Abstract:
A tissue dispensing container having a main compartment to hold a stack of tissues, and an auxiliary compartment extendable between a closed position and an open position, adapted to contain waste used tissues. A blank of sheet material specially adapted to permit construction of the above tissue dispensing container is further disclosed.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     Under 35 U.S.C. 119, this application claims the benefit of a pending foreign priority application filed in Israel on Jun. 7, 2005, entitled “Tissue Container” by Sarig Shinar, and assigned Israeli Application No. 169039. The disclosure of the prior application is considered part of the disclosure of this application and is hereby incorporated herein by reference.  
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     This invention relates to tissue dispensing containers, and especially those containers comprising an integrated refuse compartment.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     It is well known in the art to package tissues in a container which allows for easy dispensing thereof one at a time. These tissues are typically single use, and are in a state to be discarded relatively soon after dispensing. Therefore, such containers are often kept at locations, such as a lavatory or kitchen area, which offer adequate means for disposal of a used tissue. However, it is often advantageous to provide tissues in locations which are not typically equipped with disposal means, such as in a den or study. A user of a tissue must therefore retain the used tissue (or tissues) until such time that a disposal means is convenient, or make a special trip to discard it.  
         [0004]     An example of a tissue box fitted with an auxiliary compartment is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,919,302 directed a tissue box with a disposal compartment including a conventional compartment for the holding and dispensing of new tissues, and a second compartment for the disposal of used tissue which folds out from a side of the new tissue compartment. The used tissue disposal compartment is integrally attached to the new tissue dispensing compartment, having a common sidewall therewith, and may be arranged in a folded position against the common sidewall when not in use, or in an extender position for receiving used tissue. Two foldable sidewalls unfold into the extended position, with the fourth sidewall being attached to the outer edge of the two folding sidewalls. A bottom wall is foldingly attached at the lower end of the common sidewall so that when bent up, into the folded position, it lies against the common sidewall, while in the extended position it rotates down to form the bottom of the used tissue compartment. The bottom wall may be attached to the lower end of the fourth sidewall by a tab extending from the bottom wall and a tub opening in the lower portion of that lower sidewall. Attachment of one or more narrow strips of flexible material between the two foldable sidewalls at their lower edges provides support for the bottom wall and also holds the foldable walls from bowing outwards. The tissue box with disposal compartment may be formed from a single paperboard blank.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     According to the present invention, there is provided a tissue dispensing container comprising a main compartment adapted to hold a stack or a roll of unused tissue, and an integral auxiliary compartment. The auxiliary compartment is extendible between a closed position and an open position, and comprises a top wall, a bottom wall, and sidewalls, at least some of which are foldable when the auxiliary compartment is in the closed position. When the auxiliary compartment is in the closed position, the sidewalls are fully received within the main compartment. A single movement of a user extends the auxiliary compartment into the open position. The tissue dispensing container is typically constructed out of a single blank of sheet material, e.g. cardboard or plastics.  
         [0006]     The top wall and bottom wall of the auxiliary compartment are foldable, and the sidewalls thereof are slideable. The single movement of the user entails sliding displacement of the sidewalls and substantial flattening of the top wall and the bottom wall.  
         [0007]     The top wall of the main compartment and the auxiliary compartment each comprise a top opening. The top opening of the auxiliary compartment permits its use as a trash receptacle.  
         [0008]     The tissue dispensing container further comprises a flap pivotable between a first position associated with the closed position of the auxiliary compartment and a second position associated with the open position of the auxiliary compartment. The flap, in the first position, is adapted to retain the auxiliary compartment in the closed position. In the second position, it is adapted to retain the auxiliary compartment in the open position and to cover a bottom opening formed in the bottom wall of the auxiliary compartment. The bottom opening extends across a large portion of the bottom wall of the auxiliary compartment. In this way, the flap may be temporarily moved from the second position to allow simple emptying of the auxiliary compartment.  
         [0009]     The flap is adapted to be fastened into either one of its positions. This may be accomplished by a tab/slot arrangement. Alternatively, an adhesive tab may be used. The adhesive tab is adapted to be repeatedly affixed and removed from the surface of the tissue dispensing container.  
