Kimberly-clark Worldwide, Inc.

Other

Leslie Thomas Long

Paul Kerner Pauling

Daniel Studd Grubb, Jr

Emory Emil Luebke

Michael Alan Hermans

Dennis Marvin Jobs

Michelle Lynn Seabaugh

Bart John Rabas

Jon Christensen

John H Evans

Herb F Velazquez

Kenneth John Zwick

Debra Nell Welchel

Joseph D Mitchell

Joel G Delman

Ricky Wayne Purcell

Cynthia Watts Henderson

John B Freese

Peter Booth

Paul Roy Schmidt

Scott A Baum

Donna Ann Piacenza

Dennis Edward Fryer

Ronald Raymond Padak

Jason John Schumaker

Tim J Morton

Norman K Fox

Melanie L Andres

Ryan Rosenow

Mark Anthony Barnes

Kyle John Schuman

Alan Whiting

Craig A Blodgett

Charlcie C K Leitner

John Fitzgerald Janz

Stephanie Marie Stoddart

Zachary J Henderson

Richard H D Bullock

Adam Glass

Jr Daniel S Grubb

A container including: a container top having a dispensing opening formed from a plurality of top flaps; a container bottom disposed opposite the container top formed from a plurality of bottom flaps; and a plurality of decorative panels forming a sidewall of the container having a continuous decorative surface. The container is formed from a substantially symmetrical blank. As a result, the container can be loaded from either end on a cartoner. The container's continuous decorative surface on the sidewall allows for graphics on the container's sidewall to continue unimpeded. Advantageously, the container is designed for use on high speed cartoners and can be filled from either the top or the bottom as required.

Top or bottom loading container

By either rotating a folded clip within a dispenser, or by folding the clip into a J-shape instead of a U-shape and then placing the clip into a dispenser, more sheets can be placed into the dispenser without causing an increase in dispensing problems. Alternatively, fewer dispensing problems result if the same number of sheets is placed into the dispenser. In one embodiment, the dispenser was an upright facial tissue carton and the clip was an interfolded stack of facial tissues.

Folded clip and dispenser

A compressible package having pair of scored sidewalls, which facilitate compression of the package into a wedge shape for storage in narrow recesses. Optionally, the compressible package may include a scored bottom flap wherein the bottom portion of the sidewalls and the bottom flap are shaped such that when the carton is compressed by a user the resulting shape of the bottom flap complements the shape of the sidewalls, maintaining a substantially closed carton. Preferably the compressible package is a carton for storing and dispensing tissue and the carton assumes a wedge shape, which allows the carton to be fit into tight spaces, such as between the seat and the center console of the automobile while maintaining a substantially closed carton.

Compressible tissue carton

A product including a stack of a: plurality of interfolded sheets assembled from a folded sheet material. The stack having a first side, a second side, a plurality of first side folded sheets and a plurality of second side folded sheets. A majority of the first side folded sheets folded into a first fold configuration and a majority of the second side folded sheets folded into a second fold configuration. Within the stack, the first fold configuration is different than the second fold configuration. In one embodiment, the first side folded sheets were V-folded and the second side folded sheets were Z-folded. In another embodiment, the first side folded sheets were V-folded and the second side folded sheets were C-folded.

Stack of interfolded sheets

An environmentally friendly package containing refill folded sheets is provided. The package contains a plurality of refill cartridges stacked together. Each refill cartridge contains a stack of interfolded sheets. In one embodiment, for instance, the sheets may comprise facial tissues. Each refill cartridge is configured to refill a sheet dispenser such as a paperboard dispenser. In this manner, a consumer can continually refill a single dispenser instead of having to repurchase a dispenser each time the folded sheet product is purchased.

Refill cartridges of a folded tissue product

In order to improve the reliability of cleanly dispensing the first tissue in a pop-up dispensing tissue container, a relatively high strength sacrificial top sheet is interfolded with the tissue clip. The sacrificial top sheet is adhered to the underside of a removable surfboard in the top of the container, such that when the surfboard is removed to access the tissues, the sacrificial sheet is simultaneously removed, which causes the first tissue to pop up into a ready position for subsequent dispensing by the user.

