US20060289557A1 - Multiple stack dispensing container - Google Patents
Multiple stack dispensing container Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20060289557A1 US20060289557A1 US11/166,529 US16652905A US2006289557A1 US 20060289557 A1 US20060289557 A1 US 20060289557A1 US 16652905 A US16652905 A US 16652905A US 2006289557 A1 US2006289557 A1 US 2006289557A1
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- United States
- Prior art keywords
- container
- stack
- articles
- support structure
- dispensing
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status 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 status listed.)
- Abandoned
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Classifications
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- 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
-
- 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
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- 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
-
- 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
- A47K10/424—Dispensers for paper towels or toilet-paper dispensing from a store of single sheets, e.g. stacked dispensing from the bottom part 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
- A47K10/46—Dispensers for paper towels or toilet-paper with means for storing soiled towels
-
- 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
- B65D83/0894—Containers or packages with special means for dispensing contents for dispensing thin flat articles in succession the articles being positioned relative to one another or to the container in a special way, e.g. for facilitating dispensing, without additional support
Definitions
- dispensers and dispensing containers have been developed to provide ready availability of articles to users.
- Such dispensers are common for dispensing paper products such as facial tissues, napkins, paper towels and the like.
- One common type of dispensing container dispenses paper products from the top of the container.
- Such containers often utilize a stack of folded products that are interfolded with each other so that when the top product is dispensed through the dispensing opening of the container, the next product is pulled to the dispensing opening for future dispensing.
- dispensing containers conveniently provide the user with folded products (e.g., folded tissues), they are inherently limited in their capacity.
- the stack height of products in such top dispensing containers is limited by the dimensions of the paper product being dispensed. If the box is too high the next product to be dispensed will not be pulled to the dispensing opening with the product being dispensed. Instead, the next product is left down inside the dispenser where it can be very difficult to remove; the user has to reach down through the dispensing opening into the dispenser to retrieve the product.
- Gravity-fed dispensing is another solution to these issues. With gravity-fed dispensing the products are dispensed from the bottom of the stack. Gravity ensures that the next product is always available at the dispensing opening. However, the height of the stack in gravity-fed dispensing is also limited. The entire weight of the stack rests on the product that is being dispensed. If the stack is too heavy, the product being dispensed can be difficult to dispense; the product can be damaged or more product than is needed may be removed from the dispenser. This becomes even a greater issue when dealing with heavier paper products, such as heavy wipers or towels.
- dispensers of all types are usually found in fixed locations.
- the towel dispensers in a public restroom are generally fixed to the wall.
- a person who is looking to provide such paper products has to generally install a dispenser, but is then stuck with the location of that dispenser. It is difficult for those who want to provide paper products in a temporary location, or who wish to frequently change the dispenser location, to do so with traditional mounted dispensers.
- a dispensing container that is able to dispense a large quantity of folded articles. It is also desired that the container be disposable and non-refillable. It is further desired that such a container be capable of being easily located and/or relocated wherever the user desires.
- the present invention is directed to a disposable, non-refillable container for holding and gravity-fed dispensing folded articles.
- the container has an upper panel, a lower panel having at least a first dispensing opening, a front panel, a back panel, and at least one side panel.
- a first dispensing column is also present in the container and is formed by the cooperation of the upper, lower, front, back and side panels and is configured to hold stacks of folded articles.
- the container also has a first support structure within the first dispensing column and a mount which non-permanently affixes the container to a support surface.
- the first dispensing opening is configured to dispense a first stack of folded articles when the container is attached to the support surface such that the first stack of articles is substantially above the first dispensing opening.
- the first support structure is configured to support the weight of at least a second stack of folded articles while the first stack of folded articles is being dispensed. This first support structure is configured so that it may be manipulated such that the second stack of folded articles may be delivered to the first dispensing opening after the first stack of folded articles has been dispensed.
- the first support structure may be so manipulated by the container being configured for the first support structure to be removed from the container; the container having a bracing structure that supports the first support structure that can be removed from support of the first support structure; a removable panel integrally connected to the first support structure, where the removable panel and integrally connected first support structure are configured to be removed from the container; or the container and first support structure may be configured for the first support structure to be pulled from and reinserted into the first dispensing column.
- the container may also have a second support structure within the first dispensing column, where the second support structure is configured to support the weight of at least a third stack of folded articles while the first and second stacks of folded articles are dispensed.
- This second support structure is configured to be manipulated such that the third stack of folded articles may be delivered to the first dispensing opening after the first and second stacks of folded articles have been dispensed.
- the container may also have a second dispensing opening in the lower panel, and an interior wall.
- the interior wall cooperates with the upper, lower and side panels to provide a second dispensing column horizontally adjacent to the first dispensing column and configured to hold stacks of folded articles.
- the second dispensing opening is configured to dispense a third stack of folded articles when the container is attached to the support surface such that the third stack of articles is substantially above the second dispensing opening.
- such a container may have a second support structure within the second dispensing column, where the second support structure is configured to support the weight of at least a fourth stack of folded articles while the third stack of folded articles is being dispensed. This second second support structure may be configured to be manipulated such that the fourth stack of folded articles may be delivered to the second dispensing opening after the third stack of folded articles has been dispensed.
- the folded articles of the first stack are different than the folded articles of at least one of the second, third or fourth stacks.
- the first stack of folded articles comprises a plurality of folded articles each having an effective dispensing length dimension and the first stack having a pre-dispensing height dimension which is greater than the effective dispensing length dimension of an individual folded article within the first stack
- the first support structure may be formed from at least one end tab of the back panel; from a portion of the back panel; from a portion of at least one side panel; or from a portion of two side panels.
- the container may have one area configured for use as a waste receptacle.
- the invention is also directed to a system for holding and gravity-fed dispensing a plurality stacks of folded articles.
- the system is made up of a plurality of stacks of articles, a container which is adapted to contain the plurality of stacks of articles in one or more vertical dispensing columns, at least one support structure within a vertical dispensing column that supports the weight of at least one stack of articles while a first stack of articles is being dispensed, and a mount which non-permanently affixes the container to a support surface.
- Each stack within the plurality of stacks of articles is configured to dispense articles of said stack when the stack is substantially above a dispensing opening.
- the support structure is configured to be manipulated such that the stack of articles being supported by the support structure may be delivered to be dispensed after the first stack of articles has been dispensed.
- the support structure may be so manipulated by the container being configured for the support structure to be removed from the container; the container having a bracing structure that supports the support structure that can be removed from support of the support structure; or the container and first support structure may be configured for the first support structure to be pulled from and reinserted into the first dispensing column.
- the container has at least one area configured for use as a waste receptacle.
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the container of the present invention.
- FIG. 2 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the container of the present invention.
- FIG. 3 is a front cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the container of the present invention.
- FIG. 4A is a perspective view of a single folded article as may be contained and dispensed by the container of the present invention.
- FIG. 4B is an end view schematic of an interfolded stack of the folded articles of FIG. 4A (not to scale) such as may be contained and dispensed by the container of the present invention.
- FIG. 5A is a rear perspective view of another embodiment of the container of the present invention showing the end tab of a back panel folded in to the interior of the container.
- FIG. 5B is a side cross-sectional view of the container illustrated in FIG. 5A .
- FIG. 6A is a rear perspective view of another embodiment of the container of the present invention showing a portion of the back panel folded in to the interior of the container.
- FIG. 6B is a side cross-sectional view of the container illustrated in FIG. 6A and showing a portion of the back panel folded down in to the interior of the container.
- FIG. 6C is a front perspective view of the container illustrated in FIG. 6A .
- FIG. 7A is a rear perspective view of another embodiment of the container of the present invention showing a portion of the back panel folded in to the interior of the container.
- FIG. 7B is a side cross-sectional view of the container illustrated in FIG. 7A and showing a portion of the back panel folded down in to the interior of the container.
- FIG. 7C is a front perspective view of the container illustrated in FIG. 7A .
- FIG. 8A is a perspective view of another embodiment of the container of the present invention showing a portion of a side panel folded in to the interior of the container.
- FIG. 8B is a front cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the container of the present invention, similar to that shown in FIG. 8A , showing a portion of both side panels folded in to the interior of the container.
- FIG. 8C is a front cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the container of the present invention, similar to that shown in FIG. 8A , showing a portion of both side panels folded in to the interior of the container and interlocking with one another.
- FIG. 8D is a top cross-sectional view of the container of FIG. 8C and showing the interlocking of the portions of side panels folded in to the interior of the container.
- FIG. 9A is a front perspective view of another embodiment of the container of the present invention.
- FIG. 9B is a front perspective view of the container of FIG. 9A showing a removable panel removed for access to a removable weight support structure.
- FIG. 10A is a front perspective view of another embodiment of the container of the present invention.
- FIG. 10B is a front perspective view of the container of FIG. 10A showing a removable panel.
- FIG. 11 is a front cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the container of the present invention showing multiple dispensing columns and a trash receptacle section.
- FIG. 12 is a front cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the container of the present invention showing multiple dispensing columns and multiple trash receptacle sections.
- FIG. 13A is a back view of another embodiment of the container of the present invention with a mounting means.
- FIG. 13B is a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 13A attached to a substantially vertical surface.
- FIG. 14A is a back view of another embodiment of the container of the present invention with a mounting means.
- FIG. 14B is a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 14A attached to a substantially vertical surface.
- FIG. 15A is a back view of another embodiment of the container of the present invention with a mounting means.
- FIG. 15B is a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 15A attached to a substantially vertical surface.
- the present invention is a disposable, non-refillable container capable of gravity-fed dispensing of two or more stacks of folded articles.
- the articles dispensed by the container of the invention are any articles capable of being dispensed. Such articles may include, but are not limited to, facial tissue, toilet tissue, napkins, wipers, towels, absorbent personal care products (e.g., diapers, feminine care products, incontinence products), and the like. Such articles may be individually folded and stacked on top of each other or may be interfolded such that the folds of each individual folded article partially overlaps the folds of the folded article that is adjacent in the stack.
- the plurality of stacks of articles to be dispensed by the containers of the present invention may be stacks of all the same type of articles.
- all of the stacks may be paper towels.
- the individual stacks of the container may each be a different type of article or the stacks may be a combination of similar and different types of articles.
- a single container may dispense one or more stacks of facial tissue and one or more stacks of paper towel.
- the same container may dispense stacks of towels, stacks of tissues, stacks of wipers, and stacks of absorbent personal care products.
- the same container may have multiple stacks of the same type of articles (e.g., diapers), but each stack may be a different size of that type of article (e.g., a stack of small-sized diapers, a stack of medium-size diapers, and a stack of large-size diapers).
- the articles and stacks contained within the container may be any combination of articles and attributes that the user desires.
- the container of the present invention is intended to be a disposable, non-refillable dispenser of articles.
- the articles are loaded into the container during manufacture and delivered to the user as a single dispensing system.
- the user may use the dispenser on any substantially vertical surface they desire and dispose of the entire container when the articles have been dispensed; users need only to replace the empty container with a new container rather than refill the container. This reduces the amount of attention the user has to give the container and prevents problems with container overstuffing.
- a disposable container may be used wherever the user wishes to dispense the articles of the container; the user is not limited to dispensing locations where traditional dispensers have been installed (e.g., in or on a wall in a public restroom).
- the container may be made of any material that can contain and dispense the articles of the present invention.
- the container may be made of heavy paper, cardboard or plastic, but it may be made of any other suitable material within the scope of the invention.
- the containers of the present invention dispense the articles they contain with the aid of gravity.
- Prior art top or horizontal dispensing containers rely on interfolding of the articles or the use of mechanical springs or other such devices to push or pull the stack of articles to the dispensing opening. As discussed earlier, such additional parts add cost to those dispensers and may malfunction or break.
- the container of the present invention relies on gravity to dispense the articles while the container is in a substantially vertical configuration.
- substantially vertical refers to a surface or container configuration that is more vertical in nature than it is horizontal in nature; i.e., perfectly vertical to less than forty-five degrees from perfectly vertical.
- configuration refers to a particular arrangement of parts or components relative to each other and to their surroundings.
- prior art vertically oriented dispensers use interfolded articles to dispense those articles from the top of such dispensers. Gravity tends to work against those types of dispensers. As the article trailing the article being dispensed is being pulled upward by the preceding article, it is also being pulled in the opposite direction by gravity. Often, such articles will fall back into the dispenser and the user will have to reach down into the dispenser to retrieve the article. By dispensing from the bottom of the container, the container of the present invention dispenses with the aid of gravity rather than working against gravity.
- the containers of the present invention such as the container 10 shown in FIG. 1 , dispense from a bottom surface of the container.
- the stack of articles that is being dispensed will be substantially above the individual article being dispensed.
- the surface through which the articles are dispensed will often be the bottommost surface of the container 10 . It is possible that the container may have surfaces lower than the surface through which the articles are dispensed, but in those cases the article being dispensed will still be dispensed from the bottom of a stack of articles such that the stack will be substantially above the article being dispensed.
- the container 10 contains two stacks of articles that are vertically adjacent to each other with a first support structure 31 separating the two stacks, as seen in the cutout of FIG. 1 .
- the container 10 has a front panel 25 , an upper panel 26 , a lower panel 24 opposite the upper panel 26 , side panels 27 , and back panel (not shown in FIG. 1 ) opposite the front panel 25 that forms the final side of the container 10 .
- front “back”, “upper”, “lower”, and “side” are used only to describe the relative positions of each panel. All the panels 24 , 25 , 26 and 27 cooperate to provide the generally polygonally-shaped container 10 with inner compartments configured to hold multiple stacks of articles.
- “configured” refers to particular arrangement of parts or components set up for operation especially in a particular way. During dispensing, as will be described below, any panel of the container 10 may be positioned lower than rest of the container 10 to allow gravity-fed dispensing through an opening in that panel.
- the container 10 is shown as dispensing an article 12 from a first stack 41 of articles through the first dispensing opening 21 .
- the articles 12 of the first stack 41 are dispensed when the first stack 41 is oriented above the first dispensing opening 21 .
- the first dispensing opening 21 is shown as an oval opening through the lower panel 24 .
- the first dispensing opening 21 may be any closed-loop shape that allows for regular dispensing of the articles 12 .
- the first dispensing opening 21 may be formed by the removal of a portion of the lower panel 24 defined by a line of weakness, or the first dispensing opening 21 may be present on the container 10 as it is delivered to the user.
- the line of weakness may be perforations, scoring or other similar method of providing weakness in the material.
- the first stack 41 is separated from the second stack 42 by a first support structure 31 .
- the first support structure 31 supports the second stack 42 while the first stack 41 is being dispensed.
- the container 10 and the first support structure 31 are configured such that the first support structure 31 no longer supports the second stack 42 and subsequently, the second stack 42 drops to take the space previous occupied by the first stack 41 .
- the first support structure 31 may be manipulated to allow the suspended stack of product to drop into position for dispensing.
- “manipulate” or “manipulated” or “manipulation” refer to: to operate with the hands and/or by mechanical means especially in a skillful manner.
- the first support structure 31 To manipulate the first support structure 31 , it may be removed, moved out of the way, influenced by acting on an operablely adjacent component or otherwise similarly manipulated. Once in position for dispensing, the articles 12 of the second stack 42 can then be dispensed from the first dispensing opening 21 .
- FIG. 1 illustrates a dispensing column of two stacks of articles 41 , 42
- the container 10 may include more than two stacks of articles.
- FIG. 2 illustrates a container with dispensing column of three stacks of articles.
- a first support structure 31 supports a second stack 42 above a first stack 41 that is dispensing through the first dispensing opening 21 .
- a third stack 43 is supported above the second stack 42 by a second support structure.
- the first support structure 31 is manipulated such that the second stack 42 can drop and occupy the space previously occupied by the first stack 41 for dispensing through the first dispensing opening 21 .
- the second support structure 32 is manipulated such that the third stack 43 can drop and occupy the space previously occupied by the first stack 41 and second stack 42 for dispensing through the first dispensing opening 21 .
- FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate containers that dispense multiple stacks of articles from a single vertical dispensing column of such stacks.
- FIG. 3 illustrates another possible configuration of the container of the invention; the container may have more than one dispensing column of multiple stacks.
- the dispensing columns are horizontally adjacent and separated by an interior wall 37 .
- Each of the dispensing columns 310 , 320 are shown in FIG. 3 as having two vertically adjacent compartments from which two stacks of articles 12 may be dispensed.
- a first stack 41 of articles 12 may be contained in the first dispensing section 311 of the first dispensing column 310 and another first stack 41 may be contained in the first dispensing section 321 of the second dispensing column 320 .
- a second stack 42 of articles 12 may be contained in the respective second dispensing sections 312 , 322 of the dispensing columns 310 , 320 .
- first support structures 31 that separate the first and second stacks 41 , 42 within each of the dispensing columns 310 , 320 .
- first support structures 31 may be manipulated such that the second stack 42 will drop from the respective second dispensing section 312 , 322 and dispense from the space previously occupied by the first stack 41 .
- container configurations that may dispense multiple stacks of articles. More horizontally adjacent dispensing columns may be added to a container, such as shown in FIG. 3 , and each of those dispensing columns may dispense more than two stacks of articles, in a manner similar to that illustrated in FIG. 2 . Different relative sizes of stacks and horizontal or vertically adjacent configurations may all be modified individually or in combination to produce a container configuration that meets the dispensing needs of the particular articles being dispensed.
- FIG. 4A An example of the type of article that can be dispensed from the container 10 of the present invention is shown in FIG. 4A .
- the article 12 shown in FIG. 4A is a single sheet which has been folded in half to create a folded or lead edge 17 .
- the article 12 also has a trailing edge 13 which is formed by the two ends of the article 12 which now reside in a position adjacent to one another.
- a second fold 15 is imparted to the article 12 substantially parallel to the lead edge 17 .
- the second fold 15 divides the effective dispensed length of the article 12 into a trailing flap 14 , having a length L 1 , and a leading flap 16 , having a length L 2 .
- the “effective dispensed length” of the article 12 is the length the user will have to pull the article 12 from a dispensing opening of the container 10 to remove the article 12 from the container 10 . As shown for the article 12 of FIG. 4A , the effective dispensed length is the additive lengths of the leading and trailing flaps L 1 , L 2 .
- FIG. 4B shows a schematic end view of an interfolded stack 120 of five articles 12 .
- a stack 120 would preferably comprise over 100 articles 12 .
- the stack 120 of articles 12 would be dispensed from the container 10 of the present invention by removing articles 12 from the bottom of the stack 120 .
- the user would grasp the leading flap 16 of the bottommost article A and pull the article 12 from a dispensing opening of the container 10 .
- the leading flap 16 of the next article B would then be available at the dispensing opening for ready dispensing.
- the fold pattern of the individual articles 12 and the interfolding of the articles 12 into a stack 120 as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B are shown as non-limiting examples.
- the container 10 of the present invention may dispense articles 12 that are folded in any of the numerous ways that articles 12 are folded and are well known in the art. Additionally, the stack 120 may be interfolded in any of the numerous ways that are well known in the art or the stack 120 may not be interfolded at all.
- the actual interior dimensions of the containers 10 of either of FIGS. 1-3 are dependent on the size and weight of the articles being dispensed.
- One of the advantages of the containers 10 of the invention is the ability of the container 10 to dispense a stack of articles that has a greater stack height, prior to dispensing any of the articles 12 of the stack 120 , than the effective dispensing length of any one folded article 12 within the stack 120 .
- FIG. 4B if the articles 12 are dispensed from the top of the stack 120 , the last flap length (shown in FIG. 4B as the leading flap 16 of article E) of the uppermost article E would pull on the next article D such that the next article D would be brought to the dispensing opening for later dispensing.
- the original stack height H i.e., the height H of the stack prior to dispensing any of the articles 12
- the original stack height H will be limited to some height H less than the effective dispensing length of any individual article 12 . If the height H is greater than the effective dispensing length of an individual article 12 , at some point in dispensing the articles 12 , an article 12 will no longer be able to bring the next article up to the dispensing opening. Additionally, in the case where the dispensing opening cannot hold on to the next article to be dispensed, a higher stack height H will correspond to a deep dispensing section that would be inconvenient for a user to reach down into to retrieve a fallen article.
- the container 10 of the present invention dispenses the articles from the bottom of the stack 120 and thus does not have the same limitation on the height.
- the height H of the stack 120 of articles 12 in the container 10 of the present invention is only limited by the size and weight of the stack of articles 12 being dispensed and the design of the dispensing opening. As is well known in the art, if too much stack weight is pressing on the article that is being dispensed, the dispensing article will be difficult to dispense and may be damaged during removal.
- a stack of paper towels having a stack height H of approximately 13 inches (33 cm) may be effectively dispensed from a container 10 of the present invention.
- the effective dispensing length of the individual paper towels was 6 inches (15.2 cm).
- Each of the folded towels had an individual weight of approximately 2.8 grams.
- the stack of towels was contained in a container with inside dimensions of approximately 8 inches (20.3 cm) wide by 3.75 inches (9.5 cm) deep.
- the towels were dispensed through an oval dispensing opening in the container which measured 77 ⁇ 8-inches (20 cm) wide and 1.75 inches (4.4 cm) deep at its center point.
- the stack was positioned above the dispensing opening, such that the weight of the stack rested on the sheet to be dispensed. It was found that a stack of such towels having a pre-dispensing weight of approximately 900 grams could be dispensed through such an opening.
- the stack was approximately 13 inches (33 cm) tall and contained approximately 320 towels. Such a stack height H is greater than twice the effective dispensing length of the individual towels dispensed. Stack weights greater than 1070 grams were found to hinder acceptable dispensing, causing the sheet to tab or tear.
- a support structure to support a stack of articles while another stack of articles, vertically adjacent to the supported stack, is being dispensed from the lower portion of the container 10 .
- this support structure be a part of the body of the container 10 .
- FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate a first support structure 31 formed from portions of the back panel 51 of the container.
- the back panel 51 of the container 10 shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B is formed from an upper back panel 53 , which extends from the upper panel 26 , and a lower back panel 55 , which extends from the lower panel 24 .
- the distal end of the upper back panel 53 forms an upper end tab 54 and the distal end of the lower back panel 55 forms a lower end tab 56 .
- the upper and lower end tabs 54 , 56 are folded inward as shown in FIG. 5A to form the finished container 10 such that the upper and lower back panels 53 , 55 form a planar back panel 51 . As seen in FIG.
- the upper and lower end tabs 54 , 56 form the first support structure 31 on the interior of the container 10 .
- the upper and lower end tabs 54 , 56 may or may not be fastened together and they may or may not be attached to the interior surface of the front panel 25 .
- the lower end tab 56 is shown as extending to the front panel 25 of the container 10 , alternatively, one or both of the end tabs may only extend a portion of the distance from the back of the container toward the interior surface of the front panel 25 .
- the end tabs may be longer than the distance from the back of the container to the front panel 25 and may have additional folds where they contact the interior of the front panel 25 .
- the upper end tab 54 may be longer than the lower end tab 56 or the lower end tab 56 may be longer than the upper end tab 56 .
- the relative sizes of the upper and lower back panels 53 , 55 and the size and folds of the upper and lower end tabs 54 , 56 may be appropriately designed to meet the needs of the articles to be dispensed and the desires of the user.
- Another exemplary support structure may be formed from a portion of the back panel 51 of the container 10 .
- a portion of the back panel 51 may be designed to be folded in to the interior of the container 10 .
- This back flap 67 may be any size portion of the back panel 51 that would be adequate to function as a support structure, but not so large that articles contained within the container 10 easily fall out though the resultant opening in the back panel 51 .
- the back flap 67 is shown as a single piece of the back panel 51
- the support structure may be formed from multiple strips of the back panel 51 that are folded up into the interior of the container 10 to form multiple back flaps 67 .
- the back flap 67 is also shown as substantially rectangular in shape, but it may be any shape, symmetrical or symmetrical, that adequately performs the function of a weight supporting structure.
- the first support structure 31 of FIGS. 6A and 6B further includes a bracket 35 operablely adjacent to the back flap 67 when it is folded in to the container 10 and which helps the first support structure 31 support the weight of a second stack 42 of articles 12 while a first stack 41 is being dispensed.
- the bracket 35 may be a portion of front panel 25 that is pushed in to the interior of the container 10 , leaving a bracket opening 61 in the front panel 25 .
- the bracket 35 may be an additional piece of material or multiple pieces of material that have been attached to the interior surface of the front panel 25 .
- the first support structure 31 shown in FIGS. 7B and 7C includes a tab 69 which engages a notch 73 in the front panel 25 to help the first support structure 31 support the weight of a second stack 42 .
- the tab 69 is an integral portion of back flap 67 formed from a portion of the back panel 51 .
- the notch 73 is a portion of the front panel 25 that has been removed and is appropriately sized to securely receive the tab 69 .
- FIGS. 8A, 8B , 8 C and 8 D illustrate embodiments of support structures formed from a portion of one or more of the side panels 27 of the container 10 .
- FIG. 8A shows a portion of only one side panel 27 folded in to the interior of the container 10 .
- This side flap 77 may be any size portion of the side panel 27 that would be adequate to function as a support structure, but not so large that articles contained within the container 10 easily fall out through the resultant opening in the side panel 27 .
- the single side flap 77 may extend all the way to the interior surface of the opposite side panel where it may or may not be attached to the interior surface of the side panel.
- the side flap 77 may be supported by a bracket 35 , as in FIG. 6B , or a tab 69 and notch 73 , as in FIG. 7B .
- the first support structure 31 may be formed from side flaps 77 of more than one side panel 27 of the container 10 .
- the side flaps 77 may be formed by a portion of a side panel 27 being folded down into the interior of the container 10 and a portion of the opposite side panel 27 being folded up into the interior of the container 10 as shown in FIG. 8B .
- the side flaps 77 be supported by a bracket 35 , as in FIG. 6B , or a tab 69 and notch 73 , as in FIG. 7B .
- the sizes of the multiple side flaps 77 may be the same or they may be different.
- the support structure may be formed from a portion both side panels 27 being folded up into the interior of the container 10 as shown in FIG. 8C .
- the side flaps 77 are long enough to overlap in the interior of the container 10 .
- the distal ends of both side flaps 77 contain a longitudinal slit 79 such that the side flaps 77 mutually engage each other.
- the side flaps 77 may be long enough to overlap as in FIG. 8B or they may only extend a portion of the way into the interior of the container 10 .
- the side flaps 77 may be any size or shape, symmetrical or asymmetrical, that meets the needs of the article being dispensed and the desires of the user.
- the opening in one or more of the side panels 27 left when forming the support structure providing the additional benefit of allowing the user to see into the interior of the container and thus acts as a gauge to the user as to the number of articles remaining to be dispensed. Markings on the exterior of the container 10 near the opening may aid the user in determining the relative number of articles remaining to be dispensed. Alternatively or in addition to exterior markings, the shape of the side flap may be designed such that a regular pattern would be formed about the periphery of the opening left in the side panel 27 that the user could utilize to estimate the articles remaining to be dispensed.
- a single stack of articles 12 is dispensed while one or more stacks of articles are held in reserve vertically adjacent to the stack being dispensed.
- These one or more reserve stacks are separated from the stack being dispensed, and from each other, by support structures. When the dispensing stack is completely dispensed, these support structures are manipulated such that a reserve stack is allowed to drop into position for dispensing.
- a line of weakness may be incorporated into the container 10 to facilitate the removal of the support structure.
- FIGS. 5A and 5B show a line of weakness 57 that is incorporated into the lower back panel 55 of the container 10 . While the line of weakness 57 is shown in FIG. 5A as on the lower back panel 55 , a line of weakness 57 would be used wherever the support structure is attached to the container 10 in that particular embodiment.
- Such a line of weakness 57 may be a line of perforations, scoring, or other similar method of providing weakness in the panel 55 .
- the line of weakness 57 allows the user to easily remove the first support structure 31 (i.e., the lower end portion 56 ) from the container 10 of FIG. 5A .
- a finger tab 59 could be incorporated into the line of weakness 57 which can give the user a starting point to separate the first support structure 31 from the container 10 .
- a tear strip may be used to facilitate the removal of the support structure 31 ; such an embodiment is illustrated in FIGS. 9A and 9B .
- a removable portion 85 defined by a tear strip 83 is located on the front panel 25 of the container.
- the user grasps and pulls on the pull tab 87 which engages the tear strip 83 and separates the removable portion 85 from the front panel 25 .
- the removable portion 85 is appropriately located on the front panel 25 , such that when it is removed the first support structure 31 is made accessible for removal. The first support structure 31 can then be removed and the second stack 42 of articles 12 can drop down and made ready for dispensing.
- the tear strip 83 is desirably formed by a tape, line, rope, and so forth, containing strong fibers within it.
- the tear strip 83 may be formed from a number of different materials, such as, but not by way of limitation, natural or synthetic fiber, plastic, metal wire, any combination(s) thereof, and so forth. It will be understood that material forming the tear strip would normally, but not by way of limitation, be applied to the shipping carton when it is in it flat form as a blank prior to formation.
- One such tear strip is available from H. B. Fuller Company, Linear Products Division, Vancouver, Wash., sold as OPEN SESAME®.
- Other tear strips as well as shipping cartons are available from Weyerhaeuser Company, Bowling Green, Ky.
- the tear strip 87 may be attached to the container 10 by any method, such as, by way of non-limiting example, adhesive, heat sealing, ultrasonically sealing, laminating, integrally formed with the container 10 , and so forth.
- the tear strip 83 includes a pull tab 87 .
- the pull tab 87 is desirably, but not by way of limitation, formed as a portion of the front panel 25 of the container 10 .
- the pull tab 87 desirably is defined by perforations formed thereabout which permit the pull tab 87 to separate from the panel when released and grasped by a user.
- the pull tab 87 desirably includes pull indicia as well.
- pull indicia means any word(s), numeral(s), line(s), symbol(s), picture(s), and/or combination(s) thereof, and so forth, which indicate to a user the location, release, and method of use of the pull tab 87 .
- the support structure may alternatively be an integral part of a removable panel, such that the support structure is removed from the container 10 when the removable panel is removed.
- FIGS. 10A and 10B Such an embodiment is illustrated in FIGS. 10A and 10B .
- a removable panel 90 with an integral first support structure 31 is incorporated with a container 10 having a slot 95 adapted for receiving the first support structure 31 .
- the removable panel 90 in this embodiment is thus attached flush with the front panel 25 of the container.
- tear strips 83 with pull tabs 87 are incorporated into the removable panel 90 .
- the removable panel 90 is released from the container 10 by the user pulling on the pull tabs 87 to engage the tear strips 83 .
- the first support structure 31 is an integral part of the removable panel 90
- the first support structure 31 is removed with the removable panel 90 and the second stack 42 of articles is allowed to drop into place for dispensing.
- removable panels with integral support structures could also be used in other examples of the invention.
- the removable panel may be incorporated into a side panel 27 or the back panel 51 of the container 10 or any other panel as the particular design of the container 10 warrants.
- the removable panel may be broken into separately removable sections. These sections may be defined by tear strips such that only the portion of the removable panel with the desired particular support structure is removed.
- FIGS. 6A, 6B and 6 C another method of manipulating the support structure is the removal of the bracing structures that support the support structure.
- the first support structure 31 is supported by a bracket 35 .
- the user can reach into the bracket opening 61 and pull back, or remove, the bracket 35 and thus allow the first support structure 31 (i.e., the back flap 67 ) to drop down along with the second stack 42 that it supported.
- the first support structure 31 i.e., the back flap 67
- the user can push the tab 69 back into the interior of the container 10 and thus allow the first support structure 31 (i.e., the back flap 67 ) to drop down along with the second stack 42 that it supported.
- the first support structure 31 i.e., the back flap 67
- the container 10 itself may be designed to allow the support structures to be manipulated when another stack is to be dropped down for dispensing.
- the container 10 could be designed such that the side panels 27 are allowed to be pulled away from each other such that the side flaps 77 would also be pulled away from each other so they would no longer mutually engage each other. The side flaps 77 would then fall back into their original positions on the side panels 27 and allow the stack of articles 12 that they supported to drop to the dispensing opening.
- the container 10 could be designed such that only a single side panel 27 would be pulled away from the container 10 .
- portions of the side panels 27 could be designed to allow for the side flaps 77 to be pulled away from each other.
- any of the panels incorporating a support structure could be made to be moveable such that the support structure is moved away from the container 10 , allowing the supported articles to drop; the panel could then moved back into place to maintain the integrity of the container.
- the support structure itself may itself be adapted to be moveable in or out of the dispensing columns of the container 10 . Each support structure then could be independently slid in or out in such a manner as to control the stacks of article 12 being dropped to the dispensing opening or on to another support structure.
- any of the above methods for manipulating the support structures of the container 10 could be used individually or in combination with one another.
- the examples and illustrated embodiments are not intended to be limiting.
- One skilled in the art can see that there are many possible configurations of possible containers 10 of the present invention and many possible methods of manipulating support structures within those configurations.
- replenishment indicia means any word(s), numeral(s), line(s), symbol(s), color(s), picture(s), and/or combination(s) thereof, and so forth, which indicate to a user that one or more stacks have been dispensed and that the container 10 will need to be replaced or otherwise serviced in the near future.
- the replenishment indicia may include a message or colored panel on the front panel 25 of the container 10 of the embodiment of FIGS. 10A and 10B that is revealed when the removable panel 90 is removed.
- replenishment indicia may be any signal to the user that one or more support structures of the container 10 have been manipulated to allow a reserve stack to be dispensed.
- the container 10 may also include viewing openings 71 , as illustrated in FIGS. 6C, 7C , 9 A, 9 B and 10 A, which allow the user to see how much of a stack of articles remains to be dispensed. Such indicia and viewing openings allow for the easy servicing of the containers 10 and helps prevent unexpectedly running out of articles 12 .
- Additional utility may also be added to the container of the invention by including one or more spaces within the container that may act as waste receptacles. Such spaces may be used to dispose of the dispensed articles after they are used or to dispose of other refuse.
- An embodiment of a container 10 with this added functionality is shown in FIG. 11 .
- the container 10 of FIG. 11 has two dispensing columns 310 , 320 from which stacks of articles may be dispensed.
- there is an area between the dispensing columns 310 , 320 within the container 10 that is available for use as a waste receptacle 100 .
- the waste receptacle 100 may be accessed through openings made through one of the panels of the container 10 .
- FIG. 12 illustrates another possible configuration of the container 10 having available waste receptacles 100 .
- the container 10 of FIG. 12 has a first, second and third dispensing column 310 , 320 , 330 .
- the third dispensing column 330 is shown with a third support structure 33 and dispenses its stacks of articles from a third dispensing opening 23 .
- two waste receptacle 100 sections are located between each of the dispensing columns.
- the waste receptacle 100 section may instead be located on the two ends of the container with the three dispensing columns horizontally adjacent between them. In either case, the waste receptacles 100 may be accessed through openings made through one of the panels of the container 10 .
- FIGS. 11 and 12 are only illustrative examples; other configurations of containers 10 with one or more waste receptacles 100 are possible.
- the size and shape of the waste receptacle(s) 100 may be any size or shape within the container 10 as is required or desired.
- the individual dispensing sections may also be adapted for use as waste receptacles 100 after the articles have been dispensed.
- the container 10 is additionally designed to non-permanently attach to a substantially vertical support surface.
- non-permanently refers to the attribute that the container may be attached to a substantially vertical support surface, detached, and reattached to the surface, repeatedly, during the limited use-life of the container 10 .
- the substantially vertical support surface may be any surface that when a container 10 is affixed to it will allow the articles to be dispensed in a downward direction (i.e., the majority of the stack of articles will be substantially above the particular dispensing opening).
- the support surface may be, but is not limited to, a wall, a door, a post, a pole, a dispenser affixed to a wall or embedded into a wall, or the like.
- the embodiments of the container 10 of this invention may require removal from the support surface for disposal or for removal of the support structure 31 of the container.
- the manner in which the container 10 is affixed to the vertical support surface must be non-permanent in nature.
- the means for attachment must also be strong enough and configured in such way that the container 10 is secured to the surface 135 while articles are dispensed from the container 10 .
- the container 10 is non-permanently affixed to a surface 135 by multiple attachment strips 130 on the back panel 51 of the container 10 .
- the attachment strip 130 may be any type of material that will affix the container 10 to the surface 135 , but will allow the container 10 to be removed from, and reaffixed to, the surface 135 .
- the attachment strip 130 may be a pressure-sensitive adhesive or any other type of adhesive, as are well known, that would work for such purposes.
- Such an adhesive strip may be protected by a peel strip that covers the adhesive until the user wishes to affix the container 10 to a surface 135 .
- Such an adhesive may be applied directly to the back panel 51 of the container 10 or may be in the form of two-sided adhesive tape.
- the attachment strip may be a hook or a loop material that affixes to corresponding loop/hook material on the surface 135 the container 10 is to be affixed.
- the attachment strips 130 are illustrated in FIGS. 13A and 13B as two strips located on the back panel 51 ; one near the lower panel 24 and one near the upper panel 26 .
- the attachment strips 130 may be of any shape, any dimension and in any position, relative to each other and to the back panel 51 , that would securely affix the container 10 to the surface 135 during dispensing.
- the attachment strips may be larger, smaller, vertically aligned, or otherwise configured on the back panel 51 .
- two attachment strips 130 there may be more than two strips or there may be just one attachment strip.
- FIGS. 14A and 14B illustrate a back tab 141 for affixing the container 10 to a surface 135 .
- a portion of the back panel 51 may be adapted to be released from the back panel 51 along a line of weakness 143 in the back panel 51 .
- Such a line of weakness 143 may be perforations, scoring or other similar method of providing weakness in the material.
- the back tab 141 may then be folded out of the plane of the back panel 51 and used to affix the container to the surface 135 .
- the back tab 141 has multiple receiving openings 145 which may be holes present in the back tab 141 or may be perforations in the back tab 141 where the back tab material may be removed.
- Such a receiving opening 145 may be attached to a mounting bracket 147 that is present on the surface 135 .
- the back tab 145 may utilize an attachment strip. Such an attachment strip may be located on the interior of the container 10 until the back tab 145 is folded out of the plane of the back panel 51 , to affix the container 10 to the surface 135 .
- a combination of the back tabs 141 , attachment strips 130 , receiving openings 145 , and mounting brackets 147 may be used.
- the back tabs 141 in FIGS. 14A and 14B are shown to be portions of the back panel 51 that are folded out of the plane of the back panel 51 and support the container 10 from above.
- the back tabs 141 may be formed out of one or more portions side panels 27 that is folded back out of the plane of the side panel 27 and affixes the container 10 to the surface 135 .
- the back tabs 141 may also be formed out of a combination one or more portions of the back panels 51 and the side panels 27 .
- the container 10 is affixed to the surface 135 by a mounting connector 157 that connects with a receptor 155 on the back panel 51 of the container 10 .
- the receptor 155 may be a holes in the back panel 51 , holes that may be made in the back panel 51 by removing portions of the back panel 51 defined by perforations (as shown in FIG. 15A ), or other means that will work in concert with the mounting connector 157 to affix the container 10 to the surface 135 .
- the back panel 51 may include a receptor 155 that will affix to mounting connector 157 that is recessed in the surface 135 .
- the receptor 155 may be a magnetic material that will affix to a surface 135 made of metal or to a magnetic mounting connector 157 .
- the mounting connector 157 may be a bracket attached to the surface 135 designed such that the entire container 10 slips inside of or is otherwise wholly supported by the bracket.
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Abstract
A disposable, non-refillable container for holding and gravity-fed dispensing folded articles is disclosed. The container holds multiple stacks or articles. The container is non-permanently affixed to a surface with a mount and the container dispenses an individual stack of articles from an individual dispensing opening when that stack is configured substantially above the dispensing opening. To dispense another stack of articles within the container, the container is reconfigured such that the next stack of articles is placed in position for dispensing. The container may also include an area of the container adapted for use as a waste receptacle.
Description
- Various types of dispensers and dispensing containers have been developed to provide ready availability of articles to users. Such dispensers are common for dispensing paper products such as facial tissues, napkins, paper towels and the like. One common type of dispensing container dispenses paper products from the top of the container. Such containers often utilize a stack of folded products that are interfolded with each other so that when the top product is dispensed through the dispensing opening of the container, the next product is pulled to the dispensing opening for future dispensing.
- While such dispensing containers conveniently provide the user with folded products (e.g., folded tissues), they are inherently limited in their capacity. The stack height of products in such top dispensing containers is limited by the dimensions of the paper product being dispensed. If the box is too high the next product to be dispensed will not be pulled to the dispensing opening with the product being dispensed. Instead, the next product is left down inside the dispenser where it can be very difficult to remove; the user has to reach down through the dispensing opening into the dispenser to retrieve the product.
- One solution to the limited capacity of such dispensing containers is to use a container having two dispensing sections. When the first section is fully dispensed from the top, the container is flipped over and the second section is dispensed. The container essentially acts as two containers that are attached back-to-back. However, each dispensing section of such a container will have the same type of height limitation as the single stack dispensing discussed above.
- Another type of solution is to use a mechanical or spring means to push the paper products toward the dispensing opening. These types of dispensers are often found in both vertical and horizontal configurations. However, such a mechanical solution requires additional parts which add costs and can malfunction or break. Such solutions are not economical in the context of disposable dispensing containers.
- Gravity-fed dispensing is another solution to these issues. With gravity-fed dispensing the products are dispensed from the bottom of the stack. Gravity ensures that the next product is always available at the dispensing opening. However, the height of the stack in gravity-fed dispensing is also limited. The entire weight of the stack rests on the product that is being dispensed. If the stack is too heavy, the product being dispensed can be difficult to dispense; the product can be damaged or more product than is needed may be removed from the dispenser. This becomes even a greater issue when dealing with heavier paper products, such as heavy wipers or towels.
- Another issue with dispensers of all types is that they are usually found in fixed locations. For example, the towel dispensers in a public restroom are generally fixed to the wall. A person who is looking to provide such paper products has to generally install a dispenser, but is then stuck with the location of that dispenser. It is difficult for those who want to provide paper products in a temporary location, or who wish to frequently change the dispenser location, to do so with traditional mounted dispensers.
- In light of the problems and issues discussed above, it is desired to have a dispensing container that is able to dispense a large quantity of folded articles. It is also desired that the container be disposable and non-refillable. It is further desired that such a container be capable of being easily located and/or relocated wherever the user desires.
- The present invention is directed to a disposable, non-refillable container for holding and gravity-fed dispensing folded articles. The container has an upper panel, a lower panel having at least a first dispensing opening, a front panel, a back panel, and at least one side panel. A first dispensing column is also present in the container and is formed by the cooperation of the upper, lower, front, back and side panels and is configured to hold stacks of folded articles. The container also has a first support structure within the first dispensing column and a mount which non-permanently affixes the container to a support surface. The first dispensing opening is configured to dispense a first stack of folded articles when the container is attached to the support surface such that the first stack of articles is substantially above the first dispensing opening. The first support structure is configured to support the weight of at least a second stack of folded articles while the first stack of folded articles is being dispensed. This first support structure is configured so that it may be manipulated such that the second stack of folded articles may be delivered to the first dispensing opening after the first stack of folded articles has been dispensed.
- In various embodiments of the present invention the first support structure may be so manipulated by the container being configured for the first support structure to be removed from the container; the container having a bracing structure that supports the first support structure that can be removed from support of the first support structure; a removable panel integrally connected to the first support structure, where the removable panel and integrally connected first support structure are configured to be removed from the container; or the container and first support structure may be configured for the first support structure to be pulled from and reinserted into the first dispensing column.
- In some embodiments the container may also have a second support structure within the first dispensing column, where the second support structure is configured to support the weight of at least a third stack of folded articles while the first and second stacks of folded articles are dispensed. This second support structure is configured to be manipulated such that the third stack of folded articles may be delivered to the first dispensing opening after the first and second stacks of folded articles have been dispensed.
- In other embodiments the container may also have a second dispensing opening in the lower panel, and an interior wall. The interior wall cooperates with the upper, lower and side panels to provide a second dispensing column horizontally adjacent to the first dispensing column and configured to hold stacks of folded articles. The second dispensing opening is configured to dispense a third stack of folded articles when the container is attached to the support surface such that the third stack of articles is substantially above the second dispensing opening. In further embodiments such a container may have a second support structure within the second dispensing column, where the second support structure is configured to support the weight of at least a fourth stack of folded articles while the third stack of folded articles is being dispensed. This second second support structure may be configured to be manipulated such that the fourth stack of folded articles may be delivered to the second dispensing opening after the third stack of folded articles has been dispensed.
- In embodiments of the present invention the folded articles of the first stack are different than the folded articles of at least one of the second, third or fourth stacks. In some embodiments the first stack of folded articles comprises a plurality of folded articles each having an effective dispensing length dimension and the first stack having a pre-dispensing height dimension which is greater than the effective dispensing length dimension of an individual folded article within the first stack
- In various embodiments of the present invention the first support structure may be formed from at least one end tab of the back panel; from a portion of the back panel; from a portion of at least one side panel; or from a portion of two side panels.
- In another embodiment the container may have one area configured for use as a waste receptacle.
- The invention is also directed to a system for holding and gravity-fed dispensing a plurality stacks of folded articles. The system is made up of a plurality of stacks of articles, a container which is adapted to contain the plurality of stacks of articles in one or more vertical dispensing columns, at least one support structure within a vertical dispensing column that supports the weight of at least one stack of articles while a first stack of articles is being dispensed, and a mount which non-permanently affixes the container to a support surface. Each stack within the plurality of stacks of articles is configured to dispense articles of said stack when the stack is substantially above a dispensing opening. The support structure is configured to be manipulated such that the stack of articles being supported by the support structure may be delivered to be dispensed after the first stack of articles has been dispensed.
- In various embodiments of the system the support structure may be so manipulated by the container being configured for the support structure to be removed from the container; the container having a bracing structure that supports the support structure that can be removed from support of the support structure; or the container and first support structure may be configured for the first support structure to be pulled from and reinserted into the first dispensing column.
- In an embodiment of the system the container has at least one area configured for use as a waste receptacle.
-
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the container of the present invention. -
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the container of the present invention. -
FIG. 3 is a front cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the container of the present invention -
FIG. 4A is a perspective view of a single folded article as may be contained and dispensed by the container of the present invention. -
FIG. 4B is an end view schematic of an interfolded stack of the folded articles ofFIG. 4A (not to scale) such as may be contained and dispensed by the container of the present invention. -
FIG. 5A is a rear perspective view of another embodiment of the container of the present invention showing the end tab of a back panel folded in to the interior of the container. -
FIG. 5B is a side cross-sectional view of the container illustrated inFIG. 5A . -
FIG. 6A is a rear perspective view of another embodiment of the container of the present invention showing a portion of the back panel folded in to the interior of the container. -
FIG. 6B is a side cross-sectional view of the container illustrated inFIG. 6A and showing a portion of the back panel folded down in to the interior of the container. -
FIG. 6C is a front perspective view of the container illustrated inFIG. 6A . -
FIG. 7A is a rear perspective view of another embodiment of the container of the present invention showing a portion of the back panel folded in to the interior of the container. -
FIG. 7B is a side cross-sectional view of the container illustrated inFIG. 7A and showing a portion of the back panel folded down in to the interior of the container. -
FIG. 7C is a front perspective view of the container illustrated inFIG. 7A . -
FIG. 8A is a perspective view of another embodiment of the container of the present invention showing a portion of a side panel folded in to the interior of the container. -
FIG. 8B is a front cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the container of the present invention, similar to that shown inFIG. 8A , showing a portion of both side panels folded in to the interior of the container. -
FIG. 8C is a front cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the container of the present invention, similar to that shown inFIG. 8A , showing a portion of both side panels folded in to the interior of the container and interlocking with one another. -
FIG. 8D is a top cross-sectional view of the container ofFIG. 8C and showing the interlocking of the portions of side panels folded in to the interior of the container. -
FIG. 9A is a front perspective view of another embodiment of the container of the present invention. -
FIG. 9B is a front perspective view of the container ofFIG. 9A showing a removable panel removed for access to a removable weight support structure. -
FIG. 10A is a front perspective view of another embodiment of the container of the present invention. -
FIG. 10B is a front perspective view of the container ofFIG. 10A showing a removable panel. -
FIG. 11 is a front cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the container of the present invention showing multiple dispensing columns and a trash receptacle section. -
FIG. 12 is a front cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the container of the present invention showing multiple dispensing columns and multiple trash receptacle sections. -
FIG. 13A is a back view of another embodiment of the container of the present invention with a mounting means. -
FIG. 13B is a side view of the embodiment ofFIG. 13A attached to a substantially vertical surface. -
FIG. 14A is a back view of another embodiment of the container of the present invention with a mounting means. -
FIG. 14B is a side view of the embodiment ofFIG. 14A attached to a substantially vertical surface. -
FIG. 15A is a back view of another embodiment of the container of the present invention with a mounting means. -
FIG. 15B is a side view of the embodiment ofFIG. 15A attached to a substantially vertical surface. - The present invention is a disposable, non-refillable container capable of gravity-fed dispensing of two or more stacks of folded articles. The articles dispensed by the container of the invention are any articles capable of being dispensed. Such articles may include, but are not limited to, facial tissue, toilet tissue, napkins, wipers, towels, absorbent personal care products (e.g., diapers, feminine care products, incontinence products), and the like. Such articles may be individually folded and stacked on top of each other or may be interfolded such that the folds of each individual folded article partially overlaps the folds of the folded article that is adjacent in the stack.
- The plurality of stacks of articles to be dispensed by the containers of the present invention may be stacks of all the same type of articles. For instance, all of the stacks may be paper towels. Alternatively, the individual stacks of the container may each be a different type of article or the stacks may be a combination of similar and different types of articles. For example, a single container may dispense one or more stacks of facial tissue and one or more stacks of paper towel. In another example, the same container may dispense stacks of towels, stacks of tissues, stacks of wipers, and stacks of absorbent personal care products. In a further example, the same container may have multiple stacks of the same type of articles (e.g., diapers), but each stack may be a different size of that type of article (e.g., a stack of small-sized diapers, a stack of medium-size diapers, and a stack of large-size diapers). The articles and stacks contained within the container may be any combination of articles and attributes that the user desires.
- The container of the present invention is intended to be a disposable, non-refillable dispenser of articles. The articles are loaded into the container during manufacture and delivered to the user as a single dispensing system. The user may use the dispenser on any substantially vertical surface they desire and dispose of the entire container when the articles have been dispensed; users need only to replace the empty container with a new container rather than refill the container. This reduces the amount of attention the user has to give the container and prevents problems with container overstuffing. Additionally, such a disposable container may be used wherever the user wishes to dispense the articles of the container; the user is not limited to dispensing locations where traditional dispensers have been installed (e.g., in or on a wall in a public restroom).
- The container may be made of any material that can contain and dispense the articles of the present invention. Preferably, the container may be made of heavy paper, cardboard or plastic, but it may be made of any other suitable material within the scope of the invention.
- The containers of the present invention dispense the articles they contain with the aid of gravity. Prior art top or horizontal dispensing containers rely on interfolding of the articles or the use of mechanical springs or other such devices to push or pull the stack of articles to the dispensing opening. As discussed earlier, such additional parts add cost to those dispensers and may malfunction or break. The container of the present invention relies on gravity to dispense the articles while the container is in a substantially vertical configuration. As used herein, “substantialy vertical” refers to a surface or container configuration that is more vertical in nature than it is horizontal in nature; i.e., perfectly vertical to less than forty-five degrees from perfectly vertical. As used herein, “configuration” refers to a particular arrangement of parts or components relative to each other and to their surroundings.
- As discussed above, prior art vertically oriented dispensers use interfolded articles to dispense those articles from the top of such dispensers. Gravity tends to work against those types of dispensers. As the article trailing the article being dispensed is being pulled upward by the preceding article, it is also being pulled in the opposite direction by gravity. Often, such articles will fall back into the dispenser and the user will have to reach down into the dispenser to retrieve the article. By dispensing from the bottom of the container, the container of the present invention dispenses with the aid of gravity rather than working against gravity.
- The containers of the present invention, such as the
container 10 shown inFIG. 1 , dispense from a bottom surface of the container. In such a configuration, the stack of articles that is being dispensed will be substantially above the individual article being dispensed. The surface through which the articles are dispensed will often be the bottommost surface of thecontainer 10. It is possible that the container may have surfaces lower than the surface through which the articles are dispensed, but in those cases the article being dispensed will still be dispensed from the bottom of a stack of articles such that the stack will be substantially above the article being dispensed. - There are many configurations with multiple stacks of articles that are embodied in the present invention. In
FIG. 1 , thecontainer 10 contains two stacks of articles that are vertically adjacent to each other with afirst support structure 31 separating the two stacks, as seen in the cutout ofFIG. 1 . The vertical column of stacks of articles that dispense through the same dispensing opening, along with thefirst support structure 31 that separate the stacks, form a first dispensing column. - The
container 10 has afront panel 25, anupper panel 26, alower panel 24 opposite theupper panel 26,side panels 27, and back panel (not shown inFIG. 1 ) opposite thefront panel 25 that forms the final side of thecontainer 10. It should be understood that the terms “front”, “back”, “upper”, “lower”, and “side” are used only to describe the relative positions of each panel. All thepanels container 10 with inner compartments configured to hold multiple stacks of articles. As used herein, “configured” refers to particular arrangement of parts or components set up for operation especially in a particular way. During dispensing, as will be described below, any panel of thecontainer 10 may be positioned lower than rest of thecontainer 10 to allow gravity-fed dispensing through an opening in that panel. - The
container 10 is shown as dispensing anarticle 12 from afirst stack 41 of articles through thefirst dispensing opening 21. As seen inFIG. 1 , thearticles 12 of thefirst stack 41 are dispensed when thefirst stack 41 is oriented above thefirst dispensing opening 21. Thefirst dispensing opening 21 is shown as an oval opening through thelower panel 24. However, thefirst dispensing opening 21 may be any closed-loop shape that allows for regular dispensing of thearticles 12. Additionally, thefirst dispensing opening 21 may be formed by the removal of a portion of thelower panel 24 defined by a line of weakness, or thefirst dispensing opening 21 may be present on thecontainer 10 as it is delivered to the user. The line of weakness may be perforations, scoring or other similar method of providing weakness in the material. - The
first stack 41 is separated from thesecond stack 42 by afirst support structure 31. As seen in the cutout ofFIG. 1 , thefirst support structure 31 supports thesecond stack 42 while thefirst stack 41 is being dispensed. When thefirst stack 41 is completely dispensed through thefirst dispensing opening 21, thecontainer 10 and thefirst support structure 31 are configured such that thefirst support structure 31 no longer supports thesecond stack 42 and subsequently, thesecond stack 42 drops to take the space previous occupied by thefirst stack 41. Thefirst support structure 31 may be manipulated to allow the suspended stack of product to drop into position for dispensing. As used herein, “manipulate” or “manipulated” or “manipulation” refer to: to operate with the hands and/or by mechanical means especially in a skillful manner. To manipulate thefirst support structure 31, it may be removed, moved out of the way, influenced by acting on an operablely adjacent component or otherwise similarly manipulated. Once in position for dispensing, thearticles 12 of thesecond stack 42 can then be dispensed from thefirst dispensing opening 21. - While the
container 10 ofFIG. 1 illustrates a dispensing column of two stacks ofarticles container 10 may include more than two stacks of articles.FIG. 2 illustrates a container with dispensing column of three stacks of articles. As seen in the cutout ofFIG. 2 , afirst support structure 31 supports asecond stack 42 above afirst stack 41 that is dispensing through thefirst dispensing opening 21. Athird stack 43 is supported above thesecond stack 42 by a second support structure. As with the container ofFIG. 1 , when thefirst stack 41 is completely dispensed, thefirst support structure 31 is manipulated such that thesecond stack 42 can drop and occupy the space previously occupied by thefirst stack 41 for dispensing through thefirst dispensing opening 21. When thesecond stack 42 is completely dispensed, thesecond support structure 32 is manipulated such that thethird stack 43 can drop and occupy the space previously occupied by thefirst stack 41 andsecond stack 42 for dispensing through thefirst dispensing opening 21. - The embodiments of
FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate containers that dispense multiple stacks of articles from a single vertical dispensing column of such stacks.FIG. 3 illustrates another possible configuration of the container of the invention; the container may have more than one dispensing column of multiple stacks. In the embodiment shown inFIG. 3 , there is afirst dispensing column 310 andsecond dispensing columns 320 that dispensearticles 12 through afirst dispensing opening 21 and a second dispensing opening 22, respectively. The dispensing columns are horizontally adjacent and separated by aninterior wall 37. - Each of the dispensing
columns FIG. 3 as having two vertically adjacent compartments from which two stacks ofarticles 12 may be dispensed. Afirst stack 41 ofarticles 12 may be contained in thefirst dispensing section 311 of thefirst dispensing column 310 and anotherfirst stack 41 may be contained in thefirst dispensing section 321 of thesecond dispensing column 320. Likewise, asecond stack 42 ofarticles 12 may be contained in the respectivesecond dispensing sections columns column first dispensing sections second dispensing sections first support structures 31 that separate the first andsecond stacks columns first stack 41 is completely dispensed from either of thefirst dispensing sections first support structures 31 may be manipulated such that thesecond stack 42 will drop from the respectivesecond dispensing section first stack 41. - It is contemplated that greater than three or four stacks of articles may be dispensed from such containers. As can be seen by the few examples discussed above, there are many different combinations of container configurations that may dispense multiple stacks of articles. More horizontally adjacent dispensing columns may be added to a container, such as shown in
FIG. 3 , and each of those dispensing columns may dispense more than two stacks of articles, in a manner similar to that illustrated inFIG. 2 . Different relative sizes of stacks and horizontal or vertically adjacent configurations may all be modified individually or in combination to produce a container configuration that meets the dispensing needs of the particular articles being dispensed. - An example of the type of article that can be dispensed from the
container 10 of the present invention is shown inFIG. 4A . Thearticle 12 shown inFIG. 4A is a single sheet which has been folded in half to create a folded orlead edge 17. Thearticle 12 also has a trailingedge 13 which is formed by the two ends of thearticle 12 which now reside in a position adjacent to one another. Asecond fold 15 is imparted to thearticle 12 substantially parallel to thelead edge 17. Thesecond fold 15 divides the effective dispensed length of thearticle 12 into a trailingflap 14, having a length L1, and a leadingflap 16, having a length L2. The “effective dispensed length” of thearticle 12 is the length the user will have to pull thearticle 12 from a dispensing opening of thecontainer 10 to remove thearticle 12 from thecontainer 10. As shown for thearticle 12 ofFIG. 4A , the effective dispensed length is the additive lengths of the leading and trailing flaps L1, L2. - The
articles 12 are dispensed from astack 120 ofsuch articles 12 as illustrated inFIG. 4B .FIG. 4B shows a schematic end view of aninterfolded stack 120 of fivearticles 12. In practice, astack 120 would preferably comprise over 100articles 12. For purposes of clarity, only fivearticles 12 are shown inFIG. 4B and they have been labeled A, B, C, D, and E. Thestack 120 ofarticles 12 would be dispensed from thecontainer 10 of the present invention by removingarticles 12 from the bottom of thestack 120. As shown inFIG. 4B , the user would grasp the leadingflap 16 of the bottommost article A and pull thearticle 12 from a dispensing opening of thecontainer 10. The leadingflap 16 of the next article B would then be available at the dispensing opening for ready dispensing. - The fold pattern of the
individual articles 12 and the interfolding of thearticles 12 into astack 120 as shown inFIGS. 4A and 4B are shown as non-limiting examples. Thecontainer 10 of the present invention may dispensearticles 12 that are folded in any of the numerous ways thatarticles 12 are folded and are well known in the art. Additionally, thestack 120 may be interfolded in any of the numerous ways that are well known in the art or thestack 120 may not be interfolded at all. - The actual interior dimensions of the
containers 10 of either ofFIGS. 1-3 are dependent on the size and weight of the articles being dispensed. One of the advantages of thecontainers 10 of the invention is the ability of thecontainer 10 to dispense a stack of articles that has a greater stack height, prior to dispensing any of thearticles 12 of thestack 120, than the effective dispensing length of any one foldedarticle 12 within thestack 120. InFIG. 4B , if thearticles 12 are dispensed from the top of thestack 120, the last flap length (shown inFIG. 4B as the leadingflap 16 of article E) of the uppermost article E would pull on the next article D such that the next article D would be brought to the dispensing opening for later dispensing. Wherearticles 12 are dispensed from the top of thestack 120, the original stack height H (i.e., the height H of the stack prior to dispensing any of the articles 12) will be limited to some height H less than the effective dispensing length of anyindividual article 12. If the height H is greater than the effective dispensing length of anindividual article 12, at some point in dispensing thearticles 12, anarticle 12 will no longer be able to bring the next article up to the dispensing opening. Additionally, in the case where the dispensing opening cannot hold on to the next article to be dispensed, a higher stack height H will correspond to a deep dispensing section that would be inconvenient for a user to reach down into to retrieve a fallen article. - The
container 10 of the present invention dispenses the articles from the bottom of thestack 120 and thus does not have the same limitation on the height. The height H of thestack 120 ofarticles 12 in thecontainer 10 of the present invention is only limited by the size and weight of the stack ofarticles 12 being dispensed and the design of the dispensing opening. As is well known in the art, if too much stack weight is pressing on the article that is being dispensed, the dispensing article will be difficult to dispense and may be damaged during removal. - For example, the inventors have found that a stack of paper towels having a stack height H of approximately 13 inches (33 cm) may be effectively dispensed from a
container 10 of the present invention. Paper towels having a basis weight of 45 grams per square meter, and measuring 8 inches (20.3 cm) in width and 12 inches (30.5 cm) in length, were folded in half and interfolded in the fashion shown inFIGS. 4A and 4B . The effective dispensing length of the individual paper towels was 6 inches (15.2 cm). Each of the folded towels had an individual weight of approximately 2.8 grams. - The stack of towels was contained in a container with inside dimensions of approximately 8 inches (20.3 cm) wide by 3.75 inches (9.5 cm) deep. The towels were dispensed through an oval dispensing opening in the container which measured 7⅞-inches (20 cm) wide and 1.75 inches (4.4 cm) deep at its center point. The stack was positioned above the dispensing opening, such that the weight of the stack rested on the sheet to be dispensed. It was found that a stack of such towels having a pre-dispensing weight of approximately 900 grams could be dispensed through such an opening. The stack was approximately 13 inches (33 cm) tall and contained approximately 320 towels. Such a stack height H is greater than twice the effective dispensing length of the individual towels dispensed. Stack weights greater than 1070 grams were found to hinder acceptable dispensing, causing the sheet to tab or tear.
- Different types of
articles 12 of different weight, size and texture, along with differently designed dispensing openings, may allow for greater stack heights H or may require lower stack heights H. One skilled in the art would be able to adapt the stack height H, and the corresponding dimensions of thecontainer 10 to meet the needs of theparticular article 12 that is to be dispensed. - Several of the container configurations discussed above include a support structure to support a stack of articles while another stack of articles, vertically adjacent to the supported stack, is being dispensed from the lower portion of the
container 10. To reduce material cost and simplify the production of such containers, it is desired that this support structure be a part of the body of thecontainer 10. -
FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate afirst support structure 31 formed from portions of theback panel 51 of the container. Theback panel 51 of thecontainer 10 shown inFIGS. 5A and 5B is formed from anupper back panel 53, which extends from theupper panel 26, and alower back panel 55, which extends from thelower panel 24. The distal end of theupper back panel 53 forms anupper end tab 54 and the distal end of thelower back panel 55 forms alower end tab 56. The upper andlower end tabs FIG. 5A to form thefinished container 10 such that the upper andlower back panels planar back panel 51. As seen inFIG. 5B , the upper andlower end tabs first support structure 31 on the interior of thecontainer 10. The upper andlower end tabs front panel 25. - While the
lower end tab 56 is shown as extending to thefront panel 25 of thecontainer 10, alternatively, one or both of the end tabs may only extend a portion of the distance from the back of the container toward the interior surface of thefront panel 25. The end tabs may be longer than the distance from the back of the container to thefront panel 25 and may have additional folds where they contact the interior of thefront panel 25. Theupper end tab 54 may be longer than thelower end tab 56 or thelower end tab 56 may be longer than theupper end tab 56. The relative sizes of the upper andlower back panels lower end tabs - Another exemplary support structure may be formed from a portion of the
back panel 51 of thecontainer 10. As shown inFIGS. 6A and 6B , a portion of theback panel 51 may be designed to be folded in to the interior of thecontainer 10. Thisback flap 67 may be any size portion of theback panel 51 that would be adequate to function as a support structure, but not so large that articles contained within thecontainer 10 easily fall out though the resultant opening in theback panel 51. Although theback flap 67 is shown as a single piece of theback panel 51, the support structure may be formed from multiple strips of theback panel 51 that are folded up into the interior of thecontainer 10 to form multiple back flaps 67. Theback flap 67 is also shown as substantially rectangular in shape, but it may be any shape, symmetrical or symmetrical, that adequately performs the function of a weight supporting structure. - The
first support structure 31 ofFIGS. 6A and 6B further includes abracket 35 operablely adjacent to theback flap 67 when it is folded in to thecontainer 10 and which helps thefirst support structure 31 support the weight of asecond stack 42 ofarticles 12 while afirst stack 41 is being dispensed. As shown inFIGS. 6B and 6C , thebracket 35 may be a portion offront panel 25 that is pushed in to the interior of thecontainer 10, leaving abracket opening 61 in thefront panel 25. Alternatively, thebracket 35 may be an additional piece of material or multiple pieces of material that have been attached to the interior surface of thefront panel 25. - In a similar way, as shown in
FIGS. 7A and 7B , a portion of theback panel 51 may be designed to be folded up in to the interior of thecontainer 10. Rather than using abracket 35, as in the embodiment ofFIG. 6B , thefirst support structure 31 shown inFIGS. 7B and 7C includes atab 69 which engages anotch 73 in thefront panel 25 to help thefirst support structure 31 support the weight of asecond stack 42. As shown inFIGS. 7B and 7C , thetab 69 is an integral portion ofback flap 67 formed from a portion of theback panel 51. Thenotch 73 is a portion of thefront panel 25 that has been removed and is appropriately sized to securely receive thetab 69. -
FIGS. 8A, 8B , 8C and 8D illustrate embodiments of support structures formed from a portion of one or more of theside panels 27 of thecontainer 10.FIG. 8A shows a portion of only oneside panel 27 folded in to the interior of thecontainer 10. Thisside flap 77 may be any size portion of theside panel 27 that would be adequate to function as a support structure, but not so large that articles contained within thecontainer 10 easily fall out through the resultant opening in theside panel 27. Thesingle side flap 77 may extend all the way to the interior surface of the opposite side panel where it may or may not be attached to the interior surface of the side panel. Theside flap 77 may be supported by abracket 35, as inFIG. 6B , or atab 69 andnotch 73, as inFIG. 7B . - Alternatively, as shown in
FIGS. 8B and 8C , thefirst support structure 31 may be formed from side flaps 77 of more than oneside panel 27 of thecontainer 10. The side flaps 77 may be formed by a portion of aside panel 27 being folded down into the interior of thecontainer 10 and a portion of theopposite side panel 27 being folded up into the interior of thecontainer 10 as shown inFIG. 8B . As above, the side flaps 77 be supported by abracket 35, as inFIG. 6B , or atab 69 andnotch 73, as inFIG. 7B . The sizes of the multiple side flaps 77 may be the same or they may be different. - Alternatively, the support structure may be formed from a portion both
side panels 27 being folded up into the interior of thecontainer 10 as shown inFIG. 8C . In the embodiment shown inFIGS. 8C and 8D , the side flaps 77 are long enough to overlap in the interior of thecontainer 10. The distal ends of both side flaps 77 contain alongitudinal slit 79 such that the side flaps 77 mutually engage each other. - The side flaps 77, may be long enough to overlap as in
FIG. 8B or they may only extend a portion of the way into the interior of thecontainer 10. As with the other embodiments of the support structures, the side flaps 77 may be any size or shape, symmetrical or asymmetrical, that meets the needs of the article being dispensed and the desires of the user. - The opening in one or more of the
side panels 27 left when forming the support structure, providing the additional benefit of allowing the user to see into the interior of the container and thus acts as a gauge to the user as to the number of articles remaining to be dispensed. Markings on the exterior of thecontainer 10 near the opening may aid the user in determining the relative number of articles remaining to be dispensed. Alternatively or in addition to exterior markings, the shape of the side flap may be designed such that a regular pattern would be formed about the periphery of the opening left in theside panel 27 that the user could utilize to estimate the articles remaining to be dispensed. - In the embodiments of the present invention, a single stack of
articles 12 is dispensed while one or more stacks of articles are held in reserve vertically adjacent to the stack being dispensed. These one or more reserve stacks are separated from the stack being dispensed, and from each other, by support structures. When the dispensing stack is completely dispensed, these support structures are manipulated such that a reserve stack is allowed to drop into position for dispensing. - One method of such manipulation of the support structure is the removal of the support structure from the
container 10. For example, a line of weakness may be incorporated into thecontainer 10 to facilitate the removal of the support structure. The embodiment illustrated inFIGS. 5A and 5B show a line ofweakness 57 that is incorporated into thelower back panel 55 of thecontainer 10. While the line ofweakness 57 is shown inFIG. 5A as on thelower back panel 55, a line ofweakness 57 would be used wherever the support structure is attached to thecontainer 10 in that particular embodiment. Such a line ofweakness 57 may be a line of perforations, scoring, or other similar method of providing weakness in thepanel 55. The line ofweakness 57 allows the user to easily remove the first support structure 31 (i.e., the lower end portion 56) from thecontainer 10 ofFIG. 5A . To aid the user, afinger tab 59 could be incorporated into the line ofweakness 57 which can give the user a starting point to separate thefirst support structure 31 from thecontainer 10. - In other embodiments a tear strip may be used to facilitate the removal of the
support structure 31; such an embodiment is illustrated inFIGS. 9A and 9B . As illustrated inFIG. 9A , aremovable portion 85 defined by atear strip 83 is located on thefront panel 25 of the container. To remove theremovable portion 85, the user grasps and pulls on thepull tab 87 which engages thetear strip 83 and separates theremovable portion 85 from thefront panel 25. As shown inFIG. 9B , theremovable portion 85 is appropriately located on thefront panel 25, such that when it is removed thefirst support structure 31 is made accessible for removal. Thefirst support structure 31 can then be removed and thesecond stack 42 ofarticles 12 can drop down and made ready for dispensing. - The
tear strip 83 is desirably formed by a tape, line, rope, and so forth, containing strong fibers within it. Thetear strip 83 may be formed from a number of different materials, such as, but not by way of limitation, natural or synthetic fiber, plastic, metal wire, any combination(s) thereof, and so forth. It will be understood that material forming the tear strip would normally, but not by way of limitation, be applied to the shipping carton when it is in it flat form as a blank prior to formation. One such tear strip is available from H. B. Fuller Company, Linear Products Division, Vancouver, Wash., sold as OPEN SESAME®. Other tear strips as well as shipping cartons are available from Weyerhaeuser Company, Bowling Green, Ky. Thetear strip 87 may be attached to thecontainer 10 by any method, such as, by way of non-limiting example, adhesive, heat sealing, ultrasonically sealing, laminating, integrally formed with thecontainer 10, and so forth. - As shown in
FIG. 9A , thetear strip 83 includes apull tab 87. Thepull tab 87 is desirably, but not by way of limitation, formed as a portion of thefront panel 25 of thecontainer 10. In this instance, thepull tab 87 desirably is defined by perforations formed thereabout which permit thepull tab 87 to separate from the panel when released and grasped by a user. In addition, thepull tab 87 desirably includes pull indicia as well. The term “pull indicia”, as used herein, means any word(s), numeral(s), line(s), symbol(s), picture(s), and/or combination(s) thereof, and so forth, which indicate to a user the location, release, and method of use of thepull tab 87. - The support structure may alternatively be an integral part of a removable panel, such that the support structure is removed from the
container 10 when the removable panel is removed. Such an embodiment is illustrated inFIGS. 10A and 10B . In the embodiment ofFIGS. 10A and 10B aremovable panel 90 with an integralfirst support structure 31 is incorporated with acontainer 10 having aslot 95 adapted for receiving thefirst support structure 31. Theremovable panel 90, in this embodiment is thus attached flush with thefront panel 25 of the container. Additionally, tear strips 83 withpull tabs 87 are incorporated into theremovable panel 90. When thefirst stack 41 ofarticles 12 is completely dispensed from thecontainer 10, theremovable panel 90 is released from thecontainer 10 by the user pulling on thepull tabs 87 to engage the tear strips 83. As thefirst support structure 31 is an integral part of theremovable panel 90, thefirst support structure 31 is removed with theremovable panel 90 and thesecond stack 42 of articles is allowed to drop into place for dispensing. - Such removable panels with integral support structures could also be used in other examples of the invention. The removable panel may be incorporated into a
side panel 27 or theback panel 51 of thecontainer 10 or any other panel as the particular design of thecontainer 10 warrants. For embodiments having multiple dispensing columns and multiple stacks, and thus multiple support structures within that column, the removable panel may be broken into separately removable sections. These sections may be defined by tear strips such that only the portion of the removable panel with the desired particular support structure is removed. - Rather than complete removal of the support structure, another method of manipulating the support structure is the removal of the bracing structures that support the support structure. For example, in the embodiment illustrated in
FIGS. 6A, 6B and 6C thefirst support structure 31 is supported by abracket 35. When thefirst stack 41 is completely dispensed, the user can reach into thebracket opening 61 and pull back, or remove, thebracket 35 and thus allow the first support structure 31 (i.e., the back flap 67) to drop down along with thesecond stack 42 that it supported. Likewise, in the embodiment illustrated inFIGS. 7A, 7B and 7C, when thefirst stack 41 is completely dispensed, the user can push thetab 69 back into the interior of thecontainer 10 and thus allow the first support structure 31 (i.e., the back flap 67) to drop down along with thesecond stack 42 that it supported. - Finally, the
container 10 itself may be designed to allow the support structures to be manipulated when another stack is to be dropped down for dispensing. For the embodiment shown inFIGS. 8C and 8D , thecontainer 10 could be designed such that theside panels 27 are allowed to be pulled away from each other such that the side flaps 77 would also be pulled away from each other so they would no longer mutually engage each other. The side flaps 77 would then fall back into their original positions on theside panels 27 and allow the stack ofarticles 12 that they supported to drop to the dispensing opening. Similarly, rather than each of theentire side panel 27 being pulled away from each other, thecontainer 10 could be designed such that only asingle side panel 27 would be pulled away from thecontainer 10. Alternatively, portions of theside panels 27 could be designed to allow for the side flaps 77 to be pulled away from each other. - Any of the panels incorporating a support structure could be made to be moveable such that the support structure is moved away from the
container 10, allowing the supported articles to drop; the panel could then moved back into place to maintain the integrity of the container. Alternatively, the support structure itself may itself be adapted to be moveable in or out of the dispensing columns of thecontainer 10. Each support structure then could be independently slid in or out in such a manner as to control the stacks ofarticle 12 being dropped to the dispensing opening or on to another support structure. - Any of the above methods for manipulating the support structures of the
container 10 could be used individually or in combination with one another. The examples and illustrated embodiments are not intended to be limiting. One skilled in the art can see that there are many possible configurations ofpossible containers 10 of the present invention and many possible methods of manipulating support structures within those configurations. - Additional utility may also be added to the
container 10 by supplying thecontainer 10 with replenishment indicia on thecontainer 10 revealed by the removal of the support structure. The term “replenishment indicia”, as used herein, means any word(s), numeral(s), line(s), symbol(s), color(s), picture(s), and/or combination(s) thereof, and so forth, which indicate to a user that one or more stacks have been dispensed and that thecontainer 10 will need to be replaced or otherwise serviced in the near future. For example, the replenishment indicia may include a message or colored panel on thefront panel 25 of thecontainer 10 of the embodiment ofFIGS. 10A and 10B that is revealed when theremovable panel 90 is removed. Another example would be the existence of opening in thefront panel 25 of thecontainer 10 that is formed by the removal of theremovable portion 85 in the embodiment ofFIGS. 9A and 9B . These examples are not intended to be limiting; the replenishment indicia may be any signal to the user that one or more support structures of thecontainer 10 have been manipulated to allow a reserve stack to be dispensed. - The
container 10 may also includeviewing openings 71, as illustrated inFIGS. 6C, 7C , 9A, 9B and 10A, which allow the user to see how much of a stack of articles remains to be dispensed. Such indicia and viewing openings allow for the easy servicing of thecontainers 10 and helps prevent unexpectedly running out ofarticles 12. - Additional utility may also be added to the container of the invention by including one or more spaces within the container that may act as waste receptacles. Such spaces may be used to dispose of the dispensed articles after they are used or to dispose of other refuse. An embodiment of a
container 10 with this added functionality is shown inFIG. 11 . Thecontainer 10 ofFIG. 11 has two dispensingcolumns columns container 10 that is available for use as awaste receptacle 100. Thewaste receptacle 100 may be accessed through openings made through one of the panels of thecontainer 10. -
FIG. 12 illustrates another possible configuration of thecontainer 10 havingavailable waste receptacles 100. Thecontainer 10 ofFIG. 12 has a first, second andthird dispensing column columns third dispensing column 330 is shown with athird support structure 33 and dispenses its stacks of articles from athird dispensing opening 23. In addition, twowaste receptacle 100 sections are located between each of the dispensing columns. Alternatively, thewaste receptacle 100 section may instead be located on the two ends of the container with the three dispensing columns horizontally adjacent between them. In either case, thewaste receptacles 100 may be accessed through openings made through one of the panels of thecontainer 10. -
FIGS. 11 and 12 are only illustrative examples; other configurations ofcontainers 10 with one ormore waste receptacles 100 are possible. The size and shape of the waste receptacle(s) 100 may be any size or shape within thecontainer 10 as is required or desired. In addition to additional spaces within thecontainer 10 set aside aswaste receptacles 100, the individual dispensing sections may also be adapted for use aswaste receptacles 100 after the articles have been dispensed. - The
container 10 is additionally designed to non-permanently attach to a substantially vertical support surface. As used here, the term “non-permanently” refers to the attribute that the container may be attached to a substantially vertical support surface, detached, and reattached to the surface, repeatedly, during the limited use-life of thecontainer 10. The substantially vertical support surface may be any surface that when acontainer 10 is affixed to it will allow the articles to be dispensed in a downward direction (i.e., the majority of the stack of articles will be substantially above the particular dispensing opening). For example, the support surface may be, but is not limited to, a wall, a door, a post, a pole, a dispenser affixed to a wall or embedded into a wall, or the like. The embodiments of thecontainer 10 of this invention may require removal from the support surface for disposal or for removal of thesupport structure 31 of the container. As such, the manner in which thecontainer 10 is affixed to the vertical support surface must be non-permanent in nature. However, the means for attachment must also be strong enough and configured in such way that thecontainer 10 is secured to thesurface 135 while articles are dispensed from thecontainer 10. - In the embodiment of
