Patent Application
20090289078
1. Field of the Art
The exemplary embodiments relate generally to wipes dispensers. More particularly, the embodiments relate to a generally oblong container with a dispensing aperture through which wipes may be easily grasped and dispensed.
2. Description of Related Art
Many types of containers are known in the art for packaging dry, wet, or moistened wipes. Besides wipes, other sheet-like substrates, such as towels, tissues, sponges, pads, napkins, diapers, are also packaged in similar containers. For example, wipes are often packaged in a standard dispenser containers that are either rectangular or cylindrical in shape. These standard dispensers are sometimes fitted with a removable or hinged lid that includes a small dispensing aperture for accessing wipes. Such containers and lids, however, present problems efficiently storing wipes to reduce container size while still maximizing the number of stored wipes, and maintaining adequate moisture content. Further problems include locating, grasping, removing, and rethreading wipes from traditional dispensers.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need to provide a more ergonomic and efficiently designed container to reduce cost and facilitate dispensing, as well as provide a more usable dispensing opening.
In accordance with one embodiment, a product having a longitudinal axis and a transverse axis, has an oblong dispenser having a length along the longitudinal axis that is greater than a width along the transverse axis. The oblong dispenser includes an oblong top, an oblong bottom that is smaller than the top, and a sidewall tapering inward from the top to the bottom of the dispenser. The product also has a u-shaped folded stack of wipes, that is formed from a flat stack of a plurality of sheet-like wipes folded about a transverse fold axis, and disposed in the dispenser so that the transverse fold axis is parallel to the product's longitudinal axis.
In accordance with another embodiment, a dispenser having a longitudinal axis and a transverse axis has a base, and a lid removably attached to the base. The base has a length measured along the longitudinal axis that is greater than a width measured along the transverse axis. The dispenser has a dispensing opening in the lid that has a center opening and at least one slot aligned with the transverse axis and in communication with the center opening.
In accordance with another embodiment, a product having a longitudinal axis and a transverse axis has an oblong dispenser having a length along the longitudinal axis that is greater than a width along the transverse axis. The dispenser has an oblong top, an oblong bottom, a sidewall extending between the top and bottom, and at least one internal rib on the sidewall, disposed on the interior of the dispenser. The product also has a u-shaped folded stack of wipes, that is formed from a flat stack of a plurality of sheet-like wipes folded about a transverse fold axis, and disposed in the dispenser so that the transverse fold axis is parallel to the product's longitudinal axis.
Advantages of the exemplary embodiments will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals are used to indicate like elements:
The following description provides exemplary embodiments of a dispenser for dispensing wipes. It should be appreciated, however, that the dispenser, and the configuration of the dispenser described herein is not limited to the embodiments and details disclosed, as those embodiments are exemplary only. It is further understood that one possessing ordinary skill in the art will appreciate the use of the exemplary embodiments for its intended purposes and benefits in any number of alternative embodiments, depending on specific design and other needs.
It will be understood that the dispenser as described below, as well is any components thereof, may be formed from a variety of materials, such as, for example, polypropylene (PP), high density polyethylene (HDPE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polystyrene (PS), acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), and other engineered plastics, and may be formed with a variety of fabrication technologies, such as, for example, injection molding. It will also be understood that the dispenser as shown in the embodiments is not limited to any particular size or shape.
Throughout the description, “wipes” means any substrate that is useful for household chores, cleaning, personal care, health care, food wrapping, cosmetic application or removal, or the like. Non-limiting examples of suitable substrates for use with the dispenser include nonwoven and woven substrates; hydro-entangled substrates; air-entangled substrates; cellulosic paper substrates; coform substrates comprising cellulose fibers and polymer fibers; wet substrates such as wet wipes, moist or premoistened cleaning wipes, moist toilet paper wipes, and baby wipes; film or plastic substrates; or shop towels.
The embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings in which some, but not all, embodiments are illustrated.
