Patents Represented by Attorney Gregory E. Croft
  • Patent number: 7325699
    Abstract: An electrostatically charged polymeric material, such as a polyolefin non-woven web, can be used in conjunction with a container, such as a tissue carton, for example, to attract lint and reduce the amount of lint that is deposited on the surface area surrounding the carton when the tissues are dispensed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2008
    Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
    Inventors: Sara Marie Etheridge, David Lewis Myers, Daphne Lynn VanBuren, Kathy Geralyn Richardson, Tammy Jo Balzar
  • Patent number: 7300543
    Abstract: A tissue sheet having a deep discontinuous pocket structure provides improved durability as measured by the ratio of the cross-machine direction tensile energy absorbed to the cross-machine direction tensile strength.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2007
    Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
    Inventors: Cristina Asensio Mullally, Michael Alan Hermans
  • Patent number: 7297231
    Abstract: Topically-applied binder materials for imparting wet strength to soft, absorbent paper sheets, such as are useful as household paper towels and the like, include an azetidinium-reactive polymer, such as a carboxyl-functional polymer, an azetidinium-functional polymer and, optionally, a component useful for reducing sheet-to-sheet adhesion (blocking) in the product. These binder materials can be cured at ambient temperature over a period of days and do not impart objectionable odor to final product when wetted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
    Inventors: Mike Thomas Goulet, Tracy Ho Mathews, Stacey Lynn Pomeroy, Maurizio Tirimacco
  • Patent number: 7294238
    Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention is an endless non-woven tissue making fabric having a three-dimensional texture suitable for use as a fabric for producing three-dimensional fibrous webs. The endless non-woven tissue making fabric comprises a plurality of substantially parallel adjoining sections of non-woven material. Each section of non-woven material has a width substantially less than the width of the non-woven tissue making fabric. Each section of non-woven material may be joined to at least one other adjoining section of non-woven material. The non-woven tissue making fabric has a machine direction, a cross-machine direction, a tissue contacting surface and a tissue machine contacting surface. The tissue contacting surface comprises solid matter at a plurality of heights such that the tissue contacting surface of the non-woven tissue making fabric has an Overall Surface Depth of at least 0.2 mm in regions of solid matter on the tissue contacting surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2007
    Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew Peter Bakken, Mark Alan Burazin, Jeffrey Dean Lindsay
  • Patent number: 7294229
    Abstract: A tissue product having a combination of substantially equal tensile energy absorbed (TEA) in the machine direction and the cross-machine direction of the tissue sheet and a significant level of stretch in both directions provides improved perception of strength and resistance to “poke through” in use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2007
    Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
    Inventors: Frank Stephen Hada, Andrew Peter Bakken, Michael Alan Hermans, Jeffrey David Mathews
  • Patent number: 7294230
    Abstract: Lightweight multi-ply tissue products, such as facial tissue and bath tissue, are produced by printing flexible polymeric binder material, such as certain latex binders, onto one or more inner surfaces of the multi-ply tissue product. The resulting products have low stiffness and high strength.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2007
    Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
    Inventors: Lisa Ann Flugge-Berendes, Thomas Gerard Shannon
  • Patent number: 7229529
    Abstract: Topically-applied binder materials for imparting wet strength to soft, absorbent paper sheets, such as are useful as household paper towels and the like, include an epoxy-reactive polymer, such as a carboxyl-functional polymer, and an epoxy-functional polymer. These binder materials can be cured at ambient temperature over a period of days and do not impart objectionable odor to final product when wetted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2007
    Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
    Inventors: Mike Thomas Goulet, Tracy Ho Mathews, Stacey Lynn Pomeroy, Maurizio Tirimacco
  • Patent number: 7189307
    Abstract: Topically-applied binder materials for imparting wet strength to soft, absorbent paper sheets, such as are useful as household paper towels and the like, include an epoxy-reactive polymer, such as a carboxyl-functional polymer, and an epoxy-functional polymer. These binder materials can be cured at ambient temperature over a period of days and do not impart objectionable odor to final product when wetted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2007
    Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
    Inventors: Mike Thomas Goulet, Stacey Lynn Pomeroy, Maurizio Tirimacco
  • Patent number: 7169458
    Abstract: Embossing regularly textured sheets with an appropriate regular, discrete embossing pattern to improve softness can result in a combined texture that creates an interference pattern that camouflages the original texture pattern and the embossing pattern. The resulting pattern is more appealing to the eye and is more random in appearance than the initial textured sheet or the embossing pattern individually. This result is particularly advantageous for paper towels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2007
    Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard Louis Underhill, Paul Douglas Beuther, Robert Irving Gusky, Kevin Joseph Vogt
  • Patent number: 7166189
    Abstract: The roll properties of tissue sheets are improved either by imparting cross-machine direction dominant bar-like protrusions to the air side of the tissue by using specially woven transfer fabrics and/or by offsetting recurring surface features of the sheet relative to the surface features of adjacent sheets within the roll, such as by providing a throughdryer fabric with an offset seam. Both techniques provide the resulting tissue sheets with improved capabilities for providing an improved combination of roll bulk and roll firmness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2007
    Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Alan Burazin, Edward Joseph VanRengen, Kenneth Curtis Larson, Jerome Steven Veith, Ralph Lee Anderson, Michael William Veith
  • Patent number: 7156954
    Abstract: Soft throughdried tissues, which are sufficiently soft to serve as premium bathroom tissues, can be made without the use of a Yankee dryer. The typical Yankee functions of building machine direction and cross-machine direction stretch are replaced by a wet end rush transfer and the throughdrying fabric design, respectively. It is particularly advantageous to form the tissue with chemimechanically treated fibers in at least one layer. The resulting tissues have high bulk (about 6 cubic centimeters per gram or greater) and low stiffness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2007
    Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
    Inventors: Theodore Edwin Farrington, Jr., Julia Smith Bahlman, Mark Alan Burazin, Fung-jou Chen, Kristin Ann Goerg, Michael Alan Hermans, Robert John Makolin, Michael John Rekoske
  • Patent number: 7147752
    Abstract: The present invention is polysiloxane pretreated pulp fibers comprising pulp fibers, and a polysiloxane. The polysiloxane pretreated pulp fibers have a polysiloxane content of about 0.4 percent or greater by weight of dry pulp fibers, a silicone retention factor of about 0.6 or greater, and an initial water drop absorption value of about 180 seconds or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2006
    Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas Gerard Shannon, Dale Alan Burghardt, Lisa Ann Flugge, David Andrew Moline
  • Patent number: 7141142
    Abstract: Papermaking fabrics, particularly those fabrics useful for making tissue and towel products, can be modified to alter their structure, such as surface texture, and re-used to make a different product. The fabrics can be modified after removal from the paper machine or while on the paper machine, including while the machine is running, so that down time between making different products can be eliminated or greatly reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2006
    Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Alan Burazin, Andrew Peter Bakken, Irene Beatrice Strohbeen
  • Patent number: 7056572
    Abstract: Low density, resilient webs are highly calendered to significantly increase density. The resulting tissue has low caliper and stretch but retains good Void Volume and premium-like softness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2006
    Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael John Smith, Ryan Leslie Fulscher, Anne Catherine Paschke, Irene Beatrice Strohbeen
  • Patent number: 7045028
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to reducing the build up or accretion of adhesive, alone or in combination with other materials, on the surfaces of equipment used to ultrasonically treat a workpiece (e.g., ultrasonically bonding various components or pieces to one another.) Thus the invention encompasses composites, absorbent products, and methods of making said composites and products where an adhesive composition having certain identified properties is used to reduce the build up or accretion of the adhesive on ultrasonic bonding equipment. In one embodiment of the invention, a composite includes an adhesive having a capillary-viscosity value of about 7 Pas·sec or greater and a Shore-OO-Hardness value of about 65 or greater, whereby the relative accretion value is less than about 1, and more particularly less than about 0.5.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2006
    Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Wordwide, Inc.
    Inventors: Chinmay Suresh Betrabet, Davis Dang Hoang Nhan
  • Patent number: 7029756
    Abstract: The present invention is a tissue product having two outer surfaces and at least one layered tissue sheet. The layered tissue sheet has two outer layers. The tissue product comprises at least one layer of the layered tissue sheet comprises polysiloxane pretreated pulp fibers and at least one layer of the layered tissue sheet comprises non-treated pulp fibers. At least one layer of the layered tissue sheet comprises polysiloxane pretreated pulp fibers such that one layer comprising polysiloxane pretreated pulp fibers is adjacent to a layer comprising non-treated pulp fibers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2006
    Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
    Inventors: David Andrew Moline, Dale Alan Burghardt, Thomas Gerard Shannon
  • Patent number: 6998024
    Abstract: Highly textured tissue sheets, particularly suitable for use as bath tissue, are produced by throughdrying and have a low number and/or low amount of pinholes. The low number or amount of pinholes is provided by using a throughdrying fabric having parallel wide ridges with a height suited to the particular tissue sheet being produced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2006
    Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Alan Burazin, Cristina Asensio Muilally, Andrew Peter Bakken
  • Patent number: 6984290
    Abstract: Pulp fibers can be treated with water insoluble chemical additives resulting in a minimal amount of unretained water insoluble chemical additives present after redispersing the treated pulp fibers in the process water. One embodiment of the present invention is a method for preparing chemically treated pulp fiber. A fiber slurry is created comprising process water and pulp fibers. The fiber slurry is transported to a web-forming apparatus of a pulp sheet machine thereby forming a wet fibrous web. The wet fibrous web is dried to a predetermined consistency thereby forming a dried fibrous web. The dried fibrous web is treated with a water insoluble chemical additive thereby forming a chemically treated dried fibrous web containing chemically treated pulp fibers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2006
    Assignee: Kimberly-Clark WOrldwide, Inc.
    Inventors: Troy Michael Runge, Louise Cynthia Ellis Coe, Mike Thomas Goulet, Sheng-Hsin Hu
  • Patent number: 6964725
    Abstract: The present invention is a tissue product comprising at least one tissue sheet. Each tissue sheet comprises a first side and an opposing second side. At least one tissue sheet comprises selectively treated pulp fiber treated with at least one hydrophobic chemical additive distributed non-uniformly in the z-direction within the tissue sheet. The tissue sheet has a % z-directional hydrophobic chemical additive gradient between the first side of the tissue sheet and the second side of the tissue sheet of about 20% or greater.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2005
    Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas Gerard Shannon, James Daniel Lorenz, David Andrew Moline, Troy Michael Runge, Thomas Hampshire Schulz
  • Patent number: D533357
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2006
    Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
    Inventors: Benjamin Charles Sarbo, Dennis Patrick Rockhill