US3160337A - Cellulosic product - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 8, 1964 Filed Feb. 8, 1960 H. N- NELSON CELLULOSIC PRODUCT 5 Sheets-Sheet l Dec. 8, 1964 H. N. NELSON 3,160,337

CELLULOSIC PRODUCT Filed Feb. 8, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 1/1 F f M \I/ Dec. 8, 1964 Filed Feb. 8, 1960 H. N NELSON CELLULOSIC PRODUCT I M HIIHIIHWI III'HII A 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 United States Patent 3,168,337 (ZELLULQEEE PRUDUCT Howard N. Nelson, Neenah, Wis, assignor to Kimberly- Clark Corporation, Neenah, Wis, a corporation of Delaware v Filed Feb. 8, 1960, Ser. No. 7,167 1 illaim. (Ci. 225-32) This invention relates to tissue dispensing cartons and in particular to an improved opening for the individual dispensing of inter-folded tissues.

A primary object of the invention is to provide an improved opening in the top panel of a tissue carton, the location, configuration and dimensions of which are related to the carton dimensions and to the dimensions of inter-folded tissues contained therein in a manner to insure uniform dispensing of all of the canton contained tissues.

Another object is to provide, in a carton for interfolded and lightly inter-bonded tissues, an improved dispensing opening marginally of the top panel of the carton so dimensioned and of such configuration as to insure optimum sequential feeding of inter-bonded tissues immediately trailing those severed as dispensed, regardless of the number of tissues remaining in the carton.

A further object is to provide an improved carton dispensing opening for the individual dispensing of partially severed but lightly inter-bonded and inter-folded facial tissues, the location, configuration and dimensions of which insure optimum individual dispensing of all the come apparent to persons skilled in the art upon examination of the drawings and description, the scope of the invention being defined in the appended claim.

In the drawings, in which like parts are defined by the same reference numeral,

FIGURE 1 shows in perspective a tissue carton incorporating the inventive concept with a portionof the front panel broken away and showing tissues as positioned by previous tissue "extraction and ready for subsequent dispensing,

FIGURE 2 shows in "plan view the top panel 'of the carton of FIGURE 1 with a perforation defined panel which upon removal provides a dispensing opening incorporating the invention,

FIGURE 3 is a vertical section taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 1 and illustrating leading and trailing tissues as positioned by a previous dispensing operation,

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 3 illustrating the next tissue dispensing operation with the tissue train drawn from the opposite side of the carton, and

FIGURE 5 is similar "to FIGURE 3 illustrating tissue dispensing from the carton with only a few tiss'uesremaining to 'be dispensed.

The provision of a suitable dispensing opening for a carton containing inter-folded and lightly inter-bonded facial tissues (of the type popularized over many years past by Kimberly-Clark Corporation and sold under the trademark Kleenex) may appear to the casual observer to involve nothing beyond design choice. However, the involved factors are quite complex, and over many years past a very substantial amount of research and experimental effort has been directed to the solution of the problems involved. Many different types of dispenser openings have been designed and tested, and those in current use, which vary widely in configuration, size, and location, are familiar to users of facial tissues.

Many openings directed to a solution of the complex dispensing problems above mentioned are found in the 3,160,337 Patented Dec. 8, 1964 patented art, and some of those patents have expired. The following factors govern the operational characteristics of carton openings for inter-folded tissues connected by interrupted transverse severance lines to provide easily torn inter-bonds. An opening, to be effective, must be capable of satisfactory operation, not only during initial dispensing with the carton substantially filled with interfolded tissues, but for the entire period of use during which the enclosed stack of inter-folded tissues gradually diminishes, and especially when only a few tissues remain at the bottom of the canton. While dispensing containers of metal or other materials which enclose the carton are available, it is the more common practice for a user to dispense tissues directly from the paperboard carton in which they are sold and which is normally placed on a table or similar supporting surface. There exists a varying relation during use between the Weight of the carton and the weight of the stack of inter-folded tissues therein. A satisfactory dispenser opening must insure substantially uniform dispensing during first use when the tissue weight exceeds the weight of the carton and, during final use when the weight of the carton is substantially greater than the tissues contained therein.

