Container and receptacle for tissues

Dec. 1, 1959 a. w. rosenman etal 2,915,218

CONTAINER AND RECEPTACLE FOR TISSUES

Filed July 12, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1

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Dec. 1, 1959 a. w. rosenman et al 2,915,218

CONTAINER AND RECEPTACLE FOR TISSUES

Filed July 12, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2

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AGENT

United States Patent Office

2,915,218

Patented Dec. 1, 1959

2,915,218

CONTAINER AND RECEPTACLE FOR TISSUES

Abraham W. Rosenman, Fairfield, and Rudolph F. Greiser, Easton, Conn.

Application July 12, 1956, Serial No. 597,394

Claims. (Cl. 221—102)

This invention relates to packages or containers, and more particularly to a combination tissue dispensing container and disposal receptacle for soiled tissues.

The invention is concerned with improvements in the tissue-dispensing container and receptacle illustrated and described in our Patent No. 2,579,758, issued December 25, 1951, and entitled “Dispensing and Disposing Tissue Container.”

The device of this patent is formed from a single sheet of material, such as stiff paper or board, which is shaped and folded in such a manner that it constitutes a small, rectangular packet having along one narrow edge a pair of openings providing access to interior compartments, the latter being formed by the provision of a dividing wall or partition resulting from the particular shape and folded arrangement of the blank.

While the device of our patent had many features and advantages, it was not intended for the dispensing of tissues from the broad side of a tissue packet, but instead required that the tissues be withdrawn edgewise, from the narrow edge opening. This at times resulted in the tissues becoming torn, and the removal of the tissues was not always most convenient. Also, it was possible for the device to inadvertently become opened under certain circumstances; that is, the folded portions could become separate, whereby the device then no longer functioned in the proper and intended manner.

The present invention overcomes the above disadvantages of the device of our prior patent, and one object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved dispensing container and receptacle for pocket tissues, which is so constituted and arranged that the tissues may be withdrawn from the broad side of the tissue packet in a most facile manner and with the minimum likelihood of tearing or difficulty, the soiled tissues being disposable in a receptacle portion of the device through an edge opening thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved dispenser and receptacle as above set forth, which may be readily formed from a single cutout piece or blank of stiff paper sheet or cardboard material.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved dispenser and receptacle as characterized, wherein the forming from the blank may be easily and quickly carried out with a minimum of difficulty and without requiring appreciable skill.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved tissue dispenser and receptacle device as above set forth, wherein means are provided at the mouth of the receptacle, for preventing inadvertent or undesired removal of soiled tissues once they are placed therein.

A feature of the invention resides in the provision of a dispenser and receptacle of the above character, in conjunction with novel, displaceable spacing means constituted as an integral part of the blank, by which the receptacle portion of the device is prevented from collapsing but instead is always in condition to receive the soiled tissues.

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Yet another object of the invention is to provide an improved dispensing and receptacle device as characterized, wherein a stiff backing member incorporated as a regular component of the tissue packet, is utilized as an 5 interior separating wall or partition, thereby effecting an economy of material and simplifying greatly the construction and assembly of the device.

Yet another feature of the invention resides in the provision of a combination dispenser and receptacle 10 device formed of relatively thin, stiff paper or cardboard and having a receiving opening along an edge, wherein means are provided for minimizing the likelihood of the receptacle tearing at said opening.

Still another feature of the invention resides in the 15 provision of novel and improved spacing tabs for holding the receptacle portion of the device, against collapse, which tabs are interlocked with each other to insure against their dislodgment or malfunctioning.

Other features arid advantages will hereinafter appear. 20 In the drawings accompanying this specification, similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts wherever possible in the several views, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an improved tissue dispensing container and: disposing receptacle made in 25 accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a top view of the device shown in Fig. 1, illustrated partly in plan and partly in horizontal section to reveal interior details.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view, taken on line 3—3 30 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a pattern or plan view of the blank, from which the device of Figs. 1-3 is formed.

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view of a combined tissue dispenser and receptacle, device illustrating a modi35 fication of the invention.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the device of Fig. 5.

Referring to Figs. 1—3, the improved dispenser and receptacle 10 of this invention is shown as having generally the shape of a rectangular packet or box, with 40 a relatively large or expansive bottom wall 11, a .similarly large or expansive top wall 12, longitudinal side walls 13 and 14 and end walls 15 and 16. The device 10 may be formed of any suitable sheet material, as for example stiff paper, paper board or the like, and is preferably 45 ^mo'^s.tore resistant to some extent as by impregnating or coating the paper or board with a wax, resin or other suitable substance. While the sheet material may be completely water resistant, this is not : absolutely necessary since it is sufficient for the purposes of the inven₅₀ tion to have the interior surface waterproofed, so as to prevent moisture from passing through from the inside outward.

The device 10 is of a size to accommodate a regular packet or pocket-size package of disposable tissues, such ₅₅ as is commonly found on the market at the present time, and has a thickness or depth greater than that of such a packet of tissues, thereby to enable a storage space to be provided adjacent the bottom wall 11, in which space soiled tissues may be stored.

In accordance with this invention, for the purpose of providing such a storage space, use is made of a stiff backing sheet, indicated at 18 in Fig. 3, which is commonly incorporated in the packet of tissues to give the same body or rigidity. In conjunction with such stiff 65 backing sheet 18 we provide spacer means 19 adjacent the bottom wall 11, such spacer means maintaining the sheet or board 18 spaced from the bottom wall 11 and being yieldable as the soiled tissue storage space becomes filled up, thereby to provide additional space as needed.

