EP1336576A1

EP1336576A1 - A container for a stack of interfolded tissue sheets

Info

Publication number: EP1336576A1
Application number: EP02445022A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Emmanuelle Morin
Original assignee: SCA Hygiene Products GmbH
Current assignee: Essity Germany GmbH
Priority date: 2002-02-15
Filing date: 2002-02-15
Publication date: 2003-08-20
Also published as: US20030155263A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a container for a collection of interfolded tissue-sheets, said container having a generally planar top wall (1) and a bottom wall (2) and side walls (3, 4, 5, 6) connecting said bottom wall (2) with said top wall (1) and an opening (10) provided in at least said top wall (1) for the removal of said tissue-sheets from the container. The tissue-sheets are placed in said container with a lowermost tissue-sheet placed on said bottom wall (2) and an uppermost tissue-sheet (T) placed near or in contact with the top wall and adjacent to the opening in the top wall, which opening (10) is provided with elongated projections extending from at least one edge of the opening (10). The projections (13, 14, 15; 16, 17, 18) are part of at least two sheets (S₁, S₂, S₃, S₄; S₅, S₆) of material attached to the outer side of the top wall (2), and at least one projection of a first sheet is arranged to overlap at least one projection of an adjacent sheet in their inactive positions.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention pertains to a stack of interfolded tissue-sheets packed in a container, said container having a generally planar bottom wall and a top wall and side walls connecting the bottom wall with the top wall and an opening provided in at least one wall for the removal of said tissue-sheets from the container, said stack of interfolded tissue-sheets being placed in said container with at least the edges of a lowermost tissue-sheet placed on the bottom wall and an uppermost tissue-sheet placed near or in contact with the top wall and adjacent to the opening in the top wall.

BACKGROUND ART

Soft tissue sheets such as facial tissue sheets are commonly offered as a stack of tissue sheets packed in a dispensing box. The dispensing box has an opening through which the user pulls the tissue sheets. In order to facilitate the removal of the tissue sheets from the dispensing box, the tissue sheets are interfolded, which means that the tissue sheets are folded into one-another, so that they form a chain of tissue sheets being interconnected by folded portions. In this manner, when removing the top tissue sheet from the stack of tissue sheets and pulling the tissue sheet completely through the dispensing opening in the dispensing box, the pulled-out tissue sheet will automatically bring a portion of the next tissue sheet in the stack out through the opening thereby making it readily available for gripping and removing from the dispensing box. The praxis of interfolding tissue sheets in this manner is a convenient way of ascertaining that all of the tissue sheets can be easily removed from the container. There are many types of interfolding, e.g. Z-folding, but neither the type of interfolding, nor the type of tissue is important to the invention.
A box of the above type, having an opening with opposed projections is known from US 6 053 357 A. The projections described in this document are not overlapping and will not give adequate support to a presented tissue made from a thin material. After being pulled through the opening by a preceding tissue, the subsequent tissue will collapse on top of the box, making it difficult for a user to grip and withdraw it.
A further box for dispensing tissues is known from EP 0 644 130 B1. This document shows an opening having a circular or other geometrical shape, provided with adjacent and opposing projections extending from the sides of the opening. This box also lacks overlapping projections, resulting in the same problem with tissues that are not self-supporting and collapses under their own weight, as described above.
In both the above prior art documents, the projections are part of the top wall of the box, or are provided as a pre-cut plastic film attached to the underside of said wall.
A problem to be solved by the invention is related to the way the known fingers are arranged or attached to the container. If the fingers are cut from a part of the container, or attached to the underside of a top wall containing the opening, the length or extension of the fingers is determined by the width of the opening. The design and /or properties of the fingers, being limited to a maximum length, can only be varied by means of thickness and/or choice of materials. If, for instance, a certain width is desired for achieving a particular property for a predetermined tissue/projection combination, the available maximum length may require the projection to be made with a certain thickness. The thickness may in turn be so small that the projection is no longer self-supporting, or that it becomes too thin to support or grip a tissue in a presentation position.
