US 5,503,715 A · Method and apparatus for making cellulosic fibrous structures by selectively obturated drainage and cellulosic fibrous structures produced thereby

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a cellulosic fibrous structure having multiple regions distinguished from one another by basis weight. The structure is a paper having an essentially continuous high basis weight network, and discrete regions of low basis weight which circumscribe discrete regions of intermediate basis weight. The cellulosic fibers forming the low basis weight regions may be radially oriented relative to the centers of the regions. The paper may be formed by using a forming belt having zones with different flow resistances. The basis weight of a region of the paper is generally inversely proportional to the flow resistance of the zone of the forming belt, upon which such region was formed. The zones of different flow resistances provide for selectively draining a liquid carrier having suspended cellulosic fibers through the different zones of the forming belt.

Claims4

Dependent claims

An apparatus in the forming section of a papermaking machine for forming a macroscopically planar cellulosic fibrous structure having regions of at least three mutually different basis weights disposed in a nonrandom repeating pattern, said apparatus comprising:

a liquid pervious fiber retentive forming element having zones through which a liquid carrying the cellulosic fibers may drain;
and
a means for retaining the cellulosic fibers on said forming element in a nonrandom repeating pattern of three regions having three different basis weights, wherein said retaining means comprises zones of different hydraulic radii through which said liquid carrying said cellulosic fibers may drain to dispose said fibers in a relatively high basis weight region comprising an essentially continuous network;
a relatively low basis weight region being circumscribed by said high basis weight region;
and a region of intermediate basis weight relative to the basis weights of said high basis weight region and said low basis weight regions, said intermediate basis weight region being circumscribed by said high basis weight region and being juxtaposed with said low basis weight region, the pattern of said regions corresponding to the zones of different hydraulic radii in said retaining means.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and apparatus for making cellulosic fibrous structures by selectively obturated drainage and cellulosic fibrous structures produced thereby

Life of this patent

Method and apparatus for making cellulosic fibrous structures by selectively obturated drainage and cellulosic fibrous structures produced thereby

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims4