Abstract: A food container which is a combination of a base portion and a lid portion made from a resilient polymeric material is disclosed. The base is a unitary component including an upwardly projecting, peripherally extending sealing rim having inner and outer sealing areas. The lid is also a unitary component including a peripherally extending sealing channel correspondingly shaped to receive the sealing rim of the base and particularly, to engage the rim at the inner and outer sealing areas. Because both the base and lid are made from resilient material, the inner and outer sealing areas are shaped to provide a self-reinforcing seal configuration wherein the initial engagement of either the inner or the outer seals urges the other seal into engagement. This feature also permits a wide tolerance to processing variations in the size of the lid and the base. The base portion of the food container of the present invention is also designed to include audible indicators as the lid becomes fully sealed with the base.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for producing an absorbent creped cellulosic sheet having a high level of surface-perceived softness that comprises continuously forming a web of cellulosic papermaking fibers, adhering said web to a thermal drying means by means of an adhesive compositon that includes a non-self-crosslinkable polymer or oligomer having functional groups that can be crosslinked by ionic crosslinking, a metallic crosslinking agent having a valence of four or more, and a phosphate surfactant, and creping said treated web from said thermal drying means.

Abstract: Improvements in screw pumps, and especially positive displacement pumps, are disclosed. The clearance between the screw flight and the bore is increased over an increased period. The screw is balanced at preferred locations on the flight. Wear hard material such as tungsten carbide is emplaced on a portion of the outer surface of the screw flight. A wear measurement port extends from the outside surface of the pump to the inner surface of the bore. Pressure regulating ports and controls provide an active pressure feedback control system to control the feeding of pressure from the outlet end of the screw back toward the inlet end of the screw. Pump wear, and pressure pulsations in the operation of the pump are thus reduced. The wear measurement port enables a method of monitoring wear on the pump screw during operation without disassembling the pump, namely by manipulating a wear measurement device through the port. The wear measurement device can be a proximity sensor which can be connected to a monitor.

Abstract: The drinking cup lid includes a cover portion and at least one tab extending from the cover portion and movable into a retaining position adjacent the sidewalls of the cup to securely attach the lid to the cup while providing a gripping area insulated from the thermal effects of the contents of the cup. The tabs include a retaining groove adapted to receive the rim of the cup and a latching lip for sealingly engaging the rim when the tabs are moved into the retaining position. A gripping portion of each tab is positioned adjacent the sidewalls when the tabs are in the retaining position. The gripping portion is maintained a spaced radial distance from the sidewalls by both a hinge which provides a pivot axis about which the tab rotates and a rib formed by a stiffening groove extending along the tab.

Abstract: An unwind stand for unwinding rolled material is disclosed in which a movable carriage mounted on a stationary frame includes at least two roll holders adapted to support a roll of material and a shifting mechanism connected to the movable carriage for moving the carriage between a first unwinding position in which a first roll of material supported by a first roll holder is positioned for unwinding, and a second unwinding position in which a second roll of material supported by a second roll holder is positioned for unwinding. Once a roll is in the unwinding position, the shifting mechanism also functions to maintain the material unwinding from the roll in an alignment position in response to an alignment detector by making fine adjustments to the lateral position of the carriage. The unwind stand may also include a rotatable wheel connected to a carrier slidably mounted on a rodless cylinder for applying a radial braking force to the roll of material, thereby imparting tension to the unwinding material.

Abstract: A microwave responsive heating device useful in microwave packaging for capturing microwave energy in a microwave oven and transmitting the energy to a surface of a food item in a concentrated form to grill, crisp, or brown the surface thereof. The heating device includes an antenna for collecting the microwave energy and a transmission device for transferring the collected energy from the antenna to a surface of a food item. Preferably, the heating device forms an integral portion of the interior of a food package to allow a food item to be stored and cooked therein. The antenna and the transmission device are made from electrically conductive materials and are shaped to, not only, capture and transmit microwave energy efficiently, but also to enhance the intensity of the microwave energy in a concentrated form.

Abstract: A paper product having increased thickness, absorbency, and softness without altering product strength wherein a fiber blend is provided being up to 50% softwood fibers and up to 100% Hesperaloe funifera fibers.

Abstract: A fabric which can be made by a wet-laid process using crimpable bicomponent fibers is disclosed which may have a high bulk and/or elasticity. The fabric can be made by a high speed continuous process wherein the fabric is pulled from a Yankee dryer by a take off roll which rotates faster than the Yankee dryer.

Abstract: A flow management system and process for providing controlled separation and sizing of an incoming flow of wood chips. A flow management screen is provided in the form of a horizontal disk screen having a variable speed drive, with the drive controlled based upon the flow rate of wood chips to the screen. By controlling the rotational speed of the disks of the horizontal disk screen, the flow separation and sizing to subsequent screening stations can be predicted and controlled. As a result, more consistent output is provided, as well as improved system efficiency and ability to accommodate for varying operational conditions and wear.

Abstract: A gable-top type carton and blank for forming the same including a front panel, a back panel, a bottom panel and first and second side walls extending between the front panel and the back panel with at least one of the side walls including a gusset forming section for permitting the front and back panels to converge towards one another from the bottom panel along a length of the side walls to an edge of the front and back panels opposite the bottom panel is disclosed. The gusset forming section includes at least one cut-out section formed in each of the side walls with the cut-out being preferably in the form of a triangle which is spatially positioned in an intermediate portion of the side wall.

Abstract: A package for use in storing, vending and microwave cooking of food products. The package includes a double center wall which divides an interior food cavity into two food compartments. The center wall and the remaining interior surfaces of the container are coated with a microwave interactive layer thereby exposing an increased surface area of the food articles to the microwave interactive layers. Improved surface cooking, such as surface browning and crisping are achieved, as well as increased convenience in packaging and cooking.

Abstract: A mated pair resilient and rigid embossing rolls are disclosed for achieving the advantages of conventional rubber to steel embossing, while avoiding the problems of conventional embossing approaches. In particular, a laser can be utilized to form recesses in a resilient roll such that the resilient roll receives protuberances of a rigid male embossing roll when the rolls are placed in contact. By providing recesses on the resilient roll, the pressure or force required for causing the rubber to flow around the protuberances can be significantly decreased as compared to conventional rubber to steel embossing. As a result, wear on the rolls is reduced, and smaller diameter rolls may be utilized, thereby reducing the cost of the embossing equipment. In addition, since less pressure is required to cause the rubber to flow about the protuberances, roll deflection is not a problem, and an embossed pattern can be imparted having a consistent, high degree of definition across the width of a web.

Abstract: A paperboard tissue box having a decahedral prismatic configuration which may be rapidly fabricated using available high speed machinery providing an attractive appearance while retaining high strength is disclosed. The outer surface of the tissue box of the present invention is a decahedron having two parallel octagonal faces linked by eight rectangular lateral faces extending between the edges of the octagon and generally being disposed at right angles to the octagonal faces in the erected carton, each of the ten faces being formable by folding a unitary blank having impressed fold lines defining regions in the blank which become panels in the erected box.

Abstract: A carton is disclosed having a reclosable pour spout formed in a top panel thereof. The pour spout being formed by cooperating portions of an upper minor flap, an exterior top panel and an interior top panel which cooperate to form the top panel of the carton. A portion of the interior top panel forming a central closure pane is formed by inside and outside cut scores formed in the interior top panel defining a ply separation region therebetween which extends from a lift tab to a hinge line formed in the interior top panel.

Abstract: A disposable volume-extending drink-through lid for hot and cold beverages that extends beyond the upper edge of a drinking cup is provided. The lid may be integrally formed by conventional thermoforming processes to include a cup engaging section, a raised volume-extending section and a drink-through section above the upper surface of the volume-extending section to allow a consumer to drink without leakage or spills beverages such as whipped cream-topped cappuccino, ice cream sodas and the like while moving or in a moving vehicle.

Abstract: An apparatus for press forming products having a desired shape from a web is provided. The apparatus includes a cyclically operating blanking section for cutting the web to produce a single blank for each blanking cycle and a cyclically operating forming section for receiving a plurality of single blanks from the blanking section during a first portion of each forming cycle and for press forming the plurality of single blanks into a plurality of three dimensional press formed paperboard products having the desired shape during a second portion of each forming cycle. The forming section includes a die set having a plurality of forming die cavities wherein each of the forming die cavities receives a single blank. The blanking section operates cyclically at a predetermined rate r and the die set of the forming section includes n forming die cavities, the blanking section operating at n cycles for each forming cycle and the forming section operating cyclically at a rate r/n.

Abstract: A creping adhesive is described which provides the ability to readily control glass transition temperature (Tg) and adhesion and which can be easily removed from dryer surfaces. The creping adhesive contains a crosslinkable polymer and preferably an ionic crosslinking agent such as metal cations having a valence of three or more.

Abstract: A flat, cloth-like composite laminate including airlaid, nonwoven pulp web layers reinforced by a wetlaid bicomponent web layer. The bicomponent web layer has a sheath-core configuration, wherein the fiber component of the sheath member has a lower melting point than the fiber component of the core member. If desired, an adhesive material can be utilized between the bicomponent layer and the airlaid pulp web layer.

Abstract: A patterned microwave interactive element and laminate including a patterned microwave interactive element for use in forming food packaging materials that may be employed to store and subsequently cook the food stored therein are provided. The pattern of the microwave interactive element is selected to focus the heat generated to predetermined areas of the food contained in the packaging. Areas where the microwave interactive element has been deactivated may be formed by a variety of methods, such as by demetallization, by the application of an inactivating chemical, by mechanical means and the like, to create a preselected pattern of inactive areas relative to the active areas, thereby controlling the temperatures produced in different sections of the packaging material. Optimum browning and/or crisping of the microwave heated food product may be achieved by selecting a pattern of microwave interactive and inactive areas tailored to specific food products.