Abstract: A bag made of flexible sheet material having an opening defined by a periphery. Juxtaposed with the periphery is a closure zone. The closure zone has induced extensibility in a direction perpendicular to the opening of the bag so that handle ties may be conveniently formed upon extension of the closure zone material. The handle ties are bound together to form an integral closure for the bag. The closure remains bound in response to forces upon it. The induced extensibility is provided by a network of dual regions having different modes of extensibility. The dual region network also provides the advantage of an increased gripping surface for forming the handle ties.

Abstract: A bag made of flexible sheet material having an opening defined by a periphery. Juxtaposed with the periphery is a closure zone. The closure zone has induced extensibility in a direction perpendicular to the opening of the bag so that handle ties may be conveniently formed upon extension of the closure zone material. The handle ties are bound together to form an integral closure for the bag. The closure remains bound in response to forces upon it. The induced extensibility is provided by a network of dual regions having different modes of extensibility. The dual region network also provides the advantage of an increased gripping surface for forming the handle ties.

Abstract: A papermaking vacuum apparatus having a web-facing surface adapted to support a papermaking belt and comprising a head, a body and at least one vacuum slot disposed in the head and defining an aperture on the web-facing surface. The vacuum slot is in fluid communication with the web-facing surface and extends from the web-facing surface to the body which is in further fluid communication with a vacuum source. The web-facing surface has a textured clothing interposed between the web-facing surface of the vacuum apparatus and a backside of the papermaking belt. The textured clothing creates leakage between the backside of the papermaking belt and the web-facing surface of the vacuum apparatus and effectively eliminates the vacuum seal between these two surfaces.

Abstract: The fluid absorbent members according to the present invention preferably comprise three basic components: chemically stiffened, twisted, and curled bulking fibers, high surface area fibers, and chemical binder additive. Fluid absorbent members according to the present invention use a high surface fiber and refining to provide capillary pressure (or suction) to the fluid absorbent member. These high surface area fibers are generally small and highly conformable. They provide the substrate with capillary pressure well in excess of the capillary pressure found in the bulk-providing chemically stiffened, twisted, and curled fibers (unrefined) alone. A presently preferred fiber for this high surface application is the eucalyptus family of wood pulp fibers. Eucalyptus provides desirable capillary pressure characteristics in combination with the chemically stiffened, twisted, and curled fibers and will not easily pass through a forming screen.