ES2279098T3 - WET TOWEL DISPENSER. - Google Patents

Abstract

A dispenser (1) for a package (12) of wipes (10), including a rigid body (2) having a mounting flange (3) for attachment to a side wall of the package (12) around an outlet hole in said side wall, a dispensing hole of wipes (7) in the body (2) for cooperation with the outlet in the side wall of the package (12) in order to be able to dispense wipes (10) from the package (12), characterized in that a tear opening closure (4) is provided which is integrally formed with the body (2) and extends through the dispensing hole (7) to close the dispensing hole (7), being able to tear a portion ( 15) of a periphery of the closure (4) of the body (2) to leave the closure (4) attached to the body (2) by a joint (5), and an elastic membrane (8) is mounted on the body (2) inside the closure (4) extending through the dispensing hole (7), the elastic membrane (8) having a pas hole before (9) for the reception and passage of a wipe (10) to dispense wipes (10) from the package (12).

Description

Wet wipes dispenser.

This invention relates to a dispenser of wipes, and in particular to a portable wipe dispenser for wet wipes.

In the prior art it is known to provide wet wipes in the form of a roll that is housed inside a dispenser including a cylindrical plastic container rigid. The wipes are fed from a center of the roll to through a central dispensing hole in a top from the container and tear from the roll along perforated lines for use. Generally a cover is provided to cover the part top of the container when wipes are not dispensed in order to Limit moisture loss. A problem of this kind of dispenser is that you generally cannot handle satisfactorily thicker tissues (for example, 30-60 gsm), such tissues now being common in products for the care of Baby and skin care. In addition, the package is a type of relatively expensive container that is typically discarded after of use In addition, it may not be tight enough or the cover can be removed or left simply open, which gives place to moisture loss of wipes. Finally the container It is relatively bulky and therefore cannot be carried conveniently, for example, in a bag or the like.

In another type of known dispenser it is provided a reusable plastic drum containing a stack of wipes that may or may not be wrapped in series. Are available packs of replacement wipes to recharge the drum. By Unfortunately this dispenser is relatively bulky and cumbersome, Even when it's empty It is also difficult and tedious to introduce in a dispensing hole of the dispenser a leading end of the upper wipe. From the point of view of manufacturing, the dispenser is relatively expensive to produce with too many components.

It is also known to provide a stack of wet wipes in a plastic package wrapped in series. A dispensing hole is arranged at the top of the package through which the wipes are removed from the part top of the stack. This dispensing hole closes when It is not used with a removable and removable sticker. Typically, the sticker fails after relatively few uses and this gives place to a severe problem of drying the wipes. To deal with This problem is known to join a plastic cap assembly injection molded over the dispensing hole that can be open to dispense wipes and close to retain moisture inside of the package when the package is not used. However, the adhesive with which the lid is attached to the package wrapped in series can be attacked by the wetting fluids of the wipes resulting in to fail. In addition, the lid is not airtight, so there is still moisture loss of the wipes in the package. Also in Generally speaking, the removal of wipes with only one hand does not It is possible, which is somewhat inconvenient. Also, with these types of serial wrap dispenser packages often the Wipes do not leave the package easily or leave several "chained" with the consequent waste. From the point In view of manufacturing, the wipes should be moistened before being packed, which presents handling difficulties. Another problem with these types of packages is that they are quite easy. to fake

The present invention has the purpose of Overcome these problems.

According to the invention a dispenser is provided for a pack of wipes, including a body that has a mounting tab for attachment to a side wall of the package around an exit hole in said side wall, a wipes dispensing hole in the body for cooperation with the outlet on the side wall of the package to allow dispensing of package wipes, characterized in that facilitates a tear opening closure that is formed integrally with the body and extends through the hole of dispensing to close the dispensing hole, being able to tear a portion of a periphery of the body closure to leave the closure attached to the body by a joint, and a membrane elastic is mounted on the body inside the closure that extends through the dispensing hole, having the membrane elastic a through hole for the reception and passage of a wipe to dispense wipes from the package.

An advantage of the present invention is that the Package is completely sealed before use to avoid the Loss of moisture and promote long shelf life. In addition, to access access to the wipes the closure is due tear from the body of the dispenser and this would indicate any content manipulation before use. In addition, the membrane Elastic and closure combine to provide a very sealed Effective that prevents moisture loss from wipes during the storage.

The body of the dispenser is made of a material rigid plastic that retains its shape, but will allow some curving or flexion of the body.

