DISPENSER BOX FOR CLEANING TISSUES

BOITE DISTRIBUTRICE DE LINGETTES NETTOYANTES

English Abstract

A dispenser box (100) for cleaning tissues (48) is provided for cleaning
sanitary facilities or surface areas in a WC and bathroom area etc.,
comprising a body (10) for accommodating a pile of cleaning tissues (48)
including a head part (12) and a base part (14), said body (10) being
configured open at said head part (12), it being closable by a mountable cover
part (16) and an extraction opening (30) for said cleaning tissues (48)
arranged in said body (10) being configured in said cover part (16). Such
dispenser boxes often fail to be configured handy and necessitate use of both
hands to extract a cleaning tissue and the undivided attention of the user.
The invention thus proposes said body (10) to be configured cuboidal including
two opposite broad sides (20), two opposite narrow sides (22) and a
predetermined height, whereby a broad side (20) width is greater than a narrow
side (22) width and the height is greater than said broad side (20) width.
Moreover, a standing part (18) is provided having outline dimensions greater
than said body (10), said base part (14) of said body (10) and said standing
part (18) being configured such that said standing part (18) is releasably
mounted on said base part.

French Abstract

La présente invention concerne une boîte distributrice (100) de lingettes nettoyantes (48) destinées au nettoyage d'installations sanitaires ou des surfaces d'une salle de bain ou de WC. Cette boîte comprend un corps (10) accueillant une pile de lingettes (48). Ce corps (10), qui définit un haut (12) et un bas (14), est configuré pour s'ouvrir par le haut (12). Il se referme par un couvercle amovible (16). Le corps (10) présente également, configuré dans le couvercle (16), un orifice (30) permettant de prélever des lingettes (48). Ces boîtes, qui sont peu commodes à utiliser, nécessitent généralement les deux mains pour prélever les lingettes, et toute l'attention de l'utilisateur. L'invention propose donc pour le corps (10) une configuration cuboïde définissant deux petits côtés opposés (20) et deux grands côtés opposés (22) d'une hauteur définie, la largeur du grand côté (20) étant supérieure à la largeur d'un petit côté (22), et la hauteur supérieure à la largeur du grand côté (20). En outre, un socle (18) présente des dimensions de contour supérieures à celle du corps (10), le bas (14) du corps (10) et le socle (18) étant configurés de façon que le socle (18) puisse se monter et se démonter du bas.

Claims

Claims
1. A dispenser box (100) for cleaning tissues (48) for cleaning sanitary
facilities or surface areas in a WC and bathroom area, such as for example,
toilets, WC seat, bowl, lid and flushing cistern, fittings or wash basins,
said
dispenser box (100) comprising a body (10) for accommodating a pile of
cleaning
tissues (48) including a head part (12) and a base part (14), said body (10)
being
configured open at said head part (12), it being closable by a mountable cover
part (16) and an extraction opening (30) for said cleaning tissues (48)
arranged in
said body (10) being configured in said cover part (16),
said body (10) including two opposite broad sides (20), two opposite
narrow sides (22) and a predetermined height, whereby a broad side (20) width
is greater than a narrow side (22) width and that a standing part (18) is
provided
having outline dimensions greater than said body (10), said base part (14) of
said
body (10) and said standing part (18) being configured such that said standing
part (18) is releasably mounted on said base part (14),
characterised in that the height is greater than said broad side (20) width
and said narrow sides (22) are conically tapered from said head part (12) in
the
direction of said base part.
2. The dispenser box (100) as set forth in claim 1,
characterized in that
the width ratio of a broad side (20) to a narrow side (22) is
three or more, more particularly 3.8
3. The dispenser box (100) as set forth in claim 1 or 2,
characterized in that
the ratio of said width of a broad side (20) to said height
is two or more, more particularly 2.11.
4. The dispenser box (100) as set forth in any of the
preceding claims,

