U.S. patent application number 11/165437 was filed with the patent office on 2006-01-19 for nonwoven products having a patterned indicia.
This patent application is currently assigned to Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.. Invention is credited to David G. Biggs, Wendy Jahner, Bernhardt E. Kressner, Timothy M. McFarland, Pamela M. Thompson.
Application Number | 20060011316 11/165437 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 32593775 |
Filed Date | 2006-01-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060011316 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kressner; Bernhardt E. ; et
al. |
January 19, 2006 |
Nonwoven products having a patterned indicia
Abstract
A sheet-like product is disclosed having a patterned indicia for
signifying the existence of an additive or ingredient that is
contained within the product. The present inventors have discovered
that a particular burst-like pattern provides various advantages
and benefits in comparison to other patterns. In order to
differentiate patterns of the present invention from other
patterns, patterns made according to present invention were image
analyzed during a dilation process.
Inventors: |
Kressner; Bernhardt E.;
(Appleton, WI) ; McFarland; Timothy M.; (Neenah,
WI) ; Thompson; Pamela M.; (Greenville, WI) ;
Jahner; Wendy; (Olatha, KS) ; Biggs; David G.;
(Neenah, WI) |
Correspondence
Address: |
DORITY & MANNING, P.A.
POST OFFICE BOX 1449
GREENVILLE
SC
29602-1449
US
|
Assignee: |
Kimberly-Clark Worldwide,
Inc.
|
Family ID: |
32593775 |
Appl. No.: |
11/165437 |
Filed: |
June 23, 2005 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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10325469 |
Dec 19, 2002 |
|
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11165437 |
Jun 23, 2005 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
162/134 ;
162/123; 162/146; 162/158; 162/161; 162/162 |
Current CPC
Class: |
Y10T 442/68 20150401;
B32B 2262/02 20130101; Y10T 442/681 20150401; A61Q 19/10 20130101;
Y10T 442/659 20150401; A61Q 19/00 20130101; A61F 2013/8497
20130101; Y10T 442/2352 20150401; Y10T 428/2481 20150115; B32B
2307/402 20130101; A61K 8/0208 20130101; Y10T 442/2525 20150401;
D04H 13/00 20130101; Y10T 442/2508 20150401; B32B 5/26 20130101;
Y10T 428/24802 20150115; D21H 27/002 20130101; B32B 2432/00
20130101; D21H 27/02 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
162/134 ;
162/146; 162/123; 162/161; 162/162; 162/158 |
International
Class: |
D21F 11/00 20060101
D21F011/00; D21H 21/22 20060101 D21H021/22; D21H 21/36 20060101
D21H021/36; D21H 27/02 20060101 D21H027/02; D21H 27/30 20060101
D21H027/30 |
Claims
1. A nonwoven product comprising: a base sheet comprising a
nonwoven web; and a patterned indicia indicating the presence of an
additive that has been applied to the base sheet, the patterned
indicia being visible from at least one side of the base sheet, the
patterned indicia having a burst-like design that, when comparing
percent area coverage of the indicia versus dilation, the patterned
indicia is defined by the following mathematical expression:
f(x)=Ax.sup.2+Bx+Y wherein A is from about -0.6 to about 1; B is
from about 1 to about 14; and Y is from about -10 to about -2.
2. A nonwoven product as defined in claim 1, wherein A is from
about -0.5 to 0.5; B is from about 3 to about 13; and Y is from
about -8 to about -3.
3. A nonwoven product as defined in claim 1, wherein A is from
about -0.4 to -0.2; B is from about 10 to about 12, and Y is from
about -7.5 to about -6.
4. A nonwoven product as defined in claim 1, wherein the product
comprises a tissue product.
5. A nonwoven product as defined in claim 1, wherein the nonwoven
web comprises polymeric fibers.
6. A nonwoven product as defined in claim 5, wherein the nonwoven
web comprises a spunbond web or a meltblown web.
7. A nonwoven product as defined in claim 1, wherein the nonwoven
web comprises pulp fibers.
8. A nonwoven product as defined in claim 1, wherein the base sheet
contains multiple plies.
9. A nonwoven product as defined in claim 6, wherein the base sheet
includes internal ply surfaces, the patterned indicia being applied
to at least one of the internal ply surfaces.
10. A nonwoven product as defined in claim 1, wherein the patterned
indicia comprises a printed pattern.
11. A nonwoven product as defined in claim 1, wherein the base
sheet is white and the patterned indicia is blue.
12. A nonwoven product as defined in claim 1, wherein the base
sheet is white and the patterned indicia is green.
13. A nonwoven product as defined in claim 1, wherein the additive
comprises a virucide.
14. A nonwoven product as defined in claim 1, wherein the additive
comprises a softener.
15. A nonwoven product as defined in claim 14, wherein the softener
comprises a polysiloxane.
16. A nonwoven product as defined in claim 1, wherein the additive
comprises an emollient, an encapsulated scent, a cleansing agent, a
moisturizer, an antimicrobial agent, or an antiseptic.
17. A nonwoven product as defined in claim 1, wherein the base
sheet has a basis weight of from about 10 gsm to about 100 gsm.
18. A nonwoven product as defined in claim 1, wherein the
burst-like design repeats within the pattern.
19. A nonwoven product as defined in claim 18, wherein each
burst-like design is comprised of discrete shapes, the burst-like
design having a center area having a relatively high density of the
discrete shapes, the density of the discrete shapes gradually
reducing in an outward direction from the center area.
