FR2815947A3 - PACKAGING FOR A STACK OF SOLDERING SHEETS FOLDED IN OTHERS, AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SUCH PACKAGING - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a package (1) for a stack (2) of interleaved wiping sheets (3), said package (1) having a generally planar bottom wall (4), a top wall (5), and walls. lateral (6-9) connecting said lower wall (4) to said upper wall (5). An opening (14) is provided in the top wall (5) for the removal of said wiping sheets (3) from the package (1), the opening (14) being wider than the width of said sheets, the stack (2) of folded wiping sheets (3) being placed in the package (1) with a lower sheet (10) placed on said bottom wall (4) and an uppermost wiping sheet (12) placed near or in contact with the upper wall and in a position adjacent to the opening of the upper wall (5). The opening (14) is provided with positioning means (17, 18) having elongated, overlapping protrusions extending from opposite sides of the opening (14).

Description

Packing for a stack of wiping sheets folded in one another

  Other, and method of making such a package

  The invention relates to a stack of wiping sheets "between

  folded "packaged in a package, said package having a generally flat bottom wall and an upper wall and walls

  side connecting the bottom wall to the top wall and an opening

  provided in at least one wall for removing said sheets

  of wiping the package, said stack of wiping sheets

  folded being placed in said package with at least the edges of a lowest wiping sheet placed on the bottom wall and a highest wiping sheet placed near or in contact with the wall

  upper and adjacent to the opening of the upper wall.

  Soft wiping sheets such as "wipe" type wiping sheets are commonly provided as a stack of wiping sheets packaged in a dispenser box. The

  dispenser box has an opening through which the user

  driver pulls the wiping sheets. To facilitate the removal of leaves

  of the dispenser box, the wiping sheets are

  folded, which means that the wiping sheets are folded into each other, so that they form a chain of wiping sheets connected by folded parts. In this manner, when the top wiper sheet is removed from the wiping sheet stack and the wiper sheet is pulled completely through the dispensing opening of the dispenser box, Pulled wiping automatically pulls out a portion of the next wiping sheet from the stack through the opening, which makes it easy to catch that next sheet and remove it from the dispenser box. The practice of "peeling" wiping sheets in this manner is

  a convenient way to ensure that all wiping sheets can be

  can be easily removed from the packaging. There are many types of interpenetration, for example Z-folding, but neither the type of interlocking nor the type of paper used is important.

for the invention.

  A distributor element of this type is known from the patent

  US-A-6,053,357 (in the name of Yoh), which discloses a box with an opening

  dispensing head having a curvilinear or "S" shape. This opening

  The invention facilitates the distribution of interply sheets from a box by attaching the topsheet to a position extending through the opening, where it is easily accessible to the user. However, a problem arises when it is desired to dispense a flat wiping sheet from the stack of wiping sheets. After opening the dispenser box, which is essentially to expose the opening of the box, the user must try to grasp the first wiping sheet to remove it. In ordinary boxes of this type, the uppermost sheet is generally wrinkled when presented to the user through the opening of the box. This is because the width of the leaf is larger than the opening of the

  box, to immobilize the sheet in a ready-to-use position.

  To dispense a flat wiping sheet, it is therefore necessary to have a wider opening in the box. Although a larger opening in the box solves the problem with folded sheets when pulled out of the box, it creates an additional problem

  with the leaves falling back into the box where they are inaccessible

to the user.

  There is therefore a great need to improve the distribution of flat wiping sheets from a stack of sheets

  wipers, which are packaged in a dispenser box.

  The present invention provides a simple and effective way to solve the problem of dispensing a wiping sheet

  flat from a stack of interwoven wiping sheets which are

  in a package having a dispensing opening. In

  a preferred embodiment, the opening is wider than the

  of said wiping sheets. However, the invention is also applicable to openings of width equal to or less than the width

wiping sheets.

  According to the invention the dispensing opening is provided with a means for presenting a locked sheet in a fixed position, with a flat configuration. This allows the user to extract the sheet presented flat, the potential pleating being reduced by the presentation means. The sheet presented may be a single sheet, or

  it can itself include an additional folding.

