Patents by Inventor Gilbert Darrell Gafford

Gilbert Darrell Gafford 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).

  • Patent number: 10914039
    Abstract: The present invention provides soft, durable and bulky tissue products comprising non-wood fibers and more particularly hesperaloe fiber. The inventors have discovered that high yield hesperaloe pulp fiber, when incorporated in amounts of at least about 5 percent by weight of the tissue product, produces products having a GMT less than about 1000 g/3? and a GM Slope less than about 7.0 kg. At the foregoing tensile strengths and modulus the tissue products of the present invention are also generally soft, such as having a Stiffness Index less than about 10.0, and more preferably less than about 9.0, such as from about 7.0 to about 9.0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2021
    Assignee: KIMBERLY-CLARK WORLDWIDE, INC.
    Inventors: Thomas Gerard Shannon, Richard Louis Underhill, Kevin Leon LaBerge, John Matthew Reiser, Gilbert Darrell Gafford
  • Publication number: 20200115853
    Abstract: The present invention provides soft, durable and bulky tissue products comprising non-wood fibers and more particularly hesperaloe fiber. The inventors have discovered that high yield hesperaloe pulp fiber, when incorporated in amounts of at least about 5 percent by weight of the tissue product, produces products having a GMT less than about 1000 g/3? and a GM Slope less than about 7.0 kg. At the foregoing tensile strengths and modulus the tissue products of the present invention are also generally soft, such as having a Stiffness Index less than about 10.0, and more preferably less than about 9.0, such as from about 7.0 to about 9.0.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2019
    Publication date: April 16, 2020
    Inventors: Thomas Gerard Shannon, Richard Louis Underhill, Kevin Leon LaBerge, John Matthew Reiser, Gilbert Darrell Gafford
  • Patent number: 10550522
    Abstract: The present invention provides soft, durable and bulky tissue products comprising non-wood fibers and more particularly hesperaloe fiber. The inventors have discovered that high yield hesperaloe pulp fiber, when incorporated in amounts of at least about 5 percent by weight of the tissue product, produces products having a GMT less than about 1000 g/3? and a GM Slope less than about 7.0 kg. At the foregoing tensile strengths and modulus the tissue products of the present invention are also generally soft, such as having a Stiffness Index less than about 10.0, and more preferably less than about 9.0, such as from about 7.0 to about 9.0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2020
    Assignee: KIMBERLY-CLARK WORLDWIDE, INC.
    Inventors: Thomas Gerard Shannon, Richard Louis Underhill, Kevin Leon LaBerge, John Matthew Reiser, Gilbert Darrell Gafford
  • Patent number: 10519601
    Abstract: The present invention relates to tissue products comprising high yield hesperaloe fiber having improved wet performance, such as improved absorbency, CD Wet/Dry Ratio and CD Wet Durability. The addition of high yield hesperaloe pulp fibers surprisingly improves the CD Wet/Dry ratio without negatively affecting the absorbency of the tissue product. For example, tissue products of the present invention generally have an Absorbent Capacity greater than about 6.0 g/g, such as from about 6.0 to 8.0 g/g. As such the tissue products are durable when wet, but are still sufficiently absorbent. This balance of absorbency and wet strength is not found in the prior art without resorting to adding latex binders or the like to the tissue product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: KIMBERLY-CLARK WORLDWIDE, INC.
