US3499575A - Package for dispensing moist sheets - Google Patents

Description

March 10, 1970 w. G. ROCKEFELLER 3,

PACKAGE FOR DISPENSING ,MOIST SHEETS Filed Nov. 14, 1967 INVENTOR. Wms/on G. Rockefe/ler ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3,499,575v PACKAGE FOR DISPENSING MOIST SHEETS Winston G. Rockefeller, Woodcliif Lake, N.J., assignor to Colgate-Palmolive Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware 1 Filed Nov. 14, 1967, Ser. No. 682,950

ABSTRACT OF DISCLOSURE A sealed package contains a stack of folded pre moistened flexible sheets of absorbent paper or the like disposed in a moisture resistant tray having a sealed top Opening. The individual sheets are upwardly folded over upon themselves along parallel longitudinal regions so that one side fold is wider'than the other and extends over the center of the folded unit but not so as to overlap the narrower fold,-so that when the stack is placed on a central ridge support within the tray with the folds uppermost the free or tip end of the wider fold tends to spring upward away from its sheet as each sheet is uncovered by removal of the overlying sheet.

SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND AND INVENTION The invention provides a sealed package wherein a stack of folded tissues or the like premoistened with the liquid to be applied thereby is disposed in a moistureproof container having along its bottom an upstanding central support ridge over which the entire stock is bent, so that the longer upper side fold of the uppermost sheet in the stack tends to spring and project upwardly away from the sheet for ease of extraction, and this is the major object of the invention.

Tissue dispensers are known wherein the sheets have interleaved folds as disclosed in Nystrand Patent No. 2,125,618 and Tuft Patent No. 3,028,047; and wherein Z-fold non-interleaved sheets are dispensed as in Thor Reissue Patent No. 21,398. The invention provides for the ready dispensing of non-interleaved folded moistened sheets in a manner not disclosed hitherto. The sealing of moistened paper sheets in individual packages is known, as in Williams Patent No. 3,057,467, but the art does not suggest the herein disclosed multiple packaging of a stack of premoistened sheets.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIGURE 1 is a generally perspective view showing a dispenser package according to a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged transverse section showing the arrangement and support of tissues in the package;

FIGURE 3 is a section similar to FIGURE 2 showing removal of the sealing cover for access to the tissues;

FIGURE 4 is an end view of a folded tissue;

FIGURE 5 is an end view illustrative of the pop-up action of the upper tissue in the package; and

FIGURE 6 is a generally perspective view of a bottorn support member used in the package.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The assembled package of the invention comprises a generally rectangular shallow box 11 usually of stilf cardboard having a hinged top cover 12.

Within the box is fitted a shallow tray 13 of stiff plastic or other moisture impervious material that has an open top surrounded by an external lip 14.

Where the bottom wall 15 of the tray is fiat, a support member 16 is placed in the tray bottom. This support "ice member which may be folded to' shape from a single sheet of moisture proof cardboard has a fiat bottom surface 17 resting on the tray bottom and two laterally extending flat upper surfaces 18 and 19 of the same size intersecting in a ridge 21 that extends centrally longitudinally of the tray. Support member 16 is triangular in cross-section, and its parallel side edges 22 and 23 lie in the opposite bottom side corners of the tray. 7

One of the tissues to be dispensed is shown in FIGURE 4. This tissue 25 is a single sheet 26 of paper or like moisture absorbent material vthat is upwardly and inwardly folded along parallel longitudinally extending regions 27 and 28 to provide upper fold sections 29 and 31 extending toward each other but not overlapping. Fold section 29 is wider than section 31 so that it extends past the centerline 32, as indicated in FIGURE 4. I

A plurality of moisture absorbent flexible paper tissues 25 are disposed in a stack in tray 13 with their folded regions uppermost and with the bottom tissue resting on support member 16, and the top opening of the tray is closed by a flexible sheet 34 of moisture impervious ma terial such as polyvinyl chloride tightly cemented at 33 around its interface with lip 14. The tissues within the tray are premoistened usually to saturation with the liquid to be applied by them, and usually a small amount of that liquid is placed in the tray where it collects in pools along the corners at 22 and 23, for a purpose to appear. The closure sheet 34 seals initially against evaporation of the liquid from the tray.

The liquid may comprise any desired lotion such as a skin treating or cleansing mixture or like liquid, usually volatile to a degree, that is to be applied to a surface such as the human skin. For example it may be any of the liquid treating agents disclosed in Williams Patent No. 3,057,467. Also the tissues are preferably paper of about the same type as the application paper disclosed in that patent.

As shown in FIGURE 5, which illustrates a folded tissue 25 bent according to disposition over obtuse angled ridge 21, the oifcenter nature of the fold results in a tendency of the free tip 36 of the wider fold 29 to extend at an acute angle indicated at a relative to sheet 26-. Where the sheets are stacked, as in FIGURES 1 and 2, the overlying sheets tend to bend each underlying tip 36 clockwise to closely overlie its sheet.

Tip 36 of the uppermost sheet 25 as shown in FIGURE 1, is initially held energized in bent over condition by closure 34, but as shown in FIGURE 2 as soon as closure 34 is removed tip 36 tends to spring upward to alignment with the rest of fold 29. Similarly, as each uppermost sheet 25 is withdrawn for use by the user grasping tip 36 and pulling out, the tip 36 of fold 29 of the next underlying sheet springs up for easy access.

The invention therefore provides a sealed dispensing package wherein premoistened tissues are protected against evaporation. After the closure 34 has been removed, the residual added liquid in the bottom corners of tray 13 continues to keep the stack of tissues moist for a considerable time even though the upper portion may lose some liquid by evaporation. Due to the oifcenter folding of each sheet of the stack, whereby the 'wider fold of an underlying sheet tends to spring up as the overlying sheet is removed, the sheets are merely stacked one on the other and no interleaving is necessary for convenient dispensing.

In some embodiments of the invention the body of box 11 may be a liquid impervious tray to directly hold the tissues and liquid with the closure 34 sealed across its top independently of or in place of the cover 12, and the ridge 21 may be formed by an integral upward and inward projection of the bottom wall of the box.

without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A dispensing package for premoistened paper or like flexible moisture absorbent sheets comprising a moisture resistant tray having an upwardly projecting support ridge along its bottom, a stack of said sheets in folded condition disposed in said tray overyling said ridge, and moisture resistant closure means extending across the top of said tray to seal against evaporation of the liquid With which said sheets are moistened, said sheets being non-interleaved and each individual sheet having upwardly and inwardly extending side folds of different Width with the wider fold being of suificient extent to project beyond the centerline of the folded sheet that is parallel to said ridge; whereby deformation of the stack by said support ridge results in the free end of the wider fold of the uppermost folded sheet in the stack tending to assume a projected position at an acute angle with respect to that sheet.

2. The dispensing package defined in claim 1 wherein said tray is a unitary plastic member and is mounted 4 within the body of a box having a hinged cover.

3. The dispensing package defined in claim 1, wherein said tray has a substantially flat bottom and said support ridge comprises a member of triangular cross-section resting on the tray bottom with the apex of the triangle forming said ridge.

4. Thedispensing package defined in claim 1, wherein said ridge extends longitudinally centrally in the tray.

5. The dispensing package defined in claim 1, wherein said closure means is a sheet of flexible moisture resistant plastic that has its'edges sealingly cemented along the upper open edges of the tray. 1

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,080,691 5/1937 Brocren 22l-55 2,142,808 1/1939 Thor 22l55 2,237,424 4/1941 Hope 22l-48 3,325,003 6/.1967 Bilezerian 20657 3,224,633 12/1965 Allen 22148 STANLEY H. TOLLBERG, Primary Examiner

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