Abstract:
The present invention relates to a wipe assembly including a plurality of wipes arranged in a stacked configuration, each one of the wipes having a first surface and an opposed second surface, each one of the wipes being capable of rotation from a first position to a second position, each of the wipes being arranged such that in the first position the second surface of the wipe is arranged in an outwardly facing configuration and in the second position the second surface of an underlying wipe is arranged in an outwardly facing configuration.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to a wipe assembly, and more particularly to a wipe assembly including a plurality of individual wipes arranged in a stacked configuration. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Disposable personal care wipes, such as for example baby wipes or wet hand towelettes, are well known in the art and come in a variety of forms and configurations. Such personal wipes are often packaged in one of two common package types. The first package type consists of a liquid impermeable material, such as a metal foil, that contains an individual wipe therein. This type of package is commonly used for wet hand towelettes and the like. The second package type consists of a rigid container, such as a plastic container, that contains a plurality of individual wipes and permits to user to individually remove a single wipe for use. This type of package is commonly used for baby wipes and the like. 
         [0003]    The inventor of the present invention has discovered that a common problem with prior art wipes of the type described above is that once the wipe is used to clean a surface the user must first dispose of the soiled wipe and then grasp a new clean wipe prior to further cleaning. That is, the user must interrupt the cleaning process to first dispose of the soiled wipe and then grasp a new clean wipe prior to continuing the cleaning process. The above described problem is further complicated by the fact that the user may have to open a new foil wrapper, in the case of a wet hand towelette, or may have to retrieve a new clean wipe from within a rigid container, in the case of a baby wipe, prior to further cleaning. 
         [0004]    In view of the above, the inventor of the present invention has discovered a wipe assembly that overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art wipes described above. In particular, the wipe assembly according to the present invention permits the sequential use of a plurality of clean wipes without significant interruption of the cleaning process. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    In view of the foregoing, the present invention provides, according to a first aspect of the invention, a wipe assembly including a plurality of wipes arranged in a stacked configuration, each one of the wipes having a first surface and an opposed second surface, each one of the wipes being capable of rotation from a first position to a second position, wherein in the first position the second surface of the wipe is arranged in an outwardly facing configuration and in the second position the second surface of an underlying wipe is arranged in an outwardly facing configuration. 
         [0006]    The present invention provides, according to a second aspect of the invention, a wipe assembly including a top wipe having a first surface and an opposed second surface, a bottom wipe having a first surface and an opposed second surface, an intermediate wipe arranged between the top wipe and the bottom wipe, the intermediate wipe having a first surface and an opposed second surface, wherein the top wipe, the intermediate wipe, and the bottom wipe are coupled to one another and have a first position wherein the wipes are arranged in a stacked configuration, wherein the bottom wipe is capable of rotation from the first position to a second position, wherein in the first position the second surface of the bottom wipe is arranged in an outwardly facing configuration and in the second position the second surface of the intermediate wipe is arranged in an outwardly facing configuration, wherein the intermediate wipe is capable of rotation from the first position to a second position, wherein in the first position the second surface of the intermediate wipe is arranged in an outwardly facing configuration and in the second position the second surface of the top wipe is arranged in an outwardly facing configuration. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a wipe assembly according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a wipe assembly shown in  FIG. 1  with a user&#39;s hand partially inserted within the wipe assembly; 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view depicting a method for folding a substrate to form the wipe assembly shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  is an exploded perspective view of a wipe assembly according to a second embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0011]      FIGS. 5-8  depict a method of using the wipe assembly shown  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0012]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a wipe assembly according to a third embodiment of the present invention with a user&#39;s hand partially inserted within the wipe assembly; and 
           [0013]      FIG. 10  is an exploded perspective view of the wipe assembly shown in  FIG. 9 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0014]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , a first embodiment of the wipe assembly  10  according to the present invention generally includes a top wipe  12 , an intermediate wipe  14 , and a bottom wipe  16 . Each of the intermediate and bottom wipes  14 ,  16  are arranged below the top wipe  12 . Each of the wipes  12 ,  14  and  16  are coupled to one another and are arranged in a “stacked configuration” as shown in  FIG. 1 . The term “stacked configuration” as used herein means that each of the wipes has a first position wherein the wipes are arranged in a substantially overlapping relationship. 
         [0015]    Referring to  FIG. 3 , the specific embodiment of the wipe assembly  10  shown in  FIGS. 1-3  is preferably constructed from a single sheet  13  of material that is folded in the manner shown in  FIG. 3  to thereby form the individual wipes  12 ,  14  and  16 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , each individual wipe  12 ,  14  and  16  is formed by folding the sheet  13  so that each wipe is defined by two overlapping layers of material. Specifically, the wipe  12  is defined by material layers  18  and  20 , wipe  14  is defined by material layers  22  and  24 , and wipe  16  is defined by material layers  26  and  28 . The material layers  18 ,  20 ,  22 ,  24 ,  26  and  28  are then coupled to one another in the folded configuration shown in  FIG. 3  to thereby form the final wipe assembly  10  shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
         [0016]    The layers  18  and  20  of the first wipe  12  are left in a detached state, i.e. they are not sealed to one another, along a proximal edge  29  thereof. In this manner, a chamber  31  is defined between the layers  18  and  20  of the first wipe  12 . As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the chamber  31  is structured and arranged to receive at least a portion of a user&#39;s hand during use. More specifically, the chamber  31  is structured and arranged to receive at least a portion of the user&#39;s fingers. In this manner, as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a user can maintain the wipe assembly  10  on the palm side of the user&#39;s hand during use. 
         [0017]    As shown in  FIG. 3 , the top wipe  12  includes a first surface  32  and a second opposed surface  34 . Likewise, the intermediate wipe  14  includes opposed surfaces  36  and  38  and the bottom wipe  16  includes opposed surfaces  40  and  42 . Although the specific embodiment of the wipe assembly  10  shown in  FIGS. 1-3  includes three individual wipes, the wipe assembly  10  according to the present invention may include two or more individual wipes. 
         [0018]    Although the wipe assembly  10  shown in  FIGS. 1-3  is constructed from a single folded sheet of material it is possible that the wipe assembly  10  could be constructed from distinct layers of material that are coupled to one another to form the final wipe assembly  10  shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
         [0019]    With reference to  FIGS. 5-8 , a method of using the wipe assembly  10  according to the present invention will be described. First a user&#39;s hand is partially inserted within the chamber  31  such that the user&#39;s fingers are at least partially received within the chamber  31 . In particular, the wipe assembly  10  is arranged such that the user&#39;s finger&#39;s are at least partially received within the chamber so that the remainder of the wipe assembly is maintained on the palm side of the user&#39;s hand. Once the user has inserted his or her finger&#39;s within the chamber  31  as shown in  FIG. 5 , the user may then utilize the bottom wipe  16  of the wipe assembly  10  to clean a surface, absorb a fluid, or use the wipe for some other cleaning purpose, as shown in  FIG. 6 . When the bottom wipe  16  is in its original stacked configuration it is noted that its second surface  42 , i.e. its bottom surface is arranged in an outwardly facing configuration and thus the surface  42  can be utilized for cleaning purposes. 
         [0020]    Referring to  FIG. 7 , after the user has utilized the bottom wipe  16 , and desires a new clean wipe, the user may then rotate the bottom wipe  16  from its original stacked configuration shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6  to the position shown in  FIG. 7 . When the bottom wipe  16  is arranged in the position shown in  FIG. 7  the user may retain the soiled bottom wipe  16  under the user&#39;s thumb to thereby expose the underlying wipe  14 . Specifically, by retaining the bottom wipe  16  with the user&#39;s thumb as shown in  FIG. 7 , the second surface  38  of the intermediate wipe  14 , i.e. its bottom surface, is arranged in an outwardly facing configuration and thus the surface  38  can be utilized for cleaning purposes. As shown in  FIG. 8 , during use the user can retain the soiled wipe  16  with his or her thumb and utilize the intermediate wipe  14  to further clean the soiled surface or the like. In this manner, the user does not have to substantially interrupt the cleaning process to access a new clean wipe. Rather, the user simple rotates the bottom wipe  16  from its original stacked configuration to its second position, retains the wipe  16  with his or her thumb, thereby exposing the intermediate wipe  14  and continues the cleaning process. After the intermediate wipe  14  is soiled the user may then likewise rotate the wipe  14  to thereby expose the top wipe  12  and continue the cleaning process. 
         [0021]      FIG. 4  depicts an exploded view of second embodiment of a wipe assembly  110  according to the present invention. The wipe assembly  110  generally includes a top wipe  112 , a intermediate wipe  114 , and a bottom wipe  116 . Each of the intermediate and bottom wipes  114 ,  116  are arranged below the top wipe  112 . Each of the wipes  112 ,  114  and  116  are coupled to one another and are arranged in a “stacked configuration” as shown in  FIG. 4 . 
         [0022]    The specific embodiment of the wipe assembly  110  shown in  FIG. 4  is constructed from three distinct sheets  118 ,  120  and  122  of material that are coupled to one another to thereby form the wipe assembly  110 . The sheet  112  is folded to form to opposed material layers  124  and  126 . The sheets of material  118 ,  120  and  122  may be coupled to one another in any known manner, for example by means of adhesive, sewn to one another, thermobonding or ultrasonic bonding (in which for either case, one or more of the layers is allowed to melt and resolidify so that it bonds with the other layer), selective hydroentanglement, or the like. 
         [0023]    The layers  124  and  126  of the top wipe  112  are left in a detached state, i.e. they are not sealed to one another, along the respective proximal edges  129   a  and  129   b  thereof. In this manner, a chamber  131  is defined between the layers  124  and  126  of the top wipe  112 . The chamber  131  is structured and arranged to receive at least a portion of a user&#39;s hand during use. More specifically, the chamber  131  is structured and arranged to receive at least a portion of the user&#39;s fingers. In this manner, a user can maintain the wipe assembly  110  on the palm side of the user&#39;s hand during use. 
         [0024]    As shown in  FIG. 4 , the top wipe  112  includes a first surface  132  and a second opposed surface  134 . Likewise, the intermediate wipe  114  includes opposed surfaces  136  and  138  and the bottom wipe  116  includes opposed surfaces  140  and  142 . 
         [0025]    The intermediate wipe  114  generally includes a main body portion  150  and a tab portion  152  that extends outwardly from the main body portion  150  of the intermediate wipe  114 . Specifically, the tab portion  152  is structured and arranged such that it distally extends away from the main body portion  150 , and the user, during use. Likewise, the bottom wipe  116  generally includes a main body portion  160  and a tab portion  162  that extends outwardly from the main body portion  160 . Specifically, the tab portion  162  is structured and arranged such that it distally extends away from the main body portion  160 , and the user, during use. As shown in  FIG. 4 , the tab  152  of the intermediate wipe  114  is preferably offset relative to the tab  162  of the bottom wipe  116 , that is the tab  152  is not vertically aligned with the tab  162 . 
         [0026]    The embodiment of the wipe assembly  110  shown in  FIG. 4  functions in use in the same manner as the first embodiment of the invention described above with referenced to  FIGS. 1-3 . That is, after the user has utilized the bottom wipe  116  to clean a surface or the like, and the user desires a new clean wipe, the user may rotate the bottom wipe  116  from its original stacked configuration towards the user and retain the soiled wipe with the user&#39;s thumb, thereby revealing the clean underlying intermediate wipe  114 . The user may then use the intermediate wipe  114  to further clean the surface or the like. Thereafter, the user may then rotate the intermediate wipe  114  from its original stacked configuration towards the user and retain the soiled wipe with the user&#39;s thumb, thereby revealing the clean underlying top wipe  112 . The tabs  152  and  162  are structured and arranged to enable the user to more easily grasp and rotate the bottom wipe  116  and the intermediate wipe  114  as such wipes are soiled during use. 
         [0027]    Although the specific embodiment of the wipe assembly  110  shown in  FIG. 4  includes three individual wipes, the wipe assembly  110  according to the present invention may include two or more individual wipes. 