The use of multiple opposing and overlapping projections or fingers placed on either side of a longitudinal opening is known from EP Patent Application no. 00203753.9. According to one embodiment in this application, the opening is provided with a central opening wherein the projections on either side of the central opening are angled away from a plane perpendicular to the main axis of the opening. In this way, the projections can present a flat tissue while stretching in both directions away from the central opening. However, due to the sometimes long distance between the two innermost fingers, the tissue may sag in the middle in the region above the central opening. This problem is also solved by the invention.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

The problem of attaching projections to a container in such a way that said projections can be given any desired resilient property, while remaining self-supporting, is solved by an arrangement as stated in claim 1 and its dependent claims.
The invention relates to a container for a collection of interfolded tissue-sheets, said container having a generally planar top wall, a bottom wall and four side walls connecting said bottom wall with said top wall. An opening provided in at least said top wall for the removal of said tissue sheets from the container. Said collection of interfolded tissue sheets is placed in said container with at least a pair of edges of a lowermost tissue sheet placed on said bottom wall and an uppermost tissue-sheet placed near or in contact with the top wall and adjacent to the opening in the top wall. The opening is provided with elongated projections extending from at least one edge of the opening.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the projections are part of at least two sheets of material attached to the top wall. The sheets are preferably, but not necessarily, attached to the upper, or external, surface of the top wall. Also, the opposing or adjacent sheets are preferably, but not necessarily, identical in shape, with respect to the outline of the sheets and the number of projections. When attached to the top wall, the opposing sheets may be of identical or reversed shape.
Each projection of a first sheet is arranged to overlap, or at least partially overlap, a corresponding projection of an opposing or an adjacent sheet, while the projections are in their inactive positions. Each sheet can be provided with one or more projections. A single projection may range in size from a relatively narrow, thin projection, to an extended, relatively large wing-shaped projection having a comparatively large surface area, covering parts of both the top wall of the container and a part of the opening. Alternatively, a single projection, having a general wing-shape or similar may be replaced by a number of adjacent projections.
The material used for said sheets and projections may be either transparent or opaque. A suitable material can be, for instance, plastic film, paper, cardboard or some other resilient material
According to a further preferred embodiment, the opening comprises a pair of elongated edges extending substantially parallel across the top of the container. A main axis of the opening may extend substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the container. When a projection on one sheet is overlapping a projection from an opposing sheet, then the projections of at least one pair of projections on the same sheet are angled away from each other with respect to a plane transverse to the main axis of the opening. This plane is preferably placed through the centre of the opening, measured along said main axis. In an alternative preferred embodiment, each projection of at least one such pair of projections is placed on either side of, and is angled away from, a central projection placed in or parallel to said transverse plane. In the preceding case, without a central projection, the minimum number of projections is two on either side of the opening, while the latter case, including a central projection requires a minimum of three projections on either side.
The purpose of the above central projection is to solve the problem of a presented tissue sheet having a sagging central section, when supported by one or more projections on either side of a central opening between said projections. Projections being angled away from each other in this way will present a substantially flat tissue sheet, due to the downward force caused by the weight of the tissue. However, the stretching effect on the tissue caused by the projections may not be sufficient to prevent the central section of the tissue sheet to sag. This problem is eliminated by a pair of opposed, overlapping central projections. The central projections may extend further across the opening than the adjacent side projections and can therefore have more overlap.
Alternatively, the above embodiment may have one or more projections on either side of the central projection, whereby the side projections are parallel to or placed at varying angles to the central projection. Combinations of such parallel and angled side projections are also possible.
According to a further embodiment, each of the above projections are made up of individual sheets of material and attached to the container side-by-side along either edge of the opening. In this way, the number, angle and shape of the individual projections can be easily varied without requiring changes of an entire sheet.
In order to enable projections to overlap, the tip of each projection must extend at least past the main axis of the opening. However, the tips must not reach the opposite edge of the opening. Also, the tip of each projection must be in contact with the presented tissue, when the projections are raised to their active positions.
According to a further preferred embodiment, the opening may be circular or have a geometrical shape made up of a polygon having three or more sides. The sides of the polygon-shaped opening are preferably, but not necessarily equilateral, that is, of equal length. When overlapping a projection from an adjacent sheet, then each projection is angled with respect to at least one adjacent projection. For both the alternative openings, each projection will preferably, but not necessarily, comprise a separate sheet of material.
