[0001] The present invention concerns a container-dispenser of sanitary towels,*particularly
suitable to be used with towels of the type imbued with disinfectant deodorizing and/or
detergent substances. Cöntainers-dispensers of damp sanitary towels tied to one another
and forming all together a roll are known. These containers-dispensers are provided
with a dispensing hole which can be airtightly closed and provided with rims thanks
to which the free end of the roll is held in correspondence to the hole itself so
as to allow to clutch it. Said containers
dispensers present the inconvenience of not offering an always easy delivery in that the detachment
of the towels from the roll does not always take place easily and moreover, frequently,
the free end of the roll is not held by the rims of the dispensing hole; in the latter
case it is necessary to open the container and repeat the initial operation of inserting
the free end of the roll into the dispensing hole. Finally, the volume of said containers-dispensers
remains constant while the roll decreases,and the last towels tend to dry having at
their disposal an excessive air volume which is, moreover, renewed any time the lid
of the dispensing hole is opened. Containers of piles of damp towels, which can be
hung on the walls and provided with an airtight lid for towel removal are also known.
Said containers present the inconvenienceof not being equipped with any dispensing
means for the towels , which, at the same time, can insulate the towels from the external
ambient.
[0002] In fact, any time it is necessary to lift the lid and take a towel, the whole pile
of towels is totally exposed to the external ambient and new air is introduced into
the container with subsequent partial evaporation of the volatile substances contained
in the towels.
[0003] The aim of the present invention is to propose a container-dispenser which
'allows easy and safe removal of the towels preventing at the same time that the removal
of a towel involves the contact of the towel pile with the external ambient as well
as the introduction of new air into the container. Another aim of the invention is
to propose a container-dispenser which allows to reduce to the utmost and to keep
constant the air volume at the disposal of the towels while the amount of towels present
in the container decreases.
[0004] Another aim of the invention is to propose a container extremely simple and cheap
to be manufactured and the cost of which only represents a small portion of the cost
of the towels, so as to allow its sale as item to be thrown away once the towels are
run out.
[0005] These aims are achieved by means of a container-dispenser of piled sanitary towels
characterized by the fact of comprising a dispensing fence for the towels in correspondence
to the wall near the first towel of the pile and means to push the towels against
said wall substantially aligned with the fence and wherein each towel is folded with
its edges offset to each other so that an edge is in correspondence to the fence and
the other edge is held by the rim of the fence itself.
[0006] The container-dispenser according to the present invention is particularly suitable
to be used with sanitary towels of the type imbued with disinfectant deodorizing and/or
detergent substances and, in this case, said fence is airtightly closed by means of
a snap lid hinged to the container-dispsenser itself.
[0007] The removal of the towels from the container is facilitated in that the wall opposite
to the fence is provided with a prominence protruding towards the outside of the container
and aligned with the fence. In one of the embodiments of the container according to
the invention, a portion of the bottom wall is movable and airtightly fixed to the
fixed wall of the container by means of bellows. with
[0008] When the container is used / damp towels, in order to limit to the utmost the presence
of air inside the container-dispenser and to prevent the exchange of said air any
time a towel is removed, the pile of towels - is constantly pressed against the dispensing
wall.
[0009] For this purpose the side walls are constituted by bellows and the whole bottom wall
is movable and pushed against the dispensing wall by the action of a spring. In this
way the first towel of the pile adheres to the fence preventing air from entering
into the container-dispenser when the lid is opened and the air quantity present in
the container remains constant as the towels are removed.
[0010] Other characteristics of the container-dispenser according to the invention will
be now better described with reference to the attached drawing where:
- figure is a side cross view of a first embodiment of the container-dispenser;
- figure 2 is a side cross view of a second embodiment of the container-dispenser,
particularly suitable for the use with damp towels;
- figure 3 is a side cross view of a third embodiment of the container-dispenser,
particularly suitable fnr.the use with damp towels;
- figure 4 is a front view of the container-dispenser of figure 3. Referring to figure 1, the container-dispenser is constituted by a rigid envelope
1, for example made in molded plastic material, inside which a pile of sanitary towels
2 is placed. The edges 3 of the upper wall 4 of the container are bent upwards and
towards outside and are soldered to the edges 5 bent towards outside of the side walls
6. The upper wall 4 moreover, presents a fence 7 for towel dispensing, parallel to
one of the sides of the container.. The towels 2 are folded so as to present two edges
8,9 offset to each other and are piled in the container so that each towel has the
shorter edge 8 above the longer edge 9. The fence 7 for towel removal is ----- positioned
on the upper wall 4 of the container so that the shorter edge 8 of the towel to be
removed is free to protrude from the fence and the longer edge 9 is held by the rim
of the fence itself. In order to facilitate the removal of the towels from the container,
the bottom wall 10 present5 a prominence 11 aligned with the fence 7. The promincence
11 acts on the towel pile so that the towel near the upper wall 4 of.the container
protrudes from the fence 7 and the shorter edge 8 of same can be easily clutched.
