Patents by Inventor Frank D. Harper

Frank D. Harper has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20230407566
    Abstract: Multi-ply paper products and methods of making such products includes providing a first furnish including a primary pulp having papermaking fibers with a weight-weighted average fiber length, a coarseness of about sixteen milligrams per one hundred meters or lower, and being at least eighty percent of the papermaking fibers of the first furnish, forming a nascent web having at least two layers, one of the layers being a surface layer of the nascent web and formed from the first furnish, dewatering the nascent web to form a dewatered web, and drying the dewatered web to form a multi-ply paper product. The multi-ply paper product includes a first ply and a second ply arranged such that an inner layer of the first ply is adjacent to an inner layer of the second ply and the inner layer of the first ply is attached to the inner layer of the second ply.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2023
    Publication date: December 21, 2023
    Inventors: Peter G. Anderson, Frank D. Harper, Nathan E. Capps
  • Patent number: 11781270
    Abstract: A method of making a fibrous sheet includes providing a first furnish including a primary pulp having papermaking fibers, the papermaking fibers (i) having a weight-weighted average fiber length between about two and seven tenths millimeters and about three millimeters, (ii) a coarseness of about sixteen milligrams per one hundred meters or lower, and (iii) being at least eighty percent of the papermaking fibers of the first furnish, forming a nascent web having at least two layers, one of the at least two layers being (i) a surface layer of the nascent web and (ii) formed from the first furnish, dewatering the nascent web to form a dewatered web, applying the surface layer of the dewatered web to the outer surface of a Yankee drum of a Yankee dryer, and drying the dewatered web with the Yankee dryer to form a fibrous sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2023
    Assignee: GPCP IP Holdings LLC
    Inventors: Peter Gordon Anderson, Frank D. Harper, Nathan Capps
  • Patent number: 11578460
    Abstract: A belt for creping a web in a papermaking process. The belt includes a surface onto which the web is transferred during the papermaking process. A plurality of openings extend through the surface, with the openings being arranged in lines that are offset from lines in the machine direction (MD) and cross-machine direction (CD) of the belt. Paper products, such as absorbent sheets, made from the belt have hollow dome regions and connecting regions between the domes, with the domes being arranged in lines that are offset from lines in the MD and CD of the paper products.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: GPCP IP Holdings LLC
    Inventors: Daniel Hue Ming Sze, Frank D. Harper, Kevin Aaron Hawkins, Eric J. Lepp, Vipul Kumar, Nathan Capps, Joseph H. Miller
  • Publication number: 20210277603
    Abstract: A method of making a fibrous sheet includes providing a first furnish including a primary pulp having papermaking fibers, the papermaking fibers (i) having a weight-weighted average fiber length between about two and seven tenths millimeters and about three millimeters, (ii) a coarseness of about sixteen milligrams per one hundred meters or lower, and (iii) being at least eighty percent of the papermaking fibers of the first furnish, forming a nascent web having at least two layers, one of the at least two layers being (i) a surface layer of the nascent web and (ii) formed from the first furnish, dewatering the nascent web to form a dewatered web, applying the surface layer of the dewatered web to the outer surface of a Yankee drum of a Yankee dryer, and drying the dewatered web with the Yankee dryer to form a fibrous sheet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 17, 2021
    Publication date: September 9, 2021
    Inventors: Peter Gordon Anderson, Frank D. Harper, Nathan Capps
  • Patent number: 11105044
    Abstract: A method of making a molded paper web includes bringing a permeable patterned surface of a patterned cylinder into contact with a nascent web and conveying the nascent web between a transfer surface and the permeable patterned surface over an arc length of the permeable patterned surface. The arc length forms at least a portion of a molding zone. The method also includes applying a vacuum over at least a portion of the arc length. The method further includes transferring the nascent web from the transfer surface to the permeable patterned surface of the patterned cylinder in the molding zone. The vacuum is applied during the transferring of the nascent web from the transfer surface to the permeable patterned surface of the patterned cylinder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: GPCP IP Holdings LLC
    Inventors: Paul J. Ruthven, Frank D. Harper, Mark L. Robinson
  • Patent number: 11035078
    Abstract: Paper products and methods of making the paper products. The paper product includes a first stratified base sheet and a second stratified base sheet. At least about eighty percent of the papermaking fibers in an outer layer of each of the first stratified base sheet and the second stratified base sheet has (i) a weight-weighted average fiber length between about two and seven tenths millimeters and about three millimeters and (ii) a coarseness of about sixteen milligrams per one hundred meters or lower. An inner layer of the second stratified base sheet is attached to the inner layer of the first stratified base sheet. The paper product has a CD wet/dry tensile ratio between about twenty-five hundredths and about thirty-five hundredths.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Assignee: GPCP IP Holdings LLC
    Inventors: Peter Gordon Anderson, Frank D. Harper, Nathan Capps
