US3612264A

US3612264A - Sheet material dispenser package

Info

Publication number: US3612264A
Application number: US848775A
Authority: US
Inventors: Robert E Trunick
Original assignee: Procter and Gamble Co
Current assignee: Procter and Gamble Co
Priority date: 1969-08-11
Filing date: 1969-08-11
Publication date: 1971-10-12
Anticipated expiration: 1988-10-12
Also published as: GB1295364A; CA951282A

Abstract

A dispensing package for sheeted materials such as towels, napkins, and tissues in which a stack of the sheeted materials is adhesively fastened along one end to a header piece, each sheet being connected to the header. Flexible extensions attached to the header piece are adapted to form a hanging support so as to permit the package to be hung from a support rod such as a bathroom towel bar. The sheeted material hangs vertically from the header piece and allows individual sheets to be removed, as desired, from the dispensing package.

Description

United States Patent Robert E. Trunicit [7 2] inventor Cindnnati, Ohio [2i] Appl. No. 848,775 [22] Filed Aug. 11, 1969 [45] Patented Oct. 12, 197 1 [73] Assignee The Procter & Gamble Company 1 Cincinnati, Ohio -54] SHEET MATERIAL DISPENSER PACKAGE 15 Claims, 18 Drawing Figs.

52 u.s.'cn. 206/57 51 lnt.Cl. 565d 85/04 50 Field otSearch 206/57;

. 24s/31s,317;211/m [56] References Cited 7 UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,077,664 4/1937 Beardsley 206/57 2,122,048 6/1938 Shapiro 2,755,576 7/l956 Golden Primary Examiner-Joseph R. Leclair Assistant Examiner--John M. Caske Attameys-John V. German and Frederick H. Braun 206/57 206/DlG. 8

ABSTRACT: A dispensing package for sheeted materials such as towels, napkins, and tissues in which a stack of the sheeted materials is adhesively fastened along one end to a header piece. each sheet being connected to the header. Flexible extensions attached to the header piece are adapted to form a hanging support so as to permit the package to be hung from a support rod such as a bathroom towel bar. The sheeted material hangs vertically from the header piece and allows individual sheets to be removed. as desired, from the dispensing package.

INVENTOR. Q

PATENTEDum 12 1911 sum 10F a Fig. 2

Robert E. Trumck PATENIEDncI 12 I971 SHEET 2 0F 4 INVENTOR Rqbart E. Trunlck RNEY PATENTEUum 12 I9?! I 3.622.264

' saw 3 0F 4 INVEN'IOR. Robert E. Trunlck TORNEY FIELD OF THE INVENTION The invention relates generally to dispensing packages containing a stack of sheets of absorbent material and relates more particularly to such packages adapted to be mounted for use in the home. 7

There is today a sizeable use of paper towels, supplied in rolls, in household kitchens and work areas. Roll-form towels re used widely in public restrooms, factory restrooms, factory ork areas and laboratories. However, paper towel rolls are r rely mounted in household bathrooms due to one or more of e following reasons: their connotation of a public restroom, unattractive appearance, lackof consistent easy removal of the number of towels desired and the requirement of adding another fixture to the usually carefully surfaced walls.

Flat-folded and interlaced paper towels delivered from the bottom face of metal dispensing containers are also widely used in public restrooms and in factories. These are not used in household bathrooms for the same reasons that roll towels are not used.

Flat-folded and interlaced paper'towels enclosed in paperboard cartons with a dispensing opening in the top face or top and side faces encounter the problems of: lack of tablcor shelf space for the package, difficulty in withdrawal of a towel,

wetting of the towel next under the one being removed, and

wetting of the bottom of the carton when water is spilled around it with consequent wetting ofthe bottom towels.

oaracrs OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an attractive package for sheeted materials for use in the home, restrooms, laboratories and the like inorder to provide convenient and-easy removal of one sheet at a time, the package being adapted for easy mounting to a support such as a towel bar.

