Increasingly, producers of consumer product dispensers, such as facial tissue cartons, are interested in alternative shapes besides the typical parallelepiped shapes generally offered. A parallelepiped (rectangular prism) can offer several advantages such as efficient packing of the product, efficient distribution of the product, and efficient board utilization to make the carton. However, consumers have grown accustomed to such shapes and there is little differentiation from one product to another. Graphical treatments can help, but the basic dispenser shapes are still largely the same for all manufacturers.
Alternatively shaped dispensers could offer an advantage in product differentiation. However, such shaped dispensers are typically not sized or shaped for efficient utilization of the standard shipping corrugate or box, and ultimately the pallet on which typical rectangular facial tissue dispensers are shipped for sale. This can significantly increase product distribution costs, which are passed on to customers, making potential alternative dispenser shapes more expensive for retailers and consumers alike and therefore potentially less desirable.
Therefore, a need exists for dispenser shapes that are significantly differentiated from the typical rectangular shape, yet, at the same time, can be fit together such that they can fill a standard shipping box with little or no waste, thereby minimizing distribution costs while providing unique, advantaged shapes and designs.
The inventors have discovered that by forming a sheet-material dispenser with one or more angles of 45 degrees formed by two sides of the dispenser, and all the remaining angles either 90 degrees or 135 degrees, 2 or more individual sheet dispensers can be grouped to form a parallelepiped. The overall shape of each sheet-material dispenser and the grouping that forms the parallelepiped are such that efficient packing of a shipping box is achieved. This can additionally provide the benefits of internal strength and support to the shipping box in which they are placed, and help to protect the dispensers from structural damages or excessive surface abrasion. Thus, with efficiently packed shipping boxes stacked efficiently on a pallet, supply chain costs can be minimized.
Hence, in one aspect, the invention resides in a product including: a shipping box containing a plurality of sheet-material dispensers; the sheet material dispensers housing a stack of sheets formed from a sheet-material, the dispenser comprising a top, a bottom, a first side wall, and a second sidewall, the first and second sidewalls comprising either a triangle, a truncated triangle, or a trapezoid; and wherein two or more sheet material dispensers are interrelated within the shipping box to form a substantially parallelepiped shape.
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:
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.
As used herein, forms of the words “comprise”, “have”, and “include” are legally equivalent and open-ended. Therefore, additional non-recited elements, functions, steps or limitations may be present in addition to the recited elements, functions, steps, or limitations.
As used herein, “sheet-material” is a flexible substrate, which is useful for household chores, cleaning, personal care; health care, food wrapping, and cosmetic application or removal. Non-limiting examples of suitable substrates for use with the dispenser include nonwoven substrates; woven substrates; hydro-entangled substrates; air-entangled substrates; paper substrates comprising cellulose such as tissue paper, toilet paper, or paper towels; waxed paper substrates; coform substrates comprising cellulose fibers and polymer fibers; wet substrates such as wet wipes, moist cleaning wipes, moist toilet paper wipes, and baby wipes; film or plastic substrates such as those used to wrap food; shop towels; and metal substrates such as aluminum foil. Furthermore, laminated or plied together substrates of two or more layers of any of the preceding substrates are also suitable.
As used herein, “wet sheet-material” includes substrates that are either wet or pre-moistened by an appropriate liquid, partially moistened by an appropriate liquid, or substrates that are initially dry but intended to be moistened prior to use by placing the substrate into an appropriate liquid such as water or a solvent. Non-limiting examples of suitable wet substrates include a substantially dry substrate (less than 10% by weight of water) containing lathering surfactants and conditioning agents either impregnated into or applied to the substrate such that wetting of the substrate with water prior to use yields a personal cleansing product. Such substrates are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,980,931 entitled Cleansing Products Having A Substantially Dry Substrate, issued to Fowler et al. on Nov. 9, 1999. Other suitable wet sheet-materials can have encapsulated ingredients such that the capsules rupture during dispensing or use. Examples of encapsulated materials include those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,215,757 entitled Encapsulated Materials, issued to El-Nokaly on Jun. 1, 1993, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,599,555 entitled Encapsulated Cosmetic Compositions, issued to El-Nokaly on Feb. 4, 1997. Other suitable wet sheet-materials include dry substrates that deliver liquid when subjected to in-use shear and compressive forces. Such substrates are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,121,165 entitled Wet-Like Cleaning Articles, issued to Mackay et al. on Sep. 19, 2000. Other suitable wet sheet-materials include those having a formulation that can be heated in a microwave oven to create a warm wet wipe.
It is to be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the present discussion is a description of exemplary embodiments only, and is not intended as limiting the broader aspects of the present invention, which broader aspects are embodied in the exemplary construction.
