Rolled tissue products containing discrete overlapped tissue sheets

A tissue product and method are disclosed in which individual discrete tissue sheets which overlap each other are wound into a roll. The overlapping provides a means for pop-up, one-at-a-time tissue dispensing. Preferably, the sheets are dispensed axially from a coreless roll. The overlapping sheets within the roll can be interleaved as well as overlapped to increase the frictional engagement between successive sheets. This product form is useful for a variety of tissue products, such as facial tissue, bath tissue, kitchen towels and napkins.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Household tissue products, such as facial tissue, bath tissue, kitchen 
towels and napkins, are available in two basic product forms. One product 
form is a continuous roll, which is commonly used for bath tissue and 
kitchen towels. The individual sheets within the roll are separated by a 
line of perforations which must be torn as the sheet is removed from the 
roll. Oftentimes the perforation lines do not tear cleanly, resulting in 
ripped sheets and ragged edges. 
The other product form is a stack of individual sheets as is commonly used 
for facial tissue and dinner napkins. The tissues or napkins can be 
interfolded for pop-up dispensing or they can be simply laid one on top of 
the other. The stacked product form usually dispenses very well, but a 
flat-stacked product has limitations with respect to the size of the 
"footprint" of the box in which the tissues are stacked. Inherently, 
stacked tissues require a relatively high package volume for a given 
number of sheets as compared to the roll product form. Also, in an effort 
to reduce the size of the dispensing carton, facial tissues and dinner 
napkins are always dispensed in a folded configuration, which requires the 
user to unfold the dispensed tissue prior to use. 
Hence there is a need for different tissue product forms that overcome 
these deficiencies and provide the consumer with alternative choices. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It has now been discovered that a variety of tissue products can be 
provided in a roll of separate individual or discrete sheets, which can be 
folded or unfolded, and dispensed one-at-a-time. Advantageously, the roll 
of individual sheets can be a coreless roll which dispenses the tissues 
from the center of the roll in the axial direction. This invention 
provides an alternative product form for products typically dispensed in 
folded form, such as facial tissues and napkins, and eliminates some 
disadvantages associated with perforated roll products. 
Hence in one aspect, the invention resides in a tissue product comprising a 
roll of multiple, discrete, consecutive tissue sheets which overlap each 
other in the circumferential direction of the roll. The roll can be 
coreless for axial or circumferential dispensing, or it can be cored for 
circumferential dispensing. The roll of discrete sheets can be contained 
within any suitable dispensing carton which permits removal of the 
individual sheets, or the roll may be used without a carton as is the case 
for conventional kitchen towels and bath tissue. As the individual sheets 
are dispensed, the sheet being withdrawn is in frictional engagement with 
the following sheet, causing the following sheet to "pop up" for 
subsequent withdrawal. The degree of overlap necessary to effectively 
dispense will depend on the surface characteristics of the particular 
sheets and the winding tension within the roll. In order to increase the 
frictional engagement, the sheets can be folded, overlapped and 
interleaved. For purposes herein, interleaving is a form of the broader 
concept of overlapping. Dispensing can be either axially from the center 
of the roll or circumferentially from the outer surface of the roll. 
In another aspect, the invention resides in a method for making a tissue 
product comprising the steps of: (a) cutting a continuous sheet of tissue 
into discrete, consecutive sheets; (b) overlapping each sheet with the 
previous sheet; and (c) winding the overlapped sheets into a roll. The 
resulting roll of discrete, individual sheets can be placed in a carton 
for protection and/or for dispensing. 
As used herein, a "tissue" sheet is a low density paper sheet useful for 
products such as facial tissue, bath tissue, paper kitchen towels, dinner 
napkins and the like. In the case of facial tissues, the discrete tissue 
sheets can be assembled into the roll in a variety of ways, as will be 
described in greater detail in connection with the Drawing. In the 
simplest form, for example, the sheets can be simply overlapped in an 
unfolded state. Alternatively, the sheets can be V-folded, C-folded, 
Z-folded or otherwise folded as desired and thereafter simply overlapped. 
Alternatively, the sheets can be overlapped and subsequently folded to 
provide an interleaved form of overlap to further increase frictional 
engagement. 
In the case of napkins, which tend to be of a larger size than facial 
tissues, it is preferable that the individual napkins be folded into 
quadrants or otherwise as is common for such products, and thereafter 
simply overlapped and wound into the roll. Interleaving is also possible 
depending on the folding pattern. Either form of overlapping provides a 
unique pop-up dispensing product for dinner napkins. 
In the case of tissue products that are conventionally made in roll form, 
such as kitchen towels and bath tissue, the individual sheets can be 
overlapped or interleaved, either folded or unfolded as desired. If a 
cored roll is used, the products of this invention can be used on 
conventional bath tissue or kitchen towel spindles. If a coreless roll is 
used, these products can be dispensed anywhere, such as counter tops or 
toilet covers as is the case with facial tissues. 
The extent of sheet overlap in all cases will depend on the characteristics 
of the individual sheets, winding tension, the roll size and the 
dispensing attribute desired. Factors such as embossing, layering, 
furnish, composition, calendering, etc. all affect the sheet 
characteristics. Particularly for the coreless roll, the extent of sheet 
overlap can be intentionally varied within the roll in order to maintain 
proper dispensing throughout the roll by taking into account the 
relatively small, tight space in the center of a fresh roll, compared to 
the larger airspace present after most of the roll has been dispensed. In 
some cases, the degree of overlap will be greater at the periphery of the 
fresh roll than it is towards the center of the roll. In other cases, 
however, the centermost sheet will have a higher degree of overlap. 
Numerically, the amount of sheet overlap will be at least about 1/8 inch 
or greater, more specifically about 1 inch or greater, still more 
specifically about 2 inches or greater. If the extent of overlap becomes 
too great, multiple sheet dispensing occurs.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
Referring to FIG. 1, a schematic perspective view of a tissue product made 
in accordance with the present invention containing discrete overlapped 
sheets is shown. Outer sheets 11 and 12 are referenced, as well as sheets 
13, 14 and 15. Additional sheets comprising the body of the roll are not 
numbered. The total number of sheets in the roll would be equal to the 
desired sheet count for the bath, facial, towel or napkin product. Inner 
sheets 13 and 14 are kept in place by the roll integrity for pop-up 
dispensing, since this particular execution is that of a coreless roll 
with axial center dispensing. Sheet 15 is shown partially removed from the 
roll 10 in a condition that would generally occur after dispensing the 
previous sheet. Such sheets have a partially-curved, neater appearance as 
compared to conventional multifolded products. In dispensing, sheet 15 is 
pulled outward from roll 10. The overlapping of sheet 15 with sheet 14 
causes sheet 14 to follow sheet 15 partially from roll 10 until there is 
no longer adequate pressure and contact between the sheets, at which time 
sheet 14 will no longer move with sheet 15, leaving it in position for the 
next use. 
FIG. 2 shows roll 10 as it would look prior to placing it within suitable 
packaging. The overlapping of the sheets can be varied, as will be 
described hereinafter, to tailor the dispensing characteristics of the 
roll. For instance, in dispensing applications from the roll exterior 
where sheet 11 would be released first, an overlapping or interleaving 
configuration that locks the sheets together more is required. On the 
other hand, if sheet 14 is to be dispensed first, less interleaving is 
required. 
FIG. 3 portrays a tissue product 20 comprising a hexagonal dispensing 
carton 21 for roll 10 designed for axial dispensing of the tissues. Here 
roll 10 (depicted by dashed lines) has been placed into the hexagonal 
carton containing an end dispensing opening 22. The unique configuration 
of the wound overlapped sheets leaves the next tissue 15 "standing up." As 
a result, poly flaps and the like are not required to keep sheet 15 from 
falling back into roll 10. Such may be provided as a desirable sanitary 
feature, however. The unique configuration of the wound tissues also lends 
itself to many different carton shapes and sizes. Round, hexagonal, square 
or other geometric shapes can be used to provide aesthetically pleasing 
cartons for the consumer. 
FIG. 4 shows a tissue product 30 for circumferential dispensing from the 
outside of roll 10. Hexagonal carton 31 is designed with slot 32 for 
dispensing of the sheets. Roll 10 can be coreless or wound on a core if 
desired for manufacturing reasons. As outer sheet 11 is pulled from slot 
32, roll 10 will rotate within the carton due to the overlapping of the 
sheets within the roll. This allows the next sheet to travel partially 
through slot 32 until forces are no longer sufficient to cause it to 
travel further as sheet 11 is withdrawn. 
FIGS. 5 and 5A illustrate one embodiment of overlapping discrete 
consecutive tissue sheets in accordance with this invention. Shown are 
discrete tissue sheets 41, 42, 43 and 44. The sheets are overlapped by a 
distance "x" as shown. The hidden edges of the tissues are represented by 
dashed lines. The individual sheets can be unfolded flat sheets, or they 
can be folded in any configuration. 
FIGS. 6 and 6A illustrate another embodiment of overlapping discrete 
consecutive sheets for use in accordance with this invention. In this 
embodiment, the individual tissue sheets 51, 52, 53 and 54 are not simply 
overlapped, but also interleaved. The individual sheets are V-folded, with 
one end of each consecutive sheet partially opened and folded around the 
end of the previous V-folded sheet. 
FIGS. 7 and 7A illustrate another method of overlapping discrete 
consecutive sheets for use in accordance with this invention. In this 
embodiment, the individual sheets 61, 62, 63 and 64 are C-folded sheets. 
Similar to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6A, the sheets are also 
interleaved with one end of each sheet being folded around the following 
sheet and the other end folded within the previous sheet. 
FIGS. 8 and 8A illustrate another method of overlapping discrete 
consecutive sheets 61, 62, 63 and 64 in which both ends of a given sheet 
interact with both the previous and following consecutive sheets in the 
same way. Specifically, both ends of sheet 62 are interleaved within the 
previous and subsequent sheets 61 and 63, respectively. 
