System for safely storing and dispensing a thin sheet-like material

A system for storing a length of sheet material of a selected width, said sheet material being in the form of a plastic film, for safely dispensing desired lengths thereof, and for holding a short length of the sheet material exposed for subsequent access thereto, comprising:

• an elongate container sized and shaped to contain therein a stored length of the sheet material, the container having a first face and a second face adjacent thereto, the second face being formed to have a narrow longitudinal opening;
• and
• a safe cutting element provided along an edge of the first face parallel to and spaced from the opening by a distance less than a width of the second face, and having a longitudinal length at least substantially equal to the selected width of the sheet material.
• whereby a user may draw out the sheet material via the opening until a desired length of the sheet material extends past the safe cutting element and then force the sheet material against the safe cutting element to tear off the desired length while leaving exposed over the second face a length of the sheet material extended over the distance between the opening and the safe cutting element,
• wherein the safe cutting element comprises a plurality of rough-edged particles attached over and along a terminal edge of the first face, the rough-edged particles being attached to a first surface of a substrate, a second surface of the substrate being disposed over the terminal edge of the first face and adhered to opposite surfaces of an edge portion of the first face, with a waterproof coating provided over the rough-edged particles to a thickness sufficient to prevent individual rough-edged particles from becoming detached from the substrate when the sheet material is forcibly pressed thereto yet thin enough and sufficiently hard to allow coated rough edges and points of the rough-edged particles to stress the forcibly pressed sheet material enough to cause tearing across the entire width thereof and to permit the coated rough edges and points of the rough-edged particles to retain the exposed edge of the sheet material against the safe cutting element after cutting,
• wherein the first face is folded in a first fold parallel to the second face and in a second fold parallel to the first fold such that the terminal edge is located no lower than the second face and the first fold, and the second face is formed to have a flap-fold extending parallel to the opening and defining a flap which in use is disposed toward an interior of the container and against the edge portion of the folded first face, the flap of the second face being provided with a plurality of cuts to define corresponding coplanar extensions of the second face extending beyond the flap, and the first and second folds of the first face are formed to have respective apertures shaped, sized and disposed to receive the extensions of the second face and to thereby specifically locate the second face relative to the first face and the safe cutting element provided thereon.

A system for storing a length of sheet material of a selected width, said sheet material being in the form of a plastic film, for safely dispensing desired lengths thereof, and for holding a short length of the sheet material exposed for subsequent access thereto, comprising:

• an elongate container sized and shaped to loosely contain therein a stored length of the sheet material, the container having a first face and a second face adjacent thereto, the second face being formed to have a narrow longitudinal opening;
• and
• a safe cutting element provided along an edge of the first face parallel to and spaced from the opening by a distance less than a width of the second face, and having a longitudinal length at least substantially equal to the selected width of the sheet material,
• whereby a user may draw out the sheet material via the opening until a desired length of the sheet material extends past the safe cutting element and then force the sheet material against the safe cutting element to tear off the desired length while leaving exposed over the second face a length of the sheet material extended over the distance between the opening and the safe cutting element,
• wherein the first face is folded to define a folded edge parallel to the second face and the second face is formed to have a flap-fold extending parallel to the opening and defining a flap which in use is disposed toward an interior of the container and against the first face adjacent the folded edge thereof, the flap of the second face being provided with cuts to define corresponding coplanar extensions of the second face extending beyond the flap and the first face being formed to have apertures along the folded edge and shaped, sized and disposed to receive the extensions of the second face and to thereby specifically locate the second face relative to the first face and the safe cutting element provided thereon, and
• wherein the safe cutting element comprises a plurality of rough-edged particles attached over and along a terminal edge of the first face, the rough-edged particles are being attached to a first surface of a substrate, a second surface of the substrate being disposed over and adhered to the folded edge of the first face and to an edge portion of the first face adjacent the folded edge, and a waterproof coating is provided over the rough-edged particles to a thickness sufficient to prevent individual rough-edged particles from becoming detached from the substrate yet thin enough and sufficiently hard to allow coated rough edges and points of the rough-edged particles to stress the forcibly pressed sheet material enough to cause tearing across the entire width thereof and to permit the coated rough edges and points of the rough-edged particles to retain the exposed edge of the sheet material against the safe cutting element after cutting.