For the case where the opening has a geometrical shape made up of three or more sides, the number of projections will preferably correspond to the number of sides of the opening. Although higher numbers of projection and side combinations are possible, openings having more than ten sides will not be practical due to the increased complexity of the manufacturing process . In some cases a polygonal opening can be describes as being substantially triangular, square or pentagonal. A triangular opening may, for instance, be shaped with cut-off corners. Such an opening would thus have three major edges, provided with projections, and three minor edges, being substantially shorter than the major edges. The corners of a substantially triangular opening may also be rounded, with each corner having a relatively small radius. In such cases, the number of major sides determines the number of projections.
According to one embodiment, the main body of each individual projection will extend from the edge of the opening at an angle to a line perpendicular to each individual corresponding side of the opening, which line passes through the centre of said side.
According to a further embodiment, the main body of each projection will extend from the edge of the opening parallel to, and displaced from, a line perpendicular to each associated side of the opening, which line passes through the centre, or the middle, of said side.
According to a further embodiment, the main body of each projection will be curved and extend from the edge of the opening at an angle to or parallel to a line perpendicular to each associated side of the opening
For openings having a polygonal shape, each subsequent projection will partially overlap at least one adjacent projection, alternatively be overlapped by a preceding projection and overlap a subsequent projection.
For the case where the opening is circular it may be provided with two or more sheets. According to a first alternative, each projection comprises a separate sheet of material. In this case each projection will extend into the opening at an angle to a radius of the circle, which radius passes through the centreline of the main body of each projection at the point where this centreline intersects the edge of the opening. As stated above, each subsequent projection will partially overlap at least one adjacent projection, alternatively be overlapped by a preceding projection and overlap a subsequent projection. For this embodiment, the opening is preferably provided with three or more projections. According to a second alternative, the opening circular is provided with at least two sheets, whereby each sheet is provided with two or more projections. If two sheets are used, one projection on each sheet will partially overlap or be overlapped by, a corresponding projection on an opposing sheet. If three or more sheets are used, a first projection at one side of the sheet is overlapped by a projection on a preceding sheet and a last projection at the other side of the sheet overlaps a projection on a subsequent sheet.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

In the following text, the invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. These drawings are used for illustration only and do not in any way limit the scope of the invention. In the drawings:

Figure 1: shows a perspective view of a box according to the invention;
Figure 2: shows a plan view of a box provided with butterfly-shaped sheets;
Figure 3: shows an alternative embodiment of the sheets in Fig. 2;
Figure 4: shows a further alternative embodiment of the sheets in Fig. 2;
Figure 5: shows an alternative embodiment of the sheets in Fig. 2 provided with additional projections;
Figure 6: shows a plan view of a box provided with a circular opening;
Figure 7: shows an alternative embodiment of the opening in Fig. 6;
Figure 8: shows a plan view of a box provided with a polygonal opening;
Figure 9: shows a plan view of a box provided with a circular opening and sheets with multiple projections.

MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Figure 1 shows a generally rectangular paperboard dispensing box 1 containing a stack of interfolded tissue-sheets (not shown). By interfolding, all the tissue-sheets in the stack are mechanically connected to each other in a continuous, loosely connected band of individual tissue-sheets. The paperboard box 1 has a top wall 2,a bottom wall 3, two long side walls 4, 5 and two short side walls 6, 7. The stack of tissue-sheets rests with a lowermost tissue-sheet on the inner surface of the bottom wall 3 and has a height that substantially corresponds to the height of the box 1, that is, to the height of the side walls 4-7. It is to be understood, that the height of the stack of tissue-sheets is to a certain degree determined by the height of the box. The interfolded tissue-sheets are highly compressible and are usually, but not necessarily, compressed before being placed in the box, so that a sufficient amount of tissue-sheets can be accommodated in the box. The figure also shows an uppermost tissue sheet T being held in a presentation position by a number of projections, which will be described in detail below.
The box 1 is provided with an opening 10 in the top wall 2. The opening 10 is arranged substantially centrally in the top wall 2 and extends parallel to the long side walls 4, 5. In the example of Figure 2, the opening 10 has a substantially rectangular shape, having a wider section in its middle portion and rounded corners at its end portions. However, an opening in the shape of a circle, an oval, a straight sided rectangle or suitable irregular shapes are contemplated within the scope of the invention, as the exact shape of the opening is not relevant to the invention.
Before use of the box of tissue-sheets, the opening 10 is protected by a cover. Usually the protective cover is made of the same paperboard material as the box itself. The cover is a section of material covering at least the opening and a number of attached projections, which cover comprises a section of material that can be torn away along a perforated line in the top wall 2. However other protective devices such as separate pieces of paper, paperboard, plastic film, and the like can be envisaged. Moreover, the box can be provided with a permanently attached or removable regular lid that is opened to expose the opening in the top wall 2 and which, optionally, can be re-closed.
The box is further provided with a pair of substantially identical material sheets attached to the top surface of the top wall 2 at opposing sides of the opening, as shown in Figure 2. Each sheet S₁, S₂ of material is provided with projections which extend from the top wall 2, across an adjacent edge 11, 12 of the opening 10, and at least half way across the opening 10. In this context, the term "at least half way" implies that the projections are required to extend past a longitudinal main axis X_M of the opening. In the current example, the opening is positioned centrally in the top wall 2, whereby a central longitudinal axis X of the box coincides with the main axis X_M of the opening 10. Figure 2 shows a pair of sheets S₁, S₂ each having three projections 13, 14, 15; 16, 17, 18, in the shape of a pair of relatively wide, wing-shaped projections 13, 14; 16, 17 placed on either side of a central, relatively narrow central projection 15;18. The central projections are tapering towards their tips, which are rounded. Each pair of side projections 13, 14; 16, 17 are joined by a curved, rear section 19; 20, which makes up the portion of the sheet S₁, S₂ that is attached to the upper side of the top wall 2. On both sides of the overlapping central projections 15, 18, between them and the adjacent side projections, there are gaps allowing a user to extract a first tissue sheet after removing the cover. The function of the opposing side projections 13, 16 and 14, 17 respectively, is to support a tissue sheet in its presentation position and preventing it from falling back into the box. The function of the opposing central projections 15 and 18 respectively, is to support a central portion of a presented tissue, preventing said central portion from sagging or collapsing. Figure 1 shows the sheets S₁, S₂ with their respective projections in the raised, active dispensing position.
As can be seen from Figure 2, showing the projections in their flat, inactive positions, each pair of opposing projections overlap to a certain degree. The properties of the material sheet and amount of overlap is determined by both the properties of the tissue sheet and the function of the respective projection. A thicker, heavier tissue sheet will require a thicker or stiffer material in the material sheets S₁, S₂ and relatively less overlap for the projections. A thin and flimsy tissue sheet, on the other hand, will require thinner or more flexible material sheets S₁, S₂ and relatively more overlap. Also, in order to provide sufficient support for the central portion of the tissue, the central projections 15, 18 will have a larger overlap than the side projections 13, 16 and 14, 17. When in their upwardly flexed, active positions the tips of the projections must be in contact with the presented tissue sheet. The length, and hence the overlap, of the pairs of opposing projections must therefore be chosen accordingly.
The properties of the material sheets S₁, S₂ can also be controlled by their attachment to the top wall 2. As the material sheets S₁, S₂ are attached to the upper surface of the top wall 2 at one or more positions spaced from the edge of the opening, the sheets will flex from a line or point of attachment to the tips of their associated projections. According to one embodiment the sheets S₁, S₂ have been attached with a straight line or band of adhesive, whereby the sheets S₁, S₂ will flex along a line parallel to the line of adhesive. This arrangement can be used for the embodiment of Figure 2.
According to a further embodiment the sheets have been attached with adhesive applied at a number of points, whereby the sheets will flex along a straight line connecting a pair of such points located closest to the main axis of the opening. This arrangement is used for the embodiment shown in Figure 3. This figure shows a pair of material sheets S₃, S₄, provided with corresponding opposed and overlapping side projections 23, 24; 26, 27 and central projections 25; 28. The material sheets S₃, S₄ are attached to the top wall 2 of a box on either side of an opening 10, as described in connection with Figure 2. However, instead of a curved section connecting the side projections on each sheet, each rear section is provided with two further, rear projections 21, 22; 29,30. The side projections 23, 24; 26, 27 and the rear projections 21, 22; 29,30 are all angled away from a transverse axis Y coinciding with the main axis Y_M of the central projections 25; 28, giving the material sheets S₃, S₄ a general butterfly shape.
