Cartons for storing and dispensing folded sheets, particularly tissue sheets, are numerous. The cartons are commonly characterized by the presence of a top panel having a central opening, often having an elongated dimension, through which the tissues are dispensed. One common type of tissue carton is commonly referred to as a fiat carton. In a flat carton the tissues are laid flat into the carton and are withdrawn from the top of the carton or through an opening in the top which partially extends downward into the front sidewall. The tissues within the carton may be interfolded for pop-up dispensing or merely laid on top of one another for reach-in dispensing. Various examples of flat tissue cartons are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,519,261, 3,239,097 and 3,369,699.
An alternative to the flat tissue carton is the upright carton having a cubical shape. In an upright carton, the tissues are folded into an inverted U-shaped clip and are interfolded for pop-up dispensing. Each tissue is singularly withdrawn through a dispensing opening in the top of the carton, which may contain a polymeric film having a slit to hold the popped-up tissue in place. Common upright cartons for storing and dispensing tissues are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,415,320, 6,202,889 and 6,672,475.
In still other instances, tissue cartons having shapes other than the ubiquitous flat or upright tissue cartons have been proposed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,922,035 discloses a carton having an oval cross section. While the oval shape provides the carton with a distinctive appearance, the decreased depth can significantly reduce the number of sheets that can fit into the carton and/or cause dispensing problems (sheet tears, multiple dispensing, and sheet fallback) when dispensing. Dispensing problems can cause a perception of poor quality in the mind of the user/purchaser, making it more difficult to position an oval shaped dispenser as a premium product.
Therefore, a need exists for dispenser shapes that are significantly differentiated from existing cartons, such as the ubiquitous fiat or upright tissue cartons shapes; yet, at the same time, can dispense tissue stacks as well or better than current upright or rectangular dispensers.
The present invention provides a container system for storing and dispensing a plurality of tissue sheets, particularly a stack of folded tissue sheets. The container system, which may be provided with a compact rectilinear shape, comprises two components—an outer sleeve and a carton. The container components cooperate with one another in a sliding arrangement to provide a container that may be easily opened and closed. In a closed configuration the container contents are protected and may be placed in a pocket, glove compartment, purse or handbag, without concern for infiltration of dirt or debris.
Accordingly, in one embodiment, the present invention provides a container for storing and dispensing a stack of tissue products, the container comprising a rectilinear outer sleeve comprising a top wall, a bottom wall, and a pair of opposed sidewalls, the walls connected to one another and having at least one first open end; a rectilinear carton configured to contain and dispense a stack of tissue products, and slidably disposed at least partially within the outer sleeve open end; and a catch mechanism disposed on the outer sleeve and configured to prevent the carton from being fully removed from the outer sleeve.
In another embodiment, the present invention provides a system for containing and dispensing a stack of tissue sheets, the system comprising a rectilinear outer sleeve comprising a top wall, a bottom wall and a pair of opposed sidewalls forming a cavity open at least at a first cavity end; a rectilinear carton comprising a front wall, a back wall, left and right sidewalls and a bottom wall, the carton slidably disposed at least partially within the outer sleeve cavity; a stack of tissue sheets disposed within the carton; a catch mechanism disposed on the rectilinear carton configured to prevent the carton from being fully removed from the outer sleeve cavity, wherein the catch mechanism comprises a retention flap that is continuous with a wall of the outer sleeve and biased inwardly towards the outer sleeve cavity; and a tab disposed on and extending outwardly from a wall of the carton; and wherein the tab is configured to engage the retention flap when the carton is moved in a first direction relative to the outer sleeve, and wherein the engagement prevents movement in the first direction beyond a first pre-determined position.
In still another embodiment, the present invention provides a container for storing and dispensing a stack of tissue sheets, the container comprising a generally rectilinear outer sleeve constructed of paperboard-type material and having front, left side, right side, and rear walls forming a cavity open at least at a first cavity end; a generally rectilinear carton constructed of paperboard-type material and having a top wall comprising a dispensing opening lying in a top wall plane and an upper perimeter edge lying in an upper edge plane, the upper edge plane lying above the top wall plane, the carton slidably disposed at least partially within the cavity; and a catch mechanism configured to prevent the at least two carton members from being fully removed from the outer sleeve cavity; and a stack of folded tissue products disposed within the carton; and wherein the catch mechanism comprises a first carton tab that is attached to and extending at least slightly outwardly from a surface of the carton; and a first retention flap that is continuous with a wall of the outer sleeve and biased into the outer sleeve cavity.
