Patent Application
20150327734
The disclosure relates to a stack of folded absorbent sheet products. The disclosure further relates to a use in a dispenser for distributing such a stack of folded absorbent sheet products. Still another aspect of the disclosure relates to a method for manufacturing such a stack of folded absorbent sheet products. Still another aspect of the disclosure relates to a machine for producing a stack of folded absorbent sheet products. The absorbent sheet products may be manufactured from a web of tissue paper (obtained by a Conventional Wet Press or Through Air Drying manufacturing method) or a nonwoven fabric including papermaking fibers (obtained by an air-laid manufacturing method). Such absorbent sheet products find a particular, though non exclusive, use as sanitary or domestic purposes. As an example, such absorbent sheet products may be used as napkins in quick service restaurant. Others uses as towels, bath tissues, etc. . . . may be possible.
A tissue paper relates to an absorbent paper based on cellulose fiber which is also called a tissue paper base-sheet in this field of technology. A typical absorbent paper has a low basis weight, in the range from 10 to 50 g/m2.
A nonwoven fabric comprising cellulosic fibers relates to an absorbent paper which is also called nonwoven or web made of fibers like air-laid web in this field of technology. A typical absorbent paper has a basis weight, in the range from 30 to 250 g/m2, or, in particular embodiments, 40 to 80 g/m2.
There exist various types of dispensers for distributing absorbent sheet products to users. Often, such dispensers are provided in restaurants (e.g. fast food restaurants also known as quick service restaurants) or other public places. The users remove an amount of absorbent sheet products from the dispenser. The capacity of such dispenser may be adapted to the intended use. For example, in the context of a fast-food restaurant, a large number of napkins may be distributed in a short period of time to an important number of users. However, in such a context, this often results in difficulty to uniformly dispense a controlled number of napkins that is sufficient for the needs of the users, and/or a reasonable number of napkins that is not larger than necessary for the needs of the users. It is particularly difficult for a user to control the number of napkins distributed in one grasping movement. In the context of, for example, fast food restaurants, as the distribution must be done quickly, it is unthinkable to count the number of distributed napkins in one grasping movement. There is a compromise between the overconsumption of towels, and the gain or loss of time due to the distribution.
Thus, there is a need to improve quality of distribution, uniformity of distribution and also to avoid wasting absorbent sheet products that are unnecessary to the users. Further, this should be obtained in economical or cost effective manner.
It is desired to propose a stack of folded absorbent sheet products that overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art absorbent sheet products. In particular, it is desirable to improve uniformity of distribution of absorbent sheet products to a user.
According to embodiments of the invention, it is proposed to form a pocket in an absorbent sheet product that includes multiple absorbent sheet products inside.
According to one aspect, there is provided a stack of folded absorbent sheet products including a first absorbent sheet product folded according to a first type of folding, the first absorbent sheet product including at least one fold wherein at least a first panel is coupled to at least a second panel through a folding line, wherein each first absorbent sheet product encloses as a whole a certain amount of a second absorbent sheet product between said at least first panel and second panel, the second absorbent sheet product being folded according to a second type of folding, and wherein the certain amount of the second absorbent sheet product is formed as a sub-stack that nests within the first absorbent sheet product so as to distribute the certain amount of absorbent sheet product with one grasping movement of the first absorbent sheet product.
The first type of folding may be either identical or different to the second type of folding.
The first type of folding may be chosen among the group comprising V-fold wherein two panels are created by one fold, C-fold wherein three panels are created by two folds made in same directions, Z-fold wherein three panels are created by two folds made in opposite directions, and M-fold wherein four panels are created by three folds.
The second type of folding may be chosen among the group comprising V-fold wherein two panels are created by one fold, C-fold wherein three panels are created by two folds made in same directions, Z-fold wherein three panels are created by two folds made in opposite directions, and M-fold wherein four panels are created by three folds.
The respective sizes of the first absorbent sheet product relative to the second absorbent sheet product may be identical.
The respective sizes of the first absorbent sheet product relative to the second absorbent sheet product may be different.
The first and second absorbent sheet products may be chosen among the group of absorbent sheet products comprising napkins and towels.
