip of constant thickness.

We know fusible wax refills for hair removal whose container is suitable for being placed directly in the enclosure of a microwave oven. The advantage of microwave heating is its ability to heat directly at the heart of the material making the total melting of a wax bar or a volume of wax granules can be obtained very quickly by comparison with conduction heating in a tank or tank one or more walls of which are equipped with electrical resistances heated. Indeed, it is known that the wax has a low conductivity thermal making it very difficult for the heat to pass from the periphery at the heart of the wax bread or the volume of granules.

Document FR 2 408 327 describes an installation for remelting wax epilate using a microwave oven. This installation includes among other things two tanks designed to be stacked: an upper tank with a bottom consisting of a sieve intended to receive the wax in the solid state including the hairs a previous depilation and a lower tray intended to receive the wax once fondue.

For use, we therefore place the wax to melt on the sieve of the upper tank, then we place this upper bin on the empty lower bin, then we put everything in the microwave where the melting wax drips from the upper pan into the lower tray through the sieve.

However, the microwave heating mode turns out in practice tricky for users who often underestimate the power and delay of heating when programming the oven. Either the wax is only partially fondue requiring heating to be restarted, or, more seriously, the temperature reached by the wax is significantly higher than the temperature admissible by the skin, even excessive at the risk of causing burns.

In addition, document US 5,185,505 describes an apparatus for preparing tea glazed in a microwave oven with an upper material reservoir transparent to microwaves and capable of receiving the mixture of water and infusion product to be heated, a lower storage chamber protected from the action of microwaves by a double cylindrical side wall and a bottom of aluminum, this chamber initially containing ice cubes and receiving the hot liquid. The tank is separated from the storage chamber by a bottom fitted with a thermal device allowing the infusion to pass only when it is hot. This device consists of a bimetallic strip fixed to the bottom by a first end and whose other end carries a needle coming, cold, close a flow opening in this bottom, the bending of the bimetal hot removing the needle from the hole.

However, this device, operating satisfactorily for a liquid, would prove to be not applicable for depilatory wax because it will sooner or later freeze the bimetallic strip and disturb its operation. In addition, the passage opening of the reservoir in the chamber is too small for rapid passage of the melted wax which could then reach an excessive temperature in the tank. In in addition, a fraction of the microwaves can pass through the bottom of the tank and continue heating the container in the storage chamber.

The object of the present invention is a microwave heating container for fusible material, in particular depilatory wax, comprising a grid of wax permeable separation in the molten state separating a transparent microwave heating and storage room initially empty, this container being designed so that it avoids aforementioned drawbacks, in particular which prevents overheating of the wax whatever the settings of the oven, and this while preserving the speed of this heating means.

In addition, this container should have as simple a structure as possible. in order to facilitate construction and reduce the cost of construction.

These objects are achieved by a container of the type mentioned above of the has a basic container that is permeable to microwaves, the lower part is made impermeable to microwaves to constitute a storage chamber, the horizontal grid separating the chamber from heating and the storage chamber itself being impermeable to microwave.

Thus, the wax initially located in a heating chamber can pass through as it melts simply by gravitation despite its viscosity the separation grid to pass into a storage room where it is not absolutely more heated, which prevents it from reaching a temperature excessive. So even if the power of the oven and / or the heating are exaggerated, the molten wax remains at a temperature close to its Fusion point. The wax thus pre-melted is then poured into a dispenser whose tank is maintained by a regulation loop at a temperature just necessary to maintain the state of fusion.

The use of a basic container greatly simplifies the realization and assembling the depilatory wax heating container which is then easy to realize and reliable.

Preferably, the grid is then made of metal and the size of its meshes is calculated to absorb or reflect microwaves, for example about 1.5 mm side mesh.

This metal separation grid, while being easy to produce, has thus a double function: filtering the molten wax compared to the wax still solid, and separate molten wax protection.

According to a first embodiment, the lower half of the permeable base is lined inside or outside with a material impermeable to microwaves.

Alternatively, a first lower bucket made of a material impermeable to microwave is installed in the base container and a second upper cup permeable to microwaves, the bottom of which is constituted by a grid of separation, is installed above the first bucket.