With reference to
In an exemplary embodiment, the dispenser 100 may be oblong in shape. As used herein, the term oblong is used to describe a shape or form that is elongated in one direction, such as a rectangle having a length that is longer than a width, or an oval having a major axis that is longer than a minor axis. In an exemplary embodiment, the dispenser 100 has an oblong lid 110. In an exemplary embodiment, the dispenser 100 has oblong base 120. In another exemplary embodiment, the dispenser 100 has both an oblong lid 110 and an oblong base 120.
As best illustrated in
The dispenser 100 may have an top 112, bottom 122, and sidewall 124. The sidewall 124 may be continuous and have an upper edge 126 joining the top 112 about its perimeter, and a lower edge 128 joining the bottom 112 about its perimeter, thereby creating a cavity to store wipes. The sidewall 124 may be formed unitary with the bottom 122, or may be formed separately therefrom, and joined together such as with mechanical, thermal, or chemical means, including, without limitation, adhesive bonding. Likewise, sidewall 124 may be formed unitary with the top 112, or may be formed separately therefrom, and joined together such as with mechanical, thermal or chemical means, including, without limitation, adhesive bonding.
In an exemplary embodiment, the top 112 and bottom 122 may be generally oval in shape. In various exemplary embodiments, the top 112 may have the same shape as the bottom 122. In other exemplary embodiments, the top 112 and bottom 122 may have different shapes. For example, in various exemplary embodiments, the top 112 may have a generally oval shape, and the bottom 122 may have a rectangular or rounded rectangular shape. In various exemplary embodiments, the top 112 is the same size as the bottom 122. In other exemplary embodiments, the top 112 is a different size (either larger or smaller) than the bottom 122.
In embodiments in which the dispenser 100 has an oval or oblong shape, the dispenser 100 may have a major axis 150 generally aligned with the longitudinal axis Ld, and a minor axis 152, generally aligned with the transverse axis Td. The major axis 150 may generally correspond to the longest horizontal dimension of the dispenser 100. In exemplary embodiments in which the top 112 has a different size than the bottom 122, the top 112 and the bottom 122 may have parallel major axes 150 and parallel minor axes 152. It will be appreciated that the major axes 150 and minor axes 152 of the top 112 and bottom 122, respectively, may not be parallel.
In an exemplary embodiment, the top 112 is larger than the bottom 122, such that the sidewall 124 may taper from the top 112 to the bottom 122. In other words, the dispenser 100 may narrow from the top 112 to the bottom 122, thereby creating a generally frustoconical-shaped dispenser 100. Such a generally frustoconical-shaped dispenser 100 may provide ergonomic advantages over the typical parallelepiped and cylindrical dispensers, which are readily known in the art. In addition, this configuration enables the containers to be stacked in a nested configuration, so that containers fit within each other for ease of shipping and handling. In exemplary embodiments, in which the top 112 is larger than the bottom 122, the dispenser 100 may have a length Lt across the major axis 150 of the top 112, and a length Lb measured across the major axis 150 of the bottom 122, where length Lt is greater than Lb. Likewise, the dispenser 100 may have a width Wt, across the minor axis 152 of the top 112, and a width Wb across the minor axis 152 of the bottom 122, where width Wt is larger than Wb. As mentioned above, the top 112 and bottom 122 may generally comprise the same shape, however, the shape of the top 112 and bottom 122 may be changed as necessary or desired.
In an exemplary embodiment, the top 112 may have a length Lt measured along the major axis 150 of about 3.5 to about 8.5 inches, more preferably about 6.25 inches. In an exemplary embodiment, the top 112 may have a width Wt measured across the minor axis 152 of about 1.5 to about 6.0 inches, more preferably about 3.5 inches.
In an exemplary embodiment, the bottom 122 may have a length Lb measured along the major axis 150 of about 3.0 to about 8.0 inches, more preferably about 5.5 inches. In an exemplary embodiment, the bottom 122 may have a width Wb measured across the minor axis 152 of about 1.0 to about 5.5 inches, more preferably about 3 inches.
In an exemplary embodiment, the dispenser 100 may have a height H, measured from the top 112 to the bottom 122 in the z-axis direction Zd, of approximately 3.0 to about 8.0 inches, more preferably about 5½ inches.
As described above, in embodiments in which the top 112 is larger than the bottom 122, the sidewall 124 of dispenser 100 may taper inward from the top 112 to the bottom 122. In various embodiments, the taper angle αT as measured along the front 102 and back 104 of the dispenser 100, may be about 0° to about 8°, more preferably about 3° as measured from the vertical (the z-axis). The sidewall 124 may have the same taper angle αT about the entire perimeter of the dispenser 100, or it may vary, depending on the size and shape of the top 112 and bottom 122. In an exemplary embodiment, the taper angle αT as measured along the first and second sides 106, 108 of the sidewall 124 is from about 0° to about 8°, and more preferably about 5° as measured from the vertical (the z-axis Zd). It will be understood that as the top 112 and bottom 122 dimensions and shape are varied, the taper angle αT will vary accordingly.
Without intending to be bound by theory, it is believed that using different tapering angles along the two axes (Ld, Td), respectively, provides certain benefits. For example, a larger tapering angle on the first and second sides 106, 108, may provide a more significant curvature aesthetic purpose to the user as it sits on the retail shelf or user countertop. However, using a larger taper angle over the entire surface of the sidewall 124, may cause a significant increase in the overall size of the dispenser 100, impacting manufacturing efficiencies (e.g., pallet patterns), and store shelf space. Using a smaller taper angle on the front 102 and back 104 of the dispenser 100 provides a container with a smaller size, which improves the manufacturing efficiencies, allows more products to fit front-to-back on a store shelf, and that is less obtrusive on a user's countertop. It is also believed that using a smaller taper angle on the front 102 and back 104 of the dispenser 100 may improve the ability of the dispenser 100 to contain and stabilize a U-folded stack of wipes, reducing its tendency to flop around inside the dispenser, improving the user perception of the dispenser 100.
Referring now to
In exemplary embodiments, the U-shaped clip 510 is inverted, so that the arch-shaped portion of the folded clip 510 is disposed facing the top 112 of the dispenser 100. In various exemplary embodiments, a head space is provided between the outermost layer of the U-shaped clip and the top 112 of the dispenser 100. Without intending to be bound by theory, it is believed that the headspace may be related to the user's satisfaction in dispensing the first several wipes. For example, too little headspace may not allow the first few wipes to disengage from the clip 510, which may result in an increase in pull force required to remove these wipes, and an increased probability of wipes falling back into the container. Conversely, too much headspace may cause the user to have difficulty reaching the first wipe through the lid 110 of the dispenser 100. In exemplary embodiments the headspace distance between the U-shaped clip 510 and the top 112 of the dispenser is about 0.125 to about 1.25 inches, preferably about 0.375 to about 0.5 inches.
The flat stack of wipes may have any suitable length, as measured along a longitudinal axis, and any suitable width, as measured along a transverse axis, to allow for the U-shaped clip 510 to fit within the dispenser 100. In an exemplary embodiment, a fully assembled flat stack of wipes (i.e., before the stack is folded about a transverse fold axis 512 to form the U-shaped clip 510) may have a length of about 3 inches to about 16 inches, preferably about 8 inches. In exemplary embodiments, the length of the flat stack of wipes is the same as the length of an individual wipe. In an exemplary embodiment the flat stack of wipes may have a width of about 3 inches to about 7 inches, preferably about 4.5 inches. In an exemplary embodiment, the width of the flat stack of wipes is less than the width of an individual wipe, i.e., the individual wipes within the stack may be folded one or more times. In an exemplary embodiment, the flat stack of wipes may have a height of about 0.5 inches to about 4.0 inches, preferably about 1.5 inches. The height of the flat stack may be dependent upon the number of wipes in a stack, the thickness of the individual wipe, and the folded configuration of the individual wipes.
