US20160302626A1

US20160302626A1 - Dispenser for dispensing tissue paper and method for manufacturing a dispenser

Info

Publication number: US20160302626A1
Application number: US15/194,030
Authority: US
Inventors: Anne D'Hiet; Joris Scheppers; Mylene PIERQUET; Marion Liotard; Gert De Smedt
Original assignee: SCA Hygiene Products AB
Current assignee: Essity Hygiene and Health AB
Priority date: 2009-05-28
Filing date: 2016-06-27
Publication date: 2016-10-20
Also published as: AU2009346816B2; HUE025453T2; US20120217259A1; EP2435325B1; RU2011153672A; CL2010000386A1; HK1168830A1; AU2009346816A1; EP2435325A1; ES2531293T3; CN102448838B; WO2010136067A1; MX2011012566A; RU2494945C2; CN102448838A

Abstract

The present application pertains to a dispenser for dispensing tissue paper from a volume defined within a dispenser housing, the dispenser housing being made from a flat material, preferably a cardboard material, the dispenser having at least one handling section which can be folded out from a wall of the dispenser housing, the dispenser housing having at least two layers of the flat material at the location where the at least one handling section is situated, wherein the at least one handling section is present in the outer layers of the flat material only such that at least the innermost layer of the flat material remains intact and seals off the volume defined by the dispenser housing at the location where the at least one handling section is present such that the dispenser can be used as a fully-operational dispenser when the at least one handling section is folded out.

Description

This is a Division of application Ser. No. 13/322,007 filed on Feb. 7, 2012, which is a National Phase of PCT/EP2009/056527 filed on May 28, 2009. The disclosures of the prior applications are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention pertains to a dispenser for dispensing tissue paper, preferably facial tissues, handkerchiefs, napkins, kitchen paper, tissue paper towels etc., wherein the dispenser housing is being made from a flat material, preferably a cardboard material. The invention, furthermore, pertains to a method for manufacturing a dispenser from a flat material.

