IE48317B1 - Dispenser with wetted sheet-like material - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a container with wiokable sheet-like material for dispensing said material in a wetted state, said material being provided as individual sheets or as a severable web (e.g., with perforations) to provide moistened towelettes.

Some wickable (i.e., capable as functioning as a wick) materials when used with certain liquids wick less well than do other materials with the same or other liquids. For example, a certain material will not wick enough to more than barely dampen or leave dry the material at the top of the sheet when it is abstracted, e.g., from a container package, even though there may be an appreciable amount of liquid in the container at the bottom thereof. in some cases, therefore, when the consumer pulls a towelette out of a container, one part of the towelette may be drier than another part, and indeed one part may be quite wet and the other part relatively dry. This is clearly an undesirable situation, and it is the object of the present invention to provide a package containing a longi20 tudinally folded rolled web or folded sheets, etc., of towelette material which thereby overcomes a degree of wickability or lack of wiekability which sometimes occurs in certain sheets.

D.S. Patent 3,986,479 shows material to be extract25 ed from a container, the material being in the form of a web wound in a roll. This material is enclosed in a vapor impervious pouch to prevent loss of moisture from the premoistened towelette roll until the point of time of first use. A double lid is adapted to provide a moisture seal CASE 5124B -2between usages while reducing dehydration of the open towelette pouch within the dispenser. However, it does not disclose the presence of any liquid in the bottom of the container. V.S. Patent 3,868,052 discloses, Figure 18, a horizontal roll having one side always in fluid 24 in the container; and it also discloses in Figure 2 a vertical coreless roll where the abstraction is from the center and where the bottom of the roll is in the fluid 24. However, it does not disclose folding of the roll material.

V.S, Patent No. 3,700,138 shows folded sheet material folded about an axis corresponding to a longitudinal center line. This package is adapted to stand on end and the individual tissues may be dispensed longitudinally. It does not concern itself with pre-moistened towelettes. Reference is also made to U.S. Patents 2,565,916; 3,795,355; 2,611,482; 3,368,522 and 3,749,296 and British Patent 7721 (1899) to illustrate the prior art.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided a container with sheet-like wickable material to be dispensed in a wetted state, said material being in the form of a plurality of sheets or a web severable into said sheets, said container having an opening at its upper portion for extraction of said material, said sheet-like material being generally vertically disposed with edges thereof adjacent the bottom of the container, and liquid in the container at the bottom thereof in contact with said edges, the sheet-like material being folded so that its height is less than when in non-folded condition, the nature and quantity of the liquid within the container and the wickability of the sheet-like material being such that wickability will be provided across the entire height of the folded sheet-like material as long as liquid remains in the container in contact with the lower edges of said folded material, the sheetlike material when non-folded having a height greater than the wickability of the sheets with respect to the type of liquid in the container.

An impervious container is provided in which pre48317 -3moistened towelette sheets or webbing are inserted and sealed in. The roll or the sheets in general stand vertically within the container, the width of the sheets or web and the height of the roll therefore being in a vertical plane.

Excess liquid tends to form in the bottom of the container so that the bottom edges of the sheets or roll will be wetter than their tops.

In the present invention the pre-moistened sheets or web are folded and this has the effect of reducing the effective width of the web, i.e., the relative height of the roll and the height of the sheets and the effect of this is that the individual towelettes are maintained more evenly moist throughout their entire areas than would otherwise be the case. A layer of towelettes is provided that has a relatively short height. In the use of a roll of folded web width is less than the vertical wicking ability vzith regard to the combination of the particular sheet material and fluid used. This provides useful wickability across the entire width of the roll of the folded web since the width of the roll in the container is generally vertical.

Also, in the case of folded sheets, the towelettes when flat are m greater height than the height of the folded pack of sheets, and there may be as many folds as may be desired or practical.

As a result, the towelettes are and remain thoroughly moist, and the container package can be much shorter in height than where an unfolded web or sheets are employed as in the prior art, or where folded sheets are of a material that wicks throughout.

It is preferred that the pack of sheets or the winds of the roll be in contact, to maintain wicking between the folded parts of the towelettes.

Reference is now made to the accompanying drawing illustrating specific embodiments of the invention, wherein: Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating a roll of a longitudinally folded web perforated to form towelettes; Figures 2, 3 and 4 illustrate some ways in which 8 3 17 the roll of Figure 1 or individual sheets may fca folded; sad Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a roll of longitudinally folded webbing forming towelettes in a container package.

Although the invention applies to folded eheets as well as perforated webbing, it is illustrated as applied to a coreless roll in Figures 1 and 5. In these Figures there is shown an elongated web 10 of any kind of suitable wickable material for being pre-moistened for the purposes of the present invention. This material may be of any kind that absorbs liquid material or to which the liquid material may be adsorbed. Such materials are in general well-known in the present art although they may be improved upon. In the present case, the elongated web is folded over onto it15 self longitudinally providing sides 12 and 14, for example.