-10-
characterized in that
said broad side (20) has a length of 9 cm to 10 cm and said
narrow side (22) has a length 2 cm to 3 cm and said height
amounts to 20 cm.
5. The dispenser box (100) as set forth in any of the
preceding claims,
characterized in that
at least one of said two narrow sides (22) is configured
rounded.
6. The dispenser box (100) as set forth in any of the
preceding claims,
characterized in that
said base part (14) comprises on the outline direction of
said body (10) a ridge (28) such that the outline dimensions
of said base part (14) are smaller than the outline
dimensions of said body (10), said standing part (18) being
configured tubular with a cross-section adapted to the
outline dimensions of said base part (14) such that said base
part (14) is fully insertable into said standing part (18).
7. The dispenser box (100) as set forth in any of the
preceding claims,
characterized in that
said head part (12) of said body (10) is configured widened
by a bulge on said broad sides (20) as regards said width of
said narrow sides (22).
8. The dispenser box (100) as set forth in any of the
preceding claims,
characterized in that
of said broad
sides (20) is conically tapered from said head part (12) in
the direction of said base part (14) of said body (10).

-11-
9. The dispenser box (100) as set forth in any of the
preceding claims,
characterized in that
a cover (34) optionally closing off said extraction opening
(30) is provided on said cover part (16).
10. The dispenser box (100) as set forth in claim 9,
characterized in that
said cover (34) is hinged to said cover part (16) by a film-
type hinge (36).
11. The dispenser box (I00) as set forth in claim 9 or 10
characterized in that
on said cover (34) an upright pin (38) is provided on said
cover (34) and a hole (40) configured in said cover part (16)
so that on closing said cover (34) said pin (38) engages said
hole (40).
12. The dispenser box (100) as set forth in any of the
preceding claims,
characterized in that
said extraction opening (30) comprises a cross-slit with
flexible wall portions (32).

Description

~
. CA 02362512 2001-08-20
21-05-2001 EP 00000176'
wo oois~as~ PCTfEP00/O17b5
r
Dispenser Box for Cleaning Tissues
The invention relates to a dispenser box for cleaning tissues
t:
for cz eaning sanitary facilities or surface areas in a WC and
bathroom area, such as for example, toilets, WC seat, bow?,
lid and flushing cistern, fittings or was' bas_ns, the
dispenser box comprising a body fcr accommodating a pile of
cleaning tissues, including a head part and a base pzrt, the
body being configured ope n at the head pa=~, ~ = being
closable by a mountable cove- ca=t and an ex==action ooe~iag
for Lim clog..~.ing tissues arranged in ;.ae body be_ng
configured in the cover part of said body, inciudin~ two opposite broad sides,
rZNO opposite nar=ow sides and a predetermined height, whereby a broad side
width is greater than a narrow side cwidth and that a standing part is
provided
having outline dimensions o eater than the body, the base part of the body
and the standing part being contiJ fired such that the standing part is -
releasablv mounted on the bass part, as set forth in the preamble of claim 1.
.~.
~n example of the prior art arranjement is shown in Document L-S-_~-
-I,~3~,9I?. In this document a dispenser box is provided which houses a roll
or
tissue and dispenses the tissue throujh a slot beneath a cover on the top of
the box. The box is generally a trapezium in shape, having one sic.-le loner
than the other, and stands on a relatively wide base. The box is approximately
as tall as it is wide, enabling it to house a reel of tissue with its axis
horizontal.
The ~-fide base or the box is detachably mounted on a standing part. The
entire arran;;ement is however rather bulky, and not particularly suitable for
packajes of tissues other than rolls. It is not jenerally intended for the
tissues
to be dispensed from the box, except in its fixed standing position, in which
it
has a relatively low centre of gravity to reduce its tendency to tip over in
use.
AMENDED SHEET

~
_ CA 02362512 2001-08-20
21-05-2001 EP 00000176
B
Document US-A-4,526,291 shows a different design approach in which a pack of
tissues is housed in a flexible bag and dispensed through a slit in a
generally
rectangular rigid plastic top, which fits within the neck of the bag. Such a
container presents a relatively slim appearance, although due to its
flexibility, it
cannot be stood up.
Conventional dispenser boxes of the aforementioned kind often fail to be
configured handy and necessitate use of both hands to extract a cleaning
tissue
and the undivided attention of the user which is a nuisance and a drawback, or
the boxes do not lie firmly and conveniently in the hand of the user.
This object is achieved by a dispenser box of the aforementioned kind having
the
features as set forth in claim 1.
For this purpose the height of the body of the box is greater than the broad
side
width, and said narrow sides are comically tapered from said head part in the -
_
direction of said base part. - .
AMENDED SHEET

. . ~ CA 02362512 2001-08-20
2I1-05-2001 - EP 000001761
.,
This has the advantage that a slim dispenser box is made
available, whose height roughly corresponds to that of a pack
of cleaning tissues to be arranged in the body, to thus
facilitate handling. The body of the dispenser box is
securely gripped and held in one hand. Despite the slim
configuration the dispenser box can be stood by the standing
part on a flat floor surface and thus provides facilitated
access in use. Due to the standing part being removable from
the body a plurality of dispenser boxes permits facilitated
stacking and thus compact storage thereof.
Preiezred further embodiments of the apparatus read from the
cl aims 2 to 12 .
In one preferred embodi.~nent the width rati o of one broad side
to one narrow s=de is three or more, morn particularly 3.8
and the ratio of the width of the broad side to the heigrt is -
two or more, more aarticularly 2.11. Ia this arrangement the
broad side has a length of 9 cm to 10 cm and a narrow side
has a length 2 cm to 3 cm. The height amounts to 20 c:a, for
example.
A pleasing design combined with surface areas for facilitated
gripping is achieved by at least one of the two narrow sides
being configured rounded.
Expedientl~r the base part comprises in the outline direction
of the bod~a a ridge such that the outline dimensions of the
base part aYe smaller than the outline dimensions of the
body, the s-r.anding part being configured tubular with a
cross-section adapted to the outline dimensions of the base
part such that the base part is fully insertable into the
standing part.
AMENDED SHEET

CA 02362512 2001-08-20
WO 00/51482 PCT/EP00/01765
For reliably secure receival of the cover part the head part
of the body is configured widened by a bulge on the broad
sides relative to the width of the narrow sides. This
simultaneously provides a good grip so that the handheld
dispenser box cannot slip down through the hand because the
bulge widening of the head part stops in the hand.
An elegant design of the slim standing dispenser box is
achieved in that the width of the narrow sides and/or broad
sides is conically tapered from the head part in the
direction of the base part of the body.
An airtight closure of the cleaning tissues arranged in the
body is achieved in that a cover optionally closing off the
extraction opening is provided on the cover part.
A reliably functioning and simple to use apparatus is
achievable at low production cost in that the cover is hinged
to the cover part by a film-type hinge.
For reliably secure closing-off of the extraction opening by
means of the cover an upright pin is provided on the cover
and a hole configured in the cover part so that on closing
the cover the pin engages the hole.
For facilitated cleaning tissue extraction with automatic
singling of a cleaning tissue as soon as a perforation has
attained the extraction opening, the extraction opening
comprises a cross-slit with flexible wall portions.
The invention will now be detailled with reference to the
attached drawings in which
Fig. 1 is an exploded view of one preferred embodiment of
a dispenser box in accordance with the invention,
3

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WO 00/51482 PCT/EP00/01765
Fig. 2 is a side view of a body of the dispenser box in
accordance with the invention as shown in Fig. 1,
Fig. 3 is a plan view,
Fig. 4 is a plan view of a cover part of the dispenser box
in accordance with the invention as shown in Fig. 1,
Fig. 5 is a plan view of a standing part of the dispenser
box in accordance with the invention as shown in
Fig. 1,
Fig. 6 is a view from underneath and
Fig. 7 is an illustration depicting filling the dispenser
box in accordance with the invention as shown in
Fig. 1 with cleaning tissues.
Referring now to Fig. 1 there is illustrated the preferred
embodiment of a dispenser box 100 in accordance with the
invention comprising a body 10 with a head part 12 and a base
part 14 , a cover part 16 and a standing part 18 . As also
particularly evident from Figs. 2 and 3 the body 10 comprises
two opposite broad sides 20 and two opposite narrow sides 22
which are conically tapered from the head part 12 in the
direction of the base part 14. The narrow sides 22 are
configured rounded cross-sectionally (Fig. 3), the broad
sides 20 too, comprising a slightly rounded cross-section
(Fig. 3).
In the portion 24 of the broad sides 20 the head part 12 is
configured widened by a bulge and releasably mounts the
correspondingly configured cover part 16 in an opening 26
configured correspondingly on the head part 12. The body 10
forms together with the mounted cover part 16 a cavity for
accommodating cleaning tissues. The base part 14 is offset
4

