Folded stack of tissues

Abstract

The present invention provides a pack of tissues including multiple tissues arranged in a stack and a dispenser including a dispensing orifice enclosing the stack. At least a portion of the tissues are folded so as to have a leading edge contacting the upper surface of a center panel and a trailing edge contacting the bottom surface of the center panel. The tissues are interfolded such as to have a portion of the leading edge of a first, or preceding, tissue overlap the leading edge of a second, or succeeding tissue. In this manner, the leading edge of the first tissue terminates at a first vertical axis and the leading edge of the second tissue terminates at a second vertical axis where the distance between the first and second vertical axis is greater than 0.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A stack of interleaved tissue sheets comprising:
 a. a first S-folded tissue sheet having a first unfolded leading edge terminating at a first vertical axis and a first trailing edge, and;   b. a second S-folded tissue sheet having a second unfolded leading edge terminating at a second vertical axis and a second trailing edge,   wherein the first and the second S-folded tissues are interleaved with one another such that the first and the second unfolded leading edges overlap such that the distance between the first and the second vertical axis is greater than 0.   
     
     
         2 . The stack of interleaved tissue sheets of  claim 1  wherein the distance between the first and the second vertical axis is from about 2 to about 20 mm. 
     
     
         3 . The stack of interleaved tissue sheets of  claim 1  wherein the first and the second S-folded tissue sheets comprising a tissue sheet having a length and a width, a top panel folded along a first fold line and terminating at the first leading edge, and a bottom panel folded along a second fold line and terminating at a the trailing edge, wherein the top and bottom panels have substantially equal widths. 
     
     
         4 . The stack of interleaved tissue sheets of  claim 3  wherein the distance between the first and the second vertical axis is from about 5 to about 10 mm. 
     
     
         5 . The stack of interleaved tissue sheets of  claim 3  wherein the folded tissue sheet length is greater than the width. 
     
     
         6 . The stack of interleaved tissue sheets of  claim 1  wherein the first trailing edge terminates at the first vertical axis and the second trailing edge terminates at the second vertical axis. 
     
     
         7 . The stack of interleaved tissue sheets of  claim 1  wherein the stack has a first end, a middle and a second end, wherein the first end, the middle and the second end comprise an equal number of tissue sheets. 
     
     
         8 . The stack of interleaved tissue sheets of  claim 1  wherein the stack has a first end, a middle and a second end and wherein the stack height of the first end, the middle and the second end is substantially equal. 
     
     
         9 . The stack of interleaved tissue sheets of  claim 1  wherein the second unfolded leading edge is disposed under and contacts the first unfolded leading edge. 
     
     
         10 . The stack of interleaved tissue sheets of  claim 1  further comprising a third tissue sheet disposed under the second S-folded tissue sheet and having a third leading edge and a fourth sheet disposed under the third tissue sheet and having a fourth leading edge wherein the third leading edge and the fourth leading edge overlap one another. 
     
     
         11 . The stack of interleaved tissue sheets of  claim 10  wherein the third sheet has a third leading edge terminating at the first vertical axis and the fourth sheet has a fourth leading edge terminating at the second vertical axis. 
     
     
         12 . The stack of interleaved tissue sheets of  claim 10  wherein the third and the fourth tissue sheets are S-folded. 
     
     
         13 . The stack of interleaved tissue sheets of  claim 10  wherein the third and the fourth tissue sheets further comprise a third trailing edge terminating at the first vertical axis and a fourth trailing edge terminating at the second vertical axis. 
     
     
         14 . A package of tissues comprising a dispenser having a dispensing orifice and a stack of tissues disposed within the package, wherein the stack comprises a plurality of interleaved S-folded tissue sheets, each folded sheet comprising a center panel having a midpoint (M) a top panel having an unfolded leading edge and a bottom panel having an unfolded trailing edge, wherein the unfolded leading and trailing edges do not cross the midpoint (M) and are spaced away from the midpoint (M), and wherein a first S-folded tissue sheet has a first unfolded leading edge terminating at a first vertical axis and a second S-folded tissue sheet has a second unfolded leading edge terminating at a second vertical axis and wherein the distance between the first and the second vertical axis is greater than 0. 
     
     
         15 . The pack of tissues of  claim 14  wherein the stack of tissues has a width and a length and the dispensing orifice has a length, the length of the dispensing orifice being orientated parallel to the length of the stack of tissues and having a length that is from about 90 to about 98 percent of the length of the stack of tissues. 
     
     
         16 . The pack of tissues of  claim 14  wherein the orifice has a width and a length and a vertical axis bisecting the width and the unfolded leading edge of the upper most tissue in the stack of tissues crosses the vertical axis. 
     
     
         17 . The pack of tissues of  claim 16  wherein the n+1 tissue in the stack has a leading edge that crosses the vertical axis. 
     
     
         18 . The pack of tissues of  claim 16  wherein all of the tissues in the stack have an unfolded leading edge that crosses the vertical axis. 
     
     
         19 . The pack of tissues of  claim 14  wherein the distance between the first vertical axis and the orifice vertical axis is less than about 20 mm. 
     
     
         20 . The pack of tissues of  claim 14  wherein the overlapped first and second unfolded leading edges define an overlap area and wherein the overlap area is from about 10 to about 45 cm 2 .