         [0028]      FIG. 10  depicts an exploded view of third embodiment of a wipe assembly  210  according to the present invention. The wipe assembly  210  generally includes a top wipe  212 , a intermediate wipe  214 , and a bottom wipe  216 . Each of the intermediate and bottom wipes  214 ,  216  are arranged below the top wipe  212 . Each of the wipes  212 ,  214  and  216  are coupled to one another and are arranged in a “stacked configuration” as shown in  FIG. 10 . 
         [0029]    The specific embodiment of the wipe assembly  210  shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10  is constructed from three distinct sheets  218 ,  220 , and  222  of material that are coupled to one another to thereby form the wipe assembly  210 . The sheets of material  218 ,  220  and  222  may be coupled to one another in any known manner, for example by means of adhesive, sewn to one another, thermobonding or ultrasonic bonding (in which for either case, one or more of the layers is allowed to melt and resolidify so that it bonds with the other layer), selective hydroentanglement, or the like. 
         [0030]    As shown in  FIG. 10 , the top wipe  212  includes a first surface  232  and a second opposed surface  234 . Likewise, the intermediate wipe  214  includes opposed surfaces  236  and  238  and the bottom wipe  216  includes opposed surfaces  240  and  242 . 
         [0031]    As shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10 , the wipe assembly  210  further includes a strip  250  of material coupled to the top wipe  212  such that the strip  250  is arranged in opposed relationship to the first surface  232  of the top wipe  212 . The strip  250  is structured and arranged so that a user may insert the user&#39;s hand between the strip  250  and the first surface  232  of the top wipe  212 . In this manner, as shown in  FIG. 9 , a user can maintain the wipe assembly  210  on the palm side of the user&#39;s hand during use. 
         [0032]    As shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10  the top wipe  212  is preferably dimensioned such that it extends from the base of a user&#39;s palm to the end of, or beyond, a user&#39;s fingertips. Stated another way, the top wipe  212  is preferably dimensioned such that the leading edge portion  262  of its peripheral edge  260  extends to or beyond a user&#39;s fingertips during use. 
         [0033]    The embodiment of the wipe assembly  210  shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10  functions in use in the same manner as the first embodiment of the invention described above with referenced to  FIGS. 1-3 . That is, after the user has utilized the bottom wipe  216  to clean a surface or the like, and the user desires a new clean wipe, the user may rotate the bottom wipe  216  from its original stacked configuration towards the user and retain the soiled wipe with the user&#39;s thumb, thereby revealing the clean underlying intermediate wipe  214 . The user may then use the intermediate wipe  214  to further clean the surface or the like. Thereafter, the user may then rotate the intermediate wipe  214  from its original stacked configuration towards the user and retain the soiled wipe with the user&#39;s thumb, thereby revealing the clean underlying top wipe  212 . 
         [0034]    The intermediate wipe  214  is preferably dimensioned such that the leading edge portion  266  of its peripheral edge  264  is recessed relative to the leading edge portion  272  of the bottom wipe&#39;s  216  peripheral edge  270 . In a similar fashion, the top wipe  212  is preferably dimensioned such that the leading edge portion  262  of its peripheral edge  260  is recessed relative to the leading edge portion  266  of the intermediate wipe  214 . This structure enables the user to more easily grasp the bottom wipe  216 , and the intermediate wipe  214 , as each wipe is soiled and rotate the respective wipe to reveal the underlying clean wipe. 
         [0035]    The material sheets used to form the wipe assembly according to the present invention described herein may comprise a variety of both natural and synthetic fibers or materials. Nonlimiting examples of natural materials include, but are not limited to, silk fibers, keratin fibers, cellulosic fibers, and combinations thereof. Nonlimiting examples of synthetic materials include acetate fibers, acrylic fibers, cellulose ester fibers, modacrylic fibers, polamide fibers, polyester fibers, rayon fibers, and combinations thereof. Preferably, the material sheets used to form the wipe assembly according to the present invention comprise a nonwoven material formed from one or more of the above identified fiberous materials. 
         [0036]    While particular embodiments of the preset invention have been illustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is therefore intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of the invention.