To make the prominence 11 act.in the desired way also when the container only contains
few towels, all or a portion of the bottom wall 10 of the container is movable. In
the embodi- ment of figure 1, the bottom wall 10 houses a bellows small door hinged or fixed --------to
the wall itself in correspondence to its side 14 parallel and farther away from the
fence 7, the other sides being airtightly connected to the container by means of bellows
15.
[0011] The containers illustrated in figures
2-
4 are particularly suitable to be used with sanitary towels of the type imbued with
deodorizing, disinfectant and/or detergent substances and are different from the container
of fig.
1 in that they comprise a lid 16 to airtightly close the fence 7 and
in that their side walls 6 are bellows-shaped.
[0012] Referring to figure 2, the lid 16 is formed by a shaped small lamina having an end
17 soldered to the container edge parallel and farther away from the fence 7 and the
opposite end 18 suitable to be snapped with the corresponding edge of the container.
A notch 19 forms a hinge suitable to allow rotation of the lid.
[0013] The bellows-shaped side walls of the containers illustrated in figures 2 and 4, besides
allowing the prominence 11 to act even when few towels remain in the container, also
allow to maintain constant the air volume at the disposal of the towels as they are
removed. For this purpose, elastic means (figure 4) can be foreseen, for instance
consisting of one or more springs 20 positioned in correspondence to the side walls
6 of the container, which exercise a pushing action on the bottom wall 10 so that
the first towel of the pile is kept constantly pressed against the upper wall. In
this way the fence is kept closed by the pile of towels and at each removal no― air
is introduced into the container. Figure 3 illustrates acon-
tainer similar to that illustrated in figure 2, except for the fact that a portion of the
bottom wall is movable as in the container of figure
1. This embodiment is particularly suitable when the container contains a high number
of towels and the door if the bottom wall allows to make protrude even the last towels
from the fence, by means of the prominence 11, when the bellows are packed.
[0014] Several other embodiments of the container can be foreseen, for instance instead
of the bellows-shaped side walls and of the movable bottom wall, the towel pile can
be pushed against the upper wall of the container by means of a plate parallel to
the bottom wall, suitable to glide along the side walls of the envelope and pushed
by the action of a spring placed between the plate itself and the bottom wall. A rib
obtained on the plate in correspondence to the fence presses the towel pile so that
the edge of the first towel free from the fence can protrude from the container.
1. Container dispenser of piled sanitary towels, characterized by the fact of comprising
a fence to remove the towels placed in correspondence to the wall near the first towel
of the pile, and means suitable for pushing the pile of towels against the fence substantially
aligned with the fence itself and wherein each towel is folded with its edges offset
to each other so that an edge is in correspondence to the fence and the other edge
is held by the rim of the fence itself.
2. Container-dispenser of piled sanitary towels according to claim 1, wherein the sanitary
towels are imbued with a disinfectant deodorizing and/or detergent substance and wherein
the fence to remove the towels can be airtightly closed by means of a snap lid hinged
to the container-dispenser itself.
3. Container-dispenser of piled sanitary towels according to claim 1 or 2, wherein
said means suitable to push the pile of towels against the fence are constituted by
a prominence on the bottom wall, in correspondence to the fence.
4. Container-dispenser of piled sanitary towels according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein
at least a portion of the bottom wall is movable and airtightly fixed to the fixed
wall of the container by means of bellows.
5. Container-dispenser of piled sanitary towels according to claim 4, wherein the bottom
wall presents a door hinged to the wall itself in correspondence to its side farther
away and parallel to the fence, its other sides being connected to the bottom wall
by means of bellows.
6. Container-dispenser of piled sanitary towels according to claim 5, wherein the
side walls of the container are bellows.
7.. Container-dispenser of piled sanitary towels according to claim 6, wherein the bottom
wall is elastically pushed against the top wall from which towels are removed.
8. Container-dispenser of piled sanitary towels according to claim 7, . wherein said
elastic pushing action agains the bottom wall is exercised by the action of one or
more springs placed in correspondence to the side walls.
9. Container-dispenser of piled sanitary towels according to claim 5, wherein between
the bottom wall and the last towel a plate is placed suitable to glide along the side
walls, stressed by the action of one or more springs and provided with a prominence
on its surface in contact with the towel pile, said prominence being aligned with
the fe::ce from which the towels are removed.
10. Container-dispenser of piled sanitary towels according to any of the preceding
claims, characterized by the fact of being made of molded plastic material.