Attaching the material sheets S₃, S₄ shown in Figure 3 by means of a straight line of adhesive is possible, but may not be practical. If applied onto the top wall 2 the adhesive may not be entirely covered by the rear projections, and if applied to the rear projections 21, 22; 29,30, beads of surplus adhesive may form at the edges of said projections. In this case, a preferred solution is to attach the material sheets S₃, S₄ by applying adhesive at a number of discrete points on either the top wall or the rear projections. When the projections are raised upwards to their active positions, the sheet will flex parallel a straight line connecting the two discrete attachment points located closest to the main axis X_M of the opening 10. Depending on the material used in the sheets S₃, S₄ and the shape of the sheet, other flexing lines can occur. The flexing line can be influenced by the depth of the cut-out notches between the rear projections and their adjacent side projection. If the notches are sufficiently deep and/or the material of the sheet S₃, S₄ sufficiently thin, the sheets may flex along a line connecting the inner sections of said notches. Also, a similar effect may occur along a line connecting the inner sections of the notches between the rear projection and an adjacent side projection, with the inner sections of the notches between said side projection and the central projection. Such a flexing line will give each of the side projections a main axis angled away from the axis Y_M of the central projection when raised to their active positions. These outwardly angled main axes, in combination with a twisting movement of the side projections as they are raised upwards, will cause the opposed pairs of side projections to impart a stretching force to the presented tissue sheet.
By selecting an appropriate material and thickness for the sheet S₃, S₄ and combining this with a suitable shape of the wing shaped projections, it is thus possible to impart any of the above supporting and/or stretching functions to the tissue sheet to be presented.
According to a further embodiment, the sheets S₁, S₂ shown in Figure 2 can be attached using any of the above methods, whereby an embossed line (not shown) on said sheets in vicinity of the edges 11, 12 of the opening 10 is used to control where flexing is to occur. By using an embossed line it is possible to make each projection flex in any predetermined direction. In the case of Figure 2, it would be possible to use a combination of embossed lines and suitable attachment points to make the side projections flex at an angle away from the main axis Y_M of the central projection. This would give the embodiment of Figure 2 the same tissue-stretching properties as described in connection with the embodiment of Figure 3.
Figure 4 shows an alternative embodiment of that shown in Figure 3. In this embodiment, the material sheets S₃, S₄ are provided with substantially the same side projections 23, 24; 26, 27 and rear projections 21, 22; 29, 30, but have modified central projections 31; 32. Said central projections 31; 32 are provided with a narrow portion 33 between the base and the tip, combined with a split, or forked, tip 34. In some cases, a wider tip section is required to give the central portion of a presented tissue sheet sufficient support. The split tip 34 shown in Figure 4 supports the tissue at two points, rather than along a straight line. The resulting point contact between the spaced, split tips of the opposed central projections 31; 32 will give additional support for a tissue in a presentation position, especially for thinner kinds of tissue sheets. When widening the tip section, a tapering projection of the type shown in Figure 3 may be to stiff to function as intended. In order to maintain a predetermined stiffness in combination with a widened tip, each projection 31; 32 is provided with a narrow section 33 between tip and base. Preferably, the narrowest part of said section is positioned closer to the base than to the tip. In this application, the term 'base' is defined as a straight line between the inner ends of a pair of cut-out notches, or a such a cut-out notch and an estimated inner end of a cut-out notch, on either side of a projection.