Upon this occurring, the soiled tissues themselves will constitute the spacing means, maintaining the separation of the partition 18 from the wall 11, as shown.

2,915,218

Our improved spacing means 19 comprises pairs of tabs 20 extending inward from the corners of the box 10, said tabs having slits 21 and 22 by which they may be interlocked with each other to prevent inadvertent separation.

It Will be seen that the tabs 20 have a width which is approximately one-half the depth of the box 10 and is slightly less than the total thickness of a package of tissues 24 contained within the box, as shown in Fig. 3.

In accordance with this invention, the space provided within the box 10 is more than sufficient to receive a full packet of tissues 24, and the upper wall 12 of the box is provided with a large oblong cutout through which tissues may be easily removed One at a time from the packet 24 without difficulty and without the likelihood of their tearing. Preferably, the cutout 25 has four rounded corners, as shown, and the longitudinal edges Of the cutout are curved outward to give the cutout a somewhat Oval configuration. The cutout 25 extendi almost But not quite to the walls 15 and 16, and the remaining narrow portions of the top Wall 12, extending angularly with respect to the end walls, provide reinforcement by which the shape of the container is maintained.

Further, in accordance with the invention, a longitudinal side wall Of the box 10, here shown as the wall 14, is provided with an elongate opening 27 providing access to the soiled tissue storage space as effected by the tabs 20 in conjunction with the partition 18 of the tissue packet. The opening 27 is in the form of a slit which is provided in the wall 14, and portions 28 and 29 bordering said slit are foldable or bendable inward, thereby to provide a self-locking characteristic to the slit, by Which soiled tissues are prevented from being discharged once they are disposed of.

For the purposes of minimizing the likelihood of the wall 14 tearing at the ends of the slit 27, we provide a pair Of transverse slits 30, preferably of curvilinear configuration extending through an arc of 180 degrees as shown in Fig. 4, said transverse slits facilitating the bending of the wall portions 28 and 39.

It will be noted from a consideration of Figs. 1 and 3 that the slit 27 is disposed adjacent the bottom wall 11 of the box 10, thereby to provide access to the space between said wall and the backing member 18 of the tissue packet.

It will be readily appreciated that, in accordance with the above Construction, we have provided a novel and improved tissue dispensing container and combined receptacle for tissues, which is convenient and effective in enabling a user to quickly obtain a tissue and thereafter dispose Of the soiled tissue in a very sanitary manner. By virtue of the tissues being easily removable from the broadside of the packet, there is no likelihood of such tissues becoming torn. Also, by the provision of the relatively large opening 25 in the top wall 12, together with the rounded comer thereof, the likelihood of said wall tearing is minimized. The provision of the edge opening 27 for the disposal of the tissues provides a convenient means for this function, and the inwardly bent wall portions bordering said opening effectively contain the soiled tissues, preventing the same from inadvertently being discharged from the container.

Further, in accordance with our invention, the tissue dispensing container and receptacle shown in Figs. 1-3 may be readily formed of a single blank of sheet material, such blank being illustrated in Fig. 4. It will be noted that this blank is somewhat in the nature of a box blank, since it has a tab 32 adapted to be glued or otherwise affixed to the bottom wall 11 of the box, to form the tubular structure thereof. The end walls 15 and 16 are in the nature of box ends or-flaps, having portions 33 adapted to be folded inward, for engagement with the bottom wall 11.

The spacer tabs 20 are formed integral wiih the longitudinal side walls 13 and 14, and such tabs have crease lines 35 by which they may be bent as . indicated in Figs.

and 2, to facilitate their retracting movement in response to pressure exerted on them by the soiled tissues place in the storage space.

To facilitate the formation of the box shape, and to reinforce the end walls 15 and 16, additional tabs 37 are provided, disposed alongside of the tabs 20 and arranged to be bent inwardly and to remain in engagement with the inside surfaces of said end walls.

It will be readily understood from a consideration of Fig. 4, that the structure shown in Figs. 1-3 may be easily and quickly formed from a flat blank in the same manner that a cardboard box is formed and set up. Thus the tooling and fabrication costs for the device of our invention are held to a minimum figure. Our device is extremely inexpensive, so much so that it may constitute a disposable article of use. Therefore is represents a convenient and sanitary means by which soiled tissues may be easily and quickly disposed of, without the likelihood of spreading contagion or soiling clothing.

A modification of the invention is shown in Figs. 5 and 6 wherein there is provided a box-like structure 40 formed of two shallow tray-like members or box sections 41 and 42, the box section 42 having an outwardly displaced lip or rim portion 43 for engaging and positioning the rim portion of the section 40. We provide a partition member 45 within the box 40, having a flanged rim 46 also engaged and positioned by the outwardly offset rim portion 43 of the lower section 42.

The box section 41 has a relatively large dispensing opening 47 in its large panel, and the box section 42 has a disposal slit 48 in one of its side walls. The components of the structure 40 shown in Fig. 5 may be readily molded of plastic or plastic-like substance of waterproof characteristic, and may be cemented together in their assembled relationship, to prevent inadvertent separation. The structure 40 has the advantages enumerated above in connection with the structure 10 of Figs. 1-3 as regards ease of dispensing of the tissues without the likelihood of tearing of the same, and secure retention of soiled tissues, together with prevention of soiling of the clothing and the sanitary disposing of the tissues.

Variations and modifications may be made within the scope of the claims and portions of the improvements may be used without others.