Another object of thepresent invention is to provide easily manipulated, package-contained, means of fastening the package to a support bar.

Another object is to utilize a minimum amount of packaging material to accomplish the foregoing objects while furnishing the framework for forming and producing the package in a manner which is readily automated and contributes to an adequately protected package in the marketplace.

Other objects of the invention may be observed by referring to the following description, claims and accompanying drawings.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In the present invention covering a sheet material dispenser package, one end of a stack of sheet material is attached to a header piece and maintained in stack form through the use of an adhesive. Each sheet is individually releasable from the package. The header piece is coextensive with the end of the I sheet material stack and at least one flexible extension is s ts.'The extension is adapted to be bent into a loop form '4" ced outwardly from the header piece end of the package odd is provided with connective means for securement in such form.

sEgred to it along a line generally parallel to the planes of the BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the dispenser package of FIG. 2 inverted whereby the back of the package faces up-' ward;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the dispenser package of FIGS. 2 and 3 in its in-use position with the suspending loop formed around a support bar;

FIG. 4a is a fragmentary enlarged view of the tab-fastening means of FIGS. 1-4;

FIG. 4b is a fragmentary enlarged view of the tab-receiving slot of FIGS. 1-4;

FIG. 40 is a fragmentary enlarged view of the tab of FIG. 4a engaged in the receiving slot of FIG. 4b;

FIG. 44' is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along line id-4d of FIG. 4;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 4d showing an alternative fastening means; I

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 4d, but of a more restricted area, of another alternative fastening means; 1

FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating the way in which the stack of sheet material of FIGS. 24 is attached to an intermediate adhesive sheet;

FIGS. 8a, 8b, 8c and 8d are end views of stacks of sheeted materials showing four ways in which thesheets can be arranged in the stacks;

7 FIG. 9 is a fragmentary perspective view similar to FIG. 4 and illustrating another embodiment using a molded plastic header piece;

FIG. I0 is a fragmentary perspective view ofa further em- 7 bodiment in which the header piece is curved concaveiy downwards; and

FIG. II is a fragmentary perspective view of a still further embodiment in which the header piece is curved convexly downwards and two suspending loops are used.

Referring to FIGS. 2-4, the dispenser package, generally designated as 20, is shown front-face-up in FIG. 2 and backface-up in FIG. 3. The package could be sold in this form with an overwrap or band of polyethylene, polypropylene, cellophane, paper or the like protecting the package up to its point of use. The overwrap is not shown as it does not form a part of the present invention and since it can take many different, well-known, forrns.

The material comprising the sheet materials stack 21 is desirably a fibrous material having a tensile tear strength in the range of from about 200 to about 1800 grams per inch of width, preferably from about 800 to about I600 grams per inch for paper towels and from about 200 to about 700 grams 'per inch for'facial tissues. These tensile strengths are measured in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the header piece. Sheet material tensile and tear strength measured in the direction parallel'to the plane of the header piece has a range of from about 400 to about 800 grams per inch of width for paper towels and from about 100 to about 350 grams per inch for facial tissue. Within these ranges such sheets are easily dispensed, will not tear along a vertical line leaving a portion of the sheet adhered to the header piece, and yet possess sufficient strength to avoid accidental premature dislodgment.

The stack of flat sheet materials 2I can comprise-paper towels, facial tissues, napkins, many other similar type of product desired; however, that illustrated in FIGS. 2-4 comprises a stack of paper towels folded as shown in FIG. 84 into a form commonly called a "C" fold. Whether or not the sheet materials are folded and, if folded, the manner in which this is accomplished are not critical. For example, other types of fold such as "2" fold, FIG. 8b, or double "Z" fold, FIG. 8c or plain flat sheets, FIG. 8d, may be utilized dependent upon the size of towel desired and the use to which it is put. One satisfactory paper towel stock which can be used in connection with the present invention, for example, is a two-ply structure manufactured in accordance with the disclosures of U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,301,746 and 3,4l4,459.

