BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The use of sachets, or small packettes, for packaging of shampoos, lotions, and other liquid and gel products has become commonplace. These sachets are generally of low volume, containing from about 5 ml. to 100 ml. of liquid, more typically about 10 to 25 ml, and typically take the shape of a substantially flat, rectangular bag formed from two sheets of material laminated together at their periphery to contain the liquid. The sachet can also contain a gussetted end closure on either or both ends. The sachets are generally formed from a fluid impermeable material such as a thermoplastic, or a metallic film. Preferred thermoplastic materials include mono-layer and laminated plastic films and sheets, of polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride polystyrene, polyvinylydene chloride fluoride resin, polycarbonates such as polymethylmethacrylate, esters such as polyethyl terephthalate, polyamides, polyphenylene oxides, and laminates thereof with metal coating or films, such as aluminum. Water- soluble plastic films can also be used to form the sachets. Suitable water- soluble film material can include polyvinyl alcohol and partially hydrolyzed polyvinyl acetate, alginates, carboxymethylcellulose, and methyl cellulose.

Films of polyvinyl alcohol and polyvinyl acetate/polyvinyl alcohol blends are especially suitable. Such sachets can be formed from laminates of materials which have different properties (such as tear strength, lightweight, air and fluid impermeability, oxygen impermeability) to form multi-functional sachets. Generally, thermoplastic films, and laminates thereof, for making the sachets have a thickness of at least 0.05 mm, more preferably 0.15-0.3 mm.

Sachets are used for a variety of reasons in the marketing of products to consumers. One reason is to offer the product contained in the sachet as a sample. Another reason is to offer the product in a single use to attract consumers to the new product without having to invest in a large amount of product. Another reason is that consumers may be able to purchase a large supply of a product at the time of purchase, or may prefer to purchase only one or a few single use sachets.

At the point of purchase, consumers typically will select to purchase one or more sachets at one time. Marketers of products contained in such sachets have attempted to present the product in the stores to allow the consumers to purchase one or more of the sachets from the stock. In the manufacture of products contained in sachets, it is typical to form the plurality of sachets as a continuous string of sachets joined end to end.

While sachets can be separated and offered to the consumer for sale one- by-one, separation of the sachets results in additional distribution costs, and handling time. Typical prior methods of presenting a string of sachets to the consumer include affixing one or more strings of a number of sachets along the bottom edge of a display panel, for example by staples or tape. When the sachets have all been removed from the display panel, the panel is then taken down by the store personnel and replace with a fresh panel having the plurality of strings of sachets. While such a method of presentation is convenient for the consumer, it can result in higher handling costs for the marketer to remove depleted display panels and to replace with fresh panels, which need to be re-affixed to a wall or some other fixture in the store. In addition, since such display panels are disposable, expensive materials or manufacturing methods are not used, such that conventional display panels tend to appear cheap and less appealing to consumers. A more expensive display panel could be reused by re-affixing additional strings of sachets, but additional handling expense is incurred.

Therefore an improved method of displaying and dispensing strings of sachets is needed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a sachet dispenser for dispensing a string of sachets, having at least one bin for containing a string of sachets and having a front wall, a back wall, and a pair of side walls, and a bin bottom, wherein the bin bottom comprises front bottom portion attached to a lower edge of the front wall at a front joint, and a back bottom portion attached to a lower edge of the back wall at a back joint, the front bottom portion and the back bottom portion each sloped downward toward each other to define a slot, for dispensing a sachet from the bin.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the dispenser of the present invention having bins for holding and dispensing a string of sachets.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the bin of Fig. 1 through line 2-2.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a second embodiment of a bin of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the second embodiment of the bin of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is front view of the bin of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is the top view of the bin of Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is the bottom view of the bin of Fig. 4.

Fig. 8 is the back side view of the bin of Fig. 4.

Fig. 9 is the right side view of the bin of Fig. 4.

Fig. 10 is the left side view of the bin of Fig. 4.

Fig. 11 shows two manners in which a string of sachets can be formed for loading into a bin of the dispenser of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a dispenser 10 having a bin support 15 supporting one or more bin (s) 20. Each bin (s) has a front wall 21 and a back wall 22, with a pair of side wall (s) 23 connecting the front wall and back wall. The back wall can be integral with the bin support. Generally, the bin (s) can be shaped wherein the front wall, back wall, and side wall (s) form a rectangle or square, although the front wall and side wall (s) can form an integral member bin (s) structure in the shape of an arch. The bin 20 also has a bin bottom 26 having a slot 29. Each bin bottom has a front bottom portion 27 and a back bottom portion 28, which bottom portions downwardly converge toward, are substantially separated by, and thereby define, the slot 29. The front bottom portion extends substantially from the lower edge of front wall 21 at a front joint, to the slot 29. The back bottom portion extends substantially from lower edge of the back wall 22 at a back joint, to the slot 29.

A bin receives a string of sachets, typically numbering from 3 to 15 sachets. A dispenser can have multiple bins side-by-side, to display different sachet products. A string of sachets can be loaded into the bin as a spiraling roll of sachets (as illustrated in Fig. 11 a). More preferred, the string of sachets is loaded in an accordion-type manner such that the sachets fold back and forth to form a series of a z-folded, attached sachets (as illustrated in Fig. 11b). This allows the consumer to see the brand information on the face of the package through a clear-plastic front wall of the dispenser.

To dispense a string of sachets from a bin, the customer pulls the terminal end of the string of sachets through the slot on the bottom of the bin. To improve dispensing of the string of sachets, the bin bottom portions are designed to permit the sachets to register at and to pass through the slot of the bin without snagging or crimping. The front bottom portion and the rear bottom portion slope inwardly and downward from the front and back walls, respectively, to the slot to guide successive sachets to the slot.

Preferably the front bottom portions and rear bottom portions have a fiat or a smooth curvilinear surface which does not have a sharp curve. Likewise, the junctures of the bottom portions with the front and back walls at the front and back joints do not form sharp corners. By a"sharp corner"is meant that the effective radius of the corner is at least greater than about 3mm, preferably at least greater than about 5mm. Preferably, the back and front joints form a radius of about 1 cm or more, more preferably of about 2 cm or more.

In a first embodiment shown in Fig. 1 and 2, either the front and back bottom portions (and preferably both) have a two-step shape. A first step 31a, 31b is formed when the bottom portion transitions from a substantially vertical front (or back) wall of the bin through a first-step which has a minimum slope. The bottom portion then becomes steep in slope in about the center of the bottom portion, before transitioning to a second step 32a, 32b. The first step 31 a of the front bottom portion serves as a support for the loaded string of sachets. When a leading descending sachet (a descending sachet has its leading edge oriented downward) is pulled out of the bin through the slot, a trailing ascending sachet (an ascending sachet has its leading edge oriented upward) attached thereto is folded over in the space provided above the first step of the back bottom portion, and is looped over into a descending position in the second step 32b. When the leading sachet has been pulled far enough through of the bin slot to be detached, the trailing sachet attached thereto is in a descending position within the second step and registered through the slot.

The first step 31 a, 32a ends where the slope transition from a minimum slope to the steeper slope of the second step 31b, 32b. The first step 32a, 32b of the bottom portion is about 30% to about 80% the distance measured horizontally from the lateral centerline of the slot to the back wall, and is preferably about 40-60% said distance.

In a preferred embodiment as shown in Fig. 3-10, the front and back bottom portions are substantially planar, and converge to the slot on respective angles Of and Ob (from vertical). The front bottom portion has a sloped-downward angle Of of more than about 30 degrees and less than about 75 degrees, more preferably of more than about 45 degrees and less than about 65 degrees, and most preferably of about 55-60 degrees. The back bottom portion has a sloped-downward angle Ob of more than about 20 degrees and less than about 60 degrees, more preferably of more than about 30 degrees and less than about 50 degrees, and most preferably of about 35-45 degrees.

Further, the relative angle Oc between the front bottom portion and the back bottom portion, at their convergence at the slot, is at least about 45 degrees and no more than about 120 degrees, preferably at least about 80 degrees and no more than about 100 degrees, and most preferably about 90-95 degrees.

To facilitate the bending and looping of successive sachets loaded in an accordion-like manner, the distance from the front wall to the back wall, should be ample to allow the sachet to fold over as it reverses direction, and is preferably about one-half or more the length of a sachet, more preferably about 75% the length or more, of a sachet, and most preferably about 100% or more the length of a sachet.

The front bottom portion has a more shallow slope, and serves as a support base for the sachets in the bin. The back bottom portion is more steeply sloped than the front bottom portion, which serves to align a descending lead sachet downward toward the slot. The upper space in the bin (above the front and back joints) is spacious enough to allow an ascending sachet to fold and loop over into the descending position.

To help extract a sachet from the bottom of a bin through the slot, the slot preferably has at least one finger access 30, to enable the user to insert one's finger and/or thumb through the slot into the interior of the bin to grasp a leading edge of a sachet in a descending position and to extract it through the slot. The finger access should be large enough to enable a typical consumer to insert at least the first knuckle of the finger and/or thumb and there through. A semicircular-shaped finger opening is most preferred, though any other shape that permits access of the fingers can be used.

The slot 29 length is preferably the entire width of the bin (from side wall to side wall) to avoid snagging and catching of the sachet on the exposed lateral end of the slot. The width of the slot (the space between the front bottom portion and the rear bottom portion) is preferably at least 2mm, more preferably at least about 4mm, and most preferably at least about 6mm, and can depend upon the thickness of the sachet.

The slot is substantially centered between the front wall and the back wall, though it can be off-set toward the front wall or back wall depending upon other factors to improve the dispensing (for example, when dispensing a spirale string of sachets).

The bin is typically made from a thermoplastic material and most preferably from a resilient non-flexible, scratch-resistant, transparent thermoplastic material. A preferred material is polypropylene.

The bin support 15 includes attachment means 16 for attaching the dispenser to a wall or other fixture. Preferred attachment means include hooks or loops on the bin support which engage a corresponding loop or hook on the fixture; or, the bin support can simply have holes there through, through which the bin support is bolted or hooked to the fixture. The bin support can be a separate member to which one or more bins are affixed, or it can be made integral (i. e., molded with) the bins.