EP1442173B1 - Fabric comprising nonwoven elements for use in the manufacture of tissue products having visually discernable background texture regions bordered by curvilinear decorative elements and method of manufacturing a tissue product - Google Patents

Fabric comprising nonwoven elements for use in the manufacture of tissue products having visually discernable background texture regions bordered by curvilinear decorative elements and method of manufacturing a tissue product Download PDF

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Publication number
EP1442173B1
EP1442173B1 EP02802790A EP02802790A EP1442173B1 EP 1442173 B1 EP1442173 B1 EP 1442173B1 EP 02802790 A EP02802790 A EP 02802790A EP 02802790 A EP02802790 A EP 02802790A EP 1442173 B1 EP1442173 B1 EP 1442173B1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
fabric
raised elements
nonwoven
group
sculpted fabric
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Fee Related
Application number
EP02802790A
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German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
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EP1442173A1 (en
Inventor
Mark Alan Burazin
Jeffrey D. Lindsay
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Kimberly Clark Worldwide Inc
Kimberly Clark Corp
Original Assignee
Kimberly Clark Worldwide Inc
Kimberly Clark Corp
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Publication date
Priority claimed from US10/015,859 external-priority patent/US6787000B2/en
Priority claimed from US10/015,849 external-priority patent/US6821385B2/en
Application filed by Kimberly Clark Worldwide Inc, Kimberly Clark Corp filed Critical Kimberly Clark Worldwide Inc
Priority to EP08001568.8A priority Critical patent/EP1916333B1/en
Publication of EP1442173A1 publication Critical patent/EP1442173A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP1442173B1 publication Critical patent/EP1442173B1/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Fee Related legal-status Critical Current

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    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D21—PAPER-MAKING; PRODUCTION OF CELLULOSE
    • D21F—PAPER-MAKING MACHINES; METHODS OF PRODUCING PAPER THEREON
    • D21F1/00—Wet end of machines for making continuous webs of paper
    • D21F1/0027—Screen-cloths
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D21—PAPER-MAKING; PRODUCTION OF CELLULOSE
    • D21F—PAPER-MAKING MACHINES; METHODS OF PRODUCING PAPER THEREON
    • D21F1/00—Wet end of machines for making continuous webs of paper
    • D21F1/0027—Screen-cloths
    • D21F1/0036—Multi-layer screen-cloths
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D21—PAPER-MAKING; PRODUCTION OF CELLULOSE
    • D21F—PAPER-MAKING MACHINES; METHODS OF PRODUCING PAPER THEREON
    • D21F11/00—Processes for making continuous lengths of paper, or of cardboard, or of wet web for fibre board production, on paper-making machines
    • D21F11/006—Making patterned paper

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to the field of paper manufacturing. More particularly, the present invention relates to the manufacture of absorbent tissue products such as bath tissue, facial tissue, napkins, towels, wipers, and the like. Specifically, the present Invention relates to improved fabrics used to manufacture absorbent tissue products having visually discernible background texture regions bordered by curvilinear decorative elements, methods of tissue manufacture, methods of fabric manufacture, and the actual tissue products produced.
  • WO 00/39393 , WO 00/39394 and WO 98/01618 disclose prior art papermaking processes.
  • US 6,171,447 B1 discloses a papermaking belt having the features of the preamble of claim 1.
  • absorbent tissue products are frequently embossed in a subsequent operation after their manufacture on the paper machine, while the dried tissue web has a low moisture content, to impart consumer preferred visually appealing textures or decorative lines.
  • absorbent tissue products having both desirable physical properties and pleasing visual appearances often require two manufacturing steps on two separate machines.
  • Such a method can produce a dried tissue web having a non-uniform basis weight in the localized areas or regions arranged in a systematic manner to form the texture. While such a method can produce textures, the sacrifice in the uniformity of the dried tissue web's physical properties such as tear, burst, absorbency, and density can degrade the dried tissue web's performance while in use.
  • the present invention comprises paper manufacturing processes that may satisfy one or more of the foregoing needs.
  • a paper manufacturing fabric of the present invention when used as a throughdrying fabric in an uncreped tissue making process, produces an absorbent tissue product having a substantially uniform density as well as possessing visually discernable background texture regions bordered by curvilinear decorative elements.
  • the present invention is also directed towards fabrics for manufacturing the absorbent tissue product and processes of making the absorbent tissue product.
  • the present invention relates to a sculpted fabric for the manufacture of a tissue web, as set forth in claim 1.
  • the present Invention relates to a method for manufacturing a tissue product, as set forth in claim 37.
  • the background texture regions are designed to impart preferred finished product properties when used as an UCTAD throughdrying fabric, including roll bulk, stack bulk, CD stretch, drape, and durability.
  • the curvilinear decorative elements may provide additional hinge points to enhance finished product drape.
  • the background texture regions In the finished product contrast visually with the curvilinear transition regions, providing the decorative effect.
  • curvilinear decorative element refers to any line or visible pattern that contains either straight sections, curved sections, or both that are substantially connected visually.
  • a decorative pattern of interlocking circles may be formed from many curvilinear decorative elements shaped into circles.
  • a pattern of squares may be formed from many curvilinear decorative elements shaped into individual squares. It is understood that curvilinear decorative elements also may appear as undulating lines, substantially connected visually, forming signatures or patterns.
  • decorative pattern refers to any non-random repeating design, figure, or motif. It is not necessary that the curvilinear decorative elements form recognizable shapes, and a repeating design of the curvilinear decorative elements is considered to constitute a decorative pattern.
  • machine-direction refers to the direction of travel of the fabric, the fabric's individual strands, or the paper web while moving through the paper machine.
  • cross-machine direction refers to a direction orthogonal to the machine-direction extending across the width of the paper machine.
  • the strands may be arranged at acute angles to the MD and CD directions.
  • plane difference refers to the z-direction height difference between an elevated region and the highest immediately adjacent depressed region.
  • Z-direction refers to the axis mutually orthogonal to the machine direction and cross-machine direction.
  • transfer fabric is a fabric that is positioned between the forming section and the drying section of the web manufacturing process.
  • transition region Is defined as the intersection of three or more floats on three or more consecutive MD strands.
  • the transition regions are formed by deliberate interruptions In the textured background regions, which may result from a variety of arrangements of intersections of the floats.
  • the floats may be arranged in an overlapping intersection or in a non-overlapping intersection.
  • a "filled" transition region is defined, as a transition region where the space between the floats in the transition region is partially or completely filled with material, raising the height in the transition area.
  • the filling material may be porous.
  • the filling material may be any of the materials discussed hereinafter for use in the construction of fabrics.
  • the filling material may be substantially deformable, as measured by High Pressure Compressive Compliance (defined hereinafter).
  • warp can be understood as a strand substantially oriented in the machine direction
  • shute can be understood to refer to the strands substantially oriented in the cross-machine direction of the fabric as used on a papermachine.
  • the warps and shutes may be interwoven via any known fabric method of manufacture. In the production of endless fabrics, the normal orientation of warps and shutes, according to common weaving terminology, is reversed, but as used herein, the structure of the fabric and not its method of manufacture determine which strands are classified as warps and which are shutes.
  • Strand refers a substantially continuous filament suitable for weaving sculptured fabrics of the present invention.
  • Strands may include any known in the prior art.
  • Strands may comprise monofilament, cabled monofilament, staple fiber twisted together to form yarns, cabled yarns, or combinations thereof.
  • Strand cross-sections, filament cross sections, or stable fiber cross sections may be circular, elliptical, flattened, rectangular, oval, semi-oval, trapezoidal, parallelogram, polygonal, solid, hollow, sharp edged, rounded edged, bi-lobal, multi-lobal, or can have capillary channels.
  • Strand diameter or strand cross sectional shape may vary along its length.
  • multi-strand refers to two or more strands arranged side by side or twisted together. It is not necessary for each side-by-side strand in a multi-strand group to be woven identically. For example, individual strands of a multi-strand warp may independently enter and exit the topmost layer of shutes in sinker regions or transition regions. As a further example, a single multi-strand group need not remain a single multi-strand group throughout the length of the strands in the fabric, but it is possible for one or more strands in a multi-strand group to depart from the remaining strand(s) over a specific distance and serve, for example, as a float or sinker independently of the remaining strand(s).
  • '"Frazier air permeability refers to the measured value of a well-known test with the Frazier Alr Permeability Tester in which the permeability of a fabric is measured as standard cubic feet of air flow per square foot of material per minute with an air pressure differential of 0.5 inches (12,7 mm) of water under standard conditions.
  • the fabrics of the present invention can have any suitable Frazier air permeability.
  • thoughdrying fabrics can have a permeability from about 55 standard cubic feet per square foot per minute (about 16 standard cubic meters per square meter per minute) or higher, more specifically from about 100 standard cubic feet per square foot per minute (about 30 standard cubic meters per square meter per minute) to about 1,700 standard cubic feet per square foot per minute (about 520 standard cubic meters per square meter per minute), and most specifically from about 200 standard cubic feet per square foot per minute (about 60 standard cubic meters per square meter per minute) to about 1,500 standard cubic feet per square foot per minute (about 460 standard cubic meters per square meter per minute).
  • FIGURE 1 a process of carrying out the present invention will be described in greater detail.
  • the process shown depicts an uncreped through dried process, but it will be recognized that any known papermaking method or tissue making method can be used in conjunction with the fabrics of the present invention.
  • Related uncreped through air dried tissue processes are described in U.S. Patent No. 5,656,132 issued on August 12,1997 to Farrington et al. and in U.S. Patent No. 6,017,417 issued on January 25, 2000 to Wendt et al.
  • fabrics having a sculpture layer and a load bearing layer useful for making uncreped through air dried tissue products are disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 5,429,686 issued on July 4, 1995 to Chiu et al.
  • Patent No. 4,529,480 issued on July 16, 1985 to Trokhan ; U.S. Patent No. 4,514,345, issued on April 30, 1985 to Johnson et al. ; U.S. Patent No. 4,528,239, issued on July 9, 1985 to Trokhan ; U.S. Patent No. 5,098,522, issued on March 24,1992 to Smurkoski et al. : U.S. Patent No. 5,260,171, issued on November 9, 1993 to Smurkoskl et al. ; U.S. Patent No. 5,275,700, issued on January 4, 1994 to Trokhan ; U.S. Patent No. 5,328,565, issued on July 12, 1994 to Rasch et al. ; U.S. Patent No.
  • a twin wire former 8 having a papermaking headbox 10 Injects or deposits a stream 11 of an aqueous suspension of papermaking fibers onto a plurality of forming fabrics, such as the outer forming fabric 12 and the inner forming fabric 13 , thereby forming a wet tissue web 15.
  • the forming process of the present invention may be any conventional forming process known In the papermaking industry. Such formation processes include, but are not limited to, Fourdriniers, roof formers such as suction breast roll formers, and gap formers such as twin wire formers and crescent formers.
  • the wet tissue web 15 forms on the inner forming fabric 13 as the inner forming fabric 13 revolves about a forming roll 14.
  • the inner forming fabric 13 serves to support and carry the newly-formed wet tissue web 15 downstream in the process as the wet tissue web 15 is partially dewatered to a consistency of about 10 percent based on the dry weight of the fibers. Additional dewatering of the wet tissue web 15 may be carried out by known paper making techniques, such as vacuum suction boxes, while the inner forming fabric 13 supports the wet tissue web 15.
  • the wet tissue web 15 may be additionally dewatered to a consistency of at least about 20%, more specifically between about 20% to about 40%, and more specifically about 20% to about 30%.
  • the wet tissue web 15 is then transferred from the inner forming fabric 13 to a transfer fabric 17 traveling preferably at a slower speed than the inner forming fabric 13 in order to impart increased MD stretch into the wet tissue web 15 .
  • the wet tissue web 15 is then transferred from the transfer fabric 17 to a throughdrying fabric 19 whereby the wet tissue web 15 preferentially is macroscopically rearranged to conform to the surface of the throughdrying fabric 19 with the aid of a vacuum transfer roll 20 or a vacuum transfer shoe like the vacuum shoe 18 .
  • the throughdrying fabric 19 can be run at a speed slower than the speed of the transfer fabric 17 to further enhance MD stretch of the resulting absorbent tissue product 27 .
  • the transfer is preferably carried out with vacuum assistance to ensure conformation of the wet tissue web 15 to the topography of the throughdrying fabric 19 . This yields a dried tissue web 23 having the desired bulk, flexibility, CD stretch, and enhances the visual contrast between the background texture regions 38 and 50 and the curvilinear decorative elements which border the background texture regions 38 and 50.
  • the throughdrying fabric 19 imparts the curvilinear decorative elements and background texture regions 38 and 50, such as substantially broken-line like corduroy, to the wet tissue web 15 . It is possible, however, to use a transfer fabric 17 in accordance with the present invention to achieve similar results. Furthermore, it is also possible to eliminate the transfer fabric 17 , and transfer the wet tissue web 15 directly to the throughdrying fabric 19 of the present invention. Both alternative papermaking processes are within the scope of the present invention, and will produce a decorative absorbent tissue product 27 .
  • the wet tissue web 15 is dried to a final consistency of about 94 percent or greater by a throughdryer 21 and is thereafter transferred to a carrier fabric 22.
  • the drying process can be any noncompressive drying method that tends to preserve the bulk of the wet tissue web 15 .
  • the wet tissue web 15 is pressed against a Yankee dryer by a pressure roll while supported by a sculpted fabric 100 comprising visually discernable background texture regions 38 and 50 bordered by curvilinear decorative elements.
  • a sculpted fabric 100 comprising visually discernable background texture regions 38 and 50 bordered by curvilinear decorative elements.
  • the dried tissue web 23 is transported to a reel 24 using a carrier fabric 22 and an optional carrier fabric 25 .
  • An optional pressurized turning roll 26 can be used to facilitate transfer of the dried tissue web 23 from the carrier fabric 22 to the carrier fabric 25.
  • the dried tissue web 23 may additionally be embossed to produce a combination of embossments and the background texture regions and curvilinear decorative elements on the absorbent tissue product 27 produced using the throughdrying fabric 19 and a subsequent embossing stage.
  • the wet tissue web 15 may be transferred directly from the inner forming fabric 13 to the throughdrying fabric 19 and the transfer fabric 17 eliminated.
  • the throughdrying fabric 19 may be traveling at a speed less than the inner forming fabric 13 such that the wet tissue web 15 is rush transferred, or, in the alternative, the throughdrying fabric 19 may be traveling at substantially the same speed as the inner forming fabric 13. If the throughdrying fabric 19 is traveling at a slower speed than the speed of the inner forming fabric 13 , an uncreped absorbent tissue product 27 is produced. Additional foreshortening after the drying stage may be employed to improve the MD stretch of the absorbent tissue product 27 . Methods of foreshortening the absorbent tissue product 27 include, by way of illustration and without limitation, conventional Yankee dryer creping, microcreping, or any other method known In the art.
  • the inner forming fabric 13, the transfer fabric 17, and the throughdrying fabric 19 can all be traveling at substantially the same speed.
  • Foreshortening may be employed to improve MD stretch of the absorbent tissue product 27.
  • Such methods include, by way of illustration without limitation, conventional Yankee dryer creping or microcreping.
  • any known papermaking or tissue manufacturing method may be used to create a three-dimensional web 23 using the fabrics 100 of the present invention as a substrate for imparting texture to the wet tissue web 15 or the dried tissue web 16.
  • the fabrics 100 of the present invention are especially useful as through drying fabrics and can be used with any known tissue making process that employs throughdrying, the fabrics 100 of the present invention can also be used in the formation of paper webs as forming fabrics, transfer fabrics, carrier fabrics, drying fabrics, imprinting fabrics, and the like in any known papermaking or tissue making process.
  • Such methods can include variations comprising any one or more of the following steps in any feasible combination:
  • the fabrics 100 of the present Invention can also be used to impart texture to airlaid webs, either serving as a substrate for forming a web, for embossing or imprinting an airlaid web, or for thermal molding of a web.
  • FIGURE 2 depicts an embodiment of a composite sculpted fabric 100 comprising a base 102 with raised elements 108 attached thereon with raised elements 108 that taper to a low height H 2 relative to the minimum height H 1 of the raised element 108.
  • H 1 can be from about 0.1 mm to about 6 mm, such as from about 0.2 mm to about 5 mm, more specifically from about 0.25 mm to about 3 mm, and most specifically from about 0.5 mm to about 1.5 mm.
  • the ratio of H 2 to H 1 can be from about 0.01 to about 0.99, such as from about 0.1 to about 0.9, more specifically from about 0.2 to about 0.8, more specifically still from about 0.3 to about 0.7, and most specifically from about 0.3 to about 0.5.
  • the ratio of H 2 to H 1 can also be less than about 0.7, about 0.5, about 0.4, or about 0.3.
  • the gap width G the distance between the beginning 124 and ends 122 of nearby raised elements 108 from adjacent first and second background regions 38 and 50 , is negative meaning that the end 122 of one raised element 108 (a first elevated region 40 ) In the first background region 38 extends In machine direction 120 past the beginning 124 of the nearest raised element 108 (a second elevated region 52 ) In the second background region 50 such that raised elements 108 overlap in the transition region 62 .
  • Two gap widths G are shown: G 1 and G 2 at differing locations in the composite sculpted fabric 100.
  • the gap width G has nonpositive values, such as from about 0 to about -10 mm, or from about -0.5 mm to about -4 mm, or from about -0.5 mm to about -2 mm.
  • a given composite sculpted fabric 100 may have portions of the transition region 62 that have both nonnegative and nonpositive (or positive and negative) values of G .
  • the composite sculpted fabric 100 could further comprise a plurality of minor raised elements (not shown) such as ovals or lines having a height less than, for example, about 50% of the minimum height H 1 of the raised elements 108.
  • the base 102 and the raised elements 108 form an upper porous member 105 in the composite sculpted fabric 100 which can comprise additional layers (not shown) beneath the base 102.
  • the sculpted fabric 100 need not be composite, but can be formed from a single material, though composite materials such as nonwoven elements joined to a woven fabric can be useful in providing strength or other properties in some embodiments.
  • the sculpted fabric 100 (like other fabrics of the present invention Intended for use in throughdrying) generally should be permeable enough to permit through drying under a gas pressure differential.