In a preferred embodiment the closure is defined. by weak lines formed by the reduced thickness of the material in the body that extend partially around the closure ending at an articulation edge of the closure, connecting said weak lines frangibly closing the body so that can be detached from the body along the weak lines for articulation around the joint on an inner edge of closing.

Preferably the elastic membrane is made of silicone, rubber or other elastically deformable elastic material. The size of the dispensing hole, the elastic properties of the elastic membrane or the hole and the interconnection of wipes adjacent are chosen in such a way that the front wipe or outside can be taken out through the dispensing hole without prematurely separate the outer wipe from the wipe next adjacent and the force applied by the hole of elastic dispensing to said next adjacent wipe is enough to separate it from the outer wipe. When the outer wipe will separate, the next wipe will keep coming out through the hole so that the separation of the outer wipe, the leading edge of the adjacent wipe next will protrude through the hole so that it can be subsequently grasped to remove the next wipe from the container. It will be appreciated that this dispensing hole construction flexible is very good to minimize evaporation and loss of Moisture of wet wipes in the container.

It is noted that the dispensing hole is You can provide in any suitable format. For example, it can be an elongated groove or a circular hole in the membrane elastic

In another embodiment, means of fixation for joining the elastic membrane to the body of the dispenser.

In one embodiment, the fixing means include a complementary pair of fixing jaws, namely a first jaw and a second jaw, which are interengagable to fix the elastic membrane in between.

Preferably one of said jaws is a fixed jaw that is mounted on the body and the other jaw is hooked with fixed jaw.

Conveniently the jaws are provided with complementary interengable formations that are a lace to pressure to engage the jaws.

In another embodiment, the first jaw has a plurality of separate hollow posts, forming the inside of each post at least at its outer end free a socket for receiving a complementary cap of the second jaw to jaw interenganche.

In another embodiment, a plurality of Plugs are mounted separately on a support ring.

In another embodiment, the elastic membrane has a plurality of separate plug receiving holes that are attachable with the plugs to mount the membrane on the plugs

In another embodiment, the body includes a panel of self-support forming an upper part of the package, being attached a folding container body to the panel and forming with it a closed container for reception and storage of a plurality of wipes The term "self-support panel" means a panel which is rigid enough to maintain its shape, but you can Bend or flex to some degree. Many plastic materials They would allow this.

In another aspect the invention provides a package of wipes including a container with a plurality of wipes that have a dispenser like the one described here mounted on an exit hole in a side wall of the container.

In another embodiment a plurality of wipes they are mounted on the container, said wipes being attached end to end on a continuous sheet with perforation lines separated that extend between opposite sides of the sheet to Define wipes between perforation lines.

In another embodiment the sheet is folded into a Zigzag formation in a pile of wipes inside the container. In another embodiment a plurality of folded individual wipes They are mounted on the container, wipes being inserted adjacent to form a stack of wipes interspersed within the container.

In another embodiment the wipes are impregnated with liquid. Typically the liquid could include one or more than one cleaning agent, a disinfectant and a perfume.

The invention will be more clearly understood by the following description of some embodiments thereof given to example mode only, with reference to the drawings companions, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a dispenser according to the invention.

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the dispenser.

Figure 3 is a side elevation view of the dispenser,

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a package of wipes that incorporates the dispenser.

Figure 5 is a similar perspective view. to figure 4 representing the dispenser in use to dispense package wipes.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of a wipe dispenser according to another embodiment of the invention.

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken at along line VII-VIII of figure 6.

Figure 8 is a detail view in perspective of a portion of the wipe dispenser of the figure  6.

Figure 9 is an elevational view in section of detail of a dispensing hole portion of the dispenser of wipes of figure 6.

Figure 10 is an enlarged detail view in perspective representing a portion of the wipe dispenser of figure 6.

Figure 11 is a detailed sectional view. taken along line XI-XI of the figure 10.

Figure 12 is a detailed sectional view taken along line XII-XII of the figure
10.

Figure 13 is a detail view in perspective of a panel forming portion of another dispenser  of wipes according to another embodiment of the invention.

Figure 14 is a perspective view bottom of the panel shown in figure 13.

Figure 15 is a side elevation view of the panel depicted in figure 13.

Figure 16 is a perspective view. lower detail representing a portion of the panel of the figure 13.

And Figure 17 is a detail view in perspective representing a portion of the panel of the figure 13.

With reference to the drawings and initially to Figures 1 to 5 illustrate a dispenser for a package of wipes, indicating the dispenser in general with the number of reference 1. The dispenser 1 is made of a rigid plastic material and It has a body 2 with a peripheral mounting flange 3 for joining to a side wall 14 of a pack 12 of wipes 10 as is depicted in figures 4 and 5. A tear opening closure 4 is integrally formed with body 2. A portion of a periphery of the closure 4 can be torn from the body 2 leaving the closure 4 attached to body 2 by a joint 5. The closure 4 is mounted in a hole 7 in the body 2 through which it is stretched a silicone membrane 8 having a circular hole of dispensing 9 through which wipes 10 of a 12 pack of plastic wipes wrapped in series.

The closure 4 is defined by the joint 5 formed along an inner edge of closure 4 and a line weak generally in the form of V 15 formed by the reduced thickness of the material in body 2 that partially extends around of closure 4, that is, around the sides and the outer end of closure 4. Said weak line 15 frangibly connects the close 4 to body 2 so that it can be detached from the body 2 along weak line 15 for articulation around of the joint 5 at an inner end of the closure 4.

Retention means are planned for engage and hold the closure 4 in an open position in order to be able to dispense wipes 10 from package 12. In this case, the retention means include a locking pin 18 in the body 2 and a complementary receiving slot 19 on a side edge of closure joint 4. Thus when closure 4 is articulated upward to a vertical position as depicted in the Figure 5, the slot 19 engages with the pin 18 to hold the closure 4 in an open position in order to provide access unlimited to wipes 10 in package 12. A tongue 20 in a outer end of the closure 4 forms a handle that can be grasped between a finger and thumb to tear the closure 4 up breaking the weak line 15 when initially opening the closure 4 and for subsequent opening and closing of the closure 4. A tab 21 in a outer end of the closure 4 can hook under a lip associated 22 at a front end of hole 7 to block the Close 4 in a closed position. A groove notched 23 in the body 2 above lip 22 receives tongue 20 when the closure 4 is closed.

The silicone membrane 8 is fixed on one side lower body 2 by means of a fixing ring 30. The ring of fixing 30 has several separate caps 31 that hook inside of complementary bushings in tubular posts 32 formed in the body 2 of the dispenser 1. The caps 31 pass through associated holes in the membrane 8 to engage and fix the membrane 8 on a lower side of the body 2.

The wipes 10 can be arranged in the Package 12 in any suitable way. For example the wipes 10 can be joined end to end on a continuous sheet, extending perforation lines separated between sides opposite of the sheet to define the wipes 10 between the lines of perforations. The sheet can be folded in zigzag to form a stack of wipes inside package 12. In one arrangement alternative you can insert 10 separate wipes into a stack inside the package 12.

In use, the dispenser 1 is mounted on a side wall 14 of package 12 around a hole in the package 12. Tab 3 is heat welded, ultrasound or otherwise join the side wall 14 of the package 12. It will be appreciated that the wet wipes 10 can be completely sealed inside package 12 before breakage of closure 4. To open the package 12, grab the tongue 20 and push up to break the weak line 15 so that the closure 4 can be pivoted up around joint 5 to an upright position as shown in figure 5 exposing hole 7 with the silicone membrane 8 and the dispensing hole 9 through the wipes can be removed 10. After the removal of a wipe 10, cover 4 can be closed over hole 7 engaging the tongue 21 with the associated lip 22 in order to keep closure 4 in the closed position.

It will be appreciated that the dispenser 1 according to the invention helps minimize moisture loss from wipes 10 inside the package 12. Due to its elasticity, the membrane of silicone 8 effectively seals the inside of package 12 with the In order to avoid moisture loss. Although a tip of the wipe upper 10 will extend through hole 9, this one is protected against loss of moisture by closure 4. It is provided thus a double barrier against moisture loss by closure 4 and the silicone membrane 8.

If desired, package 12 may be provided. of an upper wipe 10 introduced through the hole 9 in the silicone membrane 8 ready for use. Although, when dispensing a wipe 10, the next wipe 10 is not fed to the hole 9, the user can easily enter a finger through from hole 9 to grab and pull the next wipe 10.

It will be appreciated that the invention is especially Useful for collapsible plastic packages such as packages wrapped in series. The body of the dispenser is also preferably of plastic material. Ideally the body will be of self-support, that is, substantially rigid to maintain its form, but also something flexible.

Several ways of forming the dispensing hole of elastically deformable wipes. By example, said dispensing hole can be formed by mounting a separate washer, strip or membrane of elastic material such as silicone or rubber in an exit hole of the container. Alternatively, if desired, the packaging material around a periphery of the hole can be constructed and / or treated to do so  flexible and elastic enough to form the hole Desired dispensation This treatment could be done. conveniently during the molding process where the body of the Dispenser is made of plastic material.

