CA1274377A - Folded sheet product - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A folded sheet product having two terminal portions with free edges midway of the paper product and having a substantially uniform thickness across the full extent thereof when folded.

Description

3L27437~

FOLDED SHEET PRODUC~

TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates, in general, to a . folded product constructed from a unitary sheet (which may be single or multiple ply) and adapted for dispensing from a dispenser ca~inet. The preferred embodiment of the invention disclosed herein relates to a towel, but it is ~o be understood that the principals of the invention may be applied to other types of products such as napkln6. The produats may be constructed of paper, non-woven material~, or any other suitable material.

BACKGROUND ART
A wide variety of towels, napkin~, and the like are known in the prior artO For example, a patentability saaxch conducted relativa to the pre~ent $nYention lo~ated th2 following U.S. patents: 3,007,605, 3,047,141, 2,477,223, 1,698,823, 1,177,466, ~,143,762, 3,11~,516, 1,962,762l 1,681,639, 1,706,166, 4,623,074, 2,244,630, 2,009,464, and 1,501,662~ f Not di~clo~ed in the above-identified patente, but -~ w~ll known in the prior art are two additional ~old~d towel con~iguration~ which are ldentified ~ereinafter as prio~ art and are described herein.
The folded sheet product according to the pres~nt invQntion incorporates a ~pecific construction not ~hown in the prior art wh~oh has n~merou~ advantage~. In particular, the product compri~ing the present invention has featur~
which make It particularly applicable ~or use wi~h conventional dispen~ing cabinets.

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Many prior art towel~ and the like must be loaded into a cabinet with a specific si~e of the towel disposed downwardly and a speci.~ic side ther~of di3posed upwardly.
Also, prior art constructions can have specific "right" ends and "left" end~. If the towels are placed in the dispenser cabinet upside down or wi h the ends thereof reversed, they cannot readily be dispensed through the conventional ~lot arrangement extending across the bottom of the cabill~t. The sheet product of the present invention, on the other hand, has no "upside" ox "downsidei' and no speciflc "xight" end ~r "left" and, and th~ product may be loaded in the cabinet with either side up or down and with its ends oriented either way.
Also, a~ contrasted to some o~ the more commonly ut~lized prior art arrangements, the sheet product of the present invention dispenses b~tter because it i essentially sel~-op~ning as it is pulled from the cabinet.
The shest product of the present invention ha~ a con~iguration which also has a number of advantages over the prior art approaches with regard to the packaging and ~hipping ~0 thereof. It i5 common practice to stack and band a plurality of paper towels or like products kogether a a package ~or shipmen~ and storage prior to use. Package~ of the ~heet product constructed in accordance with the teachings o~ the present invention hold their shape better than packages o~
conventional prior art towels even when tightly comprQssed in packaging. Further, packages of ~heet products con~tructed in accordance ~ith the t~aching~ o~ the present invention r~q~ire le~s Rpac~ than commonly u~Qd prior art products eve~ though the sheet product~ themselve6 are exactly th~ sa~e ~lze when unfolded.

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DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
According to the teaching~ of ~he present invention, a folded 6heet product, such as a towel or napkin, 1~
constructed ~rom a unitary sheet, which may be single or multi-ply, and adapted for dispensing ~rom a dispenser cabinet of conventional construction.
The product ha~ a ~peci~ic con~iguration when folded and include~ rectangular-shaped terminal portions or tails on both sides thereof. Th~ terminal portions each have a first free edge, the edges being in general registry at a location substantially midway of the product. Such an arrangement enables the ~heet product to be loaded into a dispenser cabinet with either terminal portion disposed downwardly towzrd the cabinet dispenser 810t.
~ he product of ths present invention additionally comprise~ ~irst and second intermediate portions which meet at a ~old lin~ generally in regi~try with the free edges. Thus, the folded ~heet product has a ~ubstantially uni~or~
thickness. This facilitates packaging, tran~port, and storag~
of a ~tack of the subject product~O ~any prior art paper towels and the like, by contrast, do not have a uniform thickne~s when ~olded. Often package~ o~ such prior art products have a "so~t centerN wh~ch results in a larger packag~ and a package that dse~ not hold its hape well.
Packages of the towels or napkins o~ ths present inventlon are structurally 6ta~1s and hold their shape well even when the product~ ar tightly banded or oth~rwise compressed by packaging.
O~her ~eature~ advantages, and ob~ect~ o~ th~ -pres~nt invention will become apparent with re~erencQ to the ~ollowinq detail~d description and acoom~anying drawing~.

