Patents Examined by Bradley Phillips
  • Patent number: 8907155
    Abstract: A film that is both biodegradable and flushable, and yet can still act as a barrier to water or other fluids during use, is provided. More particularly, the film contains a water-dispersible core layer that helps the film to lose its integrity after being flushed, as well as a water-barrier skin layer that helps maintain the integrity of the film during use. The nature and relative concentration of the components in the water-barrier layer are selectively controlled to achieve a combination of different functions. That is, the majority of the polymers employed in the water-barrier layer are biodegradable polymers that can be degraded by microorganisms while in an aqueous environment (e.g., septic tank, water treatment facility, etc.). To even further enhance the overall renewability of the layer, a relatively high amount of the biodegradable polymers are starch polymers, which are also renewable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
    Inventors: James H. Wang, Bo Shi, Peter Shawn Lortscher