Referring to
Referring now to
The carton blank 14 includes a rectangular bottom 16, a first triangular sidewall 18, a second triangular sidewall 20, a first dispensing panel 22, and a second dispensing panel 24. The first and second dispensing panels (22, 24) form a top 26 of the carton. A dispensing opening 28 can be located partially in both the first and second dispensing panels (22, 24) such that it is located symmetrically about the peak of the triangular carton on the top 26. Alternatively, the dispensing opening 28 can be located in any other convenient location of the carton's top.
The bottom 16 has a length, L, that can be adjusted to change the profile of the bell-shaped stack 13 for different sheet counts, dispenser sizes, or for improved dispensing with less clip compression. For a standard facial tissue sheet that is approximately 8.4 inches in length, the length L can be between about 5 inches to about 9 inches, or between about 5.5 inches to about 8 inches, or between about 6.5 to about 7.7 inches. A V-folded standard facial tissue sheet is approximately 4.25 inches wide. Thus, the depth D of the carton can be between about 4.25 inches to about 4.75 inches. Differently sized sheet-materials can utilize different ranges for the length L and depth D to assist in forming the bell-shaped stack 13.
The carton blank 14 also can include a plurality of tabs 30 for joining the various panels to form the dispenser 10. To form the triangular dispenser 10, the carton blank 14 is folded about a plurality of fold lines 32, and the tabs 30 are secured to the interior portions of the various panels using an adhesive. Other construction techniques known to those of skill in the art of carton construction can be used to form the dispenser 10.
The panels forming the triangular dispenser 10 are configured such that the first dispensing panel 22 intersects with the bottom 16 to form a 45 degree angle, the second dispensing panel 24 intersects with the bottom 16 to form another 45 degree angle, and the first dispensing panel 22 intersects with the second dispensing panel to form a 90 degree angle forming an isosceles triangle. As such, when four isosceles triangular dispensers 10 are interrelated, a substantially parallelepiped shape 34 is formed having a height (equal to L), H, a length, L, and a depth, D. Alternatively, two isosceles triangular dispensers can be interrelated to form a smaller parallelepiped by placing the bottoms 16 of two dispensers adjacent to each other (
Referring now to
The carton blank 14′ includes a rectangular bottom 16, a first truncated triangular sidewall 18′, a second truncated triangular sidewall 20′, a first dispensing panel 22, a second dispensing panel 24, and three edge panels 11. The first and second dispensing panels (22, 24) and the top edge panel 11′ form a top 26 of the carton 10′. A dispensing opening 28 can be located partially in the first and second dispensing panels (22, 24) and partially in the edge panel 11′ such that it is located symmetrically about the edge panel 11′ on the top 26 of the truncated triangular dispenser 10′. Alternatively, the dispensing opening 28 can be located in any other convenient location on one or more panels (22, 24, 11′) forming the dispenser's top 26.
The bottom 16 has a length, L, that can be adjusted to change the profile of the bell-shaped stack 13 for different sheet counts, dispenser sizes, or for improved dispensing with less stack compression. For a standard facial tissue sheet that is approximately 8.4 inches in length, the length L can be between about 4.5 inches to about 8 inches, or between about 5.5 inches to about 7.5 inches. A V-folded standard facial tissue sheet is approximately 4.25 inches wide. Thus, the depth D of the carton can be between about 4.25 inches to about 4.75 inches. In various embodiments of the invention, the truncation length, T, for the length of the edge panel 11 can be between about 0.5 inch to about 2.5 inches, or between about 1 inch to about 2 inches. Differently sized sheet-materials can utilize different ranges for the length L, truncation length T, and depth D to assist in forming the bell-shaped stack 13.
The carton blank 14′ also can include a plurality of tabs 30 for joining the various panels to form the dispenser 10′. To form the truncated triangular dispenser 10′, the carton blank 14 is folded about a plurality of fold lines 32, and the tabs 30 are secured to the interior portions of the various panels using an adhesive. Other construction techniques known to those of skill in the art of carton construction can be used to form the dispenser.
The panels forming the truncated triangular dispenser 10′ are configured such that the first dispensing panel 22 and the bottom 16 would intersect to from a 45 degree angle if both were extended, the second dispensing panel 24 and the bottom 16 would intersect to form another 45 degree angle if both were extended, and the first dispensing panel 22 and the second dispensing panel 24 would intersect to form a 90 degree angle if both were extended forming a truncated isosceles triangle.
