Methods of providing stacks of wet wipes with improved wetness gradients

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9975689-B2
Application number	US-201414493629-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 23, 2014
Priority date	Mar 22, 2011
Publication date	May 22, 2018
Grant date	May 22, 2018

Abstract

A method of reducing a wetness gradient development for a package of wet wipes is provided. The method includes, after wet wipes are enclosed within a package to form the package of wet wipes, locating the package of wet wipes in a first orientation such that a first side faces downward and an opposite second side faces upward to form a first wetness gradient after a preselected amount of time. Prior to opening the package of wet wipes, the method includes inverting the package of wet wipes according to a predetermined turning schedule to place the package of wet wipes in a second orientation such that the first side faces upward and the second side faces downward to form a second wetness gradient that is different from the first wetness gradient.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of reducing a wetness gradient development for a package of wet wipes, the method comprising:
after wet wipes are enclosed within a package to form the package of wet wipes, locating the package of wet wipes in a first orientation such that a first side of the package of wet wipes faces downward and an opposite second side of the package of wet wipes faces upward to form a first wetness gradient after a preselected amount of time; and
prior to opening the package of wet wipes to access the wet wipes enclosed within the package of wet wipes, inverting the package of wet wipes according to a predetermined turning schedule to place the package of wet wipes in a second orientation such that the first side of the package of wet wipes faces upward and the second side of the package of wet wipes faces downward to form a second wetness gradient that is different from the first wetness gradient;
wherein the first wetness gradient is determined at least 10 days after the package of wet wipes being placed in the first orientation and the second wetness gradient is determined at least 10 days after the package of wet wipes being placed in the second orientation.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wet wipes are packaged within the package of wet wipes in a stack.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising placing the package of wet wipes in the first orientation by inverting an outer secondary package including multiple packages of wet wipes located in the outer secondary package.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising placing the outer secondary package including the multiple packages of wet wipes in a shipping container with the multiple packages of wet wipes in the first orientation.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising placing the package of wet wipes in the first orientation within an outer secondary package such that the first side of the package of wet wipes faces a bottom of the outer secondary package and the second side of the package of wet wipes faces a top of the outer secondary package.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first side is a dispensing side through which the wet wipes are removed from the package of wet wipes, the package of wet wipes including an opening feature located at the first side of the package of wet wipes that facilitates customer access to the wet wipes located in the package of wet wipes.

7. A packaging method comprising:
after wet wipes are enclosed within a package to form a package of wet wipes, locating the package of wet wipes in a first orientation such that a first side of the package of wet wipes faces downward and an opposite second side of the package of wet wipes faces upward to form a first wetness gradient after a preselected amount of time; and
inverting the package of wet wipes according to a predetermined turning schedule to place the package of wet wipes in a second orientation such that the first side of the package of wet wipes faces upward and the second side of the package of wet wipes faces downward to form a second wetness gradient that is different from the first wetness gradient;
wherein the first wetness gradient is determined at least about 10 days after the package of wet wipes being placed in the first orientation and the second wetness gradient is determined at least about 10 days after the package of wet wipes being placed in the second orientation.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising placing the package of wet wipes in the first orientation within an outer secondary package such that the first side of the package of wet wipes faces a bottom of the outer secondary package and the second side of the package of wet wipes faces a top of the outer secondary package.

Assignees

• Procter & Gamble

Inventors

• Mueller Joerg
• Marsh Randall Glenn
• Duderstadt Jacqueline Marie
• Gonzalez-Mendez Luis Omar

Classifications

• B65B2220/16

  Packaging contents into primary and secondary packaging · CPC title

• B65B25/145

  packaging folded articles · CPC title

• B65D81/24

  Adaptations for preventing deterioration or decay of contents; Applications to the container or packaging material of food preservatives, fungicides, pesticides or animal repellants (with thermal insulation B65D81/38) · CPC title

• B65D83/0805 Primary

  through an aperture in a wall · CPC title

• B65D81/22

  in moist conditions or immersed in liquids · CPC title