RELATED APPLICATIONThe present application is a Continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/648,982, filed on Dec. 29, 2009, which is a Continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/301,630, filed on Dec. 13, 2005, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,661,554.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONDisposable sheet style dispensers are well-known in the art for dispensing individual folded sheet products such as facial tissues, hand sheets, wet wipes, or the like. In general, disposable sheet dispensers typically include a container and a stack or clip of pre-folded, interfolded sheets disposed within the container. The sheets may be C-folded, V-folded, Z-folded, tab-bonded or flat so that once the top sheet in the clip is withdrawn, the underlying sheet is individually presented for subsequent use.
One of the common problems among disposable sheet dispensers involves the issue of “double pull”. This occurs when more than one sheet comes out of the container when the leading sheet is withdrawn. Additionally, the problem of “streaming” can occur in disposable sheet dispensers. Streaming occurs when the user pulls the first sheet out, and subsequent sheets are also withdrawn, with the separation of the following ones never occurring.
To overcome some of these problems, disposable sheet dispensers have been designed with the dispensing slot covered by a plastic film defining a slit. The use of slits has worked well in eliminating some of the above problems, and narrow slits are also well suited for presenting tissue sheets for subsequent removal. In some applications, however, it is sometimes difficult to remove the initial sheet from the stack when a slit is present. For instance, the slit can interfere with the ability of a user to grab the leading edge.
In order to overcome some of these problems, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,574,952 to Masui, which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes, a box containing facial tissues is disclosed in which a tape or strings are attached to the undersurface of a removable panel of the box and to the upper most of the facial tissues. In this manner, when the box is opened, and the removable panel is removed along a perforated line, the upper most facial tissue is automatically removed from the container along with the removable panel.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,715,633 to Thoms, which is also incorporated herein by reference for all purposes, a dispenser for dispensing a stack of disposable sheets is disclosed having a removable panel that is releasably attached to the first sheet in the stack. When the removable panel is pulled off the container, the first sheet in the stack is partially withdrawn from the container. After being partially withdrawn, however, the sheet releases from the removable panel.
Although the above two patents have provided advancements in the art, further improvements are still needed. For example, with the methods disclosed in the above cited patents, the adhesive is exposed to the interior volume of the dispenser during manufacture of the structure and subsequent insertion of the clip of interfolded sheets. This situation is disadvantageous in that the adhesive may interfere with production of the dispenser container and loading of the clip of sheets into the dispenser. Also, the potential exists for the adhesive to become soiled by any manner of particulate matter inherently present in any facility that processes tissue products, thus rendering the adhesive ineffective.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn general, the present disclosure is directed to a dispenser for dispensing interfolded disposable sheets. A stack (“clip”) of interfolded disposable sheets is housed within a container and the sheets are arranged to be withdrawn from the container one after another. The sheets can be various paper products, including facial tissues, paper towels, industrial wipers, laboratory wipers, wet wipes, and the like. The dispensing container includes a removable panel that, once removed, uncovers an opening for withdrawing the sheets. In certain embodiments, the removable panel is a portion of a top or side wall of the container that has been perforated for easy removal by a consumer. In other embodiments, the removable panel may be a separate piece of material, such as a film, paperboard, or the like, that is removably attached to the container wall to overlie the dispensing opening and is removed by the consumer prior to use of the dispenser.
The removable panel is attached to a first sheet in the clip of interfolded sheets. In particular, the removable panel is adhered to the first sheet such that when the removable panel is removed from the dispensing container, the first sheet is pulled through the dispensing opening in the container. The sheet may be released from the removable panel so as to remain at least partially within the container, or may be completely withdrawn from the dispensing container when the panel is removed.
In particular embodiments, the removable panel is attached to the first sheet in the clip of interfolded sheets by an adhesive material that is exposed to the interior volume of the container in an adhesive or “activated” state only after the clip of interfolded sheets has been inserted into the container. Prior to insertion of the clip, the adhesive is inactivated (i.e., non-adhesive) or, if in an adhesive sate, kept isolated from the interior volume of the container. In this manner, the adhesive material does not interfere with the manufacturing process, particularly insertion of the clip of interfolded sheets into the container.
Once the clip of interfolded sheets is loaded into the dispensing container, the adhesive is then exposed to the interior volume of the container in an adhesive condition and may be contacted with the first sheet in the clip by various means. For example, the container may be inverted to cause the first sheet in the clip to rest on the removable panel. Alternately, the removable panel may be pressed into contact with the first sheet in the clip by applying external pressure to the outside surface of the removable panel.
In a particular embodiment, the adhesive material is applied in an unactivated state between an underside of the removable panel and the clip of interfolded sheets, and is subsequently activated to an adhesive state after insertion of the clip into the container. For example, the adhesive material may be applied entirely to the underside of the removable panel in its unactivated state and subsequently activated by exposure of the dispenser to an external stimulus after the clip of sheets has been loaded into the dispenser. Various types of activatable adhesives may be used in such an embodiment, including various commercially available RF or UV activated adhesives, wherein the container is exposed to a source of RF or UV energy after insertion of the clip in order to activate the adhesive.
In an alternate embodiment, the adhesive material is a two-part adhesive that is not activated until the two component parts are brought into contact. For example, the two-part adhesive may be an epoxy adhesive that is not activated until a resin component is brought into contact with a hardener component. A first part of the adhesive may be disposed on the underside the removable panel and the second part of the adhesive may be disposed on the uppermost sheet of the clip of interfolded sheets. However, the individual parts are not in an adhesive state and thus do not interfere with insertion of the clip or other manufacturing steps. After the clip has been inserted, the adhesive material is activated or exposed to the interior volume in an adhesive state by contacting the uppermost sheet against the underside of the removable panel such that the adhesive components are brought into contact for a sufficient time to blend and form the adhesive material.
In alternate embodiments, the adhesive material may be physically isolated from the interior volume of the container until after insertion of the clip, wherein the adhesive is moved from it isolated location into a position within the container to contact the top sheet in the clip. In a particular embodiment, the removable panel includes a hinged flap and the adhesive material is disposed on an upper (external) side the flap. This flap may take on various forms. For example, the flap may be a perforated portion of the removable panel, or a separate material disposed over an opening in the removable panel. The adhesive material is exposed to the interior volume of the container by repositioning the flap so as to bring the adhesive into a facing position relative to the uppermost sheet in the clip of interfolded sheets. The flap may be repositioned simply by being pressed down into the interior volume so as to fold at least partially under the removable panel and expose the adhesive material to the uppermost sheet. The flap may have sufficient resiliency after being folded under the removable panel to move into direct contact with the first sheet in the clip simply upon release of the flap. Alternately, the container may be inverted to cause the first sheet to contact the adhesive on the down-turned face of the flap. If desired, the adhesive may be protected by a release liner that is removed by the user prior to activating the dispenser.
The present invention encompasses any manner of dispenser made in accordance with the method principles described herein.
The dispensing container can be made from various materials and is generally not critical to the present invention. For instance, the dispensing container can be made from paperboard or from a flexible polymer film. The dispensing container can be in the shape of a rectangular box, a square box, or in the form of any other suitable shape.
Other features and aspects of the present invention are discussed in greater detail below.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSAn embodiment of the present invention is described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a dispenser made in accordance with the present disclosure;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the dispenser illustrated inFIG. 1 showing the dispenser partially opened;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the dispenser illustrated inFIG. 1 showing the removable panel of the dispenser removed exposing a sheet of material available to be withdrawn;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a particular embodiment of a dispenser illustrating an unactivated adhesive disposed on the underside of a removable panel member;
FIG. 5A is a perspective view illustrating a clip of interfolded sheets being loaded into a dispenser having an unactivated adhesive on the underside of a removable panel member;
FIG. 5B is a perspective view illustrating the loaded dispenser being passed over an external stimulus source to activate the adhesive on the underside of a removable panel member;
FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional view of a particular embodiment of a dispenser illustrating a two-part adhesive between a removable panel member and the uppermost sheet in the clip of interfolded sheets;
FIG. 6B is a perspective view illustrating a clip of interfolded sheets and a dispenser, particularly illustrating use of a two-part adhesive; and
FIGS. 7A through 7C are perspective views of a particular embodiment of a dispenser wherein an adhesive is disposed on a hinged flap member of the removable panel.
Repeat use of reference characters in this present specification and drawings is intended to represent same or analogous features or elements.
DETAILED DESCRIPTIONReference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention, and is not meant as a limitation of the invention. For example, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield still a third embodiment. It is intended that the present invention includes these and other modifications and variations.
In general, the present disclosure is directed to a dispenser for dispensing interfolded disposable sheets from a clip. The disposable sheets can be, for instance, facial tissues, paper towels, industrial wipers, laboratory wipers, wet wipes, and the like. The dispensing container includes a removable panel that, once removed, uncovers an opening for withdrawing the sheets. The removable panel is attached to the first sheet in the clip with an adhesive material that is not exposed to the interior volume of the container in an adhesive state until the clip of interfolded sheets has been loaded into the container. Once the clip has been placed into the container, the adhesive material may be positioned, activated, or otherwise acted upon so as to be exposed within the interior volume in an adhesive state. The uppermost (“top” or “first”) sheet in the clip is then brought into contact with the adhesive material to attach the sheet to the removable panel. Various embodiments of this methodology are discussed in detail below by reference to the figures.
