EP0286538A1 - Box containing interleaved sheets, and method of arranging the sheets - Google Patents

Abstract

Sheets of a flexible and absorbent material, such as cellulose wadding, are arranged on one another and interleaved so as to form a stack. It is thus possible to remove the sheets individually via an opening in the box in which they are packaged. It is possible to propose small-size boxes without reducing the format of the sheets, by folding the latter longitudinally along one or more folding lines before interleaving them. Application, in particular, as a handkerchief or as a facial-care napkin. <IMAGE>

Description

The invention relates to the packaging, in dispensing boxes, of sheets made of an absorbent and flexible material such as cellulose wadding. These sheets can be used in particular for handkerchiefs or towels for facial treatments, or for any other application.

These sheets are generally presented in a rectangular cardboard box which can be placed on a flat support and which comprises, on the upper face, a slit-shaped opening through which the sheets can be extracted one by one. The sheets themselves are stacked on top of each other, parallel to the face having the dispensing opening.

There are several kinds of stacks.

The sheets can be simply placed on top of each other without any connection between them. They are then preferably folded back on themselves, and have two side panels folded back on the central part. The leaves are extracted from the box by entering them one by one. It is necessary, in this case, to provide a sufficiently wide opening which allows access to the last sheets in the bottom of the box.

This can be avoided by tangling the leaves. In this arrangement, the sheets are folded in half and folded alternately in one direction and in the opposite direction, so that two sheets folded in the same direction are inserted, in half, between the folds of a third intermediate sheet folded in the opposite. This arrangement allows, when pulling on the head sheet by its front half, to drive the next sheet thanks to the friction forces existing between the rear half of the first sheet and the front half of the next. When the first sheet is completely out of the box, the front part of the second sheet rests on the edge of the slot and can be extracted in turn. This arrangement is generally satisfactory. However, when you reach the bottom of the stack, the top half of the sheet tends to fall back into the bottom of the box due to the distance from the box to the dispensing slot.

To remedy this problem, provision has been made to attach the adjacent edges of the sheets which follow one another, by means of connecting segments. They are obtained simply by a dotted precut of the mother strips from which the sheets are cut. These connection points are strong enough to allow the next sheet to be trained when the head one is pulled, but give way under the action of the friction forces produced when the dispensing opening passes.

Taking into account the standard format of the sheets, the boxes are generally of rectangular parallelepiped shape. In order to reduce the volume occupied by these boxes, it has been proposed to package the sheets in substantially cubic boxes. Thus, patent FR 1525686 describes a packaging for sheet materials, the stack of sheets of which is curved in the shape of an inverted U with wings flared outwards. The distribution of the sheets is carried out through an opening in the wall of the box, which is adjacent to the transverse base of the U. This folding method leaves voids inside the box causing instability during transport and other manipulations, which affects the presentation of the product. In order to remedy this drawback, patent GB 1144314 proposes to place the battery on a support in the form of an inverted Y, straddling the central branch. US Pat. No. 3,624,791 proposes, for its part, to use an inverted T-shaped support, made of an elastic material such as corrugated cardboard, which acts as a spring and pushes the stack towards the opening. You can easily access the leaves of the package even when it is almost exhausted.

These solutions do not allow boxes to be made small compared to the format of the sheets. In fact, by bending the stack of sheets in a U shape, the transverse dimensions of the packaging are certainly reduced, but not the height that must be increased.

This height, whatever the number of sheets, can never be chosen lower than a minimum value if one does not want to crush them completely, nor to crumple them. In addition, whatever the devices used, we cannot avoid the presence of voids in the box, due to the rounded shape that we give to the battery.

The invention proposes a new arrangement of the sheets in the stack, which makes it possible to produce, without sacrificing their format, reduced dimensions compared to conventional rectangular rectangular boxes, but also compared to boxes whose stack of sheets is folded in half.

In accordance with the invention, the arrangement in a stack of flexible and absorbent sheets, in particular of cellulose wadding, entangled one in the other by alternate folding in opposite directions around entanglement fold lines, of successive sheets offset one relative to the others, and packaged in a box from which they are distributed one by one through an opening in the wall adjacent to one of the end faces of the stack is characterized in that the sheets are also folded around lines folds perpendicular to the fold lines forming the entanglement.