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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE D~AWINGS
Fig. 1 is a perspective view o~ a paper towel constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention ~ust subsequent to its removal ~rom a towel cabinet;
Fig. 2 is a schematic, ~ide view o~ the paper towel of Fig. 1 illustr~ting the towel in folded condition;
Figs. 2A and 2B are views ~imilar to Fig. 2, but illu~trating two alternate forms of paper towels which are ln current widaspread usage;
Fig. 3 ia a schematic elevation illustrating a stack of folded towels constructed in accordance with the teachings of the presant invention; and ~ .
Fig. 3A is a view similar to Fig. 3~ but illustrating 6chematically the stack configuration assumed by a plurality of prior art towels.
' : BES~ MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE IMVENTION
Figs. 1 and 2 illustr~te a preferred embodiment of - the present lnvention; namely, a paper towal 12. In Fig~ 1, a paper towel 12 ~ 8 illustrated ~U8t after it ha~ be~n ~anua~ly - withdrawn from a cabinet 14. Cabinet 14 is o~ conventional construction and ~orm~ no part of the present inv~ntion. ~
i conventional, the cabinet is adapted to contain a plurality of ~tacked towels above a dispensing slot (not shown) ; extending across th~ bottom of the cabinet. Towels are : adapted to be removed ~eriati~ from the ~lot by users.
Figs. 2A and 28 illu~trate in ~chematic ~a~hicn prior art ~olded tow~l con~truction~ which are now in widespread usage. The towel illustrated in Fig~ ~ $~
gen~rally re~0reed to in th~ trade as a "C-~ld" to~el~ ~he C-Fold towel iæ generally deslgn~ted by re~erenae numera} 14.
Th~ towel o~ Flg. 2B iB genera~ly Xnown in the trad~ a~ a .~ ~

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"Twin C-Fold" towel, 6uch towel being generally identi~ied by reference numeral }6.
Prior art towels 14 and 16 must be loaded into a dispenser cabinet in a c~rtain way in order for thQ towels to be dispensed therefrom. In other words, there i8 a distinct top side and bottom side. It is to be noted that both the C-Fold towel 14 and the Twin C-Fold towel 16 have sides (sides 18, 20 respectively) which progres~ across the full extent o~
the towel. Towels 14 and 16 should not ~e inserted into a cabinet having a dispensing slot with side~ 18 and 20 disposed downwardly a~ ~hown since no towel tail or terminal portion would be positioned for access at the cabinet's downwardly directed dispensing slot. It is not at all uncommon, however, for the C-Fold and the Twin C-Fold towels to be so improperly loaded into the cabinet. Thi~ simply ~eans that a prospective user cannot obtain a towel at all ox mu~t expend a great deal o~ time and energy to do 60 by reaching into the ~lot and attempting to grasp the towel inside the cabinet. This can result in in~ury a~ well a~ towel wastage.
Another problem wi~h the prior art towel~ of Fig~.
2A and 2B is that thsy do not ha~e a un~orm thicknes3 acros~
tha entire pap~r product. For exa~ple, towel 14, at the center "C" thereof has a two-layer thickness while th~
extremitie~ of the tow41 have a four-layer thickness. The same i8 true og towel 16, One of the probl~ms which re~ult3 ~rom a two-ply centar and four-ply end con~truction 1~ illuatrated ln Fig.
3A. Fig. 3~ illustrate~ a staok 30 of towel~ ~hich ~ay be o~
the type ~hown in either Fig. 2A or Fig. 2B~ The stack or package 30 ha~ what i~ Xnown as a "soft center'~ re ultin~ ~rom the ~act that ther~ ~ les3 ~aterial in the aenter o~ each folded towel. This re8ult8 in formation in the stack o~ a ~2~43~

depression 32. In addition/ the height of the ~tack or package 30 at the end~ thereo~ has a height X which is signiflcantly greater than ~uch dimension would be if the towel~ in stack 30 were unifnrm across aach of said paper products. The l'soft center" makes it not only di~ficult to ~orm and wrap a ~tack of towels but any final package does not hold its shape very well, especially when the stack is merely banded as is often the case.
The towel constructed in accordance with the teaching~ of the pre~ent invention will now be described. It will be readily apparent that the components of towel 12 - cooperate in such a manner as to obviate the problems encountered by prior art constructions.
Towel 12 includes a first rectangular-shaped terminal portion 40 defined by a first frPe ed~e 42 and a first fold line 44 ~paced from ~aid edg~ and sub~t~ntially parallel thereto~
~ first primary portion 46 underlies the ~irst terminal portion and extends from the fir~t ~old line to a second fold llne 48 ~ub~tantially parallel to the ~ir~t ~old line~
A first int2rmediate portion 50 underlie~ the ~ir~t primary portion and e~tends from the second ~old line to a third fold line 52, ~aid third fold line, when ~ai~ towel is folded, bQing generally in registry ~ith the ~rst ~ree edge 42.
A ~econd ~ntermediate portion 54 underlies the ~iX8t intermediate portion and extends from tha third fold line to a fourth fold line 56, the fourth fold line being generally in registry with the ~econd ~old line and ~aid fir~t lntermedia~e portlon and said ~econd intermediat~ portion belng ln ~.~ 7 ~