    Inventors: Thomas Gerard Shannon, Richard Louis Underhill, Kevin Leon LaBerge, John Matthew Reiser, Gilbert Darrell Gafford
  • Publication number: 20190100883
    Abstract: The present invention provides soft, durable and bulky tissue products comprising non-wood fibers and more particularly hesperaloe fiber. The inventors have discovered that high yield hesperaloe pulp fiber, when incorporated in amounts of at least about 5 percent by weight of the tissue product, produces products having a GMT less than about 1000 g/3? and a GM Slope less than about 7.0 kg. At the foregoing tensile strengths and modulus the tissue products of the present invention are also generally soft, such as having a Stiffness Index less than about 10.0, and more preferably less than about 9.0, such as from about 7.0 to about 9.0.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 29, 2018
    Publication date: April 4, 2019
    Inventors: Thomas Gerard Shannon, Richard Louis Underhill, Kevin Leon LaBerge, John Matthew Reiser, Gilbert Darrell Gafford
  • Publication number: 20190100878
    Abstract: The present invention relates to tissue products comprising high yield hesperaloe fiber having improved wet performance, such as improved absorbency, CD Wet/Dry Ratio and CD Wet Durability. The addition of high yield hesperaloe pulp fibers surprisingly improves the CD Wet/Dry ratio without negatively affecting the absorbency of the tissue product. For example, tissue products of the present invention generally have an Absorbent Capacity greater than about 6.0 g/g, such as from about 6.0 to 8.0 g/g. As such the tissue products are durable when wet, but are still sufficiently absorbent. This balance of absorbency and wet strength is not found in the prior art without resorting to adding latex binders or the like to the tissue product.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 29, 2018
    Publication date: April 4, 2019
    Inventors: Thomas Gerard Shannon, Richard Louis Underhill, Kevin Leon LaBerge, John Matthew Reiser, Gilbert Darrell Gafford
  • Patent number: 10145069
    Abstract: The present invention provides soft, durable and bulky tissue products comprising non-wood fibers and more particularly hesperaloe fiber. The inventors have discovered that high yield hesperaloe pulp fiber, when incorporated in amounts of at least about 5 percent by weight of the tissue product, produces products having a GMT less than about 1000 g/3? and a GM Slope less than about 7.0 kg. At the foregoing tensile strengths and modulus the tissue products of the present invention are also generally soft, such as having a Stiffness Index less than about 10.0, and more preferably less than about 9.0, such as from about 7.0 to about 9.0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2018
    Assignee: KIMBERLY-CLARK WORLDWIDE, INC.
    Inventors: Thomas Gerard Shannon, Richard Louis Underhill, Kevin Leon LaBerge, John Matthew Reiser, Gilbert Darrell Gafford
  • Patent number: 10145066
    Abstract: The present invention relates to tissue products comprising high yield hesperaloe fiber having improved wet performance, such as improved absorbency, CD Wet/Dry Ratio and CD Wet Durability. The addition of high yield hesperaloe pulp fibers surprisingly improves the CD Wet/Dry ratio without negatively affecting the absorbency of the tissue product. For example, tissue products of the present invention generally have an Absorbent Capacity greater than about 6.0 g/g, such as from about 8.0 to 8.0 g/g. As such the tissue products are durable when wet, but are still sufficiently absorbent. This balance of absorbency and wet strength is not found in the prior art without resorting to adding latex binders or the like to the tissue product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2018
    Assignee: KIMBERLY-CLARK WORLDWIDE, INC.
    Inventors: Thomas Gerard Shannon, Richard Louis Underhill, Kevin Leon LaBerge, John Matthew Reiser, Gilbert Darrell Gafford
  • Publication number: 20180135249
    Abstract: The present invention relates to tissue products comprising high yield hesperaloe fiber having improved wet performance, such as improved absorbency, CD Wet/Dry Ratio and CD Wet Durability. The addition of high yield hesperaloe pulp fibers surprisingly improves the CD Wet/Dry ratio without negatively affecting the absorbency of the tissue product. For example, tissue products of the present invention generally have an Absorbent Capacity greater than about 6.0 g/g, such as from about 8.0 to 8.0 g/g. As such the tissue products are durable when wet, but are still sufficiently absorbent. This balance of absorbency and wet strength is not found in the prior art without resorting to adding latex binders or the like to the tissue product.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2015
    Publication date: May 17, 2018
    Inventors: Thomas Gerard Shannon, Richard Louis Underhill, Kevin Leon LaBerge, John Matthew Reiser, Gilbert Darrell Gafford
  • Publication number: 20180135253
    Abstract: The present invention provides soft, durable and bulky tissue products comprising non-wood fibers and more particularly hesperaloe fiber. The inventors have discovered that high yield hesperaloe pulp fiber, when incorporated in amounts of at least about 5 percent by weight of the tissue product, produces products having a GMT less than about 1000 g/3? and a GM Slope less than about 7.0 kg. At the foregoing tensile strengths and modulus the tissue products of the present invention are also generally soft, such as having a Stiffness Index less than about 10.0, and more preferably less than about 9.0, such as from about 7.0 to about 9.0.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2015
    Publication date: May 17, 2018
    Inventors: Thomas Gerard Shannon, Richard Louis Underhill, Kevin Leon LaBerge, John Matthew Reiser, Gilbert Darrell Gafford