This construction, either in one piece or removable, has the advantage of being reusable many times after cleaning. With a separation grid removable, this container can become "normal" again, that is to say it can be also used for purposes other than heating and handling of depilatory wax.

In particular, the possibility of dismantling the separation grid allows inadvertently reheat a wax by microwave cooled in the lower storage chamber.

In the latter alternative, the base container may have a vertical chimney starting from the bottom where it is in correspondence with a lower bucket outlet opening and ending at the edge top of the base container, into a spout.

This fireplace constitutes a kind of third chamber where the wax can be slightly warmed up to compensate for any losses in the second room, but especially to allow easy handling of the melted wax.

Usefully, the base container and / or the lower cup are made of a material resistant and conductive to heat so that they can be laid on an electric heating plate to melt the wax residue.

According to a second embodiment, the container is in the form a disposable bag made of microwave permeable material comprising an intermediate grid for separation between an upper cell thus forming the heating chamber initially containing wax and a initially empty lower socket capable of being inserted into a container secondary impermeable to microwaves to constitute the storage.

This simply produces a handling and heating container for depilatory wax in two parts, the first of which may be flexible advantageously constitute a sales portion of wax packaging and of which the second is presented as a bucket preferably rigid to be reusable, i.e. a usual bucket apart from the fact that it is waterproof in the microwave.

Advantageously, the upper edge of the upper cell extends under the shape of a handling tab having a hooking orifice for hanging the bag on a bar of a display. So once the wax passed from one alveolus to the other following its fusion, we can seize the sachet securely by the upper tab to transport and bring it the lower cell containing the molten wax next to a wax distributor for transfer thereof.

Usefully, the lower cell has a funnel shape or the like directed downwards ending in an initially closed pouring conduit and suitable for being opened by breaking or cutting.

The lower socket can thus be positioned in the cradle of the roller wax dispenser from which the roller has been temporarily removed, allowing thus easy transfer of the hot wax from the heating container into this dispenser, and this minimizing the risk of wax overflowing hot.

For example, the end of the duct may have a breaking line predetermined in the form of a fine collage or a series of punctures, this line breaks easily as soon as the cell is compressed manually lower after inserting its lower duct into the mouth of the distributor.

• les figures 1a et 1b sont des vues en coupe verticale d'un premier mode de réalisation d'un récipient selon l'invention, respectivement avant et après la fusion d'une partie de la cire à épiler, et
• les figures 2a, 2b, 2c illustrent en coupe verticale un second mode de réalisation d'un récipient, selon l'invention respectivement en pièces séparées, assemblées et lors du transvasement de la cire fondue dans un distributeur.

The invention will be better understood from the study of embodiments taken without any limitation being implied and illustrated in the appended figures in which:

• FIGS. 1a and 1b are views in vertical section of a first embodiment of a container according to the invention, respectively before and after the melting of a part of the depilatory wax, and
• Figures 2a, 2b, 2c illustrate in vertical section a second embodiment of a container, according to the invention respectively in separate parts, assembled and during the pouring of the molten wax into a dispenser.

In Figures 1 is illustrated a first embodiment of a container 1 specially designed to heat and melt wax 5 by the action of microwaves emitted inside an oven.

As illustrated, this heating container 1 comprises a base container 10 of general shape in truncated cone oriented downwards and equipped with a handle 12. Preferably, this base container 10 is made of a material transparent and permeable to microwaves, for example plastic. Of known manner, this handle can be a simple hook starting from the edge upper or a loop secured to a vertical generator. This container of base 10 has, diametrically opposite the handle 12, a chimney vertical 14 semi-tubular forming an inwardly oriented groove leaving from the bottom of the container and ending in an upper edge in the form of a spout 16. If desired, it is conceivable that this chimney 14 is completely tubular, i.e. with a partition wall with the interior of the base container 10, provided that a through hole 15 is arranged at the lower end, near the bottom of the container 10.

More particularly according to the invention, this container 1 has two chambers superimposed 20 and 30 separated by a median horizontal grid 32.

