US4425126A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Fibrous material and method of making the same using thermoplastic synthetic wood pulp fibers
Assignee: Johnson and Johnson Consumer Inc
•
Filing: 1980-10-14
•
Granted: 1984-01-10
•
Expires: 2000-10-14
Abstract
Abstract A high loft, low density, nonwoven fibrous web is provided comprising a plurality of irregularly arranged, intersecting, overlapping, mechanically interengaged, loosely assembled fibers including both thermoplastic synthetic wood pulp fibers and other fibers, segments of the thermoplastic synthetic wood pulp fibers being heat fused at a plurality of junctures with segments of other thermoplastic synthetic wood pulp fibers and with segments of fibers of other types, with additional binder distributed throughout the web. The web is prepared by air-laying a blend of thermoplastic synthetic wood pulp fibers and other fibers applying heat without pressure to the air-laid blend to fuse at least some of the thermoplastic synthetic wood pulp fibers to each other and to some of the other fibers to form a self-supporting fibrous web, introducing a latex binder into the web and drying and curing the binder. This application relates to a high loft, low density, nonwoven fibrous material, such as an air-laid web or fabric, containing synthetic wood pulp fibers as one constituent thereof, and to a method of producing the same.
Inventors
- 👤 George A. M. Butterworth
- 👤 Robert T. Elias
- 👤 Wayne D. Miller
- 👤 Robert C. Shepherd
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 18:53
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61F; A61F13/00; A61F13/15; A61F13/53; A61B; A61B46/00; A61B46/40; A61F13/15203; A61F13/539; A61L; A61L15/00; A61L15/16; A61L15/22; A61L15/30; D; D04; D04H; D04H1/00; D04H1/40; D04H1/54; D21; D21H; D21H13/00; D21H13/10; D21H25/00; D21H27/00; D21H27/02; D21H5/00; D21H5/26; D21H5/265; D21H5/2657; A61F13/534; A61F2013/15008; A61F2013/15048; A61F2013/15073; A61F13/15577; A61F2013/15821; A61F2013/530131; A61F2013/530182; A61F2013/53445; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/24; Y10T428/24355; Y10T428/24446; Y10T428/24628; Y10T428/24669; Y10T428/24686; Y10T428/24802; Y10T428/24826; Y10T428/249921; Y10T428/249953; Y10T428/249961; Y10T428/249981; Y10T442/00; Y10T442/60; Y10T442/69
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 50
Claim 1
Independent Claim
265 words
A high loft, low density, nonwoven fibrous material containing thermoplastic synthetic wood pulp fibers, as one constituent thereof and fibrous material other than thermoplastic synthetic wood pulp fibers, said synthetic wood pulp fibers having a length and denier generally similar to natural wood pulp fibers, which comprises: a plurality of irregularly arranged, intersecting, overlapping, mechanically interengaged, loosely assembled fibers including both thermoplastic synthetic wood pulp fibers and fibers other than synthetic wood pulp fibers, said fibrous material contains generally in the range of about 10 percent to about 30 percent by weight of said synthetic wood pulp fibers, said other fibers having a melting point above that of the synthetic wood pulp fibers, the general orientation and arrangement of the fibers of said material being substantially the same in all directions across the material and substantially uniform from one boundary surface of the material to the other; segments of said synthetic wood pulp fibers having been heat fused in the absence of pressure at a plurality of junctures with segments of both said synthetic wood pulp fibers and said other fibers to form a self-supporting fibrous web in the absence of any additional binder; and said web having an additional binder distributed therein to bond fiber segments in contact with each other, whereby a stable bonded fibrous material is provided having good wet strength and delamination resistance, with substantially lower density and less shrinkage stiffness, harshness and evidence of web collapse than would be exhibited by a fibrous web formed of said other fibers alone and with its fibers bonded only by said additional binder.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
265 words
A high loft, low density, nonwoven fibrous material containing thermoplastic synthetic wood pulp fibers, as one constituent thereof and fibrous material other than thermoplastic synthetic wood pulp fibers, said synthetic wood pulp fibers having a length and denier generally similar to natural wood pulp fibers, which comprises: a plurality of irregularly arranged, intersecting, overlapping, mechanically interengaged, loosely assembled fibers including both thermoplastic synthetic wood pulp fibers and fibers other than synthetic wood pulp fibers, said fibrous material contains generally in the range of about 10 percent to about 30 percent by weight of said synthetic wood pulp fibers, said other fibers having a melting point above that of the synthetic wood pulp fibers, the general orientation and arrangement of the fibers of said material being substantially the same in all directions across the material and substantially uniform from one boundary surface of the material to the other; segments of said synthetic wood pulp fibers having been heat fused in the absence of pressure at a plurality of junctures with segments of both said synthetic wood pulp fibers and said other fibers to form a self-supporting fibrous web in the absence of any additional binder; and said web having an additional binder distributed therein to bond fiber segments in contact with each other, whereby a stable bonded fibrous material is provided having good wet strength and delamination resistance, with substantially lower density and less shrinkage stiffness, harshness and evidence of web collapse than would be exhibited by a fibrous web formed of said other fibers alone and with its fibers bonded only by said additional binder.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
18 words
The fibrous material of claim 1 in which said additional binder is distributed substantially throughout said fibrous material.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
38 words
The fibrous material of claim 1 in which portions of said additional binder overlie and supplement at least some of the junctures where segments of said synthetic wood pulp fiber segments are heat fused with other fiber segments.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
25 words
The fibrous material of claim 1 which includes a substantially uniform blend of said synthetic wood pulp fibers and said other fibers throughout the material.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
29 words
