Interleaved towel fold configuration

• US 8,083,097 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2004
• Issued: 12/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide Incorporated (Kimberly-Clark Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide Incorporated (Kimberly-Clark Corporation)
• Inventors: Kaufman, Kenneth
• Primary Examiner(s): WAGGONER, TIMOTHY R
• Application Number:
  US10/955,685
• Publication Number:
  US 20060102643A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,644 Days
• Field of Search: 221/38, 221/45, 221/49, 221/48, 270/39.06
• US Class Current: 221/48
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 45/24 Interfolding sheets, e.g. cigarette or toilet papers

Abstract

A stack of interleaved towels is provided wherein each towel is configured from a sheet of material having a first fold offset from a centerline of the sheet to generate a first panel folded toward a first surface of the sheet and extending between the first fold and a first end of the sheet. A second fold in the sheet is made substantially parallel to the first fold to create a second panel extending between the first and second folds and a third panel extending between the second fold and a second end of the sheet such that the first end of the sheet is positioned between the second and third panels. In the stack, the third panel of each towel is disposed adjacent the first panel of an adjacent towel such that the towels are interleaved.

Claims

1. A stack of interleaved towels, each towel of the stack comprises a sheet of material, said sheet comprises a first surface, a first end, a second end, a centerline, a first fold, a second fold, a first panel, a second panel, a third panel, a length and a width;

the first fold in the sheet is offset from the centerline;

the first fold creating a folded sheet, the first fold creating the first panel which is folded towards the first surface of the sheet;

the first panel extends between the first fold and a first end in the sheet;

the second fold in the sheet is substantially parallel to the first fold, the second fold creates the second panel, the second panel extends in between the first fold and the second fold and the second fold creates the third panel folded toward the first panel the third panel extends between the second fold and the second end of the sheet;

wherein the first end of each sheet is positioned between the second and third panels of that sheet such that the third panel overlaps the first end; and

,

wherein the third panel of each towel in the stack is disposed adjacent the first panel of an adjacent towel in the stack such that the towels are interleaved.

2. The stack of interleaved towels as in claim 1, wherein the sheet of material is a single-ply material.

3. The stack of interleaved towels as in claim 1, wherein the sheet of material is substantially rectangular in shape.

4. The stack of interleaved towels as in claim 1, wherein the overall length of the sheet of material is less than about 160 percent of the overall width of the sheet material.

5. The stack of interleaved towels as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the second fold creates a two-ply lead flap, the two-ply lead flap comprises a first ply and a second ply, wherein the first ply comprises the first panel and the second ply comprises the second panel;

and

wherein when a given towel of the stack is adjacent two other towels of the stack, the third panel of the given towel of the stack is disposed directly adjacent and in between the lead flaps of the next two adjacent towels in the stack such that the towels are interleaved.

6. The stack of interleaved towels as in claim 5, wherein the sheet of material is a single-ply material.

7. The stack of interleaved towels as in claim 5, wherein the third panel creates a trailing flap and the lead flap is shorter than the trailing flap.

8. The stack of interleaved towels as in claim 5, wherein the third panel creates a trailing flap and the trailing flap is about the same length as the lead flap.

9. The stack of interleaved towels as in claim 5, wherein the sheet material is substantially rectangular in shape.

10. The stack of interleaved towels as in claim 5, wherein the overall length of the sheet material is less than about 160 percent of the overall width of the sheet material.

11. The stack of interleaved towels as in claim 5, wherein the overall length of the sheet material is substantially equal to the overall width of the sheet material.

12. The stack of interleaved towels as in claim 5, wherein each of the first panel, second panel and third panel have a length, the length of the first panel, the second panel and the third panel are substantially equal in length.

13. A stack of interleaved towels, each towel of the stack comprises a sheet of material, said sheet comprises a first surface, a first end, a second end, a centerline, a first fold, a second fold, a first panel, a second panel, a third panel, a length and a width;

the first fold in the sheet is offset from the centerline;

the first fold creating a folded sheet, the first fold creating the first panel which is folded towards the first surface of the sheet;

the first panel extends between the first fold and a first end in the sheet;

the second fold in the sheet is substantially parallel to the first fold, the second fold creates the second panel, the second panel extends between the first fold and the second fold and the second fold creates the third panel folded toward the first panel the third panel extends between the second fold and the second end of the sheet;

wherein the first end of each sheet is positioned in between the second and third panels of that sheet;

wherein each of the first panel, second panel and third panel have a length, the length of the first panel, the second panel and the third panel are substantially equal in length; and

,

wherein the third panel of each towel in the stack is disposed adjacent the first panel of an adjacent towel in the stack such that the towels are interleaved.

14. The stack of interleaved towels as claimed in claim 13, wherein the length of each of the first, second and third panels is within 15% of the length of the other panels.

15. The stack of interleaved towels as claimed in claim 13, wherein

the second fold creates a two-ply lead flap, the two-ply lead flap comprises a first ply and a second ply, wherein the first ply comprises the first panel and the second ply comprises the second panel;

and

wherein when a given towel of the stack is adjacent two other towels of the stack, the third panel of the given towel of the stack is disposed directly adjacent and in between the lead flaps of the next two adjacent towels in the stack such that the towels are interleaved.

16. The stack of interleaved towels as in claim 15, wherein the sheet of material is a single-ply material.

17. The stack of interleaved towels as in claim 15, wherein the third panel creates a trailing flap and the lead flap is shorter than the trailing flap.

18. The stack of interleaved towels as in claim 15, wherein the third panel creates a trailing flap and the trailing flap is about the same length as the lead flap.

19. The stack of interleaved towels as in claim 15, wherein the sheet material is substantially rectangular in shape.

20. The stack of interleaved towels as in claim 15, wherein the overall length of the sheet material is less than about 160 percent of the overall width of the sheet material.