Patent US4725473A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US4725473A
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Cloth-like, liquid impervious composite material and method for making the same
Assignee: Kimberly Clark Worldwide Inc
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Filing: 1986-11-25
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Granted: 1988-02-16
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Expires: 2006-11-25
Abstract
Abstract The cloth-like, liquid impervious composite material is made by applying a nonwoven layer of loose, unadhered fibers to a liquid impervious film, and then point-bonding the nonwoven layer to the liquid impervious film to form discrete points of adhesion between the fibers and film. Because the fibers in the nonwoven layer are loose and unadhered when applied to the film, the resulting composite material has improved loft and softness. Also, when the composite material is elasticized by an elastic material, it gathers into a more pleasing appearance.
Inventors
- 👤 Paul T. Van Gompel
- 👤 Karen M. B. Yaccarino
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 11:16
CPC Classifications
B; B32; B32B; B32B27/00; B32B27/12; A; A61; A61F; A61F13/00; A61F13/15; A61F13/51; A61F13/514; A61F13/51456; A61F13/51464; A61F13/51474; A61F13/51478; A61F13/5148; B32B5/00; B32B5/02; B32B5/022; B32B5/06; B32B7/00; B32B7/04; B32B7/05; A61F13/15577; A61F2013/15821; A61F13/51401; A61F2013/51409; A61F2013/51441; A61F2013/51486; A61F2013/51492; A61F13/53; A61F13/534; A61F2013/53445; A61F13/539; A61F2013/5395; B32B2262/00; B32B2262/02; B32B2262/0253; B32B2262/0276; B32B2307/00; B32B2307/70; B32B2307/726; B32B2307/7265; B32B2310/00; B32B2310/028; B32B2555/00; B32B2555/02; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S428/00; Y10S428/903; Y10T; Y10T156/00; Y10T156/10; Y10T156/1002; Y10T156/1007; Y10T156/1023; Y10T156/1039; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/24; Y10T428/24479; Y10T428/24595; Y10T428/24603; Y10T428/24612; Y10T428/24802; Y10T428/24826; Y10T428/26; Y10T428/266; Y10T428/27; Y10T428/273; Y10T442/00; Y10T442/60; Y10T442/69; Y10T442/696
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 39
Claim 1
Independent Claim
84 words
A method for making a cloth-like, liquid impervious composite material, comprising the steps of: providing a liquid impervious film as a carrier sheet, depositing loose, unadhered fibers that are free of any bonding between individual fibers to the liquid impervious film to form a cloth-like nonwoven surface thereon, and point-bonding the deposited loose, unadhered fibers to the liquid impervious film to form discrete points of bonding between the fibers and film, thereby forming a cloth-like liquid impervious composite material having good loft and softness.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
84 words
A method for making a cloth-like, liquid impervious composite material, comprising the steps of: providing a liquid impervious film as a carrier sheet, depositing loose, unadhered fibers that are free of any bonding between individual fibers to the liquid impervious film to form a cloth-like nonwoven surface thereon, and point-bonding the deposited loose, unadhered fibers to the liquid impervious film to form discrete points of bonding between the fibers and film, thereby forming a cloth-like liquid impervious composite material having good loft and softness.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the step of point-bonding is performed by an ultrasonic bonding device.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the step of point-bonding is performed by a pair of thermal embossing rolls, one of the rolls having a pattern of discrete upstanding bond points thereon.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
54 words
The method of claim 3 wherein said one roll is maintained at a temperature between about 100° F. to about 300° F., and the other roll is maintained at a temperature between about 100° F. to about 225° F., and the nip pressure between the rolls is between about 0 to about 80 psi.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
51 words
The method of claim 4 wherein the temperature of said one roll is preferably between about 175° F. to about 275° F., the temperature of the other roll is preferably between about 125° F. to about 175° F., and the nip pressure is preferably between about 5 to about 40 psi.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
51 words
The method of claim 5 wherein the temperature of said one roll is optimally between about 200° F. to about 250° F., the temperature of the other roll is optimally between about 140° F. to about 160° F., and the nip pressure is optimally between about 10 to about 20 psi.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the step of point-bonding is performed by a print adhesive roll.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the step of point-bonding is performed by a pair of embossing rolls, one of the rolls having a pattern of powder binding agent thereon.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the loose, unadhered fibers are made of a polymeric material.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 9 wherein the polymeric material is polypropylene, polyethylene, polyester, or blends thereof.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
11 words
The method of claim 10 wherein the polymeric material includes chisso.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the loose, unadhered films are made of a copolymeric material.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
71 words
A cloth-like, liquid impervious composite material made by the method comprising the steps of: providing a liquid impervious film as a carrier sheet, depositing loose, unadhered fibers that are free of any bonding between individual fibers to the liquid impervious film to form a cloth-like nonwoven surface thereon, and point-bonding the deposited loose, unadhered fibers to the liquid impervious film to form discrete points of bonding between the fibers and film.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
71 words
