WO1997036527A1 - Distributeur de serviettes humides - Google Patents

Distributeur de serviettes humides Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO1997036527A1
WO1997036527A1 PCT/JP1997/000968 JP9700968W WO9736527A1 WO 1997036527 A1 WO1997036527 A1 WO 1997036527A1 JP 9700968 W JP9700968 W JP 9700968W WO 9736527 A1 WO9736527 A1 WO 9736527A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
tissue
outlet
lid
wet tissue
container
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/JP1997/000968
Other languages
English (en)
Japanese (ja)
Inventor
Kikuo Yamada
Original Assignee
Nakamura, Kenji
Nakamura, Koji
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Nakamura, Kenji, Nakamura, Koji filed Critical Nakamura, Kenji
Priority to JP53336597A priority Critical patent/JP3538429B2/ja
Priority to AU19446/97A priority patent/AU1944697A/en
Publication of WO1997036527A1 publication Critical patent/WO1997036527A1/fr

Links

Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D83/00—Containers or packages with special means for dispensing contents
    • B65D83/08—Containers or packages with special means for dispensing contents for dispensing thin flat articles in succession
    • B65D83/0805—Containers or packages with special means for dispensing contents for dispensing thin flat articles in succession through an aperture in a wall
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47K—SANITARY EQUIPMENT NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; TOILET ACCESSORIES
    • A47K10/00—Body-drying implements; Toilet paper; Holders therefor
    • A47K10/24—Towel dispensers, e.g. for piled-up or folded textile towels; Toilet paper dispensers; Dispensers for piled-up or folded textile towels provided or not with devices for taking-up soiled towels as far as not mechanically driven
    • A47K10/32—Dispensers for paper towels or toilet paper
    • A47K10/42—Dispensers for paper towels or toilet paper dispensing from a store of single sheets, e.g. stacked
    • A47K10/421—Dispensers for paper towels or toilet paper dispensing from a store of single sheets, e.g. stacked dispensing from the top of the dispenser
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47K—SANITARY EQUIPMENT NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; TOILET ACCESSORIES
    • A47K10/00—Body-drying implements; Toilet paper; Holders therefor
    • A47K10/24—Towel dispensers, e.g. for piled-up or folded textile towels; Toilet paper dispensers; Dispensers for piled-up or folded textile towels provided or not with devices for taking-up soiled towels as far as not mechanically driven
    • A47K10/32—Dispensers for paper towels or toilet paper
    • A47K2010/3266—Wet wipes

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a pet tissue package configured to store pet tissue inside a storage body such as a bag or a container, and to open the lid to take out the internal tissue one by one when used.
  • a storage body such as a bag or a container
  • Pet tissue has been actively used for business or home use, and its consumption has been expanding year by year.
  • Pet tissue is made by impregnating a fiber sheet such as a nonwoven fabric with an impregnating agent such as a chemical or cosmetic, and is used for wiping the baby's ass, removing hand stains, and disinfecting.
  • wet tissue packaging There are two types of wet tissue packaging: a structure in which the wet tissue is stored in a bag, and a structure in which the wet tissue is stored in a container.
  • a bag housing structure is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2-30948
  • a container housing structure is disclosed in JP-A-6-263174.
  • a cover for covering the outlet is provided on the upper surface of the bag body.
  • the container packaging structure is usually a refillable structure, so that the container for storing the tissue is separate from the container body.
  • the container lid is provided with a take-out port, and a cover for covering the take-out port is provided in the container cover.
  • each leaf of the tissue is folded to an appropriate width, and the folded tissue is entangled with each other to stack each tissue, thus forming a laminated tissue.
  • the pop-up structure when one wet tissue is taken out, the lower end of the wet tissue and the upper end of the second wet tissue are entangled with each other. The wet tissue is also pulled upward, and its upper end passes through the outlet. However, due to the resistance when passing through the narrow part of the outlet, the ends of the wet tissue are disengaged from each other. The second tissue is separated from the second tissue. As described above, since the upper end of the second tissue is protruded above the take-out opening when the second tissue is moved upward, the second tissue is then taken out. At that time, the removal becomes easy.
  • the wet tissue is impregnated with the liquid impregnating agent, there is a problem that the wet tissue adheres to each other due to the wetting of the impregnating agent. May be difficult to remove. As a result, take out one wet tissue In some cases, the i-th and second wet tissues may be taken out without being separated, or in some cases, three or more wet tissues may be taken out continuously. In such a case, the wet tissue must be forcibly separated by hand.
  • a sealing seal is pre-attached to the outlet to prevent volatilization of the impregnating agent.
  • the sealing seal attached to the outlet must be removed and the first piece of tissue must be picked up from the outlet with your finger. Therefore, a hole large enough to allow the user to pick up the wet tissue with a finger is provided in the outlet. For this reason, it is not possible to make the entire width of the passageway of the take-out opening narrow, and it is necessary to completely separate the tissues from each other due to the resistance when the tissue passes through the take-out opening. Is naturally limited, and may cause a problem that the wet tissues are not separated from each other.
  • An object of the present invention is to provide a wet tissue package that allows smooth and complete separation between the wet tissues when the wet tissue is taken out. Disclosure of the invention
  • the present invention is an Etto tissue package in which an Etto tissue laminate is stored inside a housing.
  • the storage body is provided with a take-out port forming section, and a take-out port is formed in the take-out port forming section.
  • we take out opening and shutting out in storing body Is provided.
  • a projection is provided on the surface on the side where the tissue is stored in the outlet forming section.
  • the projection may be constituted by a number of point-like projections or may be constituted as a projection extending linearly.
  • the pop-up of the second wet tissue is always performed in a predetermined position.
  • the projecting length of the second wet tissue is unnecessarily long, or a plurality of the wet tissues are unsuccessfully separated from each other and are pulled out. There is no fear of it.
  • FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the present invention tissue package
  • FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a main part of the package shown in FIG. 1
  • FIG. 3 is a back side of a take-out opening in the package shown in FIG.
  • FIG. 4 is a view for explaining the operation when the wet tissue is taken out
  • FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. 3, and
  • FIG. 5 is another view of the package of the present invention.
  • FIG. 6 is a rear view of a flat sheet
  • FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing still another example of the package of the present invention
  • FIG. 9 is a rear view of the take-out opening showing another aspect of the projection
  • FIG. 10 is a view for explaining the operation when taking out the wet tissue. It is a vertical sectional view along X-X line.
  • FIG. 1 shows an example of the pet tissue package of the present invention.
  • FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of a main part showing the inside of the package of FIG.
  • a wet tissue package is one in which pet tissue is stored inside the container.
  • Fig. 2 shows an example of using a bag as a storage body.
  • the pet tissue package is a bag 1, a discharge port forming portion A provided in the bag 1, and a discharge port 10 provided in the discharge port forming portion A. And a lid 9 that opens and closes the take-out opening 10, and a diet tissue laminate 4 housed inside the bag 1.
  • the bag body 1 is formed in a bag shape using an airtight film.
  • the bag body 1 has a center seal portion (not shown) and seal portions 5 and 6 on both right and left ends. It is created by a known method.
  • the airtight film which is a constituent material of the bag, a film having a property of preventing seepage or volatilization of the impregnating agent impregnated in the wet tissue laminate 4 is used.
  • a film made of plastic such as polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyester
  • a laminated film made of a combination of two or more of these and a film made by laminating an aluminum foil on them.
  • a window 1 is provided in the bag 1, and a lid unit part 3 is attached to the window 2.
  • the lid unit component 3 includes a substrate 7 and a lid 9 rotatably supported on the substrate 7 via a hinge 8.
  • the substrate 7 is provided with an outlet forming portion A, and the outlet 7 An outlet 10 is provided in the forming section A.
  • the outlet forming portion A is provided on the substrate 7 of the lid unit component 3. Take out the mouth tissue with your finger It has a wide portion 10a having a width that can be protruded, and a narrow portion 1Ob narrower than the wide portion 10a. As shown in FIG.
  • a large number of point-like projections 11 are provided on the surface on the side of the tissue storage in the take-out opening forming portion A formed in the substrate 7, that is, on the back surface of the substrate 7.
  • the protrusion 11 may be provided at any position on the back surface of the substrate 7, but is preferably provided in the vicinity of the outlet 10, and further provided along the periphery of the outlet 10 as shown in FIG. It is more preferred. In the case of providing along the periphery of the take-out opening 10, it is preferable to provide the position near the take-out opening 10. Further, the protrusion 11 is not limited to the case where it is provided in a single shape along the take-out opening 10 as shown in FIG.
  • the dot-like projections 11 provided continuously over the entire periphery of the outlet 10 are provided, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the row of the dot-like projections 11 is in the middle. May be shredded.
  • the size of the protrusion 11 is preferably a small protrusion, and the shape of the protrusion 11 may be various shapes such as a hemispherical shape, a conical shape, a columnar shape, and a cubic shape. Further, one form of the projection 11 is not limited to a protruding mass, that is, a grainy shape, and may be a ring-shaped projection.
  • a fitting body 12 is formed on the substrate 7 and a fitting body 13 is formed on the lid 9 so as to protrude.
  • the cover 9 is fixed by the tight fitting force, and the take-out port 10 is sealed.
  • the lid unit component 3 including the substrate 7, the substrate 9, the take-out port 10, the point-like projections 11, and the fitting bodies 12, 13 is made of a hard or semi-hard plastic material, and is integrally formed by injection molding. Can be made as goods.
  • a plastic material a thermoplastic resin such as polypropylene, polyethylene, or polyvinyl chloride is used.
  • the lid unit part 3 is manufactured by injection molding, the projections 11 around the above-mentioned outlet are also formed at the same time, but the projections 11 are not formed at the time of molding, but are formed by post-processing after injection molding. It may be.
  • the protrusion 11 may be formed by hot pressing, or a small hole may be formed by drilling a hole at the position where the protrusion is formed, and the protrusion 11 may be formed by a burr generated at that time. You can.
  • the substrate 7 of the lid unit part 3 is joined to the back side of the window part 2.
  • heat sealing is preferable.
  • the pet tissue laminate 4 stored in the bag 1 is formed by stacking a number of layers of a leaf of a tissue of a predetermined size, which are folded so that their ends are entangled with each other. is there.
  • FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of the present invention in which a bag is used as a storage body.
  • the outlet forming portion A is provided on a plate member 15 attached to the bag 1, and the outlet 14 is formed on the outlet forming portion A formed on the plate member 15.
  • the plate member 15 is made of a material having a certain rigidity, and as such a material, a hard or semi-hard plastic is preferable.
  • plastics such as polypropylene, polyethylene, and polyvinyl chloride are used as the material of the plate member 15.
  • the take-out port 14 provided in the plate member 15 has a long hole shape, and the opening width in the minor diameter direction has a width dimension that allows a finger to be inserted. 4 is formed wider than the outlet 10 shown in FIG.
  • the bag tissue 1 contains the tissue stack.
  • the protrusion 11 is provided along the periphery of the outlet 14 as shown in FIG.
  • a plate member 15 provided with a take-out port 14 and a number of protrusions 11 is joined to the back side of the window 16 provided in the bag body 1 by joining means such as heat sealing. Is done. In joining the plate member 15 to the window 16, the joining is performed so that the projection 11 faces the inside of the bag body 1.
  • the opening area of the outlet 14 may be the same as or different from the opening area of the window 16. When the opening areas are different, it is preferable that the opening area of the outlet 14 is smaller than the opening area of the window 16 as shown in FIG. May be reversed.
  • the lid 17 is configured as a sheet-like lid. The lid 17 is rotatably supported by the bag 1 by joining a base portion 18 constituting the hinge to the upper surface of the bag 1. Bonding of the base portion 18 to the bag body is sufficient by bonding with an adhesive, but may be performed by heat sealing.
  • Adhesive material 19 is applied to the back surface of lid 17, while a perforation is provided in advance in the window molding on the upper surface of bag 1. Since the portion forming portion is lifted while being attached to the lid 17 side, the portion forming portion is broken along the perforation, thereby opening the window 16. The opening of the window 16 makes it possible to take out the tissue from the outlet 14. When the lid 17 is closed, the lid 17 is fixed to the upper surface of the bag 1 with an adhesive 19 and the take-out port 14 is sealed.
  • the lid 17 is made of a material having barrier properties, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyester.
  • FIG. 7 shows an embodiment of the present invention using a container as a storage body.
  • the container 20 shown in FIG. 1 is composed of a container body 21 and a container lid 22, and the container lid 22 is locked and fixed to the container body 21.
  • the container lid 22 is removed, the ⁇ ⁇ tissue stack can be stored in the container body 21.
  • a bag-filled tissue is sold for refilling, and the wet tissue is stored in the container body 21 in the bag and used.
  • a lid 24 is rotatably supported on the container lid 22.
  • the outlet forming section A is provided in the container lid 22, and the outlet forming section A formed in the container lid 22 is provided with the outlet 23.
  • the outlet 23 has a wide portion 23 a having a width enough to allow the wet tissue to be picked out with a finger, and a width portion 23 b narrower than the wide portion 23 a. I have.
  • a large number of point-like projections 11 are provided on the surface of the container lid 22 on the side where the tissue is stored, that is, on the back surface of the container lid 22 as shown in FIG.
  • the projection 11 is located inside the container 20.
  • the lid 24 is provided so that its tip can be locked to the edge of the container lid 22. When the lid 24 is closed, the lid 24 is locked to the container lid 22.
  • the outlet 23 is sealed.
  • the container main body 21, the container lid 22 and the lid 24 are all made of rigid or semi-rigid plastic, and a thermoplastic resin such as polypropylene, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride or the like is used as a plastic material.
  • the container lid 22 and the lid 24 can be manufactured as an integrally molded product by injection molding, and the container body 21 can also be manufactured by injection molding.
  • the projections are not limited to those composed of a large number of point-shaped projections, and may be configured as linearly extending projections.
  • FIGS. 9 and 10 show examples of linear projections.
  • the take-out port provided on the substrate 7
  • linear projections 31 are provided continuously along the periphery of the outlet 10.
  • the projection 31 is provided so as to be located at a position coinciding with the periphery of the take-out port 10.
  • the linear projection 31 has a vertical surface that extends straight below the outlet 10 and an inclined surface that extends obliquely from the tip of the vertical surface.
  • FIG. 9 shows linear projections 31 provided continuously over the entire periphery of the outlet 10.
  • the present invention is not limited to this. May be cut off along the way.
  • the linear projections are configured as linear projections
  • the linear projections extend the surface of the wet tissue by the linear projections.
  • FIG. 4 and 10 are cross-sectional views of the take-out port 10 in the wet tissue package shown in FIG.
  • the take-out port 10 When taking out the first piece of tissue 4a from the outlet 10, when the first piece of wet tissue 4a is entangled with its end, the second piece of tissue 4a It is lifted upward and its upper end protrudes above the outlet 10.
  • the cut tissue 4 a When the second sheet of tissue 4a is lifted upward and protrudes above the outlet 10, the cut tissue 4 a is provided with a protrusion 11 provided around the outlet 10 or , Touch 3 1.
  • the wet tissue 4a touches the protrusions 11 or 31, frictional resistance is generated, and the frictional resistance ensures that the folded end portions of the first and second paper tissues are not entangled with each other.
  • the separation between the first wet tissue and the second wet tissue is smoothly performed, and a good pop-up of the second wet tissue is performed. Therefore, the entanglement between the ends does not come off smoothly, There is no problem that the wet tissue of the eye is pulled out longer than necessary, or a plurality of wet tissues are pulled out continuously without entanglement.
  • the outlet 14 in the container shown in Fig. 5 does not have a configuration corresponding to the narrow portion 10b of the outlet 10, but the projection 11 is provided around the outlet 14 to make it wet. Separation of the first and second sheets when taking out the tissue is assured, and the pop-up of the second sheet of tissue becomes possible.
  • the diet tissue package of the present invention is simply used as a wipe or hand wipe for the purpose of cleaning the baby's ass or removing dirt from the hands.
  • the present invention is useful as a boiled-up type tissue package.

Landscapes

  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Public Health (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Containers And Packaging Bodies Having A Special Means To Remove Contents (AREA)
  • Closures For Containers (AREA)

Abstract

La présente invention concerne un distributeur de serviettes humides comportant un dispositif de distribution dans lequel la présentation de chaque serviette humide s'effectue de manière pratique selon une position prédéterminée. Le distributeur comporte une partie distributrice (A) fixée sur une embase (7), dans laquelle une ouverture de distribution (10) est ménagée dans ladite partie distributrice (A), dans laquelle un élément couvercle (9) est ménagé pour l'ouverture et la fermeture de l'ouverture de distribution (10) sur ladite embase (7), dans laquelle ladite embase (7) est montée sur une partie fenêtre (2) d'un élément sac (1) pour former une partie logement contenant une pile (4) de serviettes humides en couches qui sont logées dans ledit logement et sur lesquelles des projections (11) sont effectuées le long de l'ouverture de distribution (10) sur une certaine surface du côté logement de l'embase (7).
PCT/JP1997/000968 1996-04-01 1997-03-24 Distributeur de serviettes humides WO1997036527A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
JP53336597A JP3538429B2 (ja) 1996-04-01 1997-03-24 ウエットティッシュ包装体
AU19446/97A AU1944697A (en) 1996-04-01 1997-03-24 Wet tissue packaging body

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
JP8/101946 1996-04-01
JP10194696 1996-04-01

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO1997036527A1 true WO1997036527A1 (fr) 1997-10-09

Family

ID=14314073

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/JP1997/000968 WO1997036527A1 (fr) 1996-04-01 1997-03-24 Distributeur de serviettes humides

