Dispenser and stack of sheet products

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11812899-B2
Application number	US-202016937313-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 23, 2020
Priority date	Jul 13, 2011
Publication date	Nov 14, 2023
Grant date	Nov 14, 2023

Abstract

A dispenser and a stack combination. A dispenser that contains a stack of sheet products and which defines a dispensing path from a product reservoir containing and holding the stack to a dispensing opening through which the sheet products are dispensed. A stack of interfolded webs wherein the lines of weakness of one web are offset from the lines of weakness of another web in a longitudinal direction.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A dispenser, comprising:
at least one stack of interfolded webs, wherein the stack comprises at least two webs, including:
a first elongate web divided into sheet products defined between longitudinally separated lines of weakness extending across the first web; and
a second elongate web divided into sheet products defined between longitudinally separated lines of weakness extending across the second web;
wherein the webs are interfolded to form the stack so that the lines of weakness of the first web are offset from the lines of weakness of the second web in a longitudinal direction of the first web;
a housing defining a product reservoir, wherein the at least one stack of interfolded webs is contained in the product reservoir; and
a dispensing opening at a front of the housing, the opening extending below a first nip, wherein the housing comprises a front wall forming a front wall of the product reservoir, wherein the front wall has a front wall surface facing the front of the housing, and a rear surface facing a rear of the housing, wherein the front wall surface of the front wall is revealed by opening a refill door of the dispenser when the refill door is opened for refilling the product reservoir, wherein the refill door opens horizontally along a vertical axis,
wherein a leading portion of the webs of the stack is supported in a dispensing path from the product reservoir to the dispensing opening,
wherein the weight of the stack is downwardly oriented to bare against a bottom of the stack and the leading portion of the first and second webs extends from a top of the stack.

2. The dispenser of claim 1 , wherein the leading portion extends upwardly from the top of the stack.

3. The dispenser of claim 1 , wherein the first nip is provided at or adjacent the dispensing opening that engages opposing major surfaces of the webs, wherein the first nip has a first nip part and a second nip part, wherein the dispensing path extends between the first nip part and the second nip part.

4. The dispenser of claim 3 , comprising a second nip along a dispensing path traversed by the leading portion of the webs from the product reservoir to the first nip, wherein the second nip engages opposed major surfaces of the webs.

5. The dispenser of claim 3 , wherein the first nip is released upon opening a door to refill the product reservoir.

6. The dispenser of claim 4 , wherein the second nip engages against the major surfaces of the webs to resist the web moving backwards along the dispensing path and is configured to, upon movement of the webs forwardly along the dispensing path, release a nip force on opposed major surfaces of the web to allow the web to move forwardly.

7. The dispenser of claim 1 , wherein a guide member comprises a blocking surface, wherein the blocking surface is on an underside of the guide portion, wherein the blocking surface is configured for preventing the at least one stack from extending above the blocking surface in the dispensing path, and wherein the webs pass above the blocking surface in the dispensing path.

8. The dispenser of claim 1 , wherein the webs extend upwardly from the top of the stack, are supported at an apex portion of the dispensing path and then extend downwardly to the dispensing opening, with respect to a dispensing direction along the dispensing path.

9. The dispenser of claim 8 , wherein the apex portion of the dispensing path is positioned above the top of the product reservoir and the dispensing opening is positioned below the top of the product reservoir.

10. The dispenser of claim 1 , wherein the webs are wrapped about a curved apex portion in transition from an upwardly extending part of the webs to a downwardly extending part of the webs along the dispensing path to the dispensing opening.

11. The dispenser of claim 9 , wherein a first nip is provided at or adjacent the dispensing opening that engages opposing major surfaces of the webs, wherein the first nip has a first nip part and a second nip part, wherein the dispensing path extends between the first nip part and the second nip part,
further comprising a second nip along a dispensing path traversed by the leading portion of the webs from the product reservoir to the first nip, wherein the second nip engages opposed major surfaces of the webs,
wherein the second nip is provided at the apex portion of the dispensing path.

12. The dispenser of claim 11 , wherein a guide member defining the apex portion of the dispensing path from the product reservoir to the dispensing opening forms one part of the second nip engaged against one major surface of the webs and a second part of the nip opposed to first part of the nip engages the opposed major surface of the webs to thereby grasp the web at the apex portion of the dispensing path.

13. The dispenser of claim 1 , wherein the dispensing path is defined by at least one guide member supporting the webs in the dispensing path.

14. The dispenser of claim 1 , wherein the dispenser is configured so that a preceding stack in the product reservoir has to be lifted up in the product reservoir to position a new, succeeding stack in the product reservoir underneath the preceding stack.

15. The dispenser of claim 1 , wherein a guide member defines an apex portion of the dispensing path so that the dispensing path extends in a direction normal to the stacking direction of the dispenser so that a portion of at least one of the webs hangs spaced from a front wall of the dispenser in the normal direction at the dispensing opening.

16. The dispenser of claim 1 , wherein the lines of weakness are formed by openings through the web and connecting parts, wherein the lines of weakness have an average ratio of connecting parts to spaces of 4/100 to 8/100.

17. The dispenser of claim 1 , wherein the product reservoir comprises a plurality of the stacks of interfolded, offset webs and adjacent stacks are joined to one another so that pulling the webs through the dispensing path of a preceding stack pulls through the webs of a succeeding stack as a result of a joint at the interface of the two stacks.

Assignees

• Essity Hygiene & Health Ab

Inventors

• Larsson Björn

Classifications

• A47K10/42 Primary

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

• A47K10/426

  dispensing from the front or sides of the dispenser (A47K10/424 and A47K10/44 take precedence) · CPC title

• B65H45/24 Primary

  Interfolding sheets, e.g. cigarette or toilet papers · CPC title