Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
61921
The present invention relates to apparatus namely
containers for holding and dispensing rolls of substrate of the
type adapted to be unwound from the central portion of the roll,
also to a method based on the use of said apparatus. It parti~
cularly relates to dispensers for tissues and more particularly
to such dispensers in which a treated or the like perforated
tissue web is placed within the dispenser an~ in which a single
tissue is dispensed by severing the forward most partially
exposed tissue from the remainder of the roll.
Various dispensers of the type discussed are known as
for example the dispenser disclosed and described in
Rockefeller's U. S. Patent 3,868,052 dated February 25, 1975.
Another example is the one disclosed and described in Doyle
et al's Canadian Patent 940,492 dated January 22, 1974.
A major disadvantage of the aforementioned prior art
dispensers is their relatively large size and shape. They do
not, because of their bulkiness, lend themselves, for example,
to use in ladies purses, particularly the smaIl dress type or
even for use in shirt and pant pockets.
In order to better appreciate the present invention,
further discussion of the prior art and related aspects is deemed
necessary,
A substrate, which may for example be impregnated with
liquid (saturated) as for example discussed in Canadian Patent
940,492, and cross-perforated tissue and wound into a roll is
known, as are methods for removing selected portions of such
roll. These methods include the steps of unwinding the roll
from either the outside or the central portion of the roll.
Prior art examples of containers for use in carrying out-such
methods include respectively Cordis's U. S. Patent 3,368,522
dated February 13, 1968 and aforementioned Rockefeller's
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U. S~ Patent 3,868,052. Both aforementioned containers are of
necessity bulky, the container of Cordis being the bulkiest for
reason of requiring additional space in the container for
rotation of the roll during the dispensing operation. Accord-
ingly, of the two, the Rockefeller container i9 obviously more
compact, assuming of course the roll sizes are of similar
capacity. Rockefeller's arrangement also, however, suffers the
drawback of having a space consuming void in the middle of the
roll and apart from this, the round shape of the container
renders it bulky. The aforementioned space consuming void is
required and necessary to facilitate the easy extraction o the
first sheets from the roll without knotting. Reduction in the
size of the void is limited to a relatively large diameter,
being the minimum mandrel diameter used in high speed winding
operations. In the case of the Cordis arrangement, the container
has to be even larger and accordingly bulkier since the roll
must have free space around it to enable it to spin easily and
thereby prevent tearing of the perforations before the second
sheet is out of the container.
In making comparisons, it is assumed all the rolls of
substrate are wound with similar tightness. Accordingly, the ~ -
roll capacities would be similar for a given size.
Figures 1 and 2 illustrate diagramatically the prior
art arrangements respectively of Rockefeller and Cordis. Refer-
ring to these Fi~ures, the rectangles surrounding the circles
representing rolls, define the package area which is exclusive
of the package thickness.
It is therefore a prime object of the present inven-
tion to provide a container for dispensing of the type discussed
which overcomes the aforementioned major disadvantages and which
at the same time does not, in achieving the objective, inhibit
i~6~3Z~
the unwinding of the roll or sacrifice on the capacity of the
container, The latter aspect is of particular importance to
ensure a commercially successful product,
It is a further object of the present invention to
provide a dispenser of the type discussed which is relatively
inexpensive to manufacture.
It is still a further object of the present invention
to provide a dispenser of the type discussed which includes a
container aperture having a breakable seal and a cap for reseal-
ing the aperture and wherein the aperture provides access for
the passage o~ fingers tc grip the unwinding end o~ the sub-
strate and pull the same through the aperture and also where
the aperture includes means for use in aiding the severing of
the substrate from the roll.
It is not deemed practical to merely miniaturize the
known prior art designs in order to overcome bulkiness, for
example, since the resulting reduction in container capacity,
as discussed, obviously would affect desirability of the
product.
In one aspect of the present invention there is pro-
vided in combination a rigid non-flexible walled container and
a roll of substrate therein, said roll comprising a pre-folded
web, cross perforated to provide tearable sheets therefrom,
said container comprising at least a pair of end wall members
interconnected by at least one further wall member to thereby
enclose said roll, and an aperture in at least one of said end
wall members for use in dispensing said roll from said container,
said aperture including means for use in severing said sub-
strate, said roll including a pair of end faces and a pheri-
pheral surface extending therebetween, said end faces being
adjacent respectively said end wall members, said roll further
including a bore extending between said end faces along the
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central axis upon which said roll is wound, the central axis
of said bore being substantially coincident with the central
axis of said aperturè, said roll being adapted to be unwound
from said bore through said apexture, said further wall abutting
at least portions of said periplleral surface flattening said
roll and deforming said peripheral surface and accordingly said
bore such that said peripheral surface and said bore are
elliptically shaped when viewed in a cross-section taken normal
to the length of said bore, said cross-section being substant-
ially uniform throughout the length of said bore whereby the
unwinding of said roll from said bore is not inhibited, and ~ -
said spacing of said cross-perforations lengthwise of said
web and spacing of said end faces one to another are such that
unwinding of said roll from said bore is not inhibited.
In a further aspect of the present invention, there
is provided a method of compacting a roll of pre-folded and
cross perforated substrate of the type having at least a pair
of end faces and a peripheral surface extending therebetween
and a bore extending between said end faces along the central
axis upon which the roll is wound and said roll being adapted
to be unwound from said bore, comprising the steps of:
i) applyin~ force,~at least at selected points to
said peripheral surface, by the use of a rigid non-flexible
walled container adapted to receive said roll, to flatten
said roll and deform said bore into an elliptical aperture
uniformly throughout its entire length such that unwinding
of the roll through said elliptical aperture is not inhibited;
and
ii~ maintaining said force, with said container, to
retain said roll in said flattened condition thereby to main-
tain the compacting of said roll.
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From the foregoing, it will be seen there is provided
a container which may have a slim profile which dispenses sub-
strate of the type and in the form discussed and to achieve
this result, the container applies a compacting action to the
roll of substrate to provide a smaller package for a given size
of roll and wherein the unwinding action of the roll is not
inhibited.
The invention is illustrated by way of example in the
accompanying drawings wherein:
Figures 1, 2 and 12 to 17 inclusive illustrate
diagramatically, aspects relating to the prior art and present
lnventlon,
~,
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l~lQ682~
Figure 3 is an oblique view of a container in
accordance with the present invention,
Figures 3a and 3b show a part view of the container
shown in Figure 3 and illustrate alternative styles of apertures
to that shown in Figure 3.
Figure 4 is a side elevational view of the container
shown in Figure 3 and further shows a roll of substrate
therein,
Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the container
shown in Figure 4 taken along line 5-5 showing the interior
wall having an elliptical shape,
Figure 5a is a cross-sectional view of a container
similar to that of Figure 4 except wherein the interior wall
has a rectangular shape rather than an elliptical shape,
Figure 5b is a cross-sectional view of a container
similar to that of Figure 4 showing an alternative exterior
container wall shape,
Figures 6 and 7 show further embodiments of the
present invention being alternative containers tothose
disclosed in Figure 3;
~ igure 8 is a cross-sectional view of a folded web
of substrate taken along a line which i5 normal to the length
of the web, prior to said web being wound into a roll being
a prior art example of roll which may be used in containers
in accordance with the present invention;
Figures 9 to 11, inclusive, illustrate a n~ber of
alternative container apertures to the one shown elsewhere in
the drawings including means for use in severing the sub-
strate as it i5 dispensed from the container.
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1~68~1
Figures 1 and 2 as discussed previously, illustrate
diagramatically prior art container and roll combinations
and make reference to the respective package areas.
Figure 12 illustrates diagramatically an end face of
a roll of substrate of the type used in containers of the present
invention prior to its peripheral surface being flattened into
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1~6821
the shape represented in Figure 13. In Figure 12 the interior
walls of the container are shown abutting the peri~heral surface
of the roll and accordingly defining a substantially square
shape of container as in the prior art. In Figure 13 the roll
of Figure 12 is shown completely flattened thereby producing a
slim profile and the interior walls of the container are shown
abutting the peripheral surface of the roll and accordingly
define a rectangular shape of container in accordance with the
present invention. As will be seen, the container walls retain
the roll in a flattened shape.
In practice, depending upon the size o the bore and
the outside diameter of the roll, being flattened, the roll
could, for example, be elliptical in shape as best seen in
Figure 5, rather than as shown in Figure 13, accordingly the
elongated aperture could include a definite opening as best seen
in Figure 5, rather than the slit having little or no opening as
shown in Figure 13. An all important factor in respect of any
roll being flattened in accordance with the present inventio~,
is the amount of pressure applied in flattening the roll. A
limited pressure is required in all cases in order not to
inhibit the unwinding of the roll through the elongated aperture.
As will be readily realized, and particularly in the case of a
roll which has been cross perforated, too much pressure applied
in flattening the roll will result in the web breaking pre-
maturely at an inconvenient place, for example before the web
is out of the container when being pulled to unwind through the
container aperture.
Turning now to the advantages of the present invention.
Referring to Figure 13 it will be seen the area of
the end face of the roll is reduced by the area of the central
mandrel hole (in a conventionally produced package). This may
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be expressed
~4 -~ ~(D2-d2)
The theoretical package equivalent end area is reduced
by an area equal to 1.571dD - .571d .
The perimeter of the theoretical equivalent package
is reduced by .858d (4D -~4D - .858d),
Expressing this another way, the decrease in the
smallest dimension of the package resulting from the flatten-
ing of the roll will always be more than the increase in the
larger dimension of the package.
The present inventive concept allows considerable
flexibility in the selection of container dimensions, This
becomes particularly useful when slim packages are required to
meet the needs of purse packs, shirt pocket packs, or other
specific shape requirements.
From the foregoing, it will be readily appreciated
there is a substantial reduction in both shipping and storage
space requirements afforded by containers of the present inven-
tion over those of the prior art and accordingly reduced storing
and shipping costs. Apart from requiring less space for shipping
and stora~e, the containers of the present invention take up
less space in whatever they are used in and because of the much
smaller container afforded, especially in its most efficient
space saving shape, i.e, as disclosed in Figure 3, e~panded
container use and accordingly sales, is achieved, The slim
elliptical shape of the container of Figure 3 is deemed ideal
for use in the confined areas as discussed above, especially
when utilizing a roll having for example, prior to flattening,
an outside diameter of 1 3/8", a mandrel hole of 3/4", and a
roll length (i,e. the dimension between the end faces of the
~6821
roll) of 3", the latter dimensions being approximate. It will
of course be understood that in mentioning such example dimen-
sions, no limitations in respect of the use or scope of the
invention is intended. It is accordingly visualized elliptical
and the like or rectangular shaped containers, for example in
accordance with the present invention of various dimensions
including much larger dimensions to those mentioned above, would
also be co~nercially desirable.
It has been found, during experimentation, the length
of the roll, i.e. dimension between the end faces of the roll,
is an important factor in ensuring the substrate will unwind in
a satisfactory manner. Prefolding of the web so as to reduce
the roll length has been found useful in this regard. Of course,
it is acknowledged other factors will affect satisfactory un
winding of the roll and which include the tightness of the
winding of the roll perforation spacing along the web, the bore
of the roll and the level of lubrication provided, for example
by moistening agents.
'rurning now to a detailed discussion of the saving
in package area afforded by containers of the present invention.
1. Actual Area of substrate: (Figure 14)
~4 (~2_d2)
2. Actual Area of substrate: (Figure 15)
~d(D-d) + ~4~D-d)
_ ~dD ~d2 ~D2 ~d2 2~nd
2 2 4 4 4
= ~D _ ~d = ~(D2-d2~l
10~36821
Packaqe Area
1. The effective Package Area of Figure 14
AREA = D x D = D
2. Package Area of Figure 15
= (D-d ~ )(D-d)
= (D - .57ld)(D-d)
= D - 1.571dD + .571d
Saving in Package Area:
= D -~D - 1.571dD + .571d ) = 1.571dD - .571d
As d and/or D-d increase so does the saving in area of Fig. 14
and Fig. 15 above.
Circumference of Equivalent Packaqe
Figure 16 = 4D
Figure 17 - = 2(D-d~d~D-d)
= 2(2D - .429d)
= 4D - .8S8d
As d approaches D, saving becomes slgnificant; i.e. 21.4%,
Figure 3 discloses a preferred embodiment of the
present invention being the combination 100 of a container lOOA
and a roll of substrate lOOB, the container comprising a pair
of end members 10 and 11 interconnected by a further member 12
to thereby form an enclosure for the roll lOOB. Members 10 and
11 are elliptical shaped discs and member 12 is constructed in
the form of an elliptical bore tube. End member 10 includes an
aperture 13 for use in dispensing roll lOOB from the container.
As best seen in Figure 4, the roll lOOB includes a
pair of end faces 30 and 31 and a peripheral surface 32 extend-
ing bet~een end faces 30 and 31 and a bore or passageway 33
.
1~Ca6~32~
extending along the central axis 34 of the roll lOOB, being
the axis upon which the roll is wound. Roll 100B is adapted
to be unwound from bore 33. The adaptation for unwinding,
although not shown, includes the untethered end of the roll
100B extending into or alternatively from the bore 33 so that
it may be readily gripped, for example by fingers when extended
through aperture 13.
Roll lOOB prior to insertion into container lOOA, in
the present instance, resembles a roll much like a well known
toilet roll, having a round peripheral surface and accordingly
a round bore.
As best seen in Figure 5, once roll lOOB is inserted
into container lOOA, member 12 abuts the peripheral surface 32
of the roll to thereby flatten the same and accordingly deforms
bore 33 into a slot-like aperture having sufficient width to
permit and facilitate unwinding of the roll. In the present
preferred embodiment, the roll lOOB is cross perforated in
similar manner to that of a toilet roll, to assist in providing
readily tearable sheets therefrom. It further includes a
moistening agent and the substrate is pre-folded in any suit-
able well known manner prior to being wound upon axis 34.
I~ desired, faces 30 and 31 may closely abut end
members 10 and 11. Alternatively, a selected space may be pro-
vided between the respective faces and end members as for example
shown in Figure ~.
Container lOOA may be constructed as shown using any
suitable material such as a suitable thermoplastic, end members
10 and 11, being secured to member 12 by suitable means such as
bonding. Alternatively, end member 10 may comprise a press fit
lid having a lip lOA. It will be readily realized end member 11
may also comprise a press fit lid or alternatively may be
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integrally connected with member 12.
Referring to Figure 4, end member 10 includes a spout
14 extending from the outer face lOB of end member 10 and is
adapted to receive, at its outer free end, detachably securable
cap lS for use in sealing the container. As will be seen,
aperture 13 extends completely through spout 14. As shown, cap
15 is a press fit upon spout 14. Aperture 13 may, for example,
include an extended "V" notch 13B as shown in Figure 3 for use
in aiding the severing of the sheets from the roll. Notch 13B
as shown, amounts to an extension of aperture 13 and is adapted
to receive and engage the web of substrate as it is pulled
through aperture 13 in sideways motion. Notch 13B accordingly
provides means for locking the substrate to the container to
aid severing the web at the perforations. As will be realized,
aperture 13 may be of any suitable design including for example
ones illustrated in Figures 9 to 11 inclusive. Alternatively,
dispensing apertures as disclosed and described in Canadian
Patent 940,492 may be used, as discussed hereinafter
Figures S, 5a and Sb illustrate, in corss-section,
alternative container shapes. Although Figure 5 shows one of
the most efficient shapes of container cross-section, the cross-
sectional shapes of Figures 5a and 5b may for some reason,
appeal more from anaesthetic point of view and are disclosed
merely for this purpose. In Figure 5a, member 12 is a rectan-
~ular tube and in Figure 5~ has an elliptical shaped inner wall
and a multi-surfaced outer wall.
Turning now to Figures 6 and 7 which disclose further
alternative embodiments of containers. Figure 6 illustrates a
side elevational view of a two-piece mol~ed container 40 con-
structed of thermoplastic material having a rectangular cross-
section, similar to that shown in Figure 5a. Basically, the
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container, as is evident from Figure 6, comprises a pair of
wedge-shaped concave pieces 41 and 42 interconnected one to
another to form a box-like enclosure for roll 100~ along a
joint line 43. As will be noted, the arrangement of the joint
line 43 permits the container aperture which is located sub-
stantially coaxially with the bore of the roll lOOB, to be
fully accommodated within the relatively sloping end member
face 44 of piece 41.
Figure 7 illustrates a slim rectangular shaped con-
10- tainer 50, which in one instance may, if desired, be similar
in size, to that of the well known cigarette pack, having an
opening 51 closeable by hingedly secured flaps 52 and S3, flap
52 comprising an end member of the container. Container 50,
which includes a fixed (non-hingedly) end member 50A, may be
made of any suitable material including thermoplastics. After
roll 100B has been inserted into container 50 as shown in
Figure 7, flap 52 is then moved to close off opening 51 and
accordingly retain roll lOOB in place. After flap 52 has been
positively secured in its closed position using flap 52B, to-
gether with, for example, a suitable bonding agent to secureit in place to the inner wall of the container, roll lOOs may
be dispensed through the container aperture 52A. Flap 53 pro-
vides means for sealing off aperture S2~ and includes suitable
known means (not shown3 for detachablysecuring to flap 52.
Aperture 52A, it will be noted comprises a pair of
slits arranged in the form of a cross. Alternatively, one slit
only may be utilized. Such design of aperture is well known
for example, from aforementioned Canadian Patent 940,492.
Referring in further detail to aperture 52A, the
slits have slightly yielding edges to allow the edges to bend
to form an opening, to provide for easy flow of the substrate
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1~6821
as it is pulled from the container and to reclose said opening
to avoid the substrate drying out when such has been impregnated,
for example with liquid, the substrate being capable of being
extracted through the slit from within the container.
As indicated previously, any containers in accordance
with the present invention, including those disclosed in
Figures 3, 6 and 7 may include, for example, any of the aper-
tures presently disclosed and discussed. Accordingly, aperture
52A for example, could very well be used in the container of
Figure 3, as for example illustrated in Figure 3a.
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