This web is pre-moistened and rolled corelessly providing a leading tip end here indicated at 16 which is adapted to be extended out through an exit slit or other opening 18 in an impervious container 20. The coreless roll is indicated generally at 22 in the container.

It will be seen that by longitudinally folding the web the width of each towelette is increased relative to its length in the direction of pull to extract it from the container. When the roll is placed in the container the folds of all of the different winds of the roll as indicated at are located at the bottom of the container in contact with the liquid at the bottom of the container, and the free edges as at 26 and 28 are located adjacent to the top of the container. This relation can be reversed. The folds 24 are in the central areas of the individual towelettes. The free edges 26 and 28 might be at the bottom of the container in contact with the liquid, and the longitudinal fold may be at the top, but in any event, each towelette has two parts at the bottom of the container in contact with the liquid in35 stead of only one part.

This means that any tendency due to gravity of the individual towelettes to become more moist at one end than -5the other is obviated because they become more moist in two areas (or even three or more).

Therefore, the situation is such that the width of the web, which becomes the length of the individual towel5 ette, is less than the vertical wickability of the roll having regard to the material of the roll and the fluid utilised, the web having longitudinally folded configuration which allows useful wickability across the entire width of the roll. This is true even though the width of the web when unfolded has a wickability which is less than its ability to wick fluid material from the lower edge thereof, i.e., the web width may be greater than the vertical wickability when not folded, the wicking ability of the material of the web and the type of fluid being taken in conjunction.

Therefore, in cases where the wickability of the material is in general limited having regard to the liguid and the material utilized, a much better moistened condition of the individual towelettes as they are abstracted from the container is provided than would be the case where the web is not folded longitudinally. The sheet size may be altered between perforations without altering the height of the container. The height of the container can be altered without changing the sheet size between perforations. Any combination of desired alteration of sheet size or container can be therefore accomplished and will be made according to the particular needs of the particular situation with regard to wickability, i.e., type of liquid versus type of web material In Figures 2, 3 and 4 folds are shown in diagrammatic form which may be applied to webs as described in a roll which is coreless or not, or individual sheets can be folded as shown or in other ways. These sheets may be interleaved for the extraction process, bringing up the leading end of a subsequent sheet as the preceding sheet is abstracted; or the sheets may even be connected and perfor35 ated to be torn off one at a time even though not in roll form, but in stack form.

One way of stacking such sheets is to fold them — ίΊ-. in any wa/ desired m one o: -ncre folds, ar.d to m.:. co,Apsct them into a ϋ-shape for insertion inco the container or package; or it is possible to fold them and then m folded condition stuff them into a container, the extr«oi._cn process being substantially the same as where the web is folded as shown in Figures 1 and 5.

It is preferred that the individual folds are in contacting relationship with each other so that the wicking action is transferred from one layer to another layer. For instance, looking at Figure 3, the end 32 might ba the lowermost end in the package, but as long as the various folds are in contact with each other, the wicking action is transferred from one to the other layer, and will proceed to the opposite edges regardless of whether they are even or overlapped, even though in unfolded form the wickability of the material of the sheet is less than sufficient to carry the liquid from the lower edge to the upper edge.

The same is true as to the single folds shown in Figures 2 and 4. The folded edge may be inserted in the fluid as illustrated in Figure 5 as to the web; but even if the single edge is located m the liquid in the bottom of the container, and the wickability is such that the liquid from the container progresses by osmosis as far as into the area of the fold as for instance at 14 in Figure 2, then the short fold becomes moistened also.

Claims (11)

1. A container with sheet-like wickable material to be dispensed in a wetted state, said material being in the form of a plurality of sheets or a web severable into said sheets, said container having an opening at its upper portion for extraction of said material, said sheet-like material being generally vertically disposed with edges thereof adjacent the bottom of the container, and liquid in the container at the bottom thereof in contact with said edges, the sheetlike material being folded so that its height is less than when in non-folded condition, the nature and quantity of the liquid within the container and the wiekability of the sheetlike material being such that wiekability will be provided across the entire height of the folded sheet-like material as long as liquid remains in the container in contact with the lower edges of said folded material, the sheet-like material when non-folded having a height greater than the wiekability of the sheets with respect to the type of liquid in the container.

2. A container with wickable material according to claim 1, wherein the sheet-like material ia folded on itself about a generally horizontal axis.

3. A container with ; wickable material according to claim 2, wherein the material is once folded.

4. A container with wickable material according to claim 2, wherein the material is folded more than once.

5. A container with wickable material according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the sheet-like material is in the form of a web folded about its longitudinal axis.

6. A container with wickable material according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the sheet-like material is in the form of a rolled perforated web providing a continuity of folded sheets.

7. A container with wickable material according to 4831? -8claim 6, wherein the roll is coreless.

8. A container with wickable material according to claim 7, wherein the roll has a leading end in the central portion thereof.

9. A container with wickable material according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the roll is disposed about a vertical axis.

10. A container with wickable material according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the sheet-like material is in the form of a stack of sheets.

11. A container with sheet-like wickable material substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.