The chamber 20 is here produced in the form of a cup 21 made of a material impermeable to microwaves such as a metal such as aluminum. The bucket is also in the shape of a truncated cone of external dimensions conform to the internal ones of the lower half of the base container 10 where it is installed. The lower edge of the bucket 22 further comprises a lateral opening 22 constituting an outlet passage in communication with the chimney 14, the if necessary through the passage orifice 15.

The upper chamber 30 is materialized by an upper cup 31 open in its upper face, preferably made of a material walls permeable to microwaves, even transparent, but the bottom of which is made by the separation grid 32. The external dimensions of this bucket 31 correspond to the internal dimensions of the upper half of the container base 10.

The originality of the invention resides in this grid which is dimensioned in function of the characteristics of the wax 5 so that it retains this wax in the solid state in the heating chamber 30 because, for example, its meshes are smaller than the diameter of the wax granules; but they leave pass the wax 5 ′ into the lower chamber 20 once in the fluid state following fusion by heating. Above all, the material and dimensions of the mesh this grid 32 are established so that they are also waterproof in the microwave therefore making the entire lower chamber 20 also impermeable to microwaves. This grid 32 can be a grid metallic made of wire and mesh of the order of 1 to 3mm, preferably 1.5mm. For reasons of rigidity, this metallic barrier grid microwave can be applied to the upper or lower side of a plastic grid with identical mesh.

As illustrated in Figures 1, the bucket 31 has on its periphery lower a circular groove 33 for fitting the grid 32 in the upper edge of lower bucket 21.

If the container 1 has been illustrated here in a frustoconical shape, one can easily change the shape of the constituent parts to give this container 1 a cylindrical, even oval or even polygonal shape.

The container 1 described above is used in the following manner.

The user pours wax 5 into chamber 30 through the top opening, this wax therefore resting on the upper face of the grid 32. The entire container 1 containing the wax 5 is then placed in the enclosure of a microwave oven and the user sets the emission power and the heating time to sufficient values to cause all of the wax to melt.

When portions of wax reach their melting point, they pass to the through meshes of the grid 32 constituting the bottom of the heating 30. Once located at the bottom of the storage chamber 20 as illustrated in Figure 1b, the liquid wax no longer receives microwave energy this which prevents it from rising to an excessive or even dangerous temperature. This protection continues even if all of the initial wax 5 is melted.

When the programmed heating time has elapsed, or following the stopping of the oven by the user observing through the transparent walls of the heating chamber 30 that all of the wax is melted, the user can grasp container 1 by handle 12 to transfer the melted wax into its dispensing device such as a roller dispenser. In particular, when the user tilts the container 1, the melted wax passes through the orifice 22 outlet of the lower bucket 20 to enter the chimney 14 to reach, in a controlled manner, the spout 16.

If a new quantity of melted wax proves necessary, it is sufficient to pour into the upper heating chamber 30 and replace the container 1 in a microwave oven.

Usefully, the base container 10 and the lower cup 21 are also heat resistant and conductive so that it can be placed on a hot plate, such as an electric plate, to remelt any solidified wax residue through the outlet orifices 22 and passing 15.

In Figures 2 is illustrated a second embodiment according to the invention a container in two parts comprising on the one hand a single-use sachet 50 and on the other hand a double secondary container 60 and 64 designed to receive the lower part of the bag 50.

The bag 50 is permeable to microwaves and, preferably, is produced in transparent flexible plastic. As illustrated, this bag 50 includes two cells separated by an intermediate grid 56: an upper cell 54 initially containing wax 5 and constituting a heating chamber and an initially empty lower socket 58 which, once inserted into the container secondary 60, as illustrated in FIG. 2b, constitutes a storage.

This bag 50 can have a substantially tubular middle part, especially at the intermediate grid 56. The upper part of the alveolus 54 can gradually shrink into a line extending by a plastic strip constituting a handling tab 52 having a hooking orifice 51. The lower part of the cell 58 can shrink down in the manner of a funnel to finish in the form of a pouring duct 59 initially blocked. Usefully, the end of this conduit 59 has a weak point of rupture such as a thin line of glue or a line of bites.

