System and method for embossing a pattern on a consumer paper product

Abstract

An improved system for embossing a pattern on an absorbent consumer paper product such as a paper towel includes a first pair of embossing rollers that are patterned to impress a relatively fine preparatory base pattern onto the web, and a second pair of embossing rollers that are patterned to impress a final pattern onto the web. The final pattern is of a type that would cause bursting of the absorbent paper web if the absorbent paper web was passed through the second pair of embossing rollers without first being passed through the first set of embossing rollers. As a result, the formation of the preparatory base pattern by the first set of embossing rollers creates stretchability in the absorbent paper web that enables the final pattern to be impressed thereon by the second pair of embossing rollers without bursting the absorbent paper web.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.