Tamper-Resistant Facial Tissue Carton
Tamper resistance is provided for facial tissue cartons having a poly dispensing window and a detachable surfboard with detachment openings to enable a user to grasp and remove the surfboard. The underside of the surfboard is provided with a releasable adhesive barrier which releasably adheres the poly window to the surfboard in order to block unwanted access to the interior of the carton through the detachment openings. The ability of the user to grasp and remove the surfboard is unaffected.
Facial tissue cartons are provided with a removable “surfboard” which the user detaches from the top of the carton in order to access the tissues within the carton. These surfboards are integral with the top of the carton and their edges are defined by perforations circumscribing the surfboard, which is typically oblong-shaped. For pop-up dispensing, a poly film containing a dispensing slit underlies the surfboard and is exposed when the surfboard is removed, creating a “window”. For ease of removal, the surfboard can be provided with small detachment openings on each end to enable the user to insert a finger in order to grasp and detach the surfboard from the carton. Unfortunately, it has been determined that these openings also provide an opportunity for tampering with the product by inserting material between the surfboard and the poly film. Therefore there is a need for a tissue carton that continues to provide the convenience of the current surfboard and poly window features, but makes tampering with the product more difficult.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIt has now been discovered that the tamper resistance of facial tissue cartons can be improved, without adversely affecting the dispensing of the tissues or removal of the surfboard, by providing a releasable adhesive barrier between the surfboard and the poly film.
Hence in one aspect the invention resides in a tissue product comprising a clip of interfolded facial tissues within a container, said container having a top through which the facial tissues are withdrawn by a user, said top comprising a poly film having a dispensing opening and a detachable surfboard overlaying the poly film, there being at least one detachment opening in the top of the container adjacent an edge of the surfboard which enables the user to grasp and remove the surfboard, wherein the surfboard is releasably adhered to the poly film by a releasable adhesive barrier which reduces access to the space between the surfboard and the poly film through said one or more detachment openings.
The invention will be further described in connection with the following Figures. The use of the same reference number in different figures is intended to represent the same feature.
Referring to
The number, size, shape spacing and arrangement of the releasable adhesive barriers and the adhesive deposits forming the releasable adhesive barriers can be any number, size, shape, spacing or arrangement which effectively prevents or resists insertion of unwanted materials into the product. In general, the width of the openings in commercially available facial tissue cartons is about 1.5 inches, so the effective length of the releasable adhesive barriers can be from about 0.5 to about 1.5 inches, more specifically from about 0.75 to about 1.25 inches, and still more specifically from about 1.0 to about 1.25 inches. The effective length of the releasable adhesive barriers and the spacing between individual adhesive deposits in a discontinuous releasable adhesive barrier will be determined by the size and stiffness of the material sought to be excluded. If the material is a 1 inch wide strip of paper, for example, a discontinuous releasable adhesive barrier having individual adhesive deposits spaced apart by about 0.50 inch or less would likely be sufficient, which would take into consideration some bending of the paper strip trying to be inserted.
Suitable releasable adhesives include, without limitation, pressure sensitive hot melt adhesives or cold adhesives. Hot melt adhesives are commonly styrene-butadiene-styrene copolymers and cold adhesives are commonly water-based acrylic polymers. Particularly suitable commercially available releasable adhesives include National Adhesives 70-003A (hot melt) as well as Capital Adhesives and Packaging Company R61315 or R30315 fugitive adhesives (cold). In all cases, the adhesive must adhere the poly window to the surfboard until the surfboard is removed. The degree of force required to detach the surfboard from the poly window should be minimal so the user is not inconvenienced. At the same time, the releasable adhesive preferably should not leave a residue on poly film and remain with the surfboard, which is discarded.
During manufacturing, prior to inserting the clip of tissues into the carton, the releasable adhesive is applied to the carton blank in the location of the underside of the surfboard prior to assembling the carton blank into a carton by any suitable method well known to those skilled in the packaging arts. The poly window is then applied and adhered by pressure to the carton blank over the releasable adhesive deposits, as well as being permanently adhered (glued) to the inside of the top of the carton at a location outside of the periphery of the surfboard. The carton is then assembled in a conventional manner and the tissues loaded into the carton.
It will be appreciated that the foregoing drawings and description, given for purposes of illustration, are not to be construed as limiting the scope of this invention, which is defined by the following claims and all equivalents thereto.
Claims
1. A tissue product comprising a clip of interfolded facial tissues within a container, said container having a top through which the facial tissues are withdrawn by a user, said top comprising a poly film which is glued to the inside of the top and which has a dispensing opening therein, said top further having a detachable surfboard overlaying the poly film, said detachable surfboard having a periphery defined by a combination of cuts and perforations in the top, there being at least one detachment opening in the top of the container adjacent an edge of the surfboard which enables the user to grasp and remove the surfboard to create a poly window in the resulting opening, wherein the surfboard is releasably adhered to the poly film by a releasable adhesive barrier which reduces access to the space between the surfboard and the poly film through said at least one detachment opening.
2. The tissue product of claim 1 wherein the releasable adhesive barrier is continuous.
3. The tissue product of claim 1 wherein the releasable adhesive barrier is discontinuous.
4. The tissue product of claim 1 wherein the effective length of the releasable adhesive barrier is from about 0.5 to about 1.5 inches.
5. The tissue product of claim 1 wherein the effective length of the releasable adhesive barrier is from about 0.75 to about 1.25 inches.
6. The tissue product of claim 1 wherein the effective length of the releasable adhesive barrier is from about 1.0 to about 1.25 inches.
7. The tissue product of claim 1 wherein the releasable adhesive barrier is discontinuous and comprises three individual spaced-apart adhesive deposits.
8. The tissue product of claim 1 wherein the releasable adhesive barrier is a pressure sensitive hot melt adhesive.
9. The tissue product of claim 1 wherein the releasable adhesive barrier is a pressure sensitive cold adhesive.
10. The tissue product of claim 1 wherein the dispensing opening in the poly film is a slit.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 22, 2008
Publication Date: Jun 24, 2010
Inventors: James Bruce Ottman (Oshkosh, WI), Robert Joseph Zelenak (Appleton, WI)
Application Number: 12/341,123
International Classification: B65D 69/00 (20060101); B65D 73/00 (20060101);