Disposable article with enhanced texture

Details Disposable article with enhanced texture Disposable article with enhanced texture

2001-09-20

2004-04-06

Cole, Elizabeth M. (Department: 1771)

Stock material or miscellaneous articles

Structurally defined web or sheet

Continuous and nonuniform or irregular surface on layer or...

C428S167000, C428S198000, C428S211100

Reexamination Certificate

active

06716514

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is related to disposable consumer articles, and more particularly to disposable articles having distinct regions of increased caliper, and methods for their manufacture.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Disposable articles are well known in the art. Such articles typically have a substrate that includes one or more materials or plies. The examples of such articles include toilet tissue Charmin® and paper towel Bounty®, both produced and sold by the current assignee. The substrate can be pre-moistened with a wetting agent prior to use, or alternatively, can be combined with a liquid at the point of use.
Desirable features of such articles include texture, caliper (thickness) and bulk (volume per unit weight). A relatively high value of texture is desirable for aiding in cleaning of surfaces. Relatively high values of caliper and bulk are desirable for providing volume in the article for receiving and containing liquids.
One method of imparting texture and bulk to an article is by combining plies having different properties. U.S. Pat. No. 4,469,735 issued Sep. 4, 1984 to Trokhan discloses a multiple ply tissue paper product having a wet microcontracted constraining paper ply and a dry creped constrained paper ply. Portions of the constrained ply are adhered to the constraining ply. When the multiple ply product is wetted, unadhered portions of the constrained ply pucker in the Z-direction to provide texture and bulk. While the structure in U.S. Pat. No. 4,469,735 provides the advantage of texture and bulk upon wetting, it requires the use of wet microcontraction procedures on a paper machine.
Other methods of increasing bulk and texture are known, such as embossing, creping, and laminating multiple plies of embossed, creped paper. However, these methods are limited by the amount caliper can be increased without degrading other material properties such as wet/dry strength or softness. Individual plies can generally only be mechanically deformed a certain amount before the integrity of the substrate is compromised or the aesthetic and tactile properties degraded.
Therefore, known methods of increasing caliper and texture generally rely on an article structure having more than one ply or a ply with differential wet extensibility providing for increased wet caliper.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a single- or multi-ply disposable article that exhibits regions of increased caliper without costly material and manufacturing costs associated with embossing, laminating, and similar processes.
Additionally, it would be desirable to provide a single- or multi-ply disposable having a surface topography with significant differences in maximum and minimum calipers measured within the same web.
Additionally, it would be desirable to provide a multi-ply disposable article wherein the plies have differential extensibility after wetting.
Further, it would be desirable to provide a multi-ply disposable article wherein the plies have substantially equal extensibility after wetting.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A disposable fibrous article comprises at least one foreshortened, wet-extensible ply having a surface topography exhibiting regions of minimum and maximum calipers and a coating bonded to the at least one foreshortened ply. The coating defines bonded regions and a plurality of unbonded regions in the at least one foreshortened ply. The regions of minimum and maximum calipers comprise creping ridges oriented in a first direction. The minimum caliper is coincident the bonded regions. The coating comprises a plurality of mutually parallel lines of adhesive extending in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction. One or more plies can be apertured. The plies can have differential extensibility or substantially equal extensibility. A ratio of wet caliper to dry caliper can be greater than at least 1.1.


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