Figure 5 shows a further alternative embodiment of the material sheets described in connection with Figure 2. According to this embodiment, each of the relatively large wing-shaped side projections shown in Figure 2 have been replaced by a pair of individual projections 35, 36; 37, 38; 40, 41; 42,43 placed on either side of a central projection 39; 44. In their inactive positions, the overlapping pairs of opposing projections extend across a major part of the width of the opening 10 from one edge 11 and 12 respectively, towards but not reaching the opposite edge 12 and 11 respectively. As in the above embodiment of Figure 2, the length of the projections is determined by the desired properties of the projections, such as stiffness, and the type of tissue sheet to be supported. Also, the side projections 35, 36; 37, 38; 40, 41; 42,43 each have a main axis extending at an angle α to the main axis Y_M of the central projections. In this particular embodiment, the angle of each successive projection 35, 36; 37, 38; 40, 41; 42,43 increases in a direction away from the central projections 39; 44. The projections are all slightly tapering towards their tips, which are rounded.
Although the above preferred embodiment shows increasing angles for each successive projection it is of course possible to maintain a constant angle α for all projections, or to vary the respective angles of each projection.
As in the case of Figure 2, each outer pair of side projections 35, 38 and 40, 43 respectively, are joined by a curved, rear section 45, 46, which makes up the portion of each sheet S₅, S₆ that is attached to the top wall 2. In the current example the curvature of the curved rear section 45, 46 is considerably greater than that of Figure 2, making it more suitable for attachment by means of a straight line of adhesive. The curved rear section of the material sheets S₅ and S₆ will appear to have a projection at either end, which is caused by the cut-out notches removed to form the added side projections. However, the width of the rear sections shown in Figure 2 and 5 are substantially the same. Due to the relatively small width of the projections compared to the width of the rear section in the vicinity of the line of attachment, each projection will flex at a line through each individual base.
According to a further embodiment (not shown), each of the above projections are made up of individual sheets of material and attached to the container side-by-side along either edge of the opening. In this way, the number, angle, length and shape of the individual projections can be easily varied without requiring changes of an entire sheet.
Figure 6 shows an embodiment with a circular opening 50 placed in the top wall 2 of the box. In the example, the opening 50 is shown placed at a central position on the top wall with respect to the longitudinal and transverse axes X; Y of the box. It may, however be placed at any position on the top wall, provided that the entire opening is located above the stack of tissues, and that there is sufficient space between the opening and the edge for the individual projections described below.
According to this embodiment, the opening 50 is provided with four individual projections, wherein each projection has a rear section 51, 52, 53, 54 and a front section or tip 55, 56, 57, 58. The projections are made as separate sheets of material, and are attached to the upper side of the top wall 2 of the box at their rear sections 51, 52, 53, 54. In this embodiment, each rear section has its main extension in a direction substantially parallel to a tangent to the edge of the opening at the point where the main axis of each projection crosses the edge of said opening 50. The exact shape of the rear sections is not relevant to the invention, but it should have a sufficiently large surface area to allow application of a line, or a number of points of adhesive.
In their inactive, flat positions the tips 55, 56, 57, 58 extend across the opening a predetermined distance, but without crossing the edge of the opening again. Each tip is partially overlapped by a preceding tip, while partially overlapping a subsequent tip. This is achieved by arranging each subsequent main axis X₁, X₂, X₃, X₄ of the respective projections at right angles to the main axis of the next projection, i.e. at an angle β of 90° between adjacent axes. In this embodiment, the edges of the tip section of the projections are substantially parallel, with a generally rounded tip. However, the length and width of the projections may be varied within the above limitations, provided that a gap G is arranged between the projections at the centre of the opening, allowing a user to withdraw a first tissue sheet. When a first tissue sheet is withdrawn, the projections are raised upwards and the subsequent tissue will be held in a presentation position by a gripping force between the interlocking projections.
Although the above example discloses an embodiment with four projections, other alternatives are also possible. The above example will also work for three, five and six projections, having each subsequent main axis arranged at angles β of 120°, 72° and 60° respectively.
According to a further embodiment, as shown in Figure 7, the projections as described in connection with Figure 6 may have main axes with a predetermined curvature. Each of the curved projections 61, 62, 63, 64 have main axes C₁, C₂, C₃, C₄ with a curvature and a width that decreases towards the tip. However, the above limitations still apply, and the angle β between two tangents at two identical positions on a pair of adjacent main axes would still be 90°. It is of course possible to use projections having a constant curvature or width, or a combination of varying and constant values thereof.
