DISPENSING CONTAINER FOR SMALL PREMOISTENED CLOTHS

Abstract: A container (1) with a strip of continuous premoisturized swabs (2) therein, each swab being rectangular and interconnected with adjacent swabs at their respective corners (3). The swabs (2) are folded only at their interconnection location and stacked one on top of the other. The container has an end face (4) with an opening (5), through which a portion of the uppermost swab (2) extends. The container also has a lid (9) to protect the portion of the uppermost swab (2) extending through the opening (5). Each swab (2) is removable individually by pulling vertically on the portion of the uppermost swab (2) until it tears at the interconnection location (3) with the successive swab, because of frictional resistance generated by accumulation of the successive swab in the opening being greater than the tear strength of the interconnection location.

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to a dispensing container with small premoisturized cloths, especiallly where the cloths are swabs impregnated with an anti-septic and stacked in folded form in the con­ tainer. Each swab is formed to be pulled out one after the other through an opening in the container. One type of dispensing container is known from DE-OS 2405 793, in which premoisturized cloths are separated by transverse perforations or notches and extend through an opening. Projections extend along the edge of the opening for engagement in the perforations or notches in the cloths so as to permit one cloth at a time to be severed. This type of container therefore requires that each individual cloth be vertically drawn exactly against the projections in the opening in order to obtain reliable severing. Otherwise, severing of one cloth from the next may fail to take place. Another type of dispensing container is known from US Patent No. 2,823,089 (De Franco 1956) in which a plurality of rectangular tissues are connected to each other at two diagonally opposite corners. The tissues are folded to appear as stacked isosceles trapezoids to enable a portion of the uppermost tissue to be pulled through a slot, the slot being adjacent to an edge of the container. The uppermost tissue will always have a portion extending through the slot. Each tissue is pulled out of the container individually, because the tissues separate in the connection area between tissues when the edges of the successive tissue engages the edges of the slot, building up resistance that exceeds the tearing strength of the connection area. However, the portion of the uppermost tissue that extends through the slot is subject to contamination, which is undesirable in envirnments re­ quiring optimal sterilization. Another dispensing container is known from US Patent 4,328,907 (Beard). This invention shows different shapes of non-linear orifices through which the wipes can be pulled to be individually torn off. The inventor uses a roll of impregneted perforated paper and offers different orifices of which the exact dimensioning of the hole is a matter of experiment with the paper and impregnant. A complication arises in practise since the successive wipes tear off at a more or less varying distance from the orifice. Thus sometimes there is too short a length of material to grip easily or at other times full wipes are left prodruding. To reduce this problem one has to follow a marking indicating a preferred direction of pull. Another continuous cloth arrangement is known from US Patent 3,161,336 (Loescher). This rectangular dispensing carton is disclosed with a corner opening for withdrawing cloths that remains permanently open. After cutting off a piece of the container to make the opening all the cloths remain exposed and will obviously contaminate and the container is thus not suitable for dispensing moisturized sterilized swabs. It is also known from this document that rectangular sheets, formed initially as a strip, are stacked one upon the other. The manner of connecting the sheets at opposed corners in the strip results in a stack which, if applied to a container with an opening not at the corner, would result in premature tearing. There is further known from US Patent No. 4,159,772 (Beck) a dispensing device housing a stack of pads preferably of circular configuration which are interconnected by elongated pull tabs having transverse lines off weakness at their junctions with the leading pads. These pads however will not be clamped tight enough in the dispensing slot because of their configura­ tion and will fall back inside, especially when the container is not completely filled anymore. Another disadvantage is the waste of material in producing this type of strip. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is the object of the present invention to provide a dispensing container with small premoisturized swabs to permit reliable individual and successive withdrawl and separation of small premoisturized cloths, particu­ larly where the swabs are impregnated with an anti-septic such as alcohol. In keeping with this object, and others which will become apparent hereafter, the invention resides in a combination of a dispensing container and strip of cloths in the contai­ ner as defined in claim 1. The strip of cloths are a continuous strip of premoisturized cloths formed as adjacent rectangles each with two corners diagonally oppo­ site from each other, the adjacent rectangles interconnecting with each other only at the corners. The adjacent rectangles are folded in the region of their corners so as to form a stack of rectangles one on top of the other. The combination also has a dispensing container housing the stack. The container has an end face with edges as well as an opening spaced away from the edges. The stack has an uppermost rectangle having a corner portion in the region of one of its corners ex­ tending through the opening. The combination also has means for pro­ tecting the corner portion from contamination and including a lid hinged to the container to removably enclose the corner portion entirely. It is another object of the invention to releasably engage the lid and end face together by a continuous flange and that engages one of the lid and the end face of the container. It is a further object to protect the corner portion of the upper­ most cloth by enclosing the same between an interengaging collar and capsule, which are formed on the end face and lid respectively. It is an additional object to provide four ridges on the end face in which each ridge extends from the collar to the flange. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a container with interconnected swabs that are folded and stacked therein according to present invention with the lid of the container in the open postion. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a top view of three interconnected swabs before being folded and stacked into the container. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings, figure 1 shows a container in the form of a small rectangular box 1 in which swvabs 2 are stacked in a folded fashion. The individual swabs 2 are each rectangular or square and interconnected at two diagonally opposed corners 3 as shown in figure 3. The interconnection is made either directly or by a narrow web. An end wall 4 at the top of the box 1 is formed with a circular opening 5. The respective uppermost swab 2 extends through this opening 5. Advantageously, this opening 5 is centrally located in the end wall 4 spaced away from the edges, so that a lid 9 can be connected to protect the portion of the uppermost swab 2 extending through the opening 5. Circular opening 5 is surrounded by a cylindrical collar 6 from which four ridges 7 extend towards a flange 8 provided at the top. Flange 8 is continuous and forms a rectangle that has two sets of parallel walls. Each ridge 7 extends parallel to one set of the parallel walls of the flange 8. Lid 9 is connected to box 1 by two flexible hinges 10 formed as thinned portions of a suitable synthetic resin or plastic material. A cylindrical capsule 11 on the inside of lid 9 engages with the inside of collar 6 when lid 9 is swung onto the end wall 4 to close the same tightly and enclose the portion of the uppermost swab 2 extending through opening 5, providing protection against contamination. In order to separate the uppermost swab 2 from a successive swab inside box 1, the portion of uppermost swab 2 extending through opening 5 is pulled upwards, forcing the uppermost swab 2 entirely out of the box 1, until the interconnection with the successive swab 2 tears because the frictional resistance of the successive swab 2 increases due to material of the successive swab accumulating in opening 5. However, enough of the successive swab 2 is pulled out before tearing takes pace to facili­ tate its own subsequent removal. It may be desireable to sterilize the swabs 2 by cobalt radiation. The container should then be made from materials which remain intact and do not deform when exposed to gamma radiation. This is of concern for hinge 10 must be both flexible and durable as well. It is recommeded to use a polypropylene homopolymer material that is gamma radiation resistant, e.g. Neste Chemicals polypropylene PD 921 as developed by Herkules, an American corporation. Box 1 need not have a rectangular cross-section, but may have, for example, a circular cross-section. Further, an isosceles trapezoidal-shaped notch can be formed on one edge of the lid 9 to facilitate opening the lid. This notch is located opposite the edge of the lid that is hinged to the box 1. Box 1, lid 9 collar 6, capsule 11 and ridges 7 are all ideally made out of the same synthetic resin or plastic material. It is advan­ tageous for such material to be transparent or opaque, so that one can readi­ ly observe how many swabs 2 remain inside box 1 and are readily avai­ lable for use. Since the swabs are each folded to retain their rectangular appearance as opposed to appear to have some other configuration, an other­ wise possible miscount or confusion as to shape and size is avoided. Further, the rectangular cross-section of the box 1 and the lid 1 can be of the same dimensions. In such a construction, the continuous flange 8 extends upward from the end face 4 within a border defined by the edges of the end face 4 so as to sealably engage with the edges of the lid 9 when the lid 9 is closed on end face 4. It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of container and cloth combinations differing from the types described above. While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a container and cloth combination, it is not intented to be limited to the details described since various modifications and structural changes may be made within the scope of the present invention as de­ finded by the appended claims.

Claims: 1. In combination, a dispensing container and strip of cloths in the container, comprising: a continuous strip of premoisturized cloths formed as adja­ cent rectangles (2) each having two corners (3) diagonally opposite each other, said adjacent rectangles interconnecting with each other only at said corners, said rectangles being symmetrical relative to a line extend­ ing through said two corners of all of said rectangles in an unfolded state of said strip, every adjacent two of said adjacent rectangles (2) being folded only in a region of said corners between said adjacent rect­ angles so as to form stack of said adjacent rectangles one on top of the other; a dispensing container (1) housing said stack, said container having an end face with edges, said end face being formed with an open­ ing (5) spaced away from said edges, said opening (5) being large enough to allow the corner portion of the premoisturized cloths immediately ad­ jacent the points of connection of the cloths with each other to pass through the opening yet narrower than a diagonal width of said adjacent rectangles so as to resist passage of said adjacent rectangles from being pulled through said opening and thereby cause said adjacent rectangles to separate from each other at said region of said corners; said stack including an uppermost one of said rectangles with a corner portion in the region of one of its said corners extending through said opening (5); and means for protecting said corner portion from contamination and including a lid (4) hinged to said container to removably enclose said corner portion entirely. 2. The combination of Claim 1, wherein said face has a cen­ tral area (6), said opening being arranged in said central area. 3. The combination of Claim 1, wherein said opening (5) is circular. 4. The combination of Claim 1, wherein said protecting means includes an interengagable collar (6) and capsule (11) which seal off said opening (5) when interengaged with each other, said lid (9) having an inner surface facing said end face of said container, one of said collar (6) and capsule (11) being formed on said inner surface and the other of said collar and capsule being formed on said end face of said container. 5. The combination as defined in Claim 4, wherein said protect­ ing means further includes means for engaging said lid (9) and said end face of said container together and including a continuous flange (8) extending from one of said lid and said end face, the other of said lid and said end face being formed to releasably engage said flange (8) to releasably hold said lid to said end face. 6. The combination as defined in Claim 5, wherein said engag­ ing means of said protecting means further includes a plurality of ridges (7) extending to said flange (8), said ridges being formed on said one of said lid or said end face. 7. The combination as defined in Claim 6, wherein said collar (6) and said flange (8) each being formed on said end face, each of said ridges (7) extending from said collar (6) to said flange (8). 8. The combination as defined in Claim 1, wherein all of said container (1) and said protecting means are formed of synthetic resin. 9. The combination as defined in Claim 4, wherein said capsule (11) and said collar (6) each are formed cylindrical. 10. The combination as defined in Claim 1, wherein said cloths (2) are each impregnated with an anti-septic. 11. The combination as defined in Claim 10, wherein said anti­ septic is alcohol. 12. The combination as defined in Claim 1, wherein said dispensing container (1) is formed of a material that remains intact and does not de­ form when exposed to gamma radiation so that said stack housed in said dispensing container is sterilizable by said gamma radiation without said gamma radiation thereby deforming said dispensing container.

Inventors: HOLTSCH, PETER E.
Applicants: HOLTSCH METALLWARENHERSTELLUNG MARIA HOLTSCH
Application year: 1988
Main classification: B65D83
IPC codes: A47K10, B65D25, A61F15, B65D83