         [0010]     The tissue dispensing container further comprises at least one support tab adapted to retain the auxiliary compartment in the open position. The support tabs extend downwardly into a top opening of the auxiliary compartment, and are inwardly foldable along a preformed score. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]     In order to understand the invention and to see how it may be carried out in practice, an embodiment will now be described, by way of a non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:  
         [0012]      FIG. 1  is a top perspective view of a tissue dispensing container according to the present invention with an auxiliary compartment in a closed position and a flap in a first position;  
         [0013]      FIG. 2  is a top perspective view of a tissue dispensing container according to the present invention with the auxiliary compartment and flap removed for the sake of illustration only;  
         [0014]      FIGS. 3A and 3B  are top and bottom perspective views, respectively, of the tissue dispensing container according to the present invention with the auxiliary compartment in an open position and the flap removed for the sake of illustration only;  
         [0015]      FIG. 4  is a bottom perspective view of the tissue dispensing container according to the present invention with the auxiliary compartment in the open position and the flap in a second position;  
         [0016]      FIGS. 5A and 5B  are cross-sectional views taken, respectively, along lines II-II and IV-IV in  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0017]      FIG. 6  is a top perspective view of the tissue dispensing container according to the present invention with the auxiliary compartment in the closed position and the flap in an intermediate position; and  
         [0018]      FIG. 7  is a plan view of a blank of sheet material from which the tissue dispensing container according to the present invention may be assembled. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS  
       [0019]     As seen in  FIG. 1 , there is provided a tissue dispensing container  10 , comprising a main compartment  12  and an auxiliary compartment  14 , shown here in a closed position. The main compartment  12  is adapted for storing a stack or a roll of unused tissues, and comprises an aperture  16  for dispensing of tissues therethrough. The container  10  further comprises a flap  18 , shown in  FIG. 1  in a first position, wherein it is adapted to retain the auxiliary compartment  14  in the closed position.  
         [0020]      FIG. 2  illustrates the main compartment  12  with the auxiliary compartment  14  removed. The main compartment  12  comprises a top wall  52 , a bottom wall  54 , sidewalls  56 , and a back wall  58 . A common wall  30  of the main compartment  12  and the auxiliary compartment  14  constitutes a front wall of the main compartment. The common wall  30  comprises a slot  32  adjacent the top edge. The sidewalls  56  are spaced from the common wall  30 , forming thereby slits  62 .  
         [0021]     As illustrated in  FIGS. 3A and 3B , the auxiliary compartment  14  is enclosed on six sides by the common wall  30 , constituting a back wall thereof, a front wall  34 , sidewalls  38 , a top wall  40  with an opening  42 , and a bottom wall  44  with an opening  46 . The front wall  34  comprises a notch  36  adjacent a top edge thereof and a slot  64  adjacent a lunular notch  66  at a bottom edge thereof. The top wall  40  and bottom wall  44  are scored on longitudinal axes of symmetry  48   a  and  48   b.  The top wall comprises support tabs  50  adapted to retain the auxiliary compartment in the open position. The sidewalls  38  are attached only to the front wall  34 , and are longer than the length of the compartment. They are slidingly received within the slits  62  of the main compartment.  
         [0022]     The flap  18  is best seen in detail in  FIG. 6 . It comprises a main body portion  20 , a first tab  22 , and a second tab  24 . The second tab  24  is cut out from a secondary body portion  26 . The second tab  24  and the secondary body portion  26  are separated from the main body portion by scoring, as indicated by broken line  28 . It will be appreciated that the second tab  24  may be folded independently of the second body portion.  
         [0023]     The first tab  22  of the flap  18  is used to fasten the flap in the first position. This is accomplished by inserting it into the slot  32  provided in the common wall  30  when the auxiliary compartment  14  is in the closed position, thereby securing it into that position. A notch  36  in the front wall  34  of the auxiliary compartment  14  allows passage of the first tab  22  into the slot  32 .  
         [0024]     The second tab  24  of the flap  18  is used to fasten the flap in a second position, as seen in  FIG. 4 . This is accomplished by inserting it into the slot  64  provided at the bottom edge of the front wall  34  of the auxiliary compartment  14  when the auxiliary compartment is in the open position, thereby securing it into that position. In this position, the flap  18  is disposed so that it covers the opening  46  of the bottom wall  44  of the auxiliary compartment. The lunular notch  66  is useful for removing the second tab  24  from the inserted position. It should be noted that as seen in  FIG. 4 , the secondary body portion  26  of the flap  18  may be folded inwardly 180° so that it is not seen when the flap is in the second position. This is for aesthetic purposes only.  
