The present disclosure generally relates to dispensers and, more particularly, relates to dispensers for sanitary tissue products.
Sanitary tissue products in the form of paper towels, shop towels, toilet tissue, facial tissue, wet or dry wipes, and table napkins, for example, find great utility among users who value affordability, ease of use, and disposability. Sanitary tissue products are used in virtually every household, including in kitchens, bathrooms, dining rooms, and garages, for example. Sanitary tissue products, such as rolls of paper towels or hand towels, for example, are often dispensed from sanitary tissue product holders, from which they can be unrolled one or more sheets at a time. These sanitary tissue product holders can have two projections, wherein each end of a core of a roll of a sanitary tissue product can engage a projection to rotatably retain the sanitary tissue product thereto. To tear off a sheet, a user would generally inhibit the roll from rotating with one hand and tear the sheet off of the roll at a perforation with the other hand (i.e., two hand dispensing). Such sanitary tissue product holders are generally not located in bathrooms for aesthetic or other reasons. Sanitary tissue products, such as paper towels or hand towels, however, have great utility in bathrooms for many purposes, such as hand drying, makeup removal, and/or cleaning, for example. In view of the utility that sanitary tissue products can provide in a bathroom setting or in other settings, dispensers should be provided that are more aesthetically pleasing and more functional than current sanitary tissue product holders. Furthermore, dispensers that can provide one hand dispensing are desirable.
In one embodiment, the present disclosure is directed, in part, to a dispenser for sanitary tissue products. The dispenser comprises a cavity defined therein. The cavity is configured to receive one or more sanitary tissue products. The dispenser comprises a portion defining an opening therein and an arm extending from the dispenser. The one or more sanitary tissue products are configured to be dispensed through the opening. The arm comprises a first portion extending from a first portion of the dispenser and a second portion configured to removably attach to a second portion of the dispenser.
In another one embodiment, the present disclosure is directed, in part, to a dispenser for sanitary tissue products. The dispenser comprises a cavity defined therein. The cavity is configured to receive one or more sanitary tissue products. The dispenser comprises a portion defining an opening therein. The one or more sanitary tissue products are configured to be dispensed through the opening. The dispenser comprises a side wall defining a first slot and a second slot therein. The dispenser further comprises a first arm and a second arm, each comprising a first portion and a second portion. The first portion of the first arm extends from a first portion of the side wall and the second portion of the first arm comprises a first tab. The first tab is configured to removably engage perimeter walls of the first slot such that the second portion of the first arm is removably engaged with the side wall. The first portion of the second arm extends from a second portion of the side wall and the second portion comprises a second tab. The second tab is configured to removably engage perimeter walls of the second slot such that the second portion of the second arm is removably engaged with the side wall.
In still one embodiment, the present disclosure is directed, in part, to a dispensing kit for sanitary tissue products. The dispensing kit comprises a dispenser defining a cavity therein. The cavity is configured to receive one or more sanitary tissue products. The dispenser comprises a portion defining an opening therein. The one or more sanitary tissue products are configured to be dispensed through the opening. The dispenser comprises a side wall defining a slot therein. The dispensing kit comprises an attachment member comprising a first end portion and a second end portion. The first end portion of the attachment member is configured to engage a first portion of perimeter walls of the slot and the second end portion of the attachment member is configured to engage a second portion of the perimeter walls of the slot to retain the attachment member to the side wall. The attachment member comprises a body configured to engage a towel bar or a towel ring to engage the dispenser with the towel bar or the towel ring.
The above-mentioned and other features and advantages of the present disclosure, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the disclosure itself will be better understood by reference to the following description of non-limiting embodiments of the disclosure taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Various non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described to provide an overall understanding of the principles of the structure, function, manufacture, and use of the dispensers for sanitary tissue products disclosed herein. One or more examples of these non-limiting embodiments are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the dispensers for sanitary tissue products specifically described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings are non-limiting example embodiments and that the scope of the various non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure are defined solely by the claims. The features illustrated or described in connection with one non-limiting embodiment may be combined with the features of other non-limiting embodiments. Such modifications and variations are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure.
“Fiber” as used herein means an elongate physical structure having an apparent length greatly exceeding its apparent diameter, i.e., a length to diameter ratio of at least about 10. Fibers having a non-circular cross-section and/or tubular shape are common. The “diameter” in this case may be considered to be the diameter of a circle having a cross-sectional area equal to the cross-sectional area of the fiber. More specifically, as used herein, “fiber” refers to fibrous structure-making fibers. The present disclosure contemplates the use of a variety of fibrous structure-making fibers, such as, for example, natural fibers, synthetic fibers, other suitable fibers, or any combination thereof.
