Patent Publication Number: US-6705465-B2

Title: Package for feminine care articles

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/713,604, filed Nov. 15, 2000, entitled, “PACKAGE FOR ABSORBENT ARTICLES”, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety now abandoned. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to a package, and more particularly to a package for absorbent articles. 
     Absorbent articles such as panty liners, feminine napkins and tampons are frequently carried about in purses, backpacks and briefcases until needed. Typically, the articles are put in these containers loose. Unfortunately, these containers do not always provide a hygienic environment for the articles, and thus the articles can become dirty and/or damaged. Further, the articles can become scattered about in the containers so they are difficult to find when needed. 
     In the past, specifically designed pouches have been distributed for holding several absorbent articles at a time. These pouches reduce contact between the articles and potentially non-hygienic environments, and make the articles easier to find when needed. The pouches are made from durable materials such as heavy vinyl so they can be reused, but reuse necessitates the pouches be refilled from time to time. Further, the pouches frequently become non-hygienic after extended use, requiring them to be cleaned or discarded and replaced. 
     To avoid these problems, some persons use clear plastic sandwich bags to hold the articles. These bags usually maintain a hygienic environment for the articles and make the articles easier to find when needed. Although the bags must be filled from time to time, they are readily disposable and replaceable thereby reducing some of the concerns and inconveniences caused by extended use. However, because the bags are transparent, they permit the contents of the bags to be viewed. Some users desire more discreet packaging. Thus, there is a need for a discreet, disposable and economical recloseable package for holding several articles at a time. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Briefly, apparatus of this invention is a package comprising a plurality of absorbent articles and recloseable packaging. The packaging includes a flexible pocket having a hollow interior sized and shaped for receiving the plurality of absorbent articles and an opening extending into the hollow interior of the pocket sized and shaped for permitting at least one of the plurality of articles to be withdrawn from the hollow interior of the pocket. The packaging also includes a flap attached to the pocket adapted for covering the opening to retain the plurality of absorbent articles in the hollow interior of the pocket. The flap is selectably moveable between an open position in which the opening is generally unobstructed by the flap to permit the article to be withdrawn through the opening and a closed position in which the flap covers the opening and an exterior area of the pocket to retain the articles in the pocket and to prevent the article from passing through the opening. In addition, the packaging includes a closure positioned on the pocket and/or the flap for releasably holding the flap in the closed position. The closure permits the flap to be positioned in a different location on the pocket during successive closings when successive articles are removed from the interior of the pocket to permit the packaging to conform to the remaining articles in the interior of the pocket. 
     In another aspect of the invention, the packaging includes a flexible pocket, an opening, a flap, and an adhesive closure positioned on the pocket and/or the flap for releasably holding the flap in the closed position. 
     Other features of the present invention will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a prior art panty liner surrounded by a removable wrapper; 
     FIG. 2 is a front elevation of a utility package of the present invention showing a flap of the package in a closed position; 
     FIG. 3 is a front elevation of the utility package showing the flap in an open position; 
     FIG. 4 is a top plan of the utility package showing the flap in the open position; 
     FIG. 5 is a front elevation of empty packaging of the utility package; 
     FIG. 6 is a front elevation of a master package of a first embodiment of the present invention with a portion broken away to show utility packages therein; 
     FIG. 7 is a front elevation of a master package of a second embodiment of the present invention with a portion broken away to show utility packages therein; 
     FIG. 8 is a front elevation of a utility package of a second embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 9 is a front elevation of a utility package of a third embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 10 is a plan view of an interlabial pad such as may be packaged in accordance with this invention, partly broken away to show detail; 
     FIG. 11 is a edge view of the interlabial pad; 
     FIG. 12 is a plan view showing the pad folded; 
     FIG. 13 is a section taken in the plane of line  13 — 13  of FIG. 12; 
     FIG. 14 is a front elevation of hygienic packaging containing the folded pad; 
     FIG. 15 is a section taken in the plane of line  15 — 15  of FIG. 14; 
     FIG. 16 is a front elevation of a package of a fourth embodiment of the present invention in a closed condition, the packaged pads therein shown in dashed lines; 
     FIG. 17 is a section taken in the plane of line  17 — 17  of FIG. 16; 
     FIG. 18 is a front elevation of the package of FIG. 16 in an opened condition; 
     FIG. 19 is a section taken in the plane of line  18 — 18  of FIG. 18; 
     FIG. 20 is a front elevation of a package of a fifth embodiment of the present invention, the packaged pads therein shown in dashed lines; 
     FIG. 21 is a section taken in the plane of line  21 — 21  of FIG. 20; 
     FIG. 22 is a front elevation of a package of a sixth embodiment of the present invention, the packaged pads therein shown in dashed lines; 
     FIG. 23 is a section taken in the plane of line  23 — 23  of FIG. 22; 
     FIG. 24 is a front elevation of a package of a seventh embodiment of the present invention in an opened condition, the packaged pads therein shown in dashed lines; 
     FIG. 25 is a section taken in the plane of line  25 — 25  of FIG. 24; 
     FIG. 26 is a front elevation of the package of FIG. 24 in an opened condition; and 
     FIG. 27 is a front elevation of a package of a eighth embodiment of the present invention in an opened condition, the packaged pads therein shown in dashed lines. 
