Patent Publication Number: US-2020288920-A1

Title: Tissue apparatus device and system

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/816,917, filed Mar. 12, 2019, which is hereby incorporated by reference, to the extent that it is not conflicting with the present application. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates the field of tissue dispensers, removable containers and adhesives for said dispensers, portable sealable removably-fixable apparatus devices for housing and dispensing towelettes and tissues. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Young children or adults when suffering from cold, runny nose mostly do not always have handkerchiefs or facial tissues in easy reach to wipe off their nose. For kids, even if the tissues are in arm&#39;s length, they don&#39;t always use the tissue and instead wipe off their nose with their arms or hands as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
     This behavior not only makes their clothes and hands dirty, but also spreads the germs to their hands and upon touching other things with their hands, transfers those germs (and viruses) to other objects and eventually to other kids. In addition, in certain situations a tissue may be needed, but to carry it at all times may not be viable. 
     For example, on shop floor a person working on a machine or a skier who will like to wipe off his nose but finds it difficult to pull out a handkerchief or to carry a tissue along with him/her. 
     The present invention relates to an apparatus for containing tissues, which can stick to other things like fabric and hence when used on top of a clothing wear, like jacket sleeve, can be used as a wearable facial tissue container. The apparatus can be of any shape like a parallelepiped or any other shape which will make it attractive. 
     For kids it can have a shape as that of a bone, a wand, a flower or a cartoon character as shown in various illustrations of  FIGS. 8 and 9  [also showing invention&#39;s capacity to be embodied in differently-shaped-housing(s)]. The key element is that the apparatus has an opening on top (further described in below and referenced in  FIG. 5 ) where in tissues are stacked and wherein the user can rub their face/nose across to perform a wiping function. 
     Children&#39;s current tissue box holders cannot be used “as-is” as described in following paragraph. This will also be important to emphasize the merit of the patent as against the reasonable use of existing tissue box holders. 
     Facial tissues are used widely to wipe off things from face, hands incl. Runny nose. However, the general method of dispensing them is via a box. For young kids, when having cold or for people who are outdoors in extremely cold conditions (like when skiing), to carry a box of facial tissues with them wherever they go is not viable. This then becomes a barrier in usage of the tissues. The invention provides the necessary thin, light weight, facial tissue dispensing apparatus which quite simply can be put on the arms of the users (on a clothing they are wearing, as shown in  FIG. 3 ) or on any other surface, like bag, as shown in  FIG. 4 , easily and securely. 
     The opening on the apparatus, as described in  FIG. 5 , item  511  exposes enough surface area of the tissue that the user can simply rub their nose/face against the exposed tissue section of apparatus by doing the motion shown in  FIG. 1  using the apparatus as shown in  FIG. 3 , easily without spoiling hands or clothing. 
     Therefore, there is a need to solve the problems described above by proving a device and method for offers additional fastening and dispensing options to fit ail related needs. 
     The aspects or the problems and the associated solutions presented in this section could be or could have been pursued; they are not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, it should not be assumed that any of the approaches presented in this section qualify as prior art merely by virtue of their presence in this section of the application. 
     BRIEF INVENTION SUMMARY 
     This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key aspects or essential aspects of the claimed subject matter. Moreover, this Summary is not intended for use as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. 
     The present invention is a novel, light weight, bendable, apparatus for containing facial tissues, which can be placed on the arm (over the sleeves) or any other surface for convenient access. This apparatus enables users (children/adults) to wipe their face, hands or nose (in the event of the cold, runny nose) directly on the facial tissue. The apparatus comes with a removable adhesive tape, whose one side is covered with a sticker on the bottom. The sticker can be peeled off for the apparatus to then stick to any surface like on fabric of the arm sleeve of a child, making it a wearable facial tissue container (as shown in  FIG. 3 ) The present invention is directed to a light weight apparatus for containing tissues  301  and  401 , comprising of one opening on the top accompanied by sets of at least two removable double sided adhesives strips which on one side can be applied to the apparatus and on other side can be applied on the desired surface such as sleeve of the arm ( FIG. 3 ) or on other objects like purse ( FIG. 4 ) for convenient access. This apparatus is preferably of the shape of parallelepiped ( FIG. 5 ) but can be of any other shape which will make it attractive for kids like that of a bone, a wand, a flower or a cartoon character, as shown in various illustrations of  FIG. 8 . Independent of the shape of the apparatus, the apparatus will have an opening on its top (as shown in  FIG. 5 , item  511 ) which is sealed by removable sticker. The sticker once peeled exposes the facial tissues which are stored therein. This opening at top portion (further described below and illustrated in  FIG. 5 ) is preferable of the shape of a rectangle but can be of any other shape. 
