WO2001053169A1

WO2001053169A1 - A tissue box

Info

Publication number: WO2001053169A1
Application number: PCT/AU2001/000042
Authority: WO
Inventors: Daniel Leighton; Angela Mary Leighton
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2000-01-20
Filing date: 2001-01-17
Publication date: 2001-07-26
Anticipated expiration: 2002-07-20
Also published as: AUPQ519200A0

Abstract

A tissue box (10) for dispensing tissues (22) includes a side wall (12), a bottom wall (16) and a top wall (18). The top wall has an aperture (20) for allowing the tissues to be pulled from the inside of the box. The tissue box also including a platform (24) upwardly movable within the box. The platform being located between the bottom wall and the tissues. A manually activatable support means (26) is provided for supporting the platform intermediate the top wall and the bottom wall when the support means is activated. In use, after a number of tissues have been removed from the box, the platform may be moved towards the top wall sufficiently for the support means to be activated, whereupon when the support means is activated, the support means supports the platform and the tissues thereon so that the tissues are closer to the aperture.

Description

TITLE A TISSUE BOX

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a tissue box for dispensing tissues.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Tissue boxes, for dispensing tissues are well known. However, current tissue boxes suffer from problems, particularly in the case of larger sized tissue boxes, when there is only a minority of tissues remaining in the box. There is a tendency for the next tissue (which should be protruding from the aperture) to drop back into the box. The user must put a hand through the aperture into the box to remove a tissue to restart the run of tissues. This can be quite difficult especially if a tissue is needed in a hurry and often results in a number of tissues coming out, which is wasteful. If this only happened a few times in the life of the box it would be acceptable, but as the pile of tissues remaining in the box reduces from about half to one third remaining, the problem gradually gets worse until the last 20% or 10% of tissues result in a failure of continuity for most of the tissues. Due to the distance between the aperture at the top of the box and the base of the box where the tissues rest a large portion of the protruding tissue is not supported by the base. Consequently, the weight of this unsupported portion often causes the tissue to fall back into the box.

For economy and other reasons it is desirable to put a large number of tissues in the one box. However, this necessarily increases the size of the box and exacerbates the above mentioned problem.

There have been some attempts to overcome this problem in the past, these include having a pair of flaps underneath of the box able to be pushed up to push up the centre of the tissues resting on the bottom of the box, so as to reduce the height between the tissues and the aperture. However, this solution is generally ineffective and unreliable. Other attempts at solving this problem have been attempted by the inventors of US patent No. 3942682 and US patent No. 5197631. In these cases a resilient means urges a false floor in the box towards the aperture. The last two solutions are unreliable, difficult to manufacture and costly.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present is to provide a tissue box which provides a new means of overcoming the above mentioned problem.

According to the present invention there is provided a tissue box for dispensing tissues, said tissue box including: a side wall, a bottom wall and a top wall, the top wall having an aperture for allowing the tissues to be pulled from the inside of the box; a platform upwardly movable within the box, said platform being located between the bottom wall and the tissues; and a manually activatable support means for supporting the platform intermediate the top wall and the bottom wall when the support means is activated, whereby, in use, after a number of tissues have been removed from the box, the platform may be moved towards the top wall sufficiently for the support means to be activated, whereupon when the support means is activated, the support means supports the platform and the tissues thereon so that the tissues are closer to the aperture.

Preferably the support means is in the form of a plurality of tabs that fold inwardly to support the platform. More preferably, the tabs are part of the side wall, each tab including a perforation that is broken as the tab is pushed in.

Preferably the support means is arranged to support the platform at approximately one half to two thirds of the distance between the bottom wall and the top wall.

Alternatively the tabs are part of the bottom wall, each tab including a perforation that is broken as the tab is pushed in. More preferably, a pair of tabs cooperate so as to interlock in position thereby holding the platform in place. More preferably still, there are at least two pairs of tabs arranged to support the floor along its underside to minimise bending of the platform. Preferably, the side wall is comprised of opposed end walls and opposed lateral walls arranged to form a rectangle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In order to provide a better understanding, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described in greater detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is an upper perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a tissue box in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a side view of the tissue box of Figure 1 ;

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view of the section 3-3 in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a side view of a second embodiment of a tissue box in accordance with the present invention; Figure 5 is an end view of the tissue box of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a bottom view of yet a further embodiment of a preferred embodiment of the tissue box in accordance with the present invention; and, Figure 7 is a side view of the tissue box of Figure 6.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2 there is shown a tissue box 10 which includes opposed lateral walls 12, opposed end walls 14, a bottom wall 16 and a top wall 18. The walls are arranged in a standard rectangular prism shape of an ordinary tissue box. The top wall includes an aperture 20 through which tissues 22 may be drawn from the inside of the box.