  The means for presenting the wiping paper is preferably

  as a number of protrusions or elongate fingers extending from opposite sides of the dispensing aperture of the

  box. The dispensing opening is preferably, but not necessarily

  located in the upper wall of the box. In order to fix a sheet in position, the fingers overlap, either by being positioned one on the other or by extending between each other. When the

  box is open, the fingers are initially arranged substantially-

  in the same plane, until the first sheet has been

  extracted through the dispensing opening. The fingers are preferably

  attached to the underside of the top wall of the box, on opposite sides of the opening. However, it is also possible to attach the means including said fingers on the upper face of the upper wall of the box, or to integrate it into the upper wall itself, for example by making the fingers constitute a part

  from the top wall. When the first sheet is extracted

  towards the opening, the fingers are pulled upwards by the sheet of

  that side of it. The extracted sheet automatically pulls part of the next sheet through the opening, where it passes between the fingers. As the first sheet is removed, the next sheet is held in position and prevented from falling back into the box by the clamping action of the opposing fingers. The fingers must be flexible enough to allow a leaf to be extracted, but they must also be rigid enough to hold the leaf and prevent it from falling back. As a result, the thickness and rigidity of a plastic film, or other suitable material, used for the fingers must

  be chosen so as to be compatible with rigidity and

  properties of the material of the sheet.

  It is possible to manufacture opposed finger assemblies from a sheet of continuous material using a finger profile which can be offset from opposite sides of the edge of said sheet. If the finger profile is substantially V-shaped, a zig-zag cut can be made along the longitudinal axis of the continuous sheet. The opposing finger sets can be cut to the correct length from the resulting halves. Fingers of this type may be arranged in pairs, overlapping and in contact with a directly opposite, or staggered finger, the fingers being arranged side-by-side and overlapping extending across the dispensing opening of the box. Or the fingers may be oriented at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the aperture, in which case each finger may overlap one or more

  opposite finger (s) when extending across the dispensing opening

  bution. In what follows, the term "overlap" is used to refer to the fact that the ends of a pair of adjacent projections, which are not necessarily in contact, extend one beyond the other, given in plan. The term "contact overlap" is used to describe an arrangement of projections extending over / under the

  each other and being in contact with each other.

  The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to

  the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a box of packaged wiping sheets

  with a positioning means according to a first embodiment

  invention; Figure 2A is a plan view of the positioning means of the first embodiment of the invention in its initial position; Figure 2B is a plan view of the positioning means of the first embodiment of the invention in its active position; Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of a box according to the first embodiment of the invention; Figure 4 shows a box of packaged wiping sheets

  with a positioning means according to a second embodiment

  invention; Figure 5 is a plan view of the positioning means of the second embodiment of the invention; Figure 6 is a plan view of the positioning means according to a third embodiment of the invention; FIG. 7 shows a continuous sheet of material in which a positioning means has been cut according to the first

embodiment.

  Figure 1 shows a carton dispenser 1 globally

  rectangular chamber containing a stack of 2 wiping sheets

  3. Thanks to the interlocking, all the wiping sheets 3 of the stack 2 are mechanically connected to one another in a continuous band, loosely connected, of individual wiping sheets 3. The cardboard box 1 comprises a bottom wall 4, an upper wall 5, two long side walls 6, 7 and two short side walls 8, 9. The stack 2 of wiping sheets 3 rests with a lowest sheet 10 on the inner surface 11 of the bottom wall 4 and has a height that corresponds substantially to the height of the box 1, that is to say, the height of the side walls 6 to 9. It is understood that the height of the stack 2 of sheets d wiping is to some extent determined by the height of the box. The interplyed wiping sheets 3 are highly compressible and are usually, but not necessarily, compressed prior to being placed in the box, so that a sufficient amount of wiping sheets can be

housed in the box.

