Tissue paper and process of manufacture thereof

Claim 2

A strong, soft, absorbent paper web of papermaking fibers, said web being composed of first and second regions, said first region comprising a macroscopically monoplanar, patterned, continuous network having a high density and a low basis weight relative to said second region and said second region being composed of a high basis weight and plurality of discrete domes having low densities relative to said first region, essentially all of said domes being dispersed throughout, encompassed by, and isolated one from another by said network region.

Claim 3

A paper web according to claim 1 wherein the average density of said network region is from 0.400 to 0.800 gram per cubic centimeter and the average density of said danes is from 0.040 to 0.150 gram per cubic centimeter.

Claim 4

A paper web according to either one of claims 1 and 2 wherein the ratio of the average basis weight of said network region to the average basis weight of said dames is less than 1.0 and greater than 0.8.

Claim 5

A paper web according to any one of claims 1-3 wherein the perimeter of each of the majority of said domes defines a polygon having fewer than seven sides and wherein said domes are distributed in a repeating array.

Claim 6

A paper web according to any one of claims 1-3 wherein the perimeter of each of the majority of said domes defines a closed figure having nonlinear sides and wherein said domes are distributed in a repeating array.

Claim 7

A paper web according to either one of claims 4 and 5 wherein said repeating array is a bilaterally staggered array.

Claim 8

A paper web according to any one of claims 1-6 wherein the average length of said fibers in said danes is smaller than the average length of said fibers in said network region.

Claim 9

A paper web according to any one of claims 1-4, 6 and 7 wherein the perimeter of essentially each of said domes defines a polygon having six sides; the effective free span of each polygon being from 0.25 to 3.0 times the average length of said fibers; said domes being distributed in a bilaterally staggered array wherein the ratio of the diameter of the largest circle which can be inscribed in said polygon to the shorter of the distance between the center lines of two of said polygons adjacent in the machine direction and the distance between the center lines of two of said polygons adjacent the cross machine direction is from 0.45 to 0.95.

Claim 10

A process for making a strong, soft, absorbent, paper web comprising the steps of: (a) Providing an aqueous dispersion of papermaking fibers; (b) Forming an embryonic web of said papermaking fibers from said dispersion on a first foraminous member; (c). contacting said embryonic web with a second foraminous member whilst still being supported by said first foraminous member; (d) Transferring said embryonic web from said first foraminous member to said second foraminous member. (e) Removing water from said embryonic web on said second foraminous member to form an intermediate web. (f) Drying said intermediate web and; (g) Optionally foreshortening said dried web characterised in that said second foraminous member comprises an embryonic web-contacting surface comprising a macroscopically monoplanar, patterned, continuous network surface defining within said second foraminous member a plurality of discrete, isolated, deflection conduits; and in that the step of water removal from the embryonic web on said second foraminous member comprises deflecting said papermaking fibers in said embryonic web into said deflection conduits and removing water from said embryonic web through said conduits to form an intermediate web of said papermaking fibers under such conditions that said deflecting is initiated no later than the initiation of said water removal.

Claim 11

A process for making a strong, soft, absorbent, paper web comprising the steps of: (a) Providing an aqueous dispersion of papermaking fibers; (b) Forming an embryonic web of said papermaking fibers from said dispersion on a first foraminous member; (c). contacting said embryonic web with a second foraminous member whilst still being supported by said first foraminous member; (d) Transferring said embryonic web from said first foraminous member to said second foraminous member. (e) Removing water from said embryonic web on said second foraminous member to form an intermediate web. (f) Drying said intermediate web and; (g) Optionally foreshortening said dried web characterised in that said second foraminous member comprises an embryonic web-contacting surface comprising a macroscopically monoplanar, patterned, continuous network surface defining within said second foraminous member a plurality of discrete, isolated, deflection conduits; and in that the step of water removal from the embryonic web on said second foraminous member comprises deflecting said papermaking fibers in said embryonic web into said deflection conduits and removing water from said embryonic web through said conduits to form an intermediate web of said papermaking fibers under such conditions that said deflecting is initiated no later than the initiation of said water removal.

Claim 12

A process according to claim 9 wherein the perimeter of each of the majority of said deflection conduits defines a polygon having fewer than seven sides and wherein said deflection conduits are distributed in a repeating array.

Claim 13

A process according to claim 9 wherein the perimeter of each of the majority of said deflection conduits defines a closed figure having nonlinear sides and wherein said deflection conduits are distributed in a repeating array.

Claim 14

A process according to either one of claims 10 and 11 wherein said repeating array is a bilaterally staggered array.

Claim 15

A process according to any one of claims 9-12 wherein said water removal step also comprises: (1) Predrying said intermediate web to a consistency of from 25% to 98% to form a predried web of papermaking fibers; and (2) Impressing said network surface into said predried web by interposing said predried web between said second foraminous member and an impression surface and urging said second foraminous member and said impression surface together by applying force to at least one of said second foraminous member and said impression surface.

Claim 16

A process according to any one of claims 9-13 wherein said first foraminous member is operated at a linear surface velocity of from 7% to 30% faster than the linear surface velocity of said second foraminous member.