CA2049552A1 - Embossed facial tissue - Google Patents

Embossed facial tissue

Info

Publication number
CA2049552A1
CA2049552A1 CA 2049552 CA2049552A CA2049552A1 CA 2049552 A1 CA2049552 A1 CA 2049552A1 CA 2049552 CA2049552 CA 2049552 CA 2049552 A CA2049552 A CA 2049552A CA 2049552 A1 CA2049552 A1 CA 2049552A1
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
ply
facial tissue
plies
basesheet
embossing pattern
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Abandoned
Application number
CA 2049552
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Kathleen Lynne Popp
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Kimberly Clark Corp
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Publication of CA2049552A1 publication Critical patent/CA2049552A1/en
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B31MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER; WORKING PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
    • B31FMECHANICAL WORKING OR DEFORMATION OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
    • B31F1/00Mechanical deformation without removing material, e.g. in combination with laminating
    • B31F1/07Embossing, i.e. producing impressions formed by locally deep-drawing, e.g. using rolls provided with complementary profiles
    • DTEXTILES; PAPER
    • D21PAPER-MAKING; PRODUCTION OF CELLULOSE
    • D21HPULP COMPOSITIONS; PREPARATION THEREOF NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES D21C OR D21D; IMPREGNATING OR COATING OF PAPER; TREATMENT OF FINISHED PAPER NOT COVERED BY CLASS B31 OR SUBCLASS D21G; PAPER NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D21H27/00Special paper not otherwise provided for, e.g. made by multi-step processes
    • D21H27/30Multi-ply
    • D21H27/40Multi-ply at least one of the sheets being non-planar, e.g. crêped
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B31MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER; WORKING PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
    • B31FMECHANICAL WORKING OR DEFORMATION OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
    • B31F2201/00Mechanical deformation of paper or cardboard without removing material
    • B31F2201/07Embossing
    • B31F2201/0707Embossing by tools working continuously
    • B31F2201/0715The tools being rollers
    • B31F2201/0723Characteristics of the rollers
    • B31F2201/0733Pattern
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B31MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER; WORKING PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
    • B31FMECHANICAL WORKING OR DEFORMATION OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
    • B31F2201/00Mechanical deformation of paper or cardboard without removing material
    • B31F2201/07Embossing
    • B31F2201/0758Characteristics of the embossed product
    • B31F2201/0761Multi-layered

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Machines For Manufacturing Corrugated Board In Mechanical Paper-Making Processes (AREA)
  • Paper (AREA)

Abstract

Abstract of the Disclosure Embossed facial tissue provides improved tactile qualities heretofore only considered desireable for bath tissue.

Description

2049~2 PATENT

EMBOSSED FACIAL TISSUE
Background of the Invention In the manufacture of facial tissue, it is well known that smoothness of the surface of the tissue is a desireable attribute.
Unlike bath tissue, which is commonly embossed to achieve bulk, facial tissues have traditionally been flat and untextured. The only surface texture imparted to facial tissues has been on the order of a very fine texture such as that imparted by creping.

