NAPKIN FOR WRAPPING CUTLERY

Abstract

A napkin is provided with an adhering portion and a releasing portion that can releasably adhere together. The adhering portion is located on an upper side of the napkin and the releasing portion is located on the lower side at a corresponding position such that the napkin can be stacked with similar napkins with the releasing portion of a first napkin aligned and engaged with the adhering portion of a second napkin. The napkin has an engaging location on its lower side such that the napkin can be wrapped around items of cutlery and secured to form a wrap by engaging the adhering portion with the engaging location. A method of wrapping cutlery using the napkin is also provided.

Claims

1.-19. (canceled)

20. A napkin, comprising: an upper side and a lower side; four corners; and an adhering portion and a releasing portion that can releasably adhere together, the adhering portion being located on the upper side and the releasing portion being located on the lower side at corresponding positions such that the napkin can be stacked with similar napkins with the releasing portion on the lower side of a first napkin aligned and engaged with the adhering portion of a second napkin located beneath the first napkin, wherein the napkin further comprises an engaging location on its lower side such that the napkin can be wrapped around an object and secured by engaging the adhering portion with the engaging location, and the engaging location comprises a protective surface facilitating release of the adhering portion without damage to the napkin.

21. The napkin of claim 20, wherein the adhering portion and the releasing portion are located at a first corner of the napkin.

22. The napkin of claim 21, wherein the engaging location is located close to a centre of the napkin.

23. The napkin of claim 21, wherein the napkin is formed from a sheet having an inner surface and an outer surface and being folded at least once with the inner surface inwards, both the adhering portion and the releasing portion being located on the outer surface.

24. The napkin of claim 23, wherein the sheet is at least twice-folded to form the napkin with the outer surface exposed.

25. The napkin of claim 24, wherein the adhering portion is provided adjacent a second corner of the napkin, diagonally opposite to the first corner, and the engaging location is provided between the second corner and a centre of the napkin.

26. The napkin of claim 24, wherein the adhering portion is provided adjacent a third corner of the napkin and the engaging location is provided between the third corner and a centre of the napkin, the third corner being an adjacent corner to the first corner.

27. The napkin of claim 24, wherein the sheet is a multi-ply tissue having a weight per ply of between 14 and 30 g/m.sup.2.

28. The napkin of claim 24, wherein the sheet is a single-ply air-laid non-woven having a weight of between 25 and 80 g/m.sup.2.

29. The napkin of claim 24, wherein the sheet is a single-ply tissue having a weight of between 14 and 40 g/m.sup.2.

30. The napkin of claim 24, wherein the sheet has maximum dimensions of between 20 cm and 60 cm.

31. The napkin of claim 23, wherein the outer surface of the sheet is patterned or embossed.

32. The napkin of claim 20, wherein the adhering portion and the engaging location and/or the releasing portion are provided with complementary surfaces that releasably adhere to each other but do not adhere to a remainder of the napkin.

33. The napkin of claim 20, wherein the adhering portion includes an adhesive that is tacky, and wherein the releasing portion includes a repellent coating or material that releases easily from the tacky adhesive.

34. A stack comprising a plurality of the napkins of claim 20, wherein the napkins are stacked together with the releasing portion on the lower side of a first napkin aligned and releasably engaged with the adhering portion of a second napkin located beneath the first napkin.

35. A cutlery wrap comprising one or more items of cutlery, wrapped in the napkin of claim 20, the wrap being secured in position around the one or more items of cutlery by engagement of the adhering portion with the engaging location.

36. A method of wrapping cutlery to form a cutlery wrap, the method comprising: providing a disposable napkin having an adhering portion; placing one or more items of cutlery onto the napkin; wrapping the cutlery in the napkin; and engaging the adhering portion with an engaging location on the napkin to secure the wrap, wherein the engaging location comprises a protective surface facilitating release of the adhering portion without damage to the napkin.

37. The method according to claim 36, further comprising: stacking a plurality of napkins in a stack such that a releasing portion on a lower side of each of the napkins is aligned and releasably engaged with the adhering portion, which is located on an upper side of each of the napkins, wherein the upper side of a top napkin in the stack is exposed and the items of cutlery are placed onto the upper side of the top napkin.