The tissue box 10 includes a platform for false floor 24 of slightly smaller size than the bottom wall 16. The floor 24 is placed between the tissues 22 and the bottom floor 16 and is able to be moved up and down the inside of the box when permitted by the reduced number of tissues in the box.

On each of the lateral walls 12 are tabs 26. The tabs 26 are formed as part of the lateral walls by perforations 30 and a fold 32. Each tab 26 is of a triangular shape with a top straight edge of the triangle being parallel with the wall 16. As seen in Figures 2 & 3, the tabs 26 have been punched out so that the perforations are broken and the tab folded along the fold line 32. The tabs are folded inside the box. It can also be seen in Figure 2 that most of the tissues 22 have now been removed from the box. The box has been inverted (not shown) so that the tissues formerly on the floor 24 rest upon the top wall 18 together with the floor 24 now on top of the tissues 22, whereupon the tabs 26 are punched in leaving holes 28. Enough tissues must be removed so that the floor 24 can move past the tabs 26. When the tabs 26 are punched in, the tissue box may then be inverted again so that it is right side up with the floor 24 then resting on the top surfaces of the tabs. The remaining tissues 22 (between about half and one third, preferably about one third) are then resting on the floor 24. This can again be seen in Figure 3.

It may also be desirable to have tabs 36 located in the end walls 14. The operation of the tabs 36 at the end walls is the same as tabs 26. The tabs 36 are shown pushed in, in Figures 4 and 5. In Figure 5 only end wall tabs 36 are shown.

An alternative to the tabs being in the side or end walls is where the tabs are in the bottom wall 16. As seen in Figures 6 and 7, tabs 46 also have perforations and folds and may be pushed up into the interior of the box so as to support the floor. A part of tabs 46 have notches 48 and 50 that are arranged to interlock to retain the tabs 46 in position. Two pairs of tabs 46 are shown so that the floor is evenly supported. It is important that the floor be stiff enough so as to not excessively sag as this will counteract the advantage provided by the present invention.

The floor may be made of similar card-type material that the tissue box is made of. It is also important that the floor 24 be sufficiently large to properly support the tissues 22.

Now that the preferred forms of the present invention have been described, it will be clear that the present invention has at least the following advantages: tissues near the bottom of the box may be raised so as to be closer to the aperture. In addition, the support means for supporting the artificial floor may be incorporated into the tissue box with minimal additional cost in manufacture.

It will be clear to the skilled addressee that modifications and variations can be made to the present invention without departing from the basic inventive concept such as the number of tabs may be varied as may their shape. Such modifications and variations are intended to be within the scope of the present invention, the nature of which is to be determined from the foregoing description.

Claims

1. A tissue box for dispensing tissues, said tissue box including: a side wall, a bottom wall and a top wall, the top wall having an aperture for allowing the tissues to be pulled from the inside of the box; a platform upwardly movable within the box, said platform being located between the bottom wall and the tissues; and a manually activatable support means for supporting the platform intermediate the top wall and the bottom wall when the support means is activated, whereby, in use, after a number of tissues have been removed from the box, the platform may be moved towards the top wall sufficiently for the support means to be activated, whereupon when the support means is activated, the support means supports the platform and the tissues thereon so that the tissues are closer to the aperture.

2. A tissue box according to claim 1, wherein the support means is in the form of a plurality of tabs that fold inwardly to support the platform.

3. A tissue box according to claim 2, wherein the tabs are part of the side wall, each tab including a perforation that is broken as the tab is pushed in.

4. A tissue box according to claim 2, wherein the support means is arranged to support the platform at approximately one half to two thirds of the distance between the bottom wall and the top wall.

5. A tissue box according to claim 2, wherein the tabs are part of the bottom wall, each tab including a perforation that is broken as the tab is pushed in.

6. A tissue box according to claim 5, wherein a pair of tabs cooperate so as to interlock in position thereby holding the platform in place.

7. A tissue box according to claim 5, wherein there are at least two pairs of tabs arranged to support the floor along its underside to minimise bending of the platform.

8. A tissue box according to claim 1, wherein the side wall is comprised of opposed end walls and opposed lateral walls arranged to form a rectangle.