The fibrous material of claim 1 in which various zones oriented parallel to the median plane of the fibrous material contain different proportions of said synthetic wood pulp fibers.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
53 words
The fibrous material of claim 5 in which the concentration of said synthetic wood pulp fibers in said fibrous material is greater adjacent at least one external boundary surface of the material than in the midportion thereof lying between its two external boundary surface portions, whereby said material exhibits good resistance to abrasion.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
44 words
The fibrous material of claim 5 in which the concentration of said synthetic wood pulp fibers in said fibrous material is greater in its midportion in a region parallel to the median plane of the material, whereby said material exhibits good resistance to delamination.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
14 words
The fibrous material of claim 1 in which said other fibers are rayon fibers.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
14 words
The fibrous material of claim 1 in which said other fibers are polyester fibers.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
14 words
The fibrous material of claim 1 in which said other fibers are polypropylene fibers.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
21 words
The fibrous material of claim 9 in which said polyester fibers are substantially free of any curl along their longitudinal axes.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
43 words
The fibrous material of claim 1 which has been shrunk to reduce its length and to develop surface texture therein, whereby when said fibrous material is pulled back to its original length and released, it will return almost to its said reduced length.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
9 words
The fibrous material of claim 12 which is creped.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
9 words
The fibrous material of claim 12 which is micropleated.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
22 words
The fibrous material of claim 1 which contains no more than about 20 percent by weight of said synthetic wood pulp fibers.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
22 words
The fibrous material of claim 1 which contains no more than about 10 percent by weight of thermoplastic synthetic wood pulp fibers.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
34 words
The fibrous material of claim 1 in which said additional binder is a latex binder and is present in an amount equal to no more than about 6 percent by weight of said material.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
34 words
The fibrous material of claim 1 in which said additional binder is a latex binder and is present in an amount equal to no more than about 4 percent by weight of said material.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
34 words
The fibrous material of claim 1 in which said additional binder is a latex binder and is present in an amount equal to no more than about 2 percent by weight of said material.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
17 words
The fibrous material of claim 1 which includes both wettable and nonwettable thermoplastic synthetic wood pulp fibers.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
21 words
The fibrous material of claim 1 in which the only thermoplastic synthetic wood pulp fibers included in the material are nonwettable.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
28 words
The fibrous material of claim 1 in which all the fibers adjacent at least one external boundary surface of said material are nonwettable thermoplastic synthetic wood pulp fibers.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
59 words
In a diaper structure comprising a facing layer, an adsorbent batt and an impervious backing layer in which said facing layer and said backing sheet are outermost layers and said batt is positioned between said facing layer and said backing sheet, the improvement wherein said facing layer comprises the high loft, low density, nonwoven fibrous material of claim 1.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
27 words
The diaper structure of claim 23 wherein said facing layer comprises a substantially uniform blend of said synthetic wood pulp fibers and other fibers throughout the material.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
31 words
The diaper structure of claim 23 wherein, in said facing layer, various zones oriented parallel to the median plane of the layer contain different proportions of said synthetic wood pulp fibers.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
31 words
The fibrous material of claim 1 in which said binder is present in an amount in the range of about 2 percent to about 6 percent by weight of said material.
Claim 28
Independent Claim
288 words
A method of producing a high loft, low density, nonwoven fibrous material containing thermoplastic synthetic wood pulp fibers as one constituent thereof and fibrous material other than thermoplastic synthetic wood pulp fibers, said thermoplastic synthetic wood pulp fibers having a length and denier generally similar to natural wood pulp fibers, which comprises: applying heat in the absence of pressure to a starting layer of irregularly arranged, intersecting, overlapping, mechanically interengaged, loosely assembled fibers including both said synthetic wood pulp fibers and fibers other than synthetic wood pulp fibers, said fibrous material contains generally in the range of about 10 percent to about 30 percent by weight of said synthetic wood pulp fibers, the general orientation and arrangement of the fibers of said material being substantially the same in all directions across the material and substantially uniform from one boundary surface of the material to the other, said other fibers having a melting point, or degradation temperature, above that of the temperature of the synthetic wood pulp fibers, to fuse at least some of said synthetic wood pulp fibers to each other and to some of said other fibers and thereby form a self-supporting fibrous web in the absence of any additional binder which is resistant to web collapse during the subsequent bonding step; introducing a liquid binder into said fibrous web; and drying and curing said binder to bond fiber segments in contact with each other throughout the web to form a stable bonded fibrous material of good wet strength, abrasion resistance and delamination resistance with substantially lower density and less shrinkage stiffness and harshness than would be exhibited by a fibrous web formed of said other fibers alone and with its fibers bonded only by said binder.
