U.S. patent application number 12/210682 was filed with the patent office on 2010-03-18 for wipe assembly.
Invention is credited to Heidi Beatty, Luz Maria Romero Tarazona, Alessandro Vassallo.
Application Number | 20100064463 12/210682 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42005918 |
Filed Date | 2010-03-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100064463 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Beatty; Heidi ; et
al. |
March 18, 2010 |
WIPE ASSEMBLY
Abstract
The present invention relates to a wipe assembly including a
plurality of wipes arranged in a stacked configuration, each one of
the wipes having a first surface and an opposed second surface,
each one of the wipes being capable of rotation from a first
position to a second position, each of the wipes being arranged
such that in the first position the second surface of the wipe is
arranged in an outwardly facing configuration and in the second
position the second surface of an underlying wipe is arranged in an
outwardly facing configuration.
Inventors: |
Beatty; Heidi;
(Hillsborough, NJ) ; Tarazona; Luz Maria Romero;
(Padova, IT) ; Vassallo; Alessandro; (Madrid,
ES) |
Correspondence
Address: |
PHILIP S. JOHNSON;JOHNSON & JOHNSON
ONE JOHNSON & JOHNSON PLAZA
NEW BRUNSWICK
NJ
08933-7003
US
|
Family ID: |
42005918 |
Appl. No.: |
12/210682 |
Filed: |
September 15, 2008 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
15/227 ;
15/209.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65H 45/00 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
15/227 ;
15/209.1 |
International
Class: |
A47L 25/00 20060101
A47L025/00 |
Claims
1. A wipe assembly comprising: a plurality of wipes arranged in a
stacked configuration, each one of the wipes having a first surface
and an opposed second surface; each one of the wipes being capable
of rotation from a first position to a second position, wherein in
the first position the second surface of the wipe is arranged in an
outwardly facing configuration and in the second position the
second surface of an underlying wipe is arranged in an outwardly
facing configuration.
2. The wipe assembly according to claim 1, further comprising a
mechanism for maintaining the wipe assembly on a palm side of a
user's hand during use of the wipe assembly.
3. The wipe assembly according to claim 2, wherein a top wipe of
the plurality of wipes comprises a first layer and a second layer
of material.
4. The wipe assembly according to claim 3, wherein the first and
second layers are coupled to one another to define a chamber
between the layers, the chamber structured and arranged to receive
at least part of a user's hand to thereby maintain the wipe
assembly on a palm side of the user's hand during use of the wipe
assembly.
5. The wipe assembly according to claim 4, wherein the wipe
assembly is formed from a single folded sheet of material.
6. The wipe assembly according to claim 2, wherein a sheet of
material forms a top wipe of the plurality of wipes, the sheet
being folded to define first and second opposed layers of material,
the first and second layers being coupled to one another to define
a chamber between the layers, the chamber structured and arranged
to receive at least part of a user's hand to thereby maintain the
wipe assembly on a palm side of the user's hand during use of the
wipe assembly.
7. The wipe assembly according to claim 2, wherein the mechanism
comprises a sheet of flexible material coupled to the plurality of
wipes, the sheet of material being structured and arranged to
permit a user to insert at least part of the user's hand between
the sheet of material and a top wipe of the plurality of wipes to
thereby maintain the wipe assembly on a palm side of the user's
hand during use of the wipe assembly.
8. The wipe assembly according to claim 2, wherein each wipe is
structured and arranged such that the wipe may be maintained in the
second position by a user's thumb when the wipe assembly is
maintained on the palm side of the user's hand.
9. The wipe assembly according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of
wipes includes at least a first wipe and a second wipe, each of the
first wipe and the second wipe including a main body portion and a
tab portion extending outwardly from the main body portion.
10. The wipe assembly according claim 9, wherein each tab portion
is structured and arranged such that it extends distally away from
a user during use of the wipe assembly.
11. The wipe assembly according to claim 10, wherein the tab
portion of the first wipe is offset relative to the tab portion of
the second wipe.
12. A wipe assembly comprising: a top wipe having a first surface
and an opposed second surface; a bottom wipe having a first surface
and an opposed second surface, an intermediate wipe arranged
between the top wipe and the bottom wipe, the intermediate wipe
having a first surface and an opposed second surface; wherein the
top wipe, the intermediate wipe, and the bottom wipe are coupled to
one another and have a first position wherein the wipes are
arranged in a stacked configuration; wherein the bottom wipe is
capable of rotation from the first position to a second position,
wherein in the first position the second surface of the bottom wipe
is arranged in an outwardly facing configuration and in the second
position the second surface of the intermediate wipe is arranged in
an outwardly facing configuration; and wherein the intermediate
wipe is capable of rotation from the first position to a second
position, wherein in the first position the second surface of the
intermediate wipe is arranged in an outwardly facing configuration
and in the second position the second surface of the top wipe is
arranged in an outwardly facing configuration.
13. The wipe assembly according to claim 12, further comprising a
mechanism for maintaining the plurality of wipes on a palm side of
a user's hand.
14. The wipe assembly according to claim 13, wherein the top wipe
comprises a first layer and a second layer of material.
15. The wipe assembly according to claim 14, wherein the first and
second layers are coupled to one another to define a chamber
between the layers, the chamber structured and arranged to at least
partially receive a user's hand to thereby maintain the wipe
assembly on a palm side of the user's hand during use of the wipe
assembly.
16. The wipe assembly according to claim 15, wherein the wipe
assembly is formed from a single folded sheet of material.
17. The wipe assembly according to claim 14, wherein the tope wipe
is formed by a folded sheet defining first and second opposed
layers of material, the first and second layers being coupled to
one another to define a chamber between the layers, the chamber
structured and arranged to at least partially receive a user's hand
to thereby maintain the wipe assembly on a palm side of the user's
hand during use of the wipe assembly.
18. The wipe assembly according to claim 14, wherein the mechanism
comprises a sheet of flexible material coupled to the top wipe, the
sheet of material being structured and arranged to permit a user to
at least partially insert the user's hand between the sheet of
material and the top wipe to thereby maintain the wipe assembly on
a palm the of the user's hand during use of the wipe assembly.
19. The wipe assembly according to claim 12, wherein each of
intermediate wipe and bottom wipe is structured and arranged such
that the wipe may be maintained in the second position by a user's
thumb when the wipe assembly is maintained on the palm side of the
user's hand.
20. The wipe assembly according to claim 12, wherein each of the
bottom wipe and the intermediate wipe includes a main body portion
and a tab portion extending outwardly from the main body
portion.
21. The wipe assembly according claim 20, wherein each tab portion
is structured and arranged such that it extends distally away from
a user during use of the wipe assembly.
22. The wipe assembly according to claim 21, wherein the tab
portion of the first wipe is offset relative to the tab portion of
the second wipe.
23. The wipe assembly according to claim 13, wherein the top wipe,
intermediate wipe, and bottom wipe include a peripheral edge, and
wherein the peripheral edge of the top wipe, intermediate wipe, and
bottom wipe each includes a leading edge portion, the leading edge
portion of the top wipe being recessed relative to the leading edge
portion of the intermediate wipe, and the leading edge portion of
the intermediate wipe being recessed relative to the leading edge
portion of the bottom wipe.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a wipe assembly, and more
particularly to a wipe assembly including a plurality of individual
wipes arranged in a stacked configuration.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Disposable personal care wipes, such as for example baby
wipes or wet hand towelettes, are well known in the art and come in
a variety of forms and configurations. Such personal wipes are
often packaged in one of two common package types. The first
package type consists of a liquid impermeable material, such as a
metal foil, that contains an individual wipe therein. This type of
package is commonly used for wet hand towelettes and the like. The
second package type consists of a rigid container, such as a
plastic container, that contains a plurality of individual wipes
and permits to user to individually remove a single wipe for use.
This type of package is commonly used for baby wipes and the
like.
[0003] The inventor of the present invention has discovered that a
common problem with prior art wipes of the type described above is
that once the wipe is used to clean a surface the user must first
dispose of the soiled wipe and then grasp a new clean wipe prior to
further cleaning. That is, the user must interrupt the cleaning
process to first dispose of the soiled wipe and then grasp a new
clean wipe prior to continuing the cleaning process. The above
described problem is further complicated by the fact that the user
may have to open a new foil wrapper, in the case of a wet hand
towelette, or may have to retrieve a new clean wipe from within a
rigid container, in the case of a baby wipe, prior to further
cleaning.
[0004] In view of the above, the inventor of the present invention
has discovered a wipe assembly that overcomes the shortcomings of
the prior art wipes described above. In particular, the wipe
assembly according to the present invention permits the sequential
use of a plurality of clean wipes without significant interruption
of the cleaning process.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] In view of the foregoing, the present invention provides,
according to a first aspect of the invention, a wipe assembly
including a plurality of wipes arranged in a stacked configuration,
each one of the wipes having a first surface and an opposed second
surface, each one of the wipes being capable of rotation from a
first position to a second position, wherein in the first position
the second surface of the wipe is arranged in an outwardly facing
configuration and in the second position the second surface of an
underlying wipe is arranged in an outwardly facing
configuration.
[0006] The present invention provides, according to a second aspect
of the invention, a wipe assembly including a top wipe having a
first surface and an opposed second surface, a bottom wipe having a
first surface and an opposed second surface, an intermediate wipe
arranged between the top wipe and the bottom wipe, the intermediate
wipe having a first surface and an opposed second surface, wherein
the top wipe, the intermediate wipe, and the bottom wipe are
coupled to one another and have a first position wherein the wipes
are arranged in a stacked configuration, wherein the bottom wipe is
capable of rotation from the first position to a second position,
wherein in the first position the second surface of the bottom wipe
is arranged in an outwardly facing configuration and in the second
position the second surface of the intermediate wipe is arranged in
an outwardly facing configuration, wherein the intermediate wipe is
capable of rotation from the first position to a second position,
wherein in the first position the second surface of the
intermediate wipe is arranged in an outwardly facing configuration
and in the second position the second surface of the top wipe is
arranged in an outwardly facing configuration.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wipe assembly according to
a first embodiment of the present invention;
[0008] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a wipe assembly shown in
FIG. 1 with a user's hand partially inserted within the wipe
assembly;
[0009] FIG. 3 is a perspective view depicting a method for folding
a substrate to form the wipe assembly shown in FIG. 1;
[0010] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a wipe assembly
according to a second embodiment of the present invention;
[0011] FIGS. 5-8 depict a method of using the wipe assembly shown
FIG. 1;
[0012] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a wipe assembly according to
a third embodiment of the present invention with a user's hand
partially inserted within the wipe assembly; and
[0013] FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of the wipe assembly
shown in FIG. 9.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0014] Referring to FIG. 1, a first embodiment of the wipe assembly
10 according to the present invention generally includes a top wipe
12, an intermediate wipe 14, and a bottom wipe 16. Each of the
intermediate and bottom wipes 14, 16 are arranged below the top
wipe 12. Each of the wipes 12, 14 and 16 are coupled to one another
and are arranged in a "stacked configuration" as shown in FIG. 1.
The term "stacked configuration" as used herein means that each of
the wipes has a first position wherein the wipes are arranged in a
substantially overlapping relationship.
