Wipes dispensing container having improved ease of refillability

Abstract

A wipes container includes a dispenser housing defining top and bottom walls, first and second side walls, and first and second end walls. The top wall includes a dispensing orifice. A plurality of wipes can be disposed within an interior space, and refills can be made through a refill orifice exposed by removing an end wall. A lid assembly includes a ring and a flip top. The ring defines an interior region which has an interior region length. A thermoplastic elastomer dispensing partition extends substantially throughout the interior region and includes a dispensing slit. One end of the slit is positioned to improve the ease with which a user can reach into the refill orifice and thread a wipe through the dispensing slit.

1 . A container of stacked moist wipes, the container comprising:
 a dispenser housing defining a top wall spaced apart from and generally parallel to a bottom wall, a first side wall spaced apart from and generally parallel to a second side wall, and a first end wall spaced apart from and generally parallel to a second end wall, wherein all of the walls collectively define an interior space, wherein the first end wall can be removed to provide access to the interior space via a refill orifice, wherein the top wall includes a dispensing orifice through which wipes can be extracted from the interior space, wherein the first end wall is spaced apart from the second end wall in a length dimension, and wherein the top wall is spaced apart from the bottom wall in a height dimension, the interior space having an interior space height that extends from an inner surface of the top wall to an inner surface of the bottom wall, the dispensing orifice defining a dispensing orifice perimeter; and   a stack of moist wipes stacked upon each other in the height dimension and disposed within the interior space, each moist wipe adapted to be extracted from the interior space through the dispensing orifice,   wherein the dispensing orifice is covered by a lid assembly, the lid assembly comprising a ring and a flip top, the ring being permanently affixed to the top wall, and the flip top being hingedly connected to the ring, the ring overlapping and extending generally along the dispensing orifice perimeter, the ring defining an interior region, the interior region having an interior region length, the ring having a first ring end proximal the refill orifice and a second ring end distal the refill orifice,   wherein a thermoplastic elastomer dispensing partition extends substantially throughout the interior region, wherein a dispensing slit is formed in the thermoplastic elastomer dispensing partition,   wherein the dispensing slit has a first slit end proximal the first ring end, a second slit end proximal the second ring end, and a slit length, the slit length extending along said length dimension, wherein the first slit end is spaced a first distance from the first end wall and wherein the second slit end is spaced a second distance from the second end wall, and wherein the first distance is less than the second distance.   
     
     
         2 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the first distance is at most about 8 centimeters. 
     
     
         3 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the first distance is between 2 and 7 centimeters. 
     
     
         4 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the slit is longitudinally centered between the first ring end and the second ring end. 
     
     
         5 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the ring is longitudinally centered between the first end wall and the second end wall. 
     
     
         6 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein a refill end indicator is disposed longitudinally between the first slit end and the first ring end. 
     
     
         7 . The container of  claim 6 , wherein the refill end indicator is an arrow pointed at the refill orifice. 
     
     
         8 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the first end wall comprises a removable cap having no permanent connection to the top wall, bottom wall, first side wall, or second side wall. 
     
     
         9 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the second end wall comprises a permanent layer integrally formed with the top wall, bottom wall, first side wall, and second side wall, wherein the first end wall comprises a first removable cap having no permanent connection to the top wall, bottom wall, first side wall, or second side wall, and wherein the second end wall comprises a second removable cap having no permanent connection to the top wall, bottom wall, first side wall, or second side wall, the second removable cap being substantially identical in structure to the first removable cap. 
     
     
         10 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the refill orifice has a refill orifice height extending in the height dimension, the refill orifice height being less than 95% of the interior space height. 
     
     
         11 . A container of stacked moist wipes, the container comprising:
 a dispenser housing defining a top wall spaced apart from and generally parallel to a bottom wall, a first side wall spaced apart from and generally parallel to a second side wall, and a first end wall spaced apart from and generally parallel to a second end wall, wherein all of the walls collectively define an interior space, wherein the first end wall can be removed to provide access to the interior space via a refill orifice, wherein the top wall includes a dispensing orifice through which wipes can be extracted from the interior space, wherein the first end wall is spaced apart from the second end wall in a length dimension, and wherein the top wall is spaced apart from the bottom wall in a height dimension, the interior space having an interior space height that extends from an inner surface of the top wall to an inner surface of the bottom wall, the dispensing orifice defining a dispensing orifice perimeter; and   a stack of moist wipes stacked upon each other in the height dimension and disposed within the interior space, each moist wipe adapted to be extracted from the interior space through the dispensing orifice,   wherein the dispensing orifice is covered by a lid assembly, the lid assembly comprising a ring and a flip top, the ring being permanently affixed to the top wall, and the flip top being hingedly connected to the ring, the ring overlapping and extending generally along the dispensing orifice perimeter, the ring defining an interior region, the interior region having an interior region length, the ring having a first ring end proximal the refill orifice and a second ring end distal the refill orifice,   wherein a thermoplastic elastomer dispensing partition extends substantially throughout the interior region, wherein a dispensing slit is formed in the thermoplastic elastomer dispensing partition,   wherein the dispensing slit has a first slit end proximal the first ring end, a second slit end proximal the second ring end, and a slit length, the slit length extending along said length dimension, wherein at least 60% of the slit length is located between the first ring end and a bisecting line that extends perpendicularly to the interior region length at a midpoint of the interior region length.   
     
     
         12 . The container of  claim 11 , wherein the first slit end is spaced a first distance from the first end wall, wherein the first distance is at most about 8 centimeters. 
     
     
         13 . The container of  claim 12 , wherein the first distance is between 2 and 7 centimeters. 
     
     
         14 . (canceled) 
     
     
         15 . The container of  claim 11 , wherein the ring is longitudinally centered between the first end wall and the second end wall. 
     
     
         16 . The container of  claim 11 , wherein a refill end indicator is disposed longitudinally between the first slit end and the first ring end. 
     
     
         17 . The container of  claim 16 , wherein the refill end indicator is an arrow pointed at the refill orifice. 
     
     
         18 . The container of  claim 11 , wherein the first end wall comprises a removable cap having no permanent connection to the top wall, bottom wall, first side wall, or second side wall. 
     
     
         19 . The container of  claim 11 , wherein the second end wall comprises a permanent layer integrally formed with the top wall, bottom wall, first side wall, and second side wall, wherein the first end wall comprises a first removable cap having no permanent connection to the top wall, bottom wall, first side wall, or second side wall, and wherein the second end wall comprises a second removable cap having no permanent connection to the top wall, bottom wall, first side wall, or second side wall, the second removable cap being substantially identical in structure to the first removable cap. 
     
     
         20 . The container of  claim 11 , wherein the refill orifice has a refill orifice height extending in the height dimension, the refill orifice height being less than 95% of the interior space height.