     The above aspects or examples and advantages, as well as other aspects or examples and advantages, will become apparent from the ensuing description and accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       For exemplification purposes, and not for limitation purposes, aspects, embodiments or examples of the invention are illustrated in the FIG.s of the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a front view of “background of the invention.” 
         FIG. 2  is front view of “background of the invention.” 
         FIG. 3  is an aerial top view of the instant invention as removably affixed to a human forearm. 
         FIG. 4  is an aerial top view of the instant invention as removably-fastened to a bag/purse/briefcase, etc. 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective elevational view of the instant invention. 
         FIG. 6  is an aerial view of the instant invention “before dispensing.” 
         FIG. 7  is a worm&#39;s-eye bottom view of one embodiment of the instant invention&#39;s adhesive strip system. 
         FIG. 8  is an illustrative view of the instant invention&#39;s decorative capacity in re border ornamentation. 
         FIG. 9  is an illustrative view of the instant invention&#39;s decorative capacity in re child-friendly ornamentation. 
         FIG. 10  is a bottom “worm&#39;s eye view” of one embodiment of the instant invention&#39;s adhesive strip system. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     What follows is a description of various aspects, embodiments and/or examples in which the invention may be practiced. Reference will be made to the attached drawings, and the information included in the drawings is part of this detailed description. The aspects, embodiments and/or examples described herein are presented for exemplification purposes, and not for limitation purposes. It should be understood that structural and/or logical modifications could be made by someone of ordinary skills in the art without departing from the scope of the invention. Therefore, the scope of the invention is defined by the accompanying claims and their equivalents. 
     It should be understood that, for clarity of the drawings and of the specification, some or all details about some structural components or steps that are known in the art are not shown or described if they are not necessary for the invention to be understood by one of ordinary skills in the art. 
     In the Summary above and in this Detailed Description, and in the accompanying drawings, reference is made to particular features of the invention. It is to be understood that the disclosure of the invention in this specification includes all possible combinations of such particular features. For example, where a particular feature is disclosed in context of a particular aspect or embodiment of the invention, or a particular claim, that feature can also be used—to the extent possible—in combination with and/or in the context of other particular aspects and embodiments of the invention, and in the invention generally. 
     The term “comprises”, and grammatical equivalents thereof are used herein to mean that other components, ingredients, steps, etc. are optionally present. 
     An article “comprising” (or “which comprises”) components A, B, and C can consist of (i.e., contain only) components A, B, and C, or can contain not only components A, B, and C but also contain one or more other components. 
     Where reference is made herein to a method comprising two or more defined steps, the defined steps can be carried out in any order or simultaneously (except where the context excludes that possibility), and the method can include one or more other steps which are carried out before any of the defined steps, between two of the defined steps, or after all the defined steps (except where the context excludes this possibility). 
     The term “at least” followed by a number is used herein to denote the start of a range including that number (which may be a range having an upper limit or no upper limit, depending on the variable being defined). For example, “at least 1” means 1 or more than 1. The term “at most” followed by a number is used herein to denote the end of a range, including that number (which may be a range having 1 or 0 as its lower limit, or a range having no lower limit, depending upon the variable being defined). For example, “at most 4” means 4 or less than 4, and “at most 40%” means 40% or less than 40%. When, in this specification, a range is given as “(a first number) to (a second number)” or “(a first number)—(a second number),” this means a range whose limits include both numbers. For example, “25 to 100” means a range whose lower limit is 25 and upper limit is 100 and includes both 25 and 100. 