According to another aspect, there is provided a use of a stack of folded absorbent sheet products in a dispenser wherein the dispenser includes a container filled with a distributing bundle made of stacks of folded absorbent sheet products stacked on each other or one beside the other, the stack of folded absorbent sheet products being oriented in the dispenser so that when a user grasps a first absorbent sheet product, a certain amount of a second absorbent sheet product encompassed in the first absorbent sheet product is seized at the same time.
A front face of the dispenser may include an opening allowing a first stack of folded absorbent sheet products to gape the container and through which the stack of folded absorbent sheet products is seized.
The opening may be extended by an additional opening zone positioned on the top part along the length of the opening, or only along a portion of the length of the opening, or in the corner of the opening.
According to a further aspect, there is provided a method for manufacturing a stack of folded absorbent sheet products, wherein the method comprising:
The first sheet may be folded according to a method of folding chosen among the group comprising V-fold wherein two panels are created by one fold, C-fold wherein three panels are created by two folds made in same directions, Z-fold wherein three panels are created by two folds made in opposite directions, and M-fold wherein four panels are created by three folds.
The second sheet may be folded according to a method of folding chosen among the group comprising V-fold wherein two panels are created by one fold, C-fold wherein three panels are created by two folds made in same directions, Z-fold wherein three panels are created by two folds made in opposite directions, and M-fold wherein four panels are created by three folds.
According to still a further aspect, there is provided a machine for manufacturing a stack of folded absorbent sheet products, wherein:
According to still a further aspect, there is provided a use of a stack of folded absorbent sheet products as napkins in a dispenser.
Because the panels of the first and second absorbent sheet products nest together, the stack forms a self-contained group of napkins that is easy to handle. Thus, it is possible to distribute a given number of napkins with every grasping movement, for example, three towels. This is of particular interest in the context of fast-food restaurant applications. This is also well adapted to uniformly dispense a controlled amount of paper products from a large dispenser without dispensing more paper products than necessary to a user. This enables limiting the quantity of paper products that is removed by a user, and thus limiting waste of paper products.
Further, reducing the waste of consumption results in economical and environmental benefits, as similar or even better satisfaction of the users is obtained while using fewer paper products.
Other advantages will become apparent from the hereinafter description of embodiments of the invention.
Embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of examples and not limited to the accompanying drawings, in which like references indicate similar elements:
In all of these exemplary embodiments, a first sheet product folded according to a first type of folding encloses at least one second sheet product folded according to a second type of folding. Advantageously, the first sheet product folded according to the first type of folding encloses a certain amount of the second sheet product folded according to the second type of folding. The certain amount may be two, three, four or more. The certain amount of the second sheet product folded according to the second type of folding is formed as a sub-stack.
The hereinbefore presented embodiments may be used for folding and stacking napkins that can be used in e.g. fast-food restaurant. A napkin encloses a certain amount of napkins forming a group of napkins of a certain amount. Several groups of napkins are stacked on each other or one beside the other in order to fill-in a container of a dispenser. Advantageously, the groups of napkins are oriented in the dispenser so that when a user grasps a napkin, all the napkins of a group are seized at the same time. However, the way of folding and stacking napkins is versatile in the sense that it is also possible to inversely orient the groups of napkins in the dispenser so that a user may grasp a single napkin at a time. Thus, the operator refilling the dispenser has the possibility to choose between two ways of dispensing the napkins, several napkins in one grasping movement vs one napkin per grasping movement.
The front face 34 of the dispenser has been modified by adding an additional opening zone 35B to the opening 35 such as to create a gripping zone. The additional opening zone 35B allows the first stack of folded napkins to gape the container 32 and eases the user's fingers to grasp the first stack of folded napkins 1 out of the container.
In the first alternative embodiment shown in
In the second alternative embodiment shown in
In the third alternative embodiment shown in
The dispenser 41 includes a container 43 of substantially parallelepiped shape orientated vertically, a front face 44 provided with an opening 45. The container is filled in with a plurality of stack of folded absorbent sheet products 1, for example a stack of folded napkins positioned vertically. The plurality of stack of folded absorbent sheet products falls naturally towards the bottom of the container because of its own mass so that there is always at least one stack of folded absorbent sheet products 1 facing the opening 45. A user grasps a stack of folded napkins 1 through the opening 45.
