Textured cellulosic wet wipes

• US 7,867,362 B2
• Filed: 04/21/2008
• Issued: 01/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide Incorporated (Kimberly-Clark Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide Incorporated (Kimberly-Clark Corporation)
• Inventors: Sherman, Crystal Espinoza, Allen, Peter John
• Primary Examiner(s): FORTUNA, JOSE A
• Application Number:
  US12/148,624
• Publication Number:
  US 20080196849A1
• Time in Patent Office: 995 Days
• Field of Search: 162/109, 162/117, 162/158, 162123-133, 162/204, 428/121, 428/126, 428/156, 428/172, 221/33, 221 45- 50, 221/56, 221/63, 221/303, 206/205, 206209-210, 206/494, 206/449, 206/554, 206/293, 206/812, 206/233, 493356-357, 424402-404, 383/211
• US Class Current: 162/123
• CPC Class Codes: D21H 21/20 Wet strength agents
• CPC Class Codes: D21H 27/38 at least one of the sheets having a fibrous composition differing from that of other sheets

Abstract

Wet wipes are made from a highly-textured basesheet of cellulose papermaking fibers bonded together with a permanent wet strength agent. The resulting wet wipes can have high wet bulk, good wet strength and can be easily dispensed and fully-opened with one hand.

Claims

1. A wet wipe product comprising a stack of perpendicularly-folded wet wipes within a reach-in container, each of said wet wipes comprising an uncreped through-air-dried tissue sheet having a specific surface volume ratio of about 0.25 or greater and containing from about 80 to 100 dry weight percent cellulose papermaking fibers bonded together with a permanent wet strength agent and from about 50 to about 700 weight percent of a wiping solution, wherein said product has a Normalized Dispensing Efficiency of about 70 percent or greater.

2. The wet wipe product of claim 1 wherein the wet wipes are quarter-folded.

3. The wet wipe product of claim 1 wherein the wet wipes are c-folded and quarter-folded.

4. The wet wipe product of claim 1 wherein the wet wipes are z-folded and quarter-folded.

5. The wet wipe product of claim 1 wherein the wet wipes have an unfolded size of about 60 square inches or greater and the stack of folded wet wipes has a footprint of about 50 square inches or less.

6. The wet wipe product of claim 1 wherein the wet wipes have an unfolded size of from about 60 to about 200 square inches and the stack of folded wet wipes has a footprint of from about 15 to about 50 square inches.

7. The wet wipe product of claim 1 wherein the stack of folded wet wipes has a square footprint.

8. The wet wipe product of claim 1 wherein the wet wipes have a dry geometric mean tensile strength of about 5000 grams or greater per 3 inches of width.

9. The wet wipe product of claim 1 wherein the wet wipes have a wet geometric mean tensile strength of about 1500 grams or greater per 3 inches of width.

10. The wet wipe product of claim 1 wherein the wet wipes have a wet sheet caliper of about 0.5 millimeter or greater.

11. The wet wipe product of claim 1 wherein the sheet contains from about 90 to 100 dry weight percent cellulose fibers.

12. The wet wipe product of claim 1 wherein the sheet contains from about 95 to 100 dry weight percent cellulose fibers.

13. The wet wipe product of claim 1 wherein the wet wipes have a wet sheet caliper of about 1.0 millimeter or greater.

14. The wet wipe product of claim 1 wherein the wet wipes have a wet sheet caliper of about 1.2 millimeters or greater.

15. The wet wipe product of claim 1 wherein the wet wipes have a wet sheet caliper of from about 1.0 to about 2.0 millimeters.

16. The wet wipe product of claim 1 wherein the wet wipes have a specific surface volume ratio of about 0.35 or greater.

17. The wet wipe product of claim 1 wherein the wet wipes have a specific surface volume ratio of from about 0.45 to about 0.7.

18. The wet wipe product of claim 1 wherein the wet wipes have a wet tensile energy absorbed of about 20 gram-centimeters per square centimeter or greater.

19. The wet wipe product of claim 1 wherein the wet wipes have a wet tensile energy absorbed of about 30 gram-centimeters per square centimeter or greater.

20. The wet wipe product of claim 1 wherein the wet wipes have a wet tensile energy absorbed of from about 20 to about 50 gram-centimeters per square centimeter or greater.

21. The wet wipe product of claim 1 wherein the wet wipes have a wet tensile energy absorbed of about 30 to about 40 gram-centimeters per square centimeter or greater.

22. The wet wipe product of claim 1 wherein the wet wipes have a wet geometric mean tear strength of about 120 grams or less.

23. The wet wipe product of claim 1 wherein the wet wipes have a wet geometric mean tear strength of about 100 grams or less.

24. The wet wipe product of claim 1 wherein the wet wipes have a wet geometric mean tear strength of from about 40 to about 120 grams.

25. The wet wipe product of claim 1 wherein the wet wipes have a wet geometric mean tear strength of from about 40 to about 100 grams.

26. The wet wipe product of claim 1 wherein the wet wipes have a wet sheet bulk of about 10 cubic centimeters or greater per gram.

27. The wet wipe product of claim 1 wherein the wet wipes have a wet sheet bulk of from about 10 to about 35 cubic centimeters or greater per gram.

28. The wet wipe product of claim 1 having a Normalized Dispensing Efficiency of about 80 percent or greater.

29. The wet wipe product of claim 1 wherein the wet wipes have a vertical absorbent capacity of about 6.0 grams of water or greater per gram of fiber.

30. The wet wipe product of claim 1 wherein the sheet comprises two outer layers and one or more inner layers, wherein the outer layers are primarily softwood fibers.

31. A wet wipe product comprising a stack of perpendicularly-folded highly-textured wet wipes within a reach-in container, each of said wet wipes having a specific surface volume ratio of about 0.25 or greater and containing from about 50 to about 700 weight percent of a wiping solution, wherein said product has a Normalized Dispensing Efficiency of about 70 percent or greater.

32. The wet wipe of claim 31 having a specific surface volume ratio of about 0.25 or greater.

33. The wet wipe of claim 31 having a specific surface volume ratio of about 0.35 or greater.

34. The wet wipe of claim 31 having a specific surface volume ratio of from about 0.45 to about 0.7.