     The instant tissue-dispensing system  301  provides two key capabilities. First, it provides easy and dose proximity to facial tissues without having to explicitly hold them in your hands. To address this, the invention has a sticky removable surface adhesive using which the tissue dispenser (the apparatus) can be put on the arm or on an easily accessible surface like a purse/bag as shown in  FIG. 3 . Secondly, to enable users to wipe off their faces, noses directly using the apparatus. This is achieved by placing the apparatus on the arm (as shown in  FIG. 3 ) and then by using it with a motion as shown in  FIG. 1 . Doing so eliminates the need to physically take out tissue every single time before they can be used. This feature makes it very advantageous and specifically relevant: for young kids who usually don&#39;t remember to reach out to a facial tissue box, and for people in certain conditions like when in cold climate with heavy clothing, gear, and for people doing mechanical jobs, for whom accessing a tissue box conveniently is very difficult. 
     It is therefore the main objective of the present invention to provide the user with a lightweight bendable apparatus which can hold facial tissues and can stick on surfaces like sleeve, bags. The invention on one hand gives convenient access of tissues to the users, on the other it enables users to use the tissue (wipe off their faces, noses) without needing to have them pull the tissues out before their usage. 
     The apparatus is being characterized in that it (inter alia, entire apparatus as shown in  FIG. 6 , except that of surface which is to be peeled off-ref item  622 ) is made of light weight thermoplastic material of high resilience so that even after being bent over for a long periods during usage, it is capable of coming back to its initial shape without losing it elastic properties ensuring tissues are tightly and securely held at all times. The present invention is directed to a light weight apparatus for containing tissues, comprising of one opening on the top (refer  FIG. 6 , item  611 ) accompanied by sets of two or more removable double sided adhesives strips (refer  FIG. 7 , item  732 ) which on one side  731  can be applied to the apparatus and on other side can be applied on the desired surface such as sleeve of the arm ( FIG. 3 ) or on other objects like purse ( FIG. 4 ) for convenient access. 
     This apparatus is preferably of the shape of parallelepiped ( FIG. 5 ) but can be of any other shape which will make it attractive for kids like that of a bone, a wand, a flower or a cartoon character, as shown in various illustrations of  FIG. 8 . 
     Independent of the shape of the apparatus, the apparatus will have an opening on its top which is sealed by removable sticker. The sticker once peeled exposes the facial tissues housed underneath a central aperture, optionally accessible via perforated covering. This opening at top portion (further described below and illustrated in  FIG. 5 , item  511 ) is preferable of the shape of a rectangle but can be of any other shape. 
     After removal of the sticker, the entire top face  611  is not exposed. After removal of the sticker, section as shown in item  513  will still be there—this will ensure that the tissues do not fall off. The border (item  513 ) will be wide enough to not let the tissues fall off. Also, tissues will be inter-stacked with a wax paper in-between to ensure that moistness from one tissue doesn&#39;t go to the other tissue. 
     The entire apparatus as shown in  FIG. 6 , except that of surface which is to be peeled off is being characterized in that it is made of light weight thermoplastic material of high resilience so that even after being bent over for a long periods during usage, it is capable of coming back to its initial shape without losing it elastic properties ensuring tissues are tightly and securely held at all times. 
     The invention&#39;s width will be much shorter compared to regular tissue boxes. This is to ensure that the instant invention is not uncomfortable for kids when they wear it. In fact, the width will be marginal to the extent kids don&#39;t feel any marginal weight or physical body as such on their arm. The whole apparatus will mostly feel like a sticker on their arm (marginal height). 
     The exposed area of tissue, wherein kids will be able to rub their nose against, will be much more in length then compared to other tissue boxes, this area is identified in  FIG. 5  item  511 . This feature is important to the instant invention because kids should be able to wipe their nose when rubbing it against this exposed surface. A long length and a narrower width will be a key characteristic of the physical appearance of the apparatus. 
     The tissues are stacked differently than the tissues in the regular tissues&#39; boxes. Unlike regular tissue boxes wherein, after pulling out one tissue, another tissue comes out to make subsequent dispensing easy; in the preferred embodiment, after pulling one tissue other won&#39;t come out. The next tissue will thereby remain tightly stacked underneath to ensure it can be used as a rubbing surface. 
     Unlike regular tissue boxes where tissues are stacked one after other, the instant invention features a thin plastic or a wax paper layering or will have a thin layer of insulation in between tissues. This will ensure the moistness from one paper doesn&#39;t seep through the other tissues which are placed underneath. The insulation layer (like wax paper) will be intertwined with the tissue paper such that tissue paper which sits underneath the wax paper stays unexposed. This is done to ensure that only the topmost tissue paper is exposed and is used for the wiping motion (ref  FIG. 1 ) whereas the insulation layer doesn&#39;t let the moistness of the tissue paper on top seep into to the rest of the tissues which are underneath. 
     The apparatus is provided which can have any suitable shape, e.g. parallelepiped (as shown in  FIG. 5 ) or any other suitable shape (as shown in various illustrations of  FIG. 8 ). It comprises a bendable body with bottom and top walls facing each other and a thin wall across its circumference. The apparatus is made out of any lightweight flexible material such as thermoplastic or fiber like cloth. Preferably, the apparatus is entirely made out of thermoplastic material. The apparatus is preferably to contain tissues, more preferably multi-layer tissues. 
     While the apparatus can have any shape as shown in  FIG. 8 , for the sake of illustration we will consider it to be parallelepiped. Also, please note that immaterial of the shape of the apparatus (various illustrations of in  FIG. 8 ), at least one of the sides of the apparatus body ( FIG. 5 ), preferably at least the top side, comprises an opening aperture  511 . The opening by default is covered with a panel and is exposed with the removal of a panel, said panel is being created by a precut line, on the top of the apparatus as shown in  FIG. 5  item  512 . During the first use, this panel is removed and the apparatus opening  511  is therein exposed to the user. 
     The bottom  1031  of the apparatus ( FIG. 10 ) has at least two markers, on top of these dotted lines is an adhesive strip with a removable strip as shown in  FIG. 10  item  1032 . One side of the strip is covered with removable sticker. 
     For the first usage, sticker from the strip (ref  FIG. 10  item  1032 ) is peeled off; this exposes an adhesive side of the strip. This then lets the user stick the apparatus to any fabric or other materials. This includes putting it on arm sleeve (as shown in  FIG. 3 ) or on other objects like purse (as shown in  FIG. 4 ) 
     For subsequent usage, additional strip sets are provided. These strips are essentially two-sided tapes with sticker on both sides. These adhesive strips are removable in nature. After the first usage, referring  FIG. 10 , either: 
     The removable strip is removed from the bottom of the apparatus and the ne\v set of strips are put on using the marker lines  1031  as reference. 
     Or the new set of strips are put on top of the existing strips. It is desirable to have thin strips so that even when strips are being put on top of another, it doesn&#39;t not add any tangible/realizable thickness for the user. 
     After the strip is placed on the apparatus, their sticker can be peeled off and then the apparatus once again be placed on the desired surface. 
     The apparatus is made out of light weight thermoplastic material. 
     Thermoplastic, generally this will cover broad spectrum of materials which will be used. Plastic, silicon and other appropriate materials may be interchanged so long as the invention accomplishes its function in its uniquely elegant, malleable, re-usable, portable, lightweight fashion. Some examples are: Polycarbonates, Acrylics, Polyethylene (solid form), Polystyrene (child-safe). Of course, customary cardboard may be substituted for needed perforated components. 
     Additional components may comprise, inter alia, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polystyrene, which often are used for packaging such as that used in the instant invention. Other groups of thermoplastics are also allowable, including acrylics, fluoropolymers, polyesters, polyimides and nylons. “Paper pocket tissue” materials and composites are also acceptable, so long as the portability, friction-&amp;-stability remain sufficient for single-tissue dispensation, and removable-fixability. 
     Adhesives may further include hook-&amp;-loop, adhesive tapes, Velcro™ and similar substitutes, glue, tape, button, snap-fasteners, webbing, hook-and-loop tapes, adhesive tapes, sew-on-snaps, or magnets. 
     The Instant Invention wherein the filled sleeve is alternatively comprised. 
     The strips can be placed along the width or length as shown, or on sides or atop the apparatus device. 
     Invention has much less width compared to regular tissue box holders: this feature is such to ensure they can easily stick on the arm sleeve of the kids. If width is more substantial, this embodiment would be primarily for the “bag/purse/backpack/home-wall” embodiment. 
     The instant invention wherein the adhesive strip system is a Velcro™ style textile loop-and-eye fastening fabric system. 
     It may be advantageous to set forth definitions of certain words and phrases used in this patent document. The term “couple” and its derivatives refer to any direct or indirect communication between two or more elements, whether or not those elements are in physical contact with one another. The term “or” is inclusive, meaning and/or. The phrases “associated with” and “associated therewith,” as well as derivatives thereof, may mean to include, be included within, interconnect with, contain, be contained within, connect to or with, couple to or with, be communicable with, cooperate with, interleave, juxtapose, be proximate to, be bound to or with, have, have a property of, or the like. 
     Further, as used in this application, “plurality” means two or more. A “set” of items may include one or more of such items. Whether in the written description or the claims, the terms “comprising,” “including,” “carrying,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” and the like are to be understood to be open-ended, i.e., to mean including but not limited to. Only the transitional phrases “consisting of” and “consisting essentially of,” respectively, are closed or semi-closed transitional phrases with respect to claims. 
     If present, use of ordinal terms such as “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., in the claims to modify a claim element does not by itself connote any priority, precedence or order of one claim element over another or the temporal order in which acts of a method are performed. These terms are used merely as labels to distinguish one claim element having a certain name from another element having a same name (but for use of the ordinal term) to distinguish the claim elements. As used in this application, “and/or” means that the listed items are alternatives, but the alternatives also include any combination of the listed items. 
     Throughout this description, the aspects, embodiments or examples shown should be considered as exemplars, rather than limitations on the apparatus or procedures disclosed or claimed. Although some of the examples may involve specific combinations of method acts or system elements, it should be understood that those acts and those elements may be combined in other ways to accomplish the same objectives. 
     Acts, elements and features discussed only in connection with one aspect, embodiment or example are not intended to be excluded from a similar role(s) in other aspects, embodiments or examples. 
     Aspects, embodiments or examples of the invention may be described as processes, which are usually depicted using a flowchart, a flow diagram, a structure diagram, or a block diagram. Although a flowchart may depict the operations as a sequential process, many of the operations can be performed in parallel or concurrently. In addition, the order of the operations may be re-arranged. With regard to flowcharts, it should be understood that additional and fewer steps may be taken, and the steps as shown may be combined or further refined to achieve the described methods. 
     If means-plus-function limitations are recited in the claims, the means are not intended to be limited to the means disclosed in this application for performing the recited function, but are intended to cover in scope any equivalent means, known now or later developed, for performing the recited function. 
     Claim limitations should be construed as means-plus-function limitations only if the claim recites the term “means” in association with a recited function. 
     If any presented, the claims directed to a method and/or process should not be limited to the performance of their steps in the order written, and one skilled in the art can readily appreciate that the sequences may be varied and still remain within the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
     Although aspects, embodiments and/or examples have been illustrated and described herein, someone of ordinary skills in the art will easily detect alternate of the same and/or equivalent variations, which may be capable of achieving the same results, and which may be substituted for the aspects, embodiments and/or examples illustrated and described herein, without departing from the scope of the invention. Therefore, the scope of this application is intended to cover such alternate aspects, embodiments and/or examples. Hence, the scope of the invention is defined by the accompanying claims and their equivalents. Further, each and every claim is incorporated as further disclosure into the specification.