The front face 44 includes a vertical slit 45A, for example positioned in the middle of the front face that may extend from the opening 45 all along the front face 44. The vertical slit 45A has dimensions such that at least one finger can slip into the vertical slit 45A in order to grasp a stack of folded napkins 1.
The manufacturing method includes the steps of folding sheets issued from two tissue webs and stacking said sheets such that a folded first sheet encloses at least one, advantageously a plurality of folded second sheet. This is obtained by adjusting the first speed V1 of folding the first sheet relatively to the second speed V2 of folding the second sheet. For example, the first speed V1 is greater than the second speed V2 in a ratio depending on the quantity of second folded sheet to be grouped into each folded first sheet. Further to the speed, the adjustment may further require defining an offset of folding of the first sheet relative to the second sheets.
The manufacturing machine 50 enables forming identical folds in sheets of a first type and identical folds in sheets of a second type issued from two different tissue webs, and assembling by folding a certain amount of sheet of the second type of into each sheet of the first type in a continuously moving stack 63.
First and second tissue webs 61, 62 are led simultaneously to the machine 50 from suitable supply rolls 51, 56, respectively.
The first and second tissue webs 61, 62 are unwound (in an unfolded condition) at an appropriate speed V1, V2 towards a first and second folding unit 52, 57, respectively. Each folding unit 52, 57 includes multiple rollers, e.g. a cutting roller 53, 58 respectively, a transporting roller 54, 59, respectively, and at least one folding roller 55, 60, respectively. Each roller of the first folding unit 52 is rotating at substantially the first speed V1. Each roller of the second folding unit 57 is rotating at substantially the second speed V2. Each tissue web 61, 62 is cut to an appropriate length by the cutting roller 53, 58 and then transported to the folding roller 55, 60, respectively. The first and second folding units 52, 57, in particular the first and second folding roller 55, 60 are positioned in a face to face configuration so as to enable folding of the first sheet product 10 with respect to the second sheet product 20. The first and second folding roller 55, 60 are located in spaced relationship with each other along the path of the stack 63 beneath them. Typically, the cutting roller 53, 58 may include a knife and the transporting roller 54, 59 may include a knife hammer (not shown). Typically, the folding roller 55, 60 may be of the air suction folding type that includes suction outlets and blowing outlets in order to maintain and fold panels in the cut sections of tissue webs 61, 62. Alternatively, the folding roller 55, 60 may be of the mechanical folding type that includes folding fingers in order to maintain and fold panels in the cut sections of tissue webs 61, 62. As a further alternative, the folding roller 55, 60 may be a combination of the air suction folding type and mechanical folding type. An adjustment module 65 may be arranged to adjust the first speed V1 relative to the second speed V2.
The drawings and their descriptions hereinbefore illustrate rather than limit the invention.
Though the invention has been described with respect to various embodiments of folded absorbent sheet products wherein one external folded tissue product (first sheet product 10) includes one, two or three internal folded tissue products (second sheet products 20), these are not limitative examples. The skilled person will readily recognize that the folded absorbent sheet products may include more internal folded tissue products, e.g. four, five, six, etc. . . . provided that the folded absorbent sheet products may still be grasped by one hand. The particular application of the product as napkins in the frame of fast-food restaurant application is only an example as numerous other sanitary or domestic applications are also possible.
Also the various types of folding in the depicted embodiments are non limitative examples. The skilled person will readily recognize that these types of folding may be changed if desired or deemed necessary with respect to, for example, the uniformity of distribution, the practicality or even the desired aesthetic effect to be achieved.
Any reference sign in a claim should not be construed as limiting the claim. The word “comprising” does not exclude the presence of other elements than those listed in a claim. The word “a” or “an” or “at least one” preceding an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such element.
This application is a §371 National Stage Application of PCT International Application No. PCT/EP2012/076868 filed Dec. 24, 2012, which is incorporated herein in its entirety.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2012/076868 | 12/24/2012 | WO | 00 |
