FOLDED SHEET DISPENSER

Abstract

A dispenser for sheet material, particularly a stack of individual sheets of material that have been folded together, such as a stack of folded tissue sheets. The stack of individual sheets is folded along its transverse axis and inserted into the dispenser for storage and dispensing. Generally, the length of the dispenser is less than the length of the individual sheets such that the when the stack is folded along its transverse axis and inserted into the dispenser it forms an arch-shape. When disposed in the dispenser the arch-shaped stack forms a least three void spaces, one in each bottom corner of the dispenser and one between the legs of the arch-shaped stack. These void spaces prevent excessive compression of the stack or friction between the stack and the sidewalls of the dispenser and improve dispensing of sheets from the stack.

Claims

1. A folded sheet dispenser comprising: a. a parallelepiped shape dispenser having a longitudinal axis and a transverse axis, a maximum length of the dispenser (L.sub.c) along the longitudinal axis, a maximum width of the dispenser (W.sub.c) along the transverse axis, a maximum height of the dispenser (H.sub.c) normal to the longitudinal and transverse axis, wherein L.sub.c is greater than H.sub.c and W.sub.c and wherein the ratio of H.sub.c to W.sub.c is from about 0.75 to about 1.0; and b. a substantially arch-shaped stack of individually folded sheets disposed within the dispenser, the stack folded about a transverse fold axis forming a pair of spaced apart legs defining a first void therebetween, the first void having a maximum width dimension from about 2 to about 8 cm.

2. The dispenser of claim 1 wherein L.sub.c is at least about 150% of H.sub.c.

3. The dispenser of claim 1 wherein the ratio of H.sub.c to W.sub.c is about 1.0.

4. The dispenser of claim 1 wherein the number of individually folded sheets in the arch-shaped stack ranges from about 150 to about 240.

5. The dispenser of claim 4 wherein each of the individually folded sheets has an unfolded sheet area of at least about 400 cm.sup.2.

6. The dispenser of claim 4 wherein the height of the stack of sheets prior to folding along the transverse fold axis (H.sub.s) ranges from about 8 to about 12 cm.

7. The dispenser of claim 1 wherein the arch-shaped folded stack is disposed within the parallelepiped shape dispenser with the transverse fold axis parallel to the dispenser's transverse axis.

8. The dispenser of claim 1 wherein the length of the stack of sheets prior to folding along the transverse fold axis (L.sub.s) is at least about 120% of the maximum length of the dispenser (L.sub.c).

9. The dispenser of claim 8 wherein L.sub.s is from about 19.5 to about 21.5 cm.

10. The dispenser of claim 1 wherein the dispenser comprises a top wall having a dispensing opening disposed thereon, a bottom wall opposite the top wall and a pair of opposed sidewalls, wherein the top and bottom walls are substantially rectangular and have an area ranging from about 170 to about 200 cm.sup.2.

11. The dispenser of claim 10 wherein the upper most sheet in the arch-shaped folded stack is located adjacent to the dispensing opening.

12. The dispenser of claim 11 wherein the arch-shaped folded stack comprises a plurality of discrete sheets that are z-folded and interleaved for pop-up dispensing.

13. A parallelepiped shape dispenser having an interior space for receiving a folded stack of tissue sheets, a longitudinal axis and a transverse axis, the dispenser comprising: a. a rectangular bottom panel having a length dimension (L.sub.c) along the longitudinal axis and a maximum width dimension (W.sub.c) along the transverse axis, b. a rectangular side panel in folded connection to the rectangular bottom panel, the rectangular side panel having a height dimension (H.sub.c) normal to the longitudinal and transverse axis, wherein L.sub.c is greater than H.sub.c and W.sub.c and wherein the ratio of H.sub.c to W.sub.c is from about 0.75 to about 1.0; and c. a substantially arch-shaped stack of individually folded sheets disposed within the interior space, the stack folded about a transverse fold axis and disposed within the interior space such that the transverse fold axis parallel to the dispenser's transverse axis, the folded stack forming a pair of spaced apart legs defining a first void therebetween, the first void having a maximum width dimension from about 2 to about 8 cm.