38. A napkin, having an upper side, a lower side and four corners, the napkin comprising a twice-folded sheet and being provided with an adhering portion on the upper side, adjacent to one of the corners and a releasing portion on the lower side at a corresponding position to the adhering portion such that a plurality of napkins may be stacked together with the releasing portion of a first napkin engaging releasably with the adhering portion of a second napkin located beneath the first napkin, wherein the napkin further comprises an engaging location on a lower side such that the napkin can be wrapped around an object and secured by engaging the adhering portion with the engaging location and the engaging location comprises a protective surface facilitating release of the adhering portion without damage to the napkin.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] Various additional features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon review of the following detailed description of one or more illustrative embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate one or more embodiments of the invention and, together with the general description given above and the detailed description given below, explain the one or more embodiments of the invention.

[0039] FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a napkin according to a first embodiment, with cutlery placed on top of the napkin before rolling the cutlery into the napkin.

[0040] FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of the napkin of FIG. 1, formed into a cutlery wrap after rolling the cutlery into the napkin.

[0041] FIG. 3 is a top perspective view of a stack of napkins of the embodiment of FIG. 1.

[0042] FIG. 4 is a top perspective view of the stack of FIG. 3, with the uppermost napkin partially folded back to reveal additional features.

[0043] FIG. 5 is a top plan view of an unfolded napkin in accordance with one embodiment.

[0044] FIG. 6 is a top plan view of an alternative version of the unfolded napkin of FIG. 5, with the adhering portion at a different location.

[0045] FIG. 7 is a top plan view of another embodiment of an unfolded napkin.

[0046] FIG. 8 is a top plan view of a further embodiment of an unfolded napkin.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of a napkin 1 according to a first embodiment together with a cutlery service 5. The napkin 1 has an upper side 2 that is visible in FIG. 1 and four corners 4A-4D. The lower side 3 of the napkin 1 is not visible in this view.

[0048] The napkin 1 is a conventional 3-ply paper tissue sheet 6 of having a weight of 45 g/m.sup.2 and maximum dimensions of 39 cm39 cm unfolded size. As shown in FIG. 1, the napkin is in a twice folded state, having dimensions of 19.519.5 cm. It will be understood that other sizes and constructions may be equally applicable. The points 8A-8D of the tissue sheet are gathered at the first corner 4A. At the diagonally opposite second corner 4B there is provided an adhering portion 10. The adhering portion 10 is a triangular region of 2 cm.sup.2 that has been coated with a pressure-sensitive hot melt adhesive, such as Lunatack PHC 2198 adhesive.

[0049] FIG. 2 shows the napkin 1 of FIG. 1, rolled around the cutlery service 5 to form a wrap 20. In this view, the lower side 3 of the napkin 1 is visible, while the upper side 2 of the napkin 1 is turned inwards towards the cutlery service 5. The napkin 1 has been rolled, starting from the first corner 4A and the second corner 4B is outermost. In this state, the adhering portion 10 engages over an engaging location 16 on the lower side 3 of the napkin 1 and engages therewith by the action of the adhering portion 10. The engagement between the adhering portion 10 and the engaging location 16 should be sufficient to secure the wrap 20 against spontaneous unwrapping even after handling of wraps 20 during setting of tables or the like. In particular embodiments, it should also be sufficient to remain engaged for a period of at least 24 hours. On the other hand, it should not be so well adhered that the wrap 20 may not be opened without damaging the napkin 1 to the extent that it may be unacceptable to a user.

[0050] Also visible in FIG. 2 is a releasing portion 12 located on the lower side 3 at the second corner 4B, such that it directly corresponds to the position of the adhering portion 10. The releasing portion 12 is provided with a coating of a food grade silicone spray, the function of which will be described in further detail below.

[0051] FIG. 3 shows a stack 30 of napkins 1 according to FIG. 1. All of the napkins 1 in the stack 30 are located with their upper side 2 upwards and the adhering portion 10 of the uppermost napkin 1 is visible.

[0052] FIG. 4 shows the stack of FIG. 3, with the uppermost napkin 1 partially turned back to reveal its lower side 3 and the upper side 2 of the napkin 1 below. Also visible is the releasing portion 12 on the lower side 3 of the uppermost napkin 1. It will be understood that the engagement between the adhering portion 10 and the releasing portion 12 allows a stable stack 30 of napkins 1 to be maintained and also ensures that suitable release of the uppermost napkin 1 is possible, without damaging the material of the napkin 1. In this sense, operation may be considered similar to the well-known sticky notes although with the particularity that in the case of the stack 30, the adhering portion 10 is provided on the upper side.