    
    
     CORRESPONDING REFERENCE CHARACTERS INDICATE CORRESPONDING PARTS 
     THROUGHOUT THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring now to the drawings and in particular to FIG. 1, a conventional individually wrapped absorbent article is designated in its entirety by the reference numeral  20 . Although the absorbent article  20  shown in FIG. 1 is a panty liner  22  surrounded by a wrapper, generally designated by  24 , those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention may be applied to other absorbent articles  20  such as feminine napkins, tampons, interlabial pads, other feminine care products, adult care products, child care products and infant care products. Further, those skilled in the art will appreciate that although the illustrated articles  20  are individually wrapped, the articles may be unwrapped without departing from the scope of the present invention. 
     The panty liner  22  shown in FIG. 1 is folded twice in a conventional manner to present a generally flat and generally rectangular article. Although the folded panty liner  22  may have other sizes without departing from the scope of the present invention, in one embodiment the folded liner has a width of about 50 millimeters, a length of about 70 millimeters and a thickness of about 5 millimeters. It is also envisioned that the panty liner  22  may be unfolded and/or non-rectangular without departing from the scope of the present invention. 
     Although the wrapper  24  may be made in other ways without departing from the scope of the present invention, in one embodiment the wrapper includes a rectangular sheet  30  having opposing side edges  32 ,  34  and opposite end edges  36 ,  38 . A first fold  40  in the sheet  30  extending between the side edges  32 ,  34  forms a bottom of the wrapper  24 , and a second fold  42  in the sheet extending between the side edges generally parallel to and above the first fold forms a top of the wrapper. The first fold  40  separates a middle portion  44  of the wrapper  24  from a back portion  46 , and the second fold  42  separates the middle portion from a front portion  48  of the wrapper. The side edges  32 ,  34  of the middle portion  44  are joined to the back portion  46 , and the side edges of the forward portion  48  are joined to the middle portion to form opposing sides of the wrapper. A margin  50  of the sheet  30  adjacent the end edge  36  overlaps a margin  52  of the sheet adjacent the end edge  38 . It is envisioned that it may be desirable to join the side edges  32 ,  34  of the forward portion  48  to the back portion  46 . 
     Although the side edges  32 ,  34  of the rectangular sheet  30  may be joined in other ways (such as with adhesives or by heat sealing) without departing from the scope of the present invention, in one embodiment the side edge margins are joined by conventional mechanical fastening means as shown. Although the wrapped article  20  may have other sizes without departing from the scope of the present invention, in one embodiment the article has a width  54  of about 75 millimeters, a length  56  of about 75 millimeters and a thickness  58  (FIG. 4) of about 5 millimeters. Further, although the dimensions of the article  20  may vary from article to article without departing from the scope of the present invention, in one embodiment the dimensions are generally uniform. In addition, the dimensions may vary within a given article or they may be invariant without departing from the scope of the present invention. Although the wrapper  24  may be made of other materials without departing from the scope of the present invention, in one embodiment the wrapper is made from low density polyethylene sheet material having a thickness of about 38 microns. It is further envisioned that the wrapper  24  may have an adhesive or other closure (not shown) without departing from the scope of the present invention. 
