BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Consumers want easy, convenient and quick access to absorbent sheet products, such as paper towels, toilet tissue, napkins, facial tissue, and the like, for use in their home or work areas. Particularly, consumers want the products available where spills or messes occur, which are often in areas of the home where such products are traditionally kept, such as the kitchen or bathroom. When spills or messes occur in these areas consumers want quick and convenient access to absorbent sheets to clean up messes quickly to avoid damage to surfaces throughout the home. Therefore, there is a need for absorbent sheets, and particularly stacks of absorbent sheets, that may be easily located throughout the home and provide a convenient dispensing format to ensure easy, convenient and quick access to sheets where and when consumers need them.

Not only do consumer desire sheet formats that are easy and convenient to use, they also want sheet formats that are easily dispensed, as well as those that are aesthetically pleasing and compliment their home decor. Often to provide the ease and convenience consumer’s desire, the sheet products are designed to be left in plain view in the home rather than stored away in cabinets. As such, the products must be aesthetically pleasing and be able to mount to a variety of surfaces in an environment and stay mounted to provide reliable dispensing.

Therefore, there is a need in the art for a stack of absorbent sheets including a mounting system that provides consumers with convenient and easily accessible dispensing when and where the consumer needs such products yet prevents damage of the surface to which the stack is mounted. Furthermore, there is a need for a dispensing format that functions as a home accessory and compliments the consumer’s home decor.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention addresses the consumer’s need for a convenient mounting system for a stack of absorbent sheets that may be mounted to a number of different surfaces, providing the consumer with easy access to absorbent sheets throughout the home. For example, the stack may be laid flat on a horizontal surface, such as a countertop or table, or may be mounted to a vertical surface, such as a wall or cupboard. The mounting system provides for stable attachment of the stack of absorbent sheets in such variety of mounting orientations and surfaces to provide reliable dispensing. Importantly, the mounting system also provides benefits of being able to disengage the absorbent stack before causing damage to the surface should forces higher than required for dispensing an absorbent sheet be applied to the stack of absorbent sheets.

Accordingly, in one embodiment the present invention provides a stack of absorbent sheets configured to be mounted to a surface. The stack can include a top edge, a bottom edge, and a pair of opposed side edges. The stack can further be configured such that a plurality of the absorbent sheets each include an area of weakness to facilitate separation of an absorbent sheet from the stack of absorbent sheets at an average separation force (F _separation ). The stack can also include a mounting system. The mounting system can include a first fastening component configured to be coupled to a back surface of the stack of absorbent sheets. A force to separate the first fastening component from the stack of absorbent sheets is Fi. The mounting system can additionally include a second fastening component configured to be coupled to the first fastening component and to the surface. A force to separate the second fastening component from the first fastening component is F2. A force to separate the second fastening component from the surface is F3. The stack of absorbent sheets can be configured SUCh that F _separation < F2 < F3 < F 1.

In another embodiment the present invention provides a stack of absorbent sheets configured to be mounted to a surface. The stack can include a plurality of absorbent sheets each including an area of weakness to facilitate separation of an absorbent sheet from the stack of absorbent sheets at an average separation force (F _separation ). The plurality of absorbent sheets can provide a top edge of the stack, a bottom edge of the stack, and a pair of opposed edges of the stack. The stack of absorbent sheets can further include a mounting system. The mounting system can include a first fastening component configured to be coupled to a back surface of the stack of absorbent sheets. The mounting system can further include a second fastening component configured to be coupled to the first fastening component and to the surface. The mounting system can be configured such that a force to separate the second fastening component from the first fastening component (F2) is less than a force to separate the second fastening component from the surface (F3) such that the first fastening component is configured to disengage from the second fastening component upon an application of a force to the stack of absorbent sheets (F _pull ) that is greater than or equal to F2 but is less than F3.

In yet another embodiment the present invention provides a stack of absorbent sheets including a top edge, a bottom edge, and a pair of opposed side edges. The stack includes a plurality of absorbent sheets each including a perforation line to facilitate separation of an absorbent sheet from the stack of absorbent sheets at an average separation force (F _separation ). The stack can also include a backing sheet. The backing sheet can include a back portion coupled to a bottom-most absorbent sheet in the stack of absorbent sheets. The stack can further include a mounting system configured to mount the plurality of absorbent sheets to a surface. The mounting system can include a first fastening component coupled to the backing sheet with adhesive and that includes a loop fastener. A force to separate the first fastening component from the backing sheet is F1. The mounting system can also include a second fastening component configured to be coupled to the surface with adhesive and that includes a hook fastener to couple to the loop fastener of the first fastening component. A force to separate the second fastening component from the first fastening component is F2. A force to separate the second fastening component from the surface is F3. The stack is configured such that F _separation < F2 < F3 < F1.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective, exploded view of a mounting system for a stack of absorbent sheets according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the mounting system and stack of absorbent sheets of FIG. 1 mounted to a vertical surface;

FIG. 2A is a detailed, exploded view taken along line 2A-2A from FIG. 2;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the mounting system and stack of absorbent sheets of FIG. 2 after the first fastening component disengages from the second fastening component;

FIG. 4 is a perspective, exploded view of a mounting system for a stack of absorbent sheets according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of a detach testing apparatus including second fastening components used in the Detach Tensile Strength Test Method as described herein;

FIG. 6 is a rear plan view of a stack of absorbent sheets including first fastening components coupled to the backing sheet on the stack of absorbent sheets; and

FIG. 7 is a front view of a tensile tester, detach testing apparatus of FIG. 5, stack of absorbent sheets of FIG. 6, and mounting system components from FIGS. 5 and 6 as used in the Detach Tensile Strength Test Method as described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PARTICULAR EMBODIMENTS