According to a further embodiment, shown in Figure 8, the opening itself may be an equilateral polygon having the same number of edges and projections. Hence a square opening would have four projections, as described in connection with Figure 6 above. The embodiment shown in Figure 8 discloses a pentagonal opening 70 with one projection 71, 72, 73, 74, 75 arranged at each side thereof. As described in connection with Figure 7, the projections have curved main axes, wherein both the curvature and taper is reduced towards the tips.
Figure 9 shows a further embodiment, wherein a circular opening 80 is provided with a number of material sheets with multiple projections attached to the top wall 2. According to this embodiment, the opening has four individual material sheets, each having two projections 81, 82; 83, 84; 85, 86; 87, 88. Similar to the embodiment of Figure 6, a first projection 81, 83, 85, 87 on each sheet overlaps a projection on a subsequent sheet, while a second projection 82, 84, 86, 88 is overlapped by a projection on a preceding sheet.
As in the previous embodiments, a rear section 89, 90, 91, 92 of each sheet extends a distance out from the opening 80 to allow it to be attached to the upper surface of the top wall 2 by means of an adhesive. Because adjacent rear sections overlap in this embodiment, it is important to apply lines or points of adhesive so that adjacent material sheets do not prevent each other from flexing when the projections are raised to their active positions.

Claims

A container for a collection of interfolded tissue-sheets, said container having a generally planar top wall (1) and a bottom wall (2) and side walls (3, 4, 5, 6) connecting said bottom wall (2) with said top wall (1) and an opening (10) provided in at least said top wall (1) for the removal of said tissue-sheets from the container, said collection of interfolded tissue-sheets being placed in said container with at least a pair of edges of a lowermost tissue-sheet placed on said bottom wall (2) and an uppermost tissue-sheet (T) placed near or in contact with the top wall and adjacent to the opening in the top wall, which opening (10) is provided with elongated projections extending from at least one edge (from opposing edges) of the opening (10), characterized in that the projections (13, 14, 15; 16, 17, 18) are part of at least two sheets (S₁, S₂, S₃, S₄; S₅, S₆) of material attached to the outer side of the top wall (2), and
that at least one projection of a first sheet is arranged to overlap at least one projection of an adjacent sheet in their inactive positions.
Container according to claim 1, characterized in that
each sheet (S₁, S₂) of material is substantially identical.
Container according to claim 1, characterized in that
a pair of opposing sheets is substantially identical and reversed.
A container according to claim 1, characterized in that the opening (70) has a geometrical shape in the form of a substantially equilateral polygon.
A container according to claim 4, characterized in that the polygon is made up of three or more sides.
A container according to claim 4, characterized in that each projection (71, 72, 73, 74, 75) comprises a separate sheet of material.
A container according to claim 6, characterized in that the number of projections correspond to the number of sides of the opening.
A container according to claim 1, characterized in that the opening (50, 60, 80) is circular.
A container according to claim 8, characterized in that the opening is provided with two or more sheets of material.
A container according to claim 9, characterized in that each sheet is provided with two or more projections (81, 82; 83, 84; 85, 86; 87, 88).
A container according to claim 8, characterized in that each projection (55, 56, 67, 58; 61, 62, 63, 64) comprises a separate sheet of material.
A container according to claim 11, characterized in that the opening is provided with three or more projections.
A container according to claim 1, characterized in that the opening (10) has two opposing sides (11, 12) extending substantially in the direction of a longitudinal axis (X) of the top wall (2).
A container according to claim 13, characterized in that each sheet is provided with two or more projections (13, 14, 15; 16, 17, 18).
A container according to claim 14, characterized in that each sheet has a first pair of projections (13, 14; 16, 17) positioned angled away from each other, relative to a plane through the centre of and at right angles to the longitudinal axis (X_M) of the opening (10).
A container according to claim 15, characterized in that each sheet has a central projection (15, 18) positioned between said first pair of projections (13, 14; 16, 17) and at right angles to the longitudinal axis (X_M) through the opening (10).
A container according to claim 16, characterized in that each sheet (S5, S6) has at least one further pair of opposing and overlapping projections (35, 38; 40, 43) arranged on either side of said first pair of projections (36, 37; 41, 42).