Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 022~4227 1998-12-09
COMBINED POP-UP AND REACH-IN PAPER TISS'~JE DISPENSING SYSTEM
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a paper tissue dispensing system, and more
particularly, to a paper tissue carton having interfolded tissues placed therein which combines
the features of a pop-up tissue carton with the features of a reach-in tissue carton.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Paper tissues such as facial tissues are well known in the art. The uses of facial
tissues include, but are not limited to, blowing one's nose, cleaning one's glasses and other
types of cleaning. Generally, a paper tissue dispensing system includes a stack of tissues
placed within a carton. A stack of tissues ready to be put into a carton is known in the field as
a clip. There are two basic types of tissue cartons: the pop-up variety and the reach-in variety.
A pop-up carton is generally a square or rectangular carton with a tissue
dispensing opening on its top wall. The tissues are generally interfolded with each other in
pop-up cartons, which is well known in the art. Interfolding means that each tissue is folded
around part of the tissue immediately beneath that tissue. There are various types of
interfolding, such as Z-folding or V-folding the tissues. Because of the interfolding of the
2 0 tissues, when a first tissue is pulled up through the tissue dispensing opening, a leading section
of a second tissue, i.e., the tissue immediately beneath the first tissue, is also pulled part way
through the opening.
In addition, a pop-up carton may include a piece of clear plastic film which
covers the tissue dispensing opening. The film is larger than the tissue dispensing covering
and is attached to the underside of the top wall. The film is slit such that tissues are dispensed
from the carton through the slit. Because the slit is small, tissues are constricted from falling
back through the slit once they have been pulled part way through the slit. If there is no such
film covering the tissue dispensing opening, generally at one point of the opening, the opening
is narrow enough to constrict the tissues.
Thus, as a result of interfolding the tissues and constricting the tissues by the
slit, tissues are dispensed from a pop-up carton in the following manner. For the first tissue,
CA 022~4227 1998-12-09
,
the user must reach through the slit to grab the tissue to begin the tissue dispensing process.
As the first tissue is being dispensed, because the tissues are interfolded, the leading section of
the second tissue is pulled through the slit. Again, because of the slit, the leading section of
the second tissue is constricted and will preferably not fall back through the slit into the carton.
The leading section of the second tissue preferably remains outside of the carton, while the
trailing section of the second tissue remains inside of the carton, interfolded with a third tissue.
Then, when the second tissue is dispensed from, i.e., pulled out of, the carton, the leading
section of a third tissue is pulled part way through the opening and is then constricted by the
slit from falling back into the carton. Thus, the leading section of the third tissue remains
outside of the carton for the next use. This process continues until all tissues have been
dispensed from the carton.
A reach-in carton is also basically a square or rectangular carton which has a
tissue dispensing opening on its top wall which extends down to include a large part of a side
wall of the carton. For a reach-in carton, the tissues are generally not interfolded, but may be
C-folded. To dispense tissues, the tissue dispensing opening of the carton is large enough such
that a person simply reaches into the carton to pull out one or more tissues. However, a
problem associated with reach-in cartons is that one has to reach into the carton to grab the
tissues. Reaching into a carton for a tissue is not as convenient or easy as grabbing a tissue
from above a pop-up carton.
2 o Therefore, a majority of consumers prefer pop-up tissue cartons because it is
more convenient to grab the single tissue that stands up from the top wall of the carton. There
are, however, fall back problems associated with pop-up cartons. For instance, a tissue may
not be interfolded with the tissue below it, i.e., there may be missed interfolds between two
successive tissues. If this occurs, when the first tissue is dispensed, the second tissue will not
rise up with the first tissue through the tissue dispensing slit in the film. Thus, there will be
no tissue for a person to grab from above the carton. When this occurs, the person has to
reach through the slit of the film covering the tissue dispensing opening and grab the second
tissue and basically restart the pop-up tissue process. The film, however, may be distorted and
stretched when a person reaches through it to grab a tissue from inside the carton. A distorted
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CA 022~4227 1998-12-09
and stretched film may result in more fall backs of tissues.
