Deflecting member for making fibrous structures

• US 10,676,865 B2
• Filed: 10/26/2017
• Issued: 06/09/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Original Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Inventors: Brent, Jr., John Leslie, Singer, James Michael, Manifold, John Allen
• Primary Examiner(s): Hug, Eric
• Application Number:
  US15/794,025
• Publication Number:
  US 20180119347A1
• Time in Patent Office: 957 Days
• Field of Search: 162109-117, 162280, 162296, 162348, 1623582, 162361, 162362, 162900, 162902, 162903
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 3/16 secured to a flexible backing
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 3/263 characterised by a layer having non-uniform thickness
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 3/266 characterised by an apertured layer, the apertures going through the whole thickness of the layer, e.g. expanded metal, perforated layer, slit layer regular cells B32B3/12
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 3/30 characterised by a layer formed with recesses or projections, e.g. hollows, grooves, protuberances, ribs apertured layer B32B3/266; layer with cavities or internal voids B32B3/26
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 7/04 Interconnection of layers
• CPC Class Codes: D03D 1/0094 Belts D03D1/0005 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: D03D 25/005 Three-dimensional woven fabrics
• CPC Class Codes: D21F 1/0036 Multi-layer screen-cloths
• CPC Class Codes: D21F 1/0063 Perforated sheets
• CPC Class Codes: D21F 1/009 Fibre-rearranging devices
• CPC Class Codes: D21F 11/006 Making patterned paper
• CPC Class Codes: D21F 11/145 including a through-drying process
• CPC Class Codes: D21F 5/181 on Yankee cylinder
• CPC Class Codes: D21F 7/08 Felts

Abstract

A deflection member that includes a reinforcing member and a plurality of tiles fastened to the reinforcing member.

Claims

1. A deflection member, the deflection member being a continuous belt and comprising:

a. a fluid pervious reinforcing member, the reinforcing member comprising woven filaments; and

,

b. a patterned framework comprising a plurality of tiles fastened to the reinforcing member by one or more fastening element, the tiles comprising regularly spaced protuberances extending in a Z-direction;

wherein a first tile of the plurality of tiles comprises a first protuberance, and a second tile of the plurality of tiles comprises a second protuberance, wherein the first protuberance and the second protuberance combine to form a combined protuberance when the first tile and the second tile are fastened to the reinforcing member adjacent to each other.

2. The deflection member of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of tiles has a single tessellating shape, wherein the plurality of tiles are fastened to the reinforcing member to form a patterned framework in a tessellating pattern.

3. The deflection member of claim 1, wherein one or more of the plurality of tiles has a first shape, and one or more of the plurality of tiles has a second shape, and the plurality of tiles are fastened to the reinforcing member to form a patterned framework in a tessellating pattern.

4. The deflection member of claim 1, wherein the patterned framework has no gap between adjacent tiles.

5. The deflection member of claim 1, wherein the patterned framework has less than about 3 mm of distance between adjacent tiles.

6. The deflection member of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of tiles comprises deflection conduits.

7. The deflection member of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of tiles is additively manufactured.