The invention relates to a mounting system 10 for a stack 12 of absorbent sheets 14, such as paper towels, toilet tissue, napkins, facial tissue, and the like. The mounting system 10 is configured for mounting a stack 12 of absorbent sheets 14 to a variety of surfaces 42 and orientations. The stack 12 is generally formed from a plurality of absorbent sheets 14 stacked one on top of the other in face-to-face relation. The stack 12 can include a top edge 16, a bottom edge 18, and a pair of opposed side edges 20, 22. The stack 12 can have a top-most sheet 15 and a bottom-most sheet 17. The bottom-most sheet 17 can form the back surface 30 of the stack 12. The distance between the top and bottom edges 16, 18 generally defines the stack length (L) and the distance between the pair of opposed side edges 20, 22 defines a stack width (W).

The absorbent sheets 14 are preferably fibrous sheet material. In a particularly preferred embodiment the sheets 14 comprise a cellulosic fibrous material, such as wood pulp, cotton linters, or the like. However, in other embodiments, the sheets 14 may comprise synthetic fibers, such as polyolefin or polyester fibers. In still other embodiments the sheets 14 may comprise a mixture of cellulosic and synthetic fibers. In certain instances, the absorbent sheets 14 may comprise wet laid tissue products such as bath tissue, facial tissue, paper towels, napkins, or the like. In other instances, the absorbent sheets 14 may comprise nonwoven materials formed from synthetic fibers or blends of synthetic and cellulosic fibers with similar properties to those of wet laid tissue products formed from cellulosic fibers. In certain embodiments the absorbent sheets 14 may comprise nonwoven airlaid sheets comprising synthetic fibers, binders, wet strength agents, and the like.

Further, while in certain instances, such as those illustrated in the present figures, the stack 12 may be formed from absorbent sheets 14 comprising a single ply, it is to be understood that the present disclosure is not so limited and the absorbent sheets 14 may comprise two or more plies, such as two, three or four plies. The plies may consist substantially of the same fibrous material, or they may be different. For example, in one embodiment all of the plies comprise wood pulp fibers. In another embodiment one ply comprises synthetic fibers and another ply comprises wood pulp fibers.

The absorbent sheets 14 may be folded or unfolded. In certain embodiments the individual sheets within the stack 12 may be folded to form a folded sheet having multi-layers. Upon removal of an individual sheet 14 from the stack 12 it may be unfolded to yield a single absorbent sheet 14 having a surface area greater than the surface area of the stack 12. Accordingly, individual absorbent sheets 14 within a stack 12, in an embodiment, may be in a folded configuration such as half-folds or quarter-folds of the sheets 14. For example, a sheet 14 having a half-fold configuration may have four different edges, a first end and a second end, opposite the first end. Other folding configurations may also be useful herein, for example, Z-folds, or C-folds.

Further, it should be understood that the sheets 14 and the resulting stack 12 may take any number of different shapes and that while it may be desirable for two or more edges of sheets 14 to be parallel with one another, the invention is not so limited. Additionally, the size of individual sheets 14 and the number of sheets 14 in the stack 12 corresponds to the number of usable units desired in the finished tissue product.

In particularly preferred embodiments the stacks 12 comprise absorbent sheet material having a basis weight greater than about 10 grams per square meter (gsm, measured using TAPPI test method T-220) such as from about 10 to about 100 gsm and more preferably from about 15 to about 70 gsm. In other embodiments the sheets may have a caliper (measured in accordance with TAPPI test method T402 using an EMVECO 200-A Microgage automated micrometer (EMVECO, Inc., Newberg, OR)) greater than about 200 μm, such as from about 200 to about 2,000 μm. Further, the absorbent sheet material may have a specific absorbency greater than about 2.0 g/g, such as from about 2.0 to about 15.0 g/g and more preferably from about 5.0 to about 10.0 g/g. As used herein, the term “specific absorbency" generally refers to the amount of water absorbed by a paper product (single ply or multiply) or a sheet, expressed as grams of water absorbed per gram of fiber (dry weight) and is measured as described in US Patent No. 8,753,751, the contents of which are incorporated by reference in a manner consistent with the present disclosure.

In other embodiments the absorbent sheets 14 have a dry geometric mean tensile strength (measured in accordance with TAPPI test method T-494 om-01) greater than about 500 g/3", and more preferably greater than about 750 g/3" and still more preferably greater than about 1,000 g/3”, such as from about 500 to about 3,500 g/3" and more preferably from about 1 ,000 to about 2,500 g/3”. In this manner the absorbent sheets 14 have sufficient tensile strength to withstand the force necessary to detach individual sheets14 from the stack 12.

In certain preferred embodiments the absorbent sheets 14 comprise a wet laid tissue product that has been manufactured by through-air drying, such as tissue products disclosed in US Patent No. 4,529,480. In other embodiments the absorbent sheets 14 comprise a wet laid tissue product that has been manufactured by through-air drying and without creping, such as tissue products disclosed in US Patent No. 8,753,751. The through-air dried absorbent sheets 14 may be embossed and may comprise, one or more plies, such as one, two or three plies.