TECHNOLOGICAL BACKGROUND

In the field of dispensers made from flat materials, preferably cardboard materials, dispensers for dispensing facial tissues to clean e.g. the nose, face and hands are known. These dispensers are typically made in the form of a simple box with a dispensing opening in one of its walls, wherein the cardboard box itself defines a volume in which the tissue papers are contained. Typically, the cardboard boxes are also used to distribute the tissue paper. In use, the tissue papers are dispensed through the dispensing opening.
These typical cardboard boxes can be easily held by an adult person, as the hand span of an adult permits to hold the respective boxes.
In order to make these boxes attractive, in particular to children, special prints can be provided on the outside.
WO 2006/013590 A1 discloses a cardboard box, preferably a shoebox, which can be easily transformed into a holder for playing and/or ornamental purposes by the insertion of appendixes into slits in the box after it has ceased to serve as a shoe box. It is to be noted, however, that the box disclosed in this prior art document is not a dispenser for tissue paper but is used for playing or ornamental and decorative purposes only.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,772,827 pertains to a food package in which several panels are interfolded in order to provide a suitable packaging of a single serving of a frozen comestible. This prior art document is likewise not directed to a dispenser for dispensing multiple tissue paper. To the contrary, in order to dispense the contents of this package, the package has to be destroyed completely.
Applicant has become aware of the fact that the dispensers for tissue paper known in the prior art do not enable small children, in particular small children in the age between 1 and 10 years, to securely hold the dispensers in order to be in a position to remove facial tissues from the dispenser on their own. In other words, it is not possible for small children to securely hold the dispensers known in the prior art. This can result in frustration of the small children, leading to a situation in which using tissue papers for cleaning their nose, hands or face rather annoys them. This is even more so the case as the dispenser always slips away when a small child attempts to grab the dispenser.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, in the field of dispensers for dispensing tissue paper, it is desirable to provide a dispenser which can be more easily used by small children.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a dispenser for dispensing tissue paper which can be used more easily by small children.
This objective is solved by a dispenser with the features of claim 1. Accordingly, a dispenser for dispensing tissue paper, in particular facial tissue paper, from a volume defined within a dispenser housing is provided, wherein the dispenser housing is made from a flat material, preferably a cardboard material. At least one handling section is provided which can be folded out from a wall of the dispenser housing. The dispenser housing has at least two layers of the flat material at the location where the at least one handling section is present, wherein the at least one handling section is present in the outer layers of the flat material only, such that at least the innermost layer of the flat material remains intact and seals off the volume defined by the dispenser housing at the location where the at least one handling section is present such that the dispenser can be used as a fully operational dispenser when the at least one handling section is folded out.
By the provision of a handling section which can be folded out from one of the walls of the dispenser housing, it becomes possible for small children to securely grip and hold the dispenser. Accordingly, the dispenser can be used more easily by small children and enables them to dispense tissue paper contained in the volume defined by the dispenser housing securely.
By means of the at least one handling section which can be folded out from the dispenser, it becomes also possible to provide a unique and attractive outer appearance of the dispenser as such which attracts the use of the dispenser and, thus, of the tissue paper contained within the volume of the dispenser housing. By means of this attractiveness it might become easier for caretakers to convince young children to actually use tissue paper in order to clean their nose, face or hands, when necessary.
The unique design of the dispenser according to claim 1 also might help to overcome the inhibitions that small children might have against tissue paper boxes, or rather the use of tissue paper implied by the presence of these boxes, as they might be encouraged to play with the box, e.g. by turning the box by means of the at least one handling section into animals, vehicles, symbols or some rather fantastic forms.
The provision of at least two layers of the flat material at the location where the at least one handling section is present and, at the same time, the provision of the at least one handling section only in the outer layers of the flat material, such that at least the inner layer of the flat material remains intact and seals off the volume defined by the dispenser housing at the location where the at least one handling section is present such that the dispenser can be used as a fully operational dispenser when the at least one handling section is folded out, leads to a situation in which the dispenser even with at least one folded out handling section remains fully closed at the location where the at least one handling section is situated.