Depending upon the particular application and the desired result, the adhesive material may securely affix the removable panel to the first sheet in the clip or may be releasably attached to the first sheet. For example, in one embodiment, the removable panel is attached to the first sheet in a manner such that when the panel is removed from the dispensing container, the first sheet is partially withdrawn. Once the sheet is partially withdrawn, the first sheet then detaches from the removable panel. Thus, once the panel is removed from the container, the first sheet in the clip is available for easy and immediate removal. Reference is made to U.S. Pat. No. 6,715,633 discussed above (and incorporated herein by reference) for a more detailed description of this feature. In an alternative embodiment, the removable panel may be more securely affixed to the first sheet in the clip of disposable sheets such that the first sheet is completely withdrawn from the dispensing container when the removable panel is removed. It should be appreciated that any degree of attachment between the adhesive and first sheet in the clip that results in at least partial withdrawal of the first sheet upon removal of the panel is within the scope of the invention.
Referring to the figures in general, embodiments of a dispensing container generally10 are illustrated for housing aclip12 of any manner of interfolded sheets, such as facial tissue. It should be understood that the invention is not limited to any particular type of interfolded disposable sheets. The clip of interfoldeddisposable sheets12 may be C-folded, V-folded, Z-folded, tab-bonded or configured with respect to one another by any means commonly known in the art.
The dispensingcontainer10 may take on any desired geometric shape and size. In the illustrated embodiments, thecontainer10 includes a pair of sides orwalls16,end walls15, abottom wall14, and atop wall20. The walls define an interior volume sized for receipt of theclip12 of interfolded sheets, which generally rest upon thebottom wall14.
Thetop wall20 of thecontainer10 includes aremovable panel22 that, once removed, exposes a dispensingopening42 in thetop wall20. Theremovable panel22 may include anend extension26 at one or both ends thereof configured to allow a consumer to grasp either of theend extensions26 in order to pull thepanel22 away from thetop wall20. Thepanel22 may be “removable” relative to thetop wall20 by various means. For example, in the embodiment ofFIGS. 1 through 3, thepanel22 is defined byperforations24 in the material of thetop wall20. In an alternate embodiment illustrated, for example, inFIGS. 4 and 6A, thepanel22 is a separate material member attached to thetop wall20 over the dispensingopening42 by, for example, any suitable releasable adhesive. This separate material member may be the same material as used for the container walls, or a different material, such as a film.
It may be desired to include afilm layer25 over the dispensingopening42 in addition to theremovable panel22, as illustrated inFIGS. 1 through 3. Thisfilm25 may be any suitable polymer film that includes an opening, such as a slit, to facilitate dispensing the sheets one at a time and to accommodate the various adhesive combinations and embodiments described herein.
In general, the dispensingcontainer10 can be made from various materials. For instance, the container can be made from paperboard or cardboard. Alternatively, the container can be made from plastic films, such as thermoplastic films. Materials used to form the walls of the container can be rigid or flexible.
As illustrated in the figures, below thetop wall20 is theclip12 of interfolded sheets with an uppermost ortop sheet28. The sheets may be interfolded in various fold patterns known to those skilled in the art, such as C-folds, V-folds, and so forth. InFIGS. 4 and 6A, thefirst sheet28 is folded multiple times at the top to facilitate removal of the sheet. In addition to being folded upon itself, the end of thefirst sheet28 is also connected to theremovable panel22 by anadhesive material50. In this manner, when theremovable panel22 is removed from theupper wall20 of the container, thefirst sheet28 is pulled at least partially through theopening42. Once the end of thefirst sheet28 is removed through theopening42, however, resistance increases due to thefirst sheet28 being interfolded with the next sheet in thestack12 and/or due to the resistance of the sheet being pulled through theopening42. Depending on the strength of theadhesive material50, this increased resistance may be sufficient to cause the end of thefirst sheet28 to release from theremovable panel22, leaving thefirst sheet28 partially exposed. In an alternate embodiment, for example as illustrated inFIG. 3, thefirst sheet28 remains attached to thepanel22 and is completely pulled out of thecontainer10 through theopening42 with removal of thepanel22. The size and construction of theopening42 can also be used to control the amount of force needed to either partially remove or completely remove the first sheet in the stack of disposable sheets. For example, theopening42 can be designed to increase the resistance placed on thefirst sheet28 as it is withdrawn from the container. Increasing the resistance facilitates release between the sheet and the removable panel. Decreasing the resistance, on the other hand, may allow for the entire sheet to be withdrawn.
