GB2513735A - Multi-purpose paper wipe dispenser - Google Patents

Abstract

A paper roll dispenser comprising a centre-feed roll of paper and a heat shrinkable plastics material heat shrunk around the roll to form a film wrap. The paper roll dispenser also comprises a handle bonded to the wrap to hang the roll for dispensing. The shrinkable plastic wrap may be constructed from a single, or multiple sheets of material shrunk together, have one or two open ends allowing dispensing from top or bottom end of the dispenser, be perforated for ease of access and may further include the handle bonded to the top side closed end of the wrap. The shrinkable plastic may further be formed as an extruded bubble, to form an open ended film tube.

Description

Multi-Purpose Paper Wipe Dispenser Hygiene paper has many applications. Typically manufactured in a Jumbo' roB format, this multipurpose product is used throughout a wide variety of industries including, but not exclusive to; Cleaning and JanitoriaL l-Ieafthcare, Automotive, Hospitahty and Entertainment, Building and Construction, Food Service and Catering. The most popular format of such paper is described as Ccntrclccd', whereby the (cardboard) core ol the roll is removed prior to usage. As this core is removed from the rofl. it in turn pulls the paper through its central core thus dispensing the paper. As the paper is pulled during the product's usage, the roll depletes from the central core. In some instances the paper might be perforated across its width to aid selection and contro' dispensing. Mternatively, the paper roll might he manufactured more conventionally, whereby the core is retained and the paper removed from the outer section of the roll. This arrangement is not classed as Centrefeed.

In many industrial applications, the roll of paper wUl he effectively dispensed from a purpose built dispenser. These dispensers are typically a permanent fixture in such environment(s), and will often require a level of investment from the paper supplier or customer. Due to the technical details, manufacturing processes and specifications of many of these dispensers, this investment can often he significant. Other more crude and basic dispenser are available, hut these tend to me more suited to industrial applications such as automotive and construction whereby having a sealed capsule around the paper roll is not important.

Away from industrial and professional applications, Jumbo rolls of multi purpose hygiene paper are also becoming popu'ar for general home use, as a more cost effective and efficient alternative to kitchen roll' like products. In this instance, however, there is currently no means of effective dispensing.

The invention relates to a pre packed (single) roll of hygiene paper, designed to dispense the paper in a much more cost effective. flexible and versatile means than alternative. more permanent dispensers available on the market today.

Preferably. but not exclusively, the dispenser comprises of a lightweight polythene or polypropylene film which wraps and contains the roll of paper. This protective wrap can be formed in numerous applications.

The preferred option of this packing method is to create a tube of film with two open ends.

This might be foimed via the extrusion of a film bubble whereby the diameter of the opening is relative to the diameter of the roll, or, by folding a sheet of film and creating a continuous seal perpendicular to the open end. The latter application also creates a tube of film with two open ends.

To create the primary assembly for the dispenser. the roll of paper is (manually) loaded into the described pre-formed skeve (Fig. I) and passed through a shrink wrapping machine. This operation. aided by the heat applied to the film, results in the roll of paper becoming tightly wrapped and sealed by the now-protective film.

in a preferable embodiment, but not critical to the function of the dispenser, prior to this shrink wrapping process. the roll of paper might he fully, or partially wrapped with a printed sleeve to aid branding and product promotion. This sleeve is preferably secured in place through either adhesive labels, glue or a combination of both.

In the pre-described packing process which utilises a sleeve for packing, the end formation results is a tightly packed roll whereby the film around the core of the dispenser remains open. Whilst the volume of film around this local area is sufficient to create a good seal to protect the paper. it provides added value to the end user icr initial operation. In this embodiment, the film does not need to be pierced for the core of the paper roll to be removed (Fig. 2) Alternatively, the roll might he shrink wrapped in a more traditional method whereby the wrap is created from corresponding (film) sheets which bond together during the shrink wrapping process. In this scenario. the open ends when packed still remain.

In an additional embodiment, the paper roll might he wrapped whereby the complete roll (including the core areas) is enclosed. Localised perforations might be incorporated to aid this film removal process (Fig.3) In the preferred embodiment, these perforations are located at the opposite end of the roll to that where the mounting feature is bonded to.

Ultimately, (he assembly of (he wrap is not a critical feature of (he inven(ion. Whilst preferably created by packing into the pre-deserihed film sleeve, the key feature in this stage of the invention is to enclose the roll of paper. Designed to be disposable, once all of the paper has been used and the roll has depleted, the sleeve (and prnted wrap) are easily recycled at disposaL Whilst the most cost effective solution might be one of the pre described film wrapping techniques, alternative embodiment might be reusable. Manufactured from a variety of durable materials, this pre-formed drop-in' dispenser might he, hut not exclusively be manufactured from a woven polypropylene. This material choice would be wipe cleanable, hygienic and allow for excellent print and graphics opportunities. Its format would be a simple sleeve with a circular base joined around the bottom edge of the sleeve, with one open at (he top to allow paper roll loading. A preformed cut out (in the centre) is crea(ed in the bottom face to allow the paper to he dispensed (Eig.4) To complete the invention, a means of dispensing is applied to the pre-described (polythene) wrapped roll. The invention relates to the application of a tape like handle' which is bonded to the external wrap of the roll. Preferably, but not exclusively, this handle is mounted in two local points on the vertical faces of the wrapped roll, on opposite sides of the roll (FigS). To minimise the amount of material used, preferably these mount points are located towards the upper sec(ion of (lie roB.