The towel stock can be supplied In continuous lengths and folded, if desired, vertically aligned and cut into individual stacks, by means of any convenient apparatus and process.

For example, supply rolls of towel stock equal in number to the number of towels in stack 21 can be provided and the webs of stock fed simultaneously in superposed relation so as to combine to form the appropriate number of sheets in the stack 21. if the sheets are to be folded, each web is passed, prior to superpositioning, through an individual folder producing the required fold, for example, that shown in FIGS. 8a, 8b or 8c. The combined towel webs can be held in position relative to one another by a vertical-force clamp placed close to the leading ends of the webs and the webs immediately thereafter sawed or sheared off adjacent the leading edge of the clamp. A second vertical-force clamp can be placed the desired towel length from the first clamp along the longitudinal axes of the webs and the stack similarly sawed or sheared. The thusseparated portions of the webs comprise a stack 21 which is I maintained as a stack unit with no relativeslippage between towels by means of the first clamp until one end of the stack is firmly adhered to the desired object, for example, header piece 23 or intermediate sheet 25, in the manner hereinalter described. The clamping and sawing process can be repeated to consecutively produce any number of clamp-controlled stacks ready for placement in the package of the present invention.

The words adhcre," "adhered," "adhesive" and the like as used herein cover the use of any one of the following: watersoluble glues, water-resin emulsions, solvent-based adhesives, hot-melt adhesives, and thennoplastic films such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinylchloride, etc. softened or melted by the application of heat and solidified by subsequent cooling.

The header piece cap of one preferred embodiment is shown in FIG. 1 as a flat blank 22, cut and scored from paper board, using techniques well known in the carton industry. The blank 22 is folded into a rectangular cap form and cars 31 sealed to side extensions 29 using well-known adhesive application, folding and compression systems. Front and

back extensions

27 and 28, the extension 28 being elongated and including several score lines which will be later described, are integrally connected to adjacent cars 31 and the header piece 31 along the score lines illustrated. FIGS. 2 and 3 show the header piece cap 22 after the folding and gluing operation is completed. Optionally ears 3] may be specially contoured and locked into slots in the side extensions 29 to form and hold the rectangular parallelepiped cap shape without gluing. One suitable paperboard material is solid bleached sulfate board which is capable of giving high strength to the different structural elements which are described later. Cylinder board with bleached top and bottom liners or having a top laminate such as opaque polyethylene, are illustrative of alternative paperboard materials suitable for use in forming the header piece cap 22. The paperboard thickness suitable for the header piece cap 22 ranges from about 0.0l5 inch to about 0.040 inch, preferably from about 0.0l8 inch to about 0.025 inch, the thinner board being used for packages containing smallsize sheets and fewer sheets, the increased rigidity of thicker board being required for the larger-size sheets and greater number of sheets.

The

extensions

27, 28 and 29 in'their formed position, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, stiffen the header piece 23 to hold it substantially planar. Due to the resilient properties of the paperboard, some deviation from s true plane occurs and it is necessary to assure that such deviation is not too large. The

maximum dcviationfrom a true plane should not exceed about one-fourth inch, and should preferably not exceed about one-sixteenth inch. A deviation greater than one-fourth inch causes problems in the stfxment of the towel stack 21 to the header piece 23, as will be understood from subsequent description, and places initial separating forces on the adherive bonds between the towel ends and the header piece. These forces can cause premature dropping of the towel: from the head piece 23.