With reference now to figures 6 to 12, illustrates another wipe dispenser according to another embodiment of the invention, generally indicated by reference number 50. The 50 wipes dispenser has a dispensing panel of 52 self-support of plastic material. This one will bend and flex a certain amount, but, in general terms, it is rigid enough to maintain its shape. A container body folding 53 of plastic material is attached to the panel dispensing 52 and forms together with the dispensing panel 52 a closed container for reception and storage of a plurality of wipes 54. A dispensing hole 55 is disposed in the dispensing panel 52 through which the wipes 54 for discharging the dispenser 50. A membrane of silicone 56 is mounted through the dispensing hole 55. A through hole 57 in the silicone membrane 56 allows the passage of a wipe 54 to dispense wipes 54 from the body of container 53 in a controlled manner. An articulated cover 58 is mounted on panel 52. Cover 58 can be moved between a closed position (figure 6) in which said cover 58 seals the dispensing hole 55, and an open position (figure 7) that allows access to dispensing hole 55 for discharge of wipes 54 of the container body 53.

The dispensing panel 52 has a tab peripheral 60. An upper edge of the collapsible container body 53 is welded to the underside of tab 60 to form together with the dispensing panel 52 a closed container for wipes 54. Cover 58 is integrally formed with the dispensing panel 52 and is a tear cover. An edge inside 62 of the cover 58 forms an articulation connection between the cover 58 and the dispensing panel 52. The edges sides 64, 65 of the cover 58 are connected to the panel of dispensing 52 for weak lines 66 (figure 9) of reduced thickness of the material. A tab 68 at an outer end of the cover 58 forms a handle that can be grasped between a finger and the thumb to tear the cover 58 up breaking the weak lines 66 when initially opening the dispenser 50. Then, at close cover 58, tongue 68 engages with a receiver Supplementary 70 (Figure 10) on tab 60 of the panel dispensing 52 to fix cover 58 in a position closed.

The assembly of the silicone membrane 56 in the dispensing panel 52 is shown in more detail in the figure 9. An endless wall that extends inwards 75 protrudes towards inside an inner face of the dispensing panel 52 around of a periphery of the dispensing hole 55.

A channel 76 is arranged in the wall 75 for reception of a portion of bulbous edge complementary 77 of the silicone membrane 56.

With reference to Figure 7, a plurality of Wipes 54 are mounted on the container body 53 attached end to end on a continuous sheet with perforation lines separated that extend between opposite sides of the sheet to Define wipes between perforation lines.

The sheet folds into a zigzag formation with in order to form a stack of wipes inside the container body 53 as represented.

In practice, the tongue 68 of the cover 58 and cover 58 is separated from the dispensing panel 52 along the weak lines 66. A front wipe is removed 54 through hole 57 in silicone membrane 56 and away from the blade along the perforation line. It will be noted that the silicone membrane 56 is fixed around the leading edge of the wipe 54 to seal the package in order to avoid moisture loss of wipes 54. In addition, the membrane of silicone 56 holds the next wipe 54 in the ready position for grip and removal by the next user. The cover 58, when closed, also provides protection against loss of moisture Gradually, as the wipes are discharged from the dispenser 50, the container body 53 will be folded from compact form In addition, since the container body 53 is flexible, the dispenser 50 can be transported more easily than a rigid dispensing container. This considerable advantage the provides the dispenser of the invention that has a panel of rigid or semi-rigid dispensing with the collapsible container body. All corners and sharp edges on the dispensing panel 52 are rounded in order to avoid injury or remain caught fingers even babies and toddlers. The dispenser 50 can be sold with the upper wipe 54 coming through of the hole 57 in the silicone membrane 56 ready for use. Although a wipe must be broken inside the container body 53, the user can easily insert the fingers to take out a leading edge of the upper wipe for dispensing due to the elasticity of the silicone membrane 56. In addition, and again Due to its elasticity, the silicone membrane 56 seals effectively the inside of the container body 53 to avoid loss of moisture Although a tip of the upper wipe 54 is will extend through hole 57, is protected against loss of moisture by closing the cover 58. Thus, the cover 58 and silicone membrane 56 provide a double barrier against loss of moisture From the point of view of manufacturing, the 50 dispenser is relatively simple and cheap to manufacture, simply including three parts, namely the dispensing panel 52, the container body 53 and the silicone membrane 56.

