Wet tissue package

Details Wet tissue package Wet tissue package

2000-03-07

2001-10-02

Noland, Kenneth W. (Department: 3651)

Article dispensing

Concurrent separation and distortion of flexible article

With casing or support

C206S494000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06296144

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a package in which wet tissues are accommodated. More particularly, the present invention relates to a portably compact wet tissue package from which wet tissues can be taken out one by one in a folded state.
2. Related Art
Wet tissues are widely used for wiping the rear of a baby or child at the time of changing a diaper. Such wet tissues are made of non-woven fabrics impregnated with water or chemicals and are individually folded. Then, the folded wet tissues are stacked and accommodated in a bag-shaped or container-shaped packaging material, so that they can be taken out one by one for use from an opening formed in the upper face of the packaging material.
However, because such a wet tissue is made so thin, materials to be cleaned such as excrements are liable to pass through the wet tissue to soil the hands, when used for wiping the rear or the like in its opened out state. At the time of wiping the excrements or the like, therefore, the wet tissue taken out from the packaging material is first opened out by hand and is then folded into a preferable size for use, for example, into two or four. However, it is extremely inconvenient to open out the wet tissue for changing its folding size.
Moreover, it is preferable that the wet tissue of this kind can be carried while being accommodated in a small-sized, bag-shaped packaging material. In order to fold and accommodate one wet tissue in the small packaging material, however, the area of the wet tissue has to be reduced. If such a small wet tissue is folded into two for wiping, it becomes so small that the hand is easily soiled with the materials to be cleaned such as excrements.
On the other hand, when a wet tissue having a large area is to be folded so compact as to fit the small-sized packaging material, it has to be multi-folded in a seriously complex manner. In this case, the wet tissues are liable to be wrinkled, when taken out one by one from the opening. Therefore, it is so laborious to open it out before the folding for use.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention has been conceived to solve the aforementioned problems of the prior art and has an object to provide a wet tissue package which allows the use in a double-folded state without the folding operation to be done by the user of the prior art and which can compactly accommodate wet tissues even though they have a large area in an opened out state.
According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a wet tissue package comprising a plurality of rectangular or square wet tissues which are individually folded and are stacked in a bag-shaped or container-shaped packaging material of which an upper face is formed with an opening for taking out the wet tissues therethrough one by one, wherein each of the wet tissues is folded on a first folding line (L
1
) into a double-folded state, the double-folded wet tissue is folded on a second folding line (L
2
) so that the first folding line (L
1
) is laid over an upper side of the double-folded wet tissue; folded on a third folding line (L
3
) so that side edges (
11
b
) opposed to the first folding line (L
1
) are laid over a back side of the double-folded wet tissue; and then folded on a fourth folding line (L
4
) perpendicular to the first folding line (L
1
) so that the back side becomes a valley side, and the wet tissue after being folded on the fourth folding line (L
4
) is accommodated in the packaging material with the upper side thereof directed toward the upper face of the packaging material so that the first folding line (L
1
) appearing on the upper side of the wet tissue is exposed in the opening of the packaging material.
According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a wet tissue package comprising a plurality of rectangular or square wet tissues which are individually folded and are stacked in a bag-shaped or container-shaped packaging material of which an upper face is formed with an opening for taking out the wet tissues therethrough one by one, wherein each of the wet tissues is folded on a first folding line (L
1
) into a double-folded state, the double-folded wet tissue is folded on a second folding line (L
2
) so that the first folding line (L
1
) is laid over an upper side of the double-folded wet tissue; folded on a sixth folding line (L
6
) located between the first folding line (L
1
) and the second folding line (L
2
) so that the first folding line (L
1
) is positioned above the second folding line (L
2
); folded on a third folding line (L
3
) so that side edges (
11
b
) opposed to the first folding line (L
1
) are laid over a back side of the double-folded wet tissue; and then folded on a fourth folding line (L
4
) perpendicular to the first folding line (L
1
) so that the back side becomes a valley side, and the wet tissue after being folded on the fourth folding line (L
4
) is accommodated in the packaging material with the upper side thereof directed toward the upper face of the packaging material so that at least one of the first folding line (L
1
) and the sixth folding line (L
6
) appearing on the upper side of the wet tissue is exposed in the opening of the packaging material.
According to the invention, the wet tissue can be taken out from the packaging material by pinching the first folding line (L
1
) or the sixth folding line (L
6
) appearing in the opening of the packaging material. Therefore, the wet tissue can be used for wiping excrements or the like in its double-folded state on the first folding line (L
1
) or in such a state that the double-folded wet tissue is further folded on the sixth folding line (L
6
), with no need to fold the wet tissue taken out from the packaging material.
Moreover, because the wet tissue is folded intending that it is used as folded at least on the first folding line (L
1
), it can be accommodated compactly in a small-sized packaging material even though it has a wide area in the opened out state.
To accommodate the wet tissue compactly in the packaging material, it is preferable that the double-folded wet tissue has substantially one half of the area of the wet tissue in its opened out state. Alternatively, it is preferable that the double-folded wet tissue is further folded such that either of two folded portions is folded on another folding line (L
7
or L
8
), to thereby have at most one half (more preferably, less than one half) of the area of the wet tissue in the opened out state.
Preferably, the first folding line (L
1
) or the sixth folding line (L
6
) is located substantially at a center between the second folding line (L
2
) and the third folding line (L
3
). With such arrangement, the wet tissues can be taken out one by one easily from the opening, which is located at a general center or close to one side of the upper face of the packaging material.
Preferably, a portion folded on the third folding line (L
3
) and laid over the back side is further folded on a fifth folding line (L
5
). This can make the wet tissue package more compact.
In the wet tissue in the opened out state, if the difference between a length (a) of the side edge (
11
a
) perpendicular to the first folding line (L
1
) and a length (b) of the side edge (
11
b
) parallel to the first folding line (L
1
) is 30 mm or more, it is preferable that (a)>(b). On the other hand, if the difference between the length (a) and the length (b) is less than 30 mm, (a)>(b), (a)<(b) or (a)=(b) are all acceptable.


REFERENCES:
patent: 3490645 (1970-01-01), Glass et al.
patent: 5242057 (1993-09-01), Cook et al.
patent: 6109430 (2000-08-01), Bando et al.
patent: 2436645 A1 (1975-03-01), None
patent: 9106555 (1991-05-01), None

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