  The box 1 is provided with an opening 14 made in the wall

  The opening 14 is arranged generally in a central position.

  in the upper wall 5 and extends parallel to the long side walls 6, 7. The opening 14 has a generally oval shape with rounded ends 15 and side edges 16 slightly curved outwards, so that the opening 14 is wider in a central portion than at its ends. In order to allow the wiping sheets to be removed flat, without wrinkling, the width of the opening 14 between its rounded ends 15 must be wider than the wiping sheets. Before using the box of leaves

  wiping, the opening 14 is conventionally protected by a holster.

  Generally, the protective case is made of the same material of car-

  tone than the box itself, and it is simply a part of the top wall 5, which can be torn along a perforated line provided in the top wall 5. However, other protective devices

  such as separate pieces of paper, cardboard, plastic film and similar

  can be considered. In addition, the box may be provided with an ordinary lid permanently attached or removable that is opened to expose the opening of the upper wall 5 and which can

possibly closed again.

  In addition, the opening made in the top wall 5 need not have the oval shape described above. Rectangular openings, circular openings or irregularly shaped openings therefore fall within the scope of the invention. In addition, the opening does not need to be arranged only in the wall

  higher, it could extend into one or two side wall (s)

  rale (s). Positioning means 17, 18 are attached to the lower face of the upper wall 5 on each side of the opening 14, along the two curved lateral edges 16. Since the opening 14 is wider than the width of the wiping sheets, the positioning means 17, 18 prevents the highest wiping sheet 12 from falling back into the box. In FIG. 1, the positioning means is

  shown as a number of opposite projections overlapping

  contact, the projections forming an angle to each other

  to others and in relation to a longitudinal axis across the opening

ture 14.

  Fig. 2A shows a plan view of the positional means

  and its overlapping protrusions in their initial position, before the first wiping sheet has been extracted. In this case, the positioning means comprises two sections 20, 21 which are identical and placed opposite each other. Each section 20, 21 has a longitudinal edge 23, 24 for attaching it to the upper wall of the box. The highest wiping sheet can be

  reached through a central opening 25 located between the two

  tions. On each side of this central opening, the projections form an angle away from a transverse plane P which passes through the middle of said central opening and is at right angles to

  the longitudinal axis A of the dispensing opening. This mode of

  section 20, 21 having three projections 26a, 26b, 26c;

  26d, 26e, 26f; 27a, 27b, 27c; 27d, 27e, 27f on each side of the opening

  The projections shown in FIG. 2A are finger-shaped, with substantially parallel lateral edges, but may also slightly converge towards the end of the projections. The end of the projections is preferably rounded. It is of course possible to do

  vary the number of projections within the scope of the invention.

  According to another embodiment, it is also possible to stagger the projections above in the longitudinal axis A of

  the box, so that the opposite projections overlap without

expensive.

  The angle α between the longitudinal axis A of the box and the main axis

  the cipal of each projection is preferably 5 <oc <90. In this embodiment, all the projections extend at the same angle oc, but it is also possible to use different angles, for example by decreasing the angle α for the successive projections, starting from

  the central opening to the outside.

  The embodiment also shows protrusions that are pro-

  gressively shortened away from the central opening 25. It is of course also possible to vary the length of the projections in the opposite direction, or to use projections of constant length. In this embodiment the maximum length of the projections is chosen so that each projection overlaps

  in contact with only one of the opposite projections. It is possible, however,

  to overlap the contact with more than one opposite projection. With the length of the projections also varies the degree of overlap of the opposing projections in the transverse direction of the box. Preferably, the degree of overlap should be between 50 and 100%, taking the ratio of the distance d between the ends of two opposing and adjacent projections to the distance D between the opposite side edges 16 of the dispensing opening. in a transverse plane B passing through the end of the projections. This is valid as long as the two fingers extend beyond the longitudinal axis A of the box, but not beyond the opposite side edge 16 of the opening (see FIG. 1). The degree of overlap may vary for each pair of opposing fingers, since both the distance at the end and the distance D between the edges of the aperture may vary in the direction of

the longitudinal axis of the box.

  Figure 2B shows the positioning means of Figure 2A with a wiper sheet 12 (shown in Figure 3) extending upwardly between the projections 26a, 26b, 26c; 26d, 26e, 26f; 27a, 27b, 27c; 27d, 27th, 27f. As the first wiper sheet is pulled up between the projections, the projections wobble from their initial positions flat to their respective active positions, but they also undergo a twisting motion. Consequently,

  the angle a between the longitudinal axis of the box and the main axis of each

  that projection will gradually decrease to an angle f as they are raised and twisted. The angle P shown in FIG. 2B is the angle of the main axis of the projection 26a at its point of

  contact with the wiping sheet, in the horizontal plane. The reduction

  angle 3 with respect to the angle oc will of course depend on the length of the

  and the initial angle ac of each projection, as well as the degree of overlap between opposite projections. The dotted line (Figure 2A)

  indicates a portion of the side edges 16 of the dispensing opening.

  An additional angle between the ends of the projections is the so-called clamping angle X, defined as the angle formed by two planes to

  right angle with the surface containing the dispensing aperture, each

  that plane intersecting a first point, which is the point of contact between the projections, and coinciding with a straight line passing through said first point and intersecting the main axis of the respective projections at right angles. In a preferred embodiment, the contact points are located on opposite edges of the fingers, but this is not a prerequisite to

the implementation of the invention.

  In the event that the point of contact between the opposing projections becomes a line of contact, said first point would then be located

  in the middle of said contact line.

  The angle X can vary starting from 0, for example for opposite projections whose angle α is equal to 90, up to more than 1100,

  for example for extended projections having an angle cx approaching 5.

  The angle may also vary depending on the stiffness of the material used for the projections.

  Apart from giving the protrusions a better grip in their posi-

  In an active manner, forming the projections at an angle to the central opening causes a stretching or softening effect on the wiping sheet. When the upper wiper sheet is pulled up, the protrusions are temporarily raised. As the next interply sheet is pulled out into position, and the first sheet is released, the weight of said next sheet causes the protrusions to return to their holding position, securing the sheet in position for the next user. By doing this,

  protrusions flex simultaneously downwards, towards the box, and externally.

  away from the central opening. This external movement provoked

  that a stretching or softening of the parts of the wiping sheet held between the projections. This feature also makes it possible to use a dispensing opening that is equal to or narrower than the width of the sheets. Although a slight wrinkling of the edges of the wiping sheet may occur as it passes through the opening, said stretching effect combined with the softening effect caused by the sheet pulled between the projections will allow to the sheet

  of wiping to be presented flat to the user.

  Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the box 1 taken along the transverse plane P of Figures 2A and 2B. The uppermost wiping sheet 12 has been drawn through the dispensing opening 14 and is presented to the user in a flat, upwardly facing position. The wiper sheet 12 is supported on both sides by the opposed projections 26a, 26b, 26c; 26d, 26e, 26f; 27a, 27b, 27c; 27d, 27e, 27f (26d to 26f and 27d to 27f not shown), which have been bent upwards by the action of the first wiping sheet 12 in progress

  removing the box 1. The wiping sheet is prevented from

  in the box by a combination of the compression forces of the

  opposing projections acting on either side of said sheet, and

  These friction between the projections and the wiping sheet as the weight of the sheet bends the projections in a downward direction. The second wiping sheet 30 indicates the next sheet to be

  extract from the box, as well as the current level of the wiping sheets.

  In their active position, the projections, as represented in this embodiment, are always in point contact with the wiping sheet, that is to say they will not bend to rest.

  with their underside flat against the wiping sheet.

  In FIG. 4, the positioning means 40, 41 is shown as a number of opposed projections 42a-42d, 43a-43d (not shown), the projections having a generally "V" shape and being placed one at a time. between the others, that is to say, overlapping in the horizontal plane only without touching each other. The closed angle 5 of

  V-projections may be in the range 10 <5 <170, preferably

  in the range 30 <6 <90. The end of the projections is pre-

  but not necessarily rounded. In this case, the dispensing opening 14 of the box 1 extends over the entire length of the upper wall 5. Also, the projections 42a to 42d, 43a to 43d extend only over a portion of this length. Although the protrusions 42a-42d, 43a-43d are preferably made of a relatively thin plastic

  or other suitable material which gives easy access to the top sheet

  In addition, they must also be rigid enough to be able to support the sheet 12. The type of paper used therefore determines the number and extent of protrusions, as well as the choice of material. While the upper sheet 12 is pulled upward, the protrusions curl upwardly from the top wall 5 of

  each side of the wiping sheet 12. The first section of the

  chain leaf is automatically pulled out and maintained at

  flat between the projections 42a to 42d, 43a to 43d in a position of pre-

  appropriate for the next user.