20. A tissue product comprising two or more plies and thereby
having two or more internal ply surfaces, two of the plies being
outer plies, wherein one or more of the internal surfaces contains
a patterned indicia which is visible through at least one of the
outer plies, the patterned indicia having a burst-like design that,
when comparing percent area coverage of the indicia versus
dilation, the patterned indicia is defined by the following
mathematical expression: f(x)=Ax.sup.2+Bx+Y wherein A is from about
-0.6 to about 1; B is from about 1 to about 14; and Y is from about
-10 to about -2.
21. A tissue product as defined in claim 20, wherein A is from
about -0.5 to 0.5; B is from about 3 to about 13, and Y is from
about -8 to about -3.
22. A tissue product as defined in claim 20, wherein A is from
about -0.4 to -0.2; B is from about 10 to about 12, and Y is from
about -7.5 to about -6.
23. A tissue product as defined in claim 20, wherein the tissue
product is a two-ply product.
24. A tissue product as defined in claim 20, wherein the patterned
indicia comprises a printed pattern.
25. A tissue product as defined in claim 20, wherein the tissue
product comprises two outer plies and a center ply, the patterned
indicia being applied to the center ply.
26. A tissue product as defined in claim 20, wherein the tissue
product contains a virucide.
27. A tissue product as defined in claim 20, wherein the tissue
product contains a softener, an emollient, an encapsulated scent, a
cleansing agent, a moisturizer, an antimicrobial agent, or an
antiseptic.
28. A tissue product as defined in claim 20, wherein the patterned
indicia is blue in color.
29. A tissue product as defined in claim 28, wherein the plies have
a white color.
30. A tissue product as defined in claim 20, wherein the burst-like
design repeats within the pattern.
31. A tissue product as defined in claim 30, wherein each
burst-like design is comprised of discrete shapes, the burst-like
design having a center area having a relatively high density of the
discrete shapes, the density of the discrete shapes gradually
reducing in an outward direction from the center area.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application is a continuation-in-part
application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/325,469, filed
on Dec. 19, 2002.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Many wiping products, such as standard tissues, are normally
white or of a uniform color. In some instances, such as for
example, paper towels, decorative patterns may be printed on the
outside of the product to enhance its appeal to the consumer.
Nevertheless, tissues having additional special ingredients, such
as lotions, virucides, encapsulated scents, and the like do not
normally have a visually distinctive appearance that differentiates
them from other products. Instead, they are typically white,
colored or printed just like other wiping products and rely on
their packaging to convey to the consumer that they have
distinctive properties or characteristics.
[0003] In order to make tissues containing special ingredients
visually distinguishable from other tissues, a multi-ply tissue
having internal indicia is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,221,211 to
Hollenberg et al., which is incorporated herein by reference. In
Hollenberg et al., a visual indicator which indicates that the
product contains unique ingredients or properties is printed, dyed,
or otherwise applied to an internal surface of one or more plies in
a multi-ply tissue. The visual indicator can be in the form of
decorative patterns such as floral patterns, caricatures, and the
like or geometric and abstract patterns, such as repeating dots,
squares, rhomboids, triangles and the like.
[0004] Although Hollenberg et al. has provided great advancements
in the art, the present invention is directed to further
improvements. In particular, although the use of printed indicia to
indicate that a tissue product contains unique ingredients is
effective for its purpose, the present inventors have realized that
printing relatively large amounts of ink onto a product can
adversely interfere with the overall aesthetics of the product.
Specifically, some users of a tissue product can perceive ink as a
contaminant and therefore less desirable. Inks may also increase
the stiffness of base sheets and can create odor issues.
[0005] As such, a need currently exists for a patterned indicia
that can be applied to nonwoven products that is effective in
indicating the presence of a particular additive without adversely
interfering with the overall aesthetics of the product.
DEFINITION
[0006] As used herein, percent area coverage of a pattern versus
dilation is to be determined using a QUANTIMET image-analysis
system commercially marketed by Leica Microsystems, Inc. of
Deerfield, Ill., such as the QUANTIMET 500 IW image analysis system
or any similar like system. Such systems are capable of analyzing
patterns by dilating (or "growing") an already formed and image
processed pattern and plotting the resulting percent surface area
coverage. The resulting plot can then be fitted to a second-order
polynomal which provides a means of distinguishing one pattern from
another. The operation of a QUANTIMET image-analysis system is
further described in the example below.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The present invention is generally directed to nonwoven
products, such as nonwoven materials containing pulp fibers, and/or
synthetic polymeric fibers, that are provided with a distinctive
visual cue or patterned indicia which indicates that the product
contains a particular additive, such as a chemical ingredient. The
present inventors have discovered that a particular pattern
provides benefits and advantages in comparison to various other
patterns. The pattern of the present invention includes a
burst-like design or pattern that conveys to a user that the
product contains a particular additive and differentiates the
product from other competitor products. The pattern of the present
invention has been found to be well suited for indicating the
presence of an additive in a nonwoven product while at the same
time using a minimal amount of ink or dye in constructing the
pattern.
[0008] In one embodiment, for instance, the present invention is
directed to a nonwoven product that comprises a base sheet. The
base sheet can contain one or more plies of a nonwoven web.