In particular, the intact wall at the at least one handling section is important when young children play with the box or grip the box in order to dispense a tissue towel, in particular for cleaning their hands, as the hands may already be soiled. Because at least the innermost layer of the flat material remains intact, any contact with the contents of the dispenser housing, in particular with the tissue papers received within the volume of the dispenser housing, can be avoided. This further improves the handling of the dispenser, in particular by small children, as the small children can grip the dispenser at almost any position, in particular at the folded out handling section, without soiling or contaminating the tissue paper inside the dispenser housing.
The dispenser can also be easily held and used by small children because they can easily grip the at least one handling section. In this respect it has to be considered that the hand span of a small child is far too small to design a dispenser with suitable outer dimensions, as it would not hold a sufficient number of tissue paper products. Accordingly, the solution provided by the at least one handling section is a unique solution for enabling small children to grip a dispenser safely.
In order to further improve the visual and haptic attractiveness of the dispenser, the at least one handling section may be ornamentally shaped, in particular to resemble parts of animals, flowers, vehicles, symbols or any other suitable designs. This might attract small children even more to using the dispenser.
It is further preferred that the at least one handling section includes a holder portion for holding material, such as pens, telephones, notes, toys or similar materials. The holder portion may be formed in the form of a hole through which the materials can be inserted or in the form of a pocket into which the materials can be inserted.
In order to further improve the handling characteristics of the dispenser, at least two handling sections may be present in different walls, for example in opposite walls, of the dispenser. By means of two handling sections it is even more facilitated for a young child to grip and hold the dispenser for dispensing tissue paper.
The dispenser may be defined by at least n main walls, having full panels, and at least one composite wall, having at least two flaps, wherein the flat material comprises at least n+1 full panels, and at least two full panels overlap at the location where the at least one handling section is present. N is a natural number, without the 0, i.e. (1, 2, 3, . . . ) (positive integers).
The term “full panel” is intended to mean a panel which has the same size as the respective main wall of the dispenser. In other words, the full panel defines a full wall of the respective dispenser.
The term “composite wall” is intended to mean a wall which is composed of at least two flaps, which may either overlap or abut upon one another. In other words, the respective flaps are smaller than the full composite wall of the dispenser.
The term “flap” is intended to define a piece of flat material which is smaller than a full panel or may even have the same size.
By means of the provision of a dispenser having at least n main walls with full panels and having n+1 full panels in the flat material such that at least two full panels overlap at the position where the at least one handling section is present, it can be ensured that the at least one handling section can be shaped in the outer layers of the flat material in any form covering the full panel.
In particular, when providing a dispenser in this form, the at least one handling section may extend substantially across the entire outer panel, wherein it is still ensured that the innermost layer of the flat material remains intact and the volume defined within the dispenser housing is fully closed and protects the contents received within the volume defined by the dispenser housing at the location where the at least one handling section is present when the at least one handling section is fully folded out.
In a situation in which the dispenser comprises at least one composite wall having at least two flaps, at least two flaps may overlap at the location where the at least one handling section is present, such that it is possible to keep the volume defined by the dispenser housing completely closed even if the at least one handling section is fully folded out.
It is to be understood that the at least two layers of the flat material at the location where the at least one handling section is situated can be provided by means of any overlap between two full panels, two flaps, a flap and a full panel, or any other suitable combinations wherein for the function of the dispenser it is irrelevant which of the elements forms the innermost layer and which forms the outer layers. Of course, more than two elements can overlap in order to form the at least two layers at the location where the at least one handling section is present, in particular two flaps and a full panel, or any other suitable combinations of elements.
In order to be in a position to dispense tissue paper from the dispenser housing, a dispensing opening may be defined in the flat material in a form according to which all layers of the flat material can be removed at the location where the dispensing opening is situated. In other words, the dispenser can be fully opened at the dispensing opening such that access to the volume defined inside the dispenser housing can be gained.
