Stock material or miscellaneous articles – Structurally defined web or sheet – Fold at edge
Utility Patent
1999-10-07
2001-01-02
Thomas, Alexander S. (Department: 1772)
Stock material or miscellaneous articles
Structurally defined web or sheet
Fold at edge
C428S130000, C221S048000
Utility Patent
active
06168848
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
This invention relates to folded sheets of paper tissue or similar material. More particularly, the invention relates to a balanced stack of interfolded sheets wherein removal of the top sheet moves the next sheet into position for removal.
Products such as sheets of tissues, towel, non-woven, air laid, melt-blown, and spun-laced materials are conventionally folded and superposed to form a stack which may be stored in a container or dispenser. It is desirable to interfold or interleave the sheets of the stack so that removing the top or sheet from the container causes the next sheet to “pop-up” or move into position for removal. It is also desirable that the stack be balanced, i.e., have uniform bulk across its width. Any vertical cross section through the stack should have substantially the same number of layers of sheet material.
The folded sheets can be either wet or dry. Wet sheets are pre-moistened and present additional packaging considerations. The moisture creates additional friction as the interfolded sheets are withdrawn, and the portion of the sheet which extends out of the container is subject to drying. The exposed portion should therefore be relatively short.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,138,034 describes a package of pre-moistened interleaved sheets. The sheets may have alternating V folds, or alternating Z folds.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,401,928 describes a stack of interleaved sheets in which each sheet includes two quarter folds on the top and a half-width fold on the bottom (FIG.
9
). Adjacent sheets are folded in opposite directions so that the stack is balanced.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,497,903 describes a stack which is essentially an inversion of the stack of the '928 patent.
Co-owned U.S. patent application entitled “Stack Comprising V-Z Folded Sheets,” Ser. No. 09/113,226, filed Jul. 10, 1998, U.S. Pat. No. 6,045,002 describes a stack of right and left V folded sheets which are alternately interleaved with right and left Z folded sheets.
This invention is particularly suitable for interfold wipes or adult wipes which are moistened with a lotion, disinfectant, or other fluid. Existing interfolds which are available for wipes such as Z, V-Z, and modified V folds have an open width of approximately 210 mm (8.25 inches) and a folded width of between 80 and 120 mm. Manufacturing equipment such as ribbon saws, flow-wrappers, and tubbers, not to mention the tubs or containers themselves, are designed for these widths.
There is a growing requirement for bigger wipes with a wider open width, but the available folds do not allow the folded width to be kept to a maximum of 120 mm. This is because it has been found for satisfactory dispensing that an overlap between sheets of between 20 and 40 mm is needed. The optimum dimension depends on the substrate, the lotion or moistening agent, and the dispensing method. To produce a wipe with a folded width equal to 120 mm or less and with an overlap equal to 40 mm or less limits the open width to 280 mm on a Z fold and less on the other folds.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A stack of sheets is formed from interleaved W and Z folded sheets. The W and Z folds allow for sheets having a width up to 340 mm with a 40 mm sheet-to-sheet overlap and a maximum 120 mm folded width.
The narrower width of this W-Z fold opens up other possibilities, such as interfolding 292 mm wide sheets having a 100 mm folded width and interfolding 215 mm wide sheets having a 75 mm folded width. A narrower folded width is desirable for these products since they are considered “portable” products.
The W-Z fold is balanced, and the sheets can be dispensed equally well from the top or bottom of the stack.
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Paper Converting Machine Co.
Thomas Alexander S.
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