According to the present invention, the base sheet includes a
patterned indicia indicating the presence of an additive that has
been applied to the base sheet. The patterned indicia is visible
from at least one side of the base sheet. The patterned indicia has
a burst-like design that, when comparing percent area coverage of
the image processed indicia versus dilation, the patterned indicia
is defined by the following mathematical expression:
f(x)=Ax.sup.2+Bx+Y wherein A is from about -0.6 to about 1; B is
from about 1 to about 14; and Y is from about -10 to about -2. For
example, in other embodiments, A may be from about -0.5 to about
0.5, such as from about -0.4 to about -0.2. B, on the other hand,
may be from about 3 to about 13, such as from about 10 to about 12.
In such other embodiments, Y may also vary from about -8 to about
-3, such as from about -7.5 to about -6.
[0009] The patterned indicia of the present invention can be used
to indicate the presence of any suitable additive. Examples of
additives include, for instance, virucides, softeners such a
polysiloxanes, emollients, antiseptic agents, encapsulated scents,
cleansing agents, moisturizers, antimicrobial agents, and the
like.
[0010] In one embodiment, the nonwoven product can contain multiple
plies. The patterned indicia can be printed, dyed, or otherwise
applied to an internal surface of one or more of the plies. The
patterned indicia can be applied such that the indicia is visible
through the outer plies of the product. The visibility of the
internally applied patterned indicia can be controlled by the basis
weight of the outer plies and/or the intensity of the
coloration.
[0011] It should be understood, that in other embodiments, the
patterned indicia can also be located on the outside surfaces of
the base sheet.
[0012] The nonwoven product treated in accordance with the present
invention can be, for instance, a tissue product made with pulp
fibers. The tissue product can be, for instance, a bath tissue, a
facial tissue, a paper towel, and the like. The tissue product can
have a basis weight of from about 10 gsm to about 100 gsm.
[0013] The nonwoven product of the present invention can also be a
pre-moistened wipe, including wet wipes and pre-moistened bath
tissue. Other products treated in accordance with the present
invention include disposable products made from polymeric fibers,
such as products containing meltblown webs, spunbond webs, and
laminates thereof.
[0014] The color of the patterned indicia can be any suitable
color, such as green, peach, white, or pink. In one particular
embodiment, for instance, the non-woven product has a white color,
while the patterned indicia is light blue.
BRIEF DESRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention,
including the best mode thereof to one of ordinary skill in the
art, is set forth more particularly in the remainder of the
specification, including reference to the accompanying figures in
which:
[0016] FIG. 1 is a plan view of one embodiment of a patterned
indicia to be used in accordance with the present invention;
[0017] FIG. 1B is a plan view of another embodiment of a patterned
indicia for use in the present invention;
[0018] FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of one embodiment of a
nonwoven product treated in accordance with the present
invention;
[0019] FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of another embodiment of a
nonwoven product treated in accordance with the present
invention;
[0020] FIG. 4 is a plan view of the patterned indicia illustrated
in FIG. 1 after the patterned indicia has been subjected to an
ultimate skeleton as described below;
[0021] FIG. 5 is a plan view of still another embodiment of a
patterned indicia for use in the present invention;
[0022] FIG. 6 is a plan view of another embodiment of a patterned
indicia for use in the present invention;
[0023] FIGS. 7 through 21 are plan views of different patterns used
in the Example below to compare with the patterns of the present
invention; and
[0024] FIG. 22 is a graphical representation of the results
obtained in the Example when percent area was plotted versus
dilation step using the QUANTIMET image analysis system for the
patterned indicia illustrated in FIG. 1 that has been rotated 20
degrees.
[0025] Repeated use of reference characteristics in the present
specification and drawings is intended to represent the same or
analogous features or elements of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0026] It is to be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art
that the present discussion is a description of exemplary
embodiments only, and is not intended as limiting the broader
aspects of the present invention.
[0027] In general, the present invention is directed to sheet-like
products that contain a patterned indicia that indicates the
presence of an additive, such as a chemical additive, that has been
applied to the product. Referring to FIG. 1, for instance, one
embodiment of the patterned indicia of the present invention is
shown. As illustrated, the patterned indicia of the present
invention generally has a repeating burst-like design. Through
focus groups and different studies, the present inventors have
discovered that the burst-like pattern as shown in FIG. 1 provides
various advantages and benefits over other various patterns.
[0028] The patterned indicia is intended to signify the presence of
a particular additive or special ingredient and to distinguish the
product from other competing products. It is believe that visual
cues are more effective for this purpose than other cues, such as
an olfactory cue. With respect to the burst-like pattern as shown
in FIG. 1, this particular pattern as opposed to other patterns has
been found to convey the impression to a consumer that the product
does in fact contain a desired additive and that the additive is
somehow randomly applied to the product which was found to be
appealing. Further, the pattern signifies the presence of the
additive while using a minimal amount of ink or dye. When present
in, for instance, a tissue product, inks and dyes may have an
unappealing effect to consumers as they may view the ink or dye as
a contaminate. This adverse effect, however, has been found to be
minimized by the burst-like pattern as shown in FIG. 1. Further, by
using minimal amounts of ink, the properties of the product, such
as stiffness and odor, are not adversely affected.
[0029] Overall, the present inventors have discovered that the
burst-like pattern is well-suited to differentiating a treated
tissue from other products. Further, the burst-like pattern
communicates to the consumer that the product contains a beneficial
additive without adversely interfering with the overall aesthetics
of the product.
[0030] As shown in FIG. 1, a burst-like pattern is generally made
from a plurality of discrete shapes, such as dots. As shown in FIG.
1, each burst-like pattern includes a center area having a
relatively high density of the discrete shapes. The density of the
discrete shapes then gradually reduces in every direction, such as
along the vertical axis and along the horizontal axis. The
burst-like design may repeat over the surface area of the sheet. In
FIG. 1, for instance, each burst-like pattern tends to overlap with
an adjacent burst-like pattern. In FIG. 4, however, each burst-like
pattern is separate and does not overlap with an adjacent
burst-like pattern. In still another embodiment, in FIG. 6, each
burst-like pattern includes a center region that does not contain
any of the discrete shapes.
[0031] In order to characterize the burst-like pattern of the
present invention, the pattern has been image analyzed as will be
described in more detail in the following Example. Specifically,
when comparing percent area coverage of the patterned indicia
versus dilation, the patterned indicia of the present invention may
be defined by the following mathematical expression:
f(x)=Ax.sup.2+Bx+Y wherein A is from about -0.6 to about 1, such as
from about -0.5 to about 0.5, such as from about -0.4 to about
-0.2. B is from about 1 to about 14, such as from about 3 to about
13, such as from about 10 to about 12. Y, on the other hand, is
from about -10 to about -2, such as from about -8 to about -3, such
as from about -7.5 to about -6. The above mathematical equation is
believed to characterize or "fingerprint" the patterned indicia of
the present invention and may be used to differentiate the pattern
from other patterns not falling within the scope of the present
invention.
[0032] In order to arrive at the above polynomial expression,
various image processed patterns in accordance with the present
invention were dilated using image analysis software. The term
"dilation" refers to an image processing operation that is
performed on a detected, binary image. In one embodiment, for
instance, during dilation pixels are added to the boundaries in the
binary image by the software that is used. Successive dilations
cause features to expand and eventually combine to cover the entire
field. Dilation can be performed in two separate sub-steps, (1)
vertical dilation in which layers of pixels are added vertically
and (2) horizontal dilation in which layers of pixels are added
horizontally.
[0033] The patterned indicia of the present invention can be
applied to any sheet-like product by any suitable technique. For
instance, the patterned indicia can be applied to a product by
printing, spraying, beater dyeing fibers, coating, and the
like.
[0034] The patterned indicia can be applied to single ply or multi
ply products. In one embodiment, for instance, the patterned
indicia can be applied to one or both outside surfaces of a
product. Alternatively, when the product contains multiple plies,
the patterned indicia can be applied to an internal surface as long
as the patterned indicia is visible from at least one side of the
product.
[0035] For example, FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a
3-ply sheet-like product made in accordance with the present
invention. Shown is a first outer ply 10, a second outer ply 11,
and a single inner ply 12. The product includes internal ply
surfaces 13, 14, 15 and 16. In accordance with the present
invention, the burst-like patterned indicia 17, in this embodiment,
has been applied to the internal ply surface 14. By controlling the
basis weight and opacity of the outer ply 10, and the intensity of
the coloration of the patterned indicia 17, the patterned indicia
can remain visible through the ply 10 for indicating the presence
of an additive.
[0036] In addition to or instead of applying the patterned indicia
17 to the internal surface 14, it should also be understood that
the patterned indicia can also be applied to internal surfaces 13,
15 and 16.
[0037] Referring to FIG. 3, a schematic cross-sectional view of an
embodiment of a 2-ply product made in accordance with the present
invention is shown. In this embodiment, the product includes outer
plies 20 and 21 and internal ply surfaces 22 and 23. A patterned
indicia 24 made in accordance with the present invention is shown
applied to the internal surface 22. In this manner, the patterned
indicia can be visible from the product through one outside surface
or through both of the outside surfaces.
[0038] The color and shade of the patterned indicia of the present
invention can vary depending upon the particular application. In
general, any suitable color can be used as long as the patterned
indicia is visible to the user of the product. When the sheet-like
product is white in color, for instance, the patterned indicia can
be green, peach, blue, pink, and the like. In one particular
embodiment, for example, the patterned indicia has a light blue
color. The present inventors have discovered that a light blue
color, in some applications, is perceived by consumers as safe,
sterile and clean. Other colors and shades, however, may have
particular benefits in various applications.
[0039] The patterned indicia of the present invention can be used
to signify the presence of any particular chemical additive or
special ingredient contained within the sheet-like product. For
example, in one embodiment, the patterned indicia can be used to
indicate the presence of a virucide. For example, suitable
virucidal compositions include but are not limited to those
disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,738,847 to Rothe et al. Such
compositions include, but are not limited to, acids having the
formula R--COOH, where R is selected from the group consisting of
lower alkyl; substituted lower alkyl; carboxy lower alkyl; carboxy
hydroxy lower alkyl; carboxy halo lower alkyl; carboxy dye hydroxy
lower alkyl; die carboxy hydroxy lower alkyl; lower alkenyl;
carboxy lower alkenyl; dye carboxy lower alkenyl; and phenyl and
substituted phenyl groups. Also included are surfactants and/or
combinations of acids and surfactants, such as combinations of
acids and anionic surfactants. Exemplary virucidal compositions
include citric acid, malic acid, mixtures of citric acid and malic
acid, and combinations of these acids with sodium lauryl sulfate.
It should be understood, however, that many other virucidal
compositions may also be used in conjunction with the patterned
indicia.
[0040] In another embodiment, the patterned indicia can be used to
signify the presence of a softener, such as a polysiloxane.
Suitable polysiloxanes include, without limitation, polydimethyl
siloxanes; mixtures of polydimethyl siloxanes; and alkylene
oxide-modified polydimethyl siloxanes; organomodified
polysiloxanes; mixtures of cylic--and non cyclic--modified dimethyl
siloxanes; and the like. Amino-modified polysiloxanes can also be
used.
[0041] In addition to virucides and softeners, the patterned
indicia of the present invention can also be used to signify the
presence of, for instance, emollients, encapsulated scents such as
menthol, eucalyptus, bayberry, potpourri, and the like, cleansing
agents, moisturizers, antimicrobial agents, antiseptic agents, and
any other suitable ingredient.
[0042] The additive can be applied to the sheet-like product
independently of the patterned indicia. For example, a virucide can
be sprayed or printed over the entire surface of a sheet-like
product, while the patterned indicia can be a printed ink or dye
pattern. Alternatively, the additive can be incorporated into the
patterned indicia so that the indicia marks the portions of the
product that contain the additive. Either way, the patterned
indicia indicates the presence of the additive in the product.
[0043] In general, any suitable sheet-like product may be treated
with the patterned indicia in accordance with the present invention
for indicating the presence of an additive. For example, in one
embodiment, the sheet-like product can be a tissue product, such as
a bath tissue, a facial tissue, a paper towel, an industrial wiper,
and the like. Tissue products typically have a bulk density of at
least 2 cc/g. The tissue products can contain one or more plies and
can be made from many suitable types of fiber.
[0044] Fibers suitable for making paperwebs comprise any natural or
synthetic cellulosic fibers including, but not limited to nonwoody
fibers, such as cotton, abaca, kenaf, sabai grass, flax, esparto
grass, straw, jute hemp, bagasse, milkweed floss fibers, and
pineapple leaf fibers; and woody fibers such as those obtained from
deciduous and coniferous trees, including softwood fibers, such as
northern and southern softwood kraft fibers; hardwood fibers, such
as eucalyptus, maple, birch, and aspen. Woody fibers can be
prepared in high-yield or low-yield forms and can be pulped in any
known method, including kraft, sulfite, high-yield pulping methods
and other known pulping methods. Fibers prepared from organosolv
pulping methods can also be used, including the fibers and methods
disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,793,898, issued Dec. 27, 1988 to
Laamanen et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,594,130, issued Jun. 10, 1986 to
Chang et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,585,104. Useful fibers can also
be produced by anthraquinone pulping, exemplified by U.S. Pat. No.
5,595,628, issued Jan. 21, 1997 to Gordon et al. A portion of the
fibers, such as up to 50% or less by dry weight, or from about 5%
to about 30% by dry weight, can be synthetic fibers such as rayon,
polyolefin fibers, polyester fibers, bicomponent sheath-core
fibers, multi-component binder fibers, and the like. An exemplary
polyethylene fiber is Pulpex.RTM., available from Hercules, Inc.
(Wilmington, Del.). Any known bleaching method can be used.
Synthetic cellulose fiber types include rayon in all its varieties
and other fibers derived from viscose or chemically modified
cellulose. Chemically treated natural cellulosic fibers can be used
such as mercerized pulps, chemically stiffened or crosslinked
fibers, or sulfonated fibers. For good mechanical properties in
using papermaking fibers, it can be desirable that the fibers be
relatively undamaged and largely unrefined or only lightly refined.
While recycled fibers can be used, virgin fibers are generally
useful for their mechanical properties and lack of contaminants.
Mercerized fibers, regenerated cellulosic fibers, cellulose
produced by microbes, rayon, and other cellulosic material or
cellulosic derivatives can be used. Suitable papermaking fibers can
also include recycled fibers, virgin fibers, or mixes thereof. In
certain embodiments capable of high bulk and good compressive
properties, the fibers can have a Canadian Standard Freeness of at
least 200, more specifically at least 300, more specifically still
at least 400, and most specifically at least 500.
[0045] Other papermaking fibers that can be used in the present
invention include paper broke or recycled fibers and high yield
fibers. High yield pulp fibers are those papermaking fibers
produced by pulping processes providing a yield of about 65% or
greater, more specifically about 75% or greater, and still more
specifically about 75% to about 95%. Yield is the resulting amount
of processed fibers expressed as a percentage of the initial wood
mass. Such pulping processes include bleached chemithermomechanical
pulp (BCTMP), chemithermomechanical pulp (CTMP), pressure/pressure
thermomechanical pulp (PTMP), thermomechanical pulp (TMP),
thermomechanical chemical pulp (TMCP), high yield sulfite pulps,
and high yield Kraft pulps, all of which leave the resulting fibers
with high levels of lignin. High yield fibers are well known for
their stiffness in both dry and wet states relative to typical
chemically pulped fibers. In general, any process capable of
forming a paperweb can also be utilized in the present invention.
For example, a papermaking process of the present invention can
utilize creping, wet creping, double creping, embossing, wet
pressing, air pressing, through-air drying, creped through-air
drying, uncreped through-air drying, as well as other steps known
in the art.
[0046] The basis weight of paper webs used in the present invention
can vary depending upon the particular application. In general, for
most applications, the basis weight can be from about 6 gsm to
about 140 gsm, and particularly from about 10 gsm to about 80 gsm.
For example, bath tissues and facial tissues typically have a basis
weight of less than about 40 gsm. Paper towels, on the other hand,
typically have a basis weight of greater than about 30 gsm.
[0047] In addition to dry wiping products, the patterned indicia of
the present invention can also be applied to pre-moistened wiping
products or wet wipes which can include pre-moistened bath
tissue.
[0048] The wet wipes may comprise a single layer or a layered base
sheet that contains a liquid. The liquid is typically any solution
which can be absorbed into the wet wipe base sheet and may include
any suitable components which provide the desired wiping
properties. Typically, the components include water, emollients,
surfactants, fragrances, preservatives, chelating agents, pH
buffers or combinations thereof as are well known to those skilled
in the art. The liquid may also contain certain lotions and/or
medicaments. The emulsion composition is designed to provide
improved skin health benefits, such as enhanced barrier function
and protection of the skin.
[0049] The amount of the oil-in-water emulsion composition
contained within each wet wipe may vary depending upon the type of
material being used to provide the wet wipe or wipe-type product,
the type of container being used to store the wet wipes, and the
desired end use of the wet wipe. Generally, each wet wipe or
wipe-type product can contain from about 100 to about 600 weight
percent and desirably from about 250 to about 450 weight percent
liquid based on the dry weight of the wipe for improved wiping.
[0050] Each wet wipe is generally rectangular in shape and may have
any suitable unfolded width and length. Typically, each individual
wet wipe is arranged in a folded configuration and stacked one on
top of the other to provide a stack of wet wipes. Such folded
configurations are well known to those skilled in the art and
include c-folded, z-folded, quarter-folded configurations and the
like. The stack of folded wet wipes may be placed in the interior
of a container, such as a plastic tub, to provide a package of wet
wipes for eventual sale to the consumer. Alternatively, the wet
wipes may include a continuous strip of material which has
perforations between each wipe and which may be arranged in a stack
or wound into a roll for dispensing.
[0051] The materials of the base sheet, single or multi-layered, of
the wet wipe or the wipe-type product of the present invention may
be varied to provide different physical properties. The different
physical properties which a layer may be configured to provide by
selecting the appropriate materials include softness, resiliency,
strength, flexibility, integrity, toughness, absorbency, liquid
retention, thickness, tear resistance, surface texture,
drapability, hand, wettability, wicking ability and the like and
combinations thereof. The wipe can be configured to provide all
desired physical properties within one layer or configured to
provide only specific physical properties within individual layers
of a multi-layered wipe. For example, the wet wipes may include at
least one layer of material that is configured to provide strength
and resilience to the wet wipe and at least one other layer which
is configured to provide a soft, gentle wiping surface to the wet
wipe. Desirably, the wet wipes provide a soft wiping surface for
contact with the skin.
[0052] The layer or layers of the wet wipe or wipe-type products
can be made from a variety of materials including meltblown
materials, coform materials, air-laid materials, bonded-carded web
materials, hydroentangled materials, spunbond materials and the
like and can comprise synthetic or natural fibers. Examples of
natural fibers suitable for use in the present invention include
cellulosic fibers such as wood pulp fibers, cotton fibers, flax
fibers, jute fibers, silk fibers and the like. Examples of
thermoplastic polymeric fibers suitable for use with the present
invention include polyolefins such as polypropylene and
polyethylene, polyamides, and polyesters such as polyethylene
terephthalate. Alternative synthetic fibers which may be suitable
include staple nylon and rayon fibers. The layer or layers of the
wet wipe or wipe-type products can be woven or nonwoven
materials.
[0053] If a layer of the base sheet is a combination of polymeric
and natural fibers, such as polypropylene and cellulosic fibers,
the relative percentages of the polymeric fibers and natural fibers
in the layer can vary over a wide range depending on the desired
characteristics of the wet wipes. For example, the layer may
comprise from about 20 to about 95 weight percent, desirably from
about 20 to about 60 weight percent, and more desirably from about
30 to about 40 weight percent of polymeric fibers based on the dry
weight of the layer. Such a layer of polymeric and natural fibers
may be manufactured by any method known to those skilled in the
art.
[0054] Generally, it is desirable that such a layer be formed by a
coform process for a more uniform distribution of the polymeric and
natural fibers within the layer. Such coform layers are
manufactured generally as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,100,324 to
Anderson et al. which issued Jul. 11, 1978; U.S. Pat. No. 4,604,313
to McFarland et al. which issued Aug. 5, 1986; and U.S. Pat. No.
5,350,624 which issued Sep. 27, 1994; which are herein incorporated
by reference to the extent they are consistent herewith.
[0055] Typically, such coform layers comprise a gas-formed matrix
of thermoplastic polymeric meltblown microfibers, such as, for
example, polypropylene microfibers, and cellulosic fibers, such as,
for example, wood pulp fibers. A coform layer is formed by
initially forming at least one primary air stream containing the
synthetic or polymeric fibers and merging the primary stream with
at least one secondary stream of natural or cellulosic fibers. The
primary and secondary streams are merged under turbulent conditions
to form an integrated stream containing a thorough, homogeneous
distribution of the different fibers. The integrated air stream is
directed onto a forming surface to air form the layer of material.
A multiplicity of these coform layers can then be formed in
succession to provide a web of multiple coform layers.
[0056] The base sheet for the wet wipes or wipe-type products may
have a total basis weight of from about 10 to about 120 grams per
square meter, such as from about 40 to about 90 grams per square
meter. The basis weight of the layered base sheet may vary
depending upon the desired end use of the wet wipe or wipe-type
products.
[0057] In addition to tissue products and wet wipes, the patterned
indicia of the present invention can also be applied to polymeric
films, nonwoven webs made from synthetic polymeric fibers, and
laminates containing the films and nonwoven webs. Such materials
can be used in forming absorbent wipers, towels, industrial
garments, medical garments, medical drapes, and the like. The above
materials are also well suited for use in the manufacture of
personal care articles, such as diapers, feminine hygiene products,
and the like.