In order to achieve improved handling characteristics, the dispensing opening may be situated in a wall different from the wall in which the at least one handling section is situated. By means of this geometry it is possible for a young child to hold the dispenser in an upright position and, at the same time, withdraw paper from the inside of the dispenser through the dispensing opening. From an ergonomic point of view, it is preferable to provide the at least one handling section in a wall that is substantially perpendicular to the wall in which the dispensing opening is situated.
The at least one handling section may be integral with at least one of the outer layers of the flat material in order to provide a reliable connection between the dispenser and the at least one handling section.
The at least one handling section may be provided in the outer layers of the flat material by means of a line of weakness, in particular a punched line of weakness or a perforation, which enables the outer layers to be folded out from a wall of the dispenser. If the line of weakness is provided in more than one outer layers, the resulting handling sections can be folded out into the same direction or could also be folded out into different directions, leading to a situation in which at least two different handling sections are located substantially at the same location in a wall of the dispenser.
The at least one handling section may be part of a panel or flap of the flat material of the dispenser housing in order to provide an integral connection between the at least one handling section and the remaining dispenser housing.
At the overlap of the two layers of the flat material, in particular the overlap of at least two full panels or at least two flaps, the different layers may be glued or adhered to one another, except at the location where the at least one handling section is present. However, when the at least one handling section is provided by more than one layer of the flat material, these layers may also be glued or adhered to one another.
In order to further improve the handling of the dispenser, a gripping section may be present at the at least one handling section. The gripping section is intended to enable easy gripping of the at least one handling section in order to fold out the at least one handling section from the respective wall of the dispenser. A gripping section may be provided in the form of a cut-out in the outer layers of the flat material, in the form of a specifically shaped outer contour of the at least one handling section or by means of an external gripping means.
In order to further vary the optical appearance of the dispenser, the shape of the at least one handling section can be chosen such that a pop-up effect is achieved when folding out the at least one handling section. In other words, the at least one handling section automatically pops up from the respective wall of the dispenser housing by means of a specifically shaped layout.
In another optically appealing form, a text may be situated behind the flat material of the at least one handling section when the at least one handling section is not yet folded out, such that when folding out the at least one handling section, the text may be viewed by a user.
In the dispenser housing, a stack or roll of tissue paper may be situated in the volume defined by the dispenser housing in order to be dispensed from this volume. It is preferred to dispense facial tissue paper, handkerchiefs, napkins, kitchen paper or tissue paper towels, in dry or wet form, from the dispenser but any other dispensable tissue paper product can likewise be dispensed. In case a wet tissue paper product is to be dispensed, the respective stack or roll of papers is preferably enclosed in a plastic envelope in order to maintain the moisture of the paper and to avoid contact with the cardboard material of the dispenser housing.
According to another solution to the above objective, a method for manufacturing a dispenser as described above is disclosed, wherein the method comprises at least the steps of providing a flat material having at least one overlapping pair of flaps and/or one overlapping pair of full panels, providing a line of weakness in the outer layer of the overlapping layers in order to define the at least one handling section, and folding the flat material such that a dispenser housing is achieved wherein the flat material overlaps at the location where the at least one handling section is provided such that when folding out the at least one handling section from the dispenser housing, the dispenser housing remains fully closed and seals off the volume defined by the dispenser housing at the location where the at least one handling section is present such that the dispenser can be used as a fully operational dispenser.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The embodiments will be discussed in more detail below, with reference to the Figures, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a dispenser, the dispenser having handling sections in the form of the ears and the tail of an animal, in particular of a lion;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the layout of the flat material used for providing the dispenser according to FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is another dispenser in a schematic perspective view with a handling section in the form of the legs of a centipede, wherein more than one dispenser may be coupled to form an animal;