Claim 29
Independent Claim
288 words
A method of producing a high loft, low density, nonwoven fibrous material containing thermoplastic synthetic wood pulp fibers as one constituent thereof and fibrous material other than thermoplastic synthetic wood pulp fibers, said thermoplastic synthetic wood pulp fibers having a length and denier generally similar to natural wood pulp fibers, which comprises: applying heat in the absence of pressure to a starting layer of irregularly arranged, intersecting, overlapping, mechanically interengaged, loosely assembled fibers including both said synthetic wood pulp fibers and fibers other than synthetic wood pulp fibers, said fibrous material contains generally in the range of about 10 percent to about 30 percent by weight of said synthetic wood pulp fibers, the general orientation and arrangement of the fibers of said material being substantially the same in all directions across the material and substantially uniform from one boundary surface of the material to the other, said other fibers having a melting point, or degradation temperature, above that of the temperature of the synthetic wood pulp fibers, to fuse at least some of said synthetic wood pulp fibers to each other and to some of said other fibers and thereby form a self-supporting fibrous web in the absence of any additional binder which is resistant to web collapse during the subsequent bonding step; introducing a liquid binder into said fibrous web; and drying and curing said binder to bond fiber segments in contact with each other throughout the web to form a stable bonded fibrous material of good wet strength, abrasion resistance and delamination resistance with substantially lower density and less shrinkage stiffness and harshness than would be exhibited by a fibrous web formed of said other fibers alone and with its fibers bonded only by said binder.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
44 words
The method of claim 27 in which said binder is added to said fibrous web in an amount in the range of about 2 percent to about 6 percent by weight of the bonded fibrous layer when said binder has been dried and cured.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method of claim 28 in which said binder is a latex binder and when it is introduced into said fibrous layer, it is distributed substantially throughout said layer.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method of claim 27 in which said starting fibrous layer includes a substantially uniform blend of said synthetic wood pulp fibers and said other fibers throughout the material.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 27 in which various zones of said fibrous starting layer oriented parallel to the median plane of the fibrous layer contain different proportions of said synthetic wood pulp fibers.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
46 words
The method of claim 31 in which the concentration of said synthetic wood pulp fibers in said starting layer of fibers is greater adjacent at least one external boundary surface thereof than in the midportion of the layer lying between its two external boundary surface portions.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
38 words
The method of claim 31 in which the concentration of said synthetic wood pulp fibers in said starting layer of fibers is greater in its midportion in a region parallel to the median plane of the starting layer.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 27 in which said other fibers are rayon fibers.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 27 in which said other fibers are polyester fibers.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 27 in which said other fibers are polyethylene fibers.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 35 in which said polyester fibers are prestabilized by removing any curl present therein before they are mixed with said synthetic wood pulp fibers and said mixture is heated.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
79 words
The method of claim 27 in which said self-supporting fibrous web is shrunk after its formation in the heating step and before the binder adding step as described in said claim, to reduce the length of said web and develop surface texture therein, whereby when the final fibrous material resulting from the completion of the method described in claim 1 is pulled back to its original length and then released, it will return almost to its said reduced length.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 38 in which said shrinking step is effected by a creping process.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 38 in which said shrinking step is effected by a micropleating process.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 27 in which said starting layer of fibers contains no more than about 20 percent by weight of said synthetic wood pulp fibers.
Claim 44
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 27 in which said starting layer of fibers contains no more than about 10 percent by weight of thermoplastic synthetic wood pulp fibers.
Claim 45
Dependent Claim
41 words
The method of claim 27 in which said binder is added to said fibrous web in an amount equivalent to no more than about 6 percent by weight of the bonded fibrous layer when said binder has been dried and cured.
Claim 46
Dependent Claim
41 words
The method of claim 27 in which said binder is added to said fibrous web in an amount equivalent to no more than about 4 percent by weight of the bonded fibrous layer when said binder has been dried and cured.
Claim 47
Dependent Claim
41 words
The method of claim 27 in which said binder is added to said fibrous web in an amount equivalent to no more than about 2 percent by weight of the bonded fibrous layer when said binder has been dried and cured.
Claim 48
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 27 in which said starting layer of fibers includes both wettable and nonwettable thermoplastic synthetic wood pulp fibers.
Claim 49
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 27 in which the only thermoplastic synthetic wood pulp fibers included in said starting layer of fibers are nonwettable.
Claim 50
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 27 in which all the fibers adjacent at least one external boundary surface of said starting layer are nonwettable thermoplastic synthetic wood pulp fibers.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1987-01-09 | 1987-07-11 | 1988-01-10 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1991-01-09 | 1991-07-11 | 1992-01-10 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1995-01-09 | 1995-07-11 | 1996-01-10 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |