Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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TITLE: A PACRAGE AND SYSTEM FOR DISPENSING PREFORMED
NURSER SACS
.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to dispensers, and more
particularly, to a package and system for dispensing
preformed nurser liners or sacs. The package, which is also
used to transport the disposable preformed bottles, is
particularly suited for dispensing stacked, nested, tapered
substantially cylindrical nurser liners. It provides for
the individual dispensing of liners in a sanitary fashion
and without any undue pressure on the liner. Moreover, the
dispenser is the package itself and interchangeably encloses
the nurser liners or permits individual dispensing of same.
IS In fact, the dispenser and means for dispensing the liners
is one integral cardboard member.
The use of disposable liners or sacs in nurser bottles
is primarily due to the concern over possible contamination
of milk and other liquids contained in the nurser bottle.
, 20 The liners are preformed, pre-sterilized and disposable and,
whether collapsible or not, require holders to support them
during their use within a nurser bottle or assembly.
Accordingly, the nurser liners have a rather firm, but
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flexible, circumferential rim to support the liner in the
holder.
With the advent of the expanded use of disposable
liners, a need developed for a dispenser that stores,
protects from contamination and transports the liners and,
preferably, can also be used to dispense the liners. A
common' problem has been the amount of package and shelf
space that can be allocated to hold a plurality of liners.
To minimize the amount of space, the liners have been
to stacked one upon another. However, this stacking
arrangement creates another problem. The frictional surface
contact between adjacent liners can cause more than one
liner to dispense at a time. In addition, since the liner
is a one use or disposable product, it is relatively
IS inexpensive. Thus, the packaging for this item must be cost
effective.
To obtain the balance of an inexpensive dispenser that
protects the liners during transportation and can hold a
relatively large number of liners in a relatively small
20 amount of space, yet provide the individual dispensing of
liners without contamination, the present dispenser system,
package and method of dispensing liners have been developed.
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2. Description of the Prior Art
Nurser liners that have an upper, firm flange to
facilitate the positioning and assembly of the liner with
the holder are shown in U.S. Patent No. 958,328 to Decker,
which issued on February 28, 1911; U.S. Patent No. 2,110,928
to De Buys, which issued on March 15, 1938; U.S. Patent No.
2,508,481 to Allen, which issued on May 23, 1950; and U.S.
Patent No. 3,776,408 to Wald, which issued on December 4,
1973.
Containers for dispensing generally tapered items, such
as ice cream cones, cup pastry and paper cups, are also
known. The tapered items are nested in a vertical stack,
and retaining elements at or near the bottom aperture of the
container support the lowermost tapered item so that a
substantial portion of the narrow end of the lowermost
tapered item is accessible from the outside of the
container. The item is dispensed ba gripping it with one's
entire hand and pulling the tapered item down from the
container. The grip must be tight enough to remove the
tapered item from the container, but not so tight as to
damage the tapered item.
Such containment systems are shown in U.S. Patent No.
1,388,977, to Stephens, which issued on August 30, 1921;
U.S. Patent No. 1,429,701, also to Stephens, which issued on
September 19, 1922; U.S. Patent No. 1,633,983, to Dawson, et
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al., which issued on June 28, 1927; U.S. Patent No.
2,319,975, to Buttery, which issued on May 25, 1943; U.S.
Patent No. 2,323,841, to Pape, et al., which issued on July
6, 1943; U.S. Patent No. 2,340,090 to Vineburg, which issued
on January 25, 1944; U.S. Patent No. 2,360,765 to Davidson,
which issued on October 17, 1944; U.S. Patent No. 2,369,933
to Amberg, which issued on February 20, 1945; and U.S.
Patent No. 2,926,813 to Marion, which issued on March 1,
1960. See also, U.S. Design Patent No. 225,266 to Cousins,
which issued on November 28, 1972; U.S. Design Patent No.
286,109 to Cosby, et al., which issued on October 14, 1986;
and U.S. Design Patent No. 298,394 to Brewer, which issued
on November 8, 1988.
These patents all fail to provide an easy and sanitary
dispenser since such a grip can damage the tapered-item and,
moreover, contaminate the item.
Some patents, such as U.S. Patent No. 1,151,064 to
Swift, which issued on August 24, 1915, U.S. Patent No.
1,698,239 to Morin, which issued on January 8, 1929, U.S.
Patent No. 4,266,665 to Nelson, which issued on May 12,
1981, and U.S. Patent No. 4,739,902 to Joslyn, et al., which
issued on April 26, 1988, are directed to containers that
have movable components to facilitate the removal of items. ,
These devices have complex, movable parts that are subject
to breakdowns and wear and tear. Also, these containers are
not economically feasible.
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Other containers for dispensing stacked items are
stationary units and require that the dispensed item have
some means or portion to facilitate dispensing. For
example, U.S. Patent No. 4,550,856 to Ballmann, et al.,
which issued on November 5, 1985, provides a retainer for
dispensing disposable face masks in which the dispensed
items have a strap securely attached to facilitate
dispensing. U.S. Patent No. 4,476,996 to Moore, Jr., et
al., which issued on October 16, 1984, and U.S. Patent No.
4,580,696 to Moore, Jr., et al., which issued on April 8,
1986, provide a nested stack of cups positioned with respect
to a dispensing person such that the back wall of each cup
is directed away from the dispensing person and rests on two
abutments at the bottom of the dispenser. To remove a cup
from the nested stack, the extending back wall of the
lowermost cup is grasped by a person's fingers and is
shifted forward so that the lowermost cup is pulled
downwardly from the stack of cups and from the abutments.
These containers fail to dispense a flexible item gnat
assists in the dispensing process and, therefore, they must
be shifted before they can be removed.
U.S. Patent No. 4,094,443 to Whelan, which issued on
June 13, 1978, is directed to cone-shaped paint filters that
have extended ears to facilitate their dispensing from a
container. Similarly, U.S. Patent No. 4,483,460 also to
Whelari, which issued on November 20, 1984, also provides a
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device for dispensing cone-shaped paint filters having
extended ears. U.S. Patent No. 2,455,685 to Lehman, which
issued on December 7, 1948, provides a match box. To
dispense a match from the match box, a person's finger and '
thumb may reach the match through the finger-receiving .
openings and forcibly remove the match. The match is not
resilient or elastic in character, and a two-part container
is necessary. These patents, as those discussed above, fail
to suggest dispensing of a flexible item.
Further, not one of the above patents provide a
containment unit for the storing, protecting, transporting,
and dispensing of purser liners. As also stated above, most
of these containers require a person to grab the body of
each tapered item which is not feasible for dispensing
flexible, collapsible liners. Also, some patents disclose
mechanical dispensing units that have moving parts that
greatly increase the cost of the dispenser. Still further,
not one of these patents takes advantage of the resiliency
of the purser liners in order toprovide a simple and
inexpensive container. Basically, if the mechanical
dispensing units do not have moving parts, the dispensed
items must be shifted-off of the additional abutments or
tabs and thereafter removed from the container.
D.S. Patent No. 4,874,112 to Mulder, et al., which
issued on October 17, 1989, provides a filter container
having a bottom opening and side openings that are
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continuous with the bottom opening. The side openings are
just large enough for tabs of the filter paper to extend
through so that a person may access the tabs.
U.S. Patent No. 4,930,662 to Carrillo, which issued on
June 5, 1990, describes a container that employs the
flexibility of paper, plastic or foam plates to dispense
such items. The container holds stacked flexible plates in
an upright orientation. The lowermost plate is supported in
a bottom aperture by an inwardly-directed peripheral flange
extending approximately 230 degrees around the circumference
of the aperture. The flexible plates are also supported in
this position by two inwardly-directed peripheral tabs that
are situated along the circumference of the aperture away
from the flange. The lowermost plate is dispensed by
grasping its rim edge portion through the side aperture by a
finger or thumb and pulling down past the tabs. The warping
action of the dishes permits the dishes to be pulled down
beyond engagement with the tabs and slide radially outward
through the bottom aperture of the container.
In summary, not one of the aforementioned patents
provides a dispenser for nurser liners. Moreover, these
patents also do not minimize the costs of the materials and
assembly by just using the structure of the dispenser body
itself.
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anY OF THE INVENTION _.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a
dispenser that stores, protects, transports and dispenses
one at a time a plurality of purser liners.
It is another object of the present invention to
provide such a dispenser that provides an easy, yet sanitary
dispensing of purser liners.
It is still another object of the present invention to
provide such a dispenser that utilizes a single, integral
sheet of cardboard and, thus, is economical and simple to
manufacture, and process using standard, high speed
cartoning equipment, to "square up" the dispenser, and load
and seal.
It is yet another object of the present invention to
provide such a dispenser that utilizes the inherent
properties of the purser liners to facilitate dispensing.
These and other objects of the present invention are
provided by a system for dispensing a plurality of purser
liners one at a time. The system comprises a dispenser
having a bottom wall with an edge that defines a flap, and a .
plurality of purser liners stacked in a nesting arrangement,
with each one of the plurality of purser liners having a
single open end. The flap is adapted to move from a first
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position to a second position in which the flap exposes an
aperture in the bottom wall. Each open end has a flexible
rim with a diameter greater than that of the aperture. The
plurality of nurser liners are positioned so that the rims
are adjacent the aperture with a lowermost one of the
plurality of nurser liners abutting the edge.
Significantly, the edge acts as a guide for deflecting the
rim inward of the lowermost nurser liner as the rim passes
through the aperture, and restricts the remainder of the
plurality of nurser liners from moving with the lowermost
nurser liner out of the dispenser, thus, overcoming the
friction forces caused by the nesting arrangement.
When the flap is moved back to its first position, it
is secured in place in a closed position by means of
friction between the distal edges of the flap and the edge
of the bottom wall.
The present invention is also directed to a dispenser
for dispensing individual nurser liners from a stack of a
plurality of nurser liners each nurser liner having a
flexible, circumferential rim at its open end. The
dispenser comprises a body having a front wall, a pair of
side walls connected to the front wall, a back wall
connected to the pair of side walls, a bottom wall and a top
wall connected the back wall. The body forms, in its
assembled condition, a closed body that is adapted to
receive the stack of the plurality of nurser liners. The
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front wall is connected to the bottom wall. The front wall
and bottom wall each have a perforated edge portion that
defines a single flap that is adapted to move from a first
closed position to a second open position that exposes an
aperture in the front wall and the bottom wall. The
dispenser also comprises means for positioning the stack of
the plurality of nurser liners in an inverted position in
alignment with the aperture.
The present invention is further directed to a method
for dispensing individual nurser liners from a stack of a
plurality of nurser liners each having a flexible,
circumferential rim at its open end in which the stack is
positioned in a dispenser having a bottom wall and a front
wall each with a perforated edge portion. The perforated
13 edge portions define a flap that selectively moves from a
first position to a second position in which a dispensing
aperture through the dispenser is exposed. The method
comprises the steps of: positioning the stack of the
plurality of nurser liners vertically within the dispenser
so that the rim the lowermost one of the plurality of nuraer
liners is suppprted by the edge; grasping through the
dispensing aperture a portion of the rim of the lowermost
one of the plurality of nuraer liners; and withdrawing the
portion outward through the dispensing aperture so that the
remainder of the lowermost one of the plurality of nurser
liners withdraws through the dispensing aperture subsequent '
to the rim.
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The above, and other objects, features and advantages
of the present invention will become apparent from the
following description read in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals
designate the same elements.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The foregoing and still other objects and advantages of
the present invention will be more apparent from the
following detailed explanation of the preferred embodiments
of the invention in connection with the accompanying
drawings wherein:
Fig. 1 is a perspective view viewed from the bottom of
a dispenser of the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a perspective view viewed from the top of the
dispenser of Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is a perspective view viewed from the bottom of
the dispenser of Fig. 1;
Fig. 4 is a planar view of the unassembled dispenser of
Fig. 1;
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Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the dispenser of Fig. 1
with the back wall and support walls shown in two different
positions;
Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of ,
the present invention;
Fig. 7 is a perspective-view of a third embodiment of
the present invention;
Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a fourth embodiment of
the present invention;
Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a fifth embodiment of
the present invention; and
Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the stacking
configuration of the nurser liners in the embodiments of the
present invention.
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DETAINED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to the figures and, in particular, Fig. 1,
. there is shown a preferred embodiment of the present
invention having a dispenser system generally represented by
reference numeral 1. The dispenser system includes a
dispenser or dispenser package 10.
The dispenser 10 includes a back wall 12 and a pair of
side walls 14 (only one of which is shown) that are situated
approximately perpendicular to a bottom wall 16. As shown
in Fig. 2, the dispenser 10 also includes a front wall 24
that is basically parallel to the back wall 12 and the side
walls 14, and a top wall 17 that is basically parallel to
the bottom wall 16. In its assembled condition shown in
Figs. 1 and 2, the dispenser 10 is in the form of a
IS rectangular box.
Referring to Fig. 1, the bottom wall 16 has, in this
preferred embodiment, two sets of two perforated edges 20
and a pair of hinges 22. Each set of perforated edges
defines a bottom flap portion 18. Each edge of a set of two
perforated edges 20 is slightly tapered with respect to the
. other edge so that the narrower end of each flap portion 18
terminates with each hinge 22, and forms part of the edge 21
of the bottom wall 16 and front wall 24 of the dispenser 10.
The shape of each flap portion 18 is a rhombus. Referring
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to Fig. 2, the wider end of each flap portion 18 continues
onto the front wall 24 and forms a semi-circular front flap
portion 26, outlined by perforated edges 28. Accordingly,
each flap, preferably, includes flap portions 18 and 26, '
however flap portion 26 could be eliminated provided enough
room is provided to permit a user's thumb to contact the
desired portion of a nurser liner as discussed below.
Fig. 2, unlike the assembled, closed dispenser 10 of
Fig. l, illustrates the assembled dispenser in an opened
condition for dispensing liners. Basically, one set of
perforated edges 20, and preferably 28, is pierced to
provide an aperture. One flap 18/26 is opened and, thus,
perforated away from the remainder of the bottom wall 16
and, preferably, front wall 24 to expose a stack 30 of
nurser liners 32. The opened flap 18/26 is actually rotated
on its hinge 22.
When the flap 18/26 is moved back to its first or
closed position, it is secured in place in the closed
position by means of friction between the edges of the flap
and the perforated edges 20, 28 of the bottom wall 16.
The preferred dispenser 10 shown in Figs. 1 through 5,
houses a pair ofstacka 30 of nuraer liners 32. It should
be understood that the dispenser 10 could be made to house a
single stack 30 which would reduce the width of the package
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by approximately one-half and eliminate the need for a
second flap 18/26.
' When storing, transporting or protecting the nurser
liners 32, the orientation of the dispenser 10 is not a
major concern. For example, the dispenser 10 may be laid
sideways within a grocery package. The orientation of the
dispenser 10 becomes significant for dispensing of a nurser
liner 32. During dispensing, the dispenser 10 should be in
the upright position shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Moreover, if
the dispenser 10 is provided with hanging means, such as,
for example, a hook, velcro or other such means, the
dispenser could be characterized as being "single" handle.
The preferred embodiments of the present invention
accommodate disposable liners comprised of a generally
cylindrical, tapered plastic sack having an open end 33.
- This open end 33 has a resilient circumferential rim 34
along the entire circumference of the open end.
Other types of nurser liners may be used with the
present invention, provided they have a flexible, rimmed or
surfaced open end 33.
The preferred liner 32 has a rim 34 made of the same
material as the reminder. of the liner. However, the rim 34
is harder than the remainder of the liner 32 because it is
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thicker. Nonetheless, the rim 34 is still flexible, and can
be flexed by the perforated edges 20 of the bottom wall 16.
In a preferred embodiment, the liner 32 has an overall
height of about 5.80 inches minus the bead 80 shown in Fig.
10. The outside diameter of the liner 32 when measured from
the distal edge of the rim 34 is about 2.094 inches. The
inside diameter of the liner 32 when measured from the
inside surface at the rim is about 1.894 inches and an
outside diameter at the terminus of the closed end of the
liner is about 1.633 inches. The liner 32 has a continuous
wall surface that, thus, tapers about seven degrees from the
rim 34 to the closed end or bottom of the liner.
The rim 34 has a flat portion 39 shown in Fig. 10. The
rim has a preferred thickness of about 0.28 inches, a
preferred height of about 0.10 inches, and a preferred width
or radial thickness of 0.053 inches.
The preferred liner 32 is made of polyethylene resin.
A more preferred material is a low density polyethylene
resin, and a most preferred material is a linear low density
polyethylene resin. Such preferred resins include the
DOWLEX Linear Low Density Polyethylene Resin by Dow
Plastics, PE 5754 High Clarity, High Impact Film Resin by
Chevron Chemical, and Escorene Low Density Polyethylene LD-
103 Industrial Film Resin by Exxon Chemicals. These resins
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have a specific gravity between about 0.917 and about 0.940
grams per milliliter.
In the preferred embodiments, the plurality of nurser
liners 32 are in two stacks and in a nesting relationship in
each stack, and positioned in the dispenser 10. Each stack
30 is in a generally vertical orientation with the open end
rims 34 of the liners 32 positioned adjacent the bottom 16.