This arrangement makes it possible to satisfactorily solve the problem of the size of the box, but also to offer for sale, boxes of small dimensions whose number of sheets may be low. While standard boxes must contain a minimum of 100 sheets for reasons of harmony of proportions, it is possible, with this new folding method, to offer sheets in the same format, conditioned by 50 or even less if desired .

The longitudinal folding of the sheets can be carried out in several different ways. The sheets can be simply folded in half along a single fold line. They can also be folded around two fold lines parallel to each other, defining a central panel and two side panels; the latter can be folded down on the same face of the central panel - folding in C - or else be folded down on either side of the central panel - folding in Z. It is clear that other variants are possible. It suffices that they reduce the transverse dimension of the sheet.

The entanglement can be carried out according to a conventional process in this field. The sheets can be independent of each other, and the edges parallel to the fold lines of the tangle can be free. But according to a preferred form of the invention, these edges are connected by connection points. Their breaking strength is determined in such a way that the head sheet can be easily detached when it is pulled through the dispensing slot of the box.

• la figure 1 représente un empilement de feuilles, conforme à l'inven­tion.
• la figure 2 est une vue en perspective d'une boîte contenant une pile de feuilles pliées conformément à l'invention, mise à côté d'une boîte classique de feuilles de même format.
• la figure 3 est une vue de dessus d'une installation de mise en oeuvre du procédé.
• la figure 4 est une vue en coupe selon IV IV de la figure 3.
• la figure 5 est une vue en coupe selon V V de la figure 3.

The invention will now be presented in more detail. In the following description of a nonlimiting embodiment, reference will be made to the appended drawings according to which,

• Figure 1 shows a stack of sheets according to the invention.
• Figure 2 is a perspective view of a box containing a stack of folded sheets according to the invention, placed next to a conventional box of sheets of the same format.
• Figure 3 is a top view of an installation for implementing the method.
• FIG. 4 is a sectional view along IV IV of FIG. 3.
• FIG. 5 is a sectional view along VV of FIG. 3.

The entanglement represented in FIG. 1 is produced from double-ply crepe cellulose wadding sheets, of the type commonly used for handkerchiefs, cleansing towels, etc.

The sheets 10, 12 are entangled with the sheets 11, 13. Each sheet is folded in half like a portfolio around a first fold line 101, 111, 121, 131. Thus for example, between the two halves, delimited by line 121, of the sheet 12, are placed the respectively anterior posterior halves of the two sheets 11 and 13 which have been folded in the opposite direction. Conversely, half of the sheets 10 and 12 is inserted between the folds of the sheet 11. This tangle is repeated indefinitely. Each sheet, for example, is connected by its posterior edge to the next first sheet, 12, which is folded in the same direction, by attachment points not shown. These are obtained by a system of pre-cutting the strip of cellulose wadding from which the sheets are made.

If we consider the first sheet, 10 for example, similar to all the others, it has a central panel 102 and two side panels 103-104 folded down around second fold lines 105-106. These lines are perpendicular to the first lines 101, 111, ...

The following sheet 11, folded in the opposite direction to the sheet 10 also includes a central panel and two side panels folded down around second fold lines perpendicular to the first. All the sheets are folded in this way.

Thanks to this folding mode, it is thus possible to reduce the transverse dimension of the sheet, while not being subject to a minimum stack height. It is clear that we can make a stack with any number of sheets desired 20, 50, 100 etc ... while this is not possible with a bundle of sheets that we bent into shape from U.

FIG. 2 shows a box 20, containing the sheets stacked in accordance with the invention, superimposed on a conventional box 30 containing sheets of the same size as the previous ones, folded in C without being tangled, or else tangled without being folded. It should be noted that for the same number of sheets the space taken up on the ground is considerably reduced, and that in addition one can present a box containing a lower number of sheets without the width becoming disproportionate to the height, for example.

The box 20 can be made of any material suitable for this use, plastic, cardboard or metal. It comprises a pair of opposite longitudinal side walls, a bottom wall, a pair of opposite transverse side walls and a top wall in which a dispensing opening has been made. The opening made in the wall may be covered with a sheet of flexible plastic material, providing a narrow slot or a smaller opening but of the same shape, as is well known. The purpose of this plastic sheet is to prevent dust from entering the box, but by forming a constriction with flexible and elastic edges, it also maintains the head sheet which is ready to be extracted from the box, and prevents it from falling to the bottom.

