Tissue dispenser

Abstract

A dispenser adapted for dispensing from a table top and convertible to dispensing from a standard rolled product fixture is provided. The dispenser includes a flexible, resilient housing having a compartment configured to hold sheets therein and a dispensing opening. The housing includes an integrated sling. The sheets in the compartment are sealed and separated from the sling by a seal. The housing is configured to be coupled to a standard rolled product fixture via the sling for dispensing sheets therefrom. The housing is also configured to be positioned on a table top for dispensing sheets therefrom; the sling is masked as a portion of the housing when the dispenser is positioned on the table top.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The use of single sheets provided as interfolded sheets for bath tissue has been widely accepted. Such single interfolded sheets often provide less waste than traditional rolled bath tissue. Similarly, the use of premoistened or “wet” sheets has gained wide acceptance for a variety of uses, particularly premoistened bathroom applications. The dry sheets and premoistened sheets are generally formed from an absorbent material such as a paper or a polymeric web, or combinations thereof, and may contain a disinfectant, medicant, deodorant, anti-microbial, anti-bacterial, cleansing agent, and so forth, in one or more combinations, on a dry sheet, or in a “wet” formulation on a premoistened sheet. Premoistened sheets are generally stored and dispensed from a sealable container to prevent the sheets from drying out.

Various dispenser designs for dry and/or premoistened sheets have been used with existing bathroom fixtures, such as fixtures for conventional rolled products. These separate or combined dispensers are often cumbersome and bulky, and they are problematic with regard to space and mounting considerations. Refilling one or both dispensers can also be difficult.

Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a dispenser capable of dispensing dry and/or premoistened sheets, such as facial tissue, bath tissue, and so forth, from a table top, a standard rolled product fixture, a hook, and so forth. Such a dispenser would desirably be manufactured easily and inexpensively, and would desirably be a one-use, non-refillable dispenser which would be disposed of when the tissue or sheet material was depleted therefrom.

DEFINITIONS

As used herein, the terms “sheet material” and “tissue” are used interchangeably, and they mean a material that is thin in comparison to its length and breadth. Generally speaking, sheet materials or tissues should exhibit a relatively flat planar configuration and be flexible to permit folding, rolling, stacking, and the like. Exemplary sheet materials and tissues include, but are not limited to, paper tissue, such as facial tissue and bath tissue, paper towels, label rolls, or other fibrous, film, polymers, or filamentary products.

As used herein, the term “fasteners” means devices that fasten, join, connect, secure, hold, or clamp components together. Fasteners include, but are not limited to, screws, nuts and bolts, rivets, snap-fits, tacks, nails, loop fasteners, and interlocking male/female connectors, such as fishhook connectors, a fish hook connector includes a male portion with a protrusion on its circumference. Inserting the male portion into the female portion substantially permanently locks the two portions together.

As used herein, the term “couple” includes, but is not limited to, joining, connecting, fastening, linking, or associating two things integrally or interstitially together.

These terms may be defined with additional language in the remaining portions of the specification.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In response to the difficulties and problems discussed above, a dispenser is provided which is adapted for dispensing from a table top and convertible to dispensing from a standard rolled product fixture is provided. The dispenser includes a flexible, resilient housing having a compartment configured to hold sheets therein and a dispensing opening. The housing includes an integrated sling. The sheets in the compartment are sealed and separated from the sling by a seal. The housing is configured to be coupled to a standard rolled product fixture via the sling for dispensing sheets therefrom. The housing is also configured to be positioned on a table top for dispensing sheets therefrom; the sling is masked as a portion of the housing when the dispenser is positioned on the table top.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the dispenser having an integrated sling of the present invention, showing the dispenser with folded sheet material (in phantom lines) contained therein;

FIG. 2 is sectional view of FIG. 1 taken along lines 2-2;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 2, but showing the integrated sling positioned against an upper end of the dispenser;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a dispenser having an integrated sling of the present invention, showing the dispenser in its dispensing position on a spindle of a tissue dispenser, a compartment holding premoistened sheets and folded sheets illustrated in phantom lines therein;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of FIG. 4 taken along lines 5-5; and

FIG. 6 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 5, but showing the integrated sling positioned against an upper end of the dispenser.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to one or more embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Each example and embodiment is provided by way of explanation of the invention, and is not meant as a limitation of the invention. For example, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment may be used with another embodiment to yield still a further embodiment. It is intended that the invention include these and other modifications and variations as coming within the scope and spirit of the invention.