14. The dispenser of claim 13 wherein L.sub.c is at least about 150% of H.sub.c.

15. The dispenser of claim 13 wherein the ratio of H.sub.c to W.sub.c is about 1.0.

16. The dispenser of claim 13 wherein the number of individually folded sheets in the arch-shaped stack ranges from about 150 to about 240.

17. The dispenser of claim 13 wherein each of the individually folded sheets has an unfolded sheet area of at least about 400 cm.sup.2.

18. The dispenser of claim 13 wherein the height of the stack of sheets prior to folding along the transverse fold axis (H.sub.s) ranges from about 8 to about 12 cm.

19. The dispenser of claim 13 wherein the length of the stack of sheets prior to folding along the transverse fold axis (L.sub.s) is at least about 120% of the maximum length of the dispenser (L.sub.c).

20. The dispenser of claim 19 wherein L.sub.s is from about 19.5 to about 21.5 cm.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] The above aspects and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings in which:

[0015] FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a prior art folded sheet dispenser;

[0016] FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a prior art folded sheet dispenser;

[0017] FIGS. 3-7 are photographs of commercially available upright tissue dispensers;

[0018] FIG. 8 illustrates a perspective view of a folded sheet dispenser according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] FIG. 9 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a folded sheet dispenser according to one embodiment of the present invention; and

[0020] FIG. 10 illustrates a stack of folded tissue products useful in the present invention.

[0021] Repeated use of reference characters in the specification and drawings is intended to represent the same or analogous features or elements of the invention in different embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] Unlike the prior art upright dispensers, the dispensers of the present invention generally have a parallelepiped (rectangular prism) shape with the top and bottom panels having a length dimension (L.sub.c) (generally perpendicular to the height dimension and forming the longest longitudinal axis of the inventive dispenser) that exceeds the width dimension (W.sub.c). The length dimension (L.sub.c) also exceeds the height dimension (H.sub.c). In certain preferred embodiments the dispensers have a width dimension (W.sub.c) from about 10.0 to about 12.25 cm, such as from about 10.25 to about 12.0 cm, such as about 11.5 cm, and a length dimension (L.sub.c) from about 12.0 to about 20.0 cm, such as from about 15.0 to about 17.25 cm, such as about 17.0 cm. In certain instances the length dimension (L.sub.c) may be about 120%, such as about 130%, such as about 140%, such as about 150%, such as from about 120 to about 170% of the width dimension (W.sub.c).

[0023] While it is generally preferred that the dispenser length dimension (L.sub.c) exceed the width dimension (W.sub.c), it is generally preferred that the height and width dimensions (W.sub.c and H.sub.c) are approximately equal. In this manner the dispenser may have a height dimension (H.sub.c) from about 10.0 to about 13.0 cm, such as from about 10.5 to about 12.5 cm such as about 11.3 cm. In certain embodiments the dispenser may have a ratio of H.sub.c to W.sub.c of about 1.0 or less, such as from about 0.75 to about 1.0.

[0024] In certain preferred embodiments the dispenser width dimension (W.sub.c) and height dimension (H.sub.c) are approximately equal, and the length dimension (L.sub.c) is about 1.5 times greater than the width dimension (W.sub.c) and the height dimension (H.sub.c). By providing a dispenser with a length that exceeds its height, the dispenser may be filled with a stack of tissues comprising 100 or more folded tissue sheets, more preferably 150 or more, such as from about 100 to about 250, such as from about 150 to about 240 folded tissue sheets without negatively affecting dispensing, such as tearing of the uppermost tissue sheets in the stack or tipping of the dispenser when dispensing a sheet.

