U.S. patent number 3,843,017 [Application Number 05/347,784] was granted by the patent office on 1974-10-22 for dispensing treated towelettes.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Sterling Drug Inc.. Invention is credited to Thomas S. Harrison.
United States Patent |
3,843,017 |
Harrison |
October 22, 1974 |
DISPENSING TREATED TOWELETTES
Abstract
A dispenser for a treated perforated tissue web wherein said
dispenser is provided with an opening for extraction of the web
from the dispenser, said opening having associated therewith an
interior flap which normally all but closes the opening through
which the web is withdrawn thereby providing sufficient tension on
the web to cause it to tear off at the perforations. A variation
includes a form in which the flap is such that it completely closes
and overlaps the opening in the dispenser forcing the web to travel
in a tortuous path.
Inventors: |
Harrison; Thomas S. (New
Canaan, CT) |
Assignee: |
Sterling Drug Inc. (New York,
NY)
|
Family
ID: |
23365263 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/347,784 |
Filed: |
April 4, 1973 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
221/63; 206/210;
225/106; 242/579; 221/307 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47K
10/3818 (20130101); Y10T 225/393 (20150401) |
Current International
Class: |
A47K
10/24 (20060101); A47K 10/38 (20060101); B65h
001/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;221/33,41,55,63,303,306,307,309,310,27,48 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Reeves; Robert B.
Assistant Examiner: Marmor; Charles A.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Fay; Charles R.
Claims
I claim:
1. A dispenser for a web of perforated tissue-like material
comprising a container including a wall, an opening in the wall,
said opening including a fixed edge portion, means within the
container normally substantially closing said opening, the web
passing through the opening between the edge portion and the
closing means, the edge portion and the closing means applying
friction to the web to apply tension to the web as it is pulled
from the container, the tension causing the web to separate at the
perforations leaving a leading tip exposed exteriorly of the
container,
said edge portion overlying the closing means and preventing motion
of the latter past the edge portion, said closing means being
movable to uncover the opening, providing for easy initiation of
the passage of the web therethrough.
2. The dispenser of claim 1 wherein said closing means is a
flap.
3. The dispenser of claim 2 including a hinge for the flap, said
hinge being on the container wall adjacent the opening.
4. The dispenser of claim 1 wherein said means comprises a flap and
including means for releasably holding the flap in its position
substantially covering the opening.
5. The dispenser of claim 1 wherein said means completely covers
the opening, but allows passage of the web between the opening
covering means and the fixed edge.
6. The dispenser of claim 1 wherein said means for closing the
opening closes it except for a relatively small passage for the
web.
7. The dispenser of claim 1 wherein said means comprises a flap
which when in its closed position completely covers and overlaps
the opening whereby the web must pass through a tortuous path in
order to be extracted.
8. The combination with an enclosed container having an opening
therein, a cap closing the opening in the container, the cap
including a substantially rigid top, an edged opening in said top,
and movable means within the container substantially covering said
opening, but being movable to uncover the opening, means holding
the said movable means closely to an edge of the opening,
of a web in the container, said web being grasped between said
movable means and an edge of the opening applying friction to the
web thereby resisting extraction of the web from the container
under tension imparted to the web by manually pulling on an exposed
tip of the web.
9. The combination of claim 8 wherein said means is a flap hinged
to the cap adjacent the opening, said flap being capable of hinging
to uncover the opening.
10. The combination of claim 9 wherein said means in one position
completely covers the opening but allows passage of the web between
the opening closing means and the edge of the opening.
11. The combination of claim 8 wherein said means completely closes
the opening except for a small passage through which the web passes
under friction.
12. The combination of claim 8 wherein said means comprises a flap,
means hinging the flap closely adjacent the opening, the flap being
openable to provide for pushing the leading end of the web through
the opening, and means holding the flap substantially in closed
position relative to the opening and applying friction to the
web.
13. A dispenser for a web of tissue-like material having spaced
perforations along the same, said dispenser comprising a container
having an open end therein, the container being otherwise closed, a
removable cap closing the open end of said container, said cap
having a top with an opening therein, said opening having a
substantially fixed edge,
a depending flap hinged to the top of said cap at the underside
thereof adjacent the opening, means to hold the flap in a position
to close the opening, the flap retreating from the opening when
released from the flap holding means, the flap when closing the
opening leaving a small passage for the web to be drawn out of the
container, through the passage, said passage being located between
the fixed edge of the opening and an edge of the flap,
the edge of the flap and the edge of the opening grasping the web
and applying friction thereto as it is being drawn out of the
container, causing the web to disrupt at intervals at said
perforations leaving a leading tip of the web extending through the
opening in the top of the cap for manual grasping thereof to
withdraw the web another length.
14. The dispenser of claim 13 wherein the flap flatly contacts the
underside of the top of the cap and covers the entire opening in
the top of the cap except for the small passage.
15. The dispenser of claim 13 wherein said flap completely overlaps
the opening at the top of the cap but remains in slightly spaced
relation with respect to the underside of the top of the cap
leaving the small passage for the web.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Reference is made to copending application Ser. No. 270,559 filed
July 10, 1972, IMPROVED EXIT SLIT FOR BULK PACKAGE MOIST TOWELS OR
TISSUES. In that construction it has been found that in some
instances the slit renders it difficult for the user to extract the
web in such a way as to cause even separation of the web at the
perforations into single sheets for use, and the slit sometimes
catches the finger used to thread the first sheet of the web
through the exit slit.
