Article dispensing – Concurrent separation and distortion of flexible article – With presentation of non-coextensive or distorted fold
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-21
2001-09-11
Noland, Kenneth W. (Department: 3651)
Article dispensing
Concurrent separation and distortion of flexible article
With presentation of non-coextensive or distorted fold
C206S494000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06286712
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
This invention relates to interfolded sheets of wipes or similar material. More particularly, the invention relates to a stack of interfolded sheets which is formed from connected groups of interfolded sheets.
Paper products such as sheets of tissues and towels 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 sheet from the container causes the next sheet to “pop up” or move into position for removal. The folded sheets can be either wet or dry.
Stacks of interfolded sheets are conventionally formed by slitting a wide web into a plurality of narrow webs which are fed to a folder which interfolds the webs. If the stack contains, for example, 100 individual sheets, then 100 separate narrow webs are fed to the folder. The interfolded webs are cut into a plurality of separate consumer-sized stacks, and each stack is packaged in a separate container.
Folding machines which interfold a large number, for example, 50 to 100, individual webs are relatively complex and expensive. More economical folding machines are available for interfolding a lesser number of webs, for example, 5 to 10. The interfolded webs are cut into a plurality of groups of interfolded webs, and each group of interfolded webs is called a clip. The number or count of interfolded webs in clips which can be produced by the more economical machines is relatively small.
Commercial packages of interfolded wipes or tissues commonly have counts of 40 to 100 or more. If the economical, low count folding machine is used to form such a package by combining a number of clips, the bottom sheet of each clip will not be interfolded with the top sheet of the next clip. The package will therefore not have a continuous dispensing feature since the top sheet of each clip will have to be manually withdrawn from the package. As a result, the economical, low count machines are generally not used to provide interfolded webs.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,520,308 describes a tissue package which is produced without any interfolding apparatus. The tissues are not interfolded, and adjacent tissues are releasably attached by, for example, adhesive.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention permits an economical, low count folding machine to be used for producing high count interfolded sheets by connecting clips of interfolded sheets. In one embodiment of the invention the clips are adhesively connected. The bottom sheet of each clip is adhesively bonded to the top sheet of the next clip so that, as the bottom sheet of one clip is withdrawn from the package, the top sheet of the next clip is partially withdrawn.
The clips can also be connected by non-adhesive means. For example, the sheets can include polypropylene staple fibers which provide a mechanical bond.
In one form of the invention, the strength of the adhesive or non-adhesive bond is adequate to withdraw a portion of the top sheet through the dispenser opening of the package but weak enough to break before the top sheet is completely withdrawn from the package. In another form of the invention, the bottom sheet of one clip and the top sheet of the next clip are partial width sheets rather than full width sheets and the partial sheets are permanently bonded together. The permanently bonded sheets form a full width sheet which is interfolded with both clips to provide continuous dispensing.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2809082 (1957-10-01), Marcuse
patent: 4064880 (1977-12-01), Logan
patent: 4416392 (1983-11-01), Smith
patent: 4674634 (1987-06-01), Wilson
patent: 4776649 (1988-10-01), ten Wolde
patent: 5033620 (1991-07-01), De Luca
patent: 5050909 (1991-09-01), Mertens et al.
patent: 5520308 (1996-05-01), Berg et al.
Craig Grantland A.
Heath Peter A.
Hertel James E.
Huempfner Thomas D.
Johnson Gary E.
Noland Kenneth W.
Paper Converting Machine Co
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