SummarY of the Invention It has now been discovered that a very soft and desireable facial tissue can be made by embossing the tissue basesheet with a decorative embossing pattern prior to converting the basesheet into facial tissue. Not only does the final product exhibit a very pleasing feel and appearance, but it was unexpected that the embossing pattern survived the facial tissue converting process, which includes winding the embossed basesheet onto a hardroll prior to converting the basesheet into the final facial tissue product.
One might expect that the embossing pattern would be ironed out of the basesheet while being stored in a tightly wound hardroll for up to a month. However, this was found not to be the case. The resulting converted facial tissue exhibits a very pleasant hand and increased bulk, while retaining much of the smoothness characteristics of the unembossed basesheet. In addition, embossing a multi-ply basesheet, if all plies are embossed simultaneously, eliminates or replaces the need to crimp the edges of the facial tissue which is necessary for current multi-ply facial tissues.
Hence in one aspect, the invention resides in a multi-ply facial tissue having at least one ply which is embossed with a decorative embossing pattern substantially covering the entire surface of the embossed ply.
In another aspect, the invention resides in a multi-ply facial tissue having two outer plies, wherein at least one outer ply, and preferably both outer plies, is (are) embossed with a decorative 20~9~2 embossing pattern which substantially covers the entire surface of the ply.
In a further aspect, the invention resides in a facial tissue ` having two outer plies and one or more inner plies, wherein at least one of said inner plies is embossed with a decorative embossing pattern which substantially covers the entire surface of the embossed ply. Preferably, the facial tissue in accordance with this aspect of the invention consists of three plies, wherein only the center ply is embossed. This aspect of the invention takes complete advantage of the smoothness of the facial tissue basesheet while imparting bulk softness and substance to the facial tissue with the embossed center ply .
In a still further aspect, the invention resides in a method for making facial tissue wherein a facial tissue basesheet is formed from an aqueous slurry of papermaking fibers, dried, creped, wound into a softroll, unwound and rewound into a hardroll for subsequent conversion into a packaged facial tissue, the improvement comprising embossing the basesheet with an embossing pattern substantially covering its entire surface prior to rewinding the basesheet into a hardroll.
Single ply basesheets suitable for use in connection with this invention include any tissue sheet suitable for use as facial tissue, but basesheets formed by wet pressing are preferred because of their ability to retain the embossing pattern. Such basesheets particularly include those which are creped webs made of natural and synthetic papermaking fibers having a finished basis weight of from about 5 to about 10 pounds per 2880 square feet.
Suitable embossing patterns for use in accordance with this invention include any decorative embossing pattern which can retain a distinct pattern on the basesheet after being subjected to being wound onto a hardroll. Preferably the embossing pattern is a pattern which is immediately noticeable to the user and is aesthetically pleasing, such as embossing patterns containing butterflies, flowers, geometric shapes, and the like. Those familiar with embossing will appreciate that embossed webs typically have a two-sidedness due to the embossing process, i.e. both surfaces of the embossed web have 20~95~2 different textures. One side is typically the inverse of the other side due to the male/female characteristics of the embossing rolls.
In such instances it is preferred that each embossed ply, if one of the two outside plies of the facial tissue, be oriented such that the side having the protruding surfaces of the embossed areas be faced inwardly toward the center of the product. This enhances the smooth feel of the outwardly-facing surfaces of the facial tissue.

Brief Descri~tion of the Drawinq Figure 1 is a schematic flow diagram of a facial tissue manufacturing process in which the facial tissue basesheet is embossed in accordance with this invention.
Figure 2 is a plan view a two-ply facial tissue in accordance with this invention, shown in an unfolded state.
Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the facial tissue of Figure 2.
Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of a three-ply facial tissue of this invention in which only the center ply is embossed.

Detailed Description of the Invention Referring to the drawing, the invention will be described in greater detail. Figure 1 schematically illustrates a process for making facial tissues in accordance with this invention. Shown is a softroll 1 produced in a conventional manner as is well known in the art. Briefly, an aqueous slurry of papermaking fibers is deposited onto a forming wire through which some of the water is drained. The resulting partially-dewatered web is then further dewatered and dried, either by throughdrying or on a Yankee dryer or both. The resulting dried web is then creped and wound onto the softroll for subsequent converting. The web at this point of the manufacturing process is referred to as a basesheet.
As the base sheet 2 is unwound from the softroll, it can be combined with one or more other basesheets before being embossed.
The single- or multiple-ply basesheet is passed between embossing rolls 3 and 4, which can be steel/steel or steel/rubber as desired.
The embossed web 5 is then tightly wound into a hardroll 6 for 20A9~ ~

