US1346441A - Toilet package - Google Patents

Description

M. B. CANNON.

TOILET PACKAGE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 25, I919.

1,346,441 at t d uly 13, 1920.

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TOILET PACKAGE.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 13, 192d.

Application filed July 25. 1919. Serial No. 313,189.

To all whom, it may concern:

lie it known that T, lWERVIN B. CANNoN, a citizen of the United States, and residing at Cincinnati in the county of Hamilton and State of filhio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Toilet Packages, of which the following specification is a full disclosure.

My invention relates to toilet articles, consisting of a. paper towel and a cake of soap together. Its object is to provide a product of this character adapted to be conveniently dispensed from a vending machine. It preferably comprises a sanitary package of soap and one or more paper towels, the towels, as a wrapper and protection covering for the soap, suitably folded over the soap into a cylindrical package and firmly bound, to constitute an article of manufacture and product for a vending machine.

The features of my invention will be more fully set forth in the description of the ac companying drawings, forming a part of the specification and illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention, and in the drawings like characters of reference denote corresponding parts throughout the several views, of which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the sanitary package in cylindrical form.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the towel partly folded.

Fig. 3 is a similar view of the towel further folded with the soap thereon preparatory to wrapping.

*ig. l is a longitudinal section on 4-4 of Fi 1, enlarged.

he towel, preferably a sheet of absorbent tissue, is folded upon itself and coiled into a cylindrical package, preferably so that none of its raw edges are exposed or free, which otherwise may render easy tearing of the tissue or interfere with the dispensing of the package froma' vending machine.

lit is desirable to have the packages each firmly coiled and in condition to retain its cylindrical form and size when stacked one upon another in a magazine or holder of a vending machine in order .to be successively discharged from the machine.

Referring to the drawings, the towel, a single or plural number of rectangular sheets 1, is preferably folded upon itself by folding two opposite end portions 2, 3, as quarter sections upon the intermediate portion, bringing the opposite edges of the sheet adjacent each other along a central or longitudinal line, as shown in Fig. 2. A longitudinal fold, to reduce the width of the package, is then made, following along the central line, along which the first folding operation has brought two of the sheet edges. The strip of the width thus formed is then folded upon itself crosswise, preferably 1n unequal portions, so as to offset the second set of opposite edges of the sheet, as shown in Fig. 2, to reduce the length of the strip and bring a third edge 4: inward or intermediate, thereby forming a padded or cushion-like wrapper composed of several plies or layers of the folded towel. After the towel has been folded as described, the small cake of soap 5, flat and rectangular in shape, or it may be of any other desired shape, is placed upon the folded towel, and

l the towel is firmly coiled or folded over the soap, the free raw edges of the towel sheet inward, to produce a cylindrical package 6, as shown in Fig. 1a A band or sealing cover 8 is then applied over the coiled towel merely for firmly retaining the towel in its folded or coiled condition, for convenient handling in a vending machine.

The coiling or wrapping of a folded tissue towel around the soap furnishes a protection padding for the soap, preventing the breaking of the soap when the package is dispensed from a vending machine without the necessity of any further inclosure or wrapper.

The soap and towel thus packed form a convenient, small, extremely economical sanitary package for individual toilet service, with no protruding or exposed free.

sheet or towel edges liable to engage or catch in the mechanism of a vending machine, thus not interfering with the operation of the mechanism of the vending machine which must be relied upon for successively advancing and discharging the packages, one by one, from the magazine of the vending machine.

The paper which I prefer to use is known in the trade as crape paper, a peculiarity of which is not only its relative softness and ready capacity for absorption, making it, as is well known, well suited for an economical towel material; but a substantial degree of plasticity owing not only to its softness but to its finely wrinkled condition throughout. My invention takes advantage of this property of such paper, when used,

to cause the paper to conform itself around the soap piece placed about midway of the package length, as shown and described; not only hugging the piece of soap closely where 5 it passes therearound, but at the ends of the soap piece, Where the plasticity of the paper results in compressing the latter, under firm rollin or wadding pressure, within the limits 0 the soap piece length, while the elasticity of the paper causes those parts of it nearer the package ends to press radially inward, substantially close together. This results in retaining the soap piece against endwise escape from the package, 5 without any special retaining means in the package ends or any special roughening or other special fastening located at the soap piece or thereon. Moreover, while there is this departure from the normal volute of the towel winding interiorly of the package,

the plasticity of the material and its consequent compression around the soap at the middle and expansion into the spaces at the package ends, results in the exterior shape 5 of the package being substantially cylindrical. And this result is obtained even though the soap cake be not of equilateral cross section, but fiat as here shown.

