United States Patent Office
3 499 575
PACKAGE FOR DISPENSING MOIST SHEETS Winston G. Rockefeller, Woodcliff Lake, N.J., assignor to Colgate-Palmolive Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware
Filed Nov. 14, 1967, Ser. No. 682,950 Int. CI. B65h 1/00 U.S. CI. 221—55 5 Claims
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 uppermcst 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 bottom support member used in the package.
PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The assembled package of the invention comprises a generally rectangular shallow box 11 usually of stiff 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 flat, a support member 16 is placed in the tray bottom. This support
member which may be folded to shape from a single sheet of moisture proof cardboard has a flat bottom surface 17 resting on the tray bottom and two laterally extending flat upper surfaces 18 and 19 of the same size intersecting
r in a ridge 21 that extends centrally longitudinally of the
0 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. One of the tissues to be dispensed is shown in FIGURE
10 4. This tissue 25 is a single sheet 26 of paper or like moisture absorbent material that 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
15 is wider than section 31 so that it extends past the centerline 32, as indicated in FIGURE 4.
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
20 support member 16, and the top opening of the tray is closed by a flexible sheet 34 of moisture impervious material 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
25 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.
30 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.
35 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
40 ridge 21, the offcenter 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
45 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.
5g 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
6q for a considerable time even though the upper portion may lose some liquid by evaporation. Due to the offcenter 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
gg 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
70 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.