Referring to the figures in general, a dispenser is provided for storing and dispensing sheets. It should be appreciated that the present invention is not limited to any particular type of sheets. The dispenser, however, is well suited for dispensing, by way of non-limiting example, individual stacked sheets and/or interfolded sheets, as generally illustrated in the figures. Non-limiting examples of dry sheets are disclosed in U.S. Pat No. 3,301,746 to Sanford et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,322,617 to Osborne, U.S. Pat. No. 5,048,589 to Cook et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,399,412 to Sudall et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,607,551 to Farrington et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,672,248 to Wendt et al., all of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. Non-limiting examples of premoistened sheets are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,741,944 and 4,865,221, both to Jackson et. al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,629,081 to Richards et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,656,361 to Vogt et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,964,351 to Zander, all of which are incorporated by reference in there entirety herein. Such stack configurations for dry sheets, such as toilet tissue and/or premoistened sheets are well known to those of ordinary skill in the art and need not be described in great detail herein.

The dispenser shown in FIGS. 1-3 discloses a dispenser for tissue or sheets of material, in this instance, desirably dry sheets, such as, for example, bath tissue and/or facial tissue. The dispenser includes an integrates sling that may be used to dispense sheets from a roll mount (a portion of a roll mount 122 is illustrated in FIGS. 4-5) of a standard rolled product fixture (not shown). The dispenser also has a perforations positioned in the sling such that, when separated, provide an aperture configured to receive a hook therethrough. In this manner, the dispenser may be hung from a hook (not shown) or similar device. In addition, the integrated sling of the dispenser may be folded down and positioned against the dispenser. In this manner, the dispenser may be positioned on a table surface or similar surface, to permit dispensing therefrom as a tissue dispenser, and so forth.

Turning now to FIG. 1, a dispenser 10 according to the invention is provided for desirably, but not by way of limitation, dispensing dry sheets 12. The dry sheets 12 are desirably interfolded, stacked, and/or festooned, with or without perforations, and so forth.

The dispenser 10 includes a housing 14 which has a compartment 18 in which dry sheets 12 are stored and dispensed therefrom. A dispensing opening 20 (FIG. 2) is defined in the housing 14 to permit access to the compartment 18 and the dry sheets 12 therein when perforations positioned, for example, in the front wall are separated to provide the opening (FIG. 1). One or more dispensing openings may be provided, however, in any wall, structure, and/or combination thereof in any embodiment herein of the housing to permit dispensing of any sheet(s) shown and/or described herein. It will be appreciated that the dispensing opening of any embodiment herein may take any suitable shape and configuration. Any dispensing opening shown and/or described herein may be covered, for example, but not by way of limitation, by a plastic film having a slit to provide access to the sheets (not shown), and so forth.

The housing 14 includes front and back walls 22, 24 and upper and lower ends 26, 28. An opposing pair of sidewalls 30 cooperate with the walls front and back walls 22, 24 and upper and lower ends 26, 28 to provide the housing 14. Desirably, but not by way of limitation, the housing 14 may be formed to generally conform to a certain amount or plurality of dry sheets 12 provided in the housing 14. In the present embodiment, the dry sheets 12 as a group have a generally polygonal shape. Similarly, by way of non-limiting example, the housing 14 has a generally polygonal shape as well. The housing 14 may take any form to conform to functional and/or aesthetic requirements.

As shown in FIGS. 1-3, the dispenser 10 desirably is formed to include an integrated sling 32. The housing 14 may desirably be formed from a generally polygonally-shaped resilient, flexible bag or container having a configuration larger than the plurality of sheet material 12 which is disposed therein. The sheets 12 are held in one area 33 of the bag, and an area of excess 34 is formed in another area of the bag. The area of excess 34 is then separated from the area 33 holding the sheets 12, and sealed away therefrom by a seal line 35 formed by heat sealing, ultrasonic sealing, adhesive sealing, and so forth, so that the area 33 of the bag containing the sheet material 12 is isolated from the remainder of the bag and the area of excess 34 which is empty, and which forms the integrated sling 32. The sling 32 desirably includes perforations 36 at each end thereof, which, when separated to provide openings, permit a roll mount of a standard rolled product fixture (such as roll mount 122 shown in FIG. 4 and 5) to be positioned through the sling 32, so that the dispenser 10 may be easily attached to and detached therefrom.

A standard rolled product fixture may have spaced apart side support arms mounted to and extending transversely from a generally vertical support surface, such as a wall, or coupled to a base or back member (not shown). Typically, a roll mount extends between and is releasably coupled to such support arms (not shown). The roll mount shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, by way of non-limiting example, is a conventional spindle. As used herein, the term “roll mount” includes a spindle, and also includes a pair of prongs mounted on each support arm in a confronting relationship, such that may be used with a coreless bath tissue roll, such as, by way of example and not limitation, the one illustrated and described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,620,148 to J. Mitchell, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety herein.

In addition, the sling 32 includes perforations 38 positioned in a central location thereof. These perforations 38, when separated, provide an opening for a hook to extend therethrough (not shown). Therefore, the dispenser 10 may be easily hung (and detached) from a hook for dispenser therefrom.

The dispenser 10 may also be used to dispense dry sheets 12 for use as, for example, facial tissue, from a generally horizontal surface (not shown). Such a horizontal surface may include a table top, and so forth. In this instance, the sling 32 may be folded down, against the upper end 26 of the housing 14, and may be held in position by, for example, but not by way of limitation, an adhesive, a separate seal, and so forth. In addition, when the sling 32 is positioned against the housing 14, it may be masked. That is, its purpose my not be clear, and its purpose or function may be masked or “hidden” as a portion of the housing 14 when it is folded against the housing 14.

As shown in FIG. 3, the front wall 22 which has the dispensing opening 20 may be positioned such that the dry sheets may be withdrawn from the front wall of the dispenser 10. However, it will be appreciated that the dispenser 10 may be rotated such that the front wall 22 having the dispensing opening 20 therein is positioned as the top or uppermost structure of the dispenser 10 (not shown). It will also be understood that any position may be used to dispense dry sheets 12, from a horizontal surface such as a table top.

As described previously, when the dispenser 10 is desired for use in a bathroom, the sling 32 may be moved away from the upper end 26, as shown in FIG. 1 and 2, to adapt for use in a bathroom. The dispenser 10 easily converts from a table top dispenser to a bath room dispenser that easily and quickly couples to a standard rolled product fixture, a hook, and so forth, for dispensing dry sheets for use as bath or toilet tissue.

Any portion of any housing shown and/or described herein may include an opening which, if the housing is opaque, reveals the amount of tissue contained in the compartment (not shown). Such an opening provides an indication of the amount of tissue or sheet material contained in the compartment. It will be appreciated that when the housing, or any portion thereof, may be clear, tinted, or opaque.

The housing 14 may desirably be for one use and non-refillable, and when the dry sheets 12 are removed, the dispenser 10 is disposed of. The housing 14 is desirably, but not by way of limitation, formed from any conventional material, and desirably, from a relatively inexpensive material(s) such as, but not by way of limitation, cardboard, paper, paperboard, plastic, polymer film, cellophane, metallic film, any combination thereof, and so forth. Desirably, the housing is provided at least partially from a flexible, resilient material, such as a plastic film. Any housing herein may be provided in any shape or configuration, and the present embodiments are provided as a non-limiting examples thereof.