     As illustrated in FIGS. 2-4, a utility package of the present invention is designated in its entirety by the reference numeral  60 . The package  60  generally comprises a plurality of absorbent articles  20  (FIG. 4) and recloseable packaging, generally designated by  62 . As previously mentioned, it is envisioned that the articles  20  may be folded or unfolded and individually wrapped or unwrapped without departing from the scope of the present invention. Although the articles  20  may be arranged in other ways without departing from the scope of the present invention, in one embodiment the articles are arranged in face-to-face relation in a stack as illustrated in FIG.  4 . The package  60  includes a number of articles  20  which is selected for the convenience of an end user. For example, the package  60  may include less than about eight absorbent articles  20  to provide a supply of articles for about one week or less. It is envisioned that it may be desirable that the package  60  include about five absorbent articles  20  to provide a supply of articles for one conventional work week (i.e., five days). 
     The packaging  62  includes a flexible pocket  64 . The pocket  64  has a hollow interior  66  sized and shaped for receiving the preselected number of absorbent articles  20  as shown in FIG.  4 . An opening  68  extends into the hollow interior  66  of the pocket  64 . The opening  68  is sized and shaped for permitting at least one of the plurality of articles  20  to be withdrawn from the hollow interior  66  of the pocket  64 . Further, the packaging  62  includes a flap  70  attached to the pocket  64  adapted for covering the opening  68  to retain the plurality of articles  20  in the hollow interior  66  of the pocket  64 . The flap  70  is selectably moveable between an open position as illustrated in FIG. 3 in which the opening  68  is generally unobstructed by the flap to permit at least one article  20  to be withdrawn through the opening and a closed position as shown in FIG. 2 in which the flap covers the opening and an exterior area  72  (FIG. 3) of the pocket  64  to retain the articles in the pocket and to prevent the articles from passing through the opening. In one embodiment, the flap  70  is substantially rectangular and has a substantially straight distal edge  74 . However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the flap  70  may have other shapes such as semi-circular or triangular without departing from the scope of the present invention. 
     As illustrated in FIG. 3, a closure  76  is positioned on an inner face  78  of the flap  70  for releasably holding the flap in the closed position. It is envisioned that the closure  76  may be positioned on the exterior area  72  of the pocket  64  instead of or in addition to being positioned on the flap  70 . Preferably, the closure  76  permits the flap  70  to be positioned in a different location on the pocket  64  during successive closings when successive articles  20  are removed from the interior  66  of the pocket to permit the packaging  62  to conform to the remaining articles in the interior of the pocket. Although other closures  76  may be used without departing from the scope of the present invention, in one embodiment the closure is an adhesive material such as a conventional resealable hot melt adhesive or a resealable two sided tape for releasably holding the flap  70  in the closed position. 
     Although the closure  76  may be positioned at other locations without departing from the scope of the present invention, in one embodiment the closure is spaced from the distal edge  74  of the flap  70  to permit a free portion of the flap to be grasped and separated from the pocket  64  to grip the flap for releasing the closure. It is envisioned that it may be desirable that the closure  76  be spaced from the distal edge  74  of the flap  70  by a distance  80  of at least about 4 millimeters. It is further envisioned that it may be desirable that the distance  80  be about 16 millimeters. 
     Although the closure  76  may have other shapes without departing from the scope of the present invention, in one embodiment the closure is an elongate strip of adhesive material extending substantially parallel to the distal edge  74  of the packaging flap  70 . In one embodiment, the strip of adhesive material is substantially continuous and uninterrupted along its entire length, but it is envisioned that other embodiments may have adhesive material which is discontinuous and/or interrupted along its length without departing from the scope of the present invention. In addition, it is envisioned that it may be desirable that the strip extend over substantially an entire width  82  of the flap  70  so the corners  84  of the flap are held in place near the pocket  64 . Although the elongate strip may have other widths without departing from the scope of the present invention, in one embodiment the strip has a width  86  of less than about 20 millimeters and more than about 2 millimeters. It may be desirable that the width  86  of the strip be about 7 millimeters. 