         [0025]     In use, the tissue dispensing container  10  begins with the flap  18  in the first position, securing the auxiliary compartment  14  in the closed position, as seen in  FIG. 1 . The first tab  22  of the flap  18  is in the slot  32 , as described above. As illustrated in cross-section in  FIG. 5A , the top wall  40  and the bottom wall  44  of the auxiliary compartment are folded, and the sidewalls  38  thereof are fully received within the slits  62  between the sidewalls of the main compartment  12  and the common wall  30 .  FIG. 5B  illustrated in cross-section how the sidewalls  38  of the auxiliary compartment  14  are received within the main compartment  12 , with relation to the sidewalls  56  thereof. It should be noted that  FIG. 5B  shows the sidewall  56  as comprising a main sidewall top section  56   a  and a main sidewall bottom sections  56   b.  In addition, a flap  80  which extends along the sidewall  56  from the back wall  58  of the main compartment  12 , is shown.  
         [0026]     In order to extend the auxiliary compartment  14  to the open position, the first tab  22  is removed from the slot  32 , and the flap  18  is lowered to the position illustrated in  FIG. 6 . (This is typically done with one motion.) The main compartment  12  of the container is grasped in one hand, typically around the back wall  58  thereof, and the front wall  34  of the auxiliary compartment  14  is grasped with the other. The front wall  34  is moved away from the main compartment  12 . This single movement results in substantial flattening of the top wall  40  and the bottom wall  44  of the auxiliary compartment  14 , and sliding displacement of the sidewalls  38  from the slits  62 . The second tab is inserted into the slot  64  disposed at the bottom edge of the front wall  34  of the auxiliary compartment  14 , securing the flap  18  in the second position, as seem in  FIG. 3B . This serves to retain the auxiliary compartment in the open position, as well as to cover the opening  46  of the bottom wall  44  thereof, making the auxiliary compartment useful as a refuse bin. By removing the flap  18  from the opening  46 , the auxiliary compartment  14  may be easily emptied of refuse stored therein.  
         [0027]     Upon extension of the auxiliary compartment  14  into the open position, the support tabs  50  may be engaged to assist in retention thereof. The support tabs  50  are formed at the top wall  40  of the auxiliary compartment, and are adapted to be inwardly folded to retain the auxiliary compartment.  
         [0028]     Referring now to  FIG. 7 , there is seen a single cardboard blank from which the tissue dispensing container  10  may be manufactured. One method of manufacture will be described herein, although it will be appreciated that other methods may be equally acceptable. It is appreciated however that the blank may be manufactured of any suitable sheet material e.g. plastic, etc.  
         [0029]     Folds  101  are bent inwardly at right angles. Folds  102  and  103  are bent inwardly at right angles so that main sidewall bottom sections  56   b  abut flaps  80  and are disposed exterior thereto. Fold  104  is bent at a 180° angle so that flap  82  overlaps gluing zone  84 , to which it is glued, making sure that the cutout which is to be slot  32  is not obstructed thereby.  
         [0030]     Folds  105  through  107  are bent at right angles, and the auxiliary sidewalls  38  are bent inwardly at right angles along folds  108 , thereby forming the auxiliary compartment. Fold  109  is bent inwardly at a right angle, so that the auxiliary sidewalls  38  are disposed between main sidewall bottom sections  56   b  and flaps  80 . The undersides of tabs  86  are glued to a gluing zone which is located on the reverse side of the blank at a location indicated at  88 . Main sidewall top sections  56   a  are bent inwardly along folds  110 . Gluing zones  90  are each glued to a corresponding gluing zone on the reverse side of the blank at a location indicated at  92 .  
         [0031]     Whilst  FIG. 7  illustrates a pattern of a blank from which the tissue dispensing container  10  may be manufactured, it is appreciated that a container according to the present invention may be manufactured by other shapes too.  
         [0032]     Those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains will readily appreciate that numerous changes, variations and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention mutatis mutandis.  
         [0033]     For example, the container may be designed to hold moistened tissues and for this purpose the container will typically be laminated and will comprise a re-sealable closure (e.g. by way of an adhesive tap which is suitable for reopening many times). Alternatively, the container is made of a plastic sheet material.  
         [0034]     Furthermore, the auxiliary compartment may be designed in the shape of a closed compartment, i.e. not formed with a bottom opening and where the used tissue opening is closable, for hygiene reasons.  
         [0035]     Still, the used tissue opening of the auxiliary compartment may be formed on either side wall of the auxiliary compartment.  
         [0036]     Also, the dispensing opening formed on the top wall of the main compartment is fitted with a separating member to facilitate dispensing a single tissue at a time. The dispensing opening may be fitted with an attachment for that purpose, also comprising a re-sealable lid, where such an attachment may be adhered or heat welded to the container.