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).
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Patent number: 10914039Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: December 2, 2019Date of Patent: February 9, 2021Assignee: KIMBERLY-CLARK WORLDWIDE, INC.Inventors: Thomas Gerard Shannon, Richard Louis Underhill, Kevin Leon LaBerge, John Matthew Reiser, Gilbert Darrell Gafford
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Publication number: 20200115853Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: December 2, 2019Publication date: April 16, 2020Inventors: Thomas Gerard Shannon, Richard Louis Underhill, Kevin Leon LaBerge, John Matthew Reiser, Gilbert Darrell Gafford
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Patent number: 10550522Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: October 29, 2018Date of Patent: February 4, 2020Assignee: KIMBERLY-CLARK WORLDWIDE, INC.Inventors: Thomas Gerard Shannon, Richard Louis Underhill, Kevin Leon LaBerge, John Matthew Reiser, Gilbert Darrell Gafford
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Patent number: 10519601Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: October 29, 2018Date of Patent: December 31, 2019Assignee: KIMBERLY-CLARK WORLDWIDE, INC.Inventors: Thomas Gerard Shannon, Richard Louis Underhill, Kevin Leon LaBerge, John Matthew Reiser, Gilbert Darrell Gafford
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Publication number: 20190100883Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: October 29, 2018Publication date: April 4, 2019Inventors: Thomas Gerard Shannon, Richard Louis Underhill, Kevin Leon LaBerge, John Matthew Reiser, Gilbert Darrell Gafford
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Publication number: 20190100878Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: October 29, 2018Publication date: April 4, 2019Inventors: Thomas Gerard Shannon, Richard Louis Underhill, Kevin Leon LaBerge, John Matthew Reiser, Gilbert Darrell Gafford
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Patent number: 10145069Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: May 29, 2015Date of Patent: December 4, 2018Assignee: KIMBERLY-CLARK WORLDWIDE, INC.Inventors: Thomas Gerard Shannon, Richard Louis Underhill, Kevin Leon LaBerge, John Matthew Reiser, Gilbert Darrell Gafford
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Patent number: 10145066Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: May 29, 2015Date of Patent: December 4, 2018Assignee: KIMBERLY-CLARK WORLDWIDE, INC.Inventors: Thomas Gerard Shannon, Richard Louis Underhill, Kevin Leon LaBerge, John Matthew Reiser, Gilbert Darrell Gafford
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Publication number: 20180135249Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: May 29, 2015Publication date: May 17, 2018Inventors: Thomas Gerard Shannon, Richard Louis Underhill, Kevin Leon LaBerge, John Matthew Reiser, Gilbert Darrell Gafford
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Publication number: 20180135253Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: May 29, 2015Publication date: May 17, 2018Inventors: Thomas Gerard Shannon, Richard Louis Underhill, Kevin Leon LaBerge, John Matthew Reiser, Gilbert Darrell Gafford