Paper product dispensing system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11136180-B2
Application number	US-201716344286-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 31, 2017
Priority date	Oct 31, 2016
Publication date	Oct 5, 2021
Grant date	Oct 5, 2021

Abstract

A consumable product dispenser comprising: a housing comprising a front cover, a back, two sides, a product holding area defined by the front cover, back and two sides, and a dispenser opening defining an opening in the housing to the product holding area; and wherein the front cover, the back, and two sides are arranged to form a non-rectangular and noncircular cross section for the product holding area in an X-Y plane.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
providing a product dispenser configured to hold a first consumable product in a product holding area of the product dispenser, wherein the first consumable product has a rectangular shape and the product holding area has a first cross-sectional shape in an X-Y plane with a perimeter, and wherein the first cross-sectional shape of the product holding area is rectangular and matched to the first shape of the consumable product;
fitting one or more perimeter inserts into the product holding area of the product dispenser, wherein the perimeter inserts are positioned proximate to the perimeter and change the first cross-sectional shape of the product holding area to a second cross-sectional shape wherein the second cross-sectional shape is non-rectangular and non-circular cross-section, wherein the product holding area with the non-rectangular and non-circular cross-section is configured to hold a second consumable product having a non-rectangular and non-circular cross-section, and wherein the shape of the non-rectangular and non-circular cross-section of the product holding area with the permiter inserts is matched to that of the second consumable product.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the consumable product are folded paper hand towels.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the non-rectangular and non-circular cross-section is a trapezoidal cross-section.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the consumable product is stacked in the product holding area along an axis normal to the X-Y plane.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the product are facial tissues.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the opening is in a top side of the housing.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the opening is in a bottom side of the housing.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the product are wipers.

Assignees

• Kimberly Clark Co

Inventors

• Swails Marvin E
• Lilley David A

Classifications

• A47K10/42

  dispensing from a store of single sheets, e.g. stacked · CPC title

• A47K2010/3233

  Details of the housing, e.g. hinges, connection to the wall · CPC title

• B65D83/08 Primary

  for dispensing thin flat articles in succession (for surgical scalpel blades A61B17/3215) · CPC title

• A47K10/424 Primary

  dispensing from the bottom part of the dispenser (A47K10/44 takes precedence) · CPC title