An alternative assembly might be to bond the handle on the top face of the roll (Fig.6) The pre-descrihed handle is bonded to the external wrap of the roll preferahly by the aid of localised self adhesion areas. Alternatively it might be bonded by heat, glue, an additional label, or a combination of these methods.

Preferably, but not exclusively, and to achieve optimum dispensing, the length of the handle should be ideally 50% greater than the diameter of the roll (measuring from roll edge to roll edge) and the width of the handle to be 25mm. lii addition, this feature might be printed.

Whilst the invention is primarily designed to be hung to be dispensed (Fig.7), the versatility of the handle' application allows the roll to be dispensed in numerous formats, including pulling the paper upwards for surface dispensing (Fig.8) Advantages (over prior an) The main advantages of the invention relate to a multi-purpose paper wipe dispenser which provides optimum versatility and multiple market appeal for hygiene / multi-purpose paper dispensing The invention provides the following: -A flexible walled paper roll dispenser which provides enhanced mounting versatility over alternative more permanent dispensing units. The roll can be either hung or surface mounted depending on end user preference.

-A flexible walled paper roll dispenser which provides a more cost effective dispensing system to alternative more permanent dispensing units.

-A flexible walled paper roll dispenser whereby the paper roll is enclosed throughout its lifespan, nilnimising the risk of any contamination.

-A flexible walled paper roll dispenser which provides enhanced hygienic credentials over more permanent fix Wres.

-A flexible walled paper roll dispenser which can incorporate a full colour, photo real printed sleeve enabling enhanced brand and marketing opportunities.

-A flexible walled paper roll dispenser which has multiple appeal, adding value to both industrial and professional applications, but also providing appeal for the general consumer and home usage.

Claims (26)

1. Claims 1. A paper roll dispenser, comprising a centre-feed roll of paper, a heat shrinkable plastics material heat shrunk around the roll to form a film wrap, and a handle bonded to the wrap to hang the roll for dispensing.
2. 2. The paper roll dispenser wherein the plastics material is polythene. polypropylene or PVC.
3. 3. The paper roll dispenser of claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the paper is hygiene paper.
4. 4. The paper roll dispenser of claim I or claim 2 wherein die roll of paper is kitchen roll.
5. 5. The paper roll dispenser of any preceding claim wherein the wrap is formed by an extrudable film bubble having an opening colTesponding to the diameter of the roll such that the heat shrunk wrap has two open ends.
6. 6. The paper roll dispenser of claim 5 wherein the handle is bonded to the upper vertical wall of the heat shrunk wrap.
7. 7. The paper roll dispenser of any of claims 1 to 4 wherein the wrap is formed from one or more film sheets bonded together at their edges.
8. 8. The paper roll dispenser of claim 7 wherein the wrap is formed from a single lilni sheet.
9. 9. The paper roll dispenser of claim 8 wherein the bond is arranged substantially in alignment with a longitudinal axis of the roll of paper.
10. 10. The paper roll dispenser of claim 7 to claim 9 wherein the wrap includes two open ends.
11. 11. The paper roll dispenser of claim 7 to claim 9 wherein the wrap includes a closed end at the underside of the roll, in-use.
12. 12. The paper roll dispenser of claim 11 wherein the closed end of the wrap includes perforations to allow access to the paper roll.
13. 13. The paper roll dispenser of claims 7-9 or 11-12 wherein the wrap includes a closed end at the top side of the roll, in-use.
14. 14. The paper roll dispenser of claim 13 wherein the handle is bonded to the top side closed end of the wrap.
15. 15. The paper roll dispenser of any preceding claim wherein the handle is a tape like handle.
16. 16. The paper roll dispenser of any preceding claim wherein the width of the handle is about 25mm.
17. 17. The paper roll dispenser of any preceding claim wherein the handle is bonded to the wrap by heat and/or glue and/or an adhesive label.
18. 18. The paper roll dispenser of any preceding claim wherein the length of the handle is 50% larger than the diameter of the roll of paper.
19. 19. A method of manufacturing a paper roll dispenser including the steps of; providing a roll of paper, a heat shrinkable p'astics material, and a length of tape; forming the plastics material into a film tube; inserting the roll of paper into the film tube; heating the film tube to form a shrink wrap around the roll of paper; and bonding the tape to the wrap to form a handle.
20. 20. The method of claim 19 further comprising forming the plastics material as a bubble having openings corresponding in size to the diameter of the roll of paper. and extruding the bubble to form an open ended film tube.
21. 21. The method of claim 19 wherein the plastics material includes one or more sheets of film and the method includes the step of bonding the edges of the film sheet(s) to foim the film tube.
22. 22. The method of claim 21 wherein the plastics material includes a single sheet and the bond is foimed in alignment with the longitudinal axis of the roll of paper.
23. 23. The method of claim 21 or claim 22 further comprising the step of forming a closed end at the underside of the roll of paper, in-use by folding the sheet(s) of film and creating perforations in the closed end.
24. 24. The method of any of claims 19 to 23 wherein the handle is bonded to the wrap by heat and/or glue and/or an adhesive label.
25. 25. A paper roll dispenser as described substantially herein with reference to the accompanying figures.
26. 26. A method of manufacturing a paper roll dispenser as described substantially herein with reference to the accompanying figures.