[0025] In a particularly preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a dispenser having a ratio of H.sub.c to W.sub.c of about 1.0 or less, such as from about 0.75 to about 1.0 and wherein L.sub.c is at least about 1.5 times greater than width dimension (W.sub.c) and wherein the dispenser contains from about 150 to about 240 folded multi-ply tissue sheets, each multi-ply tissue sheet having an unfolded sheet size of at least about 400 cm.sup.2. In the foregoing embodiment, the height dimension (H.sub.c) of the dispenser may range from about 10.0 to about 13.0 cm, such as from about 10.5 to about 12.5 cm, such as about 11.3 cm. Despite containing a relatively large number of folded tissue sheets, the dispensers of the present invention provide for good dispensing-they are stable, resisting lifting or tipping during dispensing, and accommodate one-handed dispensing.

[0026] In addition to having a ratio of H.sub.c to W.sub.c of about 1.0 or less the dispensers of the present invention generally have a footprint area, that is the area of the bottom panel of the dispenser calculated by multiplying the width dimension (W.sub.c) by the length dimension (L.sub.c), greater than about 125 cm.sup.2, such as from about 125 to about 240 cm.sup.2 and more preferably from about 170 to about 200 cm.sup.2. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the dispenser width dimension (W.sub.c) and height dimension (H.sub.c) are approximately equal, the length dimension (L.sub.c) is about 1.5 times greater than the width dimension (W.sub.c) and height dimension (H.sub.c), and the footprint area is from about 170 to about 200 cm.sup.2.

[0027] With reference now to FIG. 8, a perspective view of dispenser 50 according to one embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. The dispenser 50 has a top wall 60, a bottom wall (not shown), and four walls (side walls 61, 62, front wall 63 and back wall (not shown)). The top wall 60 contains carton opening 65 overlaid with a plastic dispensing window 66 have a dispensing opening slit 67 through which individual tissue sheets 69 may be dispensed. Within the carton is a clip of individual, folded tissue sheets. During dispensing, the top tissue sheet 69 in the clip is grasped by the user and is withdrawn through the slit 67. Removal of the top tissue causes the adjacent interfolded tissue sheet, next in line to be dispensed, to be partially pulled through the slit. The partially dispensed tissue 69 is held in a popped-up position by the edges of the slit 67.

[0028] The dispenser 50, also referred to herein as a carton, has a generally parallelepiped (rectangular prism) shape with a carton width (W.sub.c), a carton length (L.sub.c) and a carton height (H.sub.c). Generally, the dispenser 50 is configured to store and dispense a folded sheet material having a length dimension, generally the greatest linear dimension of the sheet, from about 19 to about 22 cm, such as from about 19.5 to about 21.5 cm. For a given sheet length (L.sub.s) the dispenser of the present invention, such as the dispenser illustrated in FIG. 8, has a height dimension (H.sub.c) less than that of a conventional upright tissue sheet dispenser and greater than that of a conventional flat tissue sheet dispenser. For example, for a tissue sheet having a sheet length (L.sub.s) of from about 19.5 to about 21.5 cm, the inventive dispenser may have a height dimension (H.sub.c) from about 10.0 to about 13.0 cm, such as from about 10.5 to about 12.5 cm such as about 11.3 cm.

[0029] The tissue sheets are preferably stacked to form a flat stack of a plurality of individual sheets that are then shaped into a clip and inserted into the dispenser to be stored and dispensed therefrom. Each sheet within the stack, or clip, may have an unfolded sheet size of 400 cm.sup.2 or greater, such as from about 400 to about 450 cm.sup.2. The flat stack may have a maximum length (L.sub.s) measured along a longitudinal axis, from about 19.5 to about 21.5 cm, and a width (W.sub.s), from about 10.0 to about 10.5 cm, measured along a transverse fold axis. Further, the stack may have a stack height (H.sub.s) from about 7.5 to about 13 cm, such as from about 8 to about 12 cm. In a particularly preferred embodiment the tissue sheets, which are folded and disposed in the dispenser, comprise 2 or 3 plies and have an unfolded sheet size of 400 cm.sup.2 or greater, such as from about 400 to about 450 cm.sup.2, and the stack has a length (L.sub.s) of about 21 cm, a width (W.sub.s) of about 10 cm and a height (H.sub.s) of about 11.5 cm.