CA 02362512 2001-08-20
WO 00/51482 PCT/EP00/01765
from the body 10 by a ridge 28 and has smaller outline
dimensions than the body 10.
Referring now to Fig. 4 there is illustrated in detail the
cover part 16 insertable into the opening 26. The cover part
16 comprises a cross-slit extraction opening 30 with flexible
side walls 32, it being through this extraction opening 30
that the cleaning tissues, accommodated in the cavity of the
body 10 where they are protected from drying out, are
extractable. Furthermore for optionally closing off the
extraction opening 30 a cover 34 is hinged to the cover part
16 by a film-type hinge 36. The cover 34 comprises an upright
pin 38 which engages a hole 40 in the cover part 16 on
closure of the extraction opening 30 such that the cover 34
is arrested in the condition closing off the extraction
opening 30. This arresting action is releasable by exerting a
corresponding manual force in hinging open the cover 34 about
the film hinge 36 to expose the extraction opening 30 or
making it accessible for extracting cleaning tissues. Due to
the cover 34 the cleaning tissues are closed off airtight in
the body and protected from drying out.
To extract cleaning tissues from the dispenser box the cover
34 is opened and a cleaning tissue protruding from the
extraction opening is taken hold of by fingers and pulled
out. The cleaning tissues arranged in the body 10 are
connected to each other by perforations, each of which tears
in passing through the extraction opening 30 with the
flexible side walls 32, the next cleaning tissue thereby
protruding from the extraction opening 30 by a section ready
for extraction.
Referring now to Figs. 5 and 6 there is illustrated the
standing part 18 configured tubular with an inner
circumference corresponding to the outer circumference of the
base part 14, the inner circumference of the standing part 18
being configured cross-sectionally somewhat smaller than the

CA 02362512 2001-08-20
WO 00/51482 PCT/EP00/01765
outer circumference of the base part 14 so that the base part
14 is insertable into the standing part 18. At the broad
sides 42 corresponding to the broad sides 20 of the body the
standing part 18 is bulged divergingly in a portion 44
analogous to the head part so that as regards the body 10 a
larger outer circumference materializes as is evident from
Fig. 6. This results in a good standing surface for the
dispenser box 100. However, an inner part 46 is provided
which extends over the full height of the standing part and
in the mounted condition contacts an outer circumference of
the base part 14 so that a tight connection between the
standing part 18 and the base part 14 of the body 10 is
assured. This also results in a certain friction force
between the outer circumference of the base part 14 and the
inner part 46 so that the standing part 18 is unable to
detach by itself from the base part 14, this instead
requiring a predetermined force to be exerted.
The dispenser box in accordance with the invention is
designed for a sure grip and reliable handhold. Removing the
releasably mounted standing part 18 permits good stacking of
a plurality of dispenser boxes so that they make for a
compact arrangement in both placement and transportation.
Referring now to Fig.7 there is illustrated how the dispenser
box 100 in accordance with the invention may also be used as
a refill box. Once the fill of cleaning tissues 48 has been
used up, the cover part 16 is removed from the body 10 and an
empty packaging sleeve 50 removed from the dispenser box 100
and a full packaging sleeve 50 with cleaning tissues 48
inserted into the dispenser box 100 or body 10. This
packaging sleeve 50 is then opened and the first cleaning
tissue 48 pulled through the cross-slit extraction opening 30
by its free end. Then the cover part 16 is reinserted into
the opening 26 of the body 10 and the dispenser box 100 is
again ready for extraction of cleaning tissues 48 for
hygienic intermediate cleaning of sanitary facilities or
6

CA 02362512 2001-08-20
WO 00/51482 PCT/EP00/01765
surf ace areas in a WC and bathroom area, such as for example,
toilets, WC seat, bowl, lid and flushing cistern, or wash
basins and fittings often needing cleaning. For this purpose
the moist cleaning tissues 48 are expediently fabricated of
an environmentally-compatible special tissue and are thus
suitable for disposal via WC flushing. An antibacterial
coating or solution impregnating the cleaning tissues 48
correspondingly enhances the cleaning effect.
7

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LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS
100 dispenser box
body
12 head part
14 base part
16 cover part
18 standing part
broad sides
22 narrow sides
24 bulge widening portion of head part
26 opening
28 ridge
extraction opening
32 side walls
34 cover
36 film-type hinge
38 pin
hole
42 broad sides of standing part
44 bulge widening portion
46 inner part
48 cleaning tissues
packaging sleeve
8

Representative Drawing