The flat stack of wipes may be folded up to 180 degrees about the transverse fold axis 512 to form the U-shaped clip 510. The U-shaped clip 510 may have an arched top, and a bottom that comprises two opposing legs 516 located on opposite sides of the transverse fold axis 512 and extending therefrom. The U-shaped clip 510, once folded, may be inserted into the dispenser 100, so that the arched top is directed toward the top 112 of the dispenser 100, and at least a portion of the legs 516 rest against the bottom 122 of the dispenser 100. The dimensions of the U-shaped clip 510 may vary depending on the dimensions of the flat stack wipes, and the degree with which the flat stack of wipes is folded about the transverse fold axis 512, with the maximum fold angle being approximately 180 degrees. For example, the U-shaped clip 510 may have a folded height of about 2.5 inches to about 10.0 inches, preferably about 4.5 inches. In an exemplary embodiment, the U-shaped clip 510 may have a folded width of about 3.0 inches to about 7.0 inches, preferably about 4.5 inches. In an exemplary embodiment, the U-shaped clip may have a folded length of about 0.5 inches to about 5.0 inches, preferably about 3.0 inches. In an exemplary embodiment, the legs of the U-shaped clip may have a length of about 2.0 inches to about 10.0 inches, preferably about 4.5 inches. In an exemplary embodiment, when the flat stack is folded about the transverse fold axis 512, the U-shaped clip 510 may have a folded width that is greater than the folded length. In an exemplary embodiment, when the flat stack is folded about the transverse fold axis 512, the U-shaped clip 510 may have a folded width that is approximately equal to or less than the folded length.
Each of the wipes in the flat stack of wipes may have a size and shape suitable for their intended use. One of ordinary skill in the art would understand how to design the size and shape of the wipe. In various exemplary embodiments, the dimensions of the wipes may be larger than the desired dimensions of the flat stack of wipes. Therefore, in exemplary embodiments, the individual wipes may have one or more folds to provide a folded stack having the desired dimensions. In an exemplary embodiment, a flat stack of wipes may contain individual wipes that are folded one or more times along their longitudinal direction, and interleaved, as is well known in the art. In an exemplary embodiment, the flat stack of wipes may be “VZ-folded,” meaning that the interleaved wipes are folded in a longitudinal direction, with adjacent wipes alternating between a Z-fold and a V-fold. A V-folded wipe is a wipe that is folded once, resulting in two panels separated by a longitudinal fold line. A Z-folded wipe is a wipe that is folded twice, resulting in three panels separated by two longitudinal fold lines. The folded panels of adjacent V-folded and Z-folded wipes are interleaved, so that the edges of the folded wipes overlap. Such a configuration enables a pop-up dispensing where withdrawing one sheet from the dispenser pulls at least a portion of the next sheet out of the dispenser for easier access to the next sheet.
In various exemplary embodiments, the outermost wipe 518 of a U-shaped clip 510 may have a “starter fold” 520, or a fold that enables a user to easily grasp the outermost wipe 518. In an exemplary embodiment, the starter fold is disposed directly beneath an orifice in the lid 110, so that a user may more easily access the starter fold, and therefore the outermost wipe 518. In an exemplary embodiment, the outermost wipe 518 V-folded, and the unfolded edge is folded on itself, along a longitudinal starter fold line, to create the starter fold 520. In embodiments in which the lid 110 has an opening at or near the center of the lid 110, the longitudinal starter fold line may be disposed in the center of the U-shaped clip 510, so that it may be disposed beneath the opening. In embodiments in which the lid 110 has an opening other than in the center of the lid 110, the longitudinal starter fold line may be disposed to the left or the right of the center of the U-shaped clip 510, so that it may be disposed beneath the opening.
