Abstract:
A package ( 1 ) of folded sheet products, in particular hand wipes, made of tissue paper or nonwoven. The package ( 1 ) includes a stack ( 2 ) of said sheet products, which stack ( 2 ) having an upper surface ( 3 ), a lower surface ( 4 ), and four side surfaces ( 5, 6, 7, 8 ) connecting said upper and lower surfaces ( 3, 4 ). A binding material ( 17 ) is applied on at least two opposite side surfaces ( 5, 6; 7, 8 ) of said stack ( 2 ) and bonded to at least two of said sheet products for retaining package integrity during handling thereof, whilst allowing separation of end sheet products ( 9; 11 ) from said package ( 1 ). A method for producing a package (1) is also provided.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0001]    The present disclosure relates to a package of folded sheet products, in particular hand wipes, made of tissue paper or nonwoven. The package comprises a stack of said sheet products, where the stack has an upper surface, a lower surface, and four side surfaces connecting the upper and lower surfaces. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Dispensers located in restrooms and other places where absorbent articles for drying hands are desired may contain folded sheet products. The folded sheet products may come in a package containing a stack of folded sheet products where the outer wrapping has to be removed prior to loading the dispenser. After removing the outer wrapping the stack of folded sheet products has to be handled gently in order for the sheet products not to fall out from the stack. This makes handling of such a stack of folded sheet products difficult, and loading of such dispensers may be time consuming for a custodian or janitor responsible for loading dispensers. 
         [0003]    DE 101 59 570 A1 discloses a package of folded sheet products where each sheet product is attached to at least one other sheet product by means of a binding agent located on abutting surfaces of the sheet products, such that sheet products may be dispensed even in a state where the package is arranged outside a sheet product dispenser without risking that the stack will fall apart. 
         [0004]    The problems with the solution according to DE 101 59 570 A1 is that the binding agent may stick to the surface of the sheet products making drying unpleasant. In the case where the binding agent is too strong or unevenly distributed on the sheet products the sheet products may be ripped or torn during separation of the sheet products. 
         [0005]    There is thus a need for an improved package of folded sheet products removing the above mentioned disadvantages. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0006]    An object of the present disclosure is to provide an inventive package comprising a stack of folded sheet products where the previously mentioned problems are partly avoided. The object is achieved by the features, wherein a binding material is applied on at least two opposite side surfaces of said stack and bonded to at least two of said sheet products for retaining package integrity during handling thereof, whilst allowing separation of end sheet products from said package. A method of manufacturing such a package is also disclosed. This is achieved by the features, which comprises the steps of:
       providing a package comprising a stack of said sheet products, which stack having an upper surface, a lower surface, and four side surfaces connecting said upper and lower surfaces;   applying a binding material on at least two opposite side surfaces of said stack and bonding said binding material to at least two of said sheet product for retaining package integrity whilst allowing separation of end sheet products from said package.       
 
         [0009]    Embodiments of the present disclosure relates to a package of folded sheet products, in particular hand wipes, made of tissue paper or nonwoven. The package comprises a stack of sheet products, where the stack has an upper surface, a lower surface, and four side surfaces connecting the upper and lower surfaces. A binding material is applied on at least two opposite side surfaces of the stack and bonded to at least two of the sheet products for retaining package integrity during handling thereof, whilst allowing separation of end sheet products from the package. 
         [0010]    A package according to an embodiment of the disclosure allows a fast and economical solution for providing improved package integrity and results in a package where handling is made easier and faster, for instance during loading of a package into a dispenser. By applying a binding material to side surfaces of the stack the package integrity is preserved and the risk of the package falling apart is reduced. 
         [0011]    A further advantage is that a person responsible for loading a dispenser with sheet products more easily can handle the package with only one hand thereby reducing time needed for loading the dispenser. When using a single hand to load the package, a part of the package, such as an end part thereof can be clamped by the person. The binding material applied to at least two opposite sides of the package ensures that the integrity of the package is kept intact. The adhesive bonding between the binding material and the sheet product is preferably non-permanent, i.e. the sheet product may be detached from the package by breaking the adhesive bond, and without tearing the sheet product apart. 
         [0012]    The separation of end sheet products from the package may be accomplished by breaking the bonds of the binding material on at least two opposite side surfaces by exerting a pull force on any of the end sheet products. 
         [0013]    A pull force exerted on an end sheet results in breaking of the bonds of the binding material thereby allowing removal of the end sheet. By having the binding material applied to the side surfaces the risk of tearing the end sheet while removing it is greatly reduced compared with having a binding agent applied to abutting surfaces of the sheets, as disclosed by the known art. 
         [0014]    The at least two opposite side surfaces of the package are formed by edge surfaces of the sheet products. The binding material may be applied and bonded to at least the edge surfaces of each end sheet of the package. The binding material may directly or indirectly provide a force transfer connection between at least the end sheets, such that the package is prevented from falling apart. 
         [0015]    By having at least the end sheets connected by means of a force transfer connection in the form of for instance binding material the package is prevented from falling apart. Force transfer connection means for instance the capability of transferring tension load between the upper and lower sheet product of the stack, such that the package may be lifted and handled by clamping upper portions of glued side surfaces. This results in that a person handling the package must no longer lift the package from below to avoid collapse or disorder of the stack. 
         [0016]    An indirect force transfer connection is provided between said end sheets by means of said binding material if the binding material transfers said tension load jointly with another member, which thus also transfers tension load. The other member may for example be the carrier sheet of a pressure sensitive tape that is adhesively attached to the stack. The tension load is transferred from one end sheet via said binding material to said carrier layer, and subsequently to the other end sheet via binding material again. The other member here functions as a retainer element, which retains the integrity of the stack. The binding material indirectly provides the force transfer connection because force is transferred also by said carrier layer of said tape. Many other designs may result in an indirect force transfer connection, such as when the binding material for example is reinforced with a reinforcement element, which is arranged and capable to transfer said tension load. Yet another type of indirect force transfer connection is provided when all neighbouring sheet products of the stack are joined to each other because force may then be transferred between said end sheet products via each sheet product of the stack. Upon an indirect force transfer connection, the requirement on structural rigidity of the binding material itself is reduced in favour of the bonding capability to at least the end sheets and the retainer element. 
         [0017]    A direct force transfer connection is provided between said end sheets by means of said binding material if the binding material itself transfers said tension load between the upper and lower sheet product of the stack, and thus itself forms said retainer element. This may, for example, be accomplished by means of forming the binding material of a relatively thick string of hot-melt glue that is applied continuously over the entire height of the package. A direct force transfer connection is then provided by means of said binding material, i.e. hot-melt glue, which is bonded at least to said end sheets and capable of transferring the arising tension load there between. Other types of direct force transfer connection are provided upon use of for example thermo-adhesive films as binding material. 
         [0018]    The height of the stack as measured from the upper surface of the stack to the lower surface of the stack may be at least 15 cm, preferably at least 20 cm. Without a package wrapper a stack may be limited in height while still being able to be handled as an integral unit using a single hand. For embodiments of the disclosure to be most effective a larger stack may be desired. Compression of the stack may arise during manufacturing or transportation thereof. The height of the package may be varied depending on the type of sheet product that is used and may also depend on the type of dispenser the package is intended for. 
         [0019]    The side surfaces of each sheet product arranged between said end sheets products are preferably free from the binding material. A small amount of binding material, for instance an adhesive, might however penetrate a certain distance into the sheet products depending mainly on the viscosity of the adhesive and the absorption rate of the sheet product material. 
         [0020]    A direct or indirect force transfer connection between at least the end sheets may be provided by means of one or more structural retainers bonded to at least the end sheets and extending along the at least two opposite side surfaces of the stack. 
         [0021]    A structural retainer may advantageously function as reinforcement in cases where the force transfer capability of the binding material alone is not enough to ensure the integrity of the package, or in cases where a structural retainer is deemed necessary for other reasons. The structural retainer may result in improved stability and handling of the package. 
         [0022]    Each sheet product of the package comprises two side surfaces, and the one or more structural retainers may be bonded also a certain distance onto an outer side surface of the end sheets for improved bonding of the structural retainers to the end sheets. 
         [0023]    Improved bonding of the structural retainers to the end sheets results in improved stability and package robustness. 
         [0024]    The one or more structural retainers may be formed by the binding material itself, which may be applied over the entire height of each of the at least two opposite side surfaces by means of at least one continuous strip of binding material or multiple segmented strips of binding material. 
         [0025]    When using multiple segmented structural retainers with the end segments thereof being bonded to the end sheets of the stack, the segments should overlap in a height direction of the stack. That means that one end of one structural retainer extends beyond one end of another structural retainer in said height direction, such that all sheet products are covered by at least one structural retainer for the purpose of providing the required integrity of the stack. 
         [0026]    Having structural retainers separate from the binding material may provide more flexibility with respect to desired characteristics of the package such as stability, flexibility, elasticity, etc. Having separate structural retainers also allows for increased freedom in the type of binding material used. 
         [0027]    One or more structural retainers may be bonded to the end sheets by means of the binding material. 
         [0028]    The one or more structural retainers may be formed by tape, net, web, strip, or board, and made of paper, carton, polymer, or plastic material. 
         [0029]    The one or more structural retainers may be formed by either a continuous structural retainer bonded to the end sheets, or multiple segmented structural retainers jointly extending over the entire height of the package, and with the end segments thereof being bonded to the end sheets of the stack. 
         [0030]    The package may comprise a single structural retainer that extends over the entire height of each of the at least two opposite side surfaces. The width of a bonding surface of the structural retainer is preferably less than half of the width of the associated side of the sheet product, and more preferably less than a quarter of the width of the associated side of the sheet product, facilitating improved separation of the end sheet products from the package. 
         [0031]    A reinforcement element may be bonded to or embedded in the strip or strips of binding material for increased package stiffness and integrity. The reinforcement element may be formed by tape, net, web, strip, or board, and made of paper, carton, polymer, or plastic material. 
         [0032]    At least 50% of all sheet products of the package may be bonded to the package by means of the binding material, preferably at least 75% of all sheet products of the package, and more preferably at least 90% of all sheet products of the package. 
         [0033]    A bond may be provided by the binding material between every neighbouring pair of sheet products at the at least two opposite side surfaces of the stack. 
         [0034]    The binding material preferably provides a non-permanent bond between sheet products and retainer element and/or between neighbouring sheet products. A non-permanent bond allows for easier separation of sheets in the stack. 
         [0035]    Embodiments of the disclosure further relate to a method of manufacturing a package of folded sheet products, in particular hand wipes, made of tissue paper or nonwoven. The method comprises the steps:
       providing a package comprising a stack of the sheet products, which stack having an upper surface, a lower surface, and four side surfaces connecting the upper and lower surfaces;   applying a binding material on at least two opposite side surfaces of the stack and bonding the binding material to at least two of the sheet products for retaining package integrity whilst allowing separation of end sheet products from the package.       
 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0038]    Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the figures, wherein: 
           [0039]      FIG. 1  schematically shows a package of folded sheet products according to an embodiment of the disclosure; 
           [0040]      FIG. 2  schematically shows a package of folded sheet products according to an embodiment of a first aspect of the disclosure; 
           [0041]      FIG. 3  schematically shows a package of folded sheet products according to an embodiment of a second aspect of the disclosure; 
           [0042]      FIG. 4  schematically shows a package of folded sheet products according to an embodiment of a third aspect of the disclosure; 
           [0043]      FIG. 5  schematically shows a package of folded sheet products according to an embodiment of a fourth aspect of the disclosure; 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0044]    In the drawings, like features have the same reference numbers. 
         [0045]      FIG. 1  schematically shows a package  1  according to an embodiment of the disclosure. The package comprises a stack  2  of folded sheet products made of for instance of tissue paper or nonwoven. The stack  2  of folded sheet products has an upper surface  3 , a lower surface  4 , a first long side surface  5 , a second long side surface  6  opposite the first long side surface  5 , a first short side surface  7  and a second short side surface  8  opposite the first short side surface  7 . The stack  2  of sheet products comprises a first end sheet product  9  located at a first end  10  of the stack  2  of sheet products and a second end sheet product  11  located at a second end  12  of the stack  2  of sheet products. In  FIG. 1  the first end sheet product  9  is located at the bottom of the stack  2  of sheet products and the second end sheet product  11  is located at the top of the stack  2  of sheet products. This may of course be the other way around depending on if the stack  2  of sheet products is placed in a dispenser with a dispensing opening located at a top surface of the dispenser. 
         [0046]    Each sheet product comprises a first edge surface  13  and a second edge surface  14 . In  FIG. 1  this is illustrated for the end sheet products  9 ,  11  only. However, this applies to all sheet products in the stack  2 . In  FIG. 1  the edge surfaces  13 ,  14  are located on the short sides of the sheet products. Alternatively, the edge surfaces  13 ,  14  may be located on the long sides of the sheet products. Each sheet product also comprises a first outer side surface  15  and a second outer side surface  16 , which outer side surfaces  15 ,  16  form the main surfaces of each sheet product. The stack  2  extends in height direction, hereinafter denoted z-direction. Each sheet product is then arranged in a plane defined by a x-direction and a y-direction, both being perpendicular to the z-direction. The x-, y-, and z-direction being axes in a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system. In  fig.1 , the first and second short side surfaces  7 ,  8  extend in plane defined by the x-direction and z-direction. 
         [0047]    The sheet products in the stack  2  may be interfolded in any suitable way, for instance by C-fold, W-fold or Z-fold. The sheet products in the stack  2  may also be placed on top of each other without interfolding. 
         [0048]    Binding material  17  is applied on the first short side surface  7  of the stack and the opposing second short side surface  8  of the stack. The binding material  17  may cover only a part of the short side surfaces  7 ,  8  or it may cover the entire short side surfaces  7 ,  8 . This is described more in detail below. In  FIG. 1 , the binding material  17  additionally covers part of the upper surface  3  and similarly part of the lower surface  4  of the stack  2 . This is a mere example of how to apply the binding material  17 . The binding material  17  does not have to extend to the upper surface  3  or lower surface  4  as long as the edge surfaces  13 ,  14  of the first end sheet product  9  and the second end sheet product  11  are covered and bonded with the binding material  17 . 
         [0049]    The location of the binding material  17  on the short side surfaces  7 ,  8  in  FIG. 1  is merely meant as an illustration. It is of course possible to have the binding material  17  applied on the first long side surface  5  and the opposing second long side surface  6 . The first and second edge surfaces  13 ,  14  of the sheet products then correspond to the long sides of the sheet product. Binding material may of course alternatively be provided on three or four side surfaces of the stack to even further increase integrity thereof. 
         [0050]      FIG. 2  schematically shows a package  1  of folded sheet products according to an embodiment of the disclosure. Here the binding material  17  is shown to extend across the entire first short side surface  7  and second short side surface  8  of the stack  2  of sheet products in the z-direction of said package  1 . The binding material  17  covers and is bonded to at least an edge surface  13  of the first end sheet product  9  and an edge surface  13  of the second end sheet product  11 . The binding material  17  ensures that a force transfer connection between at least the first end sheet product  9  and the second end sheet product  11  is achieved, such that the stack  2  can retain its integrity. The force transfer connection thus prevents the first and second end sheet products  9 ,  11  from separating in the z-direction, unless a separation force exceeding either the bonding strength of the binding material  17  or the tensile strength of the binding material itself is exerted to at least one of said end sheet products  9 ,  11 . The binding material  17  at least have to adhere to the first end sheet product  9  and the second end sheet product  11  in order to achieve the function of an embodiment of the disclosure. Depending on the desired strength of the force transfer connection the binding material  17  may be arranged to adhere to additional sheet products. The binding material  17  is preferably arranged to adhere to all sheet products of the stack  2 , but the bond to a certain amount of sheet products may be lacking due to for example insufficient alignment or positioning of the sheets of the stack during application of the binding material, and/or bonds that have failed after manufacturing. 
         [0051]    Hot-melt adhesive or similar may for example be used as the binding material  17 . The binding material  17  may be applied to cover the entire width of the short side surface  7  in an x-direction resulting in increased stack integrity, or be applied as a continuous strip covering only a part of the short side surface  7  in the x-direction resulting in simplified withdrawal of sheet products from the stack  2 . The binding material  17  may additionally be bonded to a part of the first outer side surface  15  and/or the second outer side surface  16  of the end sheet products  9 ,  11  for increased stability and bonding strength. A reinforcement element (not shown) may be bonded to or embedded in the binding material  17  for further increased package stiffness and integrity. The reinforcement element may be formed by tape, net, web, strip, or board, and made of paper, carton, polymer, or plastic material. 
         [0052]      FIG. 3  schematically shows a package  1  of folded sheet products according to an embodiment of another aspect of the disclosure. If for example the force transfer connection provided by the binding material  17  itself as shown in  FIG. 2  is deemed not to be strong enough, i.e. if the package  1  is still unable to retain its integrity to a sufficient degree, one or more structural retainers  18  may be used. The one or more structural retainers  18  may be formed by tape, net, web, strip, or board, and made of paper, carton, polymer, or plastic material and provides an increased force transfer capability. The structural retainer  18  may have the binding material  17  applied to it before fastening the combined structural retainer  18  and binding material  17  to the side surfaces  7 ,  8  of the stack. Alternatively, binding material  17  may be applied to the side surfaces  7 ,  8  of the stack  2  before placing the structural retainer  18  on top of the binding material  17 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , the binding material  17  does not necessarily have to cover all of the sheet products in the stack  2  because the structural retainer  18  may alone fulfil the force transfer connection between the end sheets  9 ,  11  of the stack  2 . Consequently, in the same way as described in conjunction with  FIG. 2 , the binding material  17  at least have to adhere to the first end sheet product  9 , the second end sheet product  11  and the structural retainer  18  in order to achieve the function of an embodiment of the disclosure. According to a preferred aspect of an embodiment of the disclosure, the binding material  17  and structural retainer  18  extends equally, and both preferably covers and adheres to each sheet product of the stack  2 . The structural retainer  18  and thereby the binding material  17  may cover a part of the first outer side surface  15  and/or the second outer side surface  16  of the end sheet products  9 ,  11  for increased bonding strength and stability. 