[0030] In one embodiment, the stack of tissue sheets comprise a plurality of discrete, individual tissue paper sheets folded, such as Z-folded, W-folded, or C-folded, and interleaved such that a portion of a leading panel of the next sheet in the flat stack is placed between a center panel and a trailing panel of the preceding sheet. Such a configuration enables pop-up dispensing where withdrawing one sheet from the dispenser pulls at least a portion of the next sheet out of the dispenser for easier access to the next sheet. The number of individual sheets within a stack disposed within the dispenser is generally greater than about 100 and may range from about 100 to about 240 folded tissue sheets, such as from about 120 to about 240, such as from about 150 to about 240. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the folded tissue sheets each comprise two or three plies and have an unfolded sheet size of 400 cm.sup.2 or greater, such as from about 400 to about 450 cm.sup.2.

[0031] With reference now to FIG. 9, a cross-sectional view of an inventive dispenser 50 and stack of tissues 70 is shown. The stack of tissues 70 comprises a plurality of individual tissue sheets 69, with the upper most tissue sheet 69a positioned to be dispensed through the upper panel 60. The stack 70 is partially folded along a transverse axis to form a substantially arch-shaped stack 70 having a pair of legs 72, 74, a portion of which contact the first and second side panels 61, 62. The arch-shaped stack 70 is positioned within the dispenser 50 such that first and second void spaces 73, 75 are formed in opposite corners of the dispenser. A third void space 77 is formed in the center of the folded arch-shaped stack 70. The third void space 77 has a maximum width 78 from about 2 to about 8 cm, such as from about 4 to about 7.5 cm. By providing a dispenser and stack of folded tissues having three distinct void spaces, the tissues may be dispensed easily without dispensing multiple sheets from the stack or tearing sheets.

[0032] One example of a folded clip 100 useful in the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 10. Generally, the folded clip 100 comprises a plurality, such as 100 or more folded tissue sheets, more preferably 150 or more, such as from about 100 to about 250, such as from about 150 to about 240 individual sheets 101. The uppermost sheets 101a of the substantially arch-shaped clip 100 form an arched top 110 and, when inserted into a dispenser of the present invention, do not extend completely down the sidewall of the dispenser since the arch-shaped clip 100 can have a greater radius of curvature (folded less than 180 degrees about the transverse fold axis 120) at the arched top 110 than a U-shaped stack placed into a similarly shaped dispenser. The sheet edges 115 of the uppermost sheets 101 in the arch-shaped clip 100 may end significantly above clip's bottom 116.

[0033] After assembling a flat stack of tissues sheets, the flat stack is folded up to 180 degrees about the transverse fold axis 120 to form an arch-shaped folded clip 100 having an arched-stack top 110 and a stack bottom 116 comprising two opposing legs 117, 119 located on opposite sides of the transverse fold axis 120 and extending there from. The arch-shaped folded stack is then inserted into the dispenser such that the transverse fold axis is substantially parallel to the dispenser's transverse axis.

[0034] As best seen in FIG. 9, when the arch-shaped folded clip 70 is inserted into the carton 50, the clip 70 fills out the length of the dispenser (L.sub.c) without the clip 70 being unduly compressed by the dispenser's sidewalls 61, 62. As such, improved dispensing occurs, and the dispenser is able to hold more sheets than conventional upright tissue dispensers. Further, because the clip 70, particularly the legs 72, 74, is not unduly compressed by the dispenser's sidewalls 61, 62, first and second voids 73, 75 are formed between the edges of the stack 70a, 70b and the dispenser's sidewalls 61, 62. A third void space 77 is formed in the center of the folded arch-shaped stack 70 and has a maximum width 78 from about 2 to about 8 cm, such as from about 4 to about 7.5 cm.