Theadhesive material50 used in the various embodiments to attach thetop sheet28 to theremovable panel22 is not activated or exposed to the interior volume of thecontainer10 in an adhesive condition until theclip12 of interfolded sheets has been inserted into thecontainer10. In this manner, theadhesive material50 does not interfere with the manufacturing process, particularly insertion of theclip12 into the container.
In the embodiment illustrated, for example, inFIGS. 1 through 5B, theadhesive material50 is applied at a select location on theunderside27 of theremovable panel22 at some point during production of the dispensingcontainer10 and prior to loading of theclip12 into thecontainer10. However, theadhesive material50 is of a type of adhesives that may be applied in an inactivated state, and is not activated or transformed into an adhesive condition until subjected to an external stimulus. Various types of activatable adhesives may be used in this regard, including various commercially available RF or UV activated adhesives.FIG. 5A illustrates theclip12 of interfolded sheets being inserted into thecontainer10 having theadhesive material50 applied to the underside of theremovable panel22 in an inactivated state prior to formation of the container into its box-like configuration. After theclip12 is inserted into thecontainer10, and theend walls15 are sealed or joined by any conventional manner, theentire container10 may be subjected to an external stimulus, generally52 inFIG. 5B, in order to activate theadhesive material50. For example, referring toFIG. 5B, thecontainer10 is illustrated as inverted so that thetop wall20 andremovable panel22 may be readily passed over an RF orUV source54. Thesource54 may be any conventional UV or RF generating source, and is illustrated diagrammatically inFIG. 5B for conceptual purposes only. Thecontainer10 is inverted so that once theadhesive material50 is activated by the external stimulus, thetop sheet28 within thestack12 will immediately adhere to the material. Of course, in an alternate embodiment, the step of inverting thecontainer10 to contact thetop sheet28 to theadhesive material50 may be performed after theadhesive material50 has been activated by the external source54 (from above or below the container10).
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment ofFIG. 5B after thestack12 of sheets has been loaded into thecontainer10, but prior to activation of theadhesive material50 and inversion or other manipulation of thecontainer10 in order to cause thetop sheet28 to come into contact with theadhesive material50. An alternate method of contacting thetop sheet28 with theadhesive material50 may involve applying an external pressure to the upper surface of theremovable panel22 in order to push the panel and activatedadhesive material50 into contact with thetop sheet28.
It should be appreciated that various types of single component adhesives that are cured by an external stimulus, such as a light, UV, RF, or microwave source, are well known in the adhesive art and may be used with embodiments of the present invention. Vendors of these types of adhesives include Jenton UV (division of Jenton International), Cyberbond LLC, Electro-Lite Corporation, and Parson Adhesives, Inc.
The embodiment wherein theadhesive material50 is activated at a subsequent time after insertion of theclip12 is readily adaptable to conventional manufacturing lines wherein the dispensingcontainer10 is formed from a one-piece blank that is subsequently assembled into a flat sleeve configuration. The inactivatedadhesive material50 may be applied to a location on the blank panel corresponding to the underside of thetop wall20 andremovable panel22 prior to forming the blank into the flat sleeve configuration. For convenience and manufacturing efficiency, it is often the case that the dispensingcontainers10 are stored or transported in the flat sleeve configuration prior to being loaded with a clip of disposable interfolded sheets at a subsequent production location. In this flat sleeve configuration, the underside of the top wall lies in contact with other walls of thecontainer10. However, because theadhesive material50 is inactivated, the adhesive will not cause the walls to adhere together, and thus will not interfere with subsequent formation of the flat sleeves into a box-like container10.
It should be appreciated that, depending on the type of activatable adhesive, provision may be necessary in the container for supply of the external stimulus. For example, in the case of a UV activated adhesive, it may be necessary to provide a transparent panel or film in the container at a location such that UV energy may be supplied to the adhesive subsequent to insertion of the clip of sheets. Thetop wall20, or a portion of the wall, may be made of a transparent material.
FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate an alternative embodiment wherein an adhesive material is maintained in an inactivated or non-adhesive condition until astack12 of interfolded disposable sheets have been loaded into thecontainer10. In this embodiment, theadhesive material50 is a two-part adhesive that is not activated until the two component parts are brought into contact. For example, the two-part adhesive50 may be an epoxy, acrylic, or urethane adhesive that is not activated until a resin component is brought into contact with a hardener component. Referring to the figures, afirst component part50aof the adhesive may be disposed on the underside of theremovable panel22, and thesecond component part50bof the adhesive may be disposed on theuppermost sheet28 of the clip ofinterfolded sheets12, as particularly illustrated inFIG. 6B. The consistency of the component adhesive parts may be controlled so that the components are generally non-flowable, and are preferably in a near solid condition. In this manner, thecomponent parts50a,50b, remain at their desired location during manufacture of thecontainer10 and loading of theclip12 into the container. Theindividual components50aand50bare not individually adhesive and thus do not interfere with insertion of theclip12 or other manufacturing steps.
FIG. 6A illustrates the embodiment after theclip12 has been loaded into thecontainer10. It can be seen that the componentadhesive parts50aand50bare in an opposite facing orientation, but are not yet in contact with each other. After theclip12 has been loaded and theends15 of thecontainer10 have been sealed, thecomponents50aand50bcan be readily brought into contact with each other in order to activate the adhesive. This may be done by inverting thecontainer10, or applying pressure to the external side of theremovable panel22, as discussed above.
Any number of multiple component adhesives are commercially available and may be used in various embodiments of the invention. Examples of such adhesives include two part acrylics, epoxies, and urethanes. 3M Corporation offers various commercially available versions of these adhesives.
FIGS. 7A through 7C illustrate still another alternative embodiment wherein theadhesive material50 is isolated from the interior volume of thecontainer10 until after insertion of theclip12 of interfolded disposable sheets. This embodiment illustrates a mechanical means for isolating theadhesive material50. In particular, theremovable panel22 includes a hingedflap56 defined in thepanel22 by, for example, perforations55. Anadhesive material50 is disposed on the upper surface of the hingedflap56 in any desired pattern. Preferably, at least a portion of the hingedflap56 is not covered by theadhesive material50 so that the hingedflap56 may be depressed into the interior volume of thecontainer10 by a user's finger or thumb without contacting theadhesive material50. Also, arelease liner58 may be disposed over the hingedflap56 to protectadhesive material50 until such time that the hingedflap56 is repositioned to expose theadhesive material50 to the interior volume of thecontainer10, as described below.
FIG. 7B illustrates the process of repositioning the hingedflap56. In particular, therelease liner58 is pulled away from the upper surface of the hingedflap56 to expose theadhesive material50. Then, the hingedflap56 is depressed downwardly so that it separates from thepanel22 along theperforations55. This action causes the hingedflap56 to pivot alonghinge line60 into the interior volume of thecontainer10 and to fold at least partially under thepanel22. Theflap56 is pushed to a position such that theadhesive material50 is brought into a facing relationship with respect to thetop sheet28 of theclip12 of interfolded sheets, as particularly illustrated inFIG. 7C. Theflap56 may have sufficient resiliency after being folded under theremovable panel22 so as to move back into direct contact with thefirst sheet28. In this manner, theadhesive material50 is pressed into contact with thetop sheet28 causing the sheet to adhere to theflap56. Alternately, the container may be inverted to cause thefirst sheet28 to contact the adhesive50 on the face of theflap56. At this point, thetop sheet28 will sufficiently adhere to theremovable panel22 such that thetop sheet28 will be pulled out of the dispensingopening42 upon removal of thepanel22 from thetop wall20, as discussed above.
Theadhesive material50 used in the embodiments ofFIGS. 7A through 7C may comprise any suitable adhesive, including a hot melt adhesive or a pressure sensitive adhesive. Suitable hot melt adhesives are commercially available from Bostik Findley. Suitable pressure sensitive adhesives are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,045,569; 4,988,567; 4,994,322; 4,786,696; 4,166,152; 3,857,731; and 3,691,140, all which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety for all purposes. The amount of adhesive that is applied to the hingedflap56 may vary depending upon various factors, including the type of adhesive material used, and the extent to which bonding is desired between theremovable panel22 and the upperdisposable sheet28.
It should be appreciated that any of the embodiments illustrated and described herein may include apolymeric film25 between theremovable panel22 andtop sheet28 in the clip of interfolded sheets, as particularly illustrated inFIGS. 2,3, and4. Thefilm25 may include any manner of slit, hole, opening, or other structure to accommodate the particular type ofadhesive material50 used to attach thetop sheet28 to theremovable panel22, or hingedflap56.
These and other modifications and variations to the present invention may be practiced by those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, which is more particularly set forth in the appended claims. In addition, it should be understood that aspects of the various embodiments may be interchanged both in whole and in part. Furthermore, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the foregoing description is by way of example only, and is not intended to limit the invention so further described in such appended claims.