[0015] Referring to FIG. 3, the specific embodiment of the wipe
assembly 10 shown in FIGS. 1-3 is preferably constructed from a
single sheet 13 of material that is folded in the manner shown in
FIG. 3 to thereby form the individual wipes 12, 14 and 16. As shown
in FIG. 3, each individual wipe 12, 14 and 16 is formed by folding
the sheet 13 so that each wipe is defined by two overlapping layers
of material. Specifically, the wipe 12 is defined by material
layers 18 and 20, wipe 14 is defined by material layers 22 and 24,
and wipe 16 is defined by material layers 26 and 28. The material
layers 18, 20, 22, 24, 26 and 28 are then coupled to one another in
the folded configuration shown in FIG. 3 to thereby form the final
wipe assembly 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.
[0016] The layers 18 and 20 of the first wipe 12 are left in a
detached state, i.e. they are not sealed to one another, along a
proximal edge 29 thereof. In this manner, a chamber 31 is defined
between the layers 18 and 20 of the first wipe 12. As shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2, the chamber 31 is structured and arranged to receive
at least a portion of a user's hand during use. More specifically,
the chamber 31 is structured and arranged to receive at least a
portion of the user's fingers. In this manner, as shown in FIGS. 1
and 2, a user can maintain the wipe assembly 10 on the palm side of
the user's hand during use.
[0017] As shown in FIG. 3, the top wipe 12 includes a first surface
32 and a second opposed surface 34. Likewise, the intermediate wipe
14 includes opposed surfaces 36 and 38 and the bottom wipe 16
includes opposed surfaces 40 and 42. Although the specific
embodiment of the wipe assembly 10 shown in FIGS. 1-3 includes
three individual wipes, the wipe assembly 10 according to the
present invention may include two or more individual wipes.
[0018] Although the wipe assembly 10 shown in FIGS. 1-3 is
constructed from a single folded sheet of material it is possible
that the wipe assembly 10 could be constructed from distinct layers
of material that are coupled to one another to form the final wipe
assembly 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.
[0019] With reference to FIGS. 5-8, a method of using the wipe
assembly 10 according to the present invention will be described.
First a user's hand is partially inserted within the chamber 31
such that the user's fingers are at least partially received within
the chamber 31. In particular, the wipe assembly 10 is arranged
such that the user's finger's are at least partially received
within the chamber so that the remainder of the wipe assembly is
maintained on the palm side of the user's hand. Once the user has
inserted his or her finger's within the chamber 31 as shown in FIG.
5, the user may then utilize the bottom wipe 16 of the wipe
assembly 10 to clean a surface, absorb a fluid, or use the wipe for
some other cleaning purpose, as shown in FIG. 6. When the bottom
wipe 16 is in its original stacked configuration it is noted that
its second surface 42, i.e. its bottom surface is arranged in an
outwardly facing configuration and thus the surface 42 can be
utilized for cleaning purposes.
[0020] Referring to FIG. 7, after the user has utilized the bottom
wipe 16, and desires a new clean wipe, the user may then rotate the
bottom wipe 16 from its original stacked configuration shown in
FIGS. 5 and 6 to the position shown in FIG. 7. When the bottom wipe
16 is arranged in the position shown in FIG. 7 the user may retain
the soiled bottom wipe 16 under the user's thumb to thereby expose
the underlying wipe 14. Specifically, by retaining the bottom wipe
16 with the user's thumb as shown in FIG. 7, the second surface 38
of the intermediate wipe 14, i.e. its bottom surface, is arranged
in an outwardly facing configuration and thus the surface 38 can be
utilized for cleaning purposes. As shown in FIG. 8, during use the
user can retain the soiled wipe 16 with his or her thumb and
utilize the intermediate wipe 14 to further clean the soiled
surface or the like. In this manner, the user does not have to
substantially interrupt the cleaning process to access a new clean
wipe. Rather, the user simple rotates the bottom wipe 16 from its
original stacked configuration to its second position, retains the
wipe 16 with his or her thumb, thereby exposing the intermediate
wipe 14 and continues the cleaning process. After the intermediate
wipe 14 is soiled the user may then likewise rotate the wipe 14 to
thereby expose the top wipe 12 and continue the cleaning
process.
[0021] FIG. 4 depicts an exploded view of second embodiment of a
wipe assembly 110 according to the present invention. The wipe
assembly 110 generally includes a top wipe 112, a intermediate wipe
114, and a bottom wipe 116. Each of the intermediate and bottom
wipes 114, 116 are arranged below the top wipe 112. Each of the
wipes 112, 114 and 116 are coupled to one another and are arranged
in a "stacked configuration" as shown in FIG. 4.
[0022] The specific embodiment of the wipe assembly 110 shown in
FIG. 4 is constructed from three distinct sheets 118, 120 and 122
of material that are coupled to one another to thereby form the
wipe assembly 110. The sheet 112 is folded to form to opposed
material layers 124 and 126. The sheets of material 118, 120 and
122 may be coupled to one another in any known manner, for example
by means of adhesive, sewn to one another, thermobonding or
ultrasonic bonding (in which for either case, one or more of the
layers is allowed to melt and resolidify so that it bonds with the
other layer), selective hydroentanglement, or the like.
[0023] The layers 124 and 126 of the top wipe 112 are left in a
detached state, i.e. they are not sealed to one another, along the
respective proximal edges 129a and 129b thereof. In this manner, a
chamber 131 is defined between the layers 124 and 126 of the top
wipe 112. The chamber 131 is structured and arranged to receive at
least a portion of a user's hand during use. More specifically, the
chamber 131 is structured and arranged to receive at least a
portion of the user's fingers. In this manner, a user can maintain
the wipe assembly 110 on the palm side of the user's hand during
use.
[0024] As shown in FIG. 4, the top wipe 112 includes a first
surface 132 and a second opposed surface 134. Likewise, the
intermediate wipe 114 includes opposed surfaces 136 and 138 and the
bottom wipe 116 includes opposed surfaces 140 and 142.
[0025] The intermediate wipe 114 generally includes a main body
portion 150 and a tab portion 152 that extends outwardly from the
main body portion 150 of the intermediate wipe 114. Specifically,
the tab portion 152 is structured and arranged such that it
distally extends away from the main body portion 150, and the user,
during use. Likewise, the bottom wipe 116 generally includes a main
body portion 160 and a tab portion 162 that extends outwardly from
the main body portion 160. Specifically, the tab portion 162 is
structured and arranged such that it distally extends away from the
main body portion 160, and the user, during use. As shown in FIG.
4, the tab 152 of the intermediate wipe 114 is preferably offset
relative to the tab 162 of the bottom wipe 116, that is the tab 152
is not vertically aligned with the tab 162.
[0026] The embodiment of the wipe assembly 110 shown in FIG. 4
functions in use in the same manner as the first embodiment of the
invention described above with referenced to FIGS. 1-3. That is,
after the user has utilized the bottom wipe 116 to clean a surface
or the like, and the user desires a new clean wipe, the user may
rotate the bottom wipe 116 from its original stacked configuration
towards the user and retain the soiled wipe with the user's thumb,
thereby revealing the clean underlying intermediate wipe 114. The
user may then use the intermediate wipe 114 to further clean the
surface or the like. Thereafter, the user may then rotate the
intermediate wipe 114 from its original stacked configuration
towards the user and retain the soiled wipe with the user's thumb,
thereby revealing the clean underlying top wipe 112. The tabs 152
and 162 are structured and arranged to enable the user to more
easily grasp and rotate the bottom wipe 116 and the intermediate
wipe 114 as such wipes are soiled during use.
[0027] Although the specific embodiment of the wipe assembly 110
shown in FIG. 4 includes three individual wipes, the wipe assembly
110 according to the present invention may include two or more
individual wipes.
[0028] FIG. 10 depicts an exploded view of third embodiment of a
wipe assembly 210 according to the present invention. The wipe
assembly 210 generally includes a top wipe 212, a intermediate wipe
214, and a bottom wipe 216. Each of the intermediate and bottom
wipes 214, 216 are arranged below the top wipe 212. Each of the
wipes 212, 214 and 216 are coupled to one another and are arranged
in a "stacked configuration" as shown in FIG. 10.
[0029] The specific embodiment of the wipe assembly 210 shown in
FIGS. 9 and 10 is constructed from three distinct sheets 218, 220,
and 222 of material that are coupled to one another to thereby form
the wipe assembly 210. The sheets of material 218, 220 and 222 may
be coupled to one another in any known manner, for example by means
of adhesive, sewn to one another, thermobonding or ultrasonic
bonding (in which for either case, one or more of the layers is
allowed to melt and resolidify so that it bonds with the other
layer), selective hydroentanglement, or the like.
[0030] As shown in FIG. 10, the top wipe 212 includes a first
surface 232 and a second opposed surface 234. Likewise, the
intermediate wipe 214 includes opposed surfaces 236 and 238 and the
bottom wipe 216 includes opposed surfaces 240 and 242.
[0031] As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the wipe assembly 210 further
includes a strip 250 of material coupled to the top wipe 212 such
that the strip 250 is arranged in opposed relationship to the first
surface 232 of the top wipe 212. The strip 250 is structured and
arranged so that a user may insert the user's hand between the
strip 250 and the first surface 232 of the top wipe 212. In this
manner, as shown in FIG. 9, a user can maintain the wipe assembly
210 on the palm side of the user's hand during use.
[0032] As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 the top wipe 212 is preferably
dimensioned such that it extends from the base of a user's palm to
the end of, or beyond, a user's fingertips. Stated another way, the
top wipe 212 is preferably dimensioned such that the leading edge
portion 262 of its peripheral edge 260 extends to or beyond a
user's fingertips during use.
[0033] The embodiment of the wipe assembly 210 shown in FIGS. 9 and
10 functions in use in the same manner as the first embodiment of
the invention described above with referenced to FIGS. 1-3. That
is, after the user has utilized the bottom wipe 216 to clean a
surface or the like, and the user desires a new clean wipe, the
user may rotate the bottom wipe 216 from its original stacked
configuration towards the user and retain the soiled wipe with the
user's thumb, thereby revealing the clean underlying intermediate
wipe 214. The user may then use the intermediate wipe 214 to
further clean the surface or the like. Thereafter, the user may
then rotate the intermediate wipe 214 from its original stacked
configuration towards the user and retain the soiled wipe with the
user's thumb, thereby revealing the clean underlying top wipe
212.
[0034] The intermediate wipe 214 is preferably dimensioned such
that the leading edge portion 266 of its peripheral edge 264 is
recessed relative to the leading edge portion 272 of the bottom
wipe's 216 peripheral edge 270. In a similar fashion, the top wipe
212 is preferably dimensioned such that the leading edge portion
262 of its peripheral edge 260 is recessed relative to the leading
edge portion 266 of the intermediate wipe 214. This structure
enables the user to more easily grasp the bottom wipe 216, and the
intermediate wipe 214, as each wipe is soiled and rotate the
respective wipe to reveal the underlying clean wipe.
[0035] The material sheets used to form the wipe assembly according
to the present invention described herein may comprise a variety of
both natural and synthetic fibers or materials. Nonlimiting
examples of natural materials include, but are not limited to, silk
fibers, keratin fibers, cellulosic fibers, and combinations
thereof. Nonlimiting examples of synthetic materials include
acetate fibers, acrylic fibers, cellulose ester fibers, modacrylic
fibers, polamide fibers, polyester fibers, rayon fibers, and
combinations thereof. Preferably, the material sheets used to form
the wipe assembly according to the present invention comprise a
nonwoven material formed from one or more of the above identified
fiberous materials.
[0036] While particular embodiments of the preset invention have
been illustrated and described, it would be obvious to those
skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can
be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the
invention. It is therefore intended to cover in the appended claims
all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of the
invention.
* * * * *