Patents Examined by José A. Fortuna
  • Patent number: 12146264
    Abstract: A process for making a paper product comprising: providing a forming fabric; causing the forming fabric to rotate such that an upper surface of the forming fabric moves in a machine direction; providing a multi-layer headbox comprising first and second inlet headers and a slice outlet; providing a first aqueous slurry of first fibers to the first inlet header and a second aqueous slurry of second fibers to the second inlet header; combining streams of the first and second aqueous slurries to define a jet exiting the slice outlet; emitting the jet onto the upper surface of the forming fabric to form a web; causing the forming fabric to oscillate in a direction transverse to the machine direction, whereby at least a significant number of the first fibers are caused to align in a direction that deviates from the machine direction; and forming the paper product from the web.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2024
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL PAPER COMPANY
    Inventor: John Mullaney Meazle
  • Patent number: 12146262
    Abstract: Disclosed are non-wood pulps having a fiber length greater than about 1.70 mm and a brightness of about 80% or greater. The relatively high degree of brightness is achieved without a loss of fiber length or pulp yield. The high degree of brightness and relatively long fiber length make the pulps well suited for the manufacture of wet-laid fibrous products, particularly wet-laid tissue products. The pulps may be prepared from plants of the family Asparagaceae by mechanical pulping and more preferably by a chemi-mechanical pulping using a sodium hydroxide alkaline peroxide solution where the primary pulp is cleaned to reduce debris prior to bleaching. Preferably the cleaned primary pulp has less than about 5 wt % debris prior to bleaching.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2024
    Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
    Inventors: Zhiying Yu, Thomas G. Shannon, Ning Wei
  • Patent number: 12145290
    Abstract: A process for the production of panels made of wooden material comprises at least the following phases: supply of a plurality of types of wooden material in the form of flakes and/or dust; forming of at least one support layer in at least one of the types of wooden material on a work surface; forming of at least one final layer on top of the support layer, in another of the types of wooden material other than that of the support layer itself, so as to form a mattress; compacting of the mattress to form a compacted panel made of wooden material, wherein the process comprises, after the formation of the at least one support layer and before the formation of the at least one final layer, at least one steam heating phase and one pressing phase of the at least one support layer to obtain a pre-compacted mattress.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2024
    Assignee: IMAL S.R.L.
    Inventor: Paolo Benedetti
  • Patent number: 12134861
    Abstract: The single ply creped webs and products are generally durable, flexible and highly dispersible. The single ply creped webs and products may have a Slosh time less than 1 minute, and more preferably less than about 30 seconds, and a wet cross-machine direction (CD) tensile strength greater than about 100 g/3?. The single ply creped webs and products may be produced by a print crepe process that disposes a latex binder, particularly a non-cross linked latex binder, on at least one of the product's outer surfaces. The presence of a latex binder on the product's outer surface generally increases product durability and flexibility without negatively affecting dispersibility.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2023
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2024
    Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
    Inventors: Maurizio Tirimacco, Kevin Joseph Vogt
  • Patent number: 12134860
    Abstract: This invention relates to a process for making a paper or cardboard sheet from a fibrous suspension, comprising the following steps: a) injecting a P3 polymer into a suspension of cellulosic fibers, b) forming a paper or cardboard sheet, c) drying the paper or cardboard sheet, the P3 polymer being prepared, prior to step a), from a water-soluble P1 polymer of at least one nonionic monomer selected from acrylamide, methacrylamide, N,N-dimethylacrylamide and acrylonitrile, the P1 polymer being subjected to an Re1 reaction to give a P2 polymer, which is then subjected to an Re2 reaction to give the P3 polymer, which is injected into the fibrous suspension within 24 hours of the start of the Re1 reaction, the Re1 reaction comprises preparing a P2 polymer comprising isocyanate functions by reaction for 10 seconds to 60 minutes between (i) an alkali hydroxide and/or an alkaline earth hydroxide, (ii) an alkali hypohalite and/or an alkaline earth hypohalite and (iii) the P1 polymer, the Re2 reaction comprises pre
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2024
    Assignee: SNF GROUP
    Inventor: Cyril Barriere
  • Patent number: 12128647
    Abstract: A blade for creping a paper web from a dryer cylinder surface. The blade has a leading side and a front bevel surface to be impacted by the paper web. The leading side and the front bevel surface meet at a contact edge to contact the dryer cylinder. The front bevel surface has a 3D areal roughness, measured according to ISO 25178, of Sa>0.7 ?m and/or Sz>18 ?m and/or Sq>1.0 ?m.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2024
    Assignee: Voith Patent GmbH
    Inventors: Alexandre Claudon, Pierre-Yves Pfirter
  • Patent number: 12129600
    Abstract: The present invention provides rolled products, such as spirally wound rolls of bath tissue comprising a plurality of separably joined sheets, that may be repeatably and reliably dispensed by a user with a single hand. Single handed dispensing of the rolled products is facilitated by the web having a ratio of detach strength, typically having units of grams (g) to cross-machine direction (CD) tensile, having units of grams per 76.2 mm, of 0.65 or less, such as from about 0.10 to 0.65. In this manner rolled bath tissue products may have a CD tensile from about 400 to about 1,000 g/76.2 mm and a detach strength from about 100 to about 500 g.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2023