  • the porous upper member 105 or the entire sculpted fabric 100 can have a Frazier air permeability of about 250 standard cubic feet per square foot per minute (about 76 standard cubic meters per square meter per minute) or higher.
  • the sculpted fabric 100 can, in some embodiments, have a lower permeability, such as a Frazier air permeability of about 150 standard cubic feet per square foot per minute (about 46 standard cubic meters per square meter per minute) or less.
  • the raised elements 108 as shown are aligned substantially In the machine direction 120 (orthogonal to the cross-machine direction 118 ) in the portion of the composite sculpted fabric 100 shown, though the raised elements 108 could be oriented in any direction and could be oriented in a plurality of directions. All embodiments shown herein for raised elements 108 oriented primarlly in the machine direction can be adapted equally well to raised elements 108 oriented In the cross-machine direction, for example, or for multiple textured regions having raised elements 108 oriented in a variety of directions.
  • first background region 38 the machine-direction oriented, elongated raised elements 108 serve as first elevated regions 40, with first depressed regions 42 therebetween that reside substantially on the undertying base 102, which can be a woven fabric.
  • second background region 50 the raised elements 108 serve as second elevated regions 52, with second depressed regions 54 therebetween that reside substantially on the underlying base 102.
  • a transition region 62 is formed when a first elevated region 40 from a first background region 38 of the composite sculpted fabric 100 has an end 122 in the vicinity of the beginning 124 of two adjacent second elevated regions 52 in a second background region 50 of the composite sculpted fabric 100 , with the end 122 disposed in the cross-machine direction 118 at a position Intermediate to the respective cross-machine direction locations of the two adjacent second elevated regions 52, wherein the end 122 of raised elements 108 (either a first elevated region 40 or second elevated region 52) refers to the termination of the raised element 108 encountered while moving along the composite sculpted fabric 100 in the machine direction 120, and the beginning 124 of a raised element 108 refers to the initial portion of the raised element 108 encountered while moving along the composite sculpted fabric 100 in the same direction.
  • the direction of orientation for each raised element 108 is the direction one moves along in Identifying ends 122 and beginnings 124 of raised elements 108 in order to identify their relationship in a consistent manner.
  • features of the raised elements 108 can be successfully identified when either of the two possible directions (forward and reverse, for example) along the raised element 108 is defined as the positive direction for travel.
  • the transition region 62 separates the first and second background regions 38 and 50.
  • the shifting of the cross-machine directional locations of the raised elements 108 in the transition region 62 creates a break in the patterns of the first and second background regions 38 and 50 , contributing to the visual distinctiveness of the portion of the wet tissue web 15 molded against the transition region 62 of the composite sculpted fabric 100 relative to the portion of the wet tissue web 15 molded against the surrounding first and second background regions 38 and 50.
  • a base 102 can be a woven or nonwoven fabric, or a composite of woven and nonwoven elements or layers.
  • the base 102 generally serves to hold the raised elements 108 in place, and can provide strength and Integrity to the entire composite sculpted fabric 100 , which can comprise additional layers (not shown) such as load-bearing layers beneath the base 102 .
  • the base 102 can also be made from the same material as the raised elements 108, and may be unitary with the raised elements 108, providing a unitary upper porous member 105, in contrast to the integral composite upper porous member 105 shown in Figure 2 , where raised elements 108 have been attached to a separate base 102 rather than being formed therewith or therefrom.
  • the upper porous member 105 can be entirely nonwoven, as can be the entire sculpted fabric 100.
  • the upper porous member 105 can be formed from a single, unitary porous web such as a fibrous nonwoven layer of a polymeric material formed by any known process, including materials such as an airlaid web, a spunbond fabric, a meltblown fabric, a bonded carded web, an electrospun fabric, or combinations thereof.
  • the porous web can be sculpted according to the principles of the present Invention to impart raised elements 108 above a base 102.
  • Methods of sculpting can include embossing to densify selected regions to form a base 108 serving as a depressed layer unitary with raised elements 108 .
  • a variety of operations can transform an initially substantially uniform porous web into a sculpted upper porous member 105 (or sculpted fabric 100 ) according to the present invention. Such operations can leave the porous web with substantially the same basis weight distribution (i.e., no mass is added or subtracted from the porous web during treatment), as is commonly the case for embossing, stamping, thermal molding, and the like, or the operation can modify the basis weight of the porous web.
  • Operations that modify the basis weight of the porous web include mechanical drilling, laser drilling, adding molten resin that is subsequently cured to from raised elements 108 (the resin can be substantially the same material as the base 102 and if property bonded, can become substantially unitary with the base 102 ), and the like.
  • a porous web can be molded by any means (cast molding, thermal molding, etc.) initially or after initial formation into a unitary sculpted upper porous member 105 .
  • the embodiment of the base 102 depicted In Figure 2 is a woven base fabric, with the shutes 45 extending in the cross-machine direction 118 and the warps 44 in the machine direction 120.
  • the base 102 can be woven according to any pattern known in the art and can comprise any materials known in the art.