“Fibrous structure” as used herein means a structure that comprises one or more fibers. Nonlimiting examples of processes for making fibrous structures include known wet-laid papermaking processes and air-laid papermaking processes. Such processes typically include steps of preparing a fiber composition in the form of a suspension in a medium, either wet, more specifically aqueous medium, or dry, more specifically gaseous, i.e., with air as the medium. The aqueous medium used for wet-laid processes is oftentimes referred to as a fiber slurry. The fibrous suspension is then used to deposit a plurality of fibers onto a forming wire or belt such that an embryonic fibrous structure is formed, after which drying and/or bonding the fibers together results in a fibrous structure. Further processing the fibrous structure may be carried out such that a finished fibrous structure is formed. For example, in typical papermaking processes, the finished fibrous structure is the fibrous structure that is wound on the reel at the end of papermaking, and may subsequently be converted into a finished product, e.g., a sanitary tissue product.
“Sanitary tissue product” as used herein means one or more finished fibrous structures, converted or not, that is useful as a wiping implement for post-urinary and post-bowel movement cleaning (e.g., toilet tissue and wet or dry wipes), for otorhinolaryngological discharges (e.g., facial tissue and wet or dry wipes), and multi-functional absorbent and cleaning uses (e.g., paper towels, shop towels, and hand towels). The sanitary tissue products can be embossed or not embossed, creped or uncreped, and can be single-ply or multi-ply.
The various dispensers of the present disclosure can be configured to dispense sanitary tissue products, such as paper towels, shop towels, or hand towels. The sanitary tissue products can have a multitude of functions, such as cleaning or wiping body surfaces, cleaning generally, medical usage, receiving bodily discharges, hand drying, face drying, and/or makeup removal, for example. Such sanitary tissue products can be provided within cavities of the dispensers and/or within refills that are configured to be positioned within the cavities. The sanitary tissue products can be provided in stacks, sheets, folded sheets, interfolded sheets, C-folded sheets, Z-folded sheets, semi-folded sheets, rolls, or in any other suitable configuration for a particular use. The dispensers can be configured to dispense one or more sanitary tissue products at a time. In one embodiment, the dispensers can be configured for one hand dispensing of one or more sanitary tissue products or can be configured for two hand dispensing of one or more sanitary tissue products.
In various embodiments, portions of the dispensers that abut, are positioned against, and/or rest on a surface, such as a countertop or the top of a toilet, for example, can comprise suction cups, hook and/or loop fasteners, hook and hook fasteners, magnets, other suitable fasteners, adhesives, and/or high coefficient of friction materials (e.g., rubber), for example. Such features can at least inhibit the dispensers from moving or sliding during dispensing of one or more sanitary tissue products. In one embodiment, a complimentary fastener, such as an opposite pole magnet to a magnet on the dispenser can be attached to the surface on which the dispenser will be positioned, for example. In still other embodiments, the dispensers can be weighted or can have sufficient weight to prevent, or at least inhibit, movement or sliding during dispensing. In one embodiment, the dispensers can comprise one or more arms extending therefrom or one or more hangers attachable to the dispensers. The arms or hangers can be used to hang or engage the dispensers from or with towel bars, towel racks, towel rings, shower curtain rods, toilet tissue holders, doors, and/or other surfaces or members. The arms can be attached to or extend from (i.e., be formed with) a portion of the dispensers on one end portion or a first portion and can be removably attached to another portion of the dispensers on the other end portion or a second portion. In other embodiments, both end portions of the arms can be removably attached to portions of the dispensers. Such removable attachment can be through the use of hook and loop fasteners, hook and hook fasteners, releasable adhesives, tabs on the arms engaging slots in the dispensers, and/or any other suitable methods of removable attachment. In one embodiment, the dispensers can have portions that define one or more apertures therethrough. Fasteners, such as nails or screws, can be positioned at least partially through the apertures to retain the dispensers to various surfaces, such as walls, for example.
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In one embodiment, the cavities of the various dispensers can be configured to receive any number of unpackaged sanitary tissue products or one or more packages of sanitary tissue products. In various embodiments, the sanitary tissue products can be stacked, folded, rolled, or otherwise suitably manufactured and/or arranged such that they can be easily dispensed from the dispensers through one or more openings. In certain embodiments, the sanitary tissue products can be suitably manufactured and/or arranged such that one individual sanitary tissue product can be dispensed at a time. In the event that the sanitary tissue products are packaged, they can be packaged using a film wrapper, a polymeric film wrapper, paper, a wrapper comprising cellulosic and/or nonwoven fibers, a container, or any other suitable sanitary tissue product covering and/or containing material. Referring to
In one embodiment, refills of sanitary tissue products can be used with the dispensers of the present disclosure. The refills can comprise a plurality of sanitary tissue products configured to be dispensed using the dispensers. In various embodiments, the shape and size of the refills can be dependent on the shape and size of a particular cavity of a dispenser and/or the shape of a dispenser. In one embodiment, the refills can have a similar size and shape as the cavities into which they are to be positioned or a different size and shape (e.g., a smaller size).