In this orientation, each flap 18/26 opens to the rim 34 of
the lowermost liner 32 of the stack 30.
As shown in Fig. 2, the nurser liner 32 is removed from
the dispenser 10 by grasping just the rim 34 of the nurser
liner and pulling it in a generally downward direction
through the dispensing opening formed by the removal of flap
18/26. The remaining liners 32 are immediately gravity-fed
into position within the dispenser 10 adjacent to the
dispensing opening. Significantly, the flap portion 26
permits the thumb and the flap portion 18 permits the
forefinger of the dispensing person to readily grasp the rim
34.
Fig. 3 illustrates the interaction of the dispensing
opening and the dispensed liner 32 during the dispensing
operation. The bottom aperture has a rhombus shape and the
distance between the two perforated edges 20 is narrower
than the diameter of the rim 34 of the nurser liner 32. The
rim 34 of the nurser liner 32 is flexibly deformed as it is
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being dispensed as it passes through the constricted
dispenser opening. Its circular configuration will become
oblong, permitting it to egress through the restricted
dispensing aperture or opening, ae shown by a first position
36 in Fig. 3. As shown by second-position 38, the
perforated edges 20, that define the bottom portion of the
dispensing aperture, guide the nurser liner 32 therethrough.
As the liner 32 is being dispensed, portions 40 of the
restricted dispensing aperture engage, but do not distort,
the rim 34 of the next liner to prevent more than one liner
from being dispensed. The grasp of the rim 34 along with
the interaction between the dispensing aperture, especially
the rhombus opening, and the rim 34 of the liner defeat the
frictional adhesion between the liner being dispensed and
the next adjacent liner.
In order for the nurser liner 32 to distort in shape as
it travels through the bottom aperture, the nurser liner
must be flexible relative to the edges of the bottom
aperture so that the nurser liner, not the dispenser, will
give in to the pressures due to the dispensing operation.-
Referring to Fig. 4, the dispenser 10 of the first
embodiment of the present invention has a very simple
design. Itis a single and, preferably, integral piece of
material, such as, for example cardboard. The back wall 12
is integrally connected along fold line 60 to one side wall
14 which in turn is integrally connected along second fold
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line 61 to the front wall 24. Analogously, front wall 24 is
integrally connected along fold line G2 to the other side
wall 14. Significantly, the other or second side wall 14 is
connected along fold line 63 to a partition support 46 which
in turn is integrally connected along fold line 65 to
partition 48. There is preferably provided a connector flap
50 connected along fold line 69.
Alternative embodiments of the present dispenser 10
include a single piece of carton material that is either
straight or reverse tuck. It is also envisioned, in a less
preferred embodiment, that the dispenser 10 can be made of
more than one single, integral piece of material, however it
is believed that this will increase costs.
As shown in Fig. 5, the partition support 46 is
affixed, via any conventional means, such as, for example,
adhesive, to the inside of a portion of the back wall 12 and
the connector flap 50 is secured by the same conventional
means to the inside of the front wall 24 so that partition
48 is positioned basically parallel to the side walls 14 to
form two chambers for the two stacks 30 of liners 32. The
two stacks 30 of nurser liners 32 are positioned next to
each other, but separated by the partition 48 and thus
enclosed in the dispenser 10.
Referring again to Fig. 4, a top flap 42 is integrally
connected along fold line 66 to a top wall 17 of the
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dispenser 10. The bottom flap 44 is preferably affixed by
conventional means, such as, for example, adhesive or glue
to the outside of the back wall 12. This is preferred since
it is easier to assemble during the production process.
Alternatively, the bottom flap 44 may be inserted just
inside the back wall 12 and secured in place by a tab (not
shown). However, this involves additional steps and may not
prevent contamination as provided by the sealed preferred
embodiment.
Similarly, the top flap 42, which is integrally
connected by fold line 66 to the back wall 12, is preferably
inserted just inside the front wall 24, but alternatively it
may be glued to the outside of the front wall 24.
The shape and dimensions of this dispenser 10 may
conform to the shape of the nurser liner 32.
Preferably, the dispenser 10 is sized to contain
approximately twenty-five disposable liners 32 per stack 30.
More liners 32 can be accommodated per stack 30, or for that
matter less liners per stack, by simply adjusting the height
of the front, back and side walls.