Fall back of tissues may be more prevalent in deeper cartons where there is
more distance between the stack of tissues and the top wall dispensing opening or slit. The
second tissue may separate from the first tissue as the space between the top of the tissue stack
5 and the top wall dispensing slit progressively increases as the height of the tissue stack
decreases. Thus, the second tissue may at first rise up with the first tissue but may then
separate from the first tissue before it is pulled through the tissue dispensing slit. Again,
then, a user would have to reach through the tissue dispensing slit, distorting and stretching the
film covering the tissue dispensing opening, to restart the pop-up tissue process.
A second problem with pop-up cartons is that a person may generally grab only
one tissue at a time, rather than a stack of tissues, without wrinkling, crumpling or bunching
the interfolded tissues when dispensing them from the carton and without distorting~or
stretching the film covering the tissue dispensing opening of the carton.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a tissue dispensing system that
15 combines the convenience and ease of a pop-up carton with the advantage of a reach-in carton
of being able to grab a stack of tissues at one time without distorting the plastic film covering
the top wall of the pop-up carton. In addition, it would be desirable to provide a tissue
dispensing system that allows one to restart the pop-up process after having missed interfolds
in a stack of tissues without distorting the plastic film covering the top of the pop-up carton.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One aspect of the present invention provides a paper tissue dispensing system
which includes a carton, which has an aperture formed in the top wall and one of the side
walls of the carton, and a stack of interfolded tissues placed within the carton. The carton may
25 be made of any shape, including, but not limited to, square, rectangular, cylindrical or
circular. The shape of the aperture may also take many different forms in the top wall and the
side wall, but should be centrally located in both the top wall and the side wall. For our
description purposes, the front side wall, i.e., the side wall located at the front of the carton, is
the one which has an aperture formed therein.
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In one embodiment, the aperture in the top wall of the carton has a circular
section, which is not quite a complete circle. Instead, at two points on the circle near the front
side wall edge, the line of aperture flares out in a straight line toward the front side wall. The
aperture in the front side wall extends down in a straight iine toward the bottom wall, ending
in an arcuate edge at the bottom of the aperture.
In another embodiment, the aperture is generally similar in shape to a missile
or torpedo. In particular, the aperture in the top wall begins in an arcuate edge near the back
side wall, i.e., the side wall located at the back of the carton, and continues in a straight line
which flares out gradually toward the front side wall. The aperture in the front side wall
10 extends down in a straight line toward the bottom wall, ending in an arcuate edge at the
bottom of the aperture.
In another embodiment, the aperture in the top wall is generally ova~-in shape,
but it is not a complete oval. Instead, at two points on the oval near the front side wall edge,
the line of aperture bends inward in an arcuate edge directed toward the front side wall. The
15 aperture in the front side wall extends down in a straight line toward the bottom wall, ending
in an arcuate edge at the bottom of the aperture.
In another embodiment, the aperture is pentagon in shape. In particular, the
aperture on the top wall is generally a truncated triangle and the aperture in the front side wall
is generally trapezoidal in shape.
In another embodiment, the aperture in the top wall is generally rectangular andextends out in a half-circular shape towards the adjacent side wall. The aperture in the front
side wall is half-circular extending towards the bottom wall.
In a preferred embodiment of the paper tissue dispensing system of the present
invention, the aperture formed in the top wall of the carton is covered by a plastic film, which
25 is preferably attached to the underside of the top wall. In particular, most of the aperture
formed in the top wall is covered by plastic film, which has a slit or opening formed therein
for dispensing tissues. The opening in the film is small enough such that tissues will be
constricted from falling back through the opening after they have been pulled part way through
the opening.
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If the aperture on the top wall is not covered by a plastic film, then some
section of the aperture in the top wall is narrow enough such that, once a leading section of a
tissue has been pulled through the aperture, the tissue contacts the edges of the aperture and is
constricted by the edges of the aperture. Because this tissue is constricted, the leading section
of the tissue will preferably not fall back through the aperture after it has been pulled part way
through the aperture.
With the present invention, the tissues are interfolded in a stack in the carton.