Depending on manufacturing capability, it may be common for a manufacturing line to produce flat stacks of interleaved wipes having less than the desired number of wipes for a given wipes dispenser. For example, a manufacturing line may only be capable of producing flat stacks having approximately 20 sheets per stack, while it may be desirable to produce a wipes dispenser product containing 60, 80, or 100 wipes. Therefore, according to exemplary embodiments, a plurality of flat stacks may be combined to produce the U-shaped clip 510. The flat stacks may be combined by any of a number of suitable methods. In an exemplary embodiment, two or more flat stacks may be adhesively combined, such as by applying an adhesive between the adjacent wipes layers in two adjacent stacks.
In an exemplary embodiment, to effectively join multiple stacks with an adhesive, the adhesive may be placed towards the end of the last wipe in a preceding stack, or towards the end of the first wipe in a subsequent stack. In exemplary embodiments, the adhesive is disposed on a wipe so that it is contained within ¼ of the length of the wipe nearest the end (either end). Placing adhesive towards the end of a wipe (as opposed to the center of the wipe) may be beneficial because the U-shaped clip 510 may have stress points on the ends of the wipe as the wipes contact the inner surface of the sidewalls 124 of the dispenser 100. In addition, by placing the adhesive at one end of the wipe, the trailing wipe may be effectively peeled from the remaining wipes in the stack and dispensed as desired. Without intending to be bound by theory, it is believed that disposing the adhesive towards the edge of the wipe results in a peeling action (e.g., between wipes) that is very similar to that of wipes that are interleaved, which may make the use of adhesive unnoticeable to a user. Conversely, placement of the adhesive closer to the center of the wipes may negatively impact the peeling action—the adhesive will cause the wipe to be pulled from the center, so that the center of the wipe is first pulled through the dispensing orifice in the lid 110. This causes a “tent” or bunching of the wipe in the dispensing orifice, which may be perceived negatively by a user because it may cause multiple wipes to be dispensed, and may cause more tenting for the next several wipes, or may cause the user to try to push the wipes back into the dispenser 100.
In exemplary embodiments, the amount of adhesive may vary as necessary or desired, to produce a stack of wipes with a predetermined peel force. In exemplary embodiments, the amount and type of adhesive are selected so that the adhesive may be unnoticeable to a user. One having ordinary skill in the art, informed with the teachings herein, will understand how to select an adhesive, and specify a proper amount of adhesive in accordance with the embodiments.
In an exemplary embodiment, the U-shaped clip 510 may be inserted into the dispenser 100 such that the transverse fold axis 512 is substantially parallel to major axis 150 of the dispenser 100. Such an orientation may result in improved dispensing.
In exemplary embodiments, the U-shaped clip 510 may fill out substantially the entire longitudinal and transverse dimensions of the dispenser 100, without substantially impinging the inner surface of the sidewall 124 of the base 120. In an exemplary embodiment, the edges of the U-shaped clip 510 may just rest against the inner surface of the dispenser 100, but not be substantially compressed. In another exemplary embodiment, the U-shaped clip 510 may be placed into the dispenser 100 so that the sides of the U-shaped clip 510 are slightly compressed against the sidewall 124.
As best seen in
The U-shaped clip 510 may be dimensioned so that the individual wipes are not substantially compressed inside the dispenser 100, and the legs are not pinched by the sidewall 124. As shown in
The dispenser 100 may have one or more internal ribs 514. For example, as illustrated in
The internal ribs 514 may be spaced apart about the sidewall 124. In an exemplary embodiment, the internal ribs 514 may be spaced equidistantly along the inner perimeter of the base 120 and project inward (toward the center of the dispenser). Since wipes may be relatively free of contact with the sidewall 124, in part because of the internal ribs 514, the sidewall forces may be reduce, thereby requiring less pull force to remove wipes from the dispenser 100. In exemplary embodiments, the internal ribs have a width of about 0.0625 to about 0.5 inches, preferably about 0.1875 inches. In exemplary embodiments, the internal ribs have a length of about 0.5 to about 4 inches, preferably about 1.5 inches. In one embodiment, the internal ribs 514 may have different widths such that the upper end of the internal ribs 514 may be greater than the lower end.
