MXPA99010757A - Folding and stacking configuration for wet wipes - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to wet wipes for use in wiping surfaces in the home and in industry, in addition to their use on the human body such as for baby wipes, make-up removal and other skin care applications. The wet wipes (1) are folded and interleaved with one another to provide an improved stacking configuration whereby each wipe can be readily singly separated from the wet wipe stack (23) by the consumer.

Description

CONFIGURATION OF BENDING AND STACKING FOR HUMID TOWELS FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to wet towel stacks "which are provided with an improved interleaving configuration, so that the consumer can easily separate each towel from the pile of wet towels.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Wet towels are typically pre-moistened disposable towels that can be used in a variety of both domestic and industrial applications and can perform a variety of functions. Typically, wet towels are used to clean both animate and inanimate surfaces and can provide many benefits such as, for example, cleaning, rinsing, disinfecting and skin care benefits. A particular application is the use of wet towels to clean parts of the human body, particularly when there is no water for cleaning, for example on a trip. The towels are commonly used for human cleansing and rinsing such as, for example, anal cleansing, perianal and genital cleansing, cleaning of the face and hands, for example as intimate hygiene towels such as feminine wet towels. Also, wet towels can be used for the application of substances in the body that include both the removal and application of makeup, conditioners and skin medications. Another application of towels is during the diaper change and also in the treatment of dermatitis in adults and babies caused, in part, by the use of diapers and incontinence devices. In addition, wet towels can also be used to clean and rinse other surfaces or for the application of compositions on surfaces, for example, surfaces of bathrooms and kitchens, eyeglasses, shoes and surfaces that require cleaning within the industry. , for example surfaces of machinery or automobiles. Wet towels also include items used for cleaning or caring for pets. Commonly, wet towels are constructed of combinations of natural and synthetic fibers, such as polyolefin fibers, viscose fibers and cotton fibers, "which are generally wetted with an aqueous composition" containing, among others, surfactants, preservatives, oils and essences Typically, wet towels are provided in a stacked configuration, folded into a covered container such as a tube-type container with a lid. Alternatively, the towels may be provided in tube containers with a supply opening. In both cases this allows easy transportation and storage of the towels. However, a problem with the current stack of wet folded towels is the lack of ease, of providing a single towel from a stack of towels. This problem is particularly delicate in circumstances of use such as when the consumer is holding a baby during diapering. Under these conditions, the consumer will need to be able to remove and separate the towel from the stack using only one hand. This is not satisfactorily achieved with current products. The problem of the lack of satisfactory supply of a wet towel from the stack and container is due to several reasons. First, typically, the wet towels are folded and placed either on top of each other or interspersed with an adjacent towel. However, it is not easy to identify visually or by touch the exact location of the leading edge of the upper towel of the stack used at that time. This is due to the fact that the substrate material of the towel is typically homogeneous and in this way the front edge of the towel, particularly when folded, can not be distinguished from the material of the substrate on which it rests. In addition, the front edge portion of the towel also has a tendency to adhere to the underlying substrate material on which it rests. Of aguí «thateven with the tactile identification of the edge when sliding or dragging the fingers across the surface of the towel does not result in immediate identification of the edge location. Secondly, once the front edge has been placed, it is difficult for the consumer to take enough material from the substrate and maintain the substrate grip so that only one towel is separated from the pile on which it rests. Frequently, the consumer is only able to take a small portion of the leading edge so that a firm grip of the same is not established and therefore, the towel slides easily from the consumer's fingers. These problems associated with the supply of wet towels has been detected within the art. For example, US 5 540 332 indicates the supply of wet towels and a method of producing these towels. The improved delivery is achieved by providing at least a portion of one of the edges of the end of the towel with a non-linear repeat pattern such as a P924 sine wave configuration. However, the problem of supplying a single towel is not signaled or exceeded with the use of a non-linear leading edge. Another proposed solution to the supply problem is described in US 4 778 048, which discloses a product consisting of a stack of wet towels tipped at the edge inside a container for improved access and delivery and uniform distribution of the Iliquids. In a preferred embodiment, the edge of each towel has a greater Gurley Stiffness "than the rigidity of the main body of the towel. However, the provision of the rigid edge has itself inconvenient characteristics. Wet towels, particularly those "which are intended for use on sensitive areas of the skin such as baby towels, require a certain degree of softness. The edge of the towel "which is rigid is not suitable for use as already noted in the patent itself and therefore the towels have a reduced surface area of the substrate suitable for use. Caution should also be exercised to reduce or avoid contact of this portion of the rim with the skin, as it may cause irritation. In addition, the stiffness of the edge again does not solve the problem of supplying a single towel. Also, providing the non-linear edge on a non-woven substrate using current manufacturing techniques would result in the unraveling of the edges of the substrate, which is inconvenient. supply specifically designed with supply holes to assist the consumer with the identification of the leading edge.These containers are designed so that "during the removal action of the upper towel of the container, the adjacent towel is lifted from the stack in a manner" Partially protrudes through the hole, once "the upper towel has been removed." In this way, the upper towel is positioned for easy grip by the consumer, however, a disadvantage with these devices is that most of the substrate material of the adjacent towel is exposed through the hole, therefore the towel dries and does not s suitable for use and has to be discarded. EP 747 313 proposes a means to deal with this problem and exposes a paper with multiple folds, such as a wetted tissue paper, for a continuous supply through the orifice of the container. In this way, a quarter of the length of the adjacent towel is exposed through the supply orifice. However, tissue paper products can not be used for all applications of wet towels, such as P924 baby towels, since moistened tissue paper is not 'satisfactory in terms of softness or resistance. In particular, these moistened tissue papers suffer from the tendency to break during use and are therefore not suitable for use as wet towels. - Another key factor "that contributes to the problem of the supply of a single wet towel of the pile of wet towels" which is not indicated by any previous technique, is the tendency of the substrate material of the towel to adhere to itself. In particular, this is due to the compression of the towel stacks during manufacture and storage, the actual weight of the pile of the towels themselves and the existence of attractive forces between the substrate material and the lotion of the towels . As a result, when the towels are folded to form a pile, the substrate material tends to adhere to itself and to the substrate material of the adjacent towels. By "consequently, once" that the consumer has removed the towel from the stack, the towel tends to keep its configuration bent. In addition, typically, the towel remains at least partially adhered to the adjacent towel on which it rested. Therefore, in addition, during the action of removing a towel from the pile, the adjacent towel is also at least partially separated from the pile. As a result, it P924 re «wants« that the consumer not only unfolds the towel before starting with the desired application of the towel, but «that he must also separate it from the adjacent towel in the pile and return that towel to the pile inside the container. This is obviously, particularly inconvenient for consumers "who use baby wipes during a diaper change. The problem of adhesion of the towel substrate has been pointed out in the prior art. Attempts have been made to solve this problem, which lie in the provision of interleaved towels such as those described in JP 08 089 439. Certainly, the interleaving is also known from the prior art related to the use of dry tissue products such as those disclosed in US 2 772 021 and US 3 330 553. However, due to the complex interactions "that exist between a substrate material and the wet towel product lotion, it is known" that the folding configurations generally used in dry tissue products can not be applied to wet towels. In addition, many of the proposed interleaved configurations have problems associated with them. In particular, when as a result of interleaving, the degree of overlap of the substrate material between the adjacent towels is wide, then the problem of adhesion of the substrate is only exacerbated so that the towels are always effectively released in pairs or even if dispensed A single towel, a large proportion of the adjacent towel can still be exposed through the supply orifice after removal of the upper towel, so that the towel dries. On the other hand, if the overlap between the adjacent towels is minimized in such a way as to "guarantee the supply of a single towel, there is no identifiable separation of the adjacent towel from the stack, so that the problem of identification of the leading edge. Also, in addition to the inconvenient supply of the towels, other problems related to the interleaving configurations of the prior art may arise. For example, as a result of interleaving configurations, the substrate material may be unevenly distributed within the container, which "leads to a number of undesirable effects such as uneven distribution of the lotion through the stack. towels and inside the individual towels themselves, resulting in the concentration of the lotion in specific areas within the pile. In addition, many of the interleaving configurations also result in the formation of edges and grooves in the substrate material, both with the tendency to reduce the strength and softness of the towel, in addition to not being aesthetically convenient. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a wet towel substrate that is suitable for multiple applications such as baby towels, which are tough, soft and absorbent. It is also desirable to provide a stacking configuration for wet towels "that facilitates the supply of a single towel in the stack. The present invention addresses these problems by providing a stack of wet towels "having an improved interleaving and bending configuration.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Hence, the present invention relates to a wet towel for cleaning human body parts and other surfaces, such as baby towels, In particular, the present invention relates to a towel stacking configuration wet to provide ease of supply and separation of a single towel from the pile of wet towels, especially for applications «that use a container and a supply orifice.

Accordingly, the stack configuration for wet towels consists of a first arrangement of towels and a second arrangement of towels, each of the towels consists of a substrate and a liquid composition. Each of the towels extends along its length from a first leading edge to a second trailing end edge and has at least two bends therein, which provides a front edge panel, central panel and a panel of the rear edge. According to the present invention, the first arrangement of towels is interleaved between the second arrangement of towels and vice versa, so that at least a portion of the front edge panel and at least a portion of the central panel of each of the towels of the second arrangement are interspersed between at least a portion of the rear edge panel and at least a portion of the central panel of a towel of the first array of towels. Similarly, at least a portion of the central panel and at least a portion of the leading edge panel of each of the towels of the first array is sandwiched between at least a portion of the rear edge panel and at least one portion of the central panel of the towel of the second arrangement of towels. In addition, the towels are interleaved so that the length of the front edge panel or edge panel P924 rear of each of the towels of the first arrangement is not greater than __50% _ of _ the length of the corresponding center panel, so that the length of the front edge panel or rear edge panel of each of the towels of the second arrangement is not greater than 50% of the corresponding central panel length.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES Figure 1 illustrates a perspective view of a wet towel folded into a z-shape. Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional drawing of a stack of wet towels folded and interspersed in a supply container. Figure 3a is a cross-sectional drawing taken along line xx of Figure 1, showing a towel with a front edge panel 9, a central panel 8 and a rear edge panel 10 in a fold configuration in Z Figure 3b is a cross-sectional drawing of a folded towel with a flange 36 on the front edge panel. Figures 4a, 4b, 4c and 4d are cross-sectional drawings of 4 modes of folding and interleaving configurations for wet towels according to the present invention.

P924 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the present invention, the wet towel consists of a substrate that is coated or impregnated with a liquid composition. The substrate may be woven or non-woven, foam, sponge, fibrous material, beads, swabs, or films, preferably a non-woven material and may be composed of synthetic or natural fibers or mixtures thereof. Preferably, the fiber compositions are a mixture of hydrophilic fiber material such as viscose, cotton or linen and a hydrophobic fiber material such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polypropylene (PP) in a proportion of 20% - 80% by weight of hydrophilic material and 80% -20% by weight of hydrophobic material. Two particularly preferred compositions are 50% viscose / 50% PP and 50% viscose / 50% PET. Preferably, the substrate has a basis weight of at least 20 gm "2 and preferably less than 150 gm" 2 and more preferably the basis weight is within the range of 20 gm "2 to 70 gm" 2, with greater preference of 50 gm "2 to 65 gm" 2. The substrate can have any caliber. Typically when the substrate is made by a hydroembrylation process, the average gauge of the substrate is less than 0.8 mm. More preferably, the average caliper of the substrate is 0.1 mm to 0.4 mm. He P924 gauge of the substrate is measured according to the EDANA industrial methodology standard of non-woven material, reference method # 30.4-89. The mass density of the substrate is preferably not greater than 1.0 g / cm3 ', preferably not greater than 0.9 g / cm3 and more preferably not greater than 0.7 g / cm3. In addition to the fibers used to make the substrates, the substrate may have other components or materials added thereto as is known in the art. The types of desirable additives will depend on the particular end use of the substrate contemplated. For example, in wet towel products such as wet toilet paper, paper towels, facial tissues and baby wipes, and other products spread out in the air, high wet strength is a desirable attribute. Thus, it is often desirable, particularly for cellulose-based substrates to add chemicals known in the art as wet strength resins. A general dissertation on the types of wet strength resins used in the paper technique can be found in the monograph TAPPI Serial No. 29, Wet Resistance in Paper and Cardboard, Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry (New York, 1965). In addition to wet strength additives, it can also be convenient P924 include certain dry strength and lint control additives known in the art, such as starch binders. further, the substrate may also contain agents for improving the optical characteristics of the substrate material as well as opacifying agents, for example titanium dioxide. In accordance with the present invention, the substrate can be manufactured by any method known in the art. For example, nonwoven substrates can be formed by dry forming techniques such as laying with air or wet laying in a papermaking machine. Other techniques for manufacturing non-woven materials such as meltblown, spunbonded, punched or spin-linked methods can also be used. A preferred method is hydro-coiling. In accordance with the present invention, a pile configuration for wet towels is provided, which results in greater ease of delivery and separation of a single towel from the wet towel stack and easy recognition of its location and ease of grip of the towel. front edge of each subsequent towel. The present invention will now be described with reference to the figures. Figure 1 provides a P924 perspective view of a single wet towel 1 folded. Figure 2 is a cross-sectional illustration of a stack of towels 23 folded and interleaved in accordance with the present invention, housed in a container 20. The container 20 includes a tube portion 21 and a lid 22, pivotally attached to the container. portion of tube, by, for example, an articulated mechanism and a supply orifice 24. In an alternative embodiment, the towels may also be stacked and then packaged in a moisture-tight wrapper, such as a laminated or polymeric film coated wrap, to provide a packing of filler used to fill the package. In accordance with the present invention, the stacking configuration consists of a first and a second arrangement of towels that are interleaved with one another. With reference to Figures 1-3, each towel 1 folded in each array extends along its length from a first leading end edge 2 to a second trailing edge 3. The folded canvases also have lateral edges 4 and 5 that extend along their length from the first leading edge edge 2 to the second trailing edge edge 3. Each folded towel 1 has at least two folds, which provides three panels. As used herein, a P924 panel is a portion of a towel «that extends between two folds, or between a fold and an end edge. The first fold 6 of the panel is generally parallel to the leading edge 2 and generally perpendicular to the lateral edges 4, 5. The first fold 6 of the panel is spaced along its length from the front edge 2 to provide a front edge panel 9, "which extends between the first fold 6 of the panel and the front edge 2. The second fold 7 of the panel is generally parallel to the first fold 6 of the panel and is spaced along its length thereof, which provides a central panel 8 attached to the panel 9 of the leading edge in the first fold 6 of the panel and extending in the first fold 6 of the panel and the second fold 7 of the panel. The panel 10 of the trailing edge is attached to the central panel 8 in a second panel fold 7 and extends between the second fold 7 of the panel and the rear edge 3. In accordance with the present invention, the towels are folded in the first and second folds 6 and 7 of the panel to provide a front edge panel, center panel and rear edge panels 9, 8 and 10. In this way, the towels can be folded in a number of configurations before interleaving. This is clearly demonstrated with reference to the corresponding surfaces of each of the panels as indicated P924 in Figure 3. In Figure 3a, each towel has a first panel 30 of the leading edge with an upper surface, a second panel 31 of the leading edge with a lower surface, a first panel 32 of the trailing edge with an upper surface, a second panel 33 of the trailing edge with a lower surface, a first central panel 34 with an upper surface and a second central panel 35 with a lower surface. The front edge panel and the rear edge panel can thus be provided by the first fold of the panel and the second fold of the panel, respectively, so that the panel rests on the upper confronting surface of the center panel or the panel. lower confronted surface of the central panel. As exemplified in Figures 1 and 3a, the front edge panel 9 is adjacent to a portion of the upper facing surface of the central panel 8 and lies thereon, and the rear edge panel is adjacent to a portion of the surface confronted bottom of the central panel 8 and lies on it, which provides a so-called towel folded in inverse Z. Alternatively, the towels may be bent to provide a Z-fold configuration. Still, in another alternative, both the front edge panel and the back edge panel of each towel may be P924 bent so that both are adjacent and lie on a portion of the upper surface of the center panel. Preferably, the towels of the first and second arrangements are bent to provide mirror images to each other, for example, whereby the first towel arrangement is folded into a Z-fold and the towels of the second arrangement are folded with a fold of Inverse Z Also, in addition to the front edge panel, center panel and rear edge panel described hereinbefore, each towel may have additional panels. In particular, the front edge panel or the rear edge panel may also be provided with an additional fold to provide a flange 36 of the front edge panel or a flange of the rear edge panel as illustrated in Figure 3b. The flange is formed by providing the front edge panel or the rear edge panel with a fold of the flange of the panel that is adjacent to the front or rear edge of the folded substrate and is spaced apart therefrom, to provide a flange extending between the edge of the panel. Fold the panel flange and end edge. The fold of the panel flange may be folded over the lower surface of the front edge panel so that the leading end edge lies below the front end edge panel. This configuration is particularly beneficial P924 to facilitate the grip of the edge. Alternatively, the front edge panel may be bent so that the leading end edge rests on the upper surface of the front edge panel. The flange can also be located on the top or bottom surface of the rear edge panel. Typically, the flange extends from the leading or trailing edge between 4 cm to 0.1 cm, preferably 2 cm to 0.25 cm from the fold of the edge of the front edge panel or the fold of the flange of the rear edge panel. In accordance with the present invention, the total dimensions of the substrate material and the panels thereof depend on the desired application for the towel and can be selected accordingly. Preferably, the ratio of the lengths of the front edge panel to the center panel and the rear edge panel is from 1: 2: 1 to 1: 5: 1, more preferably the ratio is 1: 3: 1. More preferably, the proportion of the lengths of the towel panels of the first and second towel arrangements is identical and preferably, the front and rear edge panels are approximately one quarter of the total length of the towel. In an illustrative, non-limiting example where the towel can be used as a baby towel, each folded towel 1 can have a length without a double P924 10 cm to 30 cm measured along its length from the front end edge 2 to the rear end edge 3. For each folded towel 1, the separation between the first fold 6 of the panel and the second fold 7 of the panel can be from 2 cm to 7 cm, while the lengths of the panel 9 of the leading edge and the panel 10 of the trailing edge can be from 2 cm to 7 cm. In a preferred embodiment, the separation between the first fold 6 of the panel and the front end edge 2 is, more preferably, from 3 cm to 6 cm, and even more preferably between about 3 cm and 5 cm. More preferably, the separation between the first fold 6 of the panel and the second fold of the panel is from 3 cm to 12 cm, and preferably superlatively between approximately 10 cm and 12 cm. The spacing between the second fold 7 of the panel and the trailing edge is, more preferably from 3 cm to 6 cm, and more preferably between about 3 cm and 5 cm. In accordance with the present invention and with reference to the embodiments illustrated in Figures 4a, 4b. 4c and 4d, an essential feature of the stack configuration is "that each of the folded towels 40 of the first array is interspersed with each of the folded towels 50 of the second array. For example, the towel x of the second towel arrangement is folded with a z-fold and interspersed between P924 a towel x with an inverse Z-fold of the first towel arrangement. Similarly, the towel and the first towel arrangement is sandwiched between the towel x of the second towel arrangement and the towels and the first towel arrangement is interspersed with the towel and the second towel arrangement and so on. In this way, when starting with the towel x of the second arrangement, at least a portion of the central panel 52x and at least a portion of the panel 51x of the leading edge of each of the towels 50 of the second arrangement are interspersed with the towel x of the first towel arrangement between at least a portion of the "panel 43x of the rear edge panel and at least a portion of the panel 42x of the central panel of each of the towels 40 of the first arrangement. less a portion of the panel 42y central and at least a portion of the panel 41y the leading edge of each of the towels 40 of the first array, are interspersed between at least a portion of the panel 53x of the trailing edge and at least a portion of the central panel 52x of each of the towels 50 of the second array In accordance with the present invention, another essential feature of the stack configuration is related to the lengths of the CAD panels. to one of the towels of the first and second arrangements. Agree P924 with this, it has been found that the length of the front edge panel or the back edge panel of each towel, for example the towels x of the first towel arrangement is not greater than 5_0% of the corresponding central panel length. Similarly, the length of the front edge panel or rear edge panel of each towel of the second towel arrangement is not greater than 50% of the corresponding central panel length. Therefore, the front and rear edge panels of each of the towels of the first and second arrangements can be of any length, since the sum of the length of the front edge panel and the length of the rear edge panel of any towel is not greater than the length of the central panel corresponding to the towel. However, preferably, the lengths of the panels of all the towels in each arrangement and more preferably of the corresponding panels in both the first and second arrangements are essentially identical in size. Wet towels stacked as described herein, above, result in a better supply than towels stacked according to the prior art. While not wishing to be bound by theory, it has been found that the improved supply is related to the combination of a specific bending and interleaving configuration between the first and second towel arrangements and the specific area of overlap between the panels of the towels. towels When using the interleaving configuration described above therein, removal of the upper towel, for example the towel x of the first arrangement, from the interleaved stack will cause the agitation of the front edge panel and the center panel of the adjacent x towel. of the second arrangement of the stack. Thus, it facilitates the consumer to identify the location of the leading edge of the adjacent towel, in particular according to the leading edge of the adjacent towel while stirring it tends to remain located on the center panel which provides a thickened portion to be seized by the consumer. In addition, it has been found that the overlap area between the front edge panel of the adjacent towel (i.e., the towel x of the second towel arrangement) and the center panel or rear edge panel of the upper towel (i.e. the towel x of the first arrangement of towels), ensures that the required amount of substrate material length of the towel is raised x of the second arrangement rises and separates from the stack. The area of overlap between the central panel of the adjacent towel (x of the second arrangement) and the rear edge panel or center panel of the upper towel (x of the P924 first fix) seems to be minor. Therefore, the location of the first and second folds of the panel and the relative lengths of the front and rear edge panels with the center panel is considered very important. However, the improved delivery provided by the present invention may also involve other effects and interactions in addition to the given hypotheses or in lieu thereof, and therefore should not be relied upon. In addition to the improved supply, the interleaving configuration of the present invention, particularly the embodiment illustrated in Figure 4a, also ensures that the majority of the substrate material of each towel in the stack is located in the horizontal plane. This reduces the tendency of the pile to produce edges or grooves in the substrate material. Also, the stack configuration also reduces the tendency for the liquid composition to distribute unevenly through the stack. The other details of the invention will now be described with reference to each of the embodiments 4a, 4b, 4c and 4d. Figure 4a illustrates the most preferred stacking configuration of the present invention. The configuration consists of a first array of towels 40 folded in an inverse Z configuration interspersed with a second array of folded towels in an inverse Z-bend configuration. Therefore, a portion of the central panel 42x (42y) of each towel of the first array 40 is in contact with a portion of the panel 51x (51y) of the leading edge of each towel of the second array 50, so that "essentially one of the entire surfaces of the panel 51x (51y) of the leading edge of each of the towels of the second array 50 is in contact with a portion of the central panel 42x (42y) of each of the towels of the first array 40. In this embodiment, the panel 41y of the leading edge and the panel 43x (43y) of the trailing edge of each of the towels of the first array 40 are both not more than 50% of the length of the corresponding central panel 42x (42y) and are essentially the same in length. Correspondingly, the panel 51x (51y) of the leading edge and the panel 53x (53y) of the trailing edge of each of the towels of the second array 50 both, are not greater than 50% of the panel length 52x (52y) corresponding central and are essentially equal in length. In addition, the lengths of the panel 41x (41y) of the leading edge, the panel 43x (43y) of the trailing edge and the central panel 42x (42y) of each of the towels of the first array 40 are essentially equal in length to the lengths of the panel. 51x panel (51y) of the front edge, 53x panel (53y) of the rear edge and 52x panel P924 (52y) central of the second arrangement of towels 50. In particular, in the embodiment shown in Figure 4a, the leading edge of each of the towels of the first arrangement and of each of the towels of the second arrangement is approximately one quarter of the total length of each of the towels. The embodiment shown in Figure 4b is identical to that of the 4a in terms of the length of its respective panels. However, in this embodiment, the towels of both the first and the second array are folded so that the front edge panel and the back edge panel of the towels are adjacent to the lower surface of the central panel of the previous corresponding towel to the interleaved. Therefore, after interleaving according to the present invention, a portion of the panel 42x (42y) of each towel of the first array 40 is in contact with a portion of the central panel 52x (52y) of each of the towels of the second arrangement 50 and a portion of the panel 53x (53y) of the trailing edge of the towels of the second array is in contact with the panel 41y of the front edge of the towels of the first array 40. Similarly, a portion of the 53x panel of the trailing edge of each towel of the second array is in contact with a portion of the panel 41 and the leading edge of each towel of the first array and P924 a portion of the central panel 52x of each towel of the second array is in contact with a portion of the panel 42nd central of each towel of the first array of towels. The embodiments according to Figures 4c and 4d, illustrate a stacking configuration wherein the towels of the first array 40 are bent in an inverse Z configuration and are interspersed with a second array of towels 50 folded with a Z-fold. However, in these embodiments, the panel lengths of the leading and trailing edge of the towels of each of the respective arrangements is not the same. In the embodiment shown in Figure 4c, the length of the front edge panel of the towels of both the first and the second array is greater than 50% of the length of the center panel and is in fact about 60% of the length of the central panel of each of the towels of both arrangements. Accordingly, the length of the back edge panel of each of the towels of the first and second arrangements is less than 50% of the length of the center panel and is about 30%. In the embodiment shown in Figure 4d, the length of the rear edge panel of each of the towels of both the first and the second array is greater than 50% and is approximately 60% of the length of the central panel of each one of the towels of the first and second arrangements. Correspondingly, P924 The length of the front edge panel of each of the towels is less than 50% and is about 30% of the length of the center panel. In a particularly preferred embodiment according to the present invention, as illustrated, for example in Figure 4a, the second fold 45x of the panel of each of the towels of the first array should not be in direct contact with the first fold 54x of the panel of each of the adjacent towels of the second towel arrangement. Similarly, the second fold 55x of the panel of each of the towels of the second array should not be in contact with the first fold 44y of the panel of adjacent towels of the first array. Preferably, there should be a distance between the fold lines of at least 1 mm, preferably between 1 mm and 5 mm, and more preferably between 1 mm and 3 mm. This is because "it is believed that contact between two adjacent folds of two adjacent towels (x of the second array ey of the first array) impedes the ability of the upper towel to separate from the adjacent towel and cause a large amount of separation to be removed. Substrate material of the adjacent towel of the stack. In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, it is also preferable to provide the leading edge or panel with a visual or tactile indicator.

P924 These indicators help the consumer with the location of the leading edge. The visual indicators may be provided, for example, in the form of a thin strip of color or a band printed on the surface of the front edge panel near the edge itself. A particularly preferred means of providing an edge indicator is by the use of a non-linear edge such as a repetitive sine wave or a repetitive zigzag pattern. These non-linear patterns may extend partially along the length of the edge in a continuous or intermittent manner or more preferably extend essentially along the entire length of the edge of the towel. With the provision of this type of edge a visual and tactile edge location indicator is provided. These mechanisms also promote the ease of supply of towels. In accordance with the present invention, typically the substrate material is impregnated or coated with a liquid composition. An advantage of the present invention is that the stacking configuration allows "a large variety of compositions to be used with the substrate material without significantly influencing the delivery mechanism. This is not only useful in allowing the variation of the nature of the composition, but "that P924 also allows the loading of the composition through the stack to be varied to prevent the composition from being fixed at the base of the stack. According to the present invention, the term "liquid composition" refers to any composition that is in liquid form when the towel is in contact with the surface. Typically, the composition may be aqueous, alcohol-based or an emulsion, either a water-in-oil or oil-in-water emulsion or a multiple emulsion, preferably, the emulsion is an oil-in-water emulsion. The emulsion may also consist of a lipid phase which can be fractured with the application of minimal pressure, for example, by cleaning the skin. Typically, the composition will consist of 2% to 50% by weight of the active composition and 50% to 98% of water, preferably deionized or distilled. Of the active component, preferably 2% to 20% is present in the oil phase and the rest is present in the aqueous phase. In accordance with the present invention, wet towels are provided with an emulsion composition "consisting of an oil phase within the range of 1% to 20%, preferably 2% to 10% by weight of the composition. Advantageously, the oil-based phase is derived from natural sources such as vegetable or animal oils or can be synthetic, or any other mixture of P924 same. Among the vegetable and animal oils suitable for use herein, are waxes, such as beeswax, lanolin, candelilla and oils such as glycerin esters and glycerin ethers, fatty acid alcohols, fatty acid esters and ethers of fatty acids such as caprylic and capric triglycerides and octyl palmitate. Suitable mineral oils include petroleum-based oils, such as paraffin and petroleum jelly. Synthetic oils that can be used therein are ethylenic polymers, for example, polyethylene wax or silicone-based oils. Suitable silicone oils include the polydimethylsiloxanes, volatile cyclomethicones, dimethiconols, siloxysilicates and amino and phenyl derivatives of siloxanes and mixtures thereof. Examples include dimethicone (Dow Corning Fluids 200), cyclomethicone and dimethiconol (Dow Corning Fluid 1401), cetyldimethicone (Dow Corning 2502 Fluid), dimethicone and trimethylsiloxysilicate (Dow Corning 593 fluid), cyclomethicone (Dow Corning 244, 245, 344 or 345), ethylene phenyltriol (Dow Corning Fluid 556) or combinations thereof. Typically, oil-in-water emulsions require emulsifying agents. The emulsifying agents that can be used in the present invention P924 are preferably capable of a primary emulsification of oil-in-water emulsions. The emulsifying agent is present in an amount of 0.02% to 5.0%, preferably 0.02% to 3.0% by weight of the composition. In a preferred embodiment, the emulsifying agent is an emulsifying agent of the polymeric type, such as a C10-C30 alkyl acrylate copolymer and one or more monomers of acrylic acid, methacrylic acid or one of its individual cross-linked esters, with an allyl ether of sucrose or an allyl ether. of pentaerythritol. The emulsifying agents that are, thus, useful in the present invention are Ceteareth-12, Ceteareth-20 or Pemulen TR1 and TR2, which are available from B.F. Goodrich Company of the United States. However, other known emulsifying agents are suitable, such as ethoxylated fatty alcohols, glycerin esters of fatty acids, soaps, sugar-derived agents. Other useful emulsifying agents include those set forth in detail in EP-A-328 355. According to the present invention, the composition may consist of a stabilizing or preservative agent. Suitable stabilizing agents for use herein include phenoxyethanol, preferably present in an amount of 0.1% to 1.0%, P924 sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, methylparaben, propylparaben, ethylparaben, butylparaben, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, benzalkonium chloride, and ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid of disodium salts (hereafter referred to as EDTA) or other EDTA salts (sequestrants). The sequestrants are a series of separate agents before and general metal complexes of salts and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid. The total amount of the stabilizing agents should be within the range of 0.1% to 4.0% by weight of the composition. The composition of the present invention may also consist of 0.02% to 5.0% by weight of the composition of an emollient or humectants. Preferably, the emollient is soluble in water and includes polyhydric alcohols, such as propylene glycol, glycerin and water soluble lanolin derivatives. Other additional ingredients which may be employed in the present invention are antifungal agents, antibacterial agents, skin protectants, oil-soluble cleaning agents, surfactants or water-soluble detergents, preferably non-ionic or amphoteric, pH regulators. , perfumes, fragrances and their peers. In order for the emulsion to provide the wet towel with a good cleaning performance, the viscosity P924 provided should be less than 500 mPas, preferably within the range of 300 to more than 100 mPas and more preferably within the range of 180 to 120 mPas. In preparing the wet towel products according to the present invention, the composition is applied to at least one surface of the substrate material. The composition can be applied at any time during the manufacture of wet towels. Preferably, the composition can be applied to the substrate after the substrate has dried. Any variety of application methods that uniformly distribute the lubricating materials with a liquid or molten consistency can be used. Suitable methods include spraying, printing (e.g., flexographic printing), coating (e.g., cliché coating or waterborne coating), extrusion, wherein the composition is forced through tubes in contact with the substrate while the substrate passes through the tube or combinations of any of these application techniques. For example, spraying the composition on a rotating surface such as a satin roller which then transfers the composition to the surface of the substrate. The composition can be applied either on one surface of the substrate or on both surfaces. The preferred method of application is P924 extrusion coating. The composition can also be applied non-uniformly on the surfaces of the substrate. "Non-uniform" means "that for example, the quantity, distribution pattern of the composition may vary over the surface of the substrate. For example, a certain part of the surface of the substrate may have more or less of the composition, including portions of the surface "that have no composition in them. Typically, the composition is applied in an amount of about 0.5 g to 10 g 'per gram of the substrate, preferably 1.0 g to 5 g per gram of the substrate, more preferably 2 g to 4. g per gram of dry substrate. Preferably, the composition can be applied to the substrate at any point after it has dried. For example, the composition can be applied to the substrate before or after calendering and before being rolled on a precursor roll. Typically, the application will be carried out on a substrate not rolled from a roll with a width equal to the substantial number of towels that will be produced. The substrate with the composition applied thereto is cut to produce individual towels.

P924

Claims (13)

1. CLAIMS! 1. A stacking configuration for wet towels, the configuration consists of a first arrangement of towels and a second arrangement of towels; each of the towels consists of a substrate and a liquid composition and each of the towels extends along its length from a first edge of front end to a second edge of rear end and each of the towels has two folds in it, which provides a front edge panel, a center panel and a rear edge panel; and wherein the first array of towels is interleaved with the second array of towels, so that: at least a portion of the front edge panel and at least a portion of the central panel of each of the towels of the second array are interleaved between at least a portion of the rear edge panel and at least a portion of the central panel of a towel of the first array of towels; and at least a portion of the central panel and at least a portion of the front edge panel of each of the towels of the first towel arrangement is sandwiched between at least a portion of the rear edge panel and at least a portion thereof. of the central panel of a towel of the second arrangement of towels, so that: P924 the length of the front edge panel or rear edge panel of each of the towels of the first array is not greater than 50% of the corresponding central panel length; and the length of the front edge panel or rear edge panel of each of the towels of the second towel arrangement is not greater than 50% of the corresponding central panel length. A stacking configuration for wet towels according to claim 1, wherein the lengths of the front edge panel and the rear edge panel of each of the towels of the first array are not greater than 50% of the length of the center panel corresponding and wherein the front edge panel and the rear edge panel of each of the towels of the second arrangement are not greater than 50% of the corresponding central panel length. 3. A stacking configuration for wet towels according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the lengths of the front edge panel and the rear edge panel of each of the towels of the first array are essentially equal in length and where the lengths of the front edge panel and the rear edge panel of each of the towels of the second array are essentially equal in length. P924 4. A stacking configuration for wet towels according to claim 3, wherein the front edge panel of each of the towels of the first array is essentially equal in length to the front edge panel of each of the towels of the second array. . A stacking configuration for wet towels according to claim 4, wherein the proportion of the lengths of the front edge panel of each of the towels of the first arrangement and each of the towels of the second arrangement to the length of the rear edge of each of the towels of the first arrangement and each of the towels of the second arrangement is in the ratio of 1: 2: 1 to 1: 5: 1. 6. A stacking configuration for wet towels according to claim 4, wherein the front edge panel of each of the towels of the first array and each of the towels of the second array is approximately one quarter of the total length of each of the towels. 7. A stacking configuration for wet towels according to claim 6, wherein each of the towels of the first towel arrangement is folded into a Z-fold configuration and each of the towels of the second towel arrangement is folded into a P924 reverse Z configuration. 8. A stacking configuration for wet towels according to any of the preceding claims, wherein each towel of the first towel arrangement and each towel of the second towel arrangement has a first fold of the panel and a second fold of the panel and wherein the distance between the first fold of the panel of each towel and the second fold of the panel of the towels of the second arrangement of towels is between 1 mm and 5 mm; and wherein the distance between the second fold of the panel of each towel of the first arrangement of towels and the first fold of the panel of a towel of the second arrangement of towels is between 1 mm and 5 mm. 9. A stacking configuration for wet towels according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the towels are housed in a container, the container has a supply orifice. 10. Wet towels according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the substrate is a non-woven material. 11. Wet towels according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the substrate consists of hydrophobic fibers selected from polyethylene terephthalate, polypropylene or mixtures thereof. 12. Wet towels according to any of the P924 previous claims, wherein the substrate consists of hydrophilic fibers selected from cotton, viscose, linen or mixtures thereof. 13. Wet towels according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the liquid composition is an oil-in-water emulsion and the wet towel consists of 0.5 g to 10 g of emulsion per gram of substrate in dry weight. P924