In other embodiments the absorbent sheets 14 may comprise wet laid tissue products having at least one surface that has been treated with a binder, such as tissue products disclosed in US Patent No. 7,462,258. Suitable binders include, without limitation, latex binder materials such as acrylates, vinyl acetates, vinyl chlorides and methacrylates, and the like. The binders may be created or blended with any suitable cross-linker, such as N-Methylolacrylamide (NMA), or may be free of cross-linkers. Particular examples of latex binder materials that can be used in the present invention include AIRFLEX® EN1165 available from Air Products Inc. Other suitable binders include, without limitation, carboxylated ethylene vinyl acetate terpolymer; acrylics; polyvinyl chloride; styrene-butadiene; polyurethanes; silicone materials, such as curable silicone resins, organoreactive polysiloxanes and other derivatives of polydimethylsiloxane; fluoropolymers, such as tetrafluoroethylene; hydrophobic coacervates or complexes of anionic and cationic polymers, such as complexes of polyvinylamines and polycarboxylic acids; polyolefins and emulsions or compounds thereof; and many other film-forming compounds known in the art, as well as modified versions of the foregoing materials. The binder materials can be substantially latex-free or substantially natural latex-free in some embodiments.

In those embodiments where the absorbent sheets 14 comprise a binder it may be preferable that the binder is discontinuous in the sense that it is not a solid film in order to allow liquid or moisture to penetrate into the sheet 14. It can be present in the form of a regularly or irregularly spaced-apart pattern of uniform or non-uniform deposits, such as provided by printing or a thinly-applied spray, for example. In one particular embodiment, the deposits can have a diameter of about 0.02 inch (0.51 mm) and can be present in the pattern so that deposits extend in both the machine direction and the crossmachine direction.

For each of the two outer surfaces of the absorbent sheet 14, the percent surface area coverage of the binder, as projected in a plan view of the surface, can be from about 10 to about 70 percent, more specifically from about 10 to about 60 percent, more specifically from about 15 to about 60 percent, more specifically from about 20 to about 60 percent, and still more specifically from about 25 to about 50 percent. The surface area coverage of each outer surface can be the same or different. As used herein, “surface area coverage" refers to the percent of the total area covered by the binder when measuring at least 6 square inches (38.7 square centimeters) of the sheet surface.

Regardless of the percent surface area coverage of the binder, the binder is not preferentially disposed on any single surface region of the sheet 14. Rather, the binder is generally disposed throughout the surface area of the sheet 14. For example, the binder may be disposed on the sheet surface in a continuous or semi-continuous pattern such that the percent surface area coverage of the binder, as projected in a plan view of the surface, can be from about 10 to about 70 percent, in both the sheet surface area that is compressed and uncompressed.

The total add-on amount of the binder, based on the weight of the product, can be about 2 weight percent or more, more specifically from about 2 to about 20 dry weight percent, more specifically from about 4 to about 9 dry weight percent, still more specifically from about 5 to about 8 dry weight percent. The add-on amount can be affected by the desired surface area coverage and the penetration depth of the deposits. The add-on amount applied to each outer surface of the product can be the same or different. Regardless of the particular construction of the absorbent sheet materials, in certain preferred embodiments the stack 12 is formed without the addition of adhesives. As such, in a preferred embodiment, each sheet in the stack 12 has a front and back surface having a substantially similar composition from its top edge to its bottom edge and from its first side edge to its second side edge. In this manner there is no material selectively disposed on only a portion of the sheet surface such that when two facing surfaces of sheets are stacked and arranged they are attached to one another.

The stack 12 of absorbent sheets 14 can be configured such that at least a plurality of the absorbent sheets 14 each include an area of weakness 24 that facilitate separation of one absorbent sheet 14 from the stack 12. The area of weakness 24 can be a scored linear segment (or non-linear segment) extending between side edges 20, 22 of the stack 12 or a perforation segment. The perforation segment can be linear as depicted in FIG. 1 , but could alternatively be non-linear. As depicted in FIG. 1 , in some preferred embodiments, the area of weakness 24 can be a line of perforation on each absorbent sheet 14 in the stack 12. In some embodiments, the area of weakness 24 can be a perforation line created by a 15 perf blade. As is conventional in the art, a 15 perf blade refers to a blade that leaves 15% of the area of weakness 24 of the sheet 14 still intact after applying the perf blade to the sheet 14 to form the area of weakness 24. In other embodiments, the area of weakness 24 can be a perforation line created by a 20 perf blade. In some embodiments, the perf blade can have 0.025" teeth, while in other embodiments, the perf blade can have 0.035" teeth. In some embodiments, the perf blade can be a rotary perf blade, but it is contemplated that other suitable configurations of perf blades can be employed.

The stack 12 of absorbent sheets 14 can be configured such that a plurality of the absorbent sheets 14 include an area of weakness 24 configured to facilitate separation of an absorbent sheet 14 from the stack 12 of absorbent sheets 14 at an average separation force ( F _separation ). In preferred embodiments where the stack 12 of absorbent sheets 14 is paper towel, the F _separation can be less than about 2400 gf as measured by the Detach Tensile Strength Test Method as described herein. More preferably, the F _separation can be less than about 2000 gf. In some preferred embodiments, the F _separation can be between about 1000 gf to about 2000 gf. Of course, the F _separation can be adjusted outside of these ranges depending on the substrate forming the absorbent sheets 14 in the stack 12, the intended use of the absorbent sheets 14, and/or the desired orientation of the mounting system 10 and the stack 12 of absorbent sheets 14.

