Refillable tissue dispenser

• US 20020084204A1
• Filed: 01/02/2001
• Published: 07/04/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide Incorporated (Kimberly-Clark Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide Incorporated (Kimberly-Clark Corporation)
• Inventors: Houghton, Dawn L., Dilnik, Rebecca L.
• Granted Patent: US 6,609,616 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 206/494
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 11/008 Pocket toiletry etuis
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 206/812 Packaged towel

Abstract

A portable and refillable flexible tissue dispensing container is provided. The container includes several sides, and an opening for dispensing tissues in a ready mode for grasping by a user. The dispenser may be linked to a ring binder or a key chain for portable use, and pulling one tissue from the container orients the next successive tissue in place for dispensing. A dispensing opening may be provided with a releasable closure such as velcro (hook and loop), snaps, plastic, or the like. In a further more compact arrangement, the tissue may be bi-folded before being loaded into the dispenser.

Claims

1. A tissue dispensing device, comprising:

a flexible container having a first wall, a second wall, and a plurality of sides, the first wall having a dispensing opening for releasing tissues, the second wall having a loading opening through which new tissues are admitted into the container to replenish the supply of tissues in the container.

2. The tissue dispensing device of claim 1 further comprising:

an attachment margin, the margin being located along one edge of the container wherein at least one hole is provided upon said margin, the hole being configured and sized for interaction with a clasping device.

3. The tissue dispensing device of claim 2 wherein the margin comprises at least two holes.

4. The device of claim 2 wherein the margin is adapted for interaction with a ring binder.

5. The device of claim 1 in which the flexible container is constructed of a material selected from one of the following:

leather, nonwovens, cloth, nylon, plastic and fabric.

6. The device of claim 1 in which the loading opening opens and closes using an enclosure system, the enclosure system comprised of a fastening means, the fastening means being selected from one or more of the following:

(a) zipper,

(b) snaps,

(c) hook and loop, and

(d) resealable plastic, and

(e) combinations of (a), (b), (c), or (d).

7. The device of claim 1 in which tissues are provided in a folded stack within the container, the tissues being operably connected to each other such that once a first tissue is pulled from the dispensing opening, a second adjacent tissue is immediately made available for grasping by emerging from the dispensing opening into a ready position.

8. The device of claim 6 in which the tissues are held in the dispenser in a bi-fold configuration.

9. The device of claim 1 in which the dispenser contains about 20 to about 100 tissues when the container is fully loaded.

10. The device of claim 2 in which the container additionally comprises a clip attached to the container.

11. A portable, refillable tissue dispensing device comprising:

(a) tissue storage means, said tissue storage means being comprised of a flexible material, the tissue storage means having a first and a second planar surface, the first planar surface comprising a dispensing opening adapted to release tissues, the second planar surface comprising a tissue loading opening through which new tissues may be admitted to the container to replenish the tissue supply in the container; and

(b) tissues, the tissues being adjacent to one another while in a storage mode and held erect and partially on the exterior of the tissue storage means while in a grasping mode, the tissues being folded upon themselves so as to be capable of self-feeding where a first tissue is pulled whereby the outermost tissue being held erect in the grasping mode is, when pulled from the container, capable of leading the next adjacent tissue into an erect grasping mode, such that as each successive tissue is pulled from the container the succeeding tissues are brought into the erect grasping mode and made available for the tissue user.

12. The refillable tissue dispensing device of claim 11, further comprising an attachment means for releasably connecting said dispenser to another object.

13. The tissue dispensing device of claim 11 wherein the tissues reside in the dispenser in a bi-fold configuration.

14. The device of claim 11 in which the first planar surface of the storage means comprises a predetermined and permanent attachment to the second planar surface of the storage means.

15. The device of claim 12 wherein the attachment means comprises a link along a margin of said first or second planar surface.

16. The device of claim 15 in which the link along said margin is comprised of a ring clasp secured to holes in the first planar surface, the holes being located at a plurality of sites along the margin.

17. The tissue device of claim 16 in which the link along the margin secures the tissue dispenser to a three ring binder.

18. The device of claim 12 in which the attachment means comprises a clip.

19. The device of claim 11 in which the tissue dispenser further comprises a closure means, wherein said closure means is selected from the group of closure means comprising:

zippers, resealable plastic, snap closures, and hook-and-loop fasteners.

20. The device of claim 19 in which the closure means comprises a zipper.

21. The device of claim 20 in which the zipper closure is provided along at least two sides of the first planar surface.

22. The device of claim 20 in which the closure means is provided along at least three sides of the first planar surface.