Dual-use towel product

Abstract

A towel product that has dual functions is provided. The towel product includes a series of stacked towels sandwiched between a first support plate and a second support plate. The first support plate, stacked towels, and second support plate are all encased in an outer wrapper. In some cases, the towel product serves as a stand-alone product. In other cases, the towel product serves as an insert to be placed inside of a towel-dispensing container. The first support plate aids in the product's insert functions when placed inside of a towel-dispensing container and the second support plate aids the product's stand-alone functions.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]Disposable absorbent wipers / towels have many uses. Disposable wipers / towels are particularly popular with do-it-yourself homeowners and trades people who find wipers valuable for cleaning tools, work areas and their hands. Disposable wipers are also used frequently in factories, on farms and in the boating industry (both commercial and recreational). These are just a few of the wide variety of people and multitude of uses of disposable wipers. Frequently, disposable wipers are used by people who are on the go, whether it be trades people moving from job to job, maintenance people moving from machine to machine within a factory or farmers dealing with issues wherever they come up. Containers of disposable wipers thus are often treated as valuable items of one's normal equipment for performing jobs and are often carried in the back of trucks to job sites along with other tools or on maintenance carts in factories. Disposable wiper containers end up in ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The patent describes a stacked towel product that can be used as a standalone supply of towels or as an insert for a towel-dispensing container. The towels are stacked vertically, with top, bottom, and side walls, and top and bottom support plates that allow towels to be drawn through them. The towels are protected by a flexible, water-resistant wrapper that snuggly engages the support plates and side walls. The technical effect of this invention is a convenient and efficient way to provide a supply of towels that can be easily accessed and used in a variety of settings."

Problems solved by technology

Often, because these containers can be used and stored outside, they can become exposed to inclement weather or they can be indoors in dusty and dirty environments.

Cardboard box dispensers, for example, of the type currently available from Kimberly-Clark Corporation under its “Rags in a Box” trademark, can become water or oil soaked if they are placed on a wet or oily support plate, resulting in towels within the dispenser becoming contaminated with water or oily residue.

Cardboard boxes are also susceptible to degradation, especially upon becoming wet.

When towels within a box become water-soaked, dirty or oily, they become substantially useless and are discarded.

Thus, a challenge associated with dispensing absorbent towels involves the ability to keep the towels dry and clean.

However, once all of the towels are removed, a fresh stack of towels must be inserted in the container, and this may require an inventory of replacement or refill towel rolls to be maintained at or near the job site.

It may often be inconvenient to provide a dry and clean storage space for replacement towel stacks.

When a supply of replacement towel stacks is not appropriately protected, as, for example, by being stored in containers of the type described above, the supply of towels may also easily become wet or soiled.

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