Seamless unitary deflection member for making fibrous structures having increased surface area and process for making same

• US 9,926,667 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2016
• Issued: 03/27/2018
• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): Halpern, Mark
• Application Number:
  US15/180,211
• Publication Number:
  US 20160369452A1
• Time in Patent Office: 652 Days
• Field of Search: 162362
• 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 can also have a reinforcing member and a plurality of protuberances positioned on the reinforcing member. Each protuberance can 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 comprising:

a. a fluid pervious reinforcing member;

b. a patterned framework comprising a plurality of regularly spaced protuberances extending from said reinforcing member, at least two of said protuberances being similar in size and shape, each said protuberance having a transition portion having a transition portion width and a forming portion having a forming portion width; and

c. wherein the transition portion width is less than the forming portion width;

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, egg-or pebble-shaped and combinations thereof.

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 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 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.

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

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

8. A seamless unitary deflection member, the seamless unitary deflection member being a seamless belt and comprising:

a. a fluid pervious reinforcing member;

b. a patterned framework comprising a plurality of regularly spaced protuberances extending from said reinforcing member, at least two of said protuberances being similar in size and shape, each said protuberance having a transition portion having a transition portion width and a forming portion having a forming portion width; and

c. wherein the transition portion width is less than the forming portion width;

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 key-hole-shaped, mushroom-shaped, circular, oval, egg- or pebble-shaped, and combinations thereof.

9. The deflection member of claim 8, wherein at least two of the plurality of regularly spaced protuberances are substantially identical in size and shape.

10. The deflection member of claim 8, wherein the at least two of said protuberances are adjacent one another and separated by a void defining a deflection conduit.