Article dispensing – Concurrent separation and distortion of flexible article
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-29
2003-02-18
Bollinger, David H. (Department: 3653)
Article dispensing
Concurrent separation and distortion of flexible article
C221S045000, C221S063000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06520371
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
This invention relates generally to a box adapter, and specifically relates to a tissue box supplemental adapter in which a central opening in a shape of a substantially rectangular narrow slit, or any other narrow or small opening in any form or shape that serves the purpose of holding a sheet of tissue to remain partially withdrawn from a tissue box, is cut in the center of the adapter, which will be placed on top of a box of tissues. Further, this invention may be used in lieu of the tissue box and function as a tissue box on its own.
The opening of conventional tissue box, which is often made of a plastic film, is cut quite large in length, to allow tissues to be pulled up through the top easily. While this is acceptable in the beginning when tissues are still able to be held up firmly one after another, over time, the plastic film becomes enlarged with wear and tear and causes the tissues to eventually drop back into an often half-empty box. The user will have to reach into the box to retrieve a tissue, which will cause further breakage of the plastic film. The tissues at this point are no longer held firmly in place by the plastic film.
In addition, tissues are intended to be dispensed one tissue after another, but after the plastic film in a conventional tissue box becomes worn out over time, the user ends up pulling more than one tissue at a time. The wear and tear to the plastic film most frequently occurs during nighttime when users try to reach for tissues in the dark. Such wear and tear of the plastic film leads to waste of tissues, as oftentimes the users who remove more than one sheet of tissue at a time do not replace the excessive tissue back into the box, and rather, use the entire sheets.
Moreover, after tissues drop back into the box because of the wear to the plastic film, users will need to grab tissues by touching the edges of the plastic film and digging around in the conventional tissue box to pull a tissue back up again. This constant handling of the clean tissues in the box and touching of the plastic film undeniably leads to contamination of the tissues.
Efforts have been made to prevent tissues pulled out from the tissue box from sinking inside the tissue box by using a cover case for the tissue box. In one conventional cover case, a tissue box is housed within a case main body, whereby an opening for allowing tissues to be drawn out from the tissue box is located on the upper surface of the case main body, and a cover is connected to the case main body by way of a hinge to the case main body. On an inner surface of the cover, a holding member is provided to position the tissue drawn out from the opening along the inner surface. However, this conventional cover case does not address the problem of multiple sheets of tissue being pulled out from the box at a time, nor does it remedy the problem of maintaining the tissues to remain withdrawn, one sheet at a time, for easy access by the user.
SUMMARY
Accordingly, this device is designed to help eliminate these problems. The present invention meets these needs by providing a new and useful tissue box supplemental adapter, in which a narrow slit or any small opening is cut in the center of the adapter that is to be placed on top of a tissue box. The slit or opening can be in any form or shape that serves the purpose of holding the tissues in place, to keep the pull of tissues out constantly.
The present adapter also ensures that tissues remain withdrawn all the time above the slit opening, resulting in enhanced convenience for the user, since the user no longer has to reach deep into the tissue box to retrieve the tissues.
The present adapter also promotes good hygiene. The user, who is often the carrier of germs due to sickness or otherwise, would not accidentally grab more than one sheet of tissue at a time, the excess of which would often be replaced back into the tissue box. Thus, every sheet of tissue coming out from the tissue box employing the present adapter would be free of contamination by germs which may be spread by the user. The tissue box itself and its opening would be free of contamination, as well, since the user no longer has to reach into the box to retrieve the tissues.
Therefore the present invention satisfies the long felt need of having a tissue box supplemental adapter that is able to keep the pull of tissues out constantly, and to allow users to conveniently retrieve the tissues from the tissue box, one at a time.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3207360 (1965-09-01), Scott
patent: 3266666 (1966-08-01), Nelson
patent: 3343716 (1967-09-01), Peebles
patent: 3349959 (1967-10-01), Watkins
patent: 3994417 (1976-11-01), Boedecker
patent: 4411374 (1983-10-01), Hotchkiss
patent: 5054612 (1991-10-01), Meyer, Jr.
patent: 5509571 (1996-04-01), Weber
Bollinger David H.
Intellectual Property Law Group LLP
Jackson Juneko C.
Lee Otto O.
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