FIG. 4 is the schematic view of the layout of the flat material forming a single dispenser according to FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of a dispenser having handling sections in the form of the petals of a flower, extending over more than one wall of the dispenser;

FIG. 6 is a schematic layout of the flat material forming the dispenser according to FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 are schematic perspective views of two different dispensers in which hidden text comes to view when the respective handling section is folded out;

FIG. 8 shows in a perspective schematic view a dispenser having a handling section including a holder portion for pens or toys;

FIG. 9 is a dispenser in a schematic perspective view having a handling section which can be used to hang the dispenser; and

FIG. 10 is another schematic view of a dispenser having a specifically formed dispensing opening comprising handling sections in the form of the petals of a flower.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

In the following, different embodiments of the present disclosure will be described by reference to the attached Figures. Identical or similar features will be denoted by the same reference numerals and repeated description thereof may be omitted, in order to reduce redundancies.
FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a dispenser 1 for dispensing tissue paper from an inner volume defined by the dispenser housing 10. Dispensing the tissue paper may take place through a dispensing opening 2 in the top wall of the dispenser housing 10. The dispenser housing 10 is made from a flat material, in this case from a flat cardboard material.
Generally speaking, the dispenser housing is provided in the form of a cardboard box which may have several different outer walls, in particular two side walls, a top wall, a bottom wall, a front wall and a rear wall. The dispenser housing 10 is, in the Figures shown and described herein, given in a cube-form, or a bar-form, but might have any other suitable forms of a parallelepiped or even spherical or pyramidal shapes.
Inside the dispenser housing 10 tissue paper is contained which can be distributed by means of the dispenser housing and can be dispensed directly from the dispenser housing 10.
In order to improve the handling of the dispenser 1 for small children, the dispenser 1 has handling sections 30, 32 and 34, which can be folded out from a wall of the dispenser housing. The two handling sections 30, 32, which resemble the ears of a lion, are provided on opposite sides of the dispenser housing 10 and are situated substantially plane symmetrical with respect to a plane extending through the “nose” of the lion.
The third handling section 34, which resembles the tail of the lion, is situated in a wall of the dispenser housing 10 which is perpendicular to the walls of the dispenser housing 10 in which the first and second handling sections 30, 32 are provided.
The dispenser housing 10 has four walls 12, 14, 16, 18 which are made from full panels. The term “full panel” means that the flat material extends over the whole extension of the respective walls without being interrupted.
Two walls 20, 22 of the dispenser housing 10 are provided as composite walls, meaning that at least two flaps which are not full panel size are present in the respective walls, or, in other words, the material of the respective walls 20, 22 is interrupted at least once.
When considering the layout of the dispenser shown in FIG. 2 it becomes apparent that at the locations where the at least one handling section 30, 32, 34 are present, at least two layers of flat material is situated. In particular, at the location where the at least one handling section 34, namely the tail of the lion, is present, an additional panel 19 is present, which will be situated below panel 16. Both panels 19 and 16 are full panels. It becomes immediately apparent that, even though the finally manufactured dispenser 1 shown in FIG. 1 has four main walls 12, 14, 16, 18 which are made by full panels, the actual layout 100 has actually five full panels, namely full panels 19, 14, 12, 18, 16, as shown in FIG. 2.
By means of the overlap of panels 19 and 16 at the location where the at least one handling section 34 is present, wherein full panel 16, which carries the at least one handling section 34, is the outer layer and full panel 19 is the inner layer, it is possible that when folding out the at least one handling section 34 the innermost layer, namely panel 19, remains intact, such that the volume defined inside the finally manufactured dispenser housing 10 in FIG. 1 remains closed.
The at least one handling section 34 is defined in the panel 16 by means of a weakening line 4, which is provided either by punching or by the provision of a perforation in the flat material.
As to the composite walls 20 and 22, the layout 100 in FIG. 2 shows several flaps 200, 202, 204, 206, 220, 222, 224 and 226, which provide, in combination, the respective composite walls 20 and 22 in the finally manufactured dispenser 1 according to FIG. 1. As flaps 200, 202, 204, 206 and flaps 220, 222, 224 and 226 are substantially symmetrical with respect to a central line of the layout 100, we will discuss only one composite wall, namely composite wall 20, in the following. The features for composite wall 22 are substantially identical.
In flap 200 of the composite wall 20, the at least one handling section 30 is present and is defined by means of a weakening line 4. Flap 200 partly overlaps with flap 204.
Flaps 202 and 206 are aligned substantially perpendicular to the direction of flaps 200 and 204 in the final dispenser housing 10.