FIG. 9 illustrates an overlapping winder 100 for the production of roll 10 
comprising the following steps. Roll 101 which has been previously slit, 
and crimped if a multi-ply product, is unwound such that web 102 passes 
over folding board 103. Folding board 103 can be a "C", "V", or "Z" type 
folding board. Alternatively, if no fold is desired, folding board 103 may 
simply be removed from the web path. Folded web 104 is pulled into the nip 
between belt 107 and cut-off roller 105. The surface of roller 105 is made 
from a soft rubber material. This creates a good surface for pulling web 
104 into the cut-off area and helps to crease the fold into web 104. 
Cut-off rollers 105 and 106 have a single knife imbedded in their outer 
surfaces. The circumference of these rollers is made equal to the desired 
length for the discrete sheet to be overlapped. Belt 107 has appropriately 
spaced slots for the knife on cut-off roller 106. Folded web 104, after 
passing cut-off rollers 105 and 106, is severed into a discrete sheet 123. 
Belts 110 and 107 contain sheet 123 after it has been severed. Idler 
pulleys 112 and 108 guide their respective belts. Vacuum box 111, in 
combination with holes in belt 110, assures sheet 123 will follow belt 110 
after passing idler pulley 108 and not travel with belt 107 around the 
periphery of idler pulley 108. Transfer to belt 118 is accomplished by 
vacuum box 117. The degree of overlap between subsequent sheets can be 
altered by moving items 105-112 back and forth as indicated by arrow 124 
relative to the forward part of overlapping winder 100 and varying the 
relative speeds between belt 110 and 118. The movement and relative speeds 
can be accomplished while the machine is winding to vary the overlap 
through the radius of roll 122. After transfer of sheet 123 to belt 118, 
the overlapped sheets are contained between belts 118 and belt 114. Belts 
118 and 114 are guided by pulleys 113, 115, 116, 119, 120. The nip created 
between belts 118 and 114 not only keeps the overlapped sheets from flying 
loose during transport but also helps to increase the friction engagement 
between the overlapped sheets. After traversing the length of belt 114, 
sheet 125 is ready to be wound onto roll 122. Roll 122 is supported by 
mandrel 126 which has a lengthwise slot in it. For coreless products, the 
first overlapped sheet is placed into the slot to begin winding the roll. 
For product forms requiring a core, the core is placed on to the mandrel 
and the overlapped sheet is adhered to it by appropriate means. The 
winding roll 122 is controlled by roller 120 and pneumatic cylinder 121 in 
accordance with known winding principles. If a tighter wound roll is 
desired, a larger nip load is used which can be accomplished by increasing 
the pressure to cylinder 121. When the desired number of sheets have been 
wound onto roll 122, it is removed from mandrel 126 and the process is 
repeated for additional rolls. 
EXAMPLES 
Example 1 
A tissue product of this invention was made by overlapping and winding 
individual (discrete) V-folded facial tissue sheets. Facial tissue sheets 
with dimensions of 8.5 inches.times.9 inches were folded in half to obtain 
dimensions of 4.25 inches.times.9 inches. Each V-folded sheet was laid 
down such that the long dimension of the tissue overlapped the previous 
sheet in the long dimension by 4 inches. The length of overlapped tissues 
was then rolled up (referring to FIG. 5A) by rotating the left edge of 
sheet 41 clockwise and continuing to turn and roll up the tissues. Ninety 
tissues were overlapped and rolled up. The wound roll of discrete 
overlapped tissues was then placed in a typical upright carton of 
measuring 4 3/8 inches by 4 1/4 inches by 5 1/4 inches. 
Dispensing was tested by pulling individual sheets through the opening on 
the upper surface of the carton. A failure of the sheet to follow the 
prior sheet through the carton opening was called a fall back. The first 
88 sheets dispensed without fall back. The last two sheets did not follow 
the previous sheets through the opening but remained upright and near the 
opening and were thus easy to retrieve. 
Example 2 
A tissue product of this invention was made by overlapping 30 C-folded 
sheets (8.5 inches wide.times.9 inches long, unfolded). The C-folded 
tissue sheets had folded dimensions of 4.5 inches.times.9 inches. The 
first sheet was laid down and overlapped by a second sheet for a length of 
4-1/2 inches. The third tissue overlapped the second by 2-1/2 inches as 
did all subsequent tissues. All tissues were laid down on a conveyer belt. 
The leading end of the first tissue was inserted into a mandrel which 
rotated to wind up the overlapped tissues as the conveyer belt moved the 
tissues toward the mandrel. The diameter of the mandrel was 1-1/2 inches. 
The nip formed between the mandrel and the belt was controlled to provide 
a nip load of about 1 pound per lineal inch (pli). The resulting tissue 
product had a diameter of 2-1/2 inches and was removed from the mandrel, 
resulting in a coreless roll. Because the tissue product was wound under 
pressure, the interior sheets relaxed to fill the void left by the mandrel 
and this made the initial dispensing easier. Only one fall back occurred 
in each of two dispensing tests. 
It will be appreciated that the foregoing examples, given for purposes of 
illustration, are not to be construed as limiting the scope of this 
invention, which is defined by the following claims and all equivalents 
thereto.