A cloth-like, liquid impervious composite material made by the method comprising the steps of: providing a liquid impervious film as a carrier sheet, depositing loose, unadhered fibers that are free of any bonding between individual fibers to the liquid impervious film to form a cloth-like nonwoven surface thereon, and point-bonding the deposited loose, unadhered fibers to the liquid impervious film to form discrete points of bonding between the fibers and film.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
15 words
The composite material of claim 13 wherein the point-bonding is performed by an ultrasonic device.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
31 words
The composite material of claim 13 wherein the point-bonding is performed by a pair of thermal embossing rolls, one of the rolls having a pattern of discrete upstanding bond points thereon.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
16 words
The composite material of claim 13 wherein the point-bonding is performed by a print adhesive roll.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
25 words
The composite material of claim 13 wherein the deposited fibers as a nonwoven layer have a basis weight between about 10 to about 50 gsm.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
21 words
The composite material of claim 17 wherein the nonwoven layer basis weight is preferably between about 15 to about 30 gsm.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
21 words
The composite material of claim 18 wherein the nonwoven layer basis weight is optimally between about 20 to about 25 gsm.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
19 words
The composite material of claim 13 wherein the film has a thickness between about 0.3 to about 6.0 mils.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
19 words
The composite material of claim 20 wherein the film thickness is preferably between about 0.3 to about 2.0 mils.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
19 words
The composite material of claim 21 wherein the film thickness is optimally between about 0.5 to about 1.0 mils.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
112 words
A cloth-like, liquid impervious composite material, comprising: a liquid impervious film having opposite surfaces, loose, unadhered fibers disposed on one of said surfaces to provide a cloth-like nonwoven layer on said one surface, and a plurality of bond points discretely bonding points of said liquid impervious material to respective points said nonwoven layer, each said bond point having an area between about 0.05 to about 1.5 mm 2 , said bond points being individually spaced apart between about 0.5 to about 4.0 mm, said bond points having a cumulative area between about 5% to about 50% of the area of mutually facing surfaces of said liquid impervious film and said nonwoven layer.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
112 words
A cloth-like, liquid impervious composite material, comprising: a liquid impervious film having opposite surfaces, loose, unadhered fibers disposed on one of said surfaces to provide a cloth-like nonwoven layer on said one surface, and a plurality of bond points discretely bonding points of said liquid impervious material to respective points said nonwoven layer, each said bond point having an area between about 0.05 to about 1.5 mm 2 , said bond points being individually spaced apart between about 0.5 to about 4.0 mm, said bond points having a cumulative area between about 5% to about 50% of the area of mutually facing surfaces of said liquid impervious film and said nonwoven layer.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
61 words
The composite material of claim 23 wherein each said bond point area is preferably between about 0.09 to about 0.56 mm 2 , said bond points are individually spaced apart preferably between about 0.90 to about 1.50 mm, and said bond points have a cumulative area preferably between about 5% to about 30% of the area of said mutually facing surfaces.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
58 words
The composite material of claim 24 wherein each said bond point area is optimally between about 0.15 to about 0.30 mm 2 , said bond points are individually spaced apart optimally between about 1.1 to about 1.30 mm, and said bond points have a cumulative area optimally between about 8% to about 15% of said mutually facing surfaces.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
18 words
The composite material of claim 23 wherein said film has a thickness between 0.3 to about 6.0 mils.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
19 words
The composite material of claim 26 wherein said film thickness is preferably between about 0.3 to about 2.0 mils.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
19 words
The composite material of claim 27 wherein said film thickness is optimally between about 0.4 to about 1.0 mils.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
21 words
The composite material of claim 23 wherein said nonwoven layer has a basis weight between about 10 to about 50 gsm.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
21 words
The composite material of claim 29 wherein said nonwoven layer basis weight is preferably between about 15 to about 30 gsm.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
21 words
The composite material of claim 30 wherein said nonwoven layer basis weight is optimally between about 20 to about 25 gsm.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
15 words
The composite material of claim 23 wherein said film is made of a polymeric material.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
17 words
The composite material of claim 23 wherein said loose, unadhered fibers are made of a polymeric material.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
18 words
The composite material of claim 33 wherein said fiber polymeric material is polypropylene, polyethylene, polyester, or blends thereof.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
13 words
The composite material of claim 34 wherein said fiber polymeric material includes chisso.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
15 words
The composite material of claim 23 wherein said film is made of a copolymeric material.
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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) | 1991-02-15 | 1991-08-17 | 1992-02-16 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1995-02-15 | 1995-08-17 | 1996-02-16 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1999-02-15 | 1999-08-17 | 2000-02-16 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |