U.S. patent application number 12/271275 was filed with the patent office on 2010-05-20 for dispenser for personal care products with a wide lid-activation button.
Invention is credited to Linda Marie Barran, Erica Marie Golub, Suzuko Hisata, Russell J. Kroll, Timothy J. Peters.
Application Number | 20100122985 12/271275 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42170473 |
Filed Date | 2010-05-20 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100122985 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Peters; Timothy J. ; et
al. |
May 20, 2010 |
Dispenser for Personal Care Products With a Wide Lid-Activation
Button
Abstract
A lid structure for use with a container for storing personal
care products is disclosed. The lid structure includes a lid top
that is connected by a hinge to a lid base. In exemplary
embodiments, the lid structure includes a lid-activation button
that when pressed allows the lid top to rotate about the lid base
giving a consumer access to the contents of the container. The
lid-activation button is wide enough to allow a consumer to easily
make contact with the lid-activation button and cause the lid top
to open. Additionally, the lid-activation button functions so that
the lid top is released independent of where the lid-activation
button is pressed by the consumer.
Inventors: |
Peters; Timothy J.; (Neenah,
WI) ; Barran; Linda Marie; (Neenah, WI) ;
Golub; Erica Marie; (Rogers, AR) ; Kroll; Russell
J.; (Atlanta, GA) ; Hisata; Suzuko; (Atlanta,
GA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
KIMBERLY-CLARK WORLDWIDE, INC.;Tara Pohlkotte
401 NORTH LAKE STREET
NEENAH
WI
54956
US
|
Family ID: |
42170473 |
Appl. No.: |
12/271275 |
Filed: |
November 14, 2008 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
220/262 ;
206/494 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47K 10/421 20130101;
B65D 47/0871 20130101; B65D 75/5894 20130101; B65D 83/0805
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
220/262 ;
206/494 |
International
Class: |
B65D 43/26 20060101
B65D043/26; B65D 83/00 20060101 B65D083/00 |
Claims
1. A container for storing personal care articles comprising: a lid
structure attached to the container, the lid structure having a top
lid portion connected to a base lid portion by at least one hinge,
the top lid portion having a lid fastener mechanism extending from
the opposing side of the hinge, the base lid portion having a
dispensing aperture formed therethrough; a lid-activation button
having a button fastener mechanism along a longitudinal edge of the
button in communication with the lid fastener mechanism, the
lid-activation button having a width greater than 52 mm; and
wherein the entire lid-activation button rotates about the same
axis when depressed by a user to release the lid fastener mechanism
from the button fastener mechanism and allow the top lid portion to
rotate away from the bottom lid portion.
2. The container of claim 1 wherein the lid-activation button
extends the entire width of the lid structure.
3. The container of claim 1 wherein the lid-activation button
extends at least 75% of the entire width of the lid structure.
4. The container of claim 1 wherein the lid-activation button
extends at least 50% of the entire width of the lid structure.
5. The container of claim 1 wherein the width of the lid-activation
button is greater than 72 mm.
6. The container of claim 1 wherein the width of the lid-activation
button is greater than 105 mm.
7. The container of claim 1 wherein a rigidity of the
lid-activation button increases closer to the inner longitudinal
edge.
8. The container of claim 7 wherein the rigidity of the inner
longitudinal edge is at least 10% greater than a rigidity of a
remainder of the lid-activation button.
9. The container of claim 1 wherein the lid-activation button is an
integral portion of the lid structure connected to the lid base via
a living hinge.
10. The container of claim 9 wherein the living hinge has a width
at least 50% of the width of the lid-activation button.
11. The container of claim 6 wherein the living hinge has a width
that is substantially equal to the width of the lid-activation
button.
12. The container of claim 1 wherein the lid-activation button is a
separate piece from the rest of the lid structure.
13. The container of claim 1 wherein the lid-activation button is
attached to the lid base via a hinge mechanism extending from the
inner longitudinal edge of the lid-activation button.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] 1. Field
[0002] The present disclosure relates to a lid structure for use
with dispensers of personal care products. More particularly, a
dispenser that has a wider lid-activation button to enable easier
access to the personal care products is disclosed.
[0003] 2. General Background
[0004] There is a variety of storing and dispensing containers in
the market, particularly those for storing and dispensing personal
care products. Personal care products, particularly wipes, have
been made from a variety of materials which can be dry or wet when
used. Wet wipes can be moistened with a variety of suitable wiping
solutions. Typically, wet wipes have been stacked in a container in
either a folded or unfolded configuration. For example, containers
of wet wipes have been available wherein each of the wet wipes
stacked in the container has been arranged in a folded
configuration such as a c-folded, z-folded or quarter-folded
configuration as are well known to those skilled in the art.
Sometimes the folded wet wipes have also been interfolded with the
wet wipes immediately above and below in the stack of wet wipes.
Wet wipes have also been placed in containers in the form of a
continuous web of material which includes perforations to separate
the individual wet wipes and which is wound into a roll. Such wet
wipes have been used for baby wipes, hand wipes, household cleaning
wipes, industrial wipes and the like.
[0005] The conventional containers which contain wipes have
typically been designed to be positioned on a flat surface such as
a countertop, table or the like. Such conventional packages have
generally provided a plastic container, tub or package which
provides a sealed environment for the wet wipes to ensure that they
do not become dirty and/or overly dry. To access the wipes, many
containers have an access lid that is opened by pressing a button
on top of the container. Some of these conventional packages have
been configured to provide one at a time dispensing of each wet
wipe which can be accomplished using a single hand after the
container has been opened. Such single handed, one at a time
dispensing is particularly desirable because the other hand of the
user or care giver is typically required to be simultaneously used
for other functions. For example, when changing a diaper product on
an infant, the care giver typically uses one hand to hold and
maintain the infant in a desired position while the other hand is
attempting to dispense a baby wipe to clean the infant. The care
giver may not want to look away from the infant to open the
container and access the wipes.
[0006] However, the dispensing of wipes from such conventional
containers for wipes has not been completely satisfactory. For
example, many conventional containers have small buttons that can
be difficult for a consumer to press or find when not looking
directly at the package. Additionally, there have been issues with
the buttons not functioning properly if pressed away from the
center of the button. Therefore, there is a need to provide a
dispenser with a wider lid-activation button which allows consumers
access to the wipes for easier dispensing, particularly in a pop-up
wipes product format.
SUMMARY
[0007] A container for storing personal care articles comprising a
lid structure attached to the container is disclosed. The lid
structure has a top lid portion connected to a base lid portion by
at least one hinge, the top lid portion having a lid fastener
mechanism extending from the opposing side of the hinge. The base
lid portion having a dispensing aperture formed therethrough.
Additionally, the lid structure has a lid-activation button with a
button fastener mechanism along a longitudinal edge of the button
in communication with the lid fastener mechanism. The
lid-activation button has a width that is at least as wide as the
width of an arm of a human being to allow for easier single-hand
opening.
[0008] In exemplary embodiments, the lid-activation button extends
the entire width of the lid structure. In other embodiments, the
lid-activation button has a width greater than 52 mm. In still
other embodiments, the lid-activation button has a width greater
than 72 mm. In still other embodiments, the lid-activation button
has a width greater than 105 mm.
[0009] In another embodiment, the entire lid-activation button
rotates about the same axis when pressed by a user to release the
lid fastener mechanism from the button fastener mechanism and allow
the top lid portion to rotate away from the bottom lid portion.
[0010] In exemplary embodiments, to provide a lid-activation button
that uniformly rotates, the rigidity of the lid-activation button
increases closer to the inner longitudinal edge.
[0011] In other embodiments, the lid-activation button is an
integral portion of the lid structure connected to the lid base via
a living hinge. In some embodiments, to provide a lid-activation
button that uniformly rotates, the living hinge has a width at
least 50% the width of the lid-activation button. In other
embodiments, the living hinge has a width that is substantially
equal to the width of the lid-activation button.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
[0012] FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary
dispenser for personal care articles.
[0013] FIG. 2 illustrates a top view of the exemplary dispenser for
personal care articles depicted in FIG. 1.
[0014] FIG. 3 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the exemplary
lid structure in the closed position depicted in FIG. 1.
[0015] FIG. 4 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the exemplary
lid structure depicted in FIG. 1 with the lid-activation button
depressed.
[0016] FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of another exemplary
dispenser for personal care articles.
[0017] FIG. 6 illustrates a top view of the exemplary dispenser for
personal care articles depicted in FIG. 5.
[0018] FIG. 7 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the exemplary
dispenser for personal care articles depicted in FIG. 5.
[0019] FIG. 8 illustrates a perspective view of another exemplary
dispenser for personal care articles.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0020] Generally stated, a lid structure for use with a container
for storing personal care products is disclosed. The lid structure
includes a lid top that is connected by a hinge to a lid base. In
exemplary embodiments, the lid structure includes a lid-activation
button that, when pressed, allows the lid top to rotate about the
lid base via a hinge giving a consumer access to contents of the
container. The lid-activation button is wide enough to allow a
consumer to easily make contact with the lid-activation button and
cause the lid top to open. Additionally, the lid-activation button
functions so that the lid top is released independent of where the
lid-activation button is pressed by the consumer.
[0021] Reference will now be made in detail to the presently
preferred embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of
which are illustrated in the drawings. Each example is provided by
way of explanation and is not meant as a limitation. For example,
features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment or
figure can be used on another embodiment or figure to yield yet
another embodiment. It is intended that the present disclosure
include such modifications and variations.
[0022] As illustrated in FIGS. 1-3, a container for storing
personal care products having a lid structure 12 with a lid top 15
hingedly attached to a lid base 14 and to allow a consumer access
to contents of the container therethrough. A tension member 75 is
positioned against the lid top and lid base at the hinge. The
tension member 75 is formed by a band or strip of flexible rubber
or plastic, such as silicone, and/or a metal spring. The end of the
tension member 75 forces against the lid top 15 to urge apart the
lid top 15 and lid base 14 when a consumer pushes a lid-activation
button 30 to open the lid structure 12.
[0023] In exemplary embodiments, the personal care products stored
in the container are wet wipes that are used for baby wipes, hand
wipes, household cleaning wipes, industrial wipes and the like. The
lid structure 12 may be formed as an integral part of the container
10 or may be positioned over a lid base 14. In an exemplary
embodiment, the lid base 14 is connected to a container base 25 by
a hinge 22 to enable a second opening into the container 10. A
consumer may then be able to, if desired, refill the container with
additional wipes.
[0024] In an exemplary embodiment, the lid base 14 contains a
pop-up style dispensing partition wherein a flexible, rubber-like
material or sheet 60 having a slit or hole through which individual
wet wipes are removed from the container. In other embodiments,
there is not a flexible sheet, but simply an open area to enable
reach-in dispensing of the wet wipes through the base lid. Examples
of flexible rubber-like materials used in the container of the
present disclosure include thermoplastic elastomeric (TPE)
materials that can be used to provide acceptable dispensing.
Materials which can be employed include (but are not limited to):
any of the family of styrenic-based TPE's (i.e. styrenic block
copolymer compounds); styrenic-based TPE's containing rubber
modifiers such as Kraton.TM., Santoprene.TM., or other rubber
modifiers; specialty copolymers, such as ethylene-methyl acrylate
copolymers (e.g. EMAC.TM. of the Eastman Chemical Company);
thermoset rubbers; polyurethane; alloys; amides; engineering TPE's;
olefinic-based; olefinic vulcanizates; polyester-based;
polyurethane-based. One such material for the flexible, rubber-like
sheet could be that manufactured by the GLS Corporation of McHenry,
Ill., USA and known as resin #G2701. The G2701 material is one of
the resins in the product family of TPEs. G2701 is a styrenic-based
material and is in the family of Styrenic block copolymer
compounds. Some particular properties of the G2701 can be: specific
gravity of 0.90 g/cc (per ASTM D792); hardness (Shore A durometer)
of 68 (ASTM D2240); and compression set of 24% at room temperature,
96% at 70.degree. C. (per ASTM 395B). Another similar material is
known as G2755 and also sold by GLS Corporation. In addition, a
lubricant (e.g., wax) can be added to lower the coefficient of
friction of the continuous slit which can benefit injection
molding, wet wipes dispensing, and physical handling of the
flexible orifice. The G2701 TPE resin with 0.25% wax additive sold
by GLS Corporation and known as #LC217-189 can be used.
[0025] To enable access to the wipes stored within the container,
the lid structure 12 includes a lid-activation button 30 having an
inner longitudinal edge 35. The lid-activation button 30 comprises
a substantially planar top surface 50 with a peripheral outer edge
45 adapted to be contacted by a user. The inner longitudinal edge
35 of the lid-activation button 30 extends downward from the top
surface 50 and is connected to the lid base 14. In some exemplary
embodiments, the flexible rubber-like material 60 extends up from
the lid base 14 and connects the remainder of the peripheral outer
edge 45 of the lid-activation button 30 to the lid base 14 to
effect a proper seal. Once the lid-activation button 30 is pressed
and released by a consumer, the flexible rubber-like material 90
helps to compel the lid-activation button 30 back to its original
position.
[0026] After the lid-activation button 30 is pressed, the lid top
15 is released from the lid base allowing a user to access an
opening into the container. The lid top 15 is secured in a closed
position by a suitable lid latching mechanism 40 engaged with a
button latching mechanism 80. In exemplary embodiments, the lid
latching mechanism 40 includes a protrusion latch in the front edge
of the lid top 15 that is engaged by a button latching mechanism 80
including an aperture catch on the inner longitudinal edge of the
lid-activation button 30. In other exemplary embodiments, the lid
latching mechanism 40 includes a protrusion latch in the front edge
of the lid top that is engaged by a button latching mechanism 80
including a protrusion catch in the inner longitudinal edge 35 of
the lid-activation button 30. In still other embodiments, the lid
latching mechanism 40 includes an aperture catch in the front edge
of the lid top 15 that is engaged by button latching mechanism 80
including a protrusion latch on the inner longitudinal edge 35 of
the lid-activation button 30.
[0027] In particular embodiments, the lid-activation button 30 is
wide enough so that a consumer will be able to easily press or
contact the lid-activation button 30. Many conventional dispensers
have small lid-activation buttons designed to be pressed by a thumb
or single finger to open the lid. The small buttons require precise
contact by a consumer. For example, in some instances, care givers
changing infants would need to look away from the infant and
towards the dispenser to accurately open the lid. Infants could
move or roll away from the care giver unexpectedly potentially
causing harm to the infant. Other consumers, such as toddlers or
the elderly, may lack the dexterity or strength to accurately open
the lid.
[0028] The lid-activation button 30 of the present disclosure has a
width 55 generally parallel to the rotational axis of the hinge
enabling a consumer to open the container hands-free by utilizing a
portion of his or her arm to easily open the lid top 15 and obtain
access to the contents of the container. For example, a consumer
could use the palm of his or her hand, his or her arm, or his or
her elbow to press the lid-activation button 30 and open the lid
top 15. This allows the consumer to easily open the lid of the
container with less dexterity or without looking at the container.
Thus, the care giver could easily reach to the container and open
the lid without taking their eyes off of an infant and looking
directly at the container.
[0029] In addition, a wider lid-activation button 30 may prevent
the spread of bacteria onto the surface of the container. A care
giver may acquire bacteria on their hand prior to use of the wipes
in the container while changing diapers on an infant, using the
restroom, or other activities that require use of a wipe. By
allowing a consumer to press a wider lid-activation button with a
different portion of his or her arm, the consumer does not pass any
bacteria from their hand onto the lid of the container. Thus, the
wider lid-activation button provides a potentially more sanitary
way to access wipes in the container.
[0030] In an exemplary embodiment, the width 55 of the
lid-activation button 30 extends the entire width of the container
10. In other embodiments, the lid-activation button 30 extends for
a width 55 of at least 50% the width of the lid-structure 12. In
other embodiments, the lid-activation button 30 extends for a width
55 of at least 75% the width of the lid-structure 12.
[0031] In other exemplary embodiments, the lid-activation button 30
extends for a width 55 that is as least as wide as the width of an
arm of an average human being. Accordingly, the width must be at
least the width of a target user of the dispenser. Therefore, the
lid-activation button 30 extends for a width 55 of at least about
52 mm. In other embodiments, the lid-activation button 30 extends
for a width 55 of at least about 72 mm. In still other embodiments,
the lid-activation button 30 extends for a width 55 of at least
about 105 mm.
[0032] In another exemplary embodiment, the lid-activation button
30 is specifically designed to provide a button wherein the entire
top surface 50 of the lid-activation button 30 rotates about a
single axis or pivot point. Previous dispensers having
lid-activation buttons 30 have been pressed at the sides or edges
of the lid-activation buttons by consumers and would sometimes fail
and not open. By increasing the width of the lid-activation button
30, one skilled in the art would expect to create additional
failures as the potential areas of contact increase away from the
center of the button.
[0033] However, the present disclosure solves this potential issue
by allowing the top surface 50 of the lid-activation button 30 to
rotate about a single axis or pivot point. Therefore, the
lid-activation button 30 may be pressed at any point along its
entire width and still cause the lid top to rotate and allow access
into the container. In one embodiment, the rigidity of the
lid-activation button 30 increases towards the inner longitudinal
edge 35. An increase in rigidity at the inner longitudinal edge 35
causes the lid-activation button 30 to rotate more uniformly as the
entire rigid portion rotates and pivots as one piece. Thus, the
lid-activation button 30 may be pressed at any point along its
width and still provide access into the container.
[0034] As used herein, rigidity means a level of stiffness commonly
associated with materials used to manufacture tubs containing wet
wipes or parts thereof. Numerically, these materials typically have
a flexural modulus (as measured in accordance with ASTM D790
"Standard Test Method for Flexural Properties of Unreinforced and
Reinforced Plastics and Electrical Insulating Materials") of at
least 100 Newtons per square millimeter. In particular embodiments,
the lid-activation button has a flexural modulus of between about
1100 to about 1500 Newtons per square millimeter. In accordance
with the present disclosure, the rigidity of the lid-activation
button 30 may be at least 10% greater at the inner longitudinal
edge than the remainder of the lid-activation button 30. For
example, the inner longitudinal edge 35 of the lid-activation
button 30 may be at least 1350 Newtons per square millimeter if the
remainder of the lid-activation button 30 is 1215 Newtons per
square millimeter. To accomplish a more rigid inner longitudinal
edge 35, the lid activation button may be formed with more rigid
materials at the inner longitudinal edge 35 or be formed with
thicker sections of materials at the inner longitudinal edge
35.
[0035] In another embodiment as shown by FIGS. 1-3, the inner
longitudinal edge 35 of the lid-activation button 30 is attached to
the lid bottom via a living hinge 65 that is formed integrally with
the lid base 14. Living hinges may be constructed from plastic and
other materials and formed integrally between two members. A living
hinge permits pivotable movement of one member in relation to
another connected member. To facilitate the lid-activation button
30 functioning when it is pressed anywhere on the lid-activation
button 30, the living hinge 65 has a certain width with respect to
the width of the lid-activation button 30. In an exemplary
embodiment, the living hinge 65 has the same width generally
parallel to the rotational axis of the hinge as the lid-activation
button 30. In other exemplary embodiments, the living hinge 65 has
a width that is at least 50% the width of the lid-activation
button. The lid-activation button 30 may additionally have
increased rigidity towards the inner longitudinal edge 35 to
increase the ability of the lid-activation button 30 to rotate
about a single axis point in addition to the living hinge 65.
[0036] When it is desired to open the lid structure 10, the
lid-activation button 30 is pressed. This causes the inner
longitudinal edge 35 and top surface 40 of the lid-activation
button 30 to rotate about the living hinge 65. As the
lid-activation button 30 rotates, the latching mechanism 40 on the
lid top 15 is released. Once the lid top 12 is released from the
lid-activation button 30, the tension member 75 forces the lid top
12 away from the lid base 14 to enable a consumer to access the
wipes. The lid top 12 can be reclosed by moving the latching
mechanism 40 in communication with the lid-activation button to
reseal the container.
[0037] FIGS. 5-7 illustrate an additional embodiment of the
container for storing personal care products of the present
disclosure. As shown, a lid structure 112 with a lid top 115 is
hingedly attached to a lid base 120 to give a consumer access to
contents of the container therethrough. To enable access to the
wipes stored within the container, the lid structure 112 includes a
lid-activation button 130 having an inner longitudinal edge 135.
The lid-activation button 130 comprises a substantially planar top
surface 150 with a peripheral outer edge adapted to be contacted by
a user. The inner longitudinal edge 135 of the lid-activation
button 130 extends downward from the top surface 150.
[0038] In this embodiment, the lid-activation button 130 is a
separate piece of the lid structure 110 from the lid base and lid
top. To connect to the lid structure 112, a hinge mechanism 145
connects the lid-activation button 130 to the lid base 120. In an
exemplary embodiment, the hinge mechanism 145 includes protrusions
extending from the inner longitudinal edge 135 of the
lid-activation button 30 that are in communication with apertures
in the lid base 120. In another embodiment, the lid-activation
button is connected to a rod that is also in communication with
apertures in the lid base. When the lid-activation button 130 is
pressed, this causes the inner longitudinal edge 135 and entire top
surface 150 of the lid-activation button 130 to rotate about the
hinge mechanism 145. As the lid-activation button 130 rotates, a
latching mechanism 140 on the lid top 115 is released from a
matching latching mechanism in the lid-activation button 130
allowing access into the container. In exemplary embodiments, the
lid-activation button 130 extends for a width 55 that is as least
as wide as the width of an arm of an average human being.
Therefore, the lid-activation button 130 extends for a width 55 of
at least about 52 mm. In other embodiments, the lid-activation
button 30 extends for a width 55 of at least about 72 mm. In still
other embodiments, the lid-activation button 30 extends for a width
55 of at least about 105 mm.
[0039] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of another container 210 in
accordance with the present disclosure, in which the container is a
flexible package, such as a plastic film-wrapped package, having a
dispensing opening having a lid structure 212. A lid structure is
provided on the top of the flexible package, which lid structure
212 comprises a lid top 215 hingedly attached to a lid base 220
surrounding a flexible, rubber-like sheet having one or more slits
or holes or simply a hole in the film-wrapped package through which
the wipes are removed from the package. In exemplary embodiments, a
lid-activation button 230 extends for a width 55 that is as least
as wide as the width of an arm of an average human being opens the
lid structure 212 when contacted by a consumer. Therefore, the
lid-activation button 230 extends for a width 55 of at least about
52 mm. In other embodiments, the lid-activation button 30 extends
for a width 55 of at least about 72 mm. In still other embodiments,
the lid-activation button 30 extends for a width 55 of at least
about 105 mm.
[0040] The product, e.g., wipes or wet wipes, can be arranged in
the dispenser in any manner which provides convenient and reliable
one at a time dispensing and which assists the wipes in not
becoming dirty and/or overly dry. For example, the wipes may be
arranged in the dispenser or container as a plurality of individual
sheets arranged in a stacked configuration to provide a stack of
wipes which may or may not be individually folded. The wipes may be
individual wipes which are folded in a c-fold, z-fold, quarter fold
or other zigzag fold or interfolded or non-interfolded
configurations as are known to those skilled in the art. The
product may include a plurality of wipes stacked one on top of each
other in a non-interfolded configuration, for "reach-in"
dispensing. For such a non-interfolded wipe, each wipe is folded
onto itself with no portion of another wipe being positioned
between or underneath any portion of the folds of the adjacent
wipe(s). These configurations for wipes, as well as those discussed
herein, may be provided by means known to those skilled in the
art.