In one embodiment, the dispensers of the present disclosure can be reusable or disposable. Disposable dispensers can be comprised of cellulosic fibers, such as paper stock, cardboard, paperboard, other fibers, and/or other suitable or biodegradable materials. In general, disposable dispensers can be purchased with a plurality of sanitary tissue products positioned in a receiving cavity thereof and such dispensers may or may not be refillable. Reusable dispensers can be comprised of plastic, metal, wood, anti-microbial materials, anti-bacterial materials, anti-microbial materials, and/or any other suitable materials. In general, reusable dispensers can be purchased with or without sanitary tissue products positioned in a receiving cavity thereof or with or without a refill of sanitary tissue products positioned therein. These reusable dispenses can be multi-use dispensers. When the supply of sanitary tissue products within a reusable dispenser is exhausted, a consumer can insert additional sanitary tissue products or a refill of additional sanitary tissue products into the cavity of the reusable dispenser. The refills can be purchased at the same store or location as the reusable dispenser was purchased. The refills can comprise films, polymeric films, and/or materials comprising cellulosic fibers and/or nonwoven fibers surrounding a plurality of sanitary tissue products. In one embodiment, a kit comprising a dispenser, one or more refills, and attachment member can be provided.
In one embodiment, the refills and/or the dispensers can comprise a perfume therein or thereon. In other embodiments, the sanitary tissue products within the refills can comprise the perfume. In still other embodiments, the film or other material forming the outer covering of the refills can comprise the perfume. Once inserted into a cavity of the dispenser, the perfume can diffuse through an aperture, a slot, or an opening in the dispenser into an environment surrounding the dispenser to provide a pleasant scent to the environment. In various embodiments, the dispensers of the present disclosure can have slots, apertures, or recesses therein configured to receive scent packets, such that a scent can be diffused into an environment surrounding the dispensers. In other embodiments, the scent packets may be attachable to the dispensers.
The various dispensers of the present disclosure can comprise transparent or see through “windows” that enable a consumer to view into the cavity of a dispenser and/or into a refill to determine how many sanitary tissue products remain or to determine the status of the sanitary tissue products. In one embodiment, at least a portion of a film surrounding a refill can be transparent or see through to allow a user to view the sanitary tissue products within the refill. The dispensers and/or the refills can comprise indicia, such as branding information, thereon or formed in outer surfaces thereof. In one embodiment, portions of the dispensers can comprise one or more light sources that can act as night lights, for example. In various embodiments, the one or more light sources, such as light emitting diodes or light bulbs, for example, can be operably linked to switches or motion detectors to activate the light sources. The lights sources can be powered by any suitable sources, such as a battery, for example. In one embodiment, the dispensers can comprise one or more sealing members configured to seal the cavities of the dispensers to inhibit air from entering and exiting the cavity. Such seals can be useful when sanitary tissues, such as wet wipes, are positioned within the cavities to inhibit the wet wipes from drying out. In other embodiments, the seals can be useful in inhibiting contamination, such as dirt, from entering the cavities. In one embodiment, the seals can be positioned intermediate the lid and the base. In various embodiments, a flexible membrane can extend into the openings of the dispensers. The flexible membrane can have one or more openings therein for dispensing sanitary tissue products, such as wet wipes, therethrough. The flexible membrane can help maintain sanitary tissue products, such as wet wipes, within a cavity of a dispenser in a wet or sanitary condition.
The dimensions and values disclosed herein are not to be understood as being strictly limited to the exact numerical values recited. Instead, unless otherwise specified, each such dimension is intended to mean both the recited value and a functionally equivalent range surrounding that value. For example, a dimension disclosed as “40 mm” is intended to mean “about 40 mm.”
Every document cited herein, including any cross referenced or related patent or application, is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety unless expressly excluded or otherwise limited. The citation of any document is not an admission that it is prior art with respect to any embodiment disclosed or claimed herein or that it alone, or in any combination with any other reference or references, teaches, suggests or discloses any such embodiment. Further, to the extent that any meaning or definition of a term in this document conflicts with any meaning or definition of the same term in a document incorporated by reference, the meaning or definition assigned to that term in this document shall govern.
While particular embodiments of the present disclosure have been illustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. It is therefore intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of this disclosure.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/517,963 filed on Apr. 28, 2011, the entire disclosure of which is fully incorporated by reference herein.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61517963 | Apr 2011 | US |