  • the strands need not be circular in cross-section but can be elliptical, flattened, rectangular, cabled, oval, semi-oval, rectangular with rounded edges, trapezoidal, parallelograms, bi-lobal, multl-lobal, or can have capillary channels.
  • the cross sectional shapes may vary along a raised element 108; multiple raised elements with differing cross sectional shapes may be used on the composite sculpted fabric 100 as desired. Hollow filaments can also be used.
  • the raised elements 108 can be integral with the base 102 .
  • a composite sculpted fabric 100 can be formed by photocuring of elevated resinous elements which encompass portions of the warps 44 and shutes 45 of the base 102.
  • Photocuring methods can Include UV curing, visible light curing, electron beam curing, gamma radiation curing, radiofrequency curing, microwave curing, infrared curing, or other known curing methods involving application of radiation to cure a resin.
  • Curing can also occur via chemical reaction without the need for added radiation as In the curing of an epoxy resin, extrusion of an autocuring polymer such as polyurethane mixture, thermal curing, solidifying of an applied hotmelt or molten thermoplastic, sintering of a powder in place on a fabric, and application of material to the base 102 in a pattern by known rapid prototyping methods or methods of sculpting a fabric.
  • Photocured resin and other polymeric forms of the raised elements 108 can be attached to a base 102 according to the methods in any of the following patents: U.S. Patent No. 5,679,222 , issued on October 21, 1997 to Rasch et al.; U.S. Patent No.
  • the raised elements 108 can also be extruded or applied as a foam material to be joined to the base 102. Sintering, adhesive bonding, thermal fusing, or other known methods can be used to attach the raised elements 108 to the base 102 , especially in the formation of a composite sculpted fabric 30 having nonwoven elements on the tissue contacting side.
  • U.S. Patent No. 6,120,642 Issued on September 19, 2000 to Lindsay and Burazin, discloses methods of producing sculpted nonwoven throughdrying fabrics, and such methods can be applied in general to create composite sculpted fabrics 100 of the present invention.
  • such composite sculpted fabrics 100 comprise an upper porous nonwoven member and an underlying porous member supporting the upper porous member, wherein the upper porous nonwoven member comprises a nonwoven material (e.g., a fibrous nonwoven, an extruded polymeric network, or a foam-based material) that is substantially deformable.
  • a nonwoven material e.g., a fibrous nonwoven, an extruded polymeric network, or a foam-based material
  • a High Pressure Compressive Compliance hereinafter defined
  • High Pressure Compressive Compliance is a measure of the deformability of a substantially planar sample of the material having a basis weight above 50 g/m 2 (gsm) compressed by a weighted platen of 7.6cm (3-inches) in diameter to impart mechanical loads of 1.4 kPa (0.2 psi) and then 14 kPa (2.0 psi), measuring the thickness of the sample while under such compressive loads. Subtracting the ratio of thickness at 14 kPa (2.0 psi) to thickness at 1.4KPa (0.2 psi) from 1 yields the High Pressure Compressive Compliance.
  • High Pressure Compressive Compliance 1 - (thickness at 14kPa (2.0 psi) thickness at 1.4kPa (0.2 psi).
  • the High Pressure Compressive Compliance can be greater than about 0.05. specifically greater than about 0.15, more specifically greater than about 0.25, still more specifically greater than about 0.35, and most specifically between about 0.1 and about 0.5. In another embodiment, the High Pressure Compressive Compliance can be less than about 0.05, In cases where a less deformable composite sculpted fabric 100 is desired.
  • FIGURES 3 - 5 are schematic diagram views of the raised elements 108 in a composite sculpted fabric 100 depicting alternate forms of the raised elements 108 according to the present invention.
  • a set of first raised elements 108' in a first background region 38 interacts with a set of second raised elements 108" in a second background region 128 to define a transition region 62 between the first and second background regions 38 and 50, wherein both the discontinuity or shift In the pattern across the transition region 62 as well as a change in surface topography along the transition region 62 contribute to a distinctive visual appearance in the wet tissue web 15 molded against the composite sculpted fabric 100, wherein the loci of transition regions 62 define a visible pattern in the molded wet tissue web 15 (not shown).
  • first and second raised elements 108' and 108" overlap slightly and define a nonlinear transition region 62 (i.e., there is a slight curve to it as depicted).
  • parallel, adjacent raised elements 108 in either a first or second background region 38 or 50 are spaced apart in the cross-machine direction 118 by a distance S slightly greater than the width W of a first or second raised element 108' or 108" (e.g., the cross-machine direction spacing from centerline to centerline of the first and second raised elements 108' and 108" divided by the width W of the first and second raised elements 108' and 108" can be greater than about 1, such as from about 1.2 to about 5, or from about 1.3 to about 4, or from about 1.5 to about 3.
  • the spacing S is nearly the same as the width W (e.g., the ratio S/W can be less than about 1.2, such as about 1.1 or less or about 1.05 or less).
  • the overlapping first and second raised elements 108' and 108" in the transition region 62 results in a gap width of about -2W or less (meaning that the ends 122 and beginnings 124 of the first and second raised elements 108' and 108" overlap by a distance of about twice or more the width W of the first and second raised elements 108' and 108").
  • the tapered raised elements 108 are depicted which are otherwise similar to the raised elements 108 as shown in FIGURE 3 .
  • first background region 38 comprising cured resin first raised elements 108' having a shape and dimensions ( W, L, H , and S , for example) different from those of the second raised elements 108" of the second background region 50 .
  • the raised elements 108 need not be straight, as generally depicted in the previous figures, but may be curvilinear.