Tissue product with sacrificial top sheet for pop-up dispensing

A system and method for matching lids to cartons includes a carton feed conveyor having a plurality of cartons carried at individual flight positions defined along the conveyor, with each of the cartons having a mark applied thereto indicating a type of lid to be applied to the respective carton. A reader is operatively disposed relative to the carton feed conveyor to read the marks. A lid feed conveyor has a plurality of individual flight positions defined thereon, with each flight position on the carton feed conveyor having an assigned flight position on the lid feed conveyor. A lid placer station is supplied with different types of lids from respective separate lid magazines and is disposed along the lid feed conveyor. The lid placer station is in communication with the reader and is configured to select and place lids dictated by the marks from the magazines onto the flight positions on the lid feed conveyor that are assigned to the flight positions on the carton feed conveyor containing the carton and associated mark read by the reader.

System and method for matching colored lids to cartons

By controlling the profile of a folded stack when placed into an oval dispenser, it is possible to reduce the compression of the folded stack by the dispenser's sidewall, thereby reducing or eliminating sheet tears when dispensing the sheet-material from the dispenser. In particular, by making the folded stack thicker in the middle and thinner at the edges, as a result of providing a variable width flat stack prior to folding the flat stack, the folded stack will better fit into an oblong or circular dispenser.

Tissue stack and dispenser

By interfolding or interleaving at least a portion of the dispensing panel of a dispenser with the first sheet in a stack of sheet material such that a leading edge of the first sheet is exposed, it is no longer necessary to reach into the dispenser to dispense the first sheet. To dispense the first sheet, the optional removable panel is torn from the dispenser, and then the already exposed leading edge of the first sheet protruding from the dispensing panel is grasped and pulled to withdraw the first sheet from the dispenser.

Interfolded dispensing panel

An oblong dispenser having a longitudinal axis and a transverse axis, and wherein a maximum length of the dispenser, Ld, along the longitudinal axis is greater than a maximum width of the dispenser, Wd, along the transverse axis. The dispenser containing a plurality of sheets of a sheet-material formed into a flat stack, and the flat stack folded about a transverse fold axis forming an arch-shaped folded stack having an arched stack top and a stack bottom comprising two legs. The arch-shaped folded stack is placed into the oblong dispenser with the transverse fold axis parallel to the oblong dispenser's transverse axis.

Oblong tissue dispenser

A system and process for packaging sheet materials is disclosed. In particular, the system and process of the present invention is configured to receive clips of a sheet material and to load the clips into a dispenser. During the process, the clips can be folded and loaded into vertical buckets that are positioned over a stream of moving dispensers. A vertical pushing device then pushes the clip from the vertical buckets down into the dispensers. In this manner, the dispensers are loaded from the top. Since the dispensers are loaded from the top, the system is capable of placing clips of a material into dispensers having a complex configuration, such as dispensers having curved side walls.

Vertical carton loading process and system for clips of a stacked sheet material

By loading both upright and flat tissue clips into their respective cartons by pushing on one end of the clip along the clip's longitudinal axis, a simple flexible carton loading apparatus is possible. To load flat tissue clips, the buckets of the carton loading apparatus are configured to hold the clip such that a pusher head contacts one end of the clip while sliding the clip from the bucket into the carton. To load upright tissue clips, the buckets of the carton loading apparatus are configured to hold the clip such that a pusher head contacts one end of the clip, while the opposing end of the clip is moved either up or down such that the leading half of the clip is folded backwards about a transverse fold axis by a folding plate attached to the pusher head as the clip is advanced through the bucket towards the carton. Upon entering the carton, the clip is folded in a backwards C-shape.

Flexible carton loading apparatus

By reducing the overlap distance O of the interfolded sheets in the upper layer of a stack of interfolded sheets, sheet tears and/or multiple dispensing can be avoided for the initial sheets dispensed. By increasing the overlap distance O of the interfolded sheets in the lower layer of a stack of interfolded sheets, fallback of the subsequent sheets can be avoided. To maximize the number of sheets that can be placed into the same sized dispenser, the folded width of all sheets in the stack should be substantially the same. The interfolded stack is especially useful in an upright dispenser to improve sheet dispensing, but can also be utilized in a flat dispenser.

Interfolded stack of sheet material

Growing community of inventors

Appleton, WI, United States of America

Leslie Thomas Long