[0058] The nonwoven webs identified above particularly refer to
webs made on the spunbond and meltblown processes. For instance,
spunbond webs are typically produced by heating a thermoplastic
polymeric resin to at least its softening temperature. The
polymeric resin is then extruded through a spinnerette to form
continuous fibers, which can then be subsequently fed through a
fiber draw unit. From the fiber draw unit, the fibers are spread
onto a foraminous surface where they are formed into a web and then
bonded such as by mechanical, thermal, or ultrasonic means.
[0059] Meltblown fabrics, on the other hand, have been
conventionally made by extruding a thermoplastic polymeric material
through a die to form fibers. As the molten polymer filaments exit
the die, high pressure fluid, such as heated air or steam
attenuates the molten polymer filaments to form fine fibers.
Surrounding cool air is induced into the hot air stream which cools
and solidifies the fibers. The fibers are then randomly deposited
onto a foraminous surface to form a web. The web has integrity as
made but may be additionally bonded.
[0060] The above nonwoven webs can generally have a basis weight of
from about 20 gsm to about 200 gsm. The nonwoven webs may be used
to construct various laminates. For example,
spunbond-meltblown-spunbond laminates have many diverse
applications. Such multi-layer laminates may be formed by a number
of different techniques including but not limited to using
adhesives, needle punching, ultrasonic bonding, thermal calendering
and any other method known in the art.
[0061] The patterned indicia of the present invention may be
applied to any of the above described products to indicate the
presence of an additive in the product.
[0062] The present invention may be better understood with respect
to the following example.
EXAMPLE
[0063] The following example was performed in order to characterize
the burst-like pattern of the present invention in comparison to
other patterns.
[0064] Specifically, various patterns were dilated or "grown" after
the pattern elements had been subjected to an "ultimate skeleton"
processing step. During the ultimate skeleton processing step, the
pattern elements are reduced to either a single pixel point or to a
single pixel line, depending upon the pattern that is being
analyzed. For example, FIG. 4 represents the ultimate skeleton of
the pattern shown in FIG. 1. As dilation from a skeletonized
starting point occurred, a plot was created of the resulting
surface area percent coverage versus dilation step. After results
were obtained, a second-order polynomial was determined from the
plot. This second-order polynomial was then used to characterize
the pattern and provide a point of comparison between different
patterns.
[0065] In order to perform the image analysis of the patterns, a
QUANTIMET 500 IW image analysis system was used which was obtained
from Leica Microsystems, Inc. of Deerfield, Ill. The QUANTIMET 500
image analysis system was equipped with an Adimec camera (Model
MX12P) and a 20 mm Nikon lens, f-stop 4, which was obtained from
Nikon OEM sales group of New York, N.Y. The camera was mounted on a
KREONITE macroviewer manufactured by the KREONITE Company of St.
Louis, Mo. The KREONITE macroviewer was equipped with four incident
flood lamps. The camera was placed at a 96 cm pole position on the
macroviewer, above a 6-inch high autostage used as a spacer.
[0066] Samples of the patterns tested were placed under glass below
the camera. The total field-of-view was 234 mm.times.234 mm with a
measurement frame of 126 mm.times.140 mm. The portion of the
pattern being analyzed that is placed within the above field of
view is generally not critical. If the pattern comprises a
relatively large repeating shape, at least one complete repeating
shape or design should be placed in the field of view if
possible.
[0067] The following programming routine was written to be used by
the QUANTIMET image analysis system. TABLE-US-00001 IMAGE ANALYSIS
PROGRAMMING ROUTINE NAME = Dilation vs. % Area - 3 PURPOSE =
Measures number of dilation steps vs. % pattern area for tissue
print patterns CONDITIONS = Adimec vid.; 20-mm Nikon lens (f-4);
floods; pole= 96.0 cm AUTHOR = D.G. Biggs DATE = January 27, 2005
SET-UP Open File (C:\DATA\EXCEL Data\Dilate.xls, channel #1 )
Measure frame (x 256, y 199, Width 550, Height 610) Image frame (x
0, y 0, Width 1024, Height 1024) CALVALUE = 0.229 Calibrate
(CALVALUE CALUNITS$ per pixel) Enter Results Header File Results
Header (channel #1 ) IMAGE ACQUIRE & DETECT Image Setup [PAUSE]
(Camera 0, Upper 50.38, Lower 77.42, Lamp 0.00) Acquire (into
Image0) Grey Rotate (From 511, 511 in Image0 to 511, 511 in Image1,
width 1024, height 1024, by 0 deg) Measure frame (x 256, y 199,
Width 550, Height 610) Detect [PAUSE] (blacker than 150, from
Image1 into Binary0 delineated) PauseText ("Remove any detected
regions that are not part of the pattern.") Binary Edit [PAUSE]
(Reject from Binary0 to Binary0, nib Fill, width 2) IMAGE
PROCESSING Binary Amend (White Ult. Skeleton from Binary0 to
Binary1, cycles 0, operator Disc, edge erode on, alg. `L` Type)
Binary Logical (copy Binary1 to Binary8) ANALYSIS LOOP For (DILATE
= 1 to 15, step 1) Measure Measure field (plane Binary8) Selected
parameters: Area % Display Field Results (x 972, y 737, w 310, h
281) File Field Results (channel #1) DILATE BINAMCYC = DILATE
BINAMIN = 1 BINAMOUT = 2 Binary Amend (Dilate from BINAMIN to
BINAMOUT, cycles BINAMCYC, operator Horiz, edge erode on ) BINAMIN
= 2 BINAMOUT = 8 Binary Amend (Dilate from BINAMIN to BINAMOUT,
cycles BINAMCYC, operator Vert, edge erode on ) Next (DILATE) Close
File (channel #1) END
[0068] Once a pattern was viewed and acquired by the system, the
QUANTIMET 500 image analysis system caused the pattern to first be
processed using an "ultimate skeleton." The ultimate skeleton
reduces all the connected regions in the pattern to a single pixel.