In addition, the internal ribs 514 may help support the U-shaped clip 510 and prevent it from settling to the bottom of the dispenser 100 during shipping. By preventing the U-shaped clip 510 from settling, the internal ribs 514 may help maintain a consistent headspace (as described above) between the outermost layer 518 of the U-shaped clip 510 and the top 112 of the dispenser 100.
In exemplary embodiments, the internal ribs 514 may have one or more projections or teeth (not shown) extending therefrom. As the wipe count gets low in the dispenser 100, the weight of the remaining wipes may not be sufficient to offset the pull force exerted by a consumer to remove wipes from the dispenser 100, which may cause multiple wipes to dispensed at once as they do not separate. In an exemplary embodiment, the one or more teeth (not shown) attached to the internal rib 514, preferably at the upper end, may offset the pull force and prevent multiple wipes from being dispensed at once. In an exemplary embodiment, the teeth may protrude generally downward from the internal ribs 514 to allow the U-shaped clip 510 to be easily inserted into the dispenser 100, but still hold the wipes in the dispenser 100 during dispensing.
As described above, in exemplary embodiments the top 112 is larger than the bottom 122. It has been found that this configuration may provide an improved stacking configuration for dispensers 100. In addition, one or more additional elements may be added to the top 112 or bottom 122 to improve the stacking configuration of dispensers 100. For example, referring to
In an exemplary embodiment, the dispenser includes a lid 110. With reference to
The body 220 may comprise one or more functional elements. For example, body 220 may comprise the ridge 114 (as described above), an recessed surface 214, an opening 200. The recessed surface 214 may be formed in the body 220 to create a recessed portion that may lie beneath the cover 210. The recessed surface 214 may be configured to allow for the cover 210 to be securely closed. The cover 210 may be sized and shaped to fit on or over the recessed surface 214 defined in the body 220. Opposite the hinge 212, the cover 210 may have a tab 218 that allows for the cover 210 to be opened.
In exemplary embodiments, the cover 210 may frictionally engage the body 220 at the recessed surface 214. For example, the body 220 may have one or more annular ridges 222 about the perimeter of the recessed surface 214. The one or more annular ridges 222 may form one or more grooves 224 therebetween configured to receive a corresponding portion of the cover 210. The cover 210 may have a downwardly projecting tab 226 configured to mate with the one or more annular ridges 222 and the one or more corresponding grooves 224, so that, for example, the cover 210 may be snapped into place for securing the cover 210 to the body 220. In various exemplary embodiments, the mating interface created between cover 210 and the body 220 seals the dispenser 100 to prevent moisture loss from wet or partially wetted wipes stored within the dispenser 100. It will be understood that other manners for securing the cover 210 to the body 220 may be used.
The cover 210 may be any suitable size and shape. In various exemplary embodiments, the cover 120 has a size and shape that generally corresponds with the size and shape to that of the recessed surface 214. However, it will be appreciated that the cover 210 may have one of many sizes and shapes, without departing from the purpose and function thereof.
Still referring to
The center opening 202 may be configured to be a wide, oval opening through the lid 110 such that a first wipe (not shown) may be easily grasped, as subsequently shown and described herein. The center opening 202 may further comprise one or more slots 206 in communication therewith. The one or more slots 206 may extend vertically from the center opening 202 and generally align with the minor axis 152 of the dispenser (not shown in
In an exemplary embodiment, the opening 202 may have a width of about 0.5 to about 2 inches, preferably about 1 inch, measured from the top edge to the bottom edge, and may have a length of about 0.75 to about 2.5 inches, preferably about 1.5 inches, measured from the left side edge to the right side edge. Center opening 202 may be configured such that, when grasping a wipe for the first time, center opening 202 may be wide enough to comfortably and easily accommodate an average sized human index finger and thumb, as will be further described and shown below. A variety of dispensing aperture dimensions may be possible, so long as the opening 200 allows for a user to access wipes in the dispenser 100.
