US2965224A - Cellulosic product - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 20, 1960 K HARWQOD 2,965,224

CELLULOSIC PRODUCT Filed Sept. 20, 1957 3' INVENTOR KENNETH J. HARWOOD Byfim My,

ATTORNEY United States Patent "ice 2,965,224 cELLULosIc PRODUCT Kenneth J Harwood,-Neenah, Wis., assignor to Kimberly- Clark Corporation, Neenah, Wis., a corporation of Delaware Filed Sept. 20, 1951, see. No'. 685,091

3 Claims. c1. zoo-s1) I Theinvention relates to a dispensingpackage and particularly to reinforcing adjacent a line of severance or weakening in a wall of the package.

A line of severance or weakening with strip reinforcing afiixed adjacent thereto is shown in the US. patent to Reitman, No. 2,418,526. An object of the invention is to provide a lap-over fold in the wall of the package so as to in effect provide three layers of wall or wrapper thickness adjacent a severance line rather than to apply a separate strip as in Reitman.

Another object of the invention is to provide a wrapper to form the wall which is of heat scalable material and to make a fold in the wall so that a plurality of thicknesses of the wall are provided and secured together adjacent a rupturable tear line placed in the wall parallel to the fold.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a reinforcement adjacent a severance line in a wrapper wall of a package so that the reinforcement is made as a unitary part of the wall by folding a portion of the wall upon itself and sealing the overlying portions of the wall together.

A further object of my invention is to provide a pair of spaced apart folded and secured together portions in a wall of a package and a rupturable line spaced therein between such folded portions so that when the rupturable line is severed to afford access into the package through the wall, a well defined tear only along the rupturable severance line is developed, thus making a pleasing and neat appearing opened package.

A still further object of the invention is to provide in a wrap-per wall of a package adjacent a severance line of perforations therein a multiple thickness of the wrapper wall by folding the wall upon itself and securing the overlying wall portions together thereby stiffening the side of the package containing the perforated line and rendering less likely the unintentional tearing of the wall along the perforated line.

Another further object of my invention is to provide in an economical manner a wrapper for a package of stacked articles such as tissue pieces to be dispensed from the package by providing a perforated severance line in the wrapper that may be severed and adjacent each side of the perforated line in the Wrapper providing a reinforcement by folding a portion of the wrapper upon itself and sealing together the overlying portions whereby a relatively less flexible wall is afforded in the area of the severance line to prevent unintentional severance during handling and to afford a reinforced dispensing aperture after severance which does not tear as tissue pieces or the like are pulled through such aperture.

Still further objects and the entire scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter.

It should be understood, however, that the detailed description and specific example is given by way of illustration only, and, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, is not given by way of limitation,

2,965,224 Patented Dec. 20,1960

2. since various and modifications within the spirit andscepe or the invention will b ecome apparent to those skilled in'the' art from this detaileddescription, H r,

Fig, 1 perspective view of a package having rein forcern t in the' topan d end walls adjacent the perforated line according tothe invention; 7 v

Fig; 2" is a perspective view similar to Fig'. 1 showing the tear line severed in thetop and a tissue piecejorlthe like" partially pulled out through the opening as formed ay ever'nceorthe tear or perforated line;- I

Fig; '3 a" ffag'inentary view, of the wrapper in pr s ofbeirig foildedupon itself adjacent atear line therebe tween in'makirfg tlie reinforceinents ;and v a H M Fig. 4 is a view similar to Eig. 3 v vith the folded over reinforcing portions secured,closelytogether. v

t wareh ue a n figu of his dr w n as t e description like reference numerals refer to similar parts.

A pocket package of folded cellulosic tissues or the like is typically indicated at 10 of right parallelopiped shape having an outer wrapper 11 of cellulosic material suitably treated for heat sealing. It encloses folded tissue pieces such as partially removed tissue piece 12. The wrapper 11 is folded over at the ends 13 and 14 and heat sealed or otherwise secured.

To make the tissues accessible from the pocket pack and to maintain its neat package appearance there is provided according to the invention a perforated line 15 which may be opened by the fingernail run along the top wall 16 as at 15'. In order to provide stiffening on each side of the perforated line 15 to retain the perforated line 15 without intentional severance and to provide a stiffening adjacent each side of the line 15 to afford a clean straight opening when pressure is applied to the perforated line, as by the fingernail run therealong, a pair of folds generally indFcated at 17 and 18 are provided in the wrapper 11. After the line has been severed as at 15' there is thus provided a dispensing opening that has the reinforcing or stiffening thereadjacent formed by the fold portions so that after severance the dispensing aperture does not tear as tissue pieces 12 or the like are pulled therethrough.

A typical pocket package of tissue has the approximate width of 2%", a length of about 4 /2" and an approximate thickness of A". The feature of the reinforced wrapper for dispensing purposes may be utilized in other sizes and types of packages. In Fig. 4 the fold portions are sealed together as by application of heat to the heat sealable wrapper 11. They may be secured together by adhesive applied in the abutting areas of the respective portions 17a, 17b, 17c and 18a, 18b and 180.

Reference to Fig. 4 shows that the width of the folds are approximately and the distance to the centers of the respective folds l7 and 18 from the perforation line 15 as indicated at a and b is about A In the make up of the package a reinforcing piece of stiffening material (not shown) may be used as a base on which the folded tissue pieces are stacked in the package.

While there is here illustrated a package utilizing the novel reinforcing features in combination with a rupturable line, the invention equally as well applies to wrapper sheets which may later be utilized as wrappers making up dispensing packages. Although in the preferred embodiment of the invention there is utilized a cellulosic material suitably treated to make it heat scalable, the wrapper may be made of non-cellulosic heat scalable materials. For example, thermoplastic films such as polyethylene, vinyl chloride, vinyl acetate and the like, may be used. Such reinforcements in combination with a rupturable line may be readily made by suitable machines incorporating a perforating operation accompanied by folding operations and sealing together of folded portions,

I claim as my invention:

1. A dispensing package of stacked folded tissues comprising a wrapper sheet folded and sealed around said tissues and means for forming a dispensing slot having reinforced edges in said wrapper, said means comprising a pair of closely spaced parallel folded over portions in said Wrapper sheet, each said folded over portion comprising at least three thicknesses of said wrapper sheet secured together in overlapping relationship, and a rupturable tear line in said wrapper sheet between said pair of folded over portions.

2. A dispensing package of articles comprising a wrapper sheet of cellulosic material, said wrapper sheet being treated so as to he heat-sealable, said wrapper sheet being folded and sealed around said articles to enclose them,

and means for forming a dispensing opening having reinforced edges in said wrapper sheet, said means comprising a pair of closely spaced parallel folded over portions in said wrapper sheet, each said folded over portion comprising at least three thicknesses of said wrapper sheet with at least two 'of said thicknesses being heat sealed together in overlapping relationship, and a rupturable tear line in said wrapper sheet between said pair of folded over portions.

3. A package wrapper comprising a heat-scalable sheet and means for forming an opening having reinforced edges in said sheet, said means comprising a pair of closely spaced parallel folded over portions in said sheet, each said folded over portion comprising at least three thicknesses of said sheet with at least two of said thicknesses being heat sealed together in overlapping relationship, and a rupturable tear line in said sheet between said pair of foldedover portions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

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