[0035] Not only are the legs 72, 74 of the arch-shaped folded clip 70 far less likely to be compressed by the dispenser's sidewalls 61, 62 the sheet edges 70a, 70b of the uppermost sheets 69 in the clip 70 may end significantly above the clip's bottom as best seen in FIG. 10. As such, only a small portion of the upper sheets 69a in the clip 70 touch the dispenser's sidewalls 61, 62 and there is a portion of the sheet edges that do not contact any wall of the dispenser 70neither the sidewall nor the bottom wall. This can significantly reduce the force needed to dispense the first sheet, reducing or eliminating sheet tears.

[0036] In one embodiment, to make an arch-shaped folded clip, a flat tissue stack containing approximately 180 two-ply facial tissue sheets are V-folded and interleaved for pop-up dispensing is assembled. The flat stack has a length (L.sub.s) of approximately 21.3 cm, a width (W.sub.s) of about 10.4 cm and a height (H.sub.s) of about 11.5 cm. The flat stack is folded about a transverse fold axis to form the arch-shaped folded clip. As shown in FIG. 10, the folded clip 100 may have a folded length (L.sub.fs), which is generally the maximum longitudinal dimension of the folded clip 100 from about 19 to about 22 cm, such as from about 19.5 to about 21.5 cm, and a folded height (H.sub.fs) from about 10.0 to about 13.0 cm, such as from about 10.5 to about 12.5 cm such as about 11.3 cm. When the folded clip 100 stack is placed into a carton having a length dimension that exceeds the height dimension the sides of the folded clip are only slightly compressed, and the dispenser readily dispenses the interleaved tissue sheets without tipping or tearing of the sheet.

[0037] In certain instances, satisfactory dispenser loading and sheet dispensing may be achieved without modifying the pattern used to fold the stack of tissue sheets such that the width of the folded stack of tissues (W.sub.fs as shown in FIG. 10) is comparable to stacks of tissues dispensed from current up-right dispensers, such as a W.sub.fs from about 10.0 to about 10.5 cm. The arch-shaped folded stack of the present invention is oriented within the dispenser such that the transverse fold axis is substantially parallel to the dispenser's transverse axis. In this orientation it is believed that individual sheets within the arch-shaped folded stack are subjected to less compression by the dispenser sidewalls causing less friction with the dispenser and improving dispensing.

[0038] With reference again to FIG. 9, the shape and orientation of the stack of tissues 70 within the dispenser 50 also permits the formation of void spaces 73, 75, 77 which aid in the dispensing of individual tissue sheets 69 from the stack 70. The void space 77 between the legs 72, 74 is of particular note. This void space is generally not found in the prior art or is of negligible width. For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 3-7 the legs 22, 24 of the folded clip 20 generally contact one another. In this manner, the number of sheets that may be stacked to form either an inverted U-shaped clip (FIG. 1) or a bell-shaped clip (FIG. 2) is limited and any increase in the number of sheets causes the sides of the clip to become compressed by the dispenser walls causing dispensing problems, such as sheet tears, particularly when the dispenser is full or nearly full of facial tissue sheets. The properties of prior art dispensers, compared to those of the present invention, are further summarized in Table 1 below.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Unfolded Sheet Sheet H.sub.c W.sub.c L.sub.c Tissue Dimension Length Brand (cm) (cm) (cm) Sheets (cm cm) (cm) FIG. Solimo Lotion Facial Tissue 13 11 11 75 2-Ply 21.3 20.8 21.3 3 Sheets Home Sense with Lotion 13 11.5 11.5 65 2-Ply 21.3 20.8 21.3 4 Sheets Kleenex Soothing Lotion 13 11 11 65 3-Ply 21.3 20.5 21.3 5 Sheets Puffs Lotion 13 10.5 10.5 48 2-Ply 21.3 20.8 21.3 6 Sheets Great Value Soothing Lotion 13 11 11 75 2-Ply 21.3 20.8 21.3 7 Sheets Invention 11.3 11.3 17.1 180 2-Ply 21.3 20.8 21.3 Sheets