The stack of towels 21, in FIGS. 2-4, is attached to the header piece 23 and in the prcferredembodimcnt an inter:

mediate sheet 25, shown most clearly in FIGS. 4d and 7, is used for ease of assembly. Sheet 25 is a laminate of paper and thermoplastic and is generally coextensive with the end of the towel stack 21. The thermoplastic coating or ply 24 of intermediate sheet 25 is oriented on the side of sheet 25 adjacent the stack'of towels 21. Although many thermoplastic materials are suitable, one which is highly satisfactory is polyethylene having a thickness of between about 0.001 inch and about 0.002 inch (i.e., weighing from about 15 pounds to about 30 pounds per ream of 3000 square feet). if the polyethylene coating is too thin, upon heat activation, insufficient penetration of it into the stack of towels results and towels will detach prematurely. if the polyethylene coating is too thick, upon heat activation, its penetration into thestack of towels can be too deep and a towel will tear vertically at such a high-strength point of attachment.

The paper ply of sheet 25 can have a dry basis weight which ranges from about 20 pounds to about pounds per ream of 3000 square feet. The paper ply of sheet 25 requires sufficient tensile strength (which is generally proportionate to its thickness) to maintain the stack of towels 2i as a subasscmbly unit while it is being attached to the header piece 23. A

heated, thermostatically controlled sealing bar, not a part of the present invention, and containing narrow protruding scaling ribs perpendicular to the plane of the towels is pressed against the paper side of sheet 25 melting the polyethylene 24- and causing adhesion of the towel ends to sheet 25 along narrow lines 26 which are generally perpendicular to the plane of the towel sheets 21. For example, the scaling ribs can be maintained at about 650 F., the time of contact with the sheet 25 can be about 0.3 sec. and the rib pressure can be about l0 pounds per square inch. The width of these lines of adhesion can range from about one-sixteenth sixteenth inch to about one-fourth inch and preferably is about one-eighth inch. The adhesion lines can be spaced from aboui one-fourth inch apart to about one inch apart, preferably from about three-eighths inch to about ftve-cighths inch apart.

The subassembly comprising the stack of towels 21 adhered to sheet 25 is attached to the inside surface of header piece 23 by any suitable means such as a thin layer of adhesive 45 intermediate sheet 25 and header piece 23. Any one of a large number of commercially available adhesives such as dcxtrin glue, polyvinyl acetate, polyvinyl alcohols, ethylene vinyl acetate, etc., and mixtures thereof can be used for this purpose. These can be applied cold or hot according to wellknown adhesive use techniques. Alternatively, the attachment can be effected by means such as staples, clips or the like.

Towel stack 21 can alternatively be attached directly to header piece 23, omitting intermediate sheet 25, using one of the aforementioned commercial adhesives applied to at least about 15 percent of the header piece 23 inside surface. Where the adhesive does not cover the entirety of the inside surface of the header piece 23, it can be applied in the form of stripes, dots, or other regular pattern, being sure that each towel end is contacted at several spaced locations by the adhesive. For

example, a polyvinyl acetate'emt'tlsionadhesivc applied over the specific time for drying depends upon the kind of adheslve, its moisture content, its thickness and the pressure utillzed to hold the header piece against the towel stackends. Ap-

plication of heat to the exterior of the header piece 23 can hasten the setting of the adhesive.

Due to the fact that the towels are secured in stack form only by bonding of the ends thereof to the intermediate sheet 25 and/or the header piece 23, each is individually releasable in substantially its entirety when a pulling'force is exerted on it. The only vestige of the towel remaining on the package subsequent to the towel's removal is a very minor amount of fibers which remain bonded to the sheet 25 and/or header piece 23 and which are torn free of the sheet during the removal process. Such fibers have a fuzllike appearance and amount to less than about 0.05 percent of the original sheet.

To remove a towel from the package shown in FIG. 4, it is merely necessary to grasp and exert a downward pull on the towel. This pull is resisted in the preferred embodiment, by rom one to about four points of adhesion. 26, FIG. 7, of the sheet material tensile strength previously described and delineated. This is necessary in order that the separation of the individual towel occur at a point immediately adjacent to the header piece. If the pulling force for a specific package was greater than the sheet material tensile strength, rupture could well occur at a point distant from the header piece and a torn towel result. If the pulling force required is below the minimum stated above, premature separation of the sheeted materials from the header piece can occur.

The back extension 28, FIGS. 1 and 3, can be longer than purpose of this dispenser package and it will be recognized that the number of tab-slot sets can be varied as desired so long as the arrangement maintains sufficient strength to support the package in use. For example, only one such set can be used on some packages whereas other packages can be provided with three or more.

FIG. 5 shows an alternative embodiment in which the means of connecting the distal end of extension 128 to extension 127 127 when the package is hung on a support bar 138.

FIG. 6 shows another embodiment wherein the means of fastening long extension 228 to short extension 227 comprises a strip of double-faced pressure-sensitive tape 229 preapplied to either 227 or 228 with a nonstick protective strip, not

the other three extensions and in the preferred embodiment can be traversed by six score lines 32-37, inclusive, .in a direction parallel to the end of the stack of towels 21. The purpose of these score lines is to make it easier for the dispenser package user to form extension 28 into a loop around the support bar 38 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 4d. Score line 32 aids in bending extension 28 back upon itself l80. Score line 33 allows the extension to slope inward toward the support bar.

Score lines

34, 35, 36 facilitate the neat and easy formation of the small radius bend around the support bar 38. Score line 37 allows the distal end of extension 28 to be bent to a position parallel to and touching extension 27, as shown in FiG. 4d. Use of a paperboard at the thinner end of the range can allow omission of some or all such score lines. Use of the thicker board requires further weakening, such as perforated or cut scores, alone the lines of bending, such scores being well known in the carton-manufacturing field.

In FIG. 4d the length of each leg of the triangular loop which extension 28 forms in conjunction with header piece 23, i.e., the distance between

scores

33 and 35, and scores 37 and 35, is preferably substantially equal to the other. The length of such legs can range from' about 75 percent to about 200 percent of the width of header piece 23. If the length of such legs is less than the above minimum, the user has difficulty in forming the suspending loop 28 around the support bar 38 of FIG. 4d and encounters additional difficulty in engaging tab 39 in slot 41 of FIGS. 40 and 4b. Lengths of such legs 9 eater than the maximum limit are wasteful of material and at ow an undesirable swinging of the dispenser package when individual towel is removed.

in FIGS. 4, 4a, 4b, 4c and 4d, the preferred embodiment, the distal end of extension 28 contains a pair of spaced tabs 39 die-cut from the paperboard. A window frame 40 spaced apart from tab 39 is also die-cut and the board between 39 and 40 discarded. This increases the user's case in inserting tab 39 into an appropriately spaced pair of receiving slots 41, located and diecut in extension 27, as shown most clearly in FIG. 4b. Slots 4! include short notches 42 angled at approximately 70 to the main slots to increase ease of insertion of tabs 39. Hookshapcd tabs and receiving slots of a wide variety of shapes and modes of assembly are well known in the carton-manufacturing field. Many of these are suitable to attach extension 28 to extension 27. The above description covers only one design of tab and slot which has been proven to be very suitable for the shown, covering the tape. To hang the package from a support bar the protective strip is removed, extension 228 is formed around the support bar and the distal end of extension 228 is pressed against extension 227 with tape 229 interposed.

FIG. 9 shows a further embodiment in which the header piece 51 and its extensions comprise a unitary molded plastic structure 50. The material used can be lowor high-density polyethylene, polyvinylchloride, polypropylene, polystyrene.