There are a variety of ways of interfolding tissues, such as a Z-fold or a V-fold, which are
well known in the art. Thus, because of interfolding, when a first tissue is pulled up through
the aperture on the top wall of the carton or the opening in the plastic film, a leading section of
the tissue immediately beneath the first tissue, i.e., a second tissue, is pulled part way through
the opening.
Thus, due to interfolding of tissues and the constriction placed on the tissues by
the small slit in the film or the narrow section of the aperture, the pop-up process of
dispensing tissues of the present invention works in the following manner. When a first tissue
is pulled through the aperture in the top wall or the slit in the film covering the aperture, due
to interfolding of tissues, a leading section of a second tissue is pulled part way through the
aperture or slit. Thus, due to the constriction placed on the tissues by the aperture or slit, the
leading section of the second tissue remains outside of the carton, while the trailing section of
2 0 the second tissue remains inside the carton, interfolded with a third tissue. This process
continues until all tissues are dispensed from the carton.
The plastic film does not cover the aperture in the side wall. Thus, a person
may reach into the carton through the aperture formed in the side wall to grab tissues from the
carton in a reach-in manner.
2 5 Another aspect of this invention provides a method of dispensing paper tissues.
A carton with an aperture formed in the top wall and in one side wall and a stack of
interfolded tissues placed within the carton are provided. Most of the aperture in the top wall
is covered by a plastic film which has a slit formed therein for dispensing tissues. Reach-in
style dispensing is performed through the aperture in the side wall, while pop-up style
CA 022=.4227 1998-12-09
dispensing is performed through the tissue dispensing slit due to the constriction placed upon
the tissues by the slit and due to the interfolding of the tissues. Moreover, after a person grabs
a stack of tissues from the carton through the aperture in the side wall using the reach-in style
of dispensing, the pop-up style of dispensing is restarted because the trailing tissue, i.e., the
tissue remaining in the carton which was interfolded with the last tissue grabbed out of the
carton, is automatically inserted up through the opening in the film due to friction between the
tissues and the interfolding of the tissues.
Therefore, in use, individual tissues from a stack of interfolded tissues may bedispensed sequentially through the aperture on the top wall or through the opening in the
plastic film for pop-up dispensing, while an individual tissue or a plurality of tissues from the
stack of interfolded tissues may be dispensed through the aperture in the side wall for reach-in
dlspenslng. ~ ~
These and other objects, advantages, and features of the present invention will
be better understood upon review of the following detailed description of the preferred
1 5 embodiments.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF T~ DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a paper tissue dispensing system of one
embodiment of the present invention;
2 o Fig. 2 is a plan view of the paper tissue dispensing system of Fig. l;
Fig. 3 is a front view of the paper tissue dispensing system of Fig. 1;
Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a paper tissue dispensing system of another
embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 5 is a plan view of the paper tissue dispensing system of Fig. 4;
Fig. 6 is a front view of the paper tissue dispensing system of Fig. 4;
Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a paper tissue dispensing system of another
embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 8 is a plan view of the paper tissue dispensing system of Fig. 7;
Fig. 9 is a front view of the paper tissue dispensing system of Fig. 7;
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Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a paper tissue dispensing system of another
embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 11 is a plan view of the paper tissue dispensing system of Fig. 10;
Fig. 12 is a front view of the paper tissue dispensing system of Fig. 10;
Fig. 13 is a perspective view of a paper tissue dispensing system of another
embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 14 is a perspective view of the paper tissue dispensing system of Fig. 13
with a plastic film covering of the present invention;
Fig. 15 is a plan view of the paper tissue dispensing system of Fig. 14; and
1 0 Fig. 16 is a front view of the paper tissue dispensing system of Fig. 14.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The paper tissue dispensing system of the present invention generally includes acarton with an interfolded stack of tissues placed therein. While the carton may be made of a
1 5 variety of shapes and sizes, including, but not limited to, square, rectangular, cylindrical or
circular, the carton as shown in the accompanying figures is rectangular in shape.
