Process for making fibrous structures

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11326276-B2
Application number	US-201916702920-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 4, 2019
Priority date	Jul 17, 2007
Publication date	May 10, 2022
Grant date	May 10, 2022

Abstract

Processes for making fibrous structures and more particularly processes for making fibrous structures comprising filaments are provided.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A process for making a fibrous structure, the process comprising the steps of:
a. providing a die comprising three or more rows of three or more filament-forming holes;
b. supplying at least a first polymer to the die;
c. producing a plurality of filaments comprising the first polymer from the die;
d. combining the filaments with solid additives to form a mixture; and
e. collecting the mixture on a belt to produce a fibrous structure.

2. The process according to claim 1 wherein at least one row of the three or more rows comprises ten or more filament-forming holes.

3. The process according to claim 1 wherein one or more fluid-releasing holes are associated with a filament-forming hole.

4. The process according to claim 3 wherein more than one fluid-releasing holes is associated with a filament-forming hole.

5. The process according to claim 3 wherein at least one of the one or more fluid-releasing holes is concentrically positioned around one filament-forming hole.

6. The process according to claim 1 wherein the first polymer comprises a synthetic polymer.

7. The process according to claim 6 wherein the synthetic polymer is selected from the group consisting of: polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl alcohol derivatives, polyesters, nylons, polyolefins, polylactic acids, polyhydroxyalkanoates, polycaprolactones and mixtures thereof.

8. The process according to claim 7 wherein the synthetic polymer comprises a polyolefin.

9. The process according to claim 8 wherein the polyolefin comprises polypropylene.

10. The process according to claim 7 wherein the synthetic polymer is selected from the group consisting of: polylactic acids, polyhydroxyalkanoates, polycaprolactones and mixtures thereof.

11. The process according to claim 1 wherein the first polymer comprises a natural polymer.

12. The process according to claim 11 wherein the natural polymer is selected from the group consisting of: starch, starch derivatives, cellulose, cellulose derivatives, hemicellulose, hemicellulose derivatives and mixtures thereof.

13. The process according to claim 1 wherein the solid additives comprise fibers.

14. The process according to claim 13 wherein the fibers comprise wood pulp fibers.

15. The process according to claim 1 wherein the solid additives are combined with the plurality of filaments by a solid additive spreader.

16. The process according to claim 1 wherein the process further comprises the step of:
f. contacting a surface of the fibrous structure with a plurality of filaments comprising a second polymer.

17. The process according to claim 16 wherein the plurality of filaments comprising the second polymer are in the form of a second fibrous structure.

18. The process according to claim 16 wherein the second polymer is the same as the first polymer.

19. The process according to claim 3 wherein a fluid released by the fluid-releasing holes comprises air.

20. The process according to claim 1 wherein the fibrous structure exhibits a pore volume distribution such that greater than about 40% of the total pore volume present in the fibrous structure exists in pores of radii of from about 121 μm to about 200 μm.

21. The process according to claim 1 wherein the process further comprises the step of subjecting the fibrous structure to a thermal bonding operation.

22. The process according to claim 1 wherein the process is directly coupled to a post-processing operation.

23. The process according to claim 1 wherein the process is closely coupled to a post-processing operation.

24. A process for making a fibrous structure, the process comprising the steps of:
a. providing a die comprising three or more rows of three or more filament-forming holes;
b. supplying a polyolefin polymer to the die;
c. producing a plurality of filaments comprising the polyolefin polymer from the die;
d. combining the filaments with wood pulp fibers to form a mixture; and
e. collecting the mixture on a belt to produce a fibrous structure.

Assignees

• Procter & Gamble

Inventors

• Barnholtz Steven Lee
• Trokhan Paul Dennis
• Suer Michael Donald
• Barkey Douglas Jay
• Brennan Jonathan Paul
• Gorley Ronald Thomas

Classifications

• D04H1/425

  Cellulose series · CPC title

• D10B2201/22

  made from cellulose solutions · CPC title

• D01D5/0985 Primary

  by means of a flowing gas (e.g. melt-blowing) · CPC title

• D04H5/06

  strengthened or consolidated by welding-together thermoplastic fibres, filaments, or yarns · CPC title

• D10B2321/06

  polymers of unsaturated alcohols, e.g. polyvinyl alcohol, or of their acetals or ketals · CPC title