If there was a "hole" or similar structure in the region, the
ultimate skeleton produces a single pixel-wide ring or rectangle
around it. After the ultimate skeleton was applied, the image
analysis system then caused the remaining skeleton pattern to grow
in the X and Y directions pixel by pixel.
[0069] Dilation is an image processing operation that is performed
on a detected, binary image. During dilation, pixels are added to
the boundaries in the binary image. Erosion is the complementary
operation to dilation in that pixels are removed from a binary
image. Successive dilations will cause features to expand, and
eventually they will begin to combine until the entire image is
covered. As the pattern was dilated, the percent surface area
covered was recorded at each dilation step. Also, an initial
reading was made which accounted for the amount of surface area the
skeletonized pattern occupied prior to any dilation. The following
is a dilation step size starting with a 2 pixel "seed" or core.
TABLE-US-00002 Dilation Step Size Dilation Amount AREA. SQ. MM 0.
0.22 1. 0.98 2. 2.18 3. 3.81 4. 5.87 5. 8.38 6. 11.31 7. 14.68 8.
18.49 9. 22.73 10. 27.41 11. 32.52 12. 38.07 13. 44.05 14. 50.47
15. 57.32
[0070] The patterns that were analyzed in this example are shown in
the figures. Specifically, the burst-like pattern illustrated in
FIG. 1 was analyzed, rotated 20 degrees and analyzed again, and
rotated 40 degrees and analyzed again. Other burst-like patterns
made according to the present invention that were analyzed include
the patterns shown in FIG. 1B and in FIGS. 5-21. FIG. 5 is similar
to FIG. 1 except the dots that transition from one burst-like
design to the next were removed. The pattern shown in FIG. 6 is
also similar to the pattern shown in FIG. 1 except the dots
appearing in the center of each of the burst-like designs were
removed.
[0071] FIG. 1B is similar to the pattern shown in FIG. 1, except
the discrete shapes that make up each of the burst-like designs are
smaller. Thus, less of a composition, such as an ink, needs to be
transferred to a tissue web in order to produce the image shown in
FIG. 1B. The present inventors discovered that, although consumers
find the burst-like pattern appealing to indicate the presence of
an additive, they prefer to have as little ink as possible on the
tissue web. Subjectively, consumers may determine that greater
amounts of ink on the product may interfere with the physical
properties of the product. Thus, lighter patterns as shown in FIG.
1B may be preferred.
[0072] For comparative purposes, the patterns illustrated in FIGS.
7 through 21 were also analyzed.
[0073] As described above, once a pattern was analyzed, a graph was
obtained that compared percent surface area coverage versus
dilation step. For example, referring to FIG. 22, the plot of
percent surface area coverage versus dilation step for the
burst-like pattern illustrated in FIG. 1 is shown after the pattern
had been rotated 20 degrees. As shown in FIG. 22 from the plot, a
second-order polynomial was derived. The y-intercept of the
polynomial represents the approximate initial surface area coverage
of the pattern.
[0074] The following results were obtained for the patterns tested.
TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 1 Second-order Polynomial of % Area vs.
Dilation Step for Various Patterns Pattern ID Coeff of x.sup.2
Coeff of x Y-intercept Burst (FIG. 1) -0.355 11.86 -6.78 Burst,
20-degree -0.309 11.15 -6.65 (FIG. 1) Burst, 40-degree -0.287 10.88
-6.86 (FIG. 1) Burst - No Join dots -0.368 11.81 -6.62 (FIG. 5)
Burst - No Center -0.353 11.81 -6.77 dots (FIG. 6) Burst -
Commercial -0.230 10.83 -7.23 Tissue (FIG. 1B) Intercirc1 (FIG. 7)
0.181 0.79 -0.68 Dots (FIG. 8) 0.340 0.32 0.16 Diamonds3 (FIG. 9)
0.292 0.27 0.14 Diamonds (FIG. 10) -0.465 15.31 -15.30 Bubble (FIG.
11) -0.396 13.02 -0.44 Citrus (FIG. 12) 0.053 7.01 -1.40 Deco (FIG.
13) -0.396 11.51 7.39 Family (FIG. 14) 0.123 0.26 -0.09 Feathers
(FIG. 15) -0.606 14.07 14.59 Leaves (FIG. 16) 0.082 0.76 -0.55
Spring (FIG. 17) 0.020 3.20 0.93 Vines (FIG. 18) 0.119 1.22 -0.01
Wave (FIG. 19) -0.007 0.72 -0.21 Wave 2 (FIG. 20) -0.003 0.43 -0.16
Woven (FIG. 21) -1.490 20.65 35.14 f(x) = Ax.sup.2 + Bx + Y
[0075] These and other modifications and variations to the present
invention may be practiced by those of ordinary skill in the art,
without departing from the spirit and scope of the present
invention, which is more particularly set forth in the appended
claims. In addition, it should be understood that aspects of the
various embodiments may be interchanged both in whole or in part.
Furthermore, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate
that the foregoing description is by way of example only, and is
not intended to limit the invention so further described in such
appended claims.
* * * * *