     Although the packaging  62  may be made in other ways without departing from the scope of the present invention, in one embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5 the packaging comprises a rectangular sheet  90  having opposing side edges  92 ,  94  and opposite end edges  96 ,  98 . A first fold  100  extending between the side edges  92 ,  94  forms a bottom of the packaging  62 , and a second fold  102  (FIG. 2) extending between the side edges generally parallel to and above the first fold forms a top of the packaging. The first fold  100  separates a middle portion  104  of the packaging  62  from a back portion  106 . The middle and back portions  104 ,  106 , respectively, form the pocket  64  of the packaging  62 . The second fold  102  separates the middle portion  104  from a front portion  108  of the packaging  62 . The front portion  108  of the packaging  62  forms the flap  70 . Although the second fold  102  may be positioned in other locations without departing from the scope of the present invention, in one embodiment the second fold is positioned immediately adjacent the opening  68  and immediately adjacent an upper end of the front portion  108  (i.e., adjacent the edge  98  of the sheet  90 ). The middle portion  104  is joined with the corresponding back portion  106  along side edges  92 ,  94  to form opposing sides of the packaging  62 . Although the middle and back portions  104 ,  106  may be joined in other ways (such as with adhesives or by mechanical fastening) without departing from the scope of the present invention, in one embodiment they are joined by conventional heat sealing. Although the packaging  62  may be made from other materials without departing from the scope of the present invention, in one embodiment the packaging is made from a heat sealable polymer sheet material such as a material containing about 80% polyethylene and about 20% other polyolefins having a thickness of about 45 microns available from Shanghai Zihua Enterprise Company, Limited of Shanghai, China. It is further envisioned that the packaging  62  may be made from coated paper, woven material, non-woven material, polyethylene, polypropylene, co-polymers, extruded polymer, thermo-formed materials, and/or cardboard without departing from the scope of the present invention. Although in one embodiment the pocket  64  is substantially free of gussets, in an alternate embodiment the sides of the pocket may include conventional gussets (not shown) to provide the packaging  62  with a substantially flat bottom. 
     Although the interior  66  of the packaging  62  defined by the flap  70  and the pocket  64  may have other sizes without departing from the scope of the present invention, it may be desirable that the interior have a volume when receiving the preselected number of articles  20  less than about twice the number of articles times a product of the article width  54 , length  56  and thickness  58 , and more than about one times the number of articles times the product of the article width, length and thickness. As previously mentioned, the number of articles  20  is selected for the convenience of an end user. For example, it is envisioned that it may be desirable that the package  60  include about five absorbent articles  20  to provide a supply of articles for one conventional work week (i.e., five days). Moreover, it may be desirable that the interior  66  have a width when the articles are removed and the pocket  64  is flattened as shown in FIG. 5 less than about twice the article width  54 , and a width when receiving the preselected number of articles more than about one times the article width. In one embodiment, the width of the hollow interior  66  when the articles  20  are removed is about 1.2 times the article width. Likewise, it may be desirable that the interior  66  have a length when the articles are removed and the pocket  64  is flattened less than about twice the article length  56 , and a length when receiving the preselected number of articles more than about one times the article length. In one embodiment, the length of the hollow interior  66  when the articles  20  are removed is about 1.2 times the article length  56 . Further, in one embodiment the opening  68  has a width when the pocket  62  receives the articles  20  less than about two times the article width  54  and more than about one times the article width. It may be desirable that the opening width be about 1.2 times the article width  54 . In one embodiment, the opening  68  has an area when the pocket receives the preselected number of articles  20  less than about twice the number of articles times a product of the article width  54  and thickness  58 , and more than about one times the number of articles times the product of the article width and thickness. 