In another embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in FIGS. 4-6, the dispenser 110 and housing 114 are very similar to the dispenser 10 and the housing 14 shown in FIGS. 1-3, and previously described in detail herein. The dispenser 110, however, is adapted to provide premoistened sheets 111 as well as dry sheets 12 from a single housing 114. The compartment 118 contains a plurality of dry sheets 12. The compartment 118 also includes a container 119 of premoistened sheets 111 as well. The container 119 of premoistened sheets 111, as illustrated in FIGS. 4-6, may be provided as a separate container 119. Alternatively, however, the container 119 of premoistened sheets 111 may be provided as a portion of a cartridge which includes dry sheets 12 (not shown).

The housing 114, similar to the housing 14; the housing includes an opening for dispensing dry sheets 12 and perforations 121 to provide an opening for dispensing premoistened sheets 111 as well. Desirably, but not by way of limitation, the housing 114 may be formed to generally conform to a certain amount of dry sheets 12 and the container 119 of premoistened sheets 111 as well. In the present embodiment, the dry sheets 12 and the container 119 of premoistened sheets 111 may together have a generally polygonal shape.

The premoistened sheets 111 are dispensed from the container 119 from openings (not shown) in the container 119 and through a dispensing opening (not shown) in the housing 114. The dry sheets 12 are dispensed from the dispensing opening 120 on the front wall 22 of the housing 114, as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6.

A resealable cover (not shown) may be positioned over a dispensing opening (not shown) in the housing 114 which is aligned with the opening (not shown) in the container 119 of premoistened sheets 111. The premoistened sheets 111 are then accessed through the resealable cover to permit dispensing of the premoistened sheets 111 from the dispenser 110. Alternatively, or, in addition thereto, the container 119 may also include a resealable cover which is aligned with the dispensing opening of the housing 114 to permit access to the premoistened sheets 119 as well (not shown). Such a resealable cover is used to maintain the moisture conditions within the container 119 and to prevent undesired drying out of the premoistened sheets 111. Such releasable covers may, by way of non-limiting example, use an adhesive, such as a pressure sensitive adhesive, a cohesive adhesive, such as a latex or other natural rubber material, and so forth, to provide a seal. Other resealable mechanisms, such as, by way of non-limiting example, snap-fit, hinged cover and lid, and so forth are known and may be used; any resealable mechanism known in the art may be used with any dispensing opening in the housing and/or any opening in the container.

As illustrated in FIGS. 4-6, the housing 114 desirably is an integral unit such that one compartment contains both the dry sheets 12 and the container 119 of premoistened sheets 111. However, alternatively, the housing 114 may include first and second compartments formed separately such that one compartment holds dry sheets and another compartment holds the container of premoistened sheets (not shown). Such compartments may be delineated by separate cartridges or containers, or, by way of non-limiting example, the housing may have at least a portion of an inner wall (not shown) in which to provide first and second compartments (not shown).

The premoistened sheets 111 may be encased in a liquid impermeable film, and this film may provide a portion, or all, of the container 119. In a further example, the container 119 may be formed from at least one other material, and the container 119 may be lined with the film (not shown).

The dispenser 110 may be utilized as described herein previously. That is, the dispenser 110 may be coupled to a roll mount 122 via the sling 132, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. Alternatively, the sling 132 may be positioned against a portion of the housing 114, as shown in FIG. 6 for table top dispensing, and so forth. In addition, it will be appreciated that the dispenser 110 and the housing 114 may include any features and/or characteristics shown and/or described herein.

It will be understood that the position of the premoistened sheets and/or the dry sheets within the housing of any embodiment of this invention may be reversed, and they need not be in a specific configuration, and may take on any suitable arrangement, including a stacked arrangement, a side-by-side arrangement, a coaxial arrangement, and so forth. Any number of configurations may be used for simultaneously dispensing dry and premoistened sheets from a single housing. All such configurations are within the scope and spirit of the present invention.

While the present invention has been described in connection with certain preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the subject matter encompassed by way of the present invention is not to be limited to those specific embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended for the subject matter of the invention to include all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as can be included within the spirit and scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A non-refillable dispenser adapted for dispensing from a table top and convertible to dispensing from a standard rolled product fixture, the non-refillable dispenser comprising:

a flexible, resilient housing having a compartment configured to hold sheets therein and a dispensing opening, the housing including an integrated sling, wherein the sheets in the compartment are sealed and separated from the sling by a seal line, the housing configured to be coupled to a standard rolled product fixture via the sling for dispensing sheets therefrom, the housing configured to be positioned on a table top for dispensing sheets therefrom, wherein the sling is masked as a portion of the housing when the dispenser is positioned on a table top.