It is the general purpose of the present invention to increase the
tension by friction applied to the web so that it more positively
separates at the perforations while still leaving the tip of the
remainder of the web exposed at the outside of the dispenser for
grasping for subsequent withdrawal and severance.
An opening is provided through which to thread the first sheet by
the fingers. Adjacent this opening at the inside of the dispenser
there is a flap which is hinged to the dispenser closely adjacent
the opening and which substantially closes the opening and impinges
upon the web. This results in a device which applies greater
friction to the web as it is pulled out resulting in more positive
severance of the sheets. The flap is operable to give easy access
to the opening to thread the first sheet through the opening.
There is also a modification in which the flap is used to not only
completely close the opening but to make a "negative" opening
wherein the flap overlaps the entire opening so that the web must
follow a tortuous path when the flap is in closed position of the
opening, and this applies even greater tension by friction on the
web as it is being withdrawn, increasing the degree of positiveness
of severance where desired and also allowing for the dispensing of
webs of greater durability and of stronger materials.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a view in elevation illustrating the dispenser, parts
being shown in section;
FIG. 2 is a top plan view illustrating the opening for the web and
showing the flap in closed position in dotted lines;
FIG. 3 is a section on line 3--3 of FIG. 2 showing the flap in open
condition in solid lines and in closed condition in dotted
lines;
FIG. 4 is a section on line 4--4 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 5 is a top plan view showing a modification;
FIG. 6 is a sectional view on line 6--6 of FIG. 5;
FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view on line 7--7 in FIG. 5;
FIG. 8 is a top plan view showing a further modification; and
FIG. 9 is a section on line 9--9 of FIG. 8.
PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
A container is indicated at 10. This container is preferably made
in one piece and conveniently is of plastic. It has a top open end
12 having a peripheral bead 14 for the snap reception of a
corresponding snap-in bead 16 on a cap 18 which closes the
container 10. The cap may be manually removable and may be
otherwise attached as by screwthreads, etc., as may be desired or
convenient. Cap 18 has a generally flat top surface 20 and
centrally thereof there is a raised annular lip or flange which is
undercut as at 22 for the snap reception of a cover 24 made captive
by strap 26 which is connected to cap 18 at 28.
Within the lip 22 a portion of the top surface of the cap is solid,
as shown in FIG. 2, in e.g., a semi-circular shape. This solid
portion inside lip 22 is indicated by the reference numeral 30. It
will be seen that in the form shown in FIG. 2 a triangular opening
32 is provided which has the points of the triangle adjacent to
corresponding spaced parts of the lip 22. This leaves solid
portions 34 and 36. A flap 38 is hinged preferably by a reduced
thickness hinge at 40 to the edge of the solid portion 30. This
flap preferably is formed with a pair of triangular leg portions
42, 44 which are normally held by snap-in bosses or lugs 46, 46 on
the cap in parallel underlying condition with respect to the top 20
of the cap 18.
The legs 42, 44 form between them an apex 50 which overlaps the
apex in the same location of the triangular shaped opening 32 thus
leaving a very small opening for the web to be abstracted through,
as is indicated at W in FIG. 3.
The result of this structure is that the back tension on the web
being withdrawn is relatively great and when the sheet is withdrawn
it easily tears off at the perforations. The opening formed by the
apeces of the triangular opening and the flap is very small and
therefore the more efficient is the tear-off or severing
operation.
At the same time it is very easy to manually push the flap down for
threading or rethreading of the leading end of the web, whereas in
the prior art devices, as identified above, the finger is sometimes
apt to be caught because the slit was actually not enough for the
finger to extend through for the purpose of threading. Once the web
is threaded through the opening the flap is then snapped shut and a
tug at the extending end of the web which is indicated at T causes
the web to become abstracted and tears off at about the point shown
in FIG. 3, i.e., approximate end of the web itself. That is, each
time a sheet is torn off, the extending tip for manual grasping for
the next tear-off action is about the size shown in FIG. 3
herein.
Referring to FIGS. 5, 6, and 7, the cap 18' is shown with a solid
portion at 30' in the form of e.g., a half circle, the remainder of
the space within the lip 22' being open as at 32'. The flap in this
case is indicated at 38' and is of a size to just about close
opening 32' when pivoted upwardly to the upward or closed position
thus forming a semi-circular slit for the web to be abstracted
through. In FIGS. 6 and 7 the flap 38' is shown in the down or open
position for the threading operation of the web as described.
It must be pointed out that the shape of the opening is not
material and shapes other than the depicted semi-circular and
triangular shapes, can of course be used.
FIGS. 8 and 9 show another modification wherein the cap 18" has a
triangular opening as at 32" for instance. In this case the flap
38" is almost the same shape as in FIG. 2 and is hinged in a
similar manner to the solid portion of the lid at 34", but the
proportions of the flap parts are such that when it is moved
upwardly to the closed position shown in dotted lines in FIG. 8 and
solid lines in FIG. 9, the apex as at 50", actually overlaps the
material of the cap so there is no opening at all. In fact the web
must pass through a tortuous, almost closed path as clearly shown
in FIG. 9, in order to be abstracted from the dispenser. The flap
is held in its closed position as before but it will be seen that
in the case of FIGS. 8 and 9 a good deal more tension is placed on
the web due to the tortuous path so that a stronger or heavier web
can be utilized with a closure of this kind and the severance of
the sheets is more positive.
* * * * *