Stack and method of dispensing
10144576 · 2018-12-04
Assignee
Inventors
Cpc classification
B65D85/62
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
A47K2010/428
HUMAN NECESSITIES
B65D83/0894
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
International classification
B65D85/62
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B65D83/08
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
Abstract
A stack including a plurality of sheets of web material is provided. The stack includes a plurality of bundles of substantially coextensive sheets of web material. Each bundle includes at least two sheets of web material of said plurality of sheets of web material. In the stack, the bundles of said plurality of bundles are alternatingly offset in relation to each other. Further, a method of dispensing at least two sheets of web material is disclosed.
Claims
1. A stack comprising a plurality of bundles of napkins, wherein each bundle comprises at least two sheets of said napkins, wherein, in the stack: each of said napkins includes a plurality of edges; each of the plurality of edges of each of said napkins in each bundle are coextensive, when viewed from above, to form bundle edges; and at least one of the bundle edges of a first bundle is offset from a bundle edge of a bundle directly above or below the first bundle so that adjacent bundles do not have coextensive bundle edges, when viewed from above, and wherein all of the substantially coextensive sheets of the plurality of sheets of web material forming an uppermost bundle of said plurality of bundles are graspable and dispensable from said stack simultaneously and orderly to the user.
2. The stack according to claim 1, wherein each napkin of said plurality of napkins comprises a cellulose material comprising new and/or recycled cellulose fibres.
3. A method of dispensing a bundle comprising at least 2 sheets of web material from the stack according to claim 1, the method comprising: biasing the stack towards a dispensing opening of a dispenser, biasing the stack against a stopper element arranged in connection with the dispensing opening, exposing an edge portion of an outermost bundle in the dispensing opening, grasping the outermost bundle about the edge portion, and removing the outermost bundle from the dispensing opening and the stopper element.
4. The stack according to claim 1, wherein each bundle of said plurality of bundles comprises 2-10 napkins.
5. The stack according to claim 1, wherein each bundle of said plurality of bundles comprises a same number of napkins.
6. The stack according to claim 1, wherein each napkin of said plurality of napkins is folded.
7. The stack according to claim 1, wherein each napkin of said plurality of napkins is a separate sheet of web material.
8. The stack according to claim 1, wherein the napkins of said plurality of napkins are identically shaped, or have mirror-inverted shapes.
9. The stack according to claim 1, wherein each napkin of said plurality of napkins, as arranged in the stack, has four straight edges, and wherein two opposite of the four straight edge portions of each napkin of said plurality of napkins are aligned along two parallel planes in the stack.
10. The stack according to claim 9, wherein each napkin of said plurality of napkins is rectangular.
11. The stack according to claim 1, further comprising a wrapping provided around the stack for holding the plurality of napkins together.
12. The stack according to claim 11, wherein the stack comprises six sides, and wherein the wrapping is provided around at least four sides of the six sides of the stack, including two sides extending along two parallel planes in the stack.
13. The stack according to claim 12, wherein the wrapping is provided around the six sides of the stack.
14. The stack according to claim 1, wherein each napkins of said plurality of napkins has an extension along a first direction, and wherein the adjacent bundles are offset along the first direction.
15. The stack according to claim 14, wherein two adjacent bundles of the plurality of bundles are offset 0.5-5 cm along the first direction.
16. A stack comprising a plurality of bundles of napkins, wherein each bundle comprises at least two sheets of said napkins, wherein, in the stack: each of said napkins includes a plurality of edges; each of the plurality of edges of each of said napkins in each bundle are coextensive, when viewed from above, to form bundle edges; and at least one of the bundle edges of a first bundle is offset from a bundle edge of a bundle directly above or below the first bundle so that adjacent bundles do not have coextensive bundle edges, when viewed from above, and wherein all of the substantially coextensive sheets of the plurality of sheets of web material forming an uppermost bundle of said plurality of bundles are graspable and dispensable from said stack simultaneously and orderly to the user, and wherein the at least two napkins in each bundle are interleaved.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) The various aspects of embodiments of the invention, including its particular features and advantages, will be readily understood from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings, in which:
(2)
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
(9) Embodiments of the present invention will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which example embodiments are shown. However, this invention should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Disclosed features of example embodiments may be combined as readily understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. Well-known functions or constructions will not necessarily be described in detail for brevity and/or clarity.
