KR20150141986A - Wipes dispenser with increased stability - Google Patents

Abstract

A container for storing a dispensable tissue is disclosed. The container includes a container body defining an interior cavity for storing the tissue. The container may further include a lid configured to be opened and closed, providing access to the dispensing opening upon opening and preventing access to the dispensing opening upon closing. When the container is oriented in the front or back direction during the tip test, the container may exhibit a stability value of greater than about 24 in the tip test, and may have a stability greater than about 30 in the tip test when the container is oriented in the lateral direction during the tip test Value.

Description

[0001] WIPES DISPENSER WITH INCREASED STABILITY [0002]

The present invention relates to a tissue dispenser with increased stability.

There are a variety of storage and dispensing containers on the market, and in particular containers for storing and dispensing personal care products. Personal hygiene products, especially wipes, have been made of a variety of materials that can be dry or wet during use. Wet wipes may be wet with a variety of suitable wiping solutions. Such wet tissue is designed for end use including, but not limited to, baby tissues, hand tissues, household cleaning tissue, industrial tissue, and the like.

Generally, the dispensing container is configured to store the wet tissue in a stacked configuration of rectangular and horizontal orientation, or the dispensing container is configured to store the tissue in a cylindrical, vertically oriented roll configuration. When the wet tissue is stored in a laminated configuration, the tissue may be in a folded configuration, for example a c-fold, z-fold or quadruple-fold configuration as known to those skilled in the art. Occasionally, the folded wet tissue is also interfolded with the wet tissue immediately above and below the stack of wet tissue. When the tissue is stored in a roll configuration, the tissue is typically placed in a container in the form of a continuous web of material in a roll and stored in a cylindrical dispenser in a vertical orientation. Such continuous webs often include perforations for separating individual wet tissue.

In each configuration, these conventional wet tissue packages generally provide a package that provides a sealed environment for ensuring that the plastic container, can, or wet tissue is not contaminated and / or preventing moisture loss. Some containers have a lid that is opened by releasing the latch and pressing the button on the top of the container to access the tissue. In some containers, the lid is configured to maintain an open condition that allows the consumer to access and dispense one or more tissues from the container. After completing the desired dispensing, the consumer needs to close the lid on the container to protect the tissue from external contamination and other debris, and in the case of a wet tissue, to provide a seal to retain the moisture characteristics of the tissue. Conventional latches and latching mechanisms in conventional containers, however, have the potential that they will not be fully tightened and thus do not provide adequate protection from external components, and that such locks have been fastened and formed a suitable seal, It does not form a desirable seal, including where it may be believed.

Additionally, conventional containers containing tissues are generally designed to rest on flat surfaces such as countertops, tables, flat worktops, toilet basin lids, and the like. In some circumstances, the consumer may want to open the lid of the container, remove the required amount of tissue, and close the lid of the container with one hand, without removing the container from the flat surface. Some of the conventional vessels do not permit this operation, and even in vessels that allow this, such vessels may become unstable while opening the lid, removing the tissue, or closing the lid. Moreover, it is sometimes desirable to maintain the container against a vertical surface, e.g., a wall, when performing such operations, wherein the container is free from other activities that may occur on an item that may also be stored on a flat surface or on a flat surface have. This storage problem may make it difficult to open the lid, dispense the tissue, or close the lid as desired.

In a dispenser that stores tissue in a laminated configuration and in a horizontal orientation, the tissue is placed in a horizontal position, often parallel to the dispensing section above the stack, so that the tissue is dispensed in an upward fashion. While this design demonstrates distribution performance, it requires a large footprint when standing alone and limits wall-mounting opportunities.

Therefore, there is a need to provide a container for dispensing a tissue that may be placed in an upright position without affecting dispensing performance or the ability of the lid to open and proper closure capability. There is also a need to provide a container for dispensing a tissue that has improved handling, opening, dispensing, and closure capabilities to ensure proper sealing and increased stability stability when the consumer is using the container.

A container for storing a dispensable tissue is disclosed. The container includes a container body. The container body may define an interior cavity for storing the tissue. The container may further include a lid. The lid is configured to move between an open position and a closed position. The open position may provide access to dispense a plurality of tissues stored within the interior cavity of the container body. The closed position may interfere with access to the inner cavity of the container body. If the container is oriented in the front or back direction during the Tip Test, the container may exhibit a Stability Value greater than about 24 in the tip test.

In another form, a container for storing a dispensable tissue is disclosed. The container includes a container body. The container body may define an internal cavity for storing the tissue. The container may further include a lid. The lid is configured to move between an open position and a closed position. The open position may provide access to dispense a plurality of tissues stored within the interior cavity of the container body. The closed position may interfere with access to the inner cavity of the container body. If the container is oriented laterally during the tip test, the container may exhibit a stability value of greater than about 30 in the tip test.