substantially 6uperposed relationship when the towel is ~olded as hown in Fig. 2.
A second primary portion 58 underlies the second intermediate portion and extend~ from th~ fourth fold line to a ~ifth fold line 60. Fifth fold line 6~ is substantlally parallel to the fourth fold line and, when the kowel i8 folded, i~ ln general registry with the first ~old line 44.
A rectangular-shaped 6econd terminal portion 62 is defined by fi~th fold line 60 and a second free edge 64. When the towel i8 ~olded as shown in Fig. 2 tha first and ~econd terminal portions are in substantially superpo6ed xelationsh~p with the frQe edges thereof in general registry with each other and with t~ird fold line 52.
It will be noted that the folded towel 12 ha~ a substantially uniform thickness thereacros~. Thi~ maan~ that a stack of towels 12 ~ill not have a "soft center". Th~
terminal portions o~ towel 12 an~ the intermediate portion~
thereof have substantially the ~ame configurat~on ~h~reby the free edges and the third ~old line are in general r~gist~y at a location substantially midway of th~ towel.
Fig. 3 illustrate~ ~chematically the g~neral o~erall configuration of a taak or bundle 70 of to~el~ 1~. As noted, the stack has no ll80~t center": there~ore, the entire stack has a generally rectan~ular-shaped con~iguration a~ viewed ~rom the side, a con~iguration whi~h ~or~ readily lends itself ::
to packaging and handllng. The ~tack 70 is of generally uniform height acros~ th2 extent thereof. Further, a ~tack o~ ~ :
the type shown in Fig~ 3 i~ much more ~table tha~ a ~tack o~
the type illustrated in Fig. 3A~ It ~hould also b~ noted that ~0 ~t~ck 70, assuming the same number o~ towels ~herein, ha~ a stack height Y which is much 1~ than ~h~ ~tack haight X o~
stack 30. Thia i~ quita adv~nt~geoua ~'~nce mor. ~tack~ oi :-, :., - -:, .

~7~3~7 towel~ Y may be stored or ~hipped in a given volume of ~pace than stacks 30 of prior art towels.
First terminal portion 40 and ~econd terminal portion 62, of course, constitute tails or free ends which may be readily grasped by a u6er through a dispensing ~lot of a dispensing cabinet. ThuR, there is no correct "upside" or : "downsidel' and towelc 12 may be stacked with either of the terminal portions disposed at the slot location.
Another advantage of the towel 12 over the priox art towels of Figs. 2A and 2B i~ that towel 1~ ~s virtually ~elf-opening as it i~ pulled out through a di~pensing slot. This ~eature may be seen with refarence to Fi3. 1, The towal configurations of Figs. 2A and 2B, on the other hand, require special manual manipulation to open them fully.

Claims (5)

1. A folded sheet product constructed from a sheet and adapted for dispensing from a dispenser cabinet, said product comprising, in combination:
a first rectangular-shaped terminal portion defined by a first free edge and a first fold line spaced from said first free edge and substantially parallel thereto;
a first primary portion underlying said first terminal portion and extending from said first fold line to a second fold line substantially parallel to said first fold line;
a first intermediate portion underlying said first primary portion and extending from said second fold line to a third fold line, said third fold line being generally in registry with the first free edge;
a second intermediate portion underlying said first intermediate portion and extending from said third fold line to a fourth fold line, said fourth fold line being generally in registry with said second fold line, said first intermediate portion and said second intermediate portion being in substantially superposed relationship;
a second primary portion underlying said second intermediate portion and extending from said fourth fold line to a fourth fold line substantially parallel to said fourth fold line, said fifth fold line being generally in registry with said first fold line; and a rectangular-shaped second terminal portion defined by said fifth fold line and a second free edge, said first and second terminal portions being in substantially superposed relationship with the free edges thereof in general registry with each other and with said third fold line.

2. The product according to Claim 1 wherein said combination comprises a towel adapted for dispensing from a cabinet.

3. The product according to Claim 1 wherein said portions cooperate to define a substantially uniform thickness across said paper product.

4. The product according to Claim 1 wherein said terminal portions and said intermediate portions have substantially the same configuration whereby the free edges and the third fold line are in general registry at a location substantially midway of said paper product.

5. A stack of product as set forth in Claim 1 and having a substantially rectangular cross section and generally uniform height across the extent thereof.