In some embodiments, the stack 12 of absorbent sheets 14 can include a backing sheet 26. The backing sheet 26 can include a back portion 28 that is coupled to the back surface 30 of the stack 12 of absorbent sheets 14. In some embodiments, the backing sheet 26 can include a top portion 32 that is bent over the top edge 16 of the stack 12 of absorbent sheets 14 and can include a facing 34 that is coupled to the front surface 36 of the stack 14 of absorbent sheets 14 to bind the stack 12. It is generally preferred that at least one edge of the stack 12 is unbound and more preferably at least two edges and still more preferably at least three edges are unbound. In this manner the user may readily grasp an unbound edge and dispense the top-most sheet 15 from the stack 12. For example, with reference to FIG. 1, the backing sheet 26 binds the top edge 16 of the stack 12, but the bottom edge 18 and the opposed side edges 20, 22 are unbound. In those embodiments where a backing sheet 26 is folded over to partially envelop the sheets 14, an adhesive may be provided between the folded over backing sheet 26 and the absorbent sheets 14. Alternately, a backing sheet 26 may be provided, but not folded over the sheets 14 so as to provide rigidity to the stack 12. In such embodiments the backing sheet 26 may be adhesively attached to the bottom-most sheet 17 in the stack 12.

In preferred embodiments, the backing sheet 26 can be configured to extend the full width (W) of the stack 12, however, in other embodiments the backing sheet 26 can be configured such that the backing sheet 26 can extend less than the full width (W) of the stack 12. As illustrated in FIGS. 1-3, the back portion 28 of the backing sheet 26 can be configured such that it does not extend the full length (L) of the stack 12. But in some embodiments, it is contemplated that the back portion 28 of the backing sheet 26 can be configured to extend the full length (L) of the stack 12 such that the bottom-most sheet 17 in the stack 12 is completely covered by the back portion 28 of the backing sheet 26.

The backing sheet 26 may be formed from a material having a stiffness greater than that of the absorbent sheets 14, such as cardboard or the like. The stiffness of a material may be measured using a Taber stiffness test described in ASTM standard D5650-97. As used herein Taber Stiffness and Taber Stiffness Units are generally reported as the MD measurement of a sample and are reported without reference to units. For example, the Taber Stiffness of the backing sheet 26 may be about 2 times greater, such as from about 2 to about 20 times greater, than the T aber Stiffness of the absorbent sheet material. In particularly preferred embodiments the backing sheet 26 and the absorbent sheet material not only differ in Taber Stiffness, but are formed from different materials. For example, in one embodiment the backing sheet 26 is formed from paperboard and has a machine-direction (MD) stiffness (measured as Taber Stiffness Units) greater than about 200 cm*gf and more preferably greater than about 250 cm*gf and the absorbent sheet 14 is a cellulosic towel having a machine-direction (MD) stiffness (measured as Taber Stiffness Units) less than about 5.0 and more preferably less than about

3.0.

As shown in FIGS. 1-3, the mounting system 10 can include a first fastening component 38 and a second fastening component 40. The first fastening component 38 can be configured to be coupled to a back surface 30 of the stack 12 of absorbent sheets 14. Preferably, the first fastening component 38 is configured to be coupled to the backing sheet 26 if one is present on the stack 12 of absorbent sheets 14. More particularly, the first fastening component 38 can be configured to be coupled to the back portion 28 of the backing sheet 26, as depicted in FIG. 2. The second fastening component 40 can be configured to be coupled to the first fastening component 38 and to a surface 42 to which it is desired to mount the stack 12 of absorbent sheets 14. The surface 42 can be a vertical surface (such as depicted in FIGS. 2, 2A, and 3), a horizontal surface, an angled surface, or an irregular shaped surface. In preferred embodiments, the surface 42 may be a vertical surface that a user may desire to mount the stack 12 of absorbent sheets 14 to, such as a wall or the side of a cupboard.

In some embodiments, the first fastening component 38 and the second fastening component 40 can be configured to have different coupling mechanisms for coupling to adjacent components. For example, the first fastening component 38 can be configured to include an adhesive on a first side 38a to couple the first fastening component 38 to the back surface 30 of the stack 12 of absorbent sheets 14, or more particularly, to the back portion 28 of the backing sheet 26. The first fastening component 38 can also include one of a hook fastener or a loop fastener on a second side 38b of the first fastening component 38. The second fastening component 40 can include the other of a hook fastener or a loop fastener on a first side 40a of the second fastening component 40. In referring to a “hook fastener" herein, it is to be appreciated that such term refers broadly to any suitable mechanical fastener adapted to engage loop components including, e.g., hooks, bulbs, mushrooms, arrowheads, balls on stems, stems, structures having stems that engage foam such as open cell foam or the like, etc. The second fastening component 40 can also include an adhesive on a second side 40b of the second fastening component 40 to couple the second fastening component 40 to the surface 42 to which it is desired to mount the stack 12 of absorbent sheets 14.

In one preferred embodiment, the second side 38b of the first fastening component 38 can include a loop fastener and the first side 40a of the second fastening component 40 can include a hook fastener. Having the hook fastener be disposed on the first side 40a of the second fastening component 40 provides a durability advantage in the mounting system 10 because a hook structure may be more durable in comparison to some loop structures, and thus, the second fastening component 40 can remain on the surface 42 to which the user desires to mount the stack 12 and remain effective for engaging with the first fastening component 38 over several replacement stacks 12 being mounted in the same location by a user. New replacement stacks 12 of absorbent sheets 14 provide an opportunity to include a new first fastening component 38 including a loop fastener if desired, whereas the second fastening component 40 including a hook fastener can be reused for several replacement stacks 12. In one preferred embodiment of a mounting system 10 that was tested, the loop fastener forming part of the first fastening component 38 can be a 3/4" Black B-10 PSA WDS4 Pet Liner loop fastener, as manufactured by Nam Liong Enterprise Co., Ltd. The second fastening component 40 can be configured as a foam Command™ Strip (such as the 3M Command™ Small Picture Hanging Strip), as manufactured by Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing, that includes adhesive on a second side 40b of the second fastening component 40 and a hook fastener on the first side 40a of the second fastening component 40.