2. The non-refillable dispenser of claim 1, wherein the housing is formed from a plastic bag.

3. The non-refillable dispenser of claim 2, wherein the plastic bag is formed to be larger than a plurality of sheets in the compartment and has an area of excess which is empty, which provides the sling.

4. The non-refillable dispenser of claim 3, wherein the sling includes perforations.

5. The non-refillable dispenser of claim 4, wherein when the perforations are opened, openings permit a roll mount to pass through the sling and couple to a fixture.

6. The non-refillable dispenser of claim 1, wherein the sling is positioned against a portion of the housing when the dispenser is used for dispensing from a table top.

7. The non-refillable dispenser of claim 6, wherein the function of the sling is masked until the sling is released from the portion of the housing.

8. The non-refillable dispenser of claim 7, wherein the sling is held against the housing by an adhesive.

9. The non-refillable dispenser of claim 1, wherein the sheets include dry sheets.

10. The non-refillable dispenser of claim 1, wherein the sheets include dry sheets and premoistened sheets.

11. A dispenser adapted for dispensing from a table top and convertible to dispensing from a standard rolled product fixture in a bathroom, the non-refillable dispenser comprising:

a flexible housing having a compartment configured to hold dry sheets and premoistened sheets therein and dispensing openings positioned to permit the dry sheets and the premoistened sheets to be dispensed therefrom, the housing including an integrated sling, wherein the dry sheets and the premoistened sheets in the compartment are sealed and separated from the sling by a seal line, the housing configured to be coupled to a standard rolled product fixture via the sling for dispensing dry and premoistened sheets therefrom, the housing configured to be positioned on a table top for dispensing dry and premoistend sheets therefrom, wherein the sling is masked as a portion of the housing when the dispenser is positioned on a table top.

12. The non-refillable dispenser of claim 11, wherein the housing is formed from a plastic bag.

13. The non-refillable dispenser of claim 12, wherein the plastic bag is formed to be larger than a plurality of sheets in the compartment and has an area of excess which is empty, which provides the sling.

14. The non-refillable dispenser of claim 13, wherein the sling includes perforations.

15. The non-refillable dispenser of claim 14, wherein when the perforations are opened, openings permit a roll mount to pass through the sling and couple to a fixture.

16. The non-refillable dispenser of claim 11, wherein the sling is positioned against a portion of the housing when the dispenser is used for dispensing from a table top.

17. The non-refillable dispenser of claim 16, wherein the function of the sling is masked until the sling is released from the portion of the housing.

18. The non-refillable dispenser of claim 17, wherein the sling is held against the housing by an adhesive.

19. A non-refillable dispenser adapted for dispensing from a table top and convertible to dispensing from a standard rolled product fixture, the non-refillable dispenser comprising:

a flexible, resilient housing having a compartment configured to hold a plurality of sheets therein and a dispensing opening, the housing formed larger than the plurality of sheets, the housing including an area of excess which is substantially empty, the area of excess sealed and separated from the compartment by a seal line, the area of excess having perforations and providing an integrated sling, wherein the housing is configured to be coupled to a standard rolled product fixture via the sling for dispensing sheets therefrom, and wherein the housing is configured to be positioned on a table top for dispensing sheets therefrom, the sling masked as a portion of the housing when the dispenser is positioned on a table top.

20. The non-refillable dispenser of claim 19, wherein when the perforations are opened, a roll mount is passed through the sling to permit the dispenser to couple to a fixture.

21. The non-refillable dispenser of claim 19, wherein the sling is positioned against a portion of the housing when the dispenser is used for dispensing from a table top.

22. The non-refillable dispenser of claim 21, wherein the function of the sling is masked until the sling is released from the portion of the housing.