The present invention provides a telescoping container, also referred to as a sliding drawer container, for storing and dispensing tissue products. Generally, the container comprises at least two parts—an outer sleeve and an inner carton. The container parts cooperate with one another in a sliding arrangement to provide a container that is easily opened and closed. In a closed configuration the container contents are protected and may be placed in a pocket, glove compartment, purse or handbag, without concern for infiltration by dirt or debris. In an open configuration tissues stored within the inner carton are accessible to a user and may be dispensed.
The container may be opened with little effort by the user to access and dispense tissues contained therein. In certain instances, the sleeve is in the form of a band having open first and second ends shaped to receive the inner carton. In use, a user may push one of end of the carton to move the carton out of the sleeve any desired distance to expose the contents of the carton for convenient dispensing of the carton contents. In other instances, the sleeve may have an end wall and a first open end, where the carton is disposed in the open end. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the carton may be sized so as to extend slightly beyond the sleeve to provide the user with a carton wall edge to grasp and move the carton out of the sleeve to access and dispense the carton contents.
Once the carton has been slid out from the sleeve and a portion of the carton contents dispensed, it may be pushed back into the sleeve as it was initially disposed. In this manner the container is re-closable and provides for the protection of the carton contents. In certain embodiments the carton and sleeve may be sized such that they form a friction fit to securely close the container and protect the contents. In other instances, one or both container components may be provided with additional features to securely engage the components with one another, such as spring-wedging ledges that facilitate secure fitting engagement of the container parts regardless of any rough handling or storage conditions to which the containers may be subjected.
Generally, cartons of the present invention are configured to store and dispense a stack of folded tissue sheets through a dispensing opening disposed on the carton top wall. As such, an assembled container containing at least about 10 tissue sheets, such as from about 10 to about 50 tissue sheets, may be provided. In this manner, the carton may be shaped to receive and store from about 10 to about 50 tissue sheets. The exact shape and dimensions of the carton may vary depending upon the number of tissue sheets and how the tissues are folded, however, in certain embodiments the container may have rectilinear shape.
In certain embodiments the shapes and dimensions of the carton and outer sleeve are such that the carton, though movable within the outer sleeve, fits snugly within the outer sleeve, and as such, can generally be retained within the outer sleeve by friction fit. In other embodiments either the sleeve or carton, or both, may be provided with spring-wedging ledges that facilitate secure fitting engagement of the container parts.
In particularly preferred embodiments, to further enhance the effectiveness of storing and dispensing tissue sheets, the container may be provided with one or more retention mechanisms that prevent or impede separation of the container components in use. In this manner, a user may open a container by sliding the carton out from the sleeve, but the retention mechanism will prevent the carton from being removed entirely from the sleeve. In certain embodiments the retention mechanism may comprise a retention flap formed from a first folded portion of one or more sleeve walls that interact with a portion of the carton to prevent the carton from being moved past it. In a particularly preferred embodiment, which will be discussed in more detail below, the retention flap may be continuous with a sleeve wall and folded inwardly towards the sleeve cavity to form a flap that will engage a carton wall and prevent the carton from being removed entirely from the sleeve. If desired, suitable tabs or catch mechanisms can be provided by other means, such as a separate tab piece that is adhered to an appropriate location on the carton or adhered to the outer sleeve.
The assembled container may be partially or entirely wrapped in an overwrap material, such as polypropylene film, paper or paperboard. For example, the container may be partially overwrapped by a belly band as is known in the art. Although belly bands may be used with essentially any size or shaped container, a popular configuration combines a horizontally-disposed belly band with a container that is elongated in a vertical direction. In certain instances, multiple containers may be stacked together and overwrapped with a belly band. In still other instances the inner carton may be individually overwrapped, although, for the embodiments illustrated, the carton is not individually overwrapped.
With reference now to
Within the outer sleeve 200 is positioned a carton 250. Other embodiments may have more cartons. For the embodiment shown, the carton 250 is rectangular in cross-sectional shape, although other shapes are within the scope of the present invention. The carton 250 is configured and positioned so that its vertical sidewalls 251, 253 are generally circumscribed by the outer sleeve 200 when the container assembly 100 is in a closed position (shown in
The carton 250 comprises opposed vertical sidewalls 251, 253, a front wall 252, a back wall (not shown in
With reference now to
With reference again to
Generally, the surfboard 280 is present on the top panel 258 and separable therefrom by a line of weakness 282. Such surfboards are a common feature of current commercially available tissue cartons. In certain embodiments, to further facilitate opening the carton, the surfboard may also comprise a finger tab to facilitate grasping and removal of the surfboard to create the dispensing opening. In certain instances, the carton may further be provided with a dispensing window attached to an interior surface of the top wall. For example, a film, particularly a colorless transparent film, having a slit may be attached to an interior surface of the top wall and cover the dispensing opening. The window permits observation of the carton's interior and prevents a partially dispensed tissue sheet from falling back to within the carton's interior so it can be readily grasped when needed.