As best illustrated in FIG. 2A and FIG. 3, the mounting system 10 includes a balanced network of forces between components such that the mounting system 10 can mount the stack 12 of absorbent sheets 14 to a desired surface 42 with sufficient stability to allow for reliable dispensing of absorbent sheets 14 from the stack 12, but also prevent damage to the surface 42 to which the stack 12 is mounted . The mounting system 10 prevents damage to the surface 42 by being configured to include a breakaway feature, which is described with more detail with respect to FIGS. 2A and 3.

FIG.2A depicts an exploded, detailed view taken along line 2A-2A from FIG. 2 and is helpful for describing the balanced network of forces within the components of the mounting system 10 that provide the break-away feature of the mounting system 10. It is to be noted that although various force vectors are shown in particular directions in FIGS. 2A and 3, the general force ratios described are not limited to forces applied only in such directions as depicted. The mounting system 10 can be configured such that the first fastening component 38 is configured to be coupled to a back surface 30 of the stack 12 of absorbent sheets 14, such as by being coupled to the back portion 28 of the backing sheet 26. The first fastening component 38 can be configured such that a force required to separate the first fastening component 38 from the stack 12 of absorbent sheets 14 is defined as Fi. The first fastening component 38 can be coupled to the stack 12 of absorbent sheets 14 through engagement of the first side 38a of the first fastening component 38 and the back surface 30 of the stack 12 of absorbent sheets 14, which can be at least partially formed by the back portion 28 of the backing sheet 26. The second fastening component can be configured such that a force required to separate the second fastening component 40 from the first fastening component 38 is defined as F ₂ . The second fastening component 40 can be coupled to the first fastening component 38 through engagement between the first side 40a of the second fastening component 40 and the second side of the first fastening component 38b. The second fastening component 40 can be further configured such that a force required to separate the second fastening component 40 from the surface 42 to which the stack 12 is mounted is defined as F ₃ . Also depicted in FIG. 2A, the stack 12 of absorbent sheets 14 can be configured to facilitate separation of an absorbent sheet 14 from the stack 12 of absorbent sheets 14 at an average separation force depicted as F _separation . To provide the break-away feature, the mounting system 10 can be configured such that the force F2 to separate the second fastening component 40 from the first fastening component 38 is less than a force F3 to separate the second fastening component 40 from the surface 42 such that the first fastening component 38 is configured to disengage from the second fastening component 40 upon an application of a force F _pull to the stack 12 of absorbent sheets 14 that is greater than or equal to F2 but is less than F3. This break-away feature of the mounting system 10 is depicted in FIG. 3, which illustrates how the second fastening component 40 disengages from the first fastening component 38. In other words, the mounting system 10 is configured such that if a user pulls on several absorbent sheets 14 of the stack 12, or pulls on the entire stack 12 itself (or some other significant force is applied to the stack) with such force (labeled as F _pull ) that is greater than the force F2 required to separate the second fastening component 40 from the first fastening component 38, but less than the force F3 required to separate the second fastening component 40 from the surface 42, then the second fastening component 40 and the first fastening component 38 disengage from one another. Although the second fastening component 40 and the first fastening component 38 disengage from one another, the first fastening component 38 can still remain coupled to the stack 12 of absorbent sheets 14 and the second fastening component 40 can still remain coupled to the surface 42 as depicted in FIG. 3. By having this breakaway feature within the mounting system 10 where F2 < F3, the surface 42 is protected by not having the bond between the second fastening component 40 and the surface 42 being broken.

The break-away feature of having F2 < F3 in the mounting system 10 can also have the benefit of providing access to the second fastening component 40 to change the location of where the stack 12 of absorbent sheets 14 is desired to be mounted to the surface 42. For example, once the first fastening component 38 is disengaged from the second fastening component 40, a user can disengage the second fastening component 40 from the surface 42 and modify the position of the second fastening component 40 with respect to the surface 42 to change the mounting location of the stack 12 of absorbent sheets 14. Furthermore, when a stack 12 of absorbent sheets 14 is completely used such that no absorbent sheets 14 remain in the stack 12, the break-away feature can also allow a user to easily replenish a new stack 12 of absorbent sheets 14 to the mounting location on the surface 42 by providing a new stack 12 of absorbent sheets 14 with a first fastening component 38 and coupling the first fastening component 38 to the second fastening component 40 that has not moved locations from the surface 42.

In preferred embodiments, the mounting system 10 can be further configured such that F _separation < F2 < F3 < F1. Looking at the balancing of forces specified by this equation, the mounting system 10 is preferably configured such that the force F _separation required to separate an absorbent sheet 14 from the stack 12 is less than the force F2 required to separate the second fastening component 40 from the first fastening component 38. By having F _separation < F2, a user can reliably dispense a single absorbent sheet 14 from the stack 12 of absorbent sheets 14 without having the mounting system 10 disengage from its own components or from the surface 42.

It is also preferable to have the force F2 required to separate the second fastening component 40 from the first fastening component 38 be less than the force Fi required to separate the first fastening component 38 from the stack 12 of absorbent sheets 14. By configuring the mounting system 10 such that F2 < F1, the first fastening component 38 can remain coupled to the stack 12 of absorbent sheets 14 if the break-away feature is engaged (where a user pulls on the absorbent sheets 14 or stack 12 with F _pull > F2). This force ratio of F2 < F1 prevents the back surface 30 of the stack 12 of absorbent sheets 14 (such as the back portion 28 of the backing sheet 26) from being potentially damaged when the break-away feature is engaged and prevents the user from having to re-attach or re-couple the first fastening component 38 to the stack 12 of absorbent sheets 14.

From the discussion above, it can be seen that the particular balancing offerees designed within the mounting system 10 can provide several advantages including allowing reliable dispensing of a single absorbent sheet 14 from the stack 12 of absorbent sheets 14, protecting the surface 42 to which the stack 12 is mounted, allowing access for repositioning of where the stack 12 of absorbent sheets 14 is mounted to a surface, and providing simple replacement of a new stack 12 of absorbent sheets 14 to a desired mounting location on a surface 42.

It is contemplated that other mounting systems 10 can be configured differently than the embodiment depicted in FIGS. 1-3, but still be within the scope of this disclosure. For example, FIG. 4 depicts one alternative mounting system 110 that includes more than one first fastening component 38. The mounting system 110 of FIG. 4 is also configured to include more than one second fastening component 40. It is also contemplated that a mounting system 10 could be configured such that it includes two first fastening components 38 with a single second fastening component 40, or such that it includes a single first fastening component 38 with two second fastening components 40. Whether the mounting system 10 includes a single first fastening component 38 and a single second fastening component 40 (as depicted in FIGS. 1-3) or more than one first fastening component 38 and/or more than one second fastening component 40, it is desirable to have the first fastening component(s) 38 be configured such that first fastening component(s) 38 is coupled to the stack 12 of absorbent sheets 14 at or substantially adjacent to the top edge 16 of the stack 12 and at or substantially near the side edges 20, 22 of the stack 12 of absorbent sheets 14. Such a configuration provides more stability when the user is dispensing absorbent sheets 14 from the stack 12. It can be appreciated that the size and orientation the first fastening component 38 and the second fastening component 40 of the mounting systems 10, 110 as described herein can be modified without departing from the spirit of this disclosure. However, it is to be noted that it can be preferable to have the first fastening component(s) 38 and the second fastening component(s) 40 be configured such that the greatest dimensional length of the first fastening component(s) 38 and the greatest dimensional length of the second fastening component(s) 40 are aligned horizontally as depicted in FIGS. 1 and 4. In other words, the mounting system 10 can be configured such that the longest dimensional characteristic of the first fastening component(s) 38 and the longest dimensional characteristic of the second fastening component(s) 40 both align with a direction substantially parallel to the width (W) of stack 12 of absorbent sheets 14. Such an orientation of the first fastening component(s) 38 and the second fastening component(s) 40 can resist more of the varied orientation of F _pull , or the varied direction in which a user may pull on one or more absorbent sheets 14 from the stack 12 of absorbent sheets 14.

To manufacture a bound stack 12 of absorbent sheets 14 according to the present invention, a plurality of sheets 14 are cut to size and stacked in facing arrangement. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the sheets 14 are stacked in alignment with one another, that is that the machine directions of the sheets 14 are aligned with one another. In some embodiments, the sheets 14 can be bound together using adhesive and a backing sheet 26. In other embodiments, the sheets 14 can be bonded to one to one another using thermal fusion bonding. The bonding may be done in a continuous fashion throughout one dimension of the stack 12 of sheets 14 or may be discrete so as to create discrete bonded areas. In some embodiments, the stack 12 of sheets 14 can include a binding element having areas of various thicknesses and/or stitching to adjoin the sheets 14 in the stack 12.

Test Methods

Detach Tensile Strength Test Method

The Detach Tensile Strength Test Method can be used to measure the force required to separate an absorbent sheet 14 from a stack 12 of absorbent sheets 14 as an average separation force (Fseparatbn). This test method was developed using the MTS TestWorks® Tensile Tester 56 that is compatible for Windows® Software. This test method will be described with respect to FIGS. 5-7.

In the Detach Tensile Strength Test Method, the test method describes the following definitions:

A. Tensile Strength (Peak Load) - a force measured as Tensile Strength, or the maximum force produced by a specimen when it is pulled to rupture during the test. Peak load will, in general, be affected by the strain rate at which a material is pulled. When conducting this test method. B. Slack - the length of excess material of an absorbent sheet 14 lying between the upper and lower grips at the start of the test. The material’s looseness must be pulled out before a tension can be put on the specimen. Test elongation may be measured from the start of the crosshead movement or when the specimen starts producing force. The latter elongation measure is called slack corrected elongation.

Note: It is almost impossible to load an easily extensible specimen into the specimen grips/jaw without either preload or slack. Since preload can damage a specimen, causing an inaccurate measurement, it is typically better to have some slack in the specimen during loading. Slack can then be accounted for in the strain measurements by the MTS TestWorks® program, preventing any errors. However, excessive slack should still be avoided to ensure no excessive deviation in the specimen strain rate.

C. Sheet - a total finished product absorbent sheet unit 14, regardless of the number of plies.

D. Break Sensitivity - The percentage load drop from the maximum peak load at which the break point is defined. The break detection is continuously monitored during a test and the current load is compared to the highest load currently recorded for the test. If the break sensitivity is set too low, a test may prematurely terminate due to temporary load drops. If the break sensitivity is set too high, energy-to-break numbers may be artificially high.

E. Corrected Gage Length - The specified nominal test specification gage length, plus the measured amount of specimen slack. When slack is a significant proportion of the nominal test specimen gage length, strain calculations may have significant error unless the corrected gage length is used as the base.

F. Preload - The force put on the specimen when inserted into the grips. Whenever possible, the preload should be kept to under 15 grams-force. DO NOT exceed 25 grams-force of preload. If this force is exceeded, discard the specimen and test a new sample.

Note: On the MTS TestWorks® program, when the preload exceeds 25 grams-force, only the peak load results will be printed.

G. Detach -Testing Apparatus (DTA) - The attachment apparatus 50 being used for testing in the Detach Tensile Strength Test Method, and as depicted in FIG. 5 and 7. The DTA is inserted into the top insert 52 in the upper MTS Tensile Frame 54 of the tensile machine 56 and holds the stack 12 of absorbent sheets 14 in place. H . F _separation - The measure of the strength of the area of weakness 24 on an absorbent sheet

14.

Preparation of Apparatus and Materials

• Verify the appropriate load cell is in the tensile tester.

• For load cell conditioning (warm up), refer to the manufacturer's specifications.

• Install 10-inch tensile frame 58 on the bottom portion 60 of the tensile machine 56.

• Ensure the grips and grip faces are free from build-up and that the grips do not exhibit dents or other damages. Use an alcohol pad to clean inside of grips if there is residue.

• Ensure the air pressure to operate the grips is not set beyond the manufacture’s maximum loading specifications. Note: Air pressure should not exceed 414 ± 20.7 kPa (60 ± 3 psi).

• Open MTS TestWorks® software.

• Open a new test titled “Versace Perf Strength" and enter sample name when prompted.

• Verify the tensile tester parameters meet the following specifications as shown in Table

1.

Test Specimen Preparation

The material should be prepared for testing only after AMBIENT conditions have been met in the testing location, preferably a laboratory. A minimum of 4 hours is recommended to have the testing location achieve ambient conditions. For the procedure at hand, TAPPI conditions should be used. During specimen preparations and throughout testing, handling of the specimens should be minimized to reduce biasing the results.

• Place the stack 12 of absorbent sheets 14 on a flat table top surface, with the sheet side against the table.

• As depicted in FIG. 6, couple the first fastening component(s) 38 to the back 30 of the stack 12 of absorbent sheets 14, such as on the back portion 28 of the backing sheet 26. In embodiments including two first fastening components 38, the first fastening components 38 should be placed near the top portion 32 of the backing sheet 26 and near the edges 20, 22 of the stack 12.

• Place the Detach-Testing Apparatus 50 on a flat table top surface, with the back of the frame on the table.

• As illustrated in FIG. 5, couple the second fastening component(s) 40 on the inside surface 62 of the Detach-Testing Apparatus 50, 3 mm from each edge 64, 66. o Note: the first fastening component(s) 38 and the second fastening component(s) 40 should be replaced after 25 uses to ensure strength is upheld, where one “use" is defined as attaching and detaching one stack 12 of absorbent sheets 14.

• Ensure no debris is present on the Detach-Testing Apparatus 50. If dust or marks exist, wipe clean with an alcohol pad and allow to fully dry before proceeding.

• Leaving the Detach-Testing Apparatus 50 on the table, align the stack 12 of absorbent sheets 14 with the Detach Testing Apparatus 50 such that the first fastening component(s) 38 on the stack 12 of absorbent sheets 14 align with the second fastening component(s) 40 on the inside surface 62 of the Detach-Testing Apparatus 50. Apply firm pressure for 30 seconds such that the first fastening component(s) 38 and second fastening component(s) 40 couple to one another.

• Ensure that the stack 12 is coupled to the Detach-Testing Apparatus 50 through the fastening components 38, 40 by lightly pulling the entire stack 12 of absorbent sheets 14 in a downwards motion, parallel with the Detach-Testing Apparatus 50. o Note: If the stack 12 is not fully secured or if it comes detached from the Detach- Testing Apparatus 50 after this step, realign the first fastening component(s) 38 on the stack 12 with the second fastening component(s) 40 on the Detach- Testing Apparatus 50 and reapply pressure for 30 seconds.

• Grasp the first five sheets in the stack 12 by the bottom corner with one hand and remove all at once on the area of weakness 24 (e.g., perforation line).

Procedure

• As depicted in FIG. 7, insert the Detach-Testing Apparatus 50 into the top insert 52 of the upper MTS tensile frame 54. Use metal rod 64 to keep Detach-Testing Apparatus 50 secured in the top insert 52.

• Use foot pedal to release air pressure and open the bottom tensile frame 58 near the bottom portion 60 of the tensile machine 56.

• Being aware of pinch points, insert the bottom of the top-most sheet 15 of the stack 12 of absorbent sheets 14 into the bottom tensile frame 58 and release foot on pedal to return air pressure. o Note: As shown in FIG. 7, ideally there should be 2 mm from the bottom edge 18 of the top-most sheet 15 to the bottom edge 59 of the bottom tensile frame 58. If not, readjust the gage length to meet this criteria.

• Zero the load on the MTS TestWorks® software.

• Start the crosshead.

• When the test is finished and the crosshead has returned, remove the top-most absorbent sheet 15 from the bottom tensile frame 58.

• Record the peak load.

• Insert the next absorbent sheet 14 (which now is the top-most sheet 15) to repeat the test, following the steps above.

• In the case that the sheet 14 does not fully tear through area of weakness 24 (e.g., perforation line), or the first fastening component(s) 38 become unattached from the second fastening component(s) 40 on the Detach-Testing Apparatus 50, or the stack 12 of absorbent sheets 14 falls off the Detach-Testing Apparatus 50 during the test, then remove Detach-Testing Apparatus 50 from the top insert 52 of the upper frame 54 of the MTS TestWorks® Tensile device 56 and continue the test. o Note: In the event of a faulty run, remove the next 5 sheets before testing again.

• Complete this Procedure until desired number of samples is reached, with a minimum of at least 5 peak loads for the absorbent sheets 14 being measured. o Note: All specimens in the procedure should be taken from the same stack 12 of absorbent sheets 14.

• Average the peak loads and record result as F _separation .

Results

• Report the averaged peak load, which provides the F _separation , to the nearest 0.01 gf.

EMBODIMENTS

While the inventive mounting system for a stack of absorbent sheets and stacks of absorbent sheets have been described in detail with respect to the specific embodiments thereof, it will be appreciated that those skilled in the art, upon attaining an understanding of the foregoing, may readily conceive of alterations to, variations of, and equivalents to these embodiments. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention should be assessed as that of the appended claims and any equivalents thereto and the foregoing embodiments:

Embodiment 1 : A stack of absorbent sheets configured to be mounted to a surface, the stack including a top edge, a bottom edge, and a pair of opposed side edges, the stack comprising: a plurality of the absorbent sheets each including an area of weakness to facilitate separation of an absorbent sheet from the stack of absorbent sheets at an average separation force (F _separation ); and a mounting system comprising: a first fastening component configured to be coupled to a back surface of the stack of absorbent sheets, wherein a force to separate the first fastening component from the stack of absorbent sheets is F1; and a second fastening component configured to be coupled to the first fastening component and to the surface, wherein a force to separate the second fastening component from the first fastening component is F2, and wherein a force to separate the second fastening component from the surface is F ₃ ; and wherein F _separation < F2 < F3 < F1.

Embodiment 2: The stack of absorbent sheets of embodiment 1 , wherein the absorbent sheets are paper towels.

Embodiment 3: The stack of absorbent sheets of embodiment 2, further comprising: a backing sheet, the backing sheet including a back portion coupled to a bottom-most absorbent sheet in the stack of absorbent sheets.

Embodiment 4: The stack of absorbent sheets of embodiment 3, wherein the first fastening component is coupled to the back portion of the backing sheet.

Embodiments: The stack of absorbent sheets of embodiment 3 or 4, wherein the backing sheet further comprises a top portion and a facing. Embodiment 6: The stack of absorbent sheets of any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein F _separation is less than about 2400 gf.

Embodiment 7: The stack of absorbent sheets of any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein F _separation is between about 1000 - 2000 gf.

Embodiment 8: The stack of absorbent sheets of any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the area of weakness to facilitate separation of an absorbent sheet from the stack of absorbent sheets is a perforation segment.

Embodiment 9: The stack of absorbent sheets of any one of embodiments 3-5, wherein the first fastening component is coupled to the backing sheet with adhesive and includes one of a hook fastener or a loop fastener to couple to the second fastening component.

Embodiment 10: The stack of absorbent sheets of embodiment 9, wherein the second fastening component is coupled to the surface with adhesive and includes the other of a hook fastener or a loop fastener to couple to the first fastening component.

Embodiment 11 : A stack of absorbent sheets configured to be mounted to a surface, the stack comprising: a plurality of absorbent sheets each including an area of weakness to facilitate separation of an absorbent sheet from the stack of absorbent sheets at an average separation force (F _separation ), the plurality of absorbent sheets providing a top edge of the stack, a bottom edge of the stack, and a pair of opposed edges of the stack; and a mounting system comprising: a first fastening component configured to be coupled to a back surface of the stack of absorbent sheets; and a second fastening component configured to be coupled to the first fastening component and to the surface; wherein a force to separate the second fastening component from the first fastening component (F2) is less than a force to separate the second fastening component from the surface (F3) such that the first fastening component is configured to disengage from the second fastening component upon an application of a force to the stack of absorbent sheets (F _pull ) that is greater than or equal to F2 but is less than F3.

Embodiment 12: The stack of absorbent sheets of embodiment 11 , wherein a force to separate the first fastening component from the stack of absorbent sheets is Fi, and wherein F _separation < F2 < F3 < F1.

Embodiment 13: The stack of absorbent sheets of embodiment 11 or 12, wherein the absorbent sheets are paper towels.

Embodiment 14: The stack of absorbent sheets of any one of embodiments 11-13, wherein the stack of absorbent sheets further comprises a backing sheet, the backing sheet including a back portion coupled to a bottom-most absorbent sheet in the stack of absorbent sheets. Embodiment 15: The stack of absorbent sheets of embodiment 14, wherein the first fastening component is coupled to the back portion of the backing sheet.

Embodiment 16: The stack of absorbent sheets of any one of embodiments 11-15, wherein Fseparatbn is between about 1000 - 2400 gf.

Embodiment 17: The stack of absorbent sheets of embodiment 14 or 15, wherein the first fastening component is coupled to the backing sheet with adhesive and includes one of a hook fastener or a loop fastener to couple to the second fastening component.

Embodiment 18: The stack of absorbent sheets of embodiment 17, wherein the second fastening component is coupled to the surface with adhesive and includes the other of a hook fastener or a loop fastener to couple to the first fastening component.

Embodiment 19: A stack of absorbent sheets including a top edge, a bottom edge, and a pair of opposed side edges, the stack comprising: a plurality of absorbent sheets each including a perforation line to facilitate separation of an absorbent sheet from the stack of absorbent sheets at an average separation force (F _separation ); a backing sheet, the backing sheet including a back portion coupled to a bottom-most absorbent sheet in the stack of absorbent sheets; and a mounting system configured to mount the plurality of absorbent sheets to a surface, the mounting system comprising: a first fastening component coupled to the backing sheet with adhesive and includes a loop fastener, wherein a force to separate the first fastening component from the backing sheet is Fi; and a second fastening component configured to be coupled to the surface with adhesive and includes a hook fastener to couple to the loop fastener of the first fastening component, wherein a force to separate the second fastening component from the first fastening component is F2, and wherein a force to separate the second fastening component from the surface is F3; and wherein F _separation < F2 < F3 < F1.

Embodiment 20: The stack of absorbent sheets of embodiment 19, wherein the absorbent sheets are paper towels.