The flap 200, which carries the at least one handling section 30, is situated on the outermost layer of composite wall 20.
Flap 202 is situated in the final dispenser housing 10 behind the location where the at least one handling section 30 is provided, such that at least at the at least one handling section 30 two layers of material are provided by flap 200 and flap 202.
The term “behind” is to be understood relative to the appearance of the dispenser from the outside. Accordingly, “behind” simply means that the respective section is present in a layer of material that is situated more to the inside of the container and which is covered by another layer of material which is situated more to the outside.
However, only the outermost layer, namely flap 200 with the at least one handling section 30, is defined such that the at least one handling section 30 can be folded out. Because flap 202 is present behind the at least one handling section 30, the volume of the dispenser housing 10 remains closed even if the at least one handling section 30 is folded out.
In order to provide easy folding-out of the respective handling sections 30, 32, 34, it is clear that an adhesive between the outer layer carrying the respective handling section and the respective inner layer of the flat material should not be present. However, it is desired that all other overlapping sections are fully, or at least partly, adhered to one another in order to increase the mechanical stability of the dispenser. This can be achieved, for example, by printing an adhesive along the outer contours of the respective handling sections or even by line application of the adhesive between the respective layers.
As can be seen from the layout 100 shown in FIG. 2, the flat material has five full panels 19, 14, 12, 18, 16, whereas the dispenser 1 according to FIG. 1 has only four main walls 12, 14, 16, 18. Accordingly, even though the dispenser 1 has n main walls, the flat material comprises at least n+1 full panels in order to provide for a second layer of material at the location where a handling section is present.
It should be noted that full panels and flaps can also be combined in an overlapping manner such as to provide the two layers which are necessary at the location where the at least one handling section is present. In such a case of an overlap of a full panel and a flap, either the full panel or the flap can be situated on the outside to carry the at least one handling section.
In order to be in a position to properly dispense tissue paper from the dispenser 1, wherein the tissue paper is received in a volume defined by the dispenser housing 10, a dispensing opening 2 may be present in one of the walls of the dispenser housing 10. In the dispenser shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the dispensing opening is present in main wall 14, but could, of course, also be present in any other wall, flap or panel according to the needs of the respective design.
In order to achieve proper dispensing, the dispensing opening 2 is provided in such a way that full access to the volume defined by the dispenser housing 10 can be gained. In other words, the flat material, which is situated at the location where the dispensing opening 2 is present, can be fully removed such as to gain full access to the interior of the dispenser housing 10.
The at least one handling section 30, 32, 34 are defined in the respective panels by means of weakening lines 4. In other words, the at least one handling section are provided integrally with the flat material of the dispenser housing 10 and, in particular, not as separate parts. In order to achieve a proper and reliable connection between the at least one handling section 30, 32, 34 and the remaining dispenser housing 10, the weakening lines 4 are provided as open figures only, the line of weakness 4 having two ends 40, 42 which are spaced apart from one another. Between the two ends 40, 42 of the weakening line 4, intact material 44 is provided which serves as a folding line. In other words, the at least one handling section cannot be removed fully from the respective panel or flap of the dispenser housing 10 but at least the intact material 44 situated between the two ends 40, 42 of the line of weakness 4 connects the at least one handling section securely to the remaining dispenser.
In order to support a user while folding out the at least one handling section 30, 32, 34 and, subsequently, to brake the flat material at the weakening line 4, gripping sections 5 are preferably present at the at least one handling section.
In the case of the two handling sections 30, 32 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the respective gripping sections 5 are provided in the form of a rather D-shaped punch-out in the respective outer layer flaps 200, 220, which also carry the at least one handling section 30, 32. The gripping section 5 and, thus, the punch-out is not, however, present in the underlying layers, in this case in flaps 202 or 222, such that the volume of the dispenser housing still remains fully closed at the location where the at least one handling section 30, 32 and the gripping sections 5 are provided.
In the case of the at least one handling section 34, which substantially extends across the whole width of full panel 16, the gripping section 5 is provided in the form of an overhanging/projecting portion of the at least one handling section 34 itself, which does not have any material provided around it.
A further gripping section 5 is also present at the dispensing opening 2 in order to help the user opening the dispensing opening 2.