Correspondingly, the secondary container 60 is in the form of a standard bucket of general shape slightly frustoconical equipped in its upper edge of a handle 62. In particular, the internal face of this bucket 60 includes a part 64 opaque to microwaves. The diameter of the opening upper inlet of this secondary container 60 corresponds substantially to the diameter of the bag 50 at the intermediate grid 56.

This embodiment is sold on the one hand in the form of a starting set comprising a container 60 and one or more sachets 50, and on the other hand in the form of individual bags 50 hung on the bar of a display by the orifice 51. In particular, the volume of wax 5 contained in a bag 50 corresponds substantially to that of an internal tank 72 belonging to a distributor 70 as illustrated in FIG. 2c.

When the user wishes to prepare a quantity of molten wax, she places the bag 50 in the container 60 as illustrated in FIG. 2b and place this assembly in the enclosure of a microwave oven. As things progress heating the wax by microwave radiation, the melted part crosses the intermediate grid 56 to fall into the cell 58 where it is protected from any additional heating by the part 64 of the container 60 and by grid 56.

Once all of the wax 5 has melted in 5 'as observed by observation of the exterior through the oven window and transparent plastic constituting the bag 50, the user stops heating and takes the assembly out, holding it by the handle 62. It can then grasp the bag 50 by the upper tab 52 to bring the pouring duct 59 into the cradle 74 of the dispenser 70 including the roller has been moved apart as shown in Figure 2c. She then performs a opening of the pouring duct 59, either by cutting with a tool not illustrated, either by applying pressure to the lower socket 58 to force the rupture of weak points. The 5 'melted wax can then be poured into the tank 72 of the distributor 70 where it is maintained at a melting temperature by an electric resistance 73 for regulated heating.

A first advantage of this second embodiment is that it allows market the wax in a predetermined quantity corresponding precisely to the contents of a dispenser tank, so that only a fair amount sufficient is melted with each operation. In addition, it only requires the holding a simple secondary container which can also be used to other common uses. Usefully, this double secondary container is in one resistant material and good heat conductor allowing it to be placed on a heating plate.

A second advantage of this second embodiment is that it allows each time place a clean set in the microwave.

As we have seen from this presentation, the container according to the invention makes it possible to melt wax in the microwave without danger of burns for the user.

Many improvements can be made in terms of form, constructive dimensions of this container.

Claims (9)

Microwave heating container for fusible material, comprising a separating grid (32,56) permeable to wax in the molten state separating a heating chamber (30,54) transparent to microwaves and a storage chamber (20, 58/60) initially empty, characterized in that it comprises a basic container (10, 50) permeable to microwaves, the lower part is made impermeable to microwaves to constitute a storage chamber, the horizontal grid separating the chamber from heating and the storage chamber itself being impermeable to microwave. Container according to claim 1, characterized in that the grid (32,56) is made of metal and the size of its meshes is calculated so that absorb or reflect microwaves, for example about 1.5 mm side. Container according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the part bottom of the microwave permeable base is upholstered inside or out the outside of a material impermeable to microwaves. Container according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a first lower cup (21) made of microwave-impermeable material is installed in the base container (10) and in that a second upper cup (31) permeable to microwaves, the bottom of which is constituted by a grid of partition (32), is installed above the first bucket. Container according to claim 4, characterized in that the container base (10) has a vertical chimney (14) starting from the bottom where it is correspondence with an outlet opening (22) of the lower cup (21), and ending, at the top edge of the base container, in a spout (16). Container according to claim 4, characterized in that the container base (10) and / or the lower cup (20) are made of a resistant material and conductor to heat. Container according to claim 1, characterized in that it is in the form of a basic bag (50) of material permeable to microwaves comprising an intermediate separation grid (56) between a cell upper (54) thereby forming the heating chamber initially containing wax (5) and an initially empty lower cell (58) capable of being inserted into a microwave-proof secondary container (60) for constitute the storage chamber. Container according to claim 7, characterized in that the edge upper part of the upper socket (54) extends in the form of a handling tongue (52) having a hooking orifice (51). Container according to claim 7, characterized in that the cell lower (58) has a downward-facing funnel or the like ending in a pouring conduit (59) initially closed and able to be opened by breaking or cutting.

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