subsequent con~ersion into boxed facial tissue. Although not shown and not a part of this invention, subsequent converting typically includes simultaneously unwinding many of these hardrolls and combining the webs into a continuous sausage (multi-folding). This sausage is cut into individual stacks of folded facial tissue, which are inserted into cartons and boxed for shipment. While it is possible to emboss the basesheet after the hardroll, this is not practictl when using a multifolding process since each hardroll on the multifolder would require its own set of embossing rolls.
Figure 2 is a plan view of an unfolded embossed facial tissue in accordance with this invention. In this embodiment, the facial tissue is a two-ply product having a butterfly embossing pattern which substantially covers the entire surface of the facial tissue, although only a representative portion of the pattern is shown.
Substantial coverage of the entire surface by the embossing pattern is to be distinguished from a crimping pattern as is commonly used to adhere two plies of tissue together and which is manifested as a narrow line running just inside the edge of the facial tissue.
Substantially complete coverage of the facial tissue by the embossing pattern is necessary to obtain the benefit of increased bulk and pleasing appearance. Lines 7 and 8 represent fold lines imparted to the basesheet by the multifolder.
Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the facial tissue of Figure 2, illustrating one embodiment of this invention in which both plies of the facial tissue are embossed together, as opposed to being individually embossed and thereafter combined. Although this embodiment is convenient to manufacture, the resulting product has a "two-sided" feel because side 10, in which the embossed portions are depressions, is inherently smoother than side 11, in which the embossed portions are protrusions. It therefor can be advantageous to individually emboss the two plies and bring them together such that the smooth sides are outwardly-facing. The same can be true for a three ply product, in which the two outer plies have their smoother sides facing outwardly.
Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of a three-ply facial tissue in accordance with this invention in which only the center ply 2 0 ~ 9 a ~ 2 is embossed~ As is apparent from the drawing, the protrusions of the embossed ply provide additional bulking of the three-ply composite, yet the surfaces are very smooth. Such a product can provide both surface softness and bulk softness, which heretofore were mutually exclusive.

Example A two-ply facial tissue as illustrated in Figure 2 was made in accordance with the description of Figure 1. Specifically, a blended furnish consisting essentially of 50 dry weight percent northern softwood kraft fibers and 50 dry weight percent eucalyptus fibers was formed into a creped basesheet using a conventional wet-press tissuemaking process and wound into softrolls. The finished (creped) basis weight of the basesheet was 18.8 pounds per 2880 square feet.
Two softrolls were simultaneously unwound to combine the two basesheets into a two-ply basesheet. The two-ply basesheet was then passed between a pair of embossing rolls. The upper embossing roll was an engraved steel roll having a butterfly embossing pattern. The lower roll was a rubber roll having a surface hardness of 45 Durometer. The embossed basesheet was then slit and crimped to provide appropriately sized material for subsequent converting and wound into a hardroll. Thereafter the hardroll was unwound and the basesheet was converted into samples of facial tissue as shown in Figure 2. For purposes herein, converting includes the well known steps of transforming basesheets into final product form, such as slitting, crimping (if necessary or desired), folding, interfolding, cutting, and packaging.
It will be appreciated that the foregoing description, provided for purposes of illustration, is not to be narrowly construed to limit the scope of this invention, which is defined by the following claims.

Claims (13)

1. A multi-ply facial tissue having at least one ply which has an embossing pattern substantially covering the entire surface of the ply.
2. The facial tissue of Claim 1 having two plies, wherein only one ply has an embossing pattern substantially covering the entire surface of the ply.
3. The facial tissue of Claim 1 having two plies, wherein both plies have an embossing pattern substantially covering the entire surface of each ply.
4. The facial tissue of Claim 3, wherein the protruding surfaces of the embossed areas of each ply are on the inside of each ply.
5. The facial tissue of Claim 3, wherein the protruding surfaces of the embossed areas of one ply are on the inside of the ply and the protruding surfaces of the embossed areas of the other ply are on the outside of the ply.
6. The facial tissue of Claim 1 having three plies, wherein only one of the two outer plies has an embossing pattern substantially covering the entire surface of the ply.
7. The facial tissue of Claim 1 having three plies, wherein both of the outer plies have an embossing pattern covering substantially the entire surface of each ply.
8. The facial tissue of Claim 1 having three plies, wherein the center ply has an embossing pattern covering substantially the entire surface of the ply.
9. The facial tissue of Claim 1 having three plies, wherein only the center ply has an embossing pattern covering substantially the entire surface of the ply.
10. The facial tissue of Claim 1 having three plies, wherein all three plies have an embossing pattern covering substantially covering the surface of each ply.
11. In a method for making facial tissue wherein a facial tissue basesheet is formed from an aqueous slurry of papermaking fibers, dried, creped, wound into a softroll, unwound and rewound into a hardroll for subsequent conversion into packaged facