GB2460858A

GB2460858A - Combination paper table-napkin and rubbish bag

Info

Publication number: GB2460858A
Application number: GB0810754A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Robert Wynn Luxford
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2008-06-12
Filing date: 2008-06-12
Publication date: 2009-12-16
Also published as: GB0810754D0

Abstract

A paper table-napkin 10 forms a water-absorbent pouch with an opening 26 and can serve as a rubbish bag. Preferably, the pouch is formed from a piece of material folded to form a pair of overlapping rectangular or square panels 12, (14, Figure 2) that are attached to each other along their side edges 18, 20. The panels may be asymmetrical to facilitate opening the pouch and one panel includes a flap 28 projecting beyond the other panel. The napkin/pouch can be fixed to a table by an area of adhesive (30, Figure 5) provided on its exterior, on the rear side of flap 28. The pouch may be internally lined with a water impermeable ply. The napkin may be part of a roll wherein each napkin is joined to the next by one of its side edges. A method of producing the claimed napkins and rolls of napkin is also included.

Description

TITLE

Paper table napkins

DESCRIPTION

This invention relates to paper table-napkins.

In this specification, the term "paper table-napkin" is not intended to mean that the napkin necessarily comprises paper according to any narrow definition of the word, and is intended to encompass table-napkins comprising other materials but which are nevertheless colloquially referred to as "paper napkins" or "paper table-napkins." The napkin of the invention was originally conceived for use in fast-food restaurants, but it has other applications.

Fast-food restaurants typically supply, say, a burger in a paper wrapper or polystyrene box and chips (or fries) in a paper bag or cardboard mug, without any cutlery or crockery available. The restaurant typically makes available supplies of table-napkins so that customers can try to keep clean as they eat with their fingers. The restaurant also typically supplies sachets of ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise. Coffee and tea are typically supplied in a disposable cup, with milk or cream supplied separately, if required, in individual pots, sugar in a paper straw, and a disposable stirrer.

By the time a group of people have sat down at a table and prepared to eat their meal, their table all too frequently has become totally cluttered with litter. Some of it may be dry, but some will be wet with the risk of staining clothes and making a general mess of the table. When they have finished their meal, most people will wipe their fingers and mouth with the supplied napkin. Some people, out of courtesy or pride, then like to clear their table of the rubbish, placing it in a convenient rubbish bin, hut as a result they are likely to soil their hands again, for example with dribbles of ketchup from a used ketchup sachet. All in all, eating in a fast-food restaurant is considered by some people to be rather uncivilised.

An aim of the present invention, or at least of specific embodiments of it, is to enable a touch of decorum to be conveniently added to the eating of food in fast-food restaurants and in similar circumstances.

In accordance with a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a paper table-napkin formed as a water-absorbent pouch with an opening so that rubbish can be inserted through the opening into the pouch. The napkin can therefore serve not only as a napkin, but also as a rubbish bag, and is therefore particularly useful in fast food restaurants and in similar circumstances conveniently to enable people to keep themselves and their table clean and tidy.

The pouch is preferably formed as a pair of overlapping panels. In order to reduce material wastage and simplify manufacture, the panels are preferably rectangular or square. The edges of the napkin may, for example, each have a length of between 200 mm and 400 mm. In order to simplify manufacture, the panels are preferably formed from a piece of material that is folded along the bottom edge of the pouch to form the overlapping panels, and the panels are attached to each other along their side edges. The panels are preferably asymmetrical at the opening to assist in manual separation of the panels. In order to reduce material wastage, the panels are preferably asymmetrical by virtue of one of the panels projecting further at the opening than the other panel.

The napkin is preferably provided with an area of adhesive so that the napkin can be fixed to an edge of a table without taking up a significant amount of table-top space. In the case where one of the panels projects further at the opening than the other panel, the area of adhesive is preferably provided on the projecting portion of said one panel.

The pouch preferably has at least one ply of absorbent paper-napkin material, and the napkin preferably has a water absorbency of at least 0.1 kg/rn2 as determined by a test defined as follows: * a dry table-napkin having an exterior absorbent surface area (both external sides) of A is placed in a bowl of water of mass Mi at 20Â°C and 1 bar for 5 seconds; * the napkin is removed from the bowl of water and allowed to drain into the bowl of water for 5 seconds, before being set aside; * the resulting mass M2 of the bowl of water is measured; and * the water absorbency of the table-napkin is calculated as (Mi -M2)/A.

The pouch may also has an interior ply of a material which is substantially impermeable to water, for example a ply of biodegradable plastics material. This additional ply can serve to prevent material that will stain, such as tomato ketchup, soaking out of the pouch and can also serve to increase the strength of the napkin.

A second aspect of the invention extends to a roll of table-napkins each according to the first aspect of the invention, wherein each napkin in the roll is integrally joined to the next napkin in the roll by one of said two other edges mentioned above, where a line of weakness is provided so that the napkins can be readily separated.

A third aspect of the invention extends to the use in industry (such as the fast-food industry, or at a works canteen) of a napkin according to the first aspect of the invention for wiping the fingers or face and for placing mealtime rubbish in.

In accordance with a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of manufacture of a table-napkin according to the first aspect of the invention, comprising the steps of: folding an elongate web of water-absorbent material along a longitudinal fold line so that a pair of overlapping leaves are formed; joining the leaves to each other along a series of spaced-apart transverse join lines; and separating the web along the join lines.

In accordance with a fifth aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of manufacture of a roll of table-napkins according to the second aspect of the invention, comprising the steps of: folding an elongate web of water-absorbent material along a longitudinal fold line so that a pair of overlapping leaves are formed; joining the leaves to each other along a series of spaced-apart transverse join lines; forming lines of weakness along the join lines; and rolling up the web.

In either case, the longitudinal fold line is preferably offset from the longitudinal centre line of the web, so that, as described above, one of the panels projects further than the other at the opening.

A specific embodiment of the napkin of the present invention and examples of its method of manufacture will now be described, purely by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is an isometric view of the front of a napkin embodying the invention; Figure 2 is an isometric view of the rear of the napkin; Figure 3 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale of the area indicated by the circle 3 in Figure 1; Figure 4 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale of the area indicated by the circle 4 in Figure 1; Figure 5 is an isometric view of the napkin attached to the edge of a table top; Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the steps involved in manufacturing the napkin; and Figure 7 is similar to Figure 5, but showing a modified napkin.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, a disposable napkin 10 is in the form of a pouch having a front panel 12 and an overlapping integral rear panel 14 folded along the bottom edge 16 of the napkin. The panels 12,14 are joined together along their side edges 18,20, but not along their top edges 22,24, so that an opening 26 is formed between the top edges 22,24 of the napkin 10.

The napkin 10 has a width W of, for example, 330 mm. The front panel 12 has a height F of, for example, 300 mm, whereas the rear panel 14 has a greater height R of, for example, 330 mm, so that the rear panel 14 has a flap 28 projecting beyond the front panel 12. A strip 30 of double-sided, low-or medium-tack adhesive tape is attached to the rear side of the flap 28, covered by an easy-peel protective strip 32.

Referring also to Figures 3 and 4, the panels 12,14 are of three-ply construction. The outer and middle plies 34,36 are of a water-absorbent tissue material conventionally used for disposable paper-napkins and typically have a thickness of about 100 tm each. The inner ply 38 is of a thin, flexible, water-impervious, biodegradable plastics material, for example of the type used for manufacturing biodegradable plastics sandwich bags, and has a thickness of, for example, 20 to 40 tm. The outer and middle plies 34,36 of each panel 12,14 are attached together along the side and top edges 18-24 by crimping or adhesive. The middle and inner plies 36,38 of each panel 12,14 are attached together along the side and top edges 18-24 by crimping or adhesive or heat welding. The inner plies 38 of the two panels 12,14 are attached together along the side edges 18,20 by crimping or adhesive or heat welding so as to join the two panels 12,14 together along the side edges 18,20. The two panels 12,14 are, of course, attached together along the bottom edge 16 by virtue of the fold between the panels 12,14.

In a water absorbency test as defined above, a napkin as described above, i.e. having an exterior absorbent surface area (both external sides) of 330 x (300 + 330) mm2 0.21 m2, absorbed 75 g of water and therefore had a water absorbency of about 0.36 kg/m2.

The disposable napkin 10 described above may be used as a conventional disposable paper napkin, for example to wipe the fingers and around the mouth and to mop up spills of, for example, drink or ketchup from a table. However, it may also be used as a rubbish bag into which to put, for example, used ketchup sachets, sugar straws, individual milk pots, etc. The projecting flap 28 assists in separating the panels 12,14 when placing rubbish in the napkin 10.

Furthermore, particularly if a group of people are sitting at a table, such a napkin 10 can, as shown in Figure 5, be attached to the edge of the table 40 by peeling off the protective strip 32 and sticking the exposed adhesive strip on the rear of the flap 28 to the edge of the table 40 50 that the napkin 10 hangs over the edge of the table 40. The napkin 40 can then conveniently be used as a communal rubbish bag. Alternatively, if a person is eating a particularly messy piece of food, they can hold the napkin 10, with its opening 26 opened out, under their chin and catch any crumbs of dribbles in the napkin 10.

Two examples of a method of manufacture of a napkin 10 as described above with now be described with reference to Figure 6.

Two webs 42,44 of the single-ply absorbent material each R+F (630 mm) wide are fed in overlapping manner from respective supply reels 46,48 to a crimping or adhering station 50, where they are stuck together along their edges to form a two-ply web 52. The two-ply web 52 together with a web 54 of the water-impervious material R+F (630 mm) wide from a supply reel 56 are fed in overlapping manner to a crimping, adhering or welding station 58, where they are stuck together along their edges to form a three-ply web 60. The three-ply web 60 (now shown in plan view) is fed to a folding station 62 where it is folded along a longitudinal line spaced R (300 mm) from one edge and F (330 mm) from the other edge to form a folded web 64 with the flap 28. The folded web 64 is fed to a crimping, adhering or welding station 66, which produces a series of transverse bands 68 across the folded web 64 where all six plies of the web are joined together, so that the web 70 becomes pouched. The pitch of the bands 68 is W (330 mm). The pouched web 70 is fed to a printing station 72, where any desired printing 74 is applied to the web. The printed web 76 and a strip 78 of the double-sided adhesive tape 30 and protective cover 32 from a reel 80 (now shown in side view) are fed to pressing station 82 where the strip 78 is pressed onto the rear underside of the flap 28. In the first example of the method of manufacture, the web 84 (now shown again in plan view) is fed to a cutting station 86, where the web 84 is cut along the middles of the transverse bands 68 for form the individual napkins 10. The napkins 10 are then fed to a folding and wrapping station 88, where the napkins 10 are each folded in half twice and wrapped to form packets 90 of the napkins 10. In the second example of the method of manufacture, the web 84 is fed to a perforating station 92, where lines 94 of perforations are formed along the middles of the transverse bands 68. The perforated web 96 is then fed to a winding station 98 where the perforated web 96 is wound around a cardboard tube to form a roll 100 of the napkins 10. The napkins 10 can later be individually torn off from the roll 100 along the perforation lines 94 as an when required.

It should be noted that, apart from possible end-of-reel wastage, the examples of the manufacturing method described above do not produce any wastage of the supplied materials.

It will be appreciated that many modifications and developments may be made to the napkin 10 and method of manufacture described above.

For example, Figure 7 shows a modified napkin 10 in which the size of the flap 28 is substantially larger relative to the size of the pouch. In this case, the water-impervious ply 38 may be included only inside the pouch, with the flap 28 being formed merely by the two absorbent plies 34,36.

Although the panels 12,14 have been described as having two plies 34,36 of the water-absorbent material, they may instead have a single ply or more than two plies. The ply 38 of water-impermeable material may be omitted if not required. The strip of adhesive tape 30 and its protective covering 32 may also be omitted if not required. The napkin may be made to any suitable size. Although not preferred, the napkin 10 may have a shape other than square or rectangular.

It should he noted that the embodiment and examples of the invention have been described above purely by way of example and that many other modifications and developments may be made thereto within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A paper table-napkin formed as a water-absorbent pouch with an opening so that rubbish can be inserted through the opening into the pouch.
2. A table-napkin as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pouch is formed as a pair of overlapping panels.
3. A table-napkin as claimed in claimed in claim 2, wherein the panels are rectangular or square.
4. A table-napkin as claimed in claim 3, wherein the edges of napkin each have a length of between 200 mm and 400 mm.
5. A table-napkin as claimed in claim 3 or 4, wherein the panels are formed from a piece of material that is folded along the bottom edge of the pouch to form the overlapping panels, and the panels are attached to each other along their side edges.
6. A table-napkin as claimed in any of claims 2 to 5, wherein the panels are asymmetrical at the opening to assist in manual separation of the panels to open the opening.
7. A table-napkin as claimed in claim 6, wherein the panels are asymmetrical by virtue of one of the panels projecting further at the opening than the other panel.
8. A table-napkin as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the exterior of the napkin is provided with an area of adhesive so that the napkin can be fixed to an edge of a table.
9. A table-napkin as claimed in claim 8 when dependent on claim 7, wherein the area of adhesive is provided on the projecting portion of said one panel.
10. A table-napkin as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the pouch has at least one ply of absorbent paper-napkin material.
11. A table-napkin as claimed in claim 10, wherein the paper-napkin has a water absorbency of at least 0.1 kg/m2 as determined by the test defined in the description.
12. A table-napkin as claimed in claim 10 or 11, wherein the pouch also has an interior ply of a material which is substantially impermeable to water.
13. A roll of table-napkins each as claimed in claim 5 or any of claims 6 to 12 when dependent on claim 5, wherein each napkin in the roll is integrally joined to the next napkin in the roll by one of its side edges, where a line of weakness is provided so that the napkins can be readily separated.
14. A table-napkin or roll of table-napkins, substantially as described with reference to the drawings.
15. The use in industry of a napkin as claimed in any preceding claim for wiping the fingers or face and for placing mealtime rubbish in.
16. A method of manufacture of a table-napkin as claimed in claim 5 or any of claims 6 to 12 when directly or indirectly dependent on claim 5, comprising the steps of: folding an elongate web of water-absorbent material along a longitudinal fold line so that a pair of overlapping leaves are formed, joining the leaves to each other along a series of spaced-apart transverse join lines; and separating the web along the join lines.
17. A method of manufacture of a roll of table-napkins as claimed in claim 13 when directly or indirectly dependent on claim 5, comprising the steps of: folding an elongate web of water-absorbent material along a longitudinal fold line so that a pair of overlapping leaves are formed, joining the leaves to each other along a series of spaced-apart transverse join lines; forming lines of weakness along the join lines; and rolling up the web.
18. A method as claimed in claim 16 or 17 when directly or indirectly dependent on claim 7, wherein the longitudinal fold line is offset from the longitudinal centre line of the web.
19. A method of manufacture of a table-napkin or roll of table-napkins, substantially as described with reference to the drawings.