AU747002B2 - Towel dispenser - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 ABC TISSUE PRODUCTS PTY LIMITED

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Invention Title: Towel dispenser The following statement is a full description of this invention including the best method of performing it known to us:-

I

2 TOWEL DISPENSER Field of the Invention This invention relates to a kitchen towel/paper towel dispenser.

Background of the Invention Kitchen towel is supplied as a web of perforated sheets of absorbent paper wound on a central cardboard core. A person tears off a single sheet or multiple sheets from the roll, for use in cleaning kitchen surfaces, mopping up spills, or the like. Kitchen towels, or "kitchen rolls" as they are often referred to, range from the "environmentally friendly" unbleached recycled paper through to bleached and patterned rolls. The quality and absorbency of the paper used for kitchen towels varies. Often, kitchen towels are mounted on a dispenser.

One typical dispenser is a wooden dowel which is inserted into the central 15 cardboard core and mounted/supported between two arms which are affixed to a wall. Another known dispenser comprises an upstanding wooden rod which Oe**)is supported in an upright position by a number of legs which stands on a kitchen bench or the like. Sometimes the kitchen roll merely rests on a bench *20 and sheets are torn off it as required.

Generally, kitchen rolls are not made from particularly high quality S: material and consequently often tear when they are removed from a roll, particularly if there are insufficient perforations between the sheets. Also, if the rolls are left to lie around on benches, they can become contaminated and this is clearly disadvantageous from a hygiene point of view.

S: 25 The invention seeks to provide an improved kitchen towel dispenser which addresses some of the above mentioned problems.

Thus according to the present invention there is provided: a paper towel dispenser pack comprising a carton containing a stack of interfolded paper based towels wherein each towel has a single fold line to define a pair of panels between which there is folded one panel of the adjacent leaf, said carton having a dispensing opening through which the towels may be individually withdrawn, each of the towels within the carton being folded at least once, wherein the towels comprise a wood fluff pulp as fibrous material and a polymeric binding agent or filler comprising 5-30% the weight of the towel material, the weight of the towels being at least 20 g/m 2 the material of the towels having a water absorbency of at least 200 grams of water per square 3 metre, with each towel having a wet tensile strength of at least 0.08 kN/m so as to be suitable for use as a kitchen towel.

Thus the present invention provides a kitchen towel stack which is more hygienic than the existing products and which does not require a dedicated dispenser but includes its own protective carton and wrapper.

The invention also provides a kitchen towel dispensing pack which is easier to use than the traditional roll in which the individual towels are less likely to tear.

The tissues in the stack may be separate or they may be interconnected with adjacent tissues along a line of perforations.

Typically the weight of the panels will be about 38 5g/1m 2 and each towel will be made of single ply material having an uncompressed thickness of at least 0.25 mm preferably 0.50 0.1 mm.

Ideally the material will have a dry tensile strength greater than 0.2 kN/m 15is preferably around 0.25 to 0.28 kN/m.

S.The wet tensile strength of the material will normally be less than the dry C.i.

strength is most preferably 0.10 to 0.14 kN/m.

Ideally the product should be able to absorb over 300 grams of water per square metre.

Brief Description of the Drawings A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of a towel stack; and :a 25 Figure 2 is a schematic illustration of the stack of Figure 1 inside a carton box.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment Referring to Figure 1, there is shown an interfolded multi-panel dual web of sheet material generally indicated at 10. The interfolded multi-panel web comprises webs 14 and 16 of material laid together. The webs 14 and 16 are each divided into sheets or leaves by means of perforation lines 18 running across the sheets. The perforation is such that the area of joined material between each leaf is around 10% of the actual cross-width of the leaf. The webs 14 and 16 are laid together so that the sheets align in staggered fashion.

Each leaf has a single fold line 20 which divides the leaf into two substantially identical panels.

In Figure 1 there can be seen a series of towels or leaves 22, 24, 26, 28 formed from one of the webs and a second series 30, 32, 32, 34, 36 formed from the other web. Between each pair of panels of one web, there is located a leading and trailing panel of adjacent leaves from the opposite web.