With reference now to figures 13 to 17, represents another wipe dispenser indicated in general by the reference number 80. This is largely similar to wipe dispenser previously described in figures 6 to 12 and similar parts are assigned the same numbers of reference. The collapsible container body 53 is shown in dashed contour in figure 13. In this case the membrane of silicone is fixed in inside the dispensing panel 52 by fixing means generally indicated by the number of reference 82. The fixing means 82 have a torque complementary of clamping jaws, namely a first jaw 83 and a second jaw 84 which are interlocking to fix the elastic membrane (not shown) in between and through the dispensing hole 55. The first jaw 83 includes a plurality of separate tubular posts 85 protruding towards outside an inner face of the dispensing panel 52. Posts 85 are arranged around the dispensing hole 55 and are interconnected by a wall 86 protruding out of the inner face of the dispensing panel 52 and surrounds the hole of dispensing 55. The second jaw 84 includes a plurality of plugs 88, which are best represented in Figure 17, which are mounted separately on a support ring 89 that interconnects the plugs 88. Each plug 88 has a cylindrical body 90 with a outer end with flange 99. An inner end 92 of the cap 88 is tapered to facilitate guiding the plug 88 to engage with a complementary bushing 94 (figure 16) formed by the inside of each post 88 of the first jaw 83.

The elastic membrane has a plurality of separate plug receiving holes corresponding to and the plugs 88 are received to mount the membrane in the plugs 88. The plugs 88 are then introduced in the associated bushings 94 on posts 85 to fix the membrane between the first jaw 83 and the second jaw 84 fixing the membrane through the hole of dispensing 55.

It will be appreciated that the dispensing hole Flexible minimizes moisture loss from wipes. The hole  of elastically deformable wet wipes dispensing will can be formed by mounting a separate washer, strip or membrane elastic material such as silicone or rubber in an exit hole of the container

The towel dispensers of the invention they are welded conveniently by heat on a flexible substrate forming a collapsible container for the wipes.

The invention is not limited to embodiments. described above that can be varied both in construction and in detail within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (10)

1. A dispenser (1) for a package (12) of wipes (10), including a rigid body (2) having a mounting flange (3) for attachment to a side wall of the package (12) around a hole of exit in said side wall, a dispensing hole of wipes (7) in the body (2) for cooperation with the outlet in the side wall of the package (12) in order to be able to dispense wipes (10) of the package (12 ), characterized in that a tear opening closure (4) is provided which is integrally formed with the body (2) and extends through the dispensing hole (7) to close the dispensing hole (7), being able to tear a portion (15) of a periphery of the closure (4) of the body (2) to leave the closure (4) attached to the body (2) by a joint (5), and an elastic membrane (8) is mounted on the body ( 2) within the closure (4) extending through the dispensing hole (7), the elastic membrane (8) having a hole through (9) for receiving and passing a wipe (10) to dispense wipes (10) from the package (12). 2. A dispenser according to claim 1, where the closure (4) is defined by weak lines (15) formed by a reduced thickness of the material in the body (2) that extend partially around the closure (4) that ends at an edge of joint (5) of the closure (4), connecting frangibly said weak lines (15) closing (4) to the body (2) so that can be detached from the body (2) along the weak lines (15) for articulation around the joint (5) on one edge inside of the closure (4). 3. A dispenser (50) according to any preceding claim, wherein the body includes a panel of self-support (52) forming an upper part of the package, being attached a folding container body (53) to the panel (52) and forming with it a closed container for reception and storage of a plurality of wipes (54). 4. A dispenser according to any claim above, where fixing means (30) are provided for joining from the elastic membrane (8) to the body (2) of the dispenser (1). 5. A dispenser according to claim 4, where the fixing means include a complementary pair of fixing jaws, namely a first and a second jaw jaw, being able to engage said jaws to fix the elastic membrane in between. 6. A dispenser according to claim 5, where one of said jaws is a fixed jaw that is mounted on the body and the other jaw can hook with the jaw fixed. 7. A dispenser according to claim 5, where the jaws are provided with interlocking formations complementary that are a snap fit for interenganche of the jaws 8. A dispenser according to claim 7, where the first jaw has a plurality of hollow posts separated, forming the inside of each post at least at its end free exterior a cap for receiving a plug Supplementary to the second jaw for interenganche of the jaws 9. A dispenser according to claim 8, where a plurality of the plugs are mounted separately in a support ring 10. A dispenser according to claim 8, where the elastic membrane has a plurality of holes separate receiving caps that are hooked with the caps to mount the membrane in the caps.