Patent Application
20080124382
This application is a divisional application of application Ser. No. 10/324,860 filed on Dec. 20, 2002. The entirety of application Ser. No. 10/324,860 is hereby incorporated by reference.
Often substrates are packaged as a roll of individual sheets or as a stack of sheets, which can be folded within the stack if desired. While these packaging formats are useful, a consumer who desires utilizing two different substrates, such as a wet substrate and a dry substrate for cleaning or other purposes, must buy and store two individually packaged products. This often results in one or both of the packages being stored under a counter or in a drawer since insufficient space can prevent both products from being placed in a readily accessible position. Because cleaning is a chore people want it done with as quickly as possible, and they will reach for whatever is readily available. Therefore, if both substrates are not readily available, the stored substrate is often not utilized. Thus, a need exists for a convenient way of packaging and dispensing two different substrates.
The inventors have found that by placing another substrate within the previously wasted interior space of a roll, such as the interior space of a core, a convenient package for two different substrates results. Thus, in one embodiment, a paper towel roll can have a wet wipes container located within the core of the towel roll occupying the previously unutilized interior space. This allows placement of both substrates on a counter for either dry wiping or wet wiping of surfaces as desired.
Hence, in one aspect the invention resides in a first substrate wound into a roll having an interior space and a rotation axis; a second substrate located within at least a portion of the interior space; and the rotation axis orientated substantially vertical.
In another aspect, the invention resides in a first substrate wound into a roll having an interior space and a rotation axis with the rotation axis orientated substantially vertical; a second substrate at least partially enclosed by a container; and at least a portion of the container located in the interior space.
In another aspect, the invention resides in a container having a cylindrical body, a first end, and a second end; an opening into the container located in the first end; a cap operatively associated with the opening for closing the opening; a second substrate located within the container; and a fastening member located on the second end.
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 where:
As used herein forms of “comprise”, “have”, and “include” are legally equivalent and are 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 “substrate” is a flexible sheet or web material, which is useful for household chores, personal care, health care, food wrapping, and cosmetic application or removal. A cardboard core of a roll, such as a roll of paper towels or toilet paper, is not a substrate for purposes of the present invention.
Non-limiting examples of suitable substrates of the present invention include nonwoven substrates, woven substrates, hydro-entangled substrates, air-entangled substrates, paper substrates such as tissue, toilet paper, or paper towels, waxed paper substrates, coform substrates, wet wipes, film or plastic substrates such as those used to wrap food, 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 suitable.
Further examples of suitable 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 and herein incorporated by reference in a manner consistent with the present disclosure.
Other suitable substrates may have encapsulated ingredients such that the capsules rupture during dispensing or use. Examples of encapsulated materials include those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,215,757 and 5,599,555 both issued to El-Nokaly and herein incorporated by reference in a manner consistent with the present disclosure.
Other suitable substrates 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 Mackey et al. Sep. 19, 2000 and herein incorporated by reference in a manner consistent with the present disclosure.
It should be noted that while
Referring now to
In one embodiment, the container 30 has a cylindrical body 32 having a diameter (D) 31. The diameter D is sized to allow the container 30 to fit inside the core 22 or the interior space 26 of the roll 24, and to allow the roll to rotate about the container 30 as the first substrate 20 is dispensed. In general, the size of D is governed by one or more of the following factors: the desired amount of the second substrate 28 to be placed into the container 30; the desired amount of the first substrate 20 to be contained in the roll 24; the size of the core 22; the diameter of the roll 24; and the relative usage of the first and second substrates (20, 28). In various embodiments, the size D can be less than about 6 inches (15.2 cm), or D can be less than about 4 inches (10.2 cm), or D can be from about 5 inches (12.7 cm) to about 1 inch (2.5 cm), or D can be from about 4.5 inches (11.4 cm) to about 2 inches (5.1 cm), or D can be from about 3.5 inches (8.9 cm) to about 2 inches (5.1 cm).
A cap 40, located on the first end 34, is operatively associated with the opening 38 to minimize evaporation and drying of any wet substrates placed into the container 30. The cap can include a flexible hinge 42 and a sealing member 44. The sealing member 44 can include a flange on the cap, a gasket, a lip, a protrusion, or other means to prevent air and moisture migration from the container's interior to the environment. The cap can also include an opening flange 45. The opening flange 45 extends from the cap to assist in opening the cap by use of one's thumb or finger. In addition, other caps for the container 30 are possible. Such caps can include a screw cap similar to a soda bottle, a resealable film or foil cap, a plug, or a snap-on cap. In one embodiment, the cap is designed to readily enclose the exposed portion of the second substrate 28 by providing a volume within the cap for enclosing the exposed tail.