or other suitably rigid plastic. The header piece 5|, which is substantially flat, is that part to which the towels 54 are attached. The header piece 5 I can range generally from about 0.008 inch to about 0.060 inch in thickness and can, if desired, include a stiffening rim 52 molded around its periphery in order to permit the use of minimum thickness in the interior so as to conserve materials. Header piece 51 thicknesses at the lower end of the range can be suitable for the more rigid plastics and the smaller packages. Thicknesses in the higher range can be suitable for the more resilient plastics and the larger packages. The types of towels 54, and methods of attaching towels to header piece 51 can be the same as that described previously. Flexible back extension 55 and flexible front extension 56 can, as indicated, be molded integrally with header piece 51, and these can include lines of weakness, thinned sections (not shown) along the sides abutting header piece SI designed to function as hinge lines. The thickness of

extensions

55 and 56 can range from about 0.004 inch to about 0.030 inch, preferably from about 0.008 inch to about 0.0l6 inch, thicknesses in the lower end of the range being suitable for the smaller header pieces and the more rigid plastics and thicknesses in the upper end of the range being molding instead of via paperboard cutting and bendingtechniques. If desired, only one extension can be used on any of the herein-described embodiments so long as it is capable of being formed into the'above-describcd loop and an effective means is provided for securing the extension in loop form, each of which requirements is well within the design capabilities of those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the present disclosure.

Another embodiment is shown in FIG. 10 wherein a plastic header piece 60 is formed with a downwardly concave transverse cross section, i.e., the axis of curvature is parallel to the length of header piece 60 and to the axis of the support bar 61 from which it can be suspended. It will be noted that the in- FIG. 11 shows an embodiment with the-plastic header piece 70 curved convexly downwards with its axis of curvature parallel to the axis of a towel bar 71 on which it is hung. Also shown is a dual suspension arrangement employing integrally molded

extensions

72, 73, 74 and 75 in order to conserve material. An additional advantage of the dual suspension approach is that for the larger sizes of sheet material dispenser packages a plurality of extensions are easy to connect by manipulating one narrow pair of extensions at a time as contrasted with aligning and hooking one wide pair of extensions. The thickness of the plastic at the various positions in the header piece can utilize the same ranges as described for H6. 9. The curved header pieces of both FIGS. and H allow the use of a lesser amount of plastic material and thus reduces cost while maintaining adequate beam strength in the header piece. As is also the case with the embodiment of FIG. 10, the stack of towels 76 has its headcr-piece-contacting end shaped to conform to the configuration of the header piece 70.

One of the principal uses for the dispenser package of this invention is for bathroom face and hands drying, utilizing paper towels. To be acceptable as a replacement for presently used cloth towels, the paper towels should be soft to the touch, have high absorbency. and possess sufficient strength, both dry and wet, to withstand the pulling and rubbing actions used in dispensing and drying. Present day processes of paper towel manufacture such as those described in the above-mentioned US Pat. Nos. 3,30l,746 and 3,4l4,459, produce a towel meeting the above-listed requirements.

The preferred towel is "C" folded as in FIG. 8a to allow. quick and easy grasp of a vertical towel edge with either right or left hand. Finger pressure on the center line of the towel stack between

edges

43 and 44, H0. 80, makes a towel edge stand away from the next layer and be easily grasped. in connection with size, one very satisfactory towel for home use can be 7% inches wide by ll inches'tall in the suspended and "C"- folded state, opening to a l5 inch wide by ll inch tall sheet.

The towel size capable of being dispensed by this invention is not limited in either direction, larger or smaller, by this invention but is dependent upon drying requirements, cost and marketing appeal.

A towel stack-height of about 3 inches containing approximately 75 towels produces a package which is readily handled by the housewife during opening and fastening to a support bar. The minimum number of towels in a package is about from a utility viewpoint and the maximum number of towels is about 150. This latter is about the largest package that a housewife can reasonably hold up with one hand while manipulating the suspending loop with the other hand. A second controlling factor is the distance which the face of the package projects from the adjacent wall. The package of I50 folded towels project: about 6 inches from the wall and this" projection is about the maximum acceptable for most eonsurners. When this dispenser package is utilized for facial tissues the number of sheets per inch of package thickness approximately doubles.

While this invention is primarily aimed at an improved dispensing package for paper towels and facial tissues, it is also suitable for cloths of a woven or nonwoven nature, either plain or impregnated with chemicals. The latter cloths have applications in silverware cleaning, auto and furniture polishing, for example.