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EP02802790A 2001-11-02 2002-10-17 Fabric comprising nonwoven elements for use in the manufacture of tissue products having visually discernable background texture regions bordered by curvilinear decorative elements and method of manufacturing a tissue product Expired - Fee Related EP1442173B1 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP08001568.8A EP1916333B1 (en) 2001-11-02 2002-10-17 Fabric comprising nonwoven elements for use in the manufacture of tissue products having visually discernable background texture regions bordered by curvilinear decorative elements and method of manufacture of tissue products

Applications Claiming Priority (5)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US15849 2001-11-02
US10/015,859 US6787000B2 (en) 2001-11-02 2001-11-02 Fabric comprising nonwoven elements for use in the manufacture of tissue products having visually discernable background texture regions bordered by curvilinear decorative elements and method thereof
US10/015,849 US6821385B2 (en) 2001-11-02 2001-11-02 Method of manufacture of tissue products having visually discernable background texture regions bordered by curvilinear decorative elements using fabrics comprising nonwoven elements
US15859 2001-11-02
PCT/US2002/033074 WO2003040470A1 (en) 2001-11-02 2002-10-17 Fabric comprising nonwoven elements for use in the manufacture of tissue products having visually discernable background texture regions bordered curvilinear decorative elements and method of manufacture of tissue products