Because, for the particular embodiments described and shown, the carton is
rectangular, the carton 10 has a top wall 12, two side walls 14, 16, two end walls 18, 20 and a
bottom wall 22. While the carton 10 may be made in any number of sizes, in one
2 0 embodiment, the carton 10 has the following dimensions: a height of about 3 3/8 inches, a
width of about 4 3~ inches and a length of about 9 3/8 inches. Thus, the dimensions of the top
wall 12 are about 4 3,6i inches in width and about 9 3/8 inches in length. The dimensions of the
side wall 14 are about 9 3/8 inches in length and about 3 3/8 inches in height.
The top wall 12 and a side wall of the carton 10, such as side wall 14, have a
removable section which defines an aperture 30. The aperture 30 includes an aperture section
32 which is formed in the top wall 12 and an aperture section 36 which is formed in the side
wall 14. While the aperture 30 may have a variety of different forms, the aperture 30 should
be positioned in a central location in both the top wall 12 and the side wall 14. The aperture
sections 32 and 36 may both be made of a variety of shapes and sizes, including, but not
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CA 022~4227 1998-12-09
limited to, circular, oval, square, rectangular, half-circular or triangular shapes.
In one embodiment, as shown in Figures 1 through 3, the aperture section 32 in
the top wall has a generally circular shape which flares out in a straight line toward the side
wall 14. More particularly, the aperture section 32 has a circular part 60, which does not
form a complete circle. Instead, at two points 62, 64 on the circle 60 close to the edge of side
wall 14, the aperture section 32 flares out in straight lines 66, 68 toward the edge of the side
wall 14. At the side wall 14, the aperture 30 extends down in straight lines 70, 72 toward the
bottom wall 22, ending in an arcuate edge 74, to form the aperture section 36 in the side wall
14.
1 0 Again, the aperture sections 32 and 36 may be made of a variety of si~s. In a
preferred embodiment, the aperture sections 32 and 36 have the following dimensions. First,
the diameter of the circular part 60 is about 1 5/8 inches. The distance between the~two points
62, 64 is about 1 inch. At the side wall edge, the aperture section 32 is about 1 I/2 inches
wide. The aperture section 36 extends down about 2 I/2 inches in straight lines 70, 72 before
1 5 ending in the arcuate edge 74.
In a variation of this embodiment, the aperture sections 32 and 36 have the
following dimensions. First, the diameter of the circular part 60 is about 1 5/8 inches. The
distance between the two points 62, 64 is about 1 3/8 inches. At the side wall edge, the
aperture section 32 is about 2 I/4 inches wide. The aperture section 36 extends down about 2
1/8 inches in straight lines 70, 72 before ending in the arcuate edge 74.
Figures 4 through 6 show another embodiment. In this embodiment, the
aperture 30 is generally similar in shape to a missile or torpedo. In particular, the aperture
section 32 in the top wall 12 has an arcuate edge 76 near the side wall 16, which then extends
in straight lines 78, 80 which flare out gradually toward the side wall 14. At the side wall 14,
the aperture 30 extends down in straight lines 70, 72 toward the bottom wall 22, ending in an
arcuate edge 74, to form the arcuate section 36 in the side wall 14.
As discussed above, while the aperture sections 32 and 36 may be made of a
variety of sizes, in a preferred embodiment, the dimensions are as follows. At the arcuate edge
76 near the side wall 16, the aperture section 32 is about I inch wide. At the edge of side wall
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14, the aperture section 32 is about 2 inches wide. The aperture 30 extends down about 2 I/2
inches in straight lines 70, 72 before ending in the arcuate edge 74.
Figures 7 through 9 illustrate another embodiment. Here, the aperture section
32 on the top wall is generally oval in shape. More particularly, the aperture section 32 has an
oval part 82, which does not form a complete oval. Instead, at two points 84, 86 on the oval
part 82 near the edge of side wall 14, the aperture section 32 bends inward at arcuate lines 88,
90 toward the edge of side wall 14. At the side wall 14, the aperture section 36 extends down
in straight lines 70, 72 toward the bottom wall 22, ending in an arcuate edge 74, to form
arcuate section 36 in side wall 14.