  • Publication number: 20210087748
    Abstract: A belt for creping a web in a papermaking process. The belt includes a surface onto which the web is transferred during the papermaking process. A plurality of openings extend through the surface, with the openings being arranged in lines that are offset from lines in the machine direction (MD) and cross-machine direction (CD) of the belt. Paper products, such as absorbent sheets, made from the belt have hollow dome regions and connecting regions between the domes, with the domes being arranged in lines that are offset from lines in the MD and CD of the paper products.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 2, 2020
    Publication date: March 25, 2021
    Inventors: Daniel Hue Ming Sze, Frank D. Harper, Kevin Aaron Hawkins, Eric J. Lepp, Vipul Kumar, Nathan Capps
  • Publication number: 20200240082
    Abstract: A method of making a molded paper web includes bringing a permeable patterned surface of a patterned cylinder into contact with a nascent web and conveying the nascent web between a transfer surface and the permeable patterned surface over an arc length of the permeable patterned surface. The arc length forms at least a portion of a molding zone. The method also includes applying a vacuum over at least a portion of the arc length. The method further includes transferring the nascent web from the transfer surface to the permeable patterned surface of the patterned cylinder in the molding zone. The vacuum is applied during the transferring of the nascent web from the transfer surface to the permeable patterned surface of the patterned cylinder.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 17, 2020
    Publication date: July 30, 2020
    Inventors: Paul J. Ruthven, Frank D. Harper, Mark L. Robinson
  • Patent number: 10697120
    Abstract: A method of making a fibrous sheet including bringing a permeable patterned surface of a patterned cylinder into contact with a nascent web and conveying the nascent web between a transfer surface and the permeable patterned surface over an arc length of the permeable patterned surface. The arc length forms at least a portion of a molding zone. The method also includes applying a vacuum over at least a portion of the arc length. The method further includes transferring the nascent web from the transfer surface to the permeable patterned surface of the patterned cylinder in the molding zone. The vacuum is applied during the transferring of the nascent web from the transfer surface to the permeable patterned surface of the patterned cylinder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2020
    Assignee: GPCP IP Holdings LLC
    Inventors: Paul J. Ruthven, Frank D. Harper, Mark L. Robinson
  • Publication number: 20190276985
    Abstract: Paper products and methods of making the paper products. The paper product includes a first stratified base sheet and a second stratified base sheet. At least about eighty percent of the papermaking fibers in an outer layer of each of the first stratified base sheet and the second stratified base sheet has (i) a weight-weighted average fiber length between about two and seven tenths millimeters and about three millimeters and (ii) a coarseness of about sixteen milligrams per one hundred meters or lower. An inner layer of the second stratified base sheet is attached to the inner layer of the first stratified base sheet. The paper product has a CD wet/dry tensile ratio between about twenty-five hundredths and about thirty-five hundredths.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2019
    Publication date: September 12, 2019
    Inventors: Peter Gordon Anderson, Frank D. Harper, Nathan Capps
  • Publication number: 20190048525
    Abstract: A method of making a fibrous sheet including bringing a permeable patterned surface of a patterned cylinder into contact with a nascent web and conveying the nascent web between a transfer surface and the permeable patterned surface over an arc length of the permeable patterned surface. The arc length forms at least a portion of a molding zone. The method also includes applying a vacuum over at least a portion of the arc length. The method further includes transferring the nascent web from the transfer surface to the permeable patterned surface of the patterned cylinder in the molding zone. The vacuum is applied during the transferring of the nascent web from the transfer surface to the permeable patterned surface of the patterned cylinder.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2018
    Publication date: February 14, 2019
    Inventors: Paul J. Ruthven, Frank D. Harper, Mark L. Robinson
  • Patent number: 9915032
    Abstract: An absorbent cellulosic sheet made by a method that includes forming an aqueous cellulosic web on a portion of a structuring fabric in a papermaking machine, and drying the cellulosic web to form the absorbent cellulosic sheet. The portion of the structuring fabric on which the cellulosic web is formed has a planar volumetric index of at least about 26. The absorbent cellulosic sheet has a caliper of at least about 160 mils/8 sheets and a dry machine direction (MD) to cross machine direction (CD) tensile ratio of less than about 1.0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2018
    Assignee: GPCP IP Holdings LLC
    Inventors: Hung Liang Chou, Daniel H. Sze, Xiaolin Fan, Frank D. Harper, Steven R. Olson
  • Publication number: 20170121912
    Abstract: An absorbent cellulosic sheet made by a method that includes forming an aqueous cellulosic web on a portion of a structuring fabric in a papermaking machine, and drying the cellulosic web to form the absorbent cellulosic sheet. The portion of the structuring fabric on which the cellulosic web is formed has a planar volumetric index of at least about 26. The absorbent cellulosic sheet has a caliper of at least about 160 mils/8 sheets and a dry machine direction (MD) to cross machine direction (CD) tensile ratio of less than about 1.0.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 17, 2017