I Also, owing to this property of the towel material, it is susceptible to very firm package formation, capable of holding its shape when piled in a vending machine and when subjected to the rubbing and impacts incident to ejection therefrom. Material of a 5 non-textile or non-woven manufacture, such as paper, is preferred, because textile or woven towel material, to be as absorbent as is desired, is necessarily of such an open and loose texture as to be liable to entangling in the machine parts, andin general is not adapted to make as firm a package as paper or the like. Such woven materials as may have these desired properties, however, come within the scope of my invention, in that they will be capable of making up a dispensable package without the necessity of any special or further wrapping, carton or the like; and, when containing a soap cake or other article shorter than the package, will so conform at the ends as to retain this article without the need of any special article retaining means.

By my invention, therefore, I am enabled to produce a package consisting, except for 65 the securing means, such as the binding tape herein exemplified, of only the articles intended for use, viz: in the preferred example, a towel and a small cake of soap. Ex-

treme economy is thus possible, not merely in the use of paper for the towel, as is well known heretofore, but in dispensing with the use of any great amount of extraneous wrapping or inclosing material, which would cost about as much as the articles used and which is merely thrown away and is not only a loss but becomes just so much additional litter around the wash-room or other place Where the packages are dispensed.

It will be seen, therefore, that my invention makes possible the individual dispensing of the economical towel at a cost not out of due proportion to the towel itself; and in addition, to furnish therewith sufficient soap for a thorough washing of the hands and face, without adding disproportionately to the cost of this soap supply.

This extreme economy thus distinguishes the present invention from any mere wrapping of soap and towel together with an extraneous wrapper or carton or similar device either for conserving the package shape or retaining the soap. This novel package is especially adapted, due to the peculiaritiesmentioned, for automatic formation by machinery, as well as very rapid formation by hand, if required. The minimization of materials, whether these be more or less expensive in themselves, together with the minimization of effort required to form the package, reduces the total cost far below that of any package of similar character heretofore produced, and makes, for the first time, so far as I am aware, a possibility of mechanical dispensing of such articles at a cost in attractive proportion to the value thus received.

Having thus fully described the nature of my invention, with the aid of a specific example, and having fully disclosed its most advantageous mode of use, as is required, I do not wish to be understood as being limited to the precise examples of construction and mode of use herein given, but what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A package comprising an article, and a wrapper of crape paper or the like, having suflicient inherent rigidity to produce a firm package, said paper being of a width greater than the article length, rolled repeatedly around said article with its convolutions overlapping the article ends and suitably secured in its article inclosing condition, whereby said wrapper retains said article by virtue of the normal contraction of its convolutions at the article ends incident to the firm rolling of the wrapper around the article, and the nature of the paper.

2. A package comprising a piece of soap and a wrapper of crape paper or the like having suflicient inherent rigidity to produce a firm package, said paper being of a width greater than the soap length, rolled repeatedly around said soap with its convolutions overlapping the soap ends and suitably secured in its soap inclosing condition, whereby said wrapper retains the soap by virtue of the normal contraction of its convolutions at the soap ends incident to the firm rolling of the wrapper around the soap, and the nature of the paper.

3. A towel package possessing diminutive size, inherent rigidity and readily dispensable shape,which comprises crape paper toweling formed into a long narrow piece, and then formed into a plurality of tightly compacted convolutions transverse the long piece, into a cartridge like form, and tape mounted around said formed package intermediate its ends to retain the compact condition, said paper having a nature permitting the formation of an inherently rigid roll of substantially cylindrical form in spite of the exposed end at the outside of the roll, thereby adapting it to the reception of a circumferential tape and to ready mechanical dispensation, and having the further nature of being utilizable as a towel when unrolled after an extended period of formation into the said package form, and said paper being of a size suitable for toilet towel use. l

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name, as attested by the two subscribing 25 witnesses.

/ MERVIN B. CANNON. Witnesses -M. L. BARRON,

L. A. BECK.

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