The bond strength of inter-folded tissues is carefully controlled by the manufacturer, and satisfactory dispensing is obtained only when suflicient retractive forces are introduced at the opening to insure optimum withdrawal of trailing tissues and ultimate severance of the bonds between successive panels formed by spaced transverse interrupted lines of perforation which divide the sheets into individual panels. The dispensing opening must be of a s ze and configuration to impose sufiicient frictional resistance on trailing sheets to insure clean sheet severance at "the proper time during a dispensing operation.

As taught by expired Gresenz Patent 1,935,905 a dis-' ing a center slot opening short of the carton side Wall to provide a degree of friction-imparting constriction of the dispensed sheets adjacent one margin thereof. That concept gradually evolved into the common practice of terminating both ends of dispensing openings short of the carton margins. Most, if not all of-the currently employed openings are of a configuration allowing some marginal constrictiono'f dispensed sheets. While the center opening of Gresenz Patent 1,935,905 has proved quite satisfactory for use with rather shallow cartons, such as those "used to package 200 inter-folded tissue sheets, such openings fail to function satisfactorily when used on "deeper cartons such as those used to package 400 sheets of inter-folded tissues. When more than half of the tissues are dispensed from the deeper cartons there exists a strong tendency for trailing tissues, which rise first from one side "of the stack and then from the opposite side and upwardly through the opening, 'to fall back by their own weight into the carton. Such objectionablefall-back presents major problems'in the design of dispensing openings for 'all but the shallow type cartons. Certain inherent characteristics of centrally disposed slot type openings are not objectionable in shallow cartons but become objectionable as the carton depth increases.

Certain advantages are gained by positioning an elongate dispensing opening laterally of the carton top wall and adjacent a side wall thereof instead of in the central portion of the top wall. Some of those advantages are broadly taughtby expired Gresenz Patent 2,118,380, both of said patents being assigned to a corporation which was then owned by and is now merged with applicants assignee.

Applicants invention incorporates the known concept of transversely restricting the tissue sheets as dispensed ea or plus the concept of dispensing them from a laterally positioned opening. However, the improved opening herein taught goes far beyond the Gresenz teachings effectively to eliminate certain inherent disadvantages of the opening of Patent 2,118,380 which, from a practical standpoint, was discontinued after substantial production and sale by applicants assignee.

Gresenz Patent 2,118,380 discloses an elongate opening positioned laterally of and extending along a very substantial portion of the carton length, and including a substantial portion extending downwardly of the carton side wall to facilitate manual withdrawal of a plurality of tissues in stacked form. As stated at the bottom of column 1, page 1 of that patent, the optimum dimension of the innermost linear portion of the top wall opening is 4%" for a carton of length. In addition thereto, the top opening is gradually tapered by lines of perforation toward each end of the carton to join slits 11 which curve laterally to the top margin of the side wall to define wedge-like notches at each end of the opening. The notches formed by lines of perforation 10 and slits 11 determine the total length of the dispensing slot, and while the exact overall length is not given, the total length of the opening is 6% for a 10" total box length, that dimension being taken from a production carton from which the draftsman prepared the Gresenz patent drawings. Dimensions evident from the patent drawings, and particularly from FIG. 2, support such a dimension with relation to the overall slot length as compared to the carton length. Thus the dispensing opening of Gresenz patent 2,118,380 extends, from end to end, over 67.5% of the total carton length.