The opening 38 can include one or more dispensing flanges 46 located within the opening 38. The function of the dispensing flanges 46 is to assist in the dispensing of the second substrate 28 from the container 30. Such assistance can include preventing the substrate from falling back to within the container's interior, holding the substrate in a convenient position for dispensing, and/or providing resistance for tearing perforated substrates. The dispensing flanges 46 can be made from the same material as the container or made from an alternative material such as a flexible elastomeric or rubber compound. The dispensing flanges can include a hinge or a weakened portion of the flange to enhance their flexibility. The dispensing flange 46 can also comprise a film, foil, elastomeric, or other material with an opening 38. The opening 38 can comprise a slit or cut through the material.
The container 30 includes a fastening member 48 for removable attachment of the container 30 to a base 50. Alternatively, the fastening member 48 can attach the container 30 to a counter, a wall, or other object in addition to the base 50. In the illustrated embodiment, the fastening member 48 is a male thread although the invention is not so limited. The fastening member can include any fastening means known to those of skill in the art for attaching one element (the container) to another element (the base). Such fastening means include without limitation, a location fit of the second end 36 in a bore, a press fit of the second end 36 in a bore, a twist lock using lugs and/or recessed portions to engage the second end 36 with the base; a tab or a slot, a snap fit, adhesives, magnets, and mechanical fasteners such as hook and loop material.
The container 30 can also include a retaining member 49 located on the first end 34. The retaining member 49, in this embodiment, is an integral flange extending past the body 32 preventing the roll 24 from sliding off the container 30. The retaining member 49 can be useful when the roll 24 is orientated in various directions such as when the rotation axis 23 is horizontal rather than vertical as drawn. Other types of integral or separate retaining members are possible such as a pin extending from the body 32, or a ring encircling the body, or a nut threaded onto the first end 34. It is also possible to design the cap 40 to function as the retaining member 49 by making it oversized relative to the body 32 to prevent the roll's removal with the cap attached.
The base 50 can include a securing member 52 that engages the fastening member 48. The securing member 52 and the fastening member 48 are operatively associated with each other to allow the container 30 to be removably attached to the base 50. The base can be weighed and should serve to stabilize the container 30 and the roll 24 when dispensing either substrate. Alternatively, the securing member 52 can be located on an attachment member 53 (
To further enhance the utility of the container 30 with the roll 24, a refill pack of one or more containers containing a pre-packaged second substrate 28 without the roll 24 can be sold. The refill pack can include instructions, such as written directions and/or graphic depictions, for placing the container 30 into the interior space 26 of the roll 24. In addition, the refill pack may indicate that the containers 30 are suitable for use with a specific manufacturer's brand of the first substrate 20, or with a specific manufacturer's base 50 or attachment member 53. Alternatively, the container 30 and the roll 24 can be sold together with instructions to insert the container into the roll or with the container 30 already placed into the interior space 26 of the roll 24.
The container 30 can be made from any suitable material for housing the second substrate 28. The container can be formed of a flexible material which permits the container to bend and flex with minimal applied forces. Suitable flexible materials can include films of polyethylene, polyester, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyamide, acetate, cellophane, or metal foils amongst other suitable alternatives. The film can be single layer, a laminate of the above materials, or a laminate with a metal foil layer. Alternatively, the container can be made of a rigid material. Suitable rigid materials can include cardboard, polypropylene, polyethylene, polystyrene, plastic, metal, and glass amongst other suitable alternatives. Alternatively, the container can be a combination of flexible and rigid materials such as a flexible poly-bag bottom attached to a rigid top portion comprising the opening and the cap.
The second substrate 28 in the various embodiments can be packaged in any convenient packaging method within the interior space 26. For instance, the second substrate can be a roll, a roll of individual sheets that are separated by one or more perforations, a roll of overlapped or interleaved sheets, individual sheets, individual folded sheets, or interfolded sheets for pop-up dispensing.
It will be appreciated that the foregoing description, given for the purposes of illustration, is not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention, which is defined by the claims and all equivalents thereto.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 10324860 | Dec 2002 | US |
| Child | 12012582 | US |
