# US 7,073,684 B2 · Dispenser for housing a plurality of folded wet wipes > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 7,073,684 B2 - Document ID: US7073684B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 10/810,129 - Filed: 2004-03-26 - Published: 2005-09-29 - Granted: 2006-07-11 - Earliest claimed: 2004-03-26 - Assignees: Kimberly-Clark Wordwide, Inc. - Inventors: Christopher Vincent Decker; Christopher Michael Bechyne; Stephen Robert Kehn; Cleary E. Mahaffey; Herb Flores Velazquez; John Martin Wydeven; Yung Hsiang Huang - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7073684B2 ## CPC - A47K 10/421: {dispensing from the top of the dispenser (A47K10/44 takes precedence)} - A47K 2010/3266: {Wet wipes} - A47K: SANITARY EQUIPMENT; ACCESSORIES THEREFOR, e.g. TOILET ACCESSORIES ## Abstract A dispenser is disclosed which can house a plurality of folded wet wipes, each having a width. The dispenser includes first and second members pivotally connected together to form an enclosed dispenser having a transverse axis. The first and second members are formed from a semi-rigid material. The dispenser has a height of about 2.5 inches or less and has a top wall with an entrance formed therein. The entrance has a surface area of from between about 15 cm2 to about 95 cm2. The folded wet wipes having a normalized separation force between two adjacent sheets of less than about 65 g/cm. The entrance also has a dimension measured along the transverse axis that when divided by the width of one of the folded wet wipes is at least about 0.7. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A dispenser comprising: a) a first member; and b) a second member pivotally connected to said first member to form an enclosed dispenser having a transverse axis, said first and second members being formed from a semi-rigid material, said dispenser capable of housing a plurality of folded wet wipes each having a width, said dispenser having a height of less than about 2.5 inches and having a top wall with an entrance formed therein, said entrance having a surface area of from between about 15 cm2 to about 95 cm2, said plurality of folded wet wipes having a normalized separation force between adjacent wipes as defined by the test method herein of less than about 65 g/cm, and said entrance has a dimension measured along said transverse axis that when divided by the width of one of said folded wet wipes is at least about 0.7. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The dispenser of claim 1 wherein said normalized separation force ranges from between about 0.25 g/cm to about 65 g/cm. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The dispenser of claim 2 wherein said normalized separation force ranges from between about 0.5 g/cm to about 65 g/cm. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The dispenser of claim 3 wherein said normalized separation force ranges from between about 0.75 g/cm to about 65 g/cm. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The dispenser of claim 1 wherein said entrance has a surface area of from between about 15 cm2 to about 70 cm2. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The dispenser of claim 5 wherein said entrance has a surface area of from between about 20 cm2 to about 40 cm2. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The dispenser of claim 1 wherein said height is less than about 2 inches. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The dispenser of claim 1 wherein said entrance has a dimension measured along said transverse axis that when divided by the width of one of said wet wipes is at least about 0.75. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The dispenser of claim 1 wherein said entrance has a dimension measured along said transverse axis that when divided by the width of one of said wet wipes is at least about 0.8. ### Claim 10 A dispenser comprising: a) a first member; and b) a second member pivotally connected to said first member to form an enclosed dispenser having a transverse axis, said first and second members being formed from a semi-rigid material, said dispenser capable of housing a plurality of folded wet wipes each having a width, said dispenser having a height of less than about 2.5 inches and having a top wall with an entrance formed therein, said entrance having a surface area of from between about 15 cm2 to about 70 cm2, said plurality of folded wet wipes having a normalized separation force between adjacent wipes as defined by the test method herein of from between about 0.25 g/cm to about 65 g/cm, and said entrance has a dimension measured along said transverse axis that when divided by the width of one of said folded wet wipes is at least about 0.75. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The dispenser of claim 10 wherein said entrance has a generally elliptical configuration having its largest dimension aligned approximately parallel to said transverse axis. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The dispenser of claim 10 wherein said entrance has a generally elliptical configuration having its largest dimension aligned approximately perpendicular to said transverse axis. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The dispenser of claim 10 wherein said entrance has a surface area of from between about 20 cm2 to about 40 cm2. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The dispenser of claim 10 wherein said each of said wet wipes includes a substrate formed from coform and a liquid composition that contains at least 97% water. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The dispenser of claim 10 wherein said first and second members are formed from a thermoplastic material and each has a thickness of at least 0.030 thousandths of an inch. ### Claim 16 A dispenser comprising: a) a first member; and b) a second member pivotally connected to said first member to form an enclosed dispenser having a transverse axis, said first and second members being formed from a semi-rigid material, said dispenser capable of housing a plurality of folded wet wipes each having a width, said dispenser having a height of less than about 2.5 inches and having a top wall with an entrance formed therein, said entrance having a surface area of from between about 15 cm2 to about 70 cm2, said plurality of folded wet wipes having a normalized separation force between adjacent sheets as defined by the test method herein of from between about 0.5 g/cm to about 65 g/cm, and said entrance having a dimension measured along said transverse axis that when divided by the width of one of said folded wet wipes is at least about 0.8. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The dispenser of claim 16 wherein said normalized separation force ranges from between about 0.75 g/cm to about 65 g/cm. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The dispenser of claim 16 wherein said entrance has a surface area of from between about 20 cm2 to about 40 cm2. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The dispenser of claim 16 wherein each of said wet wipes includes a substrate formed from coform and a liquid composition that contains at least 97% water. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The dispenser of claim 16 wherein said first and second members are formed from a thermoplastic material and each has a thickness of at least 0.020 thousandths of an inch. ### Claim 21 (depends on 16) The dispenser of claim 16 wherein said entrance has a dimension measured along said longitudinal axis that ranges from between about 0.75 inches to about 100% of the length of one of said folded wet wipes.