1 0 Preferably, for this embodiment, while, again, the aperture sections 32 and 36
may be made of a variety of sizes, the dimensions of the aperture sections 32 and 36 are as
follows. The oval opening 82 is about 4 I/2 inches by about 2 'h inches. At the side-wall
edge, the aperture section 32 is about 2 3/8 inches wide. The aperture section 36 in the side
wall extends down about 2 3/8 inches in straight lines 70, 72 before ending in the arcuate edge
74.
In another embodiment, as illustrated in Figures 10 through 12, the aperture 30
is similar in shape to a pentagon. In particular, the aperture section 32 in the top wall is a
truncated triangle. The edges of the aperture section 32 are a straight line 92 which runs
parallel to side wall 16 and straight lines 94, 96 which flare out in the direction from side wall
16 to side wall 14. The aperture section 36 in the side wall is trapezoidal in shape. More
particularly, the edges of the aperture section 36 are a straight line 98 which runs parallel to
bottom wall 22 and straight lines 100, 102 which flare out in the direction from bottom wall
22 to top wall 12.
While the aperture sections 32 and 36 may be made of a variety of sizes,
preferably, for this embodiment, the dimensions are as follows. The aperture section 32 is
about 3/4 inch wide at the side wall 16 and about 3 3/8 inches wide at side wall 14. The
aperture section 36 extends down about 2 'h inches in straight lines 100, 102. At the bottom
of the aperture section 36, the aperture section 36 is about 2 I/4 inches wide.
Figures 13 through 16 illustrate another embodiment of the present invention.
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In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 13, the aperture section 32 in the top wall is a first,
generally rectangular section 33, which, at points 104, 106, extends into a second section 34
towards the side wall 14. The second section 34 as shown in Figure 13 is half-circular in
shape. The second section 34 is, however, not limited to a half-circular shape, but may be
5 comprised of a variety of shapes, including, but not limited to, an oval shape, a rectangular
shape, a square shape, a triangular shape or a circular shape. The aperture section 36 in the
side wall 14 is half-circular in shape. Again, the aperture section 36 is not limited to a half-
circular shape, but may be oval, rectangular, square, triangular, circular or any other desired
shape.
1 0 Again, while the aperture sections 32, 34 and 36 may be made of a variety of
sizes, preferably, the dimensions for this embodiment are as follows. The distance between
points 104, 106 is about 1 I/2 inches. At the edge of side wall 14, the aperture section 32 is
about 3 I/2 inches wide. The half-circular section of aperture section 36 extends about 2 inches
down side wall 14.
1 5 In each of the above described embodiments, a plurality of tissues 50 are
stacked inside the carton 10. The tissues are interfolded. There are a variety of ways of
interfolding tissues, such as a Z-fold or a V-fold, which are well known in the art. In
addition, for each embodiment, at some section of the aperture section 32 in the top wall 12,
the aperture section 32 is narrow enough such that the tissues will be constricted by the
aperture section 32 after they have been dispensed part way through the aperture section 32.
For example, for the embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 through 3, the aperture section 32
narrows between points 62, 64 to constrict the tissues 50, and, for the embodiment illustrated
in Figures 7 through 9, the aperture section 32 narrows between points 84, 86 to constrict the
tissues 50.
Pop-up dispensing is thus possible due to the interfolding of tissues and the
constriction on the tissues 50 caused by the aperture 30. In particular, due to interfolding of
the tissues S0, when a first tissue is pulled up through the aperture 30, a leading section of the
tissue immediately beneath the first tissue, i.e., a second tissue, is pulled through the aperture
30. Because of the constriction on the tissues 50 by the aperture 30, once the leading section
CA 022~4227 1998-12-09
of the second tissue is outside the carton 10, this tissue will preferably not fall back through
the aperture 30. Thus, the leading section of the second tissue will remain outside of the
carton 10, while the trailing section of the second tissue will remain inside of the carton 10,
interfolded with a third tissue.