The preferred dimensions of the dispenser 10 in its
assembled condition to house twenty-five liners 32 per stack
is approximately 4.375 inches wide by 2.188 inches depth
by 8.375 inches height (111.1 mm by 55.6 mm by 212.7 mm).
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The dispenser 10 is preferably made of a material that
has been approved under current FDA guidelines for use in
food packaging. The preferred dispenser 10 is made of a
commercial cardboard, such as regular density solid bleached
sulfate. The preferred container has a basis weight ranging
from 187 to 212 lbs/3,000 sq. ft., caliper ranging from
0.0172 to 0.0180 inches, machine direction stiffness ranging
from 194 to 286 taber, and cross direction stiffness ranging
from 90 to 150 taber. The dispenser 10 can be fabricated,
die cut and glued, using conventional folding carton
converting means, to deliver :it in the flat/folded mode
ready~;for processing.
A second embodiment of the present invention, shown in
Fig. 6, includes a cylindrical housing 52 terminated with a
constricted opening. The opening has a partial arcuate rim
54 whose inner diameter 56 is smaller than the outer
diameter of a liner flange or rim (not shown). A portion of
the rim 54 is removed to enable a portion of the flange to
again be grasped by, for example, a thumb and a finger.
2o This embodiment is not a preferred embodiment since it does
not cover the exposed bottom opening and moreover is not
conducive for two stacks 30 of purser liners 32.
A third preferred embodiment of the present invention,
shown in Fig. 7, provides a cylindrical housing 52 similar
to the second embodiment but includes a flexible flap 58
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that covers most of the constricted opening. The partial
arcuate rim is provided with a flexible flap 58, this being
oriented to make use of what would otherwise be scrap
material from their manufacture. In addition, the flexible
flap 58 operates as a convenient cover that automatically
closes, yet due to its elasticity, the flap is a negligible
nuisance when dispensing the nurser liners 32.
A fourth preferred embodiment of the present invention,
shown in Fig. 8, provides a cylindrical housing 52 including
to a near-diametrical slot having a hinged flap 86 provided at
one end thereof. The dispensing aperture formed by the
opening of the hinged flap 86 is substantially rectangular
in shape, having two parallel sides 82 to guide a nurser
liner through the aperture. When not in use, the hinged
flap 86 may be closed by pivoting the hinged flap around
hinge 84 and securely placing the flap handle 88 on an edge
portion of the dispenser so that the hinged flap is flush
with the rest of the hinged flap. This embodiment provides
an inexpensive container for nurser liners that can be
2o opened and closed in order to maximize the sanitary
condition of the contents of the container.
A fifth preferred embodiment of the present invention,
shown in Fig. 9, provides a rectangular carton or dispenser ,
70 in which its open terminus includes opposing
protuberances integrally formed from tabs 92 folded from the
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walls of the dispenser. There is also provided a finger
hole 74.
Each of these alternative embodiments, namely
embodiments two through five, are preferably designed as
integral structures. All, except for the fifth embodiment,
use the aperture or opening in the bottom of the dispenser
to both dispense one liner and disengage the other liners
while maintaining them in dispensing position in the
dispenser.
Referring to Fig. 10, the nurser liners held within the
container 10 are stacked in a nested arrangement, that is
one on top of another, to minimize space. As each nurser
liner 32 is stacked on another liner, it creates random
convoluted surfaces. This convolute action decreases the
amount of surface area contact between the liners and, thus,
the surface tension. Therefore, this stacking design
facilitates separation of the nurser liners when dispensed.
It is also preferred that each rim of each nurser liner
32 be spaced slightly from the next adjacent rims to
minimize the surface tension and, thus, facilitate
separation. Each pair of adjacent rims 34 should have an
allowable space, formed via a stacking lug 90, to facilitate
separation, yet be as close as possible to minimize the
amount of space needed in the dispenser 10. Each stacking
lug 90 provides enough separation to permit a person's
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W0 95126312 PCTIUS95I036b2
fingers to touch a rim during the separation process. It
has been found that each stacking lug 90 creates a minimum
space or separation of about 2.5 millimeters (mm).
The bead 80 on the liner 32 serves two purposes. It
3 creates a seal between the liner 32 and the holder (not -
shown) when the liner is placed in the holder. In addition,
it stops the liner 32 from rotating in the holder.
m.,
The--present invention having been thus described with
particular reference to the preferred forms thereof, it will
be obvious that various changes and modifications may be
made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of
the present invention as defined in the appended claims.
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