US 5,397,117 AGranted

Sheet dispenser

AssigneeMinnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

InventorTimothy A. Mertens

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Abstract

A sheet dispenser including a coherent stack of adhesive-bearing sheets that can be unobtrusively permanently or removably adhered on a page of a book, catalog, brochure, etc. The dispenser has a supple cover layer that is a thin, tear-resistant polymeric film that has opposite retaining peripheral portions extending around the sides of the stack and attached to a backing sheet for the dispenser, and has a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer on one or two attachable peripheral portions of the cover layer by which the dispenser can be adhered to the page.

Claims17

Dependent claims

A sheet dispenser adapted for use on a surface such as that of a page in a book, magazine, personal organizer or the like, said sheet dispenser comprising:

(a) a stack of dispensable sheets disposed one on top of another and including an uppermost sheet and a lowermost sheet, each sheet in said stack comprising a backing having opposite first and second major side surfaces and opposite first and second ends with ends of the sheets being in alignment in the stack, and a layer of adhesive permanently adhered to the first side surface of said backing, the layers of adhesive of said sheets being releasably adhered along the second surfaces of the adjacent sheets in said stack, at least some of said sheets comprising release means for providing a first adhesion level along first end portions of said sheets adjacent said first ends of said backings between said first side surfaces and the second side surfaces of the adjacent sheets in the stack to which the layers of adhesive are releasably adhered, which first adhesion level provides a sufficiently low or no release force between said first side surfaces and the adjacent sheets to which the adhesive along those first side surfaces are releasable adhered to afford sliding movement between the side surfaces of the adjacent sheets along said first end portions, and attachment means for providing a second adhesion level along second end portions of said sheets adjacent said second ends of said backings between said layers of adhesive and the second side surfaces of the adjacent sheets in the stack to which said layers of adhesive are releasably adhered, which second adhesion level provides a release force that is higher than said sufficiently low or no release force along said first end portions and firmly adhere the sheets to the adjacent sheets in the stack during sliding movement of the sheets relative to the adjacent sheets along said first end portions while affording peeling away of the sheets from the stack along said second end portions;
(b) a cover layer having inner and outer major surfaces, a central portion having sides, two retaining peripheral portions along opposite sides of said central portion, at least one attachable peripheral portion along one of said sides of said central portion between said two retaining peripheral portions, and a through slot extending transversely across said central portion;
(c) coatings of pressure-sensitive adhesive on said inner surface along said attachable peripheral portion of the cover layer;
(d) means for causing said inner surface along said central portion to be free of exposed adhesive;
and
(e) said stack of sheets being positioned along the inner surface adjacent said central portion with the first end portion of the uppermost dispensable sheet in the stack extending through said slot;
(f) a backing sheet having opposite first and second ends, said backing sheet being positioned adjacent the lowermost sheet on said stack with the layer of adhesive on the lowermost dispensable sheet adhered to the backing sheet along said first end;
(g) said pair of retaining peripheral portions extending around the sides of said stack adjacent said retaining portions and being affixed along opposite sides of said backing sheet;
(h) said dispensable sheets and slot being adapted to afford dispensing of the dispensable sheet having the first end portion extending through the slot when that first end portion is manually pulled through the slot by sequential sliding movement of one of the dispensable sheets relative to the adjacent dispensable sheet along the first end portion and peeling away of the dispensable sheet from the stack along said second end portion, and positioning of the first end portion of an underlying dispensable sheet in a position extending through the slot as a result of said dispensing;
and
(i) said attachable peripheral portion of the cover layer affording attachment of said dispenser to a substrate.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

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Abstract

A sheet dispenser adapted for use on a surface such as that of a page in a book, magazine, personal organizer or the like, said sheet dispenser comprising:

(a) a stack of dispensable sheets disposed one on top of another and including an uppermost sheet and a lowermost sheet, each sheet in said stack comprising a backing having opposite first and second major side surfaces and opposite first and second ends with ends of the sheets being in alignment in the stack, and a layer of adhesive permanently adhered to the first side surface of said backing, the layers of adhesive of said sheets being releasably adhered along the second surfaces of the adjacent sheets in said stack, at least some of said sheets comprising release means for providing a first adhesion level along first end portions of said sheets adjacent said first ends of said backings between said first side surfaces and the second side surfaces of the adjacent sheets in the stack to which the layers of adhesive are releasably adhered, which first adhesion level provides a sufficiently low or no release force between said first side surfaces and the adjacent sheets to which the adhesive along those first side surfaces are releasable adhered to afford sliding movement between the side surfaces of the adjacent sheets along said first end portions, and attachment means for providing a second adhesion level along second end portions of said sheets adjacent said second ends of said backings between said layers of adhesive and the second side surfaces of the adjacent sheets in the stack to which said layers of adhesive are releasably adhered, which second adhesion level provides a release force that is higher than said sufficiently low or no release force along said first end portions and firmly adhere the sheets to the adjacent sheets in the stack during sliding movement of the sheets relative to the adjacent sheets along said first end portions while affording peeling away of the sheets from the stack along said second end portions;
(b) a cover layer having inner and outer major surfaces, a central portion having sides, two retaining peripheral portions along opposite sides of said central portion, at least one attachable peripheral portion along one of said sides of said central portion between said two retaining peripheral portions, and a through slot extending transversely across said central portion;
(c) coatings of pressure-sensitive adhesive on said inner surface along said attachable peripheral portion of the cover layer;
(d) means for causing said inner surface along said central portion to be free of exposed adhesive;
and
(e) said stack of sheets being positioned along the inner surface adjacent said central portion with the first end portion of the uppermost dispensable sheet in the stack extending through said slot;
(f) a backing sheet having opposite first and second ends, said backing sheet being positioned adjacent the lowermost sheet on said stack with the layer of adhesive on the lowermost dispensable sheet adhered to the backing sheet along said first end;
(g) said pair of retaining peripheral portions extending around the sides of said stack adjacent said retaining portions and being affixed along opposite sides of said backing sheet;
(h) said dispensable sheets and slot being adapted to afford dispensing of the dispensable sheet having the first end portion extending through the slot when that first end portion is manually pulled through the slot by sequential sliding movement of one of the dispensable sheets relative to the adjacent dispensable sheet along the first end portion and peeling away of the dispensable sheet from the stack along said second end portion, and positioning of the first end portion of an underlying dispensable sheet in a position extending through the slot as a result of said dispensing;
and
(i) said attachable peripheral portion of the cover layer affording attachment of said dispenser to a substrate.

8 more elements