FIGS. 3 and 4 pertain to another embodiment of a dispenser, wherein in this embodiment only two handling sections are provided, and an overlapping full panel as in the previous embodiment is not provided. In other words, the at least one handling section is provided at a location where at least two flaps overlap.
According to the layout shown in FIG. 4, it becomes apparent that in place of the full panel 19 in the previous embodiments, a rather small gluing flap 240 is provided, which enables the full panels 12, 14, 16, 18 to be securely connected with one another.
The at least one handling section 30, 32 are provided in a manner such that the underlying panels 200, 204 provide for a full closure of the volume at the location where the at least one handling section are provided, even if the at least one handling section 30 and 32 are folded out. The gripping section 5 is provided in a form such that it can be easily gripped from the outside, i.e. by means of a protruding form of the respective handling sections.
The dispensers 1 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 can be coupled to one another, e.g. by means of a string, e.g. taped or glued to the bottom of the dispenser housing, in order to connect several dispensers 1 to resemble for example a centipede or a train when connected.
Naturally, this option of connecting several dispensers with one another in order to provide an appealing design for small children is also possible for all other embodiments shown herein.
FIGS. 5 and 6 pertain to yet another embodiment of a dispenser 1 in which, according to FIG. 5, the layout of the flat material is divided into two different portions, indicated by reference numerals 102 and 104.
Two handling sections 300 and 302 are present in this embodiment, substantially in the form of a flower, which can be folded out from the sidewalls of the dispenser 1.
As will be appreciated from FIG. 6, six full panels are provided, namely panels 120, 140, 160 and 180, which are visible from the outside, and panels 190 and 195, which are provided as a second layer below the panels 120, 160 when the dispenser housing 10 is fully manufactured.
It becomes immediately apparent that, even though the dispenser housing 10 in its finally manufactured state comprises only four main walls having full panels, namely panels 120, 140, 160 and 180, the layout shown in FIG. 6 has six full panels, namely additionally panels 190 and 195. Accordingly, even though the dispenser has n main walls, the layout of the flat material comprises n+2 full panels.
In this embodiment the flaps 200, 202, 204, 206 and 220, 222, 224 and 226 are used to provide composite walls 20, 22.
The section of a printed region 6 is such that a print is present in the at least one handling section 300, 302 as well as in a section of the panel 140, which is, however, not folded out. Nevertheless, in the folded-out state of the at least one handling section 300, 302, the print 6 provided on the folded out portions and on the panel combines to provide a full image, in this case the image of a flower.
By means of the layout shown in FIG. 6, it becomes immediately apparent that at the locations where the at least one handling section 300, 302 are present, a second layer of material by means of panels 190, 195 is present, such that even if the at least one handling section 300, 302 are fully folded out, the volume defined by the dispenser housing is still intact and fully closed at the location of these sections.
FIG. 7 shows two embodiments of a dispenser 1 with a handling section 30 which can be folded out. Print 60 is provided on the respective lower layers such that when folding out the at least one handling section 30 from the respective wall of the dispenser 1, the text that was hidden by the at least one handling section 30 can be viewed.
In the embodiment of FIG. 8, a dispenser is shown, in which the at least one handling section 30 comprises holder portions 7 which are intended to receive, for example, pens, mobile phones, other office material or toys. This embodiment is particularly suitable for providing additional functionalities of the dispenser, in particular when it is to be used in an office environment.
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, the at least one handling section 30, 32 can be used as a means for hanging the dispenser in a desired location.
The embodiment of FIG. 10 pertains to a dispenser 1 in which the at least one handling section 30 is provided around the dispensing opening, such that the at least one handling section 30 can be folded up around the dispensing opening, here substantially in the form of the petals of a flower. This embodiment is particularly useful when small children want to grip the dispenser 1 and, at the same time, withdraw tissue paper, as it intuitively leads the small children towards the dispensing opening.
The embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 to 10 can be combined in one way or another, such that it is not intended to limit the scope of protection to the specific layouts and designs shown in these Figures.
In order to manufacture a dispenser in the form as shown in one of the FIGS. 1 to 10, it is necessary to provide a flat material and to provide the flat material with a weakening line in order to define a handling section. Sufficient flat material has to be provided for, such that when folding the dispenser housing from the flat material, at least two layers of flat material are present at the location where the at least one handling section is present, such that, when folding out the at least one handling section, the remaining dispenser housing remains fully closed.