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2024
    Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
    Inventor: Benjamin Peter Sierra
  • Patent number: 12129601
    Abstract: Disclosed are non-treated, creped tissue webs, and tissue products produced therefrom, having low stiffness and surface lint. The inventive products may be produced by a print creping process adapted to dispose a non-crosslinked latex polymer on at least one of the outer surfaces of the tissue product. The non-crosslinked latex polymer creping composition does not negatively affect stiffness such that the products generally have a Stiffness Index less than about 5.0, such as from about 2.5 to about 5.0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2023
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2024
    Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
    Inventors: Kevin Joseph Vogt, Mark William Sachs, Christopher Steven LeCount, Erin Ann McCormick, Devon Gaynelle Curley, Sara Jane Wille Stabelfeldt, Nathan John Vogel
  • Patent number: 12123146
    Abstract: Soft, durable and bulky tissue products comprising non-wood fibers and more particularly high yield hesperaloe pulp fibers are disclosed. The tissue products preferably comprise at least about 5 percent, by weight of the product, high yield hesperaloe pulp fiber and have relatively modest tensile strengths, such as a geometric mean tensile (GMT) greater than about 1,000 g/3?, and improved durability and cross-machine direction (CD) properties, such as a CD Stretch greater than about 10 percent. Additionally, at the foregoing tensile strengths the products are not overly stiff. For example, the tissue products may have a Stiffness Index less than about 10.0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2023
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2024
    Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
    Inventors: Kayla Elizabeth Rouse, Richard Louis Underhill, David John Paulson, Felicia Marie Sauer, Thomas Gerard Shannon
  • Patent number: 12123143
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for producing a nanocellulosic material based on the use of fractioning of cellulosic pulp stream from pre-treatment or mechanical defibrillation (partially refined/defibrillated pulp) in combination with stages of mechanical defibrillation, in which both the accept fraction and the reject fraction can be conveyed to stages of consistency adjustments so as to precede another distinct defibrillation stage. For example, if the accept is conveyed to a consistency adjustment preceding a second defibrillation stage while the reject is conveyed to the other independent stage of consistency adjustment to return to the first stage of mechanical defibrillation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2024
    Assignee: Suzano S.A.
    Inventors: Marcos Henrique Luciano Silveira, Germano Andrade Siqueira, Bibiana Ribeiro Rubini, Heloisa Ogushi Romeiro Ramires
  • Patent number: 12123148
    Abstract: A multi-ply flushable wipe includes a ply having first and second exterior layers and a middle layer disposed therebetween. Each of the exterior layers includes at least 50% by weight natural fibers. When foam-formed, the middle layer includes at least 25% by weight natural fibers. In embodiments, the middle layer may include at least 75% by weight natural fibers. The middle layer also includes synthetic fibers that have a length within the range of 1 mm and 20 mm. The wipe may have a length weight weighted average fiber length of less than 4 mm and a wet CD strength of greater than 20 N/m. Each ply of the wipe may be formed by wetlaying the first and second exterior layers and a foam formed middle layer to form a web, imprinting the web with a structured fabric, and drying the web. The plies are then attached using a binder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2024
    Assignee: First Quality Tissue, LLC
    Inventors: Karthik Ramaratnam, James E. Sealey, II, Byrd Tyler Miller, IV, Taras Z. Andrukh, Justin S. Pence
  • Patent number: 12116732
    Abstract: A method of making a paper product can comprise making one or more sheets at least by, for each of the sheet(s), forming a web from one or more furnishes that comprise fibers dispersed in water. The fibers of the furnish(es) can comprise a plurality of first fibers that are hardwood fibers and a plurality of second fibers that include softwood fibers and surface enhanced pulp fibers (SEPF), the SEPF having a length weighted average fiber length of at least 0.20 mm. The method can comprise at least partially dewatering the web to form the sheet. The sheet(s) can be laminated and/or embossed such that a total dry tensile strength of the paper product is less than or equal to 90% of the sum of the total dry tensile strength(s) of the sheet(s).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2024
    Assignee: Domtar Paper Company, LLC
    Inventors: Bradley Langford, David Lloyd, Brian Ranson, Gwen Johnston, Dale Kavalew
  • Patent number: 12116706
    Abstract: A method for making a high topography nonwoven substrate includes generating a foam including water and synthetic binder fibers; depositing the foam on a planar surface; disposing a template form on the foam opposite the planar surface to create a foam/form assembly; heating the foam/form assembly to dry the foam and bind the synthetic binder fibers; and removing the template from the substrate after heating the foam/form assembly, wherein the substrate includes a planar base layer having an X-Y surface and a backside surface opposite the X-Y surface; and a plurality of projection elements integral with and protruding in a Z-direction from the X-Y surface, wherein the projection elements are distributed in both the X- and Y-directions, and wherein the density of a projection element is the same as the density of the base layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2023
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2024
    Assignee: KIMBERLY-CLARK WORLDWIDE, INC.
