GB2257688A - Container for inclined articles - Google Patents

Abstract

A container for paper clean-up towels 3 for use on aircraft comprises a box 1 with an inclined end support face 2 for supporting inclined towels 3. The towels are thus presented in a manner in which they can be warmed effectively by hot water and be picked up easily with tongs. <IMAGE>

Description

TOWEL CONTAINER This invention relates to towel containers and in particular, but not exclusively, to disposable cleanup towels.

Disposable clean-up towels are distributed , for example, in restaurants and on board aircraft.

Conventionally, aircraft towels are pre-packed in sealed trays. The towels are dry and laid flat in a row, overlapping each other. The trays are stowed in standard size compartments in the galley of the aircraft. The in-flight preparation and distribution procedure comprises removing the tray from the galley compartment, removing a sealed tear-off plastic film lid, pouring hot water over the towels, and distributing them with the aid of tongs.

There are distinct disadvantages with this arrangement. A conveniently sized folded towel laid flat in the overlapping pattern dictates a tray size, which does not conform to a standard size aircraft galley compartment. Therefore space is wasted in the compartment.

When the hot water is poured into the tray the top towel cools rapidly due to its large exposed surface area.

The cabin attendant has some difficulty in handling the towels with tongs and presenting them conveniently to the recipients.

According to the present invention there is provided a box including at least one supporting end adapted for supporting inclined towels.

Preferably the said end- has at least one supporting face inclined inwardly from top to bottom.

Preferably the said inclined face extends over a central part only of the width of the box.

Conveniently the box includes a removable and replaceable lid.

Another aspect of the invention provides a box as described with towels stacked therein and supported at an angle by the or each supporting face.

Preferably the towels are stacked in a folded form and a fold defines the uppermost edge of the towel.

There now follows a detailed description of embodiments of the invention by way of example. The description makes reference to the following drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a box according to the present invention.

Figure 2 shows a sectional view along the vertical plane of section AA in Figure 1, with four towels and a lid added in their initial positions.

Figure 3 shows another embodiment of a box according to the invention.

Referring to Figure 1 there is shown a box 1 which has one end with an inclined portion 2. The inclined portion 2 extends over the central region only and is flanked by upright portions 5. In this embodiment the box is 180 mm long, 125 mm wide and 100 mm high. The angle of inclination of the portion 2 with respect to the base of the box is 60 . These dimensions allow a number of boxes to be fitted exactly into a standard galley compartment. This by is moulded of thin plastics sheet and is of such a shape as to allow nesting of unfilled boxes for storage and transportation purposes.

Figure 2 shows the box 1 in cross section with a few towels 3 and a replaceable lid 4 in position. The towels 3 shown are inclined and folded in half in the box with the fold 6 uppermost. This arrangement has proved to be successful in overcoming the difficulty in removing the towels with tongs.

In use the lid is removed to expose the prepacked towels. Hot water is then poured over the towels. The inclined portion 2 acts as a supporting face before and after the towels are wetted.

The lid of the box is designed to be replaceable so that after the towels are wetted the heat can be retained.

The box remains stable in use, even when a few towels remain, because only a portion of the end of the box is inclined. Effectively, feet 7 are provided to keep the box stable. This is very useful when distributing the towels.

It has been found that the inclined towels shown in Figure 2 have an evenly distributed water content, and thus temperature, from towel to towel.

Figure 3 shows an alternative construction of box 1 with two inclined portions 2a and 2b and consequently three stabilising feet.

The invention is not restricted to the details of the embodiments described above and with respect to the accompanying drawings. For example the size of the box may vary, being dependent on the overall size of the galley compartment. The angle of inclination of the inclined end or end portions may be other than 0 of 60 . Preferably the angle lies within the range 500 to 700. Also, instead of an inclined face at the central part of the width of the box, the central part may be flanked by inclined portions. The box may be of any material and be produced by any suitable means.

There may be any number of inclined portions 2. The towels may be folded in any way.

Claims (8)

1. A box including at least one supporting end adapted for supporting inclined towels.

2. A box as claimed in Claim 1 wherein said supporting end has at least one supporting face inclined inwardly from top to bottom.

3. A box as claimed in Claim 2 wherein there is one supporting face extending over a central part only of the width of the box.

4. A box as claimed in Claim 2 or Claim 3 wherein the angle of the inclined face or faces with respect to the base of the box is in the range of 500 to 700.

5. A box as claimed in Claim 4 wherein the said angle is substantially 600.

6. A box as claimed in any of the preceding Claims wherein said box includes a lid which is removable and replaceable.

7. A box as claimed in any of the preceding Claims wherein the box contains stacked towels supported at an angle by the or each supporting face.

8. A box as claimed in Claim 7 wherein the towcls are stacked in a folded form, a fold of a towel defining the uppermost edge of said towel.