Claims

1. Dispenser for dispensing tissue paper, the dispenser comprising a dispenser housing having a plurality of walls each of which is at an angle to an adjacent one of the walls, the dispenser housing being made from a flat material, the dispenser having at least one handling section adapted to be folded out from a respective one of the walls of the dispenser housing, such that each of the at least one handling section is folded out from only one of the walls of the dispenser housing, the dispenser housing having at least two layers of the flat material including an innermost layer and a parallel outer layer, the innermost layer including an inner surface facing an interior of the dispenser and an opposite outer surface facing away from the interior of the dispenser, the outer layer being in direct contact with the outer surface of the innermost layer at a location where the at least one handling section is situated, wherein the at least one handling section is present in the outer layer of the flat material only, and the at least one handling section is only partially removed from the one wall of the dispenser housing when the at least one handling section is folded out such that a part of the at least one handling section remains intact with the one wall of the dispenser housing, and such that the at least one handling section forms a cut-out section in the outer layer of the flat material and at least the innermost layer of the flat material behind the cut-out section remains intact at the location where the at least one handling section is situated and seals off a volume defined by the dispenser housing at the location where the at least one handling section is situated such that the dispenser is adapted to be used as a fully operational dispenser when the at least one handling section is folded out,

wherein a dispensing opening is defined in the flat material, such that tissue paper can be removed at the dispensing opening,

wherein the dispenser further comprises a stack or roll of tissue paper in the volume defined by the dispenser housing.

2. Dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the at least one handling section is ornamentally shaped.

3. Dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the at least one handling section includes a holder portion for holding material.

4. Dispenser according claim 1, wherein at least two handling sections are present in different, walls of the dispenser housing.

5. Dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the dispenser is defined by at least n main walls having full panels and at least one composite wall having at least two flaps, wherein the flat material comprises at least n+1 full panels and at least two full panels overlap at the location where the at least one handling section is situated.

6. Dispenser according to claim 5, wherein the at least one handling section extends substantially across the entire outer full panel.

7. Dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the dispenser comprises at least one composite wall having at least two flaps, wherein at least two flaps overlap at the location where the at least one handling section is situated.

8. Dispenser according to claim 1, wherein at least one handling section and the dispensing opening are situated in different walls of the dispenser.

9. Dispenser according to claim 1, wherein at least one handling section and the dispensing opening are situated in the same wall of the dispenser.

10. Dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the at least one handling section is integral with the flat material.

11. Dispenser according to claim 10, wherein the at least one handling section is defined by a line of weakness being shaped in an open shape having two ends, wherein between the two ends a section of material remains intact.

12. Dispenser according to claim 9, wherein the at least one handling section is defined in the flat material by a line of weakness.

13. Dispenser according to claim 5, wherein, at the overlap, the at least two layers are attached to one another, and wherein, at the overlap, the at least two layers are not attached to one another at the location where the at least one handling section is present.

14. Dispenser according to claim 1, wherein print is provided on the dispenser housing at the at least one handling section or behind the at least one handling section on the layer of the flat material which remains intact.

15. Dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the at least one handling section comprises a gripping section to enable a user to easily fold out the at least one handling section.

16. Dispenser according to claim 15, wherein the gripping section is provided in the form of a protrusion of the at least one handling section or in the form of a cut-out and/or punch-out in the layer in which the at least one handling section is provided, in order to enable a user to grip the at least one handling section.

17. Dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the at least one handling section is adapted to pop out from the wall of the dispenser when a user grips it.

18. Dispenser according to claim 1, wherein at least two handling sections are present which have outer shapes which are different from one another.

19. Method for manufacturing a dispenser according to claim 1, including the steps of:

providing a flat material;

providing the flat material with a line of weakness to define the at least one handling section;

providing a dispensing opening in the flat material, such that tissue paper can be removed at the dispensing opening;

shaping the flat material such that when forming the dispenser housing, at least two layers of flat material are present at the location where the at least one handling section is present, such that when folding out the at least one handling section from the dispenser housing, the dispenser housing remains fully closed and seals off the volume defined by the dispenser housing at the location where the at least one handling section is present such that the dispenser can be used as a fully operational dispenser; and

including a stack or roll of tissue paper in the volume defined by the dispenser housing.

20. Dispenser according to claim 1, the dispenser housing being made from a cardboard material.

21. Dispenser according to claim 4, wherein at least two handling sections are present in opposite walls of the dispenser housing.

22. Dispenser according to claim 12, wherein the at least one handling section is defined in the flat material by a line of weakness by punching or perforating a part of a panel or a flap.

23. Method according to claim 19, wherein only too layers of flat material are present at the location where the at least one handling section is present.