  FIG. 5 shows a plan view of the positioning means

  40, 41 with the projections 42a to 42d, 43a to 43d in their position

  initially, before the first wiping sheet has been removed.

  As in the embodiment shown in Figure 2, the positioning means comprises a longitudinal edge 44, 45 for attachment to the lower surface of the upper wall of the box. According to this

  figure, it is clear that the projections 42a to 42d, 43a to 43d can

  can be made from a single sheet of continuous material, using a cutting means having a cutting blade having the same profile as the projections 42a to 42d, 43a to 43d. The cut leaf

  can then be cut to lengths adapted to the width of the opening.

  14. Since the projections 42a-42d, 43a-43d are oppo-

  identical and identical, they only need to be separated on a small

  distance before being attached to the box.

  Another embodiment, using the same V-shaped positioning means 40, 41, is shown in FIG.

  the projections 42a-42d, 43a-43d have the same degree of overlap.

  5, but have been indexed at half the width of a projection along the longitudinal axis A of the dispensing opening of the box. The projections are then placed in pairs, directly opposite one another. The main difference between the modes of

  Figure 5 and Figure 6 is that the first is primarily

  suitably adapted to wiping sheets of relatively

  thick and / or rigid, since the interdigitated projections depend in part on

  part of the sheet for the support. The latter is more suitable for

  the first, because the projections directly opposite each other

  FIGS. 6 and 6 both support the wiping sheet and support each other. However, since the embodiment of Fig. 6 is also suitable for thicker wiping paper materials, it is more versatile than that shown in Fig. 5. The positioning means and its protrusions are preferably made of a relatively thin plastic material, as mentioned above. On the one hand it must be flexible enough to allow the user to easily access the first sheet of the top, but

  on the other hand it must be rigid enough to be able to

  bring the wiping sheet to a substantially upright position.

  Examples of suitable materials include plastics

  such as polyethylene, paper, sheet metal or laminated materials, for example polyethylene and paper. The choice of material depends on the configuration of the dispensing opening, the configuration of the projections and the type of wiping paper to be dispensed. For the same reasons, the thickness of the material may

vary between 20 and 900 gm.

  The invention also relates to a method of manufacturing the wiper sheet positioning means for use

  in a package for dispensing wiping sheets.

  Said method involves the use of a cutting device, whose cutting blade has a profile identical to a set of projections to be used as positioning means. The cutting device may be

  back-and-forth or rotary motion and is used to simultaneously cut

  opposed sections of the positioning means from a single sheet of continuous material. Examples can be

  seen in FIG. 5, showing a simple V-section, and FIG.

  a more complex cut used for the embodiment of the

Figures 1 and 2.

  In the case of FIG. 5, a sheet of continuous material is cut, which gives two identical halves, after which the two

  halves of said sheet are indexed and cut to lengths

  determined in order to achieve identical but opposite pairs of

  positioning means having opposing projections in contact overlap. Moreover, by cutting pairs of identical sections and

  opposing, which mutually adapt, the scrap material is negligible. This is also true for the example of Figure 7, although

  that the cutting device is much more complex. In addition, the

  20, 21 are cut indexed a distance corresponding to half the length of a section, and a small scrap section 50 must be removed by a subsequent cutting operation to practice the central dispensing opening. By choosing appropriate lengths and angles for the protrusions, making the