     As illustrated in FIG. 2, it may be desirable that the flap  70  and/or the pocket  64  include a visual indicator, generally designated by  110 , for distinguishing the edge  74  of the flap from the pocket. The indicator  110  improves visual identification of the edge  74  of the flap  70  when grasping the flap to move it toward its open position. The visual indicator  110  comprises visually contrasting surface treatments on the flap  70  and the pocket  64 . Although other visually contrasting surface treatments may be used without departing from the scope of the present invention, in one embodiment the visually contrasting surface treatments include a first color on at least a portion of an exterior surface or outer face  112  of the flap  70  and a second color on at least a portion of an exterior surface  114  of the pocket  64 . Further, it may be desirable that one of the colors be a raw material color of the packaging material and the other color be printed on the packaging  62 . For example, if the raw material color of the packaging  62  is white, a lower edge margin  116  and opposing side margins  118  of the flap  70  may be substantially free of printing such as background coloration and text, and a central portion of the flap may include printing of a contrasting color (e.g., blue). The margins  116 ,  118  are delineated by phantom lines in the drawings. Although the edge margins  116 ,  118  may have other widths without departing from the scope of the present invention, in one embodiment the edge margins have a width  120  less than about 15 millimeters. It may be desirable that the widths  120  of the edge margins be about 4 millimeters. In addition to omitting printing from the edge margins  116 ,  118  of the flap  70 , it may be desirable that the side margins of the pocket  64  (delineated by phantom lines) be substantially free of printing, to prevent printing discoloration when the sides are heat sealed. Further, it may be desirable that the flap  70  and/or the pocket  64  include a tactile indicator (not shown) for distinguishing the edge  74  of the flap from the pocket to improve tactile identification of the edge of the flap. It is envisioned that the tactile indicator could be a textured portion (e.g., knurling) on an exterior surface of the flap  70  and/or the pocket  64 . 
     A master package is designated in its entirety by the numeral  130  in FIG.  6 . The master package  130  includes a plurality of the utility packages  60  as described above. In addition, the master package  130  includes removable master packaging  132  surrounding the utility packages  60 . The master packaging  132  has a hollow interior sized and shaped for receiving the utility packages. It is envisioned that the master packaging may have printing (not shown) on its exterior surface. It is further envisioned that the utility packages  60  may be arranged one or more stacks inside the master packaging  132 . For example, the utility packages  60  may be arranged in two stacks as shown in FIG. 6 or arranged in one stack as shown in FIG.  7 . Although the master package  130  may include different numbers of utility packages  60  without departing from the scope of the present invention, in the illustrated embodiments the master package includes less than about twelve utility packages. For example, the master package  130  may include about ten utility packages  60  as shown in FIG. 6 or about nine utility packages as shown in FIG.  7 . Further, it may be desirable that one or more sides of the master packaging  132  include conventional gussets  134  to provide the packaging with flat sides. Although the master packaging  132  may be made of other materials without departing from the scope of the present invention, in one embodiment the master packaging is made from polyethylene sheet material having a thickness of about 45 microns using conventional packaging methods. 
     It is envisioned that the utility packages  60  may have alternative constructions without departing from the scope of the present invention. For instance, as illustrated in FIG. 8 a conventional adhesive tab closure  140  may be used to hold the flap  70  in its closed position against the pocket  64  of the packaging  62 . Another embodiment shown in FIG. 9 is similar to that of FIG. 8 except that the flap  70  has a generally triangular configuration and is initially joined to the pocket  64  by frangible perforations  142 . 
     Referring to FIGS. 10 and 11 of the drawings, an interlabial pad is designated in its entirety by the reference number  150 . The pad  150 , which is exemplary of interlabial pads that may be packaged in accordance with this invention, is generally of the type disclosed in the aforesaid U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,595,392 and 4,673,403, which are hereby incorporated by reference. In one embodiment, the pad  150  is generally oval and has lateral projections  152 . As those skilled in the art will appreciate, the interlabial pad may have other shapes without departing from the scope of the present invention. Although the pad  150  of one embodiment comprises a lamination of a layer  154  of absorbent material on a fluid impervious layer  156  (e.g., plastic film), pads having other configurations including those without an impervious layer are also contemplated. As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, in one embodiment the pad  150  is folded in half on its major axis as indicated at  158  and, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, is individually packaged in an elongate, generally flat sealed hygienic package  160  having a longitudinal seam  162  and end seals  164 . In alternative embodiments, it is envisioned that the package  160  may not be sealed or may be omitted entirely. Further, it is envisioned that the pad  150  may be unfolded without departing from the scope of the present invention. Although the package  160  may be made of other materials without departing from the scope of the present invention, in one embodiment the package is made of heat-sealable plastic film and in another embodiment the package is made of paper. The seam  162  and seals  164  may be made by any conventional process such as heat sealing, mechanical sealing or adhesive bonding. Further, it is envisioned that the pad  150  may be sealed in the package  160  with a cardboard backing  165 . 