With reference now to
The sleeve 200 further comprises a first, generally downwardly extending and slightly rearwardly biased, retention flap 240. The first retention flap 240 is continuous with the bottom sleeve wall 204. The sleeve may further comprise a second retention flap, which is continuous with the upper sleeve wall and is biased inwardly towards the cavity to form a slight protrusion. Thus, while in the illustrated embodiment the sleeve comprises a single retention flap, such as a first retention flap 240 that is continuous with the bottom top wall 204, in other embodiments it may comprise first and second retention flaps continuous with the top and bottom walls.
Those of skill in the art will appreciate that as a carton is moved outwardly from the sleeve, a protrusion on the carton (e.g., catch-tab 305 or upper sidewall edge 260 shown in
Referring to
It is generally preferred that the container system comprises a stop or catch mechanism such that when the components of the container are slid relative to one another at least a portion of the carton is maintained in contact with, or contained within, the outer sleeve. A suitable catch mechanism may be formed by providing a least one wall of the carton with a tab, a wall edge, or other suitable means that acts as a stop or catch mechanism; and that mechanism cooperates with a corresponding or complementary flap disposed on the sleeve. As such, the carton may be moved within the outer sleeve and accessed to dispense a tissue sheet, however, under conditions of normal or intended use at least a portion of the carton is maintained in contact with, or contained within, the outer sleeve.
Various embodiments of retention mechanisms useful in the present invention are illustrated in
In addition to providing means for interacting with the retention flap, the carton upper edge 260, which lies in an upper edge plane 261 may be arranged to improve storage of the upper most tissue sheet 281. For example, the carton may be configured such that the carton top wall 258 lies in a top wall plane 263 that is below the upper edge plane 261. In this manner a space may be provided by the carton upper edge, which may extend continuously about the perimeter of the carton, and the top wall. This space may create a cavity for storing the upper most tissue of a stack that has been pulled through the dispensing opening, allowing the tissue to be stowed and the carton slid into a closed position.
With reference now to
Referring to
Referring to
Inward bias of the cut-out region 458 may be facilitated by a creased line, a pre-stressed fold line, a score line, a line of perforations, or a line of cuts in the region or along the line that delineates between the bottom panel and the tab. Such a blank can be assembled to provide a carton suitable for storing and dispensing a stack of tissue products.
With continued reference to
It must be noted that while the general shape of the carton and carton component, such as the container top wall and dispensing opening, are illustrated as being rectangular, other rectilinear shapes can also be employed, such as square. Further, the dimensions of the carton may vary. For example, the overall size of the carton and the shape of the walls can be designed as needed to properly dispense the sheet material placed within the carton. The size and shape of the carton can be influenced by the size of the sheet material being dispensed, how the sheets are folded prior to placement in the dispenser, the number of sheets placed into the dispenser, the orientation of the stack, configuration of the stack within the dispenser, and the characteristics of the material being dispensed. Often more than one acceptable shape will work to properly dispense the sheet material.
In one embodiment, the top panel and bottom panel may comprise rectangles having an approximate size of 14.0 cm long by 10.0 cm wide. The sidewalls may comprise a pair of opposed folded panels attached to the bottom panel as illustrated in
The tissue sheets to be stored and dispensed, may be folded in a stacked arrangement as is well known in the art. Folds are defined as first folds, second folds, third folds, and the like, by reference to their respective position on the sheet. That is, a sheet or web having four folds, for example, typically would have a first fold, second fold, third fold, and fourth fold in that order, respectively, as when moving from one edge of the sheet to the opposite edge of that sheet. Each sheet, when laid flat, may assume a square or rectangular shape, in many instances. It should be understood that the term “sheet,” as used herein, is meant to include a sheet material made of one or more plies of material so that a multiple-ply sheet material is considered to be a “sheet,” regardless of the number of plies.
A folded sheet, for example, may have four panels or folds and three creases. One crease appears at the junction of each fold. For example, a first crease is at the junction of the first fold and a second fold, as will be further described below. A bifolded sheet, for example, would have two folded panels and one crease, while a trifolded sheet would have three folded panels and two creases. In certain instances, the tissue sheets may comprise three panels and two folds and have a folded length of about 13.0 cm and a folded width of about 8.0 cm.
In one particularly preferred embodiment the carton contains a folded stack of tissues, the tissues comprising one or more plies and having a sheet length of about 21.0 cm and sheet width of about 13.0 cm. The sheets may be folded in thirds with the fold lines extending along the width dimension of the sheet. The folded sheets may be interfolded with one another or may simply be stacked one on top of the other. Further, the stack may comprise from about 10 to about 50 sheets, such as from about 15 to about 30 sheets.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/US20/49798 | 9/9/2020 | WO |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
62897489 | Sep 2019 | US |