The single plastic sheet, pierced with a hole, can be replaced just as easily by two sheet elements, placed side by side or in slight superposition, so as to form a slit.

To obtain such a stack, the method consists in unrolling two strips of cellulose wadding of one or more thicknesses, starting from mother reels, then fold each of the strips, independently of each other, lengthwise. The bending is carried out by means of sheets of suitable shape, depending on the result to be obtained - bending in half, in Z, in C or others. Finally, the two strips, thus folded, are precut and entangled by means of an installation known per se.

Figures 3 to 5 give a schematic representation of an installation allowing the implementation of the method of the invention.

This installation consists of the following elements: two reels 50, 51, two knurling groups 53, 54, two folding heads 55, 56 and a tangler 60.

A strip of 2-ply cellulose wadding, for example, is unwound from a spool mounted on the reel 50. It is passed through the knurling group 53 which has the purpose of associating the two plies, and which consists of two knobs pressing the cotton strip on a counter-roller.

Then, in the embodiment shown, the strip is folded in three lengthwise, passing through the folding head 55.

The folding is of the Z type, that is to say with two side panels arranged on either side of the central panel.

The folding head has two triangular sheets, inclined relative to each other along a common side. The strip is thus folded in three while passing over these sheets and is pulled by 2 knurled cylinders which provide it with a certain tension and correct folding.

This folding done, the strip enters the tangler 60 with the strip from the other reel 51, which has undergone the same transformation.

The tangler, known per se, is shown in section in FIG. 5.

It comprises two pairs of pulling rollers 61 and 62, and two suction cylinders 64 and 65. The rollers and the cylinders are mounted to rotate about axes all arranged in the same plane, as can be seen in FIG. 5.

The pulling rollers 61, respectively 62, have the function of ensuring a regular supply of the tangler.

The suction cylinders, placed between the pulling rollers, each comprise two diametrically opposite longitudinal knives, and two notches in the plane perpendicular to that of the knives. In addition, their wall is pierced with orifices communicating with a source of vacuum. The two cylinders are offset by 90 ° relative to each other.

After their transit through the pulling rollers, the wadding strips are wound around the cylinders 64 and 65, where they are first partially cut, to form the attachment points, when the knives pass at the counter level. knives. Then, the knives of a cylinder, by penetrating and being housed in the notch of the other cylinder, ensure the pre-folding of the strips and the formation of a fold.

In the rest of the movement, the two bands are held one on the other thanks to the vacuum on the cylinders. These being offset by a quarter turn, we find the precut of a sheet, at the same level as the fold of the other sheet. At the end of folding, the suction is interrupted, the two + sheets are peeled off by ejection fingers, and are stacked in the chute.

In the sort of machine, the stack of sheets is separated into packages each with the desired number of units, which are boxed.

Claims (7)

1. Arrangement in a stack of flexible and absorbent sheets, in particular of cellulose wadding, entangled one inside the other by alternate folding in opposite directions around fold lines of entanglement, of successive sheets offset with respect to each other, and packaged in a box from which they are dispensed one by one through an opening in the wall adjacent to one of the end faces of the stack, characterized in that the sheets (10) are also folded around at least one fold line (105,106) perpendicular to the fold lines (101) forming the entanglement. 2. Arrangement according to the preceding claim characterized in that the sheets are folded in half around a single fold line perpendicular to the fold lines forming the entanglement. 3. Arrangement according to claim 1 characterized in that the sheets are folded around two fold lines, perpendicular to the fold lines forming the entanglement, the flaps being on the same side of the central panel. 4. Arrangement according to claim 1 characterized in that the sheets are folded around two fold lines (105,106), perpendicular to the fold lines forming the entanglement, the flaps being on either side of the central panel (102) . 5. Arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sheets are joined together by attachment points, in two entangled and precut strips. 6. Arrangement according to one of claims 1 to 4 characterized in that the sheets of the tangle are not linked together. 7. Method for forming a stack of sheets made of a flexible and absorbent material, in particular cellulose wadding, intended to be packaged in a box of substantially parallelepiped shape in which the sheets are distributed sequentially through an opening made in a wall adjacent to one of the faces of the pile, characterized in that it consists in folding longitudinally, separately, two strips of said material, around at least one fold line, practicing in the strips cutting or precut lines at regular intervals and perpendicular to the direction of travel so as to form sheets, and to entangle the sheets obtained in a manner known per se.

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