     As illustrated in FIGS. 16 and 17, a package of a fourth embodiment of the present invention is designated in its entirety by the reference numeral  166 . The package  166 , carries a supply  168  of the interlabial pads  150  individually wrapped in their respective sealed hygienic packages  160  readily available for use when needed. The package  166  generally comprises a receptacle  170  (e.g., a pocket) having a mouth or opening  172  (see FIG. 19 particularly) through which a pad  150  in its sealed package  160  may be withdrawn for use when needed. The receptacle  170  has a reclosable flap  179  for closing the opening  172 . The flap  174  may be closed after a pad  150  is withdrawn to retain the remaining pads in the receptacle  170  until needed. 
     The receptacle  170  comprises a bag having front and back walls  176  and  178  joined at the sides  180  and  182  and bottom  184  and free from each other at the top to define the opening  172 . The flap  174  which is integral with the back wall  178  may be folded over the opening  172  so it overlies the front wall  176 . The flap  174  is releasably adhered to the front wall  176  by an adhesive or mechanical closure  186 . The receptacle  176  is formed from an elongate rectangular blank folded along fold  184  to form the front and back walls  176 ,  178 , respectively. In one embodiment, the blank is a plastic film such as polyethylene film. In alternative embodiments, the blank is a non-woven material or a non-woven and film laminate. The fold  184  constitutes the bottom of the receptacle  170 . The front and back walls  176 ,  178  are sealed together as by heat seals  180 s and  182 s at both sides, and are free from each other at the top to define the bag opening  172 . The plastic film (e.g., polyethylene) from which the bag is made is generally opaque as by being pigmented (e.g., blue) to conceal the packaged pads in the bag. In one embodiment, the closure  186  is a spot  194  of pressure-sensitive adhesive such as two-sided tape for releasably adhering the flap  174 . In an alternative embodiment (not shown), the closure  186  includes a stripe of pressure-sensitive adhesive extending from side to side along the receptacle  170 . The packages  160  of pads  150  (e.g., from about three to about six in number) are aligned vertically so they extend from the opening  172  to the bottom  184  of the receptacle  170 . In an alternative embodiment, it is envisioned that the pads  150  may be aligned horizontally from side to side in the receptacle  170 . Although the receptacle  170  may have other dimensions without departing from the scope of the present invention, in one embodiment the receptacle has an overall width measured from side to side of about 10.8 cm and an overall height measured from the opening  172  to the bottom  184  of between about 9.5 cm and about 14.0 cm. Further, the flap  174  of this one embodiment has a width matching the width of the receptacle  170  and a height of about 5.1 cm. It is further envisioned that the package  166  of the fourth embodiment of the present invention may include various features described above with respect to the packages of the first, second and third embodiments. 
     Thus, the supply  168  of pads  150  is carried in a hygienic condition. Because the receptacle  170  (including the flap  174 ) is opaque, the contents are not visible and thus are carried in a discreet manner. A pad  150  is readily available for use in hygienic condition when needed by pulling the flap  184  back (to the open condition illustrated in FIGS. 18 and 19) to open the receptacle  170 , withdrawing a sealed package  160 , and tearing it open to access the pad  150  therein. The torn-open package  160  is discarded. The flap  174  may then be re-adhered to the front wall  176  of the receptacle  170  to re-close the bag by means of the closure  186 . 
     FIGS. 20 and 21 illustrate a fifth embodiment of the package of the present invention, designated by  196  in its entirety. The package  196  of the fifth embodiment again comprises an opaque plastic receptacle  198  having front and back walls  200 ,  202 , respectively, joined at the sides  204 ,  206  by heat-sealed side seams, having a fold  208  for the bottom and an opening  210 . Instead of the flap  174  and closure  186 , the receptacle  198  is provided with conventional press-fit members  212  and  214  (i.e., conventional interlockable plastic channels) extending across the front and back walls  200 ,  202  adjacent the opening  210 . The receptacle  198  holds a plurality (e.g., three to six) packages  160  of pads  150 . Although in the illustrated embodiment the packages  160  extend vertically from the bottom  208  to adjacent the opening  210  just below the press-fit members  212 ,  214 , it is also envisioned that the packages may extend horizontally from side to side. The press-fit members  212 ,  214  are conventionally used on plastic bags and will not be described in further detail. Although the receptacle  198  may have other dimensions without departing from the scope of the present invention, in one embodiment the receptacle has an overall width measured from side to side of about 10.8 cm and an overall height measured from the opening  210  to the bottom  208  of between about 9.5 cm and about 14.0 cm. 
     FIGS. 22 and 23 illustrate a sixth embodiment of the package of the present invention, designated by  216  in its entirety. For the most part, the package  216  of the sixth embodiment is the same as the package  196  of the fifth embodiment except for the use of conventional slide fastener members  218  and  220  (instead of press-fit members  212  and  214 ) and a conventional slide fastener  222 . Members  218 ,  220  and slide fastener  222  are such as conventionally used on plastic bags and will not be described in further detail. Although the receptacle of the package  216  of the sixth embodiment may have other dimensions without departing from the scope of the present invention, in one embodiment the receptacle has an overall width measured from side to side of between about 9.5 cm and about 14.0 cm and an overall height measured from the opening to the bottom of about 10.8 cm. 
     FIGS. 24-26 illustrate a seventh embodiment of the package of the present invention, designated by  230  in its entirety. The package  230  of the seventh embodiment is in the style of wallet and has two pockets  232  and  234 , each having an opening  232   m ,  234   m , facing the other opening. The package  230  may be folded in half with the openings  232   m ,  234   m  on the inside. Packages  160  of pads  150  are stocked in the pockets. The package  230  comprises an elongate rectangular outside wall  236  of the opaque plastic film and inside walls  238  and  240  of said film extending across the inside face  242  of the outside wall from one side of the outside wall to the other and inward from the ends of the outside wall. Each inside wall  238 ,  240  terminates short of the center of the outside wall  236  thereby forming the openings  232   m ,  234   m  of a pad-containing pocket. 
     In further detail, the receptacle  230  comprises an elongate rectangular blank of the opaque plastic film, portions of which are folded over as indicated at  244 ,  246  to form the inside walls  238 ,  240 . The folds  244 ,  246  form the bottoms of the pockets  232 ,  234 . The folded-over end portions forming the inside walls  238 ,  240  are heat-sealed at both sides as indicated at  248  and  250  to the portion of the blank between folds  244 ,  246  constituting the outside wall  236 . The openings of the pockets  232 ,  234  lie on opposite sides of a fold line F at the center of the outside wall  236  on which the receptacle is foldable as illustrated in FIG.  26 . The receptacle  230  may be held closed by a tab  252  heat-sealed to the outside wall  236  and having a spot (or stripe)  254  of pressure-sensitive adhesive thereon. Or, as shown in FIG. 27, the spot (or stripe)  254  may be applied to one of the inside walls, e.g., inside wall  240  to form a package of a eighth embodiment. Although the pockets  232 ,  234  of the packages  230  of the seventh and eighth embodiments may have other dimensions without departing from the scope of the present invention, in one embodiment the pockets have overall widths measured from side to side of between about 9.5 cm and about 14.0 cm and overall heights measured from the respective opening to the respective bottom of between about 6.3 cm and about 8.9 cm. 
     Although the interlabial pad packages are described above as containing interlabial pads, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the packages may include other feminine care products and associated supplies. For example, the packages may contain a supply of interlabial pads and a supply of tampons and/or panty liners. Examples of associated supplies which the packages may contain include wipes and/or tissues. Further, it is envisioned that the packages may include more than one size of interlabial pad without departing from the scope of the present invention. 
     In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results attained. 
     When introducing elements of the present invention or the preferred embodiment(s) thereof, the articles “a”, “an”, “the” and “said” are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms “comprising”, “including” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements. 
     As various changes could be made in the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.