(10)
(11) Each sheet 4 of web material has an extension along a first direction 10. The bundles 6 are alternatingly offset along the first direction 10. Edge portions of two adjacent bundles 6 may be offset 0.5-5 cm in relation to each other, or 1-3 cm, along the first direction 10. In
(12)
(13) The stack 2 includes a wrapping 14 provided around the stack 2 for holding the sheets 4 of web material together. The wrapping 14 is removed upon the stack 2 being placed in a dispenser. The wrapping 14 may for instance be opened along a joint 16 of the wrapping 14. The stack includes six sides. The wrapping 14 is provided around four sides of the six sides of the stack 2. Two sides of the four sides extend along the above-mentioned two parallel planes. Alternatively, as indicated by broken lines and with curved arrows, the wrapping 14 may be provided around the six sides of the stack 2.
(14) When the wrapping 14 is provided around only four sides of the stack 2, the warping 14 may be as wide as the stack 2, as illustrated in
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(16) Each of
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(20) In
(21) In the
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(23) The method may be performed in connection with a dispenser according to aspects and embodiments disclosed herein.
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(25) The web material reservoir 34 defines a stack space 40 arranged to house the stack of sheets of web material. The web material reservoir 34 has a rectangular inner cross-section. The stack space 40 is at least partially delimited between a first plane 42 and a second plane 42. The second plane 42 is substantially parallel to and spaced a first distance from the first plane 42. Near the dispensing opening 36, the first plane 42 extends in a first plane direction 44 directed towards the dispensing opening 36 and the second plane 42 extends in a second plane direction 44 directed towards the dispensing opening 36. The dispensing opening 36 includes an opening portion 46 having an opening width W corresponding to the first distance. The opening portion 46 is substantially aligned with the stack space 40 such that the first and second plane directions 44, 44 extend uninterruptedly through the opening portion 46. Thus, the dispenser 30 is arranged to expose in the opening portion 46, an entire width of an outer sheet of web material of a stack of web material arranged in the stack space 40. A bundle of at least two sheets of web material may thus be dispensed in a direction parallel with the first and second planes 42, 42 from the dispensing opening 36.
(26) The dispensing opening 36 extends in an opening plane 48. A normal N of the opening plane 48 extends in a direction substantially parallel with the first and second plane directions 44, 44. The web material reservoir 34 includes a first delimiting element extending at least partially in the first plane 42 and a second delimiting element extending at least partially in the second plane 42. In these embodiments, the first and second delimiting elements are formed by wall portions 35, 35 of the housing 32. The first and second delimiting elements border to the opening portion 46 of the dispensing opening 36. In the opening portion 46, the dispensing opening 36 is defined by the first and second delimiting elements.
(27)
(28) The stack 2 is housed in a stack space of a web reservoir of the dispenser 30. The stopper element 38 prevents the stack 2 from being ejected through the dispensing opening 36 by a biasing element arranged in the dispenser 30. Again, the stack space is at least partially delimited between a first plane and a second plane arranged at a first distance from each other. The first and second planes extend in a respective first and second plane direction towards the dispensing opening 36, as discussed above. The dispensing opening 36 includes an opening portion 46 having an opening width W corresponding to the first distance. The opening portion 46 is substantially aligned with the stack space such that the first and second plane directions extend uninterruptedly through the opening portion 46. Thus, in the opening portion 46, an entire width of an outer sheet of web material of the stack 2 of web material is exposed. Edge portions of the outer sheets of the stack and two corner portions bordering to the edge portions extend into or through the dispensing opening in the opening portion 46. A bundle 6 of at least two sheets 4 of web material may thus be dispensed in a direction parallel with the first and second planes from the dispensing opening 36. A user may thus grasp around an edge portion of the outermost bundle 6 of sheets 4 of web material to dispense at least two sheets 4 of web material from the dispenser 30. Thus, the dispensing opening 36 is arranged to expose an edge portion of an outermost bundle 6 of sheets 4 of web material in the stack 2, for a user to grasp around the edge portion of the outermost bundle 6 of sheets 4 of web material.