[0041] Alternatively, the individual wipes can be interfolded or in
other ways related such that the leading and trailing end edges of
successive wipes in the stacked configuration overlap, for "pop-up"
dispensing. In such a configuration, the leading end edge of the
trailing wipe is loosened from the stack by the trailing end edge
of the leading wipe as the leading wipe is removed by the user. The
wipes can be interfolded to facilitate such dispensing by means
known to those skilled in the art.
[0042] Yet alternatively, the wipes can be arranged in the
dispenser as a continuous web of interconnected wipes which are
folded in an accordion-like stacked configuration or a roll. The
individual wipes can be connected together along lines of
frangibility, such as lines of perforations, to ensure that the
trailing wipe is in position for grasping by the user after the
leading wipe is removed. For example, the wipes can be provided by
a continuous web of material which has a series of lines of
frangibility extending across the width of the web. The portion of
the web of material between successive lines of frangibility
provides each individual wipe. The lines of frangibility can be
provided by means known to those skilled in the art such as
perforations, indentations or cuts in the web of material. For
example, the lines of frangibility or perforations can be provided
in the web of material by passing the web of material between a die
cutter roll and anvil roll. After the lines of frangibility have
been incorporated into the web of material, the web can then be
arranged in a stacked configuration for easy insertion into the
dispenser during formation thereof.
[0043] The container can include any suitable number of individual
wipes depending upon the desired packaging and end use. For
example, the container can be configured to include a stack of
wipes which can include at least about 5 wipes and desirably from
about 8 to about 320 individual wipes, and more desirably from
about 16 to about 80 wipes. The size and shape of the stack of
wipes is dependent upon the size and shape of the container and
vice versa.
[0044] Each wipe is generally rectangular in shape and defines a
pair of opposite side edges and a pair of opposite end edges which
can be referred to as a leading end edge and a trailing end edge.
The leading end edge of each wet wipe is typically positioned in
the dispenser under the dispensing orifice to be grasped by a user
to facilitate a removal of the wipe from the container.
[0045] Materials suitable for the wipes of the present disclosure
are well known to those skilled in the art. For wet wipes, these
can be made from any material suitable for use as a moist wipe,
including meltblown, coform, air-laid, bonded-carded web materials,
hydroentangled materials, high wet-strength tissue and the like and
can comprise synthetic or natural fibers or combinations thereof.
The wipes of the different aspects of the present disclosure can
contain a liquid which can be any solution which can be absorbed
into the wipes, thus making them "wet wipes." The liquid contained
within the wet wipes can include any suitable components which
provide the desired wiping properties. For example, the components
can include water, emollients, surfactants, preservatives,
chelating agents, pH buffers, fragrances or combinations thereof.
The liquid can also contain lotions, ointments and/or medicaments.
The amount of liquid contained within each wet wipe can vary
depending upon the type of material being used to provide the wet
wipe, the type of liquid being used, the type of container being
used to store the stack of wet wipes, and the desired end use of
the wet wipe. Generally, each wet wipe can contain from about 15 to
about 600 weight percent and desirably from about 200 to about 400
weight percent liquid based on the dry weight of the wipe for
improved wiping.
[0046] Accordingly, the different aspects and features of the
present disclosure can provide containers for wipes which, when
compared to conventional containers for wipes, provide improved
same container storage and dispensing. Such containers are
particularly useful for dispensing baby wipes since the caregiver
typically only has one hand free during the diapering process.
Thus, the packages for wipes, e.g., wet wipes, of the present
disclosure are reliably and easily opened by one hand of the user
or care giver for improved convenience and personal hygiene.
Additionally, the packages of the present disclosure can provide
better, easier dispensing.
[0047] While the container useful for purposes of this present
disclosure has been specifically illustrated in the figures, those
skilled in the art will appreciate that many different container
designs are possible, including canister style containers, without
departing from the scope of the invention. It will be appreciated
that the foregoing description, given for purposes of illustration,
is not to be construed as limiting the scope of the present
disclosure, which is defined by the following claims and all
equivalents thereto.
* * * * *