The above process is repeated when a person pulls the second tissue out of the
carton 10. Because a third tissue is interfolded with the second tissue, a leading section of the
third tissue will be pulled through the aperture 30. Due to constriction on the leading section
of the third tissue by the aperture 30, this tissue will preferably not fall back through the
aperture 30 but will instead remain outside of the carton 10 for the next use. This process may
1 0 be repeated again and again until all of the tissues 50 have been dispensed from the carton 10.
In use, therefore, individual tissues S0 from a stack of interfolded tissues maybe dispensed sequentially through the aperture 30 of the carton 10 for pop-up dispensing, while
an individual tissue 50 or a plurality of tissues S0 from the stack of interfolded tissues may be
dispensed through the aperture section 36 in the side wall 14 for reach-in dispensing.
Figures 14 through 16 illustrate the embodiment of Figure 13 which
incorporates the plastic film covering 40 of the present invention. The use of the plastic film
covering 40 is not limited to this embodiment, but may be utilized with any of the
embodiments described above.
As shown in Figure 14, a plastic film 40 covers a majority of the rectangular
aperture section 32 in the top wall 12. The plastic film is preferably attached by adhesive (not
shown) to the underside of the top wall 12. The plastic film 40 has an opening 42. The
opening 42 is generally a slit 44 which is formed longitudinally parallel to the side wall 14 and
which widens out into a generally triangular shape 46 towards the side wall 14. The opening
42 is small enough that tissues S0 will be constricted from falling back through the opening 42
after they have been pulled through the opening.
As discussed above, the aperture 30 formed in the top wall 12 of the carton 10
extends in the second section 34 from the rectangular section 32. The plastic film 40 does not
cover the second section 34 of the aperture 30 in the top wall 12. In addition, the plastic film
40 does not cover the half-circular section 36 of the aperture 30 formed in the side wall 14.
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,
Because the half-circular section 36 of the aperture 30 extends down the length of the side wall
14, a person may reach into the carton 10 through the aperture section 36 and grab tissues 50
from the carton 10 for reach-in dispensing.
Similar to as described above, a plurality of tissues 50 are interfolded and
5 stacked inside the carton 10. In this embodiment, pop-up dispensing is accomplished because
of the interfolding of tissues 50 and the constriction on the tissues 50 caused by the opening
42. In particular, because the tissues 50 are interfolded, when a first tissue is pulled up
through the opening 42, a leading section of the tissue immediately interfolded with and
beneath the first tissue, i.e., the second tissue, is also pulled through the opening 42. Because
the tissues 50 are constricted by the opening 42 from falling back through the opening 42, the
second tissue will preferably not fall back through the opening 42. Thus, the leading section
of the second tissue will remain outside of the carton 10 ready to be grabbed for use; - The
trailing section of the second tissue will remain inside of the carton 10, interfolded with a third
tissue. Again, this process may be repeated again and again until all of the tissues 50 have
been dispensed from the carton 10.
In use, therefore, individual tissues 50 from a stack of interfolded tissues maybe dispensed sequentially through the opening 42 in the plastic film 40 for pop-up dispensing,
while an individual tissue 50 or a plurality of tissues 50 from the stack of interfolded tissues
may be dispensed through the half-circular section 36 in the side wall 14 for reach-in
2 0 dispensing.
Moreover, when a person grabs a stack of tissues 50 from the carton 10 through
the aperture 36 formed in the side wall 14 in the reach-in style of dispensing, the pop-up style
of dispensing is restarted because the trailing tissue, i.e., the tissue remaining in the carton
which was interfolded with the last tissue grabbed out of the carton, is automatically inserted
2 5 up through the opening 42 in the plastic film 40. In particular, as the stack of tissues 50 is
grabbed from the carton 10, and the last tissue in this stack is unfolded from the trailing tissue,
due to the friction between the surfaces of the tissues, the leading section of the trailing tissue
will automatically be pulled up toward and through the opening 42 in the film 40. Thus, pop-
up dispensing is restored after a person dispenses tissues using the reach-in style.
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Of course, it should be understood that a wide range of changes and
modifications can be made to the embodiments described above. It is therefore intended that
the foregoing description illustrates rather than limits this invention, and that it is the following
claims, including all equivalents, which define this invention.
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