While that opening is of an optimum width (not substantially greater than one-quarter of the carton width),

it has been found that dispensing from all tissue stack levels is substantially improved when the opening is substantially shortened in respect to the patent teaching to provide what has been found to be an optimum ratio between length and width for such a laterally disposed dispensing slot. There was also some tendency for the slotlike ends of the Gresenz opening to prevent proper dispensing when tissues were pulled out from a position toward the ends of the carton, since trailing tissues were often wedged therein during such extraction. Since the opening extends substantially down into the side wall of the carton as well as along a lateral portion of the top Wall, resulting weakening of the carton sometimes caused partial destruction thereof during use, especially since paperboard of the type used has been substantially reduced in thickness and weight since the issuance of Patent 2,118,380 in 1938, due to the highly competitive nature of facial tissues.

As best shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, a carton 10, which may be of light weight paperboard stock, is provided with a dispensing opening 12 incorporating the concepts herein taught. Opening 12 is formed in a known manner by perforating the top panel 14 in a manner to define the size and shape of the ultimate opening. The perforation path includes a linear portion 16 in parallel spaced relation to a side of front wall 18 and inwardly of the carton top wall 14 a distance of about one-quarter of the total top wall width. Each end of linear portion 16 leads smoothly outwardly at 20 to the top edge of front wall 18 to join an, interconnecting line of perforation 22 extending along the top edge of front wall 18 to provide substantially semi-circular margins at each end of an elongate slot of uniform width.

The portion of top wall 14 thus outlined to provide the opening is securely maintained in place to protect the contents until ready for use, but is readily torn from carton 10 to expose the contents of inter-folded and stacked tissues housed therein. It is common practice to employ a carton which is somewhat deeper than the enclosed tissue stack to allow for expansion of the stack during storage and to facilitate proper dispensing from d the carton which may be rendered diificult if the tissue sheets therein are under compression.

Opening 12 is substantially shorter than the Gresenz opening, the optimum length being not more and preferably slightly less than one-half the total length of carton 10, whereas the Gresenz opening extends over 67.5 of the carton length.

Applicants shortened opening, coupled with the provision of substantially semi-circular end margins in place of gradually tapering end portions terminating in slots as taught by the prior art results in greatly improved dispensing. Known inter-folded tissues of the type to be dispensed consist of a train comprising two continuous sheets with each sheet divided into a sequence of rectangular panels by transverse lines of interrupted perforation. One sheet leads the other by half a panel and the panels are center and end folded in a manner to position folds along the perforation lines of one sheet to be enclosed by a center-fold panel of the other sheet. The perforations form relatively weak inter-panel bonds there- .between which are easily broken during the dispensing tween the two sheets, proper feeding through a carton opening must cause the trailing half of the leading sheet frictionally to engage the leading half of the trailing sheet to be pulled upwardly into an exposed position before the bonds of the leading panel are broken. Since the inter- -panel bonds are relatively weak, proper dispensing is dependent upon the maintenance of sufiicient frictional resistance during a dispensing operation, between the trailing half of the leading sheetand the leading half of the trailing sheet to isolate the leading panel bonds from the dispensing force until the leading panel sheet proper- 1y positions the trailing panel sheet above the opening, at which position the inter-panel friction imposed by constriction during passage of the two sheets through the opening diminishes to the point that dispensing forces are imparted to the bonds of the leading panel to result in their rupture. The trailing panel has then assumed the position formerly assumed by the detached panel, and the cycle is repeated. The upward feeding of the double sheet train through a dispensing opening occurs sequentially,

first from one folded margin of the stack and then from the opposite folded margin thereof. Regardless of which margin is involved, however, the trailing half of the forwardmost panel frictionally must engage the leading half of a trailing panel sufficiently to insure that the trailing panel is brought about half way through the dispensing opening before rupture of the bonds of the leading panel to prevent fall-back of the trailing panel, and sometimes fall-back of both panels into the carton.

