Process for making unitary fibrous structure comprising randomly distributed cellulosic fibers and non-randomly distributed synthetic fibers

• US 7,067,038 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2003
• Issued: 06/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Original Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Inventors: Phan, Dean Van, Trokhan, Paul Dennis, Polat, Osman
• Primary Examiner(s): FORTUNA, JOSE A
• Application Number:
  US10/360,021
• Publication Number:
  US 20040154767A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,237 Days
• Field of Search: 162/141, 162/146, 1621571-1577, 162/109, 162/117, 162/123, 162204-207, 428/195, 428/156, 428153-154, 442/51, 442/54, 442/361, 442/374, 442/381, 442/385, 442/389, 442/390, 442/409, 442/415
• US Class Current: 162/109
• CPC Class Codes: D21F 11/006 Making patterned paper
• CPC Class Codes: D21H 13/10 Organic non-cellulose fibres
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24479 including variation in thickness

Abstract

A process for making a unitary fibrous structure comprises steps of: providing a fibrous web comprising a plurality of cellulosic fibers randomly distributed throughout the fibrous web and a plurality of synthetic fibers randomly distributed throughout the fibrous web; and causing co-joining of at least a portion of the synthetic fibers with the cellulosic fibers and the synthetic fibers, wherein the co-joining occurs in areas having a non-random and repeating pattern. A unitary fibrous structure comprises a plurality of cellulosic fibers randomly distributed throughout the fibrous structure, and a plurality of synthetic fibers distributed throughout the fibrous structure in a non-random repeating pattern. In another embodiment, a unitary fibrous structure comprises a plurality of cellulosic fibers randomly distributed throughout the fibrous structure, and a plurality of synthetic fibers randomly distributed throughout the fibrous structure, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of synthetic fibers comprises co-joined fibers, which are co-joined with the synthetic fibers and/or with the cellulosic fibers.

Claims

1. A process for making a unitary fibrous structure, comprising steps of:

providing a fibrous web comprising a plurality of cellulosic fibers randomly distributed throughout the fibrous web and a plurality of synthetic fibers randomly distributed throughout the fibrous web;

redistributing at least a portion of the synthetic fibers such that two or more regions of different basis weight of the synthetic fibers are formed in the fibrous web; and

densifying at least one of the regions that has a relatively high basis weight of synthetic fibers such that a unitary fibrous structure is formed.

2. The process of claim 1, wherein the step of redistributing comprises at least partial moving of the synthetic fibers.

3. The process of claim 1, wherein the step of redistributing comprises at least partial melting of the synthetic fibers.

4. The process of claim 1, further comprising steps of:

providing a microscopically monoplanar molding member comprising a plurality of fluid-permeable areas and a plurality of fluid-impermeable areas;

providing a drying surface structured to receive the fibrous web thereon;

disposing the fibrous web on the molding member in a face-to-face relation therewith;

transferring the fibrous web to the drying surface; and

heating the embryonic web with hot gas to a temperature sufficient to at least partially melt the synthetic fibers.

5. The process of claim 4, further comprising the step or impressing the web between the molding member and a pressing surface to densify portions of the embryonic web.

6. The process of claim 4, wherein in the step of providing a molding member, the molding member comprises a reinforcing element joined to the patterned framework in a face-to-face relation.

7. The process of claim 4, wherein the step of providing a molding member comprises providing a molding member comprising a patterned framework selected from the group consisting of a substantially continuous pattern, a substantially semi-continuous pattern, a discrete pattern, or any combination thereof.

8. The process of claim 4, wherein the step of providing an embryonic fibrous web comprises steps of:

providing an aqueous slurry comprising a plurality of cellulosic fibers mixed with a plurality of synthetic fibers;

providing a forming member structured to receive the aqueous slurry thereon;

depositing the aqueous slurry onto the forming member; and

partially dewatering the slurry to form to embryonic fibrous web comprising a plurality of cellulosic fibers randomly distributed throughout the web and a plurality of synthetic fibers randomly distributed throughout the web.

9. The process of claim 8, wherein the step of providing a forming member comprises providing a forming member comprising a discrete pattern of a plurality of protuberances joined to a fluid-permeable reinforcing element.

10. The process of claim 1, further comprising the step of causing co-joining of at least a portion of the synthetic fibers with the cellulosic fibers and the synthetic fibers wherein the co-joining occurs in areas having a non-random and repeating pattern.

11. The process of claim 1, wherein in the step of causing co-joining of the synthetic fibers with the cellulosic fibers and other synthetic fibers occurs in areas having a non-random repeating pattern, wherein the non-random repeating pattern is selected from a substantially continuous pattern, a substantially semi-continuous pattern, a discrete pattern, or any combination thereof.

12. The process of claim 1, wherein the step of causing co-joining of the synthetic fibers with the cellulosic and other synthetic fibers comprises heating the synthetic fibers.

13. A process for making a unitary fibrous structure, comprising steps of:

providing an aqueous slurry comprising a plurality of cellulosic fibers mixed with a plurality of synthetic fibers;

depositing the aqueous slurry on to a macroscopically monoplanar fluid-permeable forming member and partially dewatering the deposited slurry to form an embryonic web comprising a plurality of cellulosic fibers randomly distributed throughout the web and a plurality of synthetic fibers randomly distributed throughout the web;

transferring the embryonic web from to forming member to a microscopically monoplanar molding member comprising a non-random repeating pattern of a plurality of fluid-permeable areas and a plurality of fluid-impermeable areas, wherein the web disposed on the molding member comprises a first plurality of micro-regions corresponding to the plurality of fluid-permeable areas of the molding member and a second plurality of micro-regions corresponding to the plurality of fluid-impermeable areas of the molding member;

redistributing the synthetic fibers such that two or more regions of different basis weight of the synthetic fibers are formed in the fibrous web;

densifying at least one of the regions that has a relatively high basis weight of synthetic fibers such that a unitary fibrous structure is formed; and

heating at least one of the first plurality of micro-regions and the second plurality of micro-regions of the web to a temperature sufficient to cause at least partial melting of the synthetic fibers in at least one of the first plurality of micro-regions and the second plurality of micro-regions, thereby causing co-joining between the cellulosic fibers and the synthetic fibers in at least one of the first plurality of micro-regions and the second plurality of micro-regions.

14. The process of claim 13, further comprising a step of causing redistribution of at least a portion of the synthetic fibers in the embryonic web so that a substantial portion of the plurality of the synthetic fibers is distributed throughout the web in a non-random repeating pattern.