Thus trailing panel 30B and leading panel 32A are located between panels 22A, B.

The material forming the tissue stack is preferably a white latex bonded single ply airspun fabric, comprising a bleached wood fluff pulp as fibrous material and a low formaldehyde copolymer dispersion as a basis of vinyl acetate and ethylene as bonding agent, the binder comprising approximately 20% of the total weight of the substrate.

The physical properties of the material are shown in the attached table.

PROPERTY UNIT TAMBOUR TOLERANCE METHOD

TARGET

AVERAGE

MAX MIN EDANA Basic weight (air dry) g/m 2 38 +5 -5 40.3-90 Thickness 4-ply mm 1,9 +0,3 -0,3 30.4-89 Tensile strength, dry MD (machine direction) kN/m 0,28 +0,1 -0,05 20.2-89 CD (cross-machine kN/m 0,25 20.2-89 direction) Elongation MD 12 20.2-89 CD 12 20.2-89 Tensile strength, wet MD kN/m 0,14 -0,08 20.2-89 CD kN/m 0,10 20.2-89 Absorption g/m 2 399 -50 10.1-72 Properties are based on tambour averages off machine.

EDANA is the European Disposable and Non-Woven Association.

Once assembled the stack is inserted in a cardboard box or like carton having a dispensing opening 42 in the upper/top face of the carton through which the towels may be individually withdrawn for use as illustrated in Figure 2. The stack may be enclosed in a tubular plastic wrapper for hygiene reasons.

Thus the present invention provides a kitchen towel stack which is more hygienic than the existing products and which does not require a dedicated dispenser but includes its own protective carton and wrapper.

The invention also provides a kitchen towel dispensing pack which is easier to use than the traditional roll.

The towel tissue stack can be manufactured on any suitable paper folding and lapping/interfolding machine known in the art such as machines made by CG Bretting Manufacturing Co Inc of Ashland, Wisconsin USA or Paper Converting Machine Company of Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA..

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that numerous variations and/or modifications may be made to the invention as shown in the specific embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as broadly described. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.

*o

Claims (9)

1. A paper towel dispenser pack comprising a carton containing a stack of interfolded paper based towels wherein each towel has a single fold line to define a pair of panels between which there is folded one panel of the adjacent leaf, said carton having a dispensing opening through which the towels may be individually withdrawn, each of the towels within the carton being folded at least once, wherein the towels comprise a wood fluff pulp as fibrous material and a polymeric binding agent or filler comprising 5-30% the weight of the towel material, the weight of the towels being at least 20 g/m 2 the material of the towels having a water absorbency of at least 200 grams of water per square metre, with each towel having a wet tensile strength of at least 0.08 kN/m so as to be suitable for use as a kitchen towel.

2. A paper towel dispenser pack as claimed in claim 1 wherein the towels in the stack are interconnected with adjacent towels along a line of perforations. 15

3. A paper towel dispenser pack as claimed in any preceding claim wherein o• the wet tensile strength of the material is 0.08 to 0.14 kN/m.

4. A paper towel dispenser pack as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the material is able to absorb over 300 grams of water per square metre. :i

5. A paper towel dispenser pack as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the weight of the towels is about 38 5g/m 2

6. A paper towel dispenser pack as claimed in any preceding claim wherein each towel comprises a single ply sheet.

7. A paper towel dispenser pack as claimed in any preceding claim wherein each towel has an uncompressed thickness of at least 0.25mm, preferably loll about 0.5 0.lmm.

8. A paper towel dispenser pack as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the towel material has a dry tensile strength greater than 0.2 kN/m, preferably around 0.25 to 0.28 kN/m.

9. A paper towel dispenser pack as claimed in any preceding claim and substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the drawings. DATED this seventh day of March 2002 ABC TISSUE PRODUCTS PTY LIMITED Patent Attorneys for the Applicant: F.B. RICE CO. *o •go