[0053] In use, a user may quickly and efficiently form cutlery wraps 20 directly from the stack 30, by placing the cutlery service 5 onto the stack 30 and wrapping or rolling the uppermost napkin 1 from the first corner 4A towards the second corner 4B to the point at which the engaging location 16 engages the adhering portion 10. At this point, continued rolling of the wrap 20, will release it from the stack 30, which is ready to receive the next cutlery service 5.

[0054] FIG. 5 is a plan view of the napkin 1 of FIG. 1 after unfolding the tissue sheet 6 to reveal its outer surface 32 and its four points 8A-8D. The sheet 6 is twice-folded, across fold X and subsequently across fold Y to form the napkin 1. The upper side 2 of the napkin 1 is on the left side of the fold Y, while the lower side 3 of the napkin 1 is the portion on the right side of the fold Y. In this embodiment, the adhering portion 10 and the releasing portion 12 are located adjacent to one another on either side of the fold Y and close to the centre of the tissue sheet 6. The engaging location 16 is located centrally of the upper side 2 and as can be seen in this view, is considerably larger than either the adhering portion 10 or the releasing portion 12. The reason for this is that the wrap 20 may vary considerably in size, depending upon the cutlery service 5 and the position at which the adhering portion 10 engages with the lower side 3 of the napkin 1 may also be variable.

[0055] FIG. 6 is a plan view of a tissue sheet 6 that is otherwise identical to the tissue sheet of FIG. 5, with the exception of the location of the adhering portion 10 and the releasing portion 12. In this case, they are located on opposite sides of the fold Y, adjacent to an edge of the tissue sheet 6. Once the tissue sheet 6 is folded twice to form the napkin 1, the adhering portion 10 and the releasing portion 12 will be found on opposite sides of the third corner 4C. This has the advantage that the adhering portion 10 and the releasing portion 12 are kept away from the central region of the tissue sheet 6, where they might be more visible during use of the napkin.

[0056] FIG. 7 is a plan view of an unfolded napkin 101 according to an alternative embodiment. Like numerals preceded by 100 are used to designate similar elements. In this embodiment, the tissue sheet 106 is provided with a tape element 107, carrying the adhering portion 110 and the releasing portion 112. In this embodiment, both the adhering portion 110 and the releasing portion 112 are provided on the same tape element 107. It will however be understood that they could also be provided on separate tape elements and could also be spaced from each other. The tape element 107 is permanently adhered to the tissue sheet at the third corner 104C, corresponding to the alternative shown in FIG. 6, and is aligned such that the adhering portion 110 will attach to the engaging location 116. It will be understood that the tape element 107 could have been located at the second corner as in the embodiment of FIG. 5. In all other respects, this embodiment operates in a similar manner to the previous embodiment.

[0057] FIG. 8 is a plan view of an unfolded napkin 201 according to a still further embodiment. Like numerals preceded by 200 are used to designate similar elements to those of the first embodiment. In this embodiment, the adhering portion 210 is moved away from the third corner 204C in a diagonal direction towards the centre C of the napkin 201. In this embodiment, the releasing portion 212 is located at a corresponding distance from what will become the fourth corner 204D, once the napkin 201 is folded, in the direction of the centre C of the lower side 203 of the napkin. This position of the releasing portion 212 ensures that it can also act as the engaging location if the distance between the adhering portion 210 and the releasing portion 212 corresponds to the wrapping circumference of the cutlery item. In the case of the embodiment of FIG. 8, napkins 201 will be stacked alternately with the third corner 204C overlying the fourth corner 204D of the napkin beneath and vice versa. In this way, the releasing portion 212 will overly the adhering portion 210 of the napkin below.

[0058] Thus, the invention has been described by reference to the embodiments discussed above. It will be recognized that these embodiments are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms well known to those of skill in the art. In particular, the arrangement of adhering portions and releasing portions may be distinct from the schematically illustrated designs both in position and in shape. Accordingly, although specific embodiments have been described, these are examples only and are not limiting upon the scope of the invention.

[0059] To this end, the embodiments described above are only descriptions of preferred embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Various variations and modifications can be made to the technical solution of the present invention by those of ordinary skills in the art, without departing from the design and spirit of the present invention. The variations and modifications should all fall within the claim scope defined by the claims of the present invention.