Seamless Unitary Deflection Member for Making Fibrous Structures Having Increased Surface Area and Process for Making Same

• US 20190330799A1
• Filed: 07/05/2019
• Published: 10/31/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Original Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Inventors: Manifold, John Allen, Brent, JR., John Leslie, Singer, James Michael
• Granted Patent: US 10,900,171 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: D21F 1/009 Fibre-rearranging devices
• CPC Class Codes: D21F 11/006 Making patterned paper

Abstract

A seamless unitary deflection member. The seamless unitary deflection member can have a backside defining an X-Y plane and a thickness in a Z-direction. The seamless unitary deflection member may also have a reinforcing member and a plurality of protuberances positioned on the reinforcing member. Each protuberance may have a three-dimensional shape such that any cross-sectional area of the protuberance parallel to the X-Y plane can have an equal or lesser area than any cross-sectional area of the protuberance being a greater distance from the X-Y plane in the Z-direction.

Claims

1. A seamless unitary deflection member, the seamless unitary deflection member being a seamless belt and having a backside defining an X-Y plane and a thickness in a Z-direction, and further comprising a reinforcing member and a plurality of protuberances positioned on the reinforcing member, wherein each protuberance has a three-dimensional shape such that at least one cross-sectional area of the protuberance parallel to the X-Y plane has a lesser area than any cross-sectional area of the protuberance being a greater distance from the X-Y plane in the Z-direction.

2. The deflection member of claim 1, wherein the at least two of said protuberances are adjacent one another and separated by a void defining a deflection conduit.

3. The deflection member of claim 1, wherein said plurality of regularly spaced protuberances are linear segments spaced apart in either the MD or CD.

4. The deflection member of claim 1, wherein said plurality of regularly spaced protuberances are generally parallel linear segments oriented predominantly in the MD or CD.

5. The deflection member of claim 1, wherein said plurality of regularly spaced protuberances are linear segments, the linear segments having a cross-sectional shape, the cross-sectional shape being selected from smooth rounded, pointed, ridged, and stepped, multilevel.

6. The deflection member of claim 1, wherein said plurality of regularly spaced protuberances are linear segments, the linear segments having a cross-sectional shape, the cross-sectional shape being selected from key-hole-shaped, mushroom-shaped, circular, oval, inverted triangle, T-shaped, inverted L-shaped, egg- or pebble-shaped and combinations thereof.

7. The deflection member of claim 1, wherein the plurality of regularly spaced protuberances are disposed in a regular, spaced apart configuration of discrete units in an X-Y plane and distributed in both the MD and CD in a regular, spaced pattern.

8. The deflection member of claim 1, wherein the plurality of regularly spaced protuberances are discrete units disposed in a regular, spaced apart configuration in both the MD and CD, each discrete unit having a cross-sectional shape, the cross-sectional shape being selected from smooth rounded, pointed, ridged, and stepped, multilevel.

9. The deflection member of claim 1, wherein said plurality of regularly spaced protuberances are discrete units disposed in a regular, spaced apart configuration in both the MD and CD, each discrete unit having a cross-sectional shape, the cross-sectional shape being selected from key-hole-shaped, mushroom-shaped, circular, oval, inverted triangle, T-shaped, inverted L-shaped, egg- or pebble-shaped and combinations thereof.

10. The deflection member of claim 1, wherein the framework is a semi-continuous framework.

11. The deflection member of claim 1, wherein at least two of the plurality of regularly spaced protuberances are substantially identical in size and shape.