The opening 200 and its various portions—center opening 202, side openings 204, slots 206, and slits 208—may together define one or more petals 240. In the embodiment depicted in
The petals 240 may be made of rigid plastic of sufficient thickness to prevent them from easily bending upwardly (along the z-axis) as wipes are being dispensed from the dispenser 100. By constructing the petals 240 of rigid plastic, the upward force from the wipes during dispensing reduces the chance of roping and clumping, both common problems in the art, especially when the wipe count gets low. Alternatively, the petals 240 may be formed from a less rigid plastic of increased thickness. In yet another embodiment, the one or more petals 240 may be formed with less rigid material of the same or lesser thickness as the rigid plastic petals further including one or more integral reinforcing petal ribs 244 on the bottom surface of petal 240 to provide petal rigidity reinforcement sufficient to reduce the chance of extraction roping and clumping when the wipe count is low.
In these embodiments, research has shown that stiffening of the closure petals 240 to form a stiff petal type dispenser by either adding petal ribs 244 or petal thickness, provides better dispensing, i.e., petal stiffening reduced clumping of wipes when extracting from about the last 8 or more wipes to the last 1-3 wipes in the dispenser when compared to a soft petal type dispenser. A soft petal type dispenser has a soft petal that results in significant wipes roping or clumping during extraction of a wipe when the wipe count is from about the last 8 or more wipes to the last 1-3 wipes. A stiff petal type dispenser has a petal that reduces the incidence of clumping and roping by at least 75% when compared to a soft petal type dispenser.
TABLE 1 summarizes research conducted to determine the ratio between a vertical force load placed on the free end 246 of the petal 240 adjacent slit 208 and the vertical deflection of a free end 246 of petal 240 caused by the vertical load. The results for both a stiff petal and a soft petal are presented. Those of skill in the art sometimes refer to this ratio as the load/deflection ratio similar to the stress/strain ratio depicted in a stress-strain curve.
The data in TABLE 1, as graphically depicted in
In one embodiment, within the range of the peak wipe extraction force required to extract a wipe from the dispenser 100 of about 0.5 to about 2.0 pounds, if the load/deflection ratio for a stiff petal is in the range of about 5.3 to about 8.0 pounds/inch, clumping of the wipes at low wipe counts is reduced. If the load/deflection ratio for a soft petal is in the range of about 2.3 to about 3.2 pounds/inch, clumping of the wipes at low wipe counts is significant.
Referring now to
Still referring to
During extraction, the first wipe may easily thread through center opening 202 with portions of the first wipe threading through the one or more slots 206 that are in communication with the center opening 202. As the first wipe is extracted, the top edge portion of the first wipe is dragged through the top slot 206, and the bottom edge portion of the first wipe is dragged through the bottom slot 206. While being extracted, the wipes may contact the one or more nubs 242, which may help separate the leading wipe from a trailing wipe, thereby preventing clumping or roping.
The opening 216 may be further configured such that if wipes fall back through the opening, a consumer can easily access the wipes through the one or more side openings 204. The one or more side openings 204 may be larger than the center opening 202 to allow a consumer to reach farther into the dispenser 100 in case rethreading is needing. A consumer can easily rethread a wipe by pulling it through one of the side openings 204, and threading it through the corresponding slit 208 back to the center opening 202. The center opening 202 presents numerous contact points along the petals 240 to readily engage wipes as a consumer pulls the wipe through the center opening 202, especially if pulled at an angle. Wipes may then be easily separated from one another.
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. 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.
This application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application No. 12/125,274, filed May 22, 2008.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 12125274 | May 2008 | US |
| Child | 12207216 | US |