The dispenser 10′ is similar to the dispenser in
As such, when four truncated isosceles triangular dispensers 10′ are interrelated, a substantially parallelepiped shape 34′ is formed having a height H, a width, and a depth D. Alternatively, two truncated isosceles triangular dispensers 10′ can be interrelated to form a smaller generally parallelepiped shape by placing the bottoms 16 of two cartons adjacent to each other (
Referring now to
The carton blank 14″ includes a rectangular bottom 16, a first rectangular sidewall 25, a second opposing rectangular sidewall 27, a first trapezoidal sidewall 29, and a second opposing trapezoidal sidewall 31, and a rectangular dispensing panel 23. The rectangular dispensing panel 23 forms an angled top 26 of the dispenser 10″. A dispensing opening 28 is located in the angled top 26 of the dispenser.
The carton blank 14″ also can include a plurality of tabs 30 for joining the various panels to form the carton 10″. To form the trapezoidal carton 10″, the carton blank 14″ is folded about a plurality of fold lines 32, and the tabs 30 are secured to the interior portions of the various panels using an adhesive. Other construction techniques known to those of skill in the art of carton construction can be used to form the carton.
The panels forming the trapezoidal dispenser 10″ are configured such that the dispensing panel 23 intersects with the first rectangular sidewall 25 at a 45 degree angle and intersects with the second opposing rectangular sidewall 27 at a 135 degree angle. The remaining panels and corners of the trapezoidal dispenser 10″ are 90 degrees. As such, when two trapezoidal dispensers 10″ are interrelated, a substantially parallelepiped shape 34 is formed having a height H, a width W, and a depth D. When the dispensers are thus packed into a standard shipping box, the fill efficiency of the dispensers in the shipping box can be 100 percent since there is no wasted space. Alternatively, the first and second trapezoidal sidewalls (29, 31) can be a differently shaped trapezoid. For example, the first and second trapezoidal sidewalls can be selected to provide a different angle for the dispensing panel 23 in relation to the bottom 16.
Referring now to
In any of the illustrated embodiments, the dispensing opening 28 can optionally include a dispensing window. The dispensing window can be made from a suitable material such as a film, nonwoven, or paper material that can retain a partially dispensed sheet, such as a facial tissue, within the dispensing opening for pop-up dispensing. The dispensing window can have a dispensing orifice that can be a slit; a curvilinear line; a geometric shape such as an oval, a circle, or a triangle; or X-shaped, +-shaped or H-shaped orifice. Alternatively, the dispensing window can be eliminated and fingers or tabs projecting into the dispensing opening can be used to retain a partially dispensed sheet.
The dispensing opening 28 can be any size or shape such as square, circular, or oval. The dispensing opening generally will be larger in size for a reach-in dispenser and smaller in size for a pop-up dispenser. The dispenser can further include an optional removable surfboard or cover that can be attached to the dispensing panels by a perforated or weakened line. The removable cover can be used to prevent foreign materials from entering the filled dispenser and provides protection for the more fragile dispensing window during loading and shipping. The dispenser can also include an optional film wrapper to further cover the dispensing opening or outer portion of the dispenser. The film wrapper can be used to display printed information, such as a prominent trademark, size of the sheets, the number of sheets, or patent information, which can later be removed by the consumer so as to not detract from the graphic design of the dispenser.
The dispenser can be made from suitable materials that include, without limitation, cardboard, carton stock, paper board, polypropylene, polyethylene, polystyrene, ABS plastic, plastic, metal, wood, and glass, amongst other suitable alternatives.
Referring now to
Two (
The height, width, and depth of the shipping box 36 can be designed to pack different numbers of the dispensers or multi-pack bundles into the shipping box. In
For each shipping box 36 illustrated, the fill efficiency of the shipping box is approximately 100 percent. As used herein, “fill efficiency” is the overall volume of the interrelated dispensers 38 prior to being put into the shipping box 36 divided by the interior volume of the shipping box times 100. In various embodiments of the invention, the fill efficiency can be between about 85 percent to about 100 percent, or between about 90 percent to about 100 percent, or between about 95 percent to about 100 percent, or between about 98 to about 100 percent.
To make a display ready shipping box to merchandise either the individual dispensers or the multi-pack bundles (2 or 4 individual dispensers banded, shrink wrapped, or adhesively secured together), the shipping box 36 can include a removable panel 45 formed by a weakened line 44 such as a plurality of perforations. In this manner, the dispensers or multi-pack bundles can be easily retrieved from the shipping box 36 without having to stock them on shelves at the retailer.
Referring to
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. It is understood that aspects of the various embodiments may be interchanged in whole or part. All cited references, patents, or patent applications in the above application for letters patent are herein incorporated by reference in a consistent manner. In the event of inconsistencies or contradictions between the incorporated references and this application, the information present in this application shall prevail. The preceding description, given by way of example in order to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to practice the claimed invention, is not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention, which is defined by the claims and all equivalents thereto.
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