A correlation exists between the optimum magnitude of retractive forces imposed by the constrictive function of an opening, the strength of the inter-panel bonds, and size of the sheets to be dispensed. The present opening has been especially designed for inter-folded tissues the panels of which are connected by bonds requiring a severing force of about 67 gms. for a sheet size requiring a paperboard carton 10" long and 4 /2 wide. The teachings herein are equally applicable to inter-folded tissues of varying size and bond strength by employment of proper dimensional selection on a proportionate basis.

FIGURE 3 illustrates the general configuration assumed by a substantial stack of inter-folded tissues during dispensing thereof. The forward panel of the leading sheet is shown at 24, about one-half of the panel extending above the carton, and the forward margin of the trailing panel is shown at 26 extending slightly through opening 12, the double sheet tissue train 28 having been fed through opening 12 from the right side of the carton as viewed. Tissue train 28 will be next fed from the left side of the carton. Upon completion of a subsequent dispensing operation the tissue train assumes substantially the position shown in FIG. 4, and the train is next dispensed from the right side of the carton, FIGURE illustrates dispensing from the left side of the carton when only a few tissues remain therein.

As shown in FIGS. 3 through 5, a substantial throating of the tissue train occurs during its passage through the dispensing opening, and as best shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the panel train is guided by semi-circular end portions 20 to assume a circular fold throughout substantial marginal portions thereof.

Due to the manner in which the tissues are inter-folded to form the stack, trailing panels drawn through the opening sequentially appear on alternate sides of the leading panel. As shown in FIG. 1, the front margin 30 of a trailing panel is shown in contiguous engagement with the forward side of the leading panel as viewed. A subsequent dispensing operation draws the next trailing panel through the opening along the back side of the leading panel as viewed. Regardless of which side of the leading j panel frictionally engages the trailing panel during passage through the opening, the semi-circular end margins thereof direct both the leading and trailing panels into a C- shaped configuration, with substantial marginal portions of the panels thus brought into substantial pressure engagement. An important feature of the invention resides in the fact that since the opening does not exceed onehalf the carton length the dispensed sheets are transversely constricted to about one-half their stacked width as they pass through the opening. This degree of transverse restriction, which is accomplished ina smooth manner due especially to the semi-circular end margins of the opening, imparts substantial frictional resistance to the contiguous panel portions thereof to prevent premature breaking of the panel bonds during dispensing as above described. Further, the end margins of the opening are 6 of a configuration which permits proper dispensing even when the outermost panel is pulled from a. side direction.

I claim: The combination with a tissue carton having top, bottom, side and end walls and a stack of interfolded and lightly interbonded tissues therein of a Width slightly less than the carton length, the width of said carton being not greater than one-half its length, of a dispensing opening of corona shaped configuration, said opening defined within and extending marginally along about one-half the length of said top wall and centered between the end walls, said opening having spaced parallel linear sidemargins and smoothly arcuate end margins, said opening being formed by the removal of a marginally perforated corona shaped portion of the top wall to expose the top edge of the adjacent side wall which forms the outer side margin, the inner side margin comprising a linear edge extending longitudinally of the top wall and spaced inwardly of the exposed side wall edge approximately one quarter of the width of the top wall, said end margins extending outwardly from said inner side margin to the exposed side wall edge in substantially semicircular configuration to complete said corona configuration, the removal of said perforated top wall portion resulting in serrated edges marginally of the opening, whereby in-' dividual interfolded and lightly interbonded tissues may be sequentially withdrawn through said opening from alternate sides of said carton-housed tissue stack and severed from successively trailing tissue-by the force of withdrawal operating counter to constrictive frictional forces imposed marginally of said opening on successively withdrawn trailing tissues as they are partially withdrawn through said opening by the tissue being dispensed to provide a pop-up portion readily accessible for subsequent withdrawal from the carton.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,118,380 Gresenz May 24, 1938 2,387,059 Clark Oct. 16,1945 2,626,096 Hickin Jan. 20, 1953 2,967,010 Cutfey et a1. Jan; 3, 1961

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