Many modifications of the above invention may be used and it is not intended to hereby limit it to the particular embodiments shown or described. The terms used describing the invention are used in their descriptive sense and not as terms of limitation.

What is claimed is:

l. in a sheet material dispenser package of the type wherein a stack of flat sheets is supported by a header piece at one end of said stack form, the improvement comprising:

A. said stack being adhesively attached to an intermediate sheet and said intermediate sheet being attached to said header piece, each of said sheets being individually releasable in substantially its entirety from said package;

B. said header piece being provided with at least one extension secured thereto along an edge generally parallel to the planes of said sheets;

C. said flexible extension being adapted to form a loop' spaced outwardly from the face of the header piece opposite that to which said intermediate sheet is attached and extending from said edge and across the width of said header piece to an oppositely disposed edge thereof which is also generally parallel to the planes of said sheets; and

D. connective means for securing said flexible extension in loop fonn following fonnation.

,2. The package recited in claim 1 wherein said header piece is molded from'a plastic material and the adjacent surfaces of said header piece and said one end of said stack of flat sheets are of substantially conforming shape.

3. The package recited in claim 1 wherein said header piece has two flexible extensions.

4. The package recited in claim 3 wherein the'said connective means comprises a tab portion formed at the distal end of I one extension and a corresponding receiving slot formed in the distal end of the other extension.

5. The package recited in claim 3 wherein the said connective means comprises a l reverse bent section located at the distal end of at least one extension.

6. The package recited in claim 1 wherein each flat sheet is folded along lines roughly perpendicular to the said one end of said stack thus forming a flat-folded object of more than one thickness of material.

7. The package recited in claim 6 wherein the header piece is made from paperboard and the stack of folded objects is a stack of paper towels.

8. in a sheet material dispenser package of the type wherein a stack of flat sheets is attached to a substantially flat header piece placed against one end of said stack with the plane of the header piece approximately normal to the planes of the sheets of the stack, the improvement comprising:

A. the header piece being rectangular and substantially coextensive with said end, said header piece having an extension connected to each of its four edges, said extensions lying at about right angles with said header piece, adjacent extensions being joined along their abutting edges and collectively encircling said stack of sheets whereby a cap is formed over said end;

B. the pair of extensions along the front and back of said header piece which are parallel to the sheets of the stack and adapted to cooperatively form a hanging support for said package, one extensionof said pair of extensions having a score line thereon parallel to and spaced from said end, the portion of said extension intermediate said score line and its distal end having sufficient length td permit the said one extension to be folded over on itself along said score line and formed into a support loop spaced from the outwardly disposed face of the header piece with the distal end of said one extensions contiguous to the other extension of of said pair of exten:

v lions; and

C. means to attach the distal end of said one extension to the said other extension of said pair of extensions when said one extenslonis formed into said support loop.

-9. The package recited in claim 8 wherein the means to attach said one extension to said other extension ofsaid pair of extensions comprises a tab formed into said one extension and a corresponding receiving slot cut into said other extension of said pair of extensions, said tab and slot being adapted for mutual engagement.

10. The package recited in claim 8 wherein the means for fastening said one extension to said other extension of said pair of extensions consists of double-faced pressure-sensitive tape.

11. The package recited in claim 8 wherein the means for fastening said one extension to said other extension of said pair of extensions comprises the extreme end portion of the distal end of said extension being folded back upon itself and this portion being maintained in the folded condition by means of an adhesive bead located in close proximity to the interior line of fold, the fold-containing distal end then being adapted to be hooked around said other extension.

12. The package recited in claim 8 wherein the header piece is made from paperboard.

13. The package of claim 12 in which said one end of said stack of flat sheets is adhesively attached to an intermediate sheet and said intermediate sheet is attached to said header piece.