In yet another form, a container for storing a dispensable tissue is disclosed. The container includes a container body. The container body may define an internal cavity for storing the tissue. The container body may include a lowermost wall, a middle portion, and an uppermost wall. The top wall may include a dispensing opening. The container may further include a lid. The lid is configured to move between an open position and a closed position. The open position may provide access to the dispensing opening to dispense a plurality of tissues stored within the inner cavity of the container body. The closed position may interfere with access to the dispensing opening. The lid has an angle which is such that the first maximum height of the container at the front of the container is greater than the second maximum height of the container at the rear portion of the container to prevent tipping of the container towards the rear portion of the container, . ≪ / RTI >

The disclosure which is sufficiently feasible for a person skilled in the art will be more particularly described in the remainder of the specification in which the accompanying drawings are referred to.
Figure 1 shows a front perspective view of an exemplary tissue container.
Figure 2 shows a front perspective view of the tissue container of Figure 1 with the lid open.
Figure 3 shows a front perspective view of the tissue container of Figure 1 with the lid fully open and the top wall of the container base open, showing a plurality of tissues in a stacked manner in a vertical orientation.
Figure 4 shows a front elevation view of the tissue container of Figure 1;
Figure 5 shows a side elevational view of the tissue container of Figure 1;
Figure 6 shows a rear elevation view of the tissue container of Figure 1;
Figure 7 shows a top plan view of the tissue container of Figure 1;
Figure 8 shows a side elevational view of the tissue container of Figure 1 positioned on a flat surface with the back portion of the tissue container positioned against the vertical wall and the lid partially open.
Figure 9 shows a detailed cross-sectional view taken along line 9-9 of Figure 7 with the lid in the closed position.
Fig. 10 shows a detailed cross-sectional view taken along line 10-10 of Fig.
Figure 11 shows a detail cross-sectional view similar to Figure 9, but with the lid partially open.
Figure 12 shows a detailed cross-section similar to Figure 9, but with the lid in the open position.
Figure 13 shows a side schematic view of an exemplary tip test apparatus for performing a tip test on the tissue container of Figure 1, with the tissue container oriented in the front direction.
Figure 14 shows a bottom schematic view of some of the exemplary equipment of the exemplary tip test apparatus of Figure 13;
Figure 15 shows a side schematic view of a profiled member of an exemplary tip test apparatus that is tilted during an exemplary tip test.
16 is a detailed view taken along line 16-16 of Fig.

Reference will now be made in detail to the presently preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Each example is for illustrative purposes and is not intended to limit the invention. For example, features illustrated or described as an embodiment or as part of the drawings may still be used for other embodiments or drawings to make additional embodiments. It is intended that the present invention include such modifications and variations.

Figures 1-12 illustrate a container 10 for storing personal hygiene products, such as a plurality of tissues 12. The container (10) includes a container body (14) and a lid (16). The container body 14 may include a lowermost wall 18, an intermediate portion 20, and a top wall 22. The container body 14 may define an inner cavity 24 for storing a plurality of tissues 12. [ As shown in FIG. 3, the plurality of tissues 12 may be stored in the inner cavity 24 in a laminated manner and in a vertical orientation. However, the container body 14 may alternatively be configured to store a plurality of tissues 12 in roll and / or horizontal orientation, as is known in the art.

The container 10 may have a generally rectangular shape as shown in the embodiment of Figs. The middle portion 20 of the container body 14 includes a front wall 26 located in the front portion 28 of the container 10, a rear portion 32 of the container 10, And two side walls 34 and 36 positioned between the front wall 26 and the rear wall 30. The side walls 34 and 36 may be spaced apart from each other. The front wall 26 faces the rear wall 30 and the side walls 34 and 36 face each other. Of course, the container 10 may be configured in other forms, including, but not limited to, a substantially cylindrical shape. In such a situation, the intermediate portion 20 may be regarded as an integral part, rather than having a given front wall 26, rear wall 30, and side walls 34, 36.

2, the container body 14 may include a dispensing opening 38 in the top wall 22 of the container body 14. As shown in FIG. Part of the top wall 22, particularly adjacent to the dispensing opening 38, can be made of a thin, rubber-like, non-slip material. The lowermost wall 18, or a portion thereof, may also be made of a thin, rubber-like, non-slip material. Examples of flexible rubber-like materials used in the containers of the present invention include thermoplastic elastomers that can be used to provide an acceptable distribution elastomeric (TPE) material. Materials that may be used include, but are not limited to, styrenic TPE (i.e., styrene block copolymer compounds); Styrene-based TPE containing a rubber modifier such as Kraton ™, Santoprene ™, or other rubber modifier; Specialty co-polymers such as ethylene-methyl acrylate copolymers (e.g., EMACTM from Eastman Chemical Company); Thermosetting rubber; Polyurethane; alloy; amides; Processing TPE; Olefinic system; Olefin vulcanizates; Polyester type; And a polyurethane-based group.