  ends of the outer projections of two adjacent sections 21, the section

  Scrap 50 can be minimized and cut along with the protrusions. A prerequisite to this embodiment is that the angle ac is constant for all the projections. However, for the other embodiment, where the angle α of the projections varies along the length of the section, a larger sheet of material is required. This is necessary because the cutting device must be provided with a pair of identical cutting blades, both indexed and / or transversely separated from the feeding direction of the sheet. The required indexing and / or transverse separation amplitude depends on the complexity of the

  protrusions to cut. Although this allows the cutting of shapes very com-

  plexes, the amount of waste material is increased. The sections can

  The cut should be cut to the correct length by 1 profile cutter while cutting the projections. However, in a preferred embodiment, the cut sections 20, 21 are separated into two continuous parallel sheets, after which a first sheet, for example 20, is temporarily deflected from the second sheet 21. This can be done by passing the sheet 20 to deflect on a pair of additional rollers. This deflection must be sufficient for the sheet 20 to be indexed along the length of half of a section 20,

  21. When the first sheet 20 is redirected to move paral-

  same as in the second sheet 21, they are positioned so that they can be

  cut them simultaneously along a transverse line.

Claims (12)

  1. Packaging (1) for a stack (2) of wiping sheets   interwoven (3) or mechanically connected, said package (1) comprises   both a generally planar lower wall (4), an upper wall (5), and side walls (6-9) connecting said bottom wall (4) to said upper wall (5) and an opening (14) provided in at least one said upper wall (5) for removing said wiping sheets (3) from the package (1), said stack (2) of interwoven wiping sheets (3) being placed in said package (1) with at least a pair of edges of a lowest sheet (10) placed on said bottom wall (4) and a highest wiping sheet (12) placed near or in contact with the top wall and adjacent to the opening of the top wall, characterized in that the opening (14) is provided with elongate overlapping projections (26a-f, 27a-f; 42a-d, 43a-d)   extending from opposite sides of the opening (14).   2. Packaging according to claim 1, characterized in that   said overlapping protrusions (26a-f, 27a-f; 42a-d, 43a-d) are arranged   on both sides of a section of the highest wiping sheet   (12) to distribute, keeping it substantially flat.   Pack according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said overlapping projections (26a-f, 27a-f; 42a-d, 43a-d) are   arranged directly opposite each other and overlapping   contacting both sides of the dispensing aperture (14).   Pack according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said overlapping protrusions (26a-f, 27a-f; 42a-d, 43a-d) are arranged in a staggered manner opposite each other and between each other. two   sides of the dispensing opening (14).   5. Packaging according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that   said overlapping projections (26a-f, 27a-f) are arranged opposite each other   and at an angle (c) to the longitudinal axis of   the opening (14) on both sides of the dispensing opening (14).   6. Packaging according to claim 5, characterized in that each of said projections overlaps (26a-f) one or more projections opposite (27a-f).   7. Packaging according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the projections form an angle of between 5 and 90 with respect to   the longitudinal axis of the opening (14).   8. Packaging according to claim 7, characterized in that projections on the same side of the opening (14) form an angle away from each other on each side of a transverse plane.   central (P) passing through the middle of the opening (14).   Pack according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that   that the angle (ox) of the projections decreases with the distance to said transverse plane. sal (P).   Pack according to any one of the preceding claims   cedeentes, characterized in that the degree of overlap between two opposing and adjacent projections, equal to the ratio of the distance (d) between the ends of two projections, and the distance (D) between opposite edges of the opening (14) in a transverse plane (B) passing through the ends of   projections, is between 50% and 100%.   Pack according to any one of the preceding claims   cedentes, characterized in that said overlapping projections extend   tooth from each side of the opening (14) and upwards on both sides of the highest wiping sheet (12), in order to maintain   said wiping sheet in a fixed position.   12. A method of manufacturing a means for positioning wiping sheets for use in a package according to claim 1, characterized in that a cutting device, whose cutting blade has a profile identical to a set of protrusions for use as a positioning means is used to simultaneously cut opposite sections (20, 21) of positioning means from a single sheet of continuous material, after which the two halves of said sheet are indexed and cut to predetermined lengths, in order to make identical pairs but   opposed positioning means having projections oppo- overlapping.