Related Child Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP08001568.8A Division EP1916333B1 (en) 2001-11-02 2002-10-17 Fabric comprising nonwoven elements for use in the manufacture of tissue products having visually discernable background texture regions bordered by curvilinear decorative elements and method of manufacture of tissue products

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP1442173A1 EP1442173A1 (en) 2004-08-04
EP1442173B1 true EP1442173B1 (en) 2008-03-12

Family

ID=26687876

Family Applications (2)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP02802790A Expired - Fee Related EP1442173B1 (en) 2001-11-02 2002-10-17 Fabric comprising nonwoven elements for use in the manufacture of tissue products having visually discernable background texture regions bordered by curvilinear decorative elements and method of manufacturing a tissue product
EP08001568.8A Expired - Fee Related EP1916333B1 (en) 2001-11-02 2002-10-17 Fabric comprising nonwoven elements for use in the manufacture of tissue products having visually discernable background texture regions bordered by curvilinear decorative elements and method of manufacture of tissue products

Family Applications After (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP08001568.8A Expired - Fee Related EP1916333B1 (en) 2001-11-02 2002-10-17 Fabric comprising nonwoven elements for use in the manufacture of tissue products having visually discernable background texture regions bordered by curvilinear decorative elements and method of manufacture of tissue products

Country Status (7)

Country Link
EP (2) EP1442173B1 (pt)
BR (1) BR0213370B1 (pt)
CA (1) CA2463892C (pt)
DE (1) DE60225580T2 (pt)
MX (1) MXPA04003428A (pt)
TW (1) TW200300192A (pt)
WO (1) WO2003040470A1 (pt)

Cited By (3)

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US11255051B2 (en) 2017-11-29 2022-02-22 Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc. Fibrous sheet with improved properties
US11313061B2 (en) 2018-07-25 2022-04-26 Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc. Process for making three-dimensional foam-laid nonwovens
US11591755B2 (en) 2015-11-03 2023-02-28 Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc. Paper tissue with high bulk and low lint

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20160066638A1 (en) * 2013-04-10 2016-03-10 Voith Patent Gmbh Method for Manufacturing an Industrial Clothing, and Industrial Clothing
WO2015149847A1 (en) * 2014-04-02 2015-10-08 Sca Hygiene Products Ab Absorbent paper product and method for manufacturing such absorbent paper product
CN115176055A (zh) 2020-02-27 2022-10-11 福伊特专利有限公司 造纸机网毯

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US5679222A (en) 1990-06-29 1997-10-21 The Procter & Gamble Company Paper having improved pinhole characteristics and papermaking belt for making the same
TW338078B (en) * 1996-07-08 1998-08-11 Scapa Group Plc Membrane felt for use in yankee machine
US5906710A (en) * 1997-06-23 1999-05-25 The Procter & Gamble Company Paper having penninsular segments
TW580530B (en) 1998-08-06 2004-03-21 Kimberly Clark Co Roll of tissue sheets having improved properties
WO2000039394A1 (en) * 1998-12-30 2000-07-06 Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc. Layered tissue having a long fiber layer with a patterned mass distribution
WO2000039393A1 (en) * 1998-12-30 2000-07-06 Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc. Papermaking process using a three-dimensional rush transfer fabric

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US11591755B2 (en) 2015-11-03 2023-02-28 Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc. Paper tissue with high bulk and low lint
US11255051B2 (en) 2017-11-29 2022-02-22 Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc. Fibrous sheet with improved properties
US11313061B2 (en) 2018-07-25 2022-04-26 Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc. Process for making three-dimensional foam-laid nonwovens
US11788221B2 (en) 2018-07-25 2023-10-17 Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc. Process for making three-dimensional foam-laid nonwovens

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
CA2463892C (en) 2011-08-16
TW200300192A (en) 2003-05-16
MXPA04003428A (es) 2004-07-08
WO2003040470A1 (en) 2003-05-15
BR0213370B1 (pt) 2012-09-18
BR0213370A (pt) 2005-01-11
EP1916333B1 (en) 2016-06-01
DE60225580T2 (de) 2009-04-23
CA2463892A1 (en) 2003-05-15
DE60225580D1 (de) 2008-04-24
EP1916333A1 (en) 2008-04-30
EP1442173A1 (en) 2004-08-04

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