    Publication date: May 4, 2017
    Inventors: Hung Liang Chou, Daniel H. Sze, Xiaolin Fan, Frank D. Harper, Steven R. Olson
  • Patent number: 9574306
    Abstract: A method of making a paper product includes forming an aqueous cellulosic web on a structuring fabric in a papermaking machine, non-compactively dewatering the cellulosic web on the structuring fabric, and drying the cellulosic web to form the paper product. The portion of the structuring fabric on which the cellulosic web is formed has a planar volumetric index of at least about 26.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: Georgia-Pacific Consumer Products LP
    Inventors: Hung Liang Chou, Daniel H. Sze, Xiaolin Fan, Frank D. Harper, Steven R. Olson
  • Publication number: 20160097164
    Abstract: A method of making a paper product includes forming an aqueous cellulosic web on a structuring fabric in a papermaking machine, non-compactively dewatering the cellulosic web on the structuring fabric, and drying the cellulosic web to form the paper product. The portion of the structuring fabric on which the cellulosic web is formed has a planar volumetric index of at least about 26.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2015
    Publication date: April 7, 2016
    Inventors: Hung Liang Chou, Daniel H. Sze, Xiaolin Fan, Frank D. Harper, Steven R. Olson
  • Patent number: 9303363
    Abstract: Paper products, such as hand towels, have high absorbency, high caliper, and good perceived softness. Two-ply products have a caliper of at least about 260 mils/8 sheets and an SAT capacity of at least about 650 g/m2. The paper products are made using a structuring fabric that has a high planar volumetric index, which indicates a relation between the contact area ratio of a papermaking web contacting surface of the structuring fabric and the volume of pockets of the fabric.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: Georgia-Pacific Consumer Products LP
    Inventors: Hung Liang Chou, Daniel H. Sze, Xiaolin Fan, Frank D. Harper, Steven R. Olson
  • Patent number: 9279219
    Abstract: An absorbent cellulosic sheet having a variable local basis weight. The sheet includes a papermaking-fiber reticulum having a plurality of fiber-enriched pileated regions of a relatively high local basis weight each extending a distance in a cross-machine direction (CD) of the sheet, and a plurality of elongated densified regions that interconnect the plurality of fiber-enriched pileated regions. The elongated densified regions (i) have a relatively low local basis weight, and each extending a distance in a machine direction (MD) of the sheet, and (ii) are arranged in a repeating pattern having leading and trailing edges, such that the elongated densified regions are longitudinally staggered with respect to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2016
    Assignee: Georgia-Pacific Consumer Products LP
    Inventors: Steven L. Edwards, Guy H. Super, Stephen J. McCullough, Ronald R. Reeb, Hung Liang Chou, Kang Chang Yeh, John H. Dwiggins, Frank D. Harper
  • Publication number: 20150129145
    Abstract: Paper products, such as hand towels, have high absorbency, high caliper, and good perceived softness. Two-ply products have a caliper of at least about 260 mils/8 sheets and an SAT capacity of at least about 650 g/m2. The paper products are made using a structuring fabric that has a high planar volumetric index, which indicates a relation between the contact area ratio of a papermaking web contacting surface of the structuring fabric and the volume of pockets of the fabric.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 14, 2014
    Publication date: May 14, 2015
    Inventors: Hung Liang Chou, Daniel H. Sze, Xiaolin Fan, Frank D. Harper, Steven R. Olson
  • Publication number: 20150068695
    Abstract: An absorbent cellulosic sheet having a variable local basis weight. The sheet includes a papermaking-fiber reticulum having a plurality of fiber-enriched pileated regions of a relatively high local basis weight each extending a distance in a cross-machine direction (CD) of the sheet, and a plurality of elongated densified regions that interconnect the plurality of fiber-enriched pileated regions. The elongated densified regions (i) have a relatively low local basis weight, and each extending a distance in a machine direction (MD) of the sheet, and (ii) are arranged in a repeating pattern having leading and trailing edges, such that the elongated densified regions are longitudinally staggered with respect to each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2014
    Publication date: March 12, 2015
    Inventors: Steven L. Edwards, Guy H. Super, Stephen J. McCullough, Ronald R. Reeb, Hung Liang Chou, Kang Chang Yeh, John H. Dwiggins, Frank D. Harper
  • Patent number: 8911592
    Abstract: A multi-ply absorbent sheet of cellulosic fiber includes continuous outer surfaces, and an absorbent core between the outer surfaces. The absorbent core includes a non-woven fiber network comprising a plurality of pileated fiber enriched regions of a relatively high local basis weight interconnected by way of a plurality of lower local basis weight linking regions whose fiber orientation is biased along the direction between pileated fiber enriched regions, interconnected thereby, and a plurality of fiber-deprived cellules between the fiber enriched regions and the linking regions, also being characterized by a local basis weight lower than that of the fiber enriched regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2014
    Assignee: Georgia-Pacific Consumer Products LP
    Inventors: Steven L. Edwards, Guy H. Super, Stephen J. McCullough, Ronald R. Reeb, Hung Liang Chou, Kang Chang Yeh, John H. Dwiggins, Frank D. Harper