         [0053]    As previously mentioned, instead of first applying binding material  17  to the stack  2  of sheet products a structural retainer  18  comprising binding material  17  may be applied directly to the stack  2  of sheet products. In this case the binding material  17  is made up for instance of the adhesive of a tape, or glue applied to the structural retainer forming a carrier layer, such as a strip of paper. The tape or strip of paper is then applied on the stack  2  and bonded thereto by means of the binding material  17 . In this case the binding material  17  is firstly intended to secure the structural retainer  18  to the stack  2  of sheet products and secondly to function as force transfer connection, and the structural retainer  18  is intended to function as the main force transfer connection between the end sheets  9 ,  11  of the stack  2 . 
         [0054]      FIG. 4  schematically shows the application of more than one strip of binding material  17  or more than one structural retainer  18 . In  FIG. 4 , four strips of binding material  17  or four structural retainers  18  are used, collectively covering the entire height of the short side surfaces  7 ,  8  in the z-direction of the stack  2  of sheet products. As can be seen from  FIG. 4 , each of the strips of binding material  17  or structural retainers  18  overlaps at least one other strip of binding material  17  or structural retainer  18  meaning that a force transfer connection is provided via said strips and the sheet products in the overlapping areas in the height direction, i.e. in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the individual sheets. The use of four strips of binding material  17  or four structural retainers  18  is merely illustrative as a possible number of strips of binding material  17  or structural retainers  18  may be used. Two or more, in the x-direction offset continuous strips of binding material  17  or structural retainers  18  may alternatively be applied to each of said first and second short side surfaces  7 ,  8  for securing package integrity. This alternative design is particularly advantageous when the width of the stack  2  in the x-direction is much larger than the width of the continuous strip of binding material  17  or structural retainers  18  in the x-direction, such that the initial substantially rectangular shape of the package  1  is sustained also after a certain level of compression of the stack  2  during manufacturing. This design is particularly advantageous when the continuous strips of binding material  17  or structural retainers  18  are applied to the first and second long side surfaces  5 ,  6  of the package  1 . 
         [0055]      FIG. 5  schematically shows a package  1  according to another aspect of an embodiment of the disclosure. In  FIG. 5  the binding material  17  is in the form of a relatively low viscosity adhesive that may be applied for example by spraying, rolling, by brush, or the like. In addition to forming a relatively thin coating layer on the side surfaces  7 ,  8 , the binding material  17  in this aspect may penetrate a distance into each sheet product thereby bonding the sheet products together not only by means of binding material  17  on the short side surfaces  7 ,  8  of the stack  2  but also by bonding at least a part of a first outer side surface  15  of one sheet product to a second outer side surface  16  of a neighbouring sheet product. The direct force transfer capability of the binding material  17  between the end sheets  9 ,  11  of the stack  2  may according to this aspect of the disclosure be low or completely lacking, but since the binding material  17  instead joins each neighbouring sheet product, a force transfer connection is provided via each sheet of the stack within said end sheets  9 ,  11 , jointly with each bond between each neighbouring sheets. This aspect of the disclosure may be combined with structural retainers  18  and to the method of applying multiple structural retainers  18  or strips of binding material  17  as described in conjunction to  FIG. 4 , for the purpose of increasing package stability and integrity. 
         [0056]    The expression bonded or bonding signifies that the binding material is arranged to bond to said at least two of the sheet products adhesively. The bonded sheet products do not have to be adjacent. 
         [0057]    The expression retaining package integrity during handling signifies for instance the ability of the package to remain intact during normal handling, transportation, storing, refill and potential withdrawal from dispenser by a user. The sheet products are mainly intended for drying hands after washing or for cleaning purposes. Other suitable uses may be possible. 
         [0058]    The binding material may be an adhesive, a pressure sensitive adhesive, a hot-melt adhesive, an organic solvent adhesive, a plastisol, a water-based solution adhesive, a water based dispersion adhesive, or a chemically curing adhesive. The binding material is preferably applied as a film or sprayed to the stack. 
         [0059]    Reference signs mentioned in the claims should not be seen as limiting the extent of the matter protected by the claims, and their sole function is to make claims easier to understand. 
         [0060]    As will be realised, the disclosure is capable of modification in various obvious respects, all without departing from the scope of the appended claims. Accordingly, the drawings and the description thereto are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not restrictive.