    Inventors: Davis Dang H. Nhan, Cathleen M. Uttecht, Lori A. Eslinger, Neil T. Scholl, Jian Qin, Charles W. Colman, Deborah J. Calewarts, Vasily A Topolkaraev, Antonio J. Carrillo Ojeda
  • Patent number: 12110637
    Abstract: Dispersible adhesively bonded wet tissue laminates comprising two or more adhesively bonded tissue plies. The first and second tissue plies may be adhesively bonded to one another discrete bond points by adhesive, such as a triggerable adhesive binder. The first and second tissue plies may differ in respect to at least one of basis weight, sheet bulk, tensile strength or fiber composition. The adhesively bonded wet tissue laminates are generally strong enough to withstand use, such as having a geometric mean wet tensile strength (GMWT) greater than about 200 g/in, but disperse quickly in water, such as having a Slosh Time less than about 60 minutes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2024
    Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenneth J. Zwick, Nicholas S. Wolter, Eric Hartl, Stephen J. Ratajczak, Daniel M. Piette, Robert S. Monson
  • Patent number: 12110638
    Abstract: Disclosed are a corona-resistant N-grade insulation paper for a variable frequency motor and a preparation method thereof. The insulation paper has a sandwich structure, aramid nanofibers and mica nanosheets are taken as a sandwich material of the sandwich structure, aramid nanofibers and silicon carbide nanowires being taken as upper and lower surface layer materials, and three layers of materials are electrostatically sprayed and thermo-compressed to prepare the insulation paper. According to the present disclosure, by introducing mica sheets and the silicon carbide nanowires into the aramid nanofibers, the highly ordered arrangement inside the sandwich structure is realized through electrostatic spraying, which improves the temperature resistance and corona resistance of the insulation paper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2024
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2024
    Assignee: Sichuan University
    Inventors: Junwen Ren, Qiuwanyu Qing, Shenli Jia, Lihua Zhao, Zi Wang, Fuli Teng, Guoqing Jiang
  • Patent number: 12104327
    Abstract: Paper products can comprise a first plurality of fibers that are hardwood fibers and a second plurality of fibers that include softwood fibers and surface enhanced pulp fibers (SEPF). The paper product can include one or more first fiber layers that comprise the first fibers, at least one of the first fiber layer(s) defining one of opposing upper and lower surfaces of the paper product, and one or more second fiber layers that comprise the second fibers. When a tissue, by weight, between 50% and 80% of the tissue's fibers can be the first fibers and at least 20% of the tissue's fibers can be the second fibers. The tissue's basis weight can be less than or equal to 21 gsm per ply.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2024
    Assignee: Domtar Paper Company, LLC
    Inventors: Bradley Langford, David Lloyd, Brian Ranson, Gwen Johnston, Dale Kavalew
  • Patent number: 12104324
    Abstract: Paper products such as tissues can be made using a furnish comprising surface enhanced pulp fibers (“SEPF”). In some embodiments, SEPF have a weighted average fiber length of at least 0.3 millimeters (mm) and an average hydrodynamic specific surface area of at least 10 square meters per gram (m2/g). In some embodiments, a furnish or a paper product can comprise at least 2% SEPF by dry weight. In some embodiments, a paper product comprising SEPF can be formed from a furnish having a freeness of 650 ml Canadian Standard Freeness (CSF) or less, optionally 600 ml CSF or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2024
    Assignee: DOMTAR PAPER COMPANY, LLC
    Inventors: Harshad Pande, Douglas W. Coffin, Mona Alinejad
  • Patent number: 12104298
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are The invention relates to curled fiber mats. The invention further includes methods of making curled fiber mats, comprising forming a fibrous media from a fibrous material, treating the fibrous media with a crosslinking agent to form a treated fibrous media, and drying and/or curing the treated fibrous media to produce a curled fiber mat that has a permanent curl.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2024
    Assignee: Resolute FP Canada, Inc.
    Inventor: Shaune John Hanley
  • Patent number: 12098508
    Abstract: Application of KBC as a unique form of and source of nano-crystalline cellulose having viability for use in place of or in conjunction with alternative fiber additives, such as for paper products and reinforced paper composites.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2024
    Inventors: Shaun Moshasha, Cutter Grathwohl, James Mahoney
  • Patent number: 12098510
    Abstract: The present invention provides multi-ply creped tissue products, and in particular embodiments creped wet-pressed tissue products, having substantially higher per-ply basis weights, such as from about 14.0 grams per square meter or greater. Despite having relatively high per-ply basis weights, the products are generally soft and flexible, such as having a softness value (measured as TS7) less than about 10.0 and a Stiffness Index less than about 20.0. While being soft and flexible, the tissue products are durable enough to withstand use, such as having a geometric mean tensile (GMT) greater than about 1,000 g/3?.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2023
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2024
    Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas J. Dyer, Kelly A. Balzereit, Angela A. Wei, David J. Verbael, Sharon L. Famuliner