(29) The dispenser 30 may be used as a stand-alone unit adapted to be placed on a surface, such a counter or worktop in e.g. a restaurant. Alternatively, the dispenser 30 may be placed in a counter or a worktop. For the latter, the dispenser includes a flange 50 arranged around the dispensing opening 36. The flange 50 is arranged to abut against the counter or the worktop around an opening in the counter or the worktop. For instance, the dispenser 30 may be arranged horizontally in a counter with its dispensing opening 36 facing sideways, or vertically in a worktop with its dispensing opening 36 facing upwardly.
(30) In the embodiments of
(31) The dispensers 30 of the embodiments of
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(33) The dispenser 30 includes a biasing arrangement 58 for biasing the stack 2 towards a dispensing opening 36 of the dispenser 30. A stopper element 38, arranged at the dispensing opening 36 prevents the stack 2 from being ejected through the dispensing opening 36 by the biasing arrangement 58. A web material reservoir 34 of the dispenser 30 defines a stack space 40 arranged to house the stack 2 of sheets of web material. The stack space 40 is at least partially delimited between a first plane and a parallel second plane. As illustrated in
(34) The stopper element 38 includes two stopper element portions 60, 60 extending substantially perpendicularly to the first and second planes. Each stopper element portion 60, 60 is arranged at opposed ends of the dispensing opening 36. The two stopper element portions 60, 60 form together a counterpart to the biasing arrangement 58. The stopper element 38 includes a fixed surface arranged to abut against the stack 2. More specifically, each stopper element portion 60, 60 includes a fixed surface 62, 62. Each of the fixed surfaces 62, 62 engages frictionally with a sheet of web material of the stack 2.
(35) The second plane is spaced a first distance from the first plane. The dispensing opening 36 includes an opening portion having an opening width corresponding to the first distance. In
(36) The biasing arrangement 58 includes a movable wall portion 64 and a spring 66. The movable wall portion 64 abuts against a rear end of the stack 2. The spring 66 is arranged to push the movable wall portion 64 in a direction towards the dispensing opening 36. Thus, the stack 2 is biased towards the dispensing opening 36, by the biasing arrangement 58, to abut against the stopper element 38.
(37) Provided purely as an example, the spring 66 may provide a biasing force of 0.25-0.6 N/cm. The spring 6 may be fully extended when the dispenser 30 is empty, and thus, may provide no force when the dispenser is empty. For example, when a dispenser 30, having a stack space 40 of 50 cm length, is arranged to be used horizontally, the spring 66 may provide a force of about 6-10 N when the spring 69 is fully compressed. A further example is a dispenser 30, being arranged to be used vertically with the dispensing opening facing upwardly and having a stack space 40 of 50 cm length which may house a stack weighing approximately 1.5 kg, wherein the spring 66 may provide a force of about 15 N when the spring 69 is fully compressed.
(38) In the embodiments of
(39) In the embodiments of
(40) To fill the dispenser 30 with a stack 2 of sheets 4 of web material the stopper element 38 may be removed or pivoted aside for introducing the stack 2 through the dispensing opening 36. Alternatively, the dispenser 30 may be provided with a refilling opening for accessing the web material reservoir 34 and the stack space 40. According to some embodiments, a rear wall element of the housing 32 and the biasing arrangement 58 may be removed for refilling the dispenser 30.
(41)
(42) The method of dispensing may be performed from a dispenser 30 according to aspects and embodiments disclosed herein.
(43) Example embodiments described above may be combined as understood by a person skilled in the art. Although the invention has been described with reference to example embodiments, many different alterations, modifications and the like will become apparent for those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is to be understood that the foregoing is illustrative of various example embodiments and that the invention is defined only the appended claims.
(44) As used herein, the term comprising or comprises is open-ended, and includes one or more stated features, elements, steps, components or functions but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, steps, components, functions or groups thereof.