Country Status (5)

Country Link
JP (1) JP3538429B2 (fr)
AU (1) AU1944697A (fr)
ID (1) ID16476A (fr)
TW (1) TW290517B (fr)
WO (1) WO1997036527A1 (fr)

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP2002166981A (ja) * 2000-11-30 2002-06-11 Pigeon Corp 容 器
US6758368B2 (en) 2002-02-06 2004-07-06 Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc. Disposable sheet dispenser
US8915358B2 (en) 2013-03-29 2014-12-23 Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc. Wet wipes dispenser with lid positioning feature
JP6957790B1 (ja) * 2020-11-05 2021-11-02 進一 塚本 包装体

Families Citing this family (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
TW201431752A (zh) * 2013-02-05 2014-08-16 Jin-Yang Xu 濕紙巾的密封結構
KR101856941B1 (ko) * 2016-10-10 2018-05-14 (주)호수의나라수오미 물티슈 비닐팩용 보호케이스
TWI755285B (zh) * 2021-02-23 2022-02-11 東咨實業有限公司 濕紙巾密封容器

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPH07277379A (ja) * 1994-04-06 1995-10-24 Meisei Sansho Kk 包装体
JPH0824636B2 (ja) * 1993-04-08 1996-03-13 ジェクス株式会社 皮膚清拭用品の包装袋
JPH0880980A (ja) * 1994-09-12 1996-03-26 Uni Charm Corp ウェットティッシュ用容器

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPH0824636B2 (ja) * 1993-04-08 1996-03-13 ジェクス株式会社 皮膚清拭用品の包装袋
JPH07277379A (ja) * 1994-04-06 1995-10-24 Meisei Sansho Kk 包装体
JPH0880980A (ja) * 1994-09-12 1996-03-26 Uni Charm Corp ウェットティッシュ用容器

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP2002166981A (ja) * 2000-11-30 2002-06-11 Pigeon Corp 容 器
US6758368B2 (en) 2002-02-06 2004-07-06 Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc. Disposable sheet dispenser
US8915358B2 (en) 2013-03-29 2014-12-23 Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc. Wet wipes dispenser with lid positioning feature
JP6957790B1 (ja) * 2020-11-05 2021-11-02 進一 塚本 包装体
JP2022075453A (ja) * 2020-11-05 2022-05-18 進一 塚本 包装体

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
AU1944697A (en) 1997-10-22
JP3538429B2 (ja) 2004-06-14
ID16476A (id) 1997-10-02
TW290517B (en) 1996-11-11

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
JP3318166B2 (ja) ウエットティッシュ包装体
US5647506A (en) Readily openable pop-up dispenser for moist tissues
JP3180114B2 (ja) ウエットティッシュ包装体
KR101468234B1 (ko) 와이프용 패키지
US6213300B1 (en) Refillable towelette dispensing package
JPH01226579A (ja) ウエツトテイツシュ包装体
EP2308773B1 (fr) Dispositif de contenant
MX2011002433A (es) Empaque con cierre en su orificio de salida, por ejemplo, para almacenar y dispensar artículos.
KR20090045296A (ko) 와이프용 패키지
CN109890726B (zh) 湿片包装体
JP3322805B2 (ja) ウエットティッシュ包装体
WO1997036527A1 (fr) Distributeur de serviettes humides
JP4018067B2 (ja) 包装体
JPH06292639A (ja) 皮膚清拭用品の包装袋
JP3172938B2 (ja) ウエットティッシュ包装体
JP4324445B2 (ja) シート収納装置
JP4986221B2 (ja) ウエットティシュペーパー収納容器
JP2015074461A (ja) シート製品用の容器及びシート製品入り容器
JPH11342091A (ja) ウェットティッシュ容器
WO2024224483A1 (fr) Couvercle d'ouverture/de fermeture et emballage de feuilles hygiéniques
JP3685858B2 (ja) 清拭シート収容容器
JPH10120050A (ja) ウエットティッシュ包装体
JP3761354B2 (ja) 板状体包装袋
WO1999029581A1 (fr) Contenant

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
AK Designated states

Kind code of ref document: A1

Designated state(s): AU BR CA CN JP KR MX NO NZ SG VN

AL Designated countries for regional patents

Kind code of ref document: A1

Designated state(s): BE CH DE ES FR GB IT LU NL

121 Ep: the epo has been informed by wipo that ep was designated in this application
122 Ep: pct application non-entry in european phase
NENP Non-entry into the national phase

Ref country code: CA