14. The package recited in claim 13 wherein said one extension is weakened along a plurality of lines parallel to the said front and back of said header piece to thereby facilitate formation of said loop.

15. The package recited in claim 13 wherein each flat sheet is folded along lines roughly perpendicular to the plane of the header piece, forming a flat-folded object of more than one thickness of material. 7

Po-ww UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,612,264 Dated October 12, i971 Inventor(s) Robert E. Trunick It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

F Throughout the specification and claims, the line numbers 1 are not aligned with the proper lines. The locations noted for the following corrections are the lines closest to the line numbers indicated and not necessarily the actual line named.

In the drawings, sheets 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the drawings "3,622,264" should be 3, 612, 264-.

In the Specification, column 4 at line 34, "one-sixteenth sixteenth" should be one-sixteenth at line 55 "the header should be header In column 6 at line 59 "bend" should be bent In the claims, column 8, Claim 1 at line 3, after "stack" insert of flat sheets, and said sheets are maintained in said stack Claim 8 at line 59, before "extension" insert one at line 64 "extensions" should be --extension at line 65, "of of" should be of In colurrm 9, Claim ll at line 5, "for" should be of Signed and sealed this 11th day of April 1972.

(SEAL) A s EDWARQMJLETCHERJR. ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Attestlng Officer Commissionerof Patents

Claims

1. In a sheet material dispenser package of the type wherein a stack of flat sheets is supported by a header piece at one end of said stack form, the improvement comprising: A. said stack being adhesively attached to an intermediate sheet and said intermediate sheet being attached to said header piece, each of said sheets being individually releasable in substantially its entirety from said package; B. said header piece being provided with at least one extension secured thereto along an edge generally parallel to the planes of said sheets; C. said flexible extension being adapted to form a loop spaced outwardly from the face of the header piece opposite that to which said intermediate sheet is attached and extending from said edge and across the width of said header piece to an oppositely disposed edge thereof which is also generally parallel to the planes of said sheets; and D. connective means for securing said flexible extension in loop form following formation.

2. The package recited in claim 1 wherein said header piece is molded from a plastic material and the adjacent surfaces of said header piece and said one end of said stack of flat sheets are of substantially conforming shape.

4. The package recited in claim 3 wherein the said connective means comprises a tab portion formed at the distal end of one extension and a corresponding receiving slot formed in the distal end of the other extension.

5. The package recited in claim 3 wherein the said connective means comprises a 180* reverse bent section located at the distal end of at least one extension.

8. In a sheet material dispenser package of the type wherein a stack of flat sheets is attached to a substantially flat header piece placed against one end of said stack with the plane of the header piece approximately normal to the planes of the sheets of the stack, the improvement comprising: A. the header piece being rectangular and substantially coextensive with said end, said header piece having an extension connected to each of its four edges, said extensions lying at about right angles with said header piece, adjacent extensions being joined along their abutting edges and collectively encircling said stack of sheets whereby a cap is formed over said end; B. the pair of extensions along the front and back of said header piece which are parallel to the sheets of the stack and adapted to cooperatively form a hanging support for said package, one extension of said pair of extensions having a score line thereon parallel to and spaced from said end, the portion of said extension intermediate said score line and its distal end having sufficient length to permit the said one extension to be folded over on itself along said score line and formed into a support loop spaced from the outwardly disposed face of the header piece with the distal end of said one extensions contiguous to the other extension of of said pair of extensions; and C. means to attach the distal end of said one extension to the said other extension of said pair of extensions when said one extension is formed into said support loop.

9. The package recited in claim 8 wherein the means to attach said one extension to said other extension of said pair of extensions comprises a tab formed into said one extension and a corresponding receiving slot cut into said other extension of said pair of extensions, said tab and slot being adapted for mutual engagement.

15. The package recited in claim 13 wherein each flat sheet is folded along lines roughly perpendicular to the plane of the header piece, forming a flat-folded object of more than one thickness of material.