Moist tissue package construction and tissue

Claim 1

In combination, a moist tissue sheet and an associated dispenser for the moist tissue sheet comprising: (a) a continuous elongated sheet of tissue having a longitudinal direction, a free outer end, generally parallel spaced sides, said sheet folded in a zig-zag, overlaid pattern to define a stack, said sheet having connected sections defined by spaced, tear perforations extending from side to side, each of said tear perforations having a pattern defined by a series of spaced slits through the tissue: and (b) a tissue dispensing container sufficiently sealed to prevent escape of moisture and having a separable top with a slit therethrough, said top having an outer shape generally congruent with the stack of folded tissue, said slit positioned generally midway between the sides of the sheet in the container, said slit positioned in a counterbore recess defined in the top of the container, said slit extending in the range of about ten (10) to seventy-five (75) percent of the width of the side to side dimension of the stack of folded tissue, said slit having slit sides defining a through passage for the free end of tissue, said sides spaced apart greater than the thickness of the tissue whereby the moist tissue sheet may be, pulled through the slit while being frictionally restrained by the slit, sufficiently to permit tearing of the sheet along a line of spaced perforations as the sheet is prevented from freely sliding in the slit in either direction, said tissue being manually moveable through the slit, wherein the slit includes a lip member along at least a portion of at least one edge whereby the tissue frictionally engages the lip to assist in control of the force required for pulling the tissue through the slit and also prevents unassisted movement of the tissue through the slit and wherein at least one lip member is crenelated to effect frictional engagement with a tissue.