Upright facial tissue carton with improved tissue dispensing

Details Upright facial tissue carton with improved tissue dispensing Upright facial tissue carton with improved tissue dispensing

1999-07-01

2001-03-20

Noland, Kenneth W. (Department: 3651)

Article dispensing

Concurrent separation and distortion of flexible article

With follower

C221S063000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06202889

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an upright facial tissue carton with improved tissue dispensing. More specifically, this invention relates to an upright facial tissue carton having a support member for facilitating singular dispensing of the tissues from the carton.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Facial tissue cartons come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes but they can generally be classified as either one of two basic styles. One style is the flat carton and the other is the upright carton. In a flat carton, the tissues are laid flat into the carton and are withdrawn from the top of the carton or through an opening in the top which partially extends downward into the front sidewall. The tissues within the carton may be interfolded for pop-up dispensing or merely laid on top of one another for reach-in dispensing. In an upright carton, the tissues are folded into an inverted U-shaped clip and are interfolded for pop-up dispensing. Each tissue is singularly withdrawn through a dispensing opening in the top of the carton, which may contain a polymeric film having a slit to hold the popped up tissue in place.
Both types of facial tissue cartons can experience dispensing problems after the number of tissues within the carton is reduced. This dispensing problem is primarily concerned with what is known by those skilled in the art as “fall back.” Fall back occurs as the number of tissues within the carton is reduced and the distance between the uppermost tissue and the dispensing opening in the top of the carton increases. This can cause the uppermost tissue to fall back into the box rather than being retained by the opening for ready removal. In flat cartons having an opening in the front wall, each tissue has a flat orientation relative to an adjacent tissue and the dispensing opening is usually of a large size. These two features facilitate the insertion of a consumer's fingers into the carton such that the uppermost tissue can be grasped and removed. Upright cartons present a distinct difference in that the tissues retained in the carton are folded into an inverted U-shape and the dispensing opening is usually of a smaller size than that formed in flat cartons. Because of these two features, the problem associated with trying to withdraw the uppermost tissue after it has fallen back into the carton is more difficult.
When a support member is utilized, there is a need for a quick and efficient method of folding the tissue and the support member together so that both can be simultaneously inserted into the carton. The method must not slow down the manufacturing process and has to be cost efficient.
In view of the above, it has been recognized that there is a need for an upright facial tissue carton with a supporting member for maintaining the tissue in close proximity to the dispensing opening for easy withdrawal.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Briefly, this invention relates to an upright facial tissue carton with improved tissue dispensing. The carton has a top wall, four sidewalls and a bottom wall. The top wall has an aperture formed therein through which the tissue can be withdrawn. An inverted U-shaped clip of interfolded tissue is positioned within the carton. The clip of tissue is maintained in close proximity to the aperture by a support means to facilitate singular dispensing of the tissues from the carton. The support means is formed from a flexible material that is folded into an inverted U-shape along with the clip of tissue.
The general object of this invention is to provide an upright facial tissue carton with improved tissue dispensing. A more specific object of this invention is to provide an upright facial tissue carton with a support member for facilitating singular dispensing of the tissues from the carton.
Another object of this invention is to provide an upright facial tissue carton with a support member for maintaining the tissue in close proximity to the dispensing opening for easy withdrawal.
A further object of this invention is to provide an upright facial tissue carton with a support member which is economical to produce and easy to insert into the carton.
Still another object of this invention is to provide an upright facial tissue carton with a support member that can be folded along with the clip of tissue before being inserted into the carton.
Still further, an object of this invention is to provide an upright facial tissue carton with a support member that is made of cardboard.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the following description and the accompanying drawings.


REFERENCES:
patent: 2761584 (1956-09-01), Johnson et al.
patent: 3624791 (1971-11-01), Taub
patent: 3881632 (1975-05-01), Early et al.
patent: 4231491 (1980-11-01), Pierson et al.
patent: 5363985 (1994-11-01), Cornell
patent: 5415320 (1995-05-01), North et al.

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