1 to 12, the dispensing opening 38 is formed in the top wall 22 of the container body 14 and in the front portion 28 of the container 10 adjacent the front wall 26, but is not intended to limit the distribution opening 38 to such a configuration and location in the vessel 10. By providing friction from the plurality of tissues 12 to the leading tissue when pulled through the dispensing opening 38, the dispensing opening 38 can help the consumer dispense the individual tissue from the plurality of tissues 12. Such friction may be achieved by a plurality of tissues 38, such as a plurality of tissues 12, in a stacked or coiled configuration and / or perforated in various configurations known to those skilled in the art, You can help to remove only one tissue.

As shown in FIG. 3, the tissue can be stored in the inner cavity 24 in a laminated configuration and in a vertical orientation. The vertical orientation used here is such that the end edges of each individual tissue forming the plurality of tissues 12 are oriented toward the lowermost wall 18 rather than the middle portion 20 of the container body 14. [ ) Are stacked. The distal edge referred to herein may be a cutting edge or a folded edge of each tissue of a plurality of tissues 12, depending on the configuration in which a plurality of tissues 12 are stored. As shown in Figures 9-11, the container may include a support bulkhead 40 designed to support a plurality of tissues 12.

In an exemplary embodiment, a plurality of wet tissue 12 stored in a container is a wet tissue that can be used for baby tissues, flush wipes, household cleaning tissues, industrial tissue, and other cleaning applications and end uses. Materials suitable for the tissue 12 of the present invention are well known to those skilled in the art. In the case of wet tissue, they may be made of any material suitable for use as a wet tissue comprising a meltblown material, a coform material, an airlaid material, or a bonded carded web material, a hydraulic entanglement material, a high wet strength tissue, And may include synthetic fibers or natural fibers or combinations thereof. The tissue may contain a liquid that may be any solution that is absorbed into the tissue and can make the tissue a " wet wipe ". The liquid absorbed into the tissue may comprise any suitable components that provide the desired cleaning properties. For example, the ingredients can include water, a softener, a surfactant, an antiseptic, a chelating agent, a pH buffer, a flavoring, or a combination thereof. The liquid may also include lotions, ointments, and / or medicaments. The amount of liquid contained in each wet tissue will depend on the type of material used to provide the wet tissue, the type of liquid used, the type of container used to store the layer of wet tissue, and the desired end use of the wet tissue It can be different. In one example, each wet tissue may contain from about 15 to about 600 wt%, preferably from about 200 to about 400 wt%, of liquid, based on the dry weight of the tissue, to improve the cleaning function.

The lid 16 may include an angled top surface 17 toward the front portion 28 of the vessel 10. As shown in Figures 1-3, and as described in more detail below with respect to Figures 9-13, the lid 16 is configured to open and close by movement between an open position and a closed position. When the lid 16 is in the open position, the lid 16 may provide access to the plurality of tissues 12, as shown in Fig. In Figure 2 the consumer is able to access the tissue 12 through the dispensing opening 38 of the top wall 22 and the top wall is in contact with the leading edge 12a As shown in Fig. 8). In addition, if both the lid 16 and the top wall 22 of the container body 14 are both in the open position, the consumer can also access the plurality of tissues 12, as shown in Figure 3, The tissue 12 can be replenished to the container 10. [

Although the tissue 12 is shown as being arranged in the exemplary container 10 in a laminated structure and in a substantially vertical orientation, the container 10 provides a convenient and reliable distribution when dispensing and the tissue is contaminated and / And may be configured to store the tissue 12 in any manner that helps prevent drying. For example, the tissue can be a c-fold, z-fold, four-fold fold, or other zig-zag fold, or an individual folded tissue in a folded or unfolded configuration, as is known to those skilled in the art. The individual tissues may be in a different manner related to bringing the leading and trailing edge ends of the next tissue overlap in the laminate structure for matching or " pop-up " distribution. In this configuration, when the user separates the preceding tissue, the leading edge of the trailing tissue is loosened in the stack by the tail edge of the leading tissue. The tissue may be brought into contact with such dispensing for convenience by means well known to those skilled in the art.

Alternatively, the tissue may be arranged in a dispenser as a continuous tissue web folded into an accordion-like laminate configuration or roll. The individual tissues may be connected together along a perforation line, such as a perforation line, to ensure that the trailing tissue is in a position for the user to catch after the preceding tissue has been detached. For example, the tissue may be provided by a web of continuous material having a series of perforations extending across the width of the web of continuous material. Each portion of the web of material between successive perforations constitutes a respective individual tissue. The perforations may be provided by means known to those skilled in the art, such as perforating, indenting, or cutting the material in the web. For example, perforations or perforations may be provided to the web of material by passing the web of material through between the die cutter roll and the anvil roll. After the perforations are formed in the web of material, the web may then be arranged in a laminated or roll configuration to facilitate insertion into the vessel.

Additionally, the container 10 may hold any suitable number of individual tissues. For example, the container 10 may be configured to include at least about 5 tissues, preferably from about 8 to about 320 individual tissues, more preferably from about 16 to about 80 tissues.

The interrelationship of the container 10 and its components can be referred to in terms of the dimensions of " height ", " width ", and " depth ". These terms are not meant to limit orientation, but merely to discuss the relative size of the exemplary container 10 and its components. Figure 1 provides three axes, where " height " is measured in the axis labeled " H ", " width " is measured in the axis labeled " W ", and depth is measured in the axis labeled " D ".

The vessel 10 may include a minimum vessel width 42 as shown in Figs. 4 and 6, and a maximum vessel width 44 as shown in Figs. 4, 6 and 7. The vessel 10 may include a minimum vessel depth 46 as shown in Figure 5 and a maximum vessel depth 48 as shown in Figures 5 and 7. The vessel 10 also has a maximum vessel height 49, measured as the maximum distance between the bottom wall 18 of the vessel 10 and the lid 16, as shown in Fig. Because the top surface 17 of the lid 16 has an angle toward the front portion 28 of the container 10 the maximum container height 49 is at the front portion 28 of the container 10 and the container 10 The height 51 of the container 10 at the rear portion 32 of the container 10 is greater than the height 51 of the container 10 at the rear portion 32 thereof.

The lowermost wall 18 may include a maximum bottom wall width 50 as shown in Figures 4, 6 and 7 and a maximum bottom wall depth 52 as shown in Figures 5 and 7. 1 to 12, the maximum bottom wall width 50 is equal to the maximum vessel width 44 and the maximum bottom wall depth 52 is equal to the maximum vessel depth 48. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIGS. Additionally, the lid 16 may include a maximum lid width 54 as shown in Figs. 4, 6 and 7, and a maximum lid depth 56 as shown in Figs.

Unlike some container configurations, the exemplary container 10 is structurally configured to provide a magnitude relationship of height, width, and / or depth of a particular size between the container 10 and its components to provide certain advantages. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the maximum bottom wall depth 52 is greater than the minimum vessel depth 46. Additionally, the maximum lid depth 56 is greater than the minimum vessel depth 46. Each of these relationships provides increased capability for the consumer to dispense / fill the tissue by holding / holding the container 10 or by opening the lid 16 of the container 10. Also, the maximum lid depth 56 is less than the maximum bottom wall depth 52. The maximum bottom wall depth 52 also provides a maximum vessel depth 48. This helps lower the center of gravity of the vessel 10, which improves the stability of the vessel 10 when the vessel 10 is inadvertently contacted during use and / or on a surface.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the maximum bottom wall width 50 is greater than the minimum container width 42. The maximum lid width 54 is also greater than the minimum container width 42. Similar to the depth relationships described above, each of these relationships provides increased ability for the consumer to dispense / fill the tissue by holding / holding the container 10 or by opening the lid 16 of the container 10. Furthermore, the maximum lid width 54 is less than the maximum bottom wall width 50 and the maximum bottom wall width 50 is equal to the maximum container width 44. These configurations provide a container 10 with a lower center of gravity for increased stability.

Moreover, due to the angled top surface 17 of the lid 16, the maximum container height 49 occurs in the front portion 28 of the container 10, as opposed to the rear portion 32 of the container 10. This allows the center of gravity to be closer to the front portion 28 of the vessel 10 than to the rear portion 32 of the vessel 10 which allows the consumer to contact the lid 16 and rotate the lid 16 to the open position It is possible to prevent tipping of the container 10 toward the rear portion 32 of the container 10 when the container 10 contacts the front portion 28 of the container 10 when the container 10 is touched.

In addition, the tissue 12 is stacked in a vertical orientation with a maximum container width 44 and a maximum height 49 of the container that is greater than the maximum container depth 48. This provides a smaller footprint of the vessel 10 and can be used in the wash basin, toilet basin lid, and other areas where this vessel 10 can be placed, Can be particularly advantageous.

Returning now to Fig. 8, the container 10 described above is placed on surface 58. Fig. The lid 16 of the container 10 and the lid 16 are arranged in a plurality of the tissues 12 when the rear portion 32 of the container 10 is positioned near the wall 60 substantially perpendicular to the surface 58. [ So as to provide access to the leading edge 12a of successive tissues in the subsequent tissue. 8, since the maximum lid depth 56 is less than the maximum container depth 48, even though the lid 16 is coupled to the rear portion 32 of the container 10 around the hinge axis 62, Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > 16 < / RTI > A gap 64 between the lid 16 and the wall 60 that allows the lid 16 to open sufficiently to provide access to the tissue 12 without distancing the container 10 from the wall 60. [ Is provided. In addition, the low profile of the angled top surface 17 of the lid 16 of the rear portion 32 is more clearly defined between the lid 16 and the wall 60 when the lid 16 is rotated toward the open position do.

The operation of how the lid 16 is opened and closed will now be described with reference to Figures 9-12. In the exemplary embodiment of the container 10 described in Figures 1-12, the lid 16 is hingedly coupled to the rear portion 32 of the container 10. 10, the rear portion 68 of the lid 16 is coupled to the hinge pin 66. As shown in Fig. 3, the hinge pin 66 is journaled at each of its ends in the receiving portion 70 defined by the rear wall 30 of the container 10. 3, the top wall 22 is also hinged to the hinge pin 66 and is rotatable about the hinge axis 62 about the hinge axis 62 defined by the hinge pin 66 have.

Furthermore, the container 10 includes a slot 72 in the rear wall 30 of the intermediate portion 20. The slot 72 is configured to receive the elastic member 74 and the plunger 76. The plunger 76 has a proximal end 76a and a distal end 76b. The distal end (76b) of the plunger (76) engages the resilient member (74). The resilient member 74 can be compressed and loaded during installation of the plunger 76 in the slot 72 and can be used not only when the lid 16 is in the closed position as shown in Figure 9 but also when the lid 16 Is in the open position, it can be kept compressed and loaded. The elastic member 74 is seen as a rigid part capable of resilient deformation, while a coil spring or other suitable elastic member can alternatively be used.

10, the lowermost portion 78 of the rear portion 68 of the lid 16 engages the proximal end 76a of the plunger 76. As shown in FIG. Preferably, the lowermost portion 78 is circular. The resilient member 74 is configured to engage the proximal end 78 of the plunger 76 and the proximal end 78 of the plunger 76 against the hinge pin 66 when the lid 16 is loaded when in the closed position, The plunger 76 imparts a rotational force to the lid 16 in the direction of rotation 80. [ A line 90 perpendicular to the proximal end 76a of the plunger 76 and passing through the center of the hinge pin 66 causes the linear force of the resilient member 74 and the plunger 76 to move in the lowermost (78). The contact between the proximal end 76a of the plunger 76 and the lowermost portion 78 of the lid 16 is to the right of the intersection of the line 90 and the proximal end 76a of the plunger 76 is at point 92 The elastic member 74 forces the lid 16 to move in the direction of rotation 80 so that the lid 16 is held in the closed position (as shown in Fig. 10).

The force applied to keep the lid 16 in the closed position and to remain at that position is particularly advantageous if the tissue 12 stored in the container 10 is a wet tissue and the lid 16 is capable of absorbing the moisture of the tissue 12 It is necessary to provide the gasket effect for holding. 3, the top wall 22 may include raised ribs 82 around a substantial portion of the circumference of the top wall 22, which in the exemplary embodiment is comprised of TPE. Therefore, when the lid 16 is in the closed position, the raised lip 82 can sealably tighten the inner surface 84 of the lid 16, 16) to the closed position. Advantageously, this force applied to maintain the lid 16 in the closed position and to seal the lid 16 against the top wall 22 is accomplished by a conventional latching mechanism, (88) used to close the uppermost wall (22) with the upper wall (26). Unlike conventional locking mechanisms, the resilient member 74 can automatically send the lid 16 of the container 10 to the closed position, helping the consumer to close the lid 16.

When the consumer wishes to open the lid 16, as shown in Fig. 11, the consumer applies a force sufficient to overcome the force applied to the lid 16 in the rotational direction 80 by the resilient member 74, Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > 86 < / RTI > When the consumer moves the lid 16 by rotating the lid 16 in the direction of rotation 86 to the open position, the lowermost portion 78 of the lid's back portion 68 operates as a cam, The proximal end 76a of the cam member 76 is cammed. Thus, the plunger 76 slides in the slot 72 and further compresses or loads the elastic member 74. Figure 11 shows the contact between the lowermost portion 78 at the point 92 and the proximal end 76a of the plunger 76. However, once the lowermost portion 78 has rotated past the intersection of the line 90 and the proximal end 76a of the plunger 76 at point 92 (to the left of point 92 as shown in Figure 11) The force applied to the plunger 76 by the resilient member 74 is changed to apply to the lowermost portion 78 of the lid 16 in the direction of rotation 86. This forces the lid 16 to the open position I will send it. During this rotation, the lowermost portion 78 eventually allows the plunger 76 to move vertically upwards, and the resilient member 74 is at least partially uncompressed or unloaded.

The rotational force and cam action of the lowermost portion 78 of the rear portion 68 of the lid 16 relative to the proximal end 76a of the plunger is similar if the consumer wishes to move the lid 16 from the open position to the closed position , Acting in the opposite manner. Initially the consumer applies a force to the lid 16 in the direction of rotation 80 sufficient to overcome the force applied to the lowermost portion 78 of the lid 16 in the direction of rotation 86. [ However, if the consumer rotates the lid 16 in the direction of rotation 80 and the point of contact between the lowermost portion 78 of the lid 16 and the proximal end 76a of the plunger 76 is to the right of the point 92 9 and 10, the elastic member 74 provides a force to the plunger 76 to rotate the lid 16 in the rotational direction 80 to the closed position (as shown in FIG. 11) send.

9-12, the lid 16 of the exemplary embodiment may rotate approximately 90 degrees between the closed position and the open position, and as illustrated in Figures 10 and 11, And the line 96 parallel to the proximal end 76a of the plunger 76. As shown in FIG. For reference, if the lid 16 is in the closed position, the angle of rotation a is equal to about 90 degrees, and if the lid 16 is in the open position, the angle of rotation a is equal to about 0 degrees.

The lid 16, the resilient member 74 and the plunger 76 are configured to send the lid 16 to the closed position when the lid 16 is in a first range of position between the open and closed positions, Is configured to send the lid (16) of the container (10) to the open position in a second range of position between the open position and the closed position. Between the lowermost portion 78 of the lid 16 and the proximal end 76a of the plunger 76 relative to the point 92 on the proximal end 76a of the plunger 76, The contact position defines whether the elastic member 74 will send the lid 16 in the rotational direction 80 toward the closed position or will send the lid 16 in the rotational direction 86 toward the open position. Thus, point 92 provides a switching point for the pressing force that is deformed relative to lid 16 by elastic member 74. In the non-limiting embodiment described herein, the transition point 92 occurs when the angle of rotation a is equal to about 50 degrees.

This arrangement is advantageous in that once the consumer rotates the lid 16 at a rotation angle a greater than about 50 degrees, even if the consumer stops applying any force to the lid 16, the advantage of sending the lid 16 to the closed position . Thus, in such a situation, when the lid 16 is in a position having a rotation angle greater than about 50 degrees, the lid 16 must be self-closing and form a reliable moisture seal in the container 10. This will help prevent the wet tissue 12 from drying, as in the case of having a conventional latch if the latch is not fully engaged. Additionally, this arrangement provides the advantage that if the user rotates the lid 16 at a rotation angle alpha less than about 50 degrees, the lid 16 necessarily has to open itself and remain open. This has the advantage that the consumer does not hold the lid 16 open while dispensing a tissue or performing other operations on the plurality of tissues 12. [

The elastic member 74 urges the plunger 76 to move the lid 16 to the closed position and to open the lid 16 according to the shape and position of the lowermost portion 78 of the rear portion 68 of the lid 16. [ The point 92 that exerts a force on the plunger 76 to the position may vary. This switching between closing the lid 16 and opening the lid 16, as shown in the embodiments described herein, is limited to a rotation angle? Of about 50 degrees, or even to a transition point 92). ≪ / RTI > Rather, the configurations of the embodiments described herein and illustrated in Figs. 1 to 12 are merely preferred and non-limiting configurations.

The container 10 is thus configured to send the lid 16 to the closed position and can be configured to send the lid 16 to the open position along the specific position of the lid 16 as well. As used herein, the term " urging " or "urged " with respect to the lid 16 of the container 10 means to include any type of actuation force, whether direct or indirect Is provided by the container 10 to attempt at least a change in the position of the lid 16, independent of gravity and / or any force exerted on the container 10 by the consumer. The force provided by the vessel 10 to cause a change in position of the lid 16 may be less than gravity, equal to gravity, or greater than gravity. The vessel 10 may, for example, In an embodiment, the container 10 may be configured in a location that adds gravity to the force that provides the lid 16 to send it to the closed position. The container 10 may also be configured such that the container 10 also sends the lid to the open position To provide gravity to the force providing it .

As mentioned above, the structural configuration of the vessel 10 increases the stability of the vessel 10. This characteristic is particularly advantageous when the consumer loosens the container or when the container 10 is inadvertently contacted when the container 10 is standing on the surface 58 and more particularly when the container 10 described above is kept in the vertical orientation It is advantageous to prevent the container from falling easily in an environment where it is constituted. Although the bottom wall 18 may comprise TPE or another rubber like material to improve the stability of the container 10, the structural configuration may be more stable than prior art containers configured to store the tissue 12 in a vertical orientation This advantage can be provided alone.

To demonstrate and quantify the increased stability in the exemplary embodiment, a tip test was performed on the container 10 and other containers configured to store the tissue in a vertical orientation. The tip test was constructed based on ASTM D6179-07 incorporated herein by reference as if fully set forth herein. In particular, test method F of ASTM D6179-07 initiates a tip test to determine if a filled container falls if tilted at a preferred angle. The tip test provides a useful indicator to quantify the stability of the container during storage of the intended contents.

The tip test apparatus 100 used to perform the tip test described herein is shown in Figures 13-16. The tip testing apparatus 100 includes a support structure 102, a pivot arm 104, a tiltable member 106, and a protractor 108. 13, the container 10 is placed on the uppermost surface 107 of the minor-surface member 106 during the tip test. The support structure 102 is coupled to the structure 110, such as a lab bench, so that the support structure 102 is held stationary.

A thin sheet (not shown) of a rubber-like, non-slip material, such as TPE, can be provided on the top surface 107 on which the container will be placed if the container does not have such rubbery, have. Such a material will only cause the container to slip off the top surface 107 during the tip test, as further described below. The sample rubber-like material for the thin sheet is available from GLS Corporation of McHenry, Ill., Known as various manufacturers, for example OM 1060 Resin. Another material for the flexible rubber-like sheet may be that known as # 2701 resin, manufactured by GLS Corporation of McHenry, IL. The G2701 material is another of the resins in the TPE family. G2701 is a styrenic material and is a group of styrene block copolymer compounds. Another similar material is known as G2755 and is also sold by GLS Corporation.

As shown in FIG. 14, the tip testing apparatus 100 may include a position bolt 112 received in a slot 114 in a pivot arm 104. The position bolt 112 couples the prestressing member 106 to the pivot arm 104 using an L-shaped bracket 116. As also shown in FIG. 14, the profiled member 106 is rotatably coupled to the support structure 102 using a hinge 118. Accordingly, when the tip member 106 is tilted during the tip test, it will be described in more detail below and as shown in FIG. 15, the minor tip 106 is tilted with respect to the support structure 102 The position bolt 112 may become loose. 16, the protractor 108 is coupled to the support structure 102 and includes a measurement arm 120 that allows the tester to determine the tilting angle of the prismatic member 106 relative to the support structure 102 .

The methodology for the tip test described herein is associated with a test vessel for stability values in each of three orientations (front, back, and side directions). As shown in the tip test apparatus 100 of Figs. 13 and 15, these three orientations are described for the vessel 10, but the directions are applied to any type of vessel tested in the tip test. The frontal direction is illustrated by the container 10 of Figures 13 and 15 and for the purpose of the tip test described herein the frontal portion 28 of the container 10 has a front edge portion 109). The backside orientation of the container for the purpose of the tip test described herein is the orientation of the container 10 with the backside portion 32 of the container 10 facing the front edge portion 109 of the minority accommodation member 106. 13, the container 10 may be placed in the rearward direction by rotating the container 10 by 180 degrees on the surface 107 of the member 106 of the minor diameter. The lateral orientation of the container for the purpose of the tip test described herein is the orientation of the container with one side wall 34 of the container 10 facing the front edge portion 109 of the minor component 106. [ 13, the container 10 can be placed in the lateral direction by rotating the container 90 degrees in one direction on the surface 107 of the profiled member 106. As shown in Fig.

In the case of a substantially cylindrical container, the orientation in the front direction, the rear direction and the lateral direction has an intermediate portion in which these containers are configured as an integrated structure without portions, so that the normal "front wall", "rear wall" &Quot; and " side walls ". < / RTI > However, a generally cylindrical container will be considered to be in the front direction for the purposes of the tip test described herein if the opening mechanism of the lid is facing the front edge 109 of the prismatic member 106. If there is no identifiable opening mechanism then the generally cylindrical container is considered to be in the front direction for the purpose of the tip test described herein if the major brand graphic faces the front edge 109 of the affordable member 106 It will lose. The back and side directions will be configured as described above with respect to the container 10 where the back direction is when the container is rotated 180 degrees above the surface 107 of the surface member 106 from the front direction, The lateral direction is a case in which the container rotates 90 占 from the front surface 107 on the surface 107 of the surface-mounting member 106.

The methodology for obtaining the stability value of the container will now be described. The angle of the prismatic member 106 is adjusted to the position of the prismatic member 106 using the position bolt 112 as described above so that the measuring arm 120 on the protractor 108 is moved And the surface 107 of the substrate 106 is 0 DEG. The lowermost wall 18 of the vessel 10 is then placed on the surface 107 of the minor component member 106 in a preferred orientation to perform a tip test. Preferably, the container is placed approximately at the center of the surface 107. Once the container is in place, the tester can manipulate the position bolt 112 and tilt the prismatic member 106 by 1 DEG with respect to the support structure 102. At every 1 ° increase, the tester must lock the position bolt 112 for at least 1 second and stop the minor component 106. If the container does not fall at increasing angles, the tester must then move at the next incremental angle. This process should be repeated until the container has fallen and the bottom wall of the container is no longer on the top surface 107 of the prismatic member 106.

The angle at which the vessel first falls during this process is referred to as the Tip Angle Value. The tester must repeat this tip test method three times for each desired direction of the vessel to obtain three tip angle values. If at least three tip angle values are obtained for the desired direction, the tester can calculate the average value of the tip angle values for that direction and convert it to the nearest integer to calculate the stability value associated with that direction.

Example

In the tip test conducted here, the exemplary container 10 described above was compared with three different containers configured to store the tissue in a vertical orientation. The three comparative containers were a HUGGIES® Natural Care Wipes container (referred to as "HUGGIES® Container" manufactured by Kimberly-Clark Corporation), a Lysol® Dual Action Disinfecting Wipes container (referred to as "Lysol® Container" supplied by Reckitt Benckiser) X < / RTI > Antibacterial Soft Wipes container (referred to as " germ-X® Container ") supplied by Vi-Jon.

The exemplary containers 10 described above as well as the HUGGIES® Container containers each had rubber-like, non-slip materials on their respective bottom wall, respectively. However, Lysol® Container and germ-X® Container do not have rubber-like, non-slip materials on their respective bottom walls, and thus a thin sheet of TPE (not shown) Is removably fastened to the surface 107 of the prestressed member 106, which is placed thereon. Each of the tested containers was tested with the lid of the closed position and the intended contents of the wet tissue.

The container 10 and the three comparison containers were subjected to a tip test in each of the three directions mentioned above to obtain the tip angle value data below, where "F" is the front direction, "R" S "means the lateral direction. As shown in Table 1 below, stability values were calculated for each of the three directions for each of the containers tested based on the recorded tip angle values for each container.

Comparison of stability values for various vertically oriented tissue containers Exemplary containers HUGGIES ® Container Lysol ® Container germ-X® Container Sample F R S F R S F R S F R S One 31 32 38 16 19 30 17 17 18 20 23 26 2 31 32 38 16 18 30 16 18 18 21 23 25 3 30 32 37 16 17 30 17 17 18 22 25 25 Stability value 31 32 38 16 18 30 17 17 18 21 24 25

As shown in Table 1 above, the exemplary container 10 has improved stability values as compared to other vertical orientation tissue containers. For example, the container 10 has a stability value of 31 when the container is oriented in the front direction during the tip test. Further, the container 10 has a stability value of 32 when the container 10 is oriented in the backward direction during the tip test. Finally, the container 10 has a stability value of 38 when the container 10 is oriented laterally during the tip test.

The structural configuration of the vessel 10 provides such improved stability values over other vertically oriented tissue vessels.

Accordingly, various aspects and features of the present invention can provide a container for a tissue that provides improved grip and handling of the container, improved convenient dispensing of the tissue, and improved closure of the lid as compared to conventional tissue containers have. Various aspects and features of the present invention also provide a more reliable lid closure and sealing and provide improved moisture retention in the tissue when the tissue stored in the container is a wet tissue.

Although a container useful for the purposes of the present invention is particularly shown in the drawings, many other container designs are possible without departing from the scope of the invention, and other variations and modifications to the appended claims will be apparent to those skilled in the art, Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention will be practiced by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and range of the invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the above description is not intended to limit the scope of the invention in light of the disclosed objects, but is to be defined by the following claims and their equivalents.

Claims (20)

A container for storing a plurality of tissues in a vertical orientation that can be dispensed by a consumer,
A container body defining an inner cavity for storing the plurality of tissues; And
A lid configured to move between an open position and a closed position such that the open position provides access to dispense the plurality of tissues stored within the interior cavity of the container body, And a lid,
Wherein the container comprises a first stability value greater than about 24 in a first tip test when the container is oriented in a front or back direction during a tip test. 2. The container of claim 1, wherein the container is oriented in the front direction during the first tip test. 3. The container of claim 2, wherein the first stability value is about 31 in the first tip test. 2. The container of claim 1, wherein the container is oriented in the backward direction during the first tip test. 5. The container of claim 4, wherein the first stability value is about 32 in the first tip test. 2. The container of claim 1, wherein the first stability value is greater than about 28 in the first tip test. 7. The method of any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein the container further comprises a second stability value greater than about 30 in the second tip test when the container is oriented laterally during a second tip test. Vessel. 8. The container of claim 7, wherein the second stability value is about 38 in the second tip test. A container for storing a plurality of tissues in a vertical orientation that can be dispensed by a consumer,
A container body defining an inner cavity for storing the plurality of tissues; And
A lid configured to move between an open position and a closed position such that the open position provides access to dispense the plurality of tissues stored within the interior cavity of the container body, And a lid,
Wherein the container comprises a stability value greater than about 30 in a tip test when the container is oriented laterally during a tip test. 10. The container of claim 9, wherein the stability value is greater than about 35 in the tip test. 10. The container of claim 9, wherein the stability value is about 38 in the tip test. A container for storing a plurality of tissues in a vertical orientation that can be dispensed by a consumer,
A container body defining an interior cavity for storing said plurality of tissues, said container body including a bottom wall, a middle portion, and a top wall, said top wall including a dispensing opening; And
A cover configured to move between an open position and a closed position such that the open position provides access to a dispensing opening for dispensing the plurality of tissues stored within an interior cavity of the container body, And a lid,
Wherein the lid has an angle such that the first maximum height of the container at the front portion of the container is greater than the second maximum height of the container at the rear portion of the container to prevent tipping of the container toward the rear portion of the container And a top surface. 13. The container of claim 12, wherein the container comprises a first stability value greater than about 24 in a first tip test, wherein the container is oriented in a backward direction during the first tip test. 13. The container of claim 12, wherein the container comprises a first stability value, such as about 32, in the first tip test. 15. The container of claim 13 or 14, wherein the container further comprises a second stability value greater than about 30 in a second tip test, wherein the container is oriented laterally during the second tip test. 13. The container of claim 1, 9, or 12, wherein the container body includes a bottom wall, a middle portion, and a top wall, wherein the top wall includes a dispensing opening through which a consumer can dispense the plurality of tissues Courage to do. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the intermediate portion comprises a front wall, a rear wall, a first side wall, and a second side wall, the front wall facing the rear wall, And the dispensing opening is located adjacent the front wall. 17. The container of claim 16, wherein the lowermost wall comprises a non-slip material. The container of claim 1, 9 or 12, wherein the inner cavity is configured to store a plurality of tissues in a laminated manner. The container of claim 1, 9 or 12, further comprising the plurality of tissues.

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