FIGS. 13A and 13B , thecontainer 10 is non-permanently affixed to asurface 135 by multiple attachment strips 130 on theback panel 51 of thecontainer 10. Theattachment strip 130 may be any type of material that will affix thecontainer 10 to thesurface 135, but will allow thecontainer 10 to be removed from, and reaffixed to, thesurface 135. - For example, the
attachment strip 130 may be a pressure-sensitive adhesive or any other type of adhesive, as are well known, that would work for such purposes. Such an adhesive strip may be protected by a peel strip that covers the adhesive until the user wishes to affix thecontainer 10 to asurface 135. Such an adhesive may be applied directly to theback panel 51 of thecontainer 10 or may be in the form of two-sided adhesive tape. In another example, the attachment strip may be a hook or a loop material that affixes to corresponding loop/hook material on thesurface 135 thecontainer 10 is to be affixed. - The attachment strips 130 are illustrated in
FIGS. 13A and 13B as two strips located on theback panel 51; one near thelower panel 24 and one near theupper panel 26. The attachment strips 130 may be of any shape, any dimension and in any position, relative to each other and to theback panel 51, that would securely affix thecontainer 10 to thesurface 135 during dispensing. For example, the attachment strips may be larger, smaller, vertically aligned, or otherwise configured on theback panel 51. Instead of twoattachment strips 130 there may be more than two strips or there may be just one attachment strip. -
FIGS. 14A and 14B illustrate aback tab 141 for affixing thecontainer 10 to asurface 135. As shown, a portion of theback panel 51 may be adapted to be released from theback panel 51 along a line ofweakness 143 in theback panel 51. Such a line ofweakness 143 may be perforations, scoring or other similar method of providing weakness in the material. Theback tab 141 may then be folded out of the plane of theback panel 51 and used to affix the container to thesurface 135. In the embodiment shown inFIGS. 14A and 14B , theback tab 141 has multiple receivingopenings 145 which may be holes present in theback tab 141 or may be perforations in theback tab 141 where the back tab material may be removed. Such a receivingopening 145 may be attached to a mountingbracket 147 that is present on thesurface 135. Instead of utilizing receivingopenings 145, theback tab 145 may utilize an attachment strip. Such an attachment strip may be located on the interior of thecontainer 10 until theback tab 145 is folded out of the plane of theback panel 51, to affix thecontainer 10 to thesurface 135. Alternatively, a combination of theback tabs 141, attachment strips 130, receivingopenings 145, and mountingbrackets 147 may be used. - The
back tabs 141 inFIGS. 14A and 14B are shown to be portions of theback panel 51 that are folded out of the plane of theback panel 51 and support thecontainer 10 from above. Alternatively, theback tabs 141 may be formed out of one or moreportions side panels 27 that is folded back out of the plane of theside panel 27 and affixes thecontainer 10 to thesurface 135. Theback tabs 141 may also be formed out of a combination one or more portions of theback panels 51 and theside panels 27. - In the embodiment illustrated in
FIGS. 15A and 15B , thecontainer 10 is affixed to thesurface 135 by a mountingconnector 157 that connects with areceptor 155 on theback panel 51 of thecontainer 10. Thereceptor 155, may be a holes in theback panel 51, holes that may be made in theback panel 51 by removing portions of theback panel 51 defined by perforations (as shown inFIG. 15A ), or other means that will work in concert with the mountingconnector 157 to affix thecontainer 10 to thesurface 135. For example, theback panel 51 may include areceptor 155 that will affix to mountingconnector 157 that is recessed in thesurface 135. In another example, thereceptor 155 may be a magnetic material that will affix to asurface 135 made of metal or to amagnetic mounting connector 157. - Finally, the mounting
connector 157 may be a bracket attached to thesurface 135 designed such that theentire container 10 slips inside of or is otherwise wholly supported by the bracket.
Claims (20)
1. A disposable, non-refillable container for holding and gravity-fed dispensing folded articles comprising,
an upper panel,
a lower panel having at least a first dispensing opening,
a front panel,
a back panel,
at least one side panel,
a first dispensing column, formed by the cooperation of the upper, lower, front, back and side panels and configured to hold stacks of folded articles,
a first support structure within the first dispensing column, and
a mount which non-permanently affixes the container to a support surface,
where the first dispensing opening is configured to dispense a first stack of folded articles when the container is attached to the support surface such that the first stack of articles is substantially above the first dispensing opening, and
where the first support structure is configured to support the weight of at least a second stack of folded articles while the first stack of folded articles is being dispensed, and
where the first support structure is further configured to be manipulated such that the second stack of folded articles may be delivered to the first dispensing opening after the first stack of folded articles has been dispensed.
2. The container of claim 1 , further comprising a second support structure within the first dispensing column, where the second support structure is configured to support the weight of at least a third stack of folded articles while the first and second stacks of folded articles are dispensed, and
where the second support structure is configured to be manipulated such that the third stack of folded articles may be delivered to the first dispensing opening after the first and second stacks of folded articles have been dispensed.
3. The container of claim 1 , where the container is configured for the first support structure to be removed from the container.
4. The container of claim 1 , further comprising a bracing structure that supports the first support structure, where the bracing structure is configured to be capable of removal from support of the first support structure.
5. The container of claim 1 , further comprising a removable panel integrally connected to the first support structure, where the removable panel and integrally connected first support structure are configured to be removed from the container.
6. The container of claim 1 , where the container and first support structure are configured for the first support structure to be pulled from and reinserted into the first dispensing column.
7. The container of claim 1 , further comprising a second dispensing opening in the lower panel, and an interior wall,
where the interior wall cooperates with the upper, lower and side panels to provide a second dispensing column horizontally adjacent to the first dispensing column and configured to hold stacks of folded articles, and
where the second dispensing opening is configured to dispense a third stack of folded articles when the container is attached to the support surface such that the third stack of articles is substantially above the second dispensing opening.
8. The container of claim 7 , further comprising a second support structure within the second dispensing column, where the second support structure is configured to support the weight of at least a fourth stack of folded articles while the third stack of folded articles is being dispensed, and
where the second support structure is further configured to be manipulated such that the fourth stack of folded articles may be delivered to the second dispensing opening after the third stack of folded articles has been dispensed.
9. The container of claim 8 where the folded articles of the first stack are different than the folded articles of at least one of the second, third or fourth stacks.
10. The container of claim 1 , where the first stack of folded articles comprises a plurality of folded articles each having an effective dispensing length dimension and the first stack having a pre-dispensing height dimension which is greater than the effective dispensing length dimension of an individual folded article within the first stack
11. The container of claim 1 , where the back panel further comprises at least one end tab and where the first support structure is formed from at least one end tab of the back panel.
12. The container of claim 1 , where the first support structure is a portion of the back panel.
13. The container of claim 1 , where the first support structure is a portion of at least one side panel.
14. The container of claim 13 , where the first support structure is a portion of two side panels.
15. The container of claim 1 , further comprising at least one area configured for use as a waste receptacle.
16. A system for holding and gravity-fed dispensing a plurality stacks of folded articles comprising,
a plurality of stacks of articles,
a container which is adapted to contain the plurality of stacks of articles in one or more vertical dispensing columns,
at least one support structure within a vertical dispensing column that supports the weight of at least one stack of articles while a first stack of articles is being dispensed, and
a mount which non-permanently affixes the container to a support surface,
where each stack within the plurality of stacks of articles is configured to dispense articles of said stack when the stack is substantially above a dispensing opening, and
where the support structure is configured to be manipulated such that the stack of articles being supported by the support structure may be delivered to be dispensed after the first stack of articles has been dispensed
17. The system of claim 16 , where the container is configured for the support structure to be removed from the container.
18. The system of claim 16 , further comprising a bracing structure that supports the support structure, where the bracing structure is configured to be capable of removal from support of the first support structure.
19. The system of claim 16 , where the container and support structure are configured for the support structure to be pulled from and reinserted into the container.
20. The system of claim 16 , where the container comprises at least one area configured for use as a waste receptacle.
Priority Applications (7)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US11/166,529 US20060289557A1 (en) | 2005-06-24 | 2005-06-24 | Multiple stack dispensing container |
MX2007016122A MX2007016122A (en) | 2005-06-24 | 2006-04-28 | Multiple stack dispensing container. |
AU2006262816A AU2006262816A1 (en) | 2005-06-24 | 2006-04-28 | Multiple stack dispensing container |
KR1020077029821A KR20080035516A (en) | 2005-06-24 | 2006-04-28 | Multiple stack dispensing container |
PCT/US2006/015865 WO2007001611A1 (en) | 2005-06-24 | 2006-04-28 | Multiple stack dispensing container |
BRPI0610273-5A BRPI0610273A2 (en) | 2005-06-24 | 2006-04-28 | multiple battery dispensing container |
CA002611090A CA2611090A1 (en) | 2005-06-24 | 2006-04-28 | Multiple stack dispensing container |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US11/166,529 US20060289557A1 (en) | 2005-06-24 | 2005-06-24 | Multiple stack dispensing container |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20060289557A1 true US20060289557A1 (en) | 2006-12-28 |
Family
ID=36685974
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US11/166,529 Abandoned US20060289557A1 (en) | 2005-06-24 | 2005-06-24 | Multiple stack dispensing container |
Country Status (7)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US20060289557A1 (en) |
KR (1) | KR20080035516A (en) |
AU (1) | AU2006262816A1 (en) |
BR (1) | BRPI0610273A2 (en) |
CA (1) | CA2611090A1 (en) |
MX (1) | MX2007016122A (en) |
WO (1) | WO2007001611A1 (en) |
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US20060102654A1 (en) * | 2004-07-23 | 2006-05-18 | Seys Andrew C | Multiple dispenser container |
US20060289558A1 (en) * | 2005-06-28 | 2006-12-28 | Parker Kimberly A | Publicly-accessible moist hand cleaning wipe station |
US20090223993A1 (en) * | 2008-03-06 | 2009-09-10 | Peckertrax, A Series Of The Invention Machine, Llc | Men's personal hygiene napkin dispenser and waste receptacle |
US20090236358A1 (en) * | 2008-03-19 | 2009-09-24 | Rippl Carl G | Slanted sheet dispenser |
US20100163569A1 (en) * | 2005-06-28 | 2010-07-01 | Parker Kimberly A | Publicly-accessible moist hand cleaning wipe station |
US20130043268A1 (en) * | 2011-08-17 | 2013-02-21 | C.G. Bretting Manufacturing Co., Inc. | Folded sheet product and packaging arrangement |
US20130168407A1 (en) * | 2012-01-04 | 2013-07-04 | Jeff Silagy | Apparatus, system and method for dispensing incontinence products |
USD824188S1 (en) * | 2015-12-07 | 2018-07-31 | Troukon Wiles | Automatic double roll tissue feeder |
US20190047766A1 (en) * | 2017-08-12 | 2019-02-14 | C. R. Bard, Inc. | Product package |
US10548697B1 (en) | 2019-08-29 | 2020-02-04 | One-Two, LLC | Flosser dispenser |
USD911636S1 (en) * | 2019-02-08 | 2021-02-23 | Crown Products, LLC | Pet relief station |
US20220395147A1 (en) * | 2021-06-14 | 2022-12-15 | Angelo Masino | Dispensers and related devices and methods for mounting dispensers |
Families Citing this family (1)
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US11478319B1 (en) * | 2017-02-13 | 2022-10-25 | Dorothy Ressel Intellectual Properties, Inc. | Glove dispenser supported on a rack |
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Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
MX2007016122A (en) | 2008-03-10 |
KR20080035516A (en) | 2008-04-23 |
BRPI0610273A2 (en) | 2010-06-08 |
CA2611090A1 (en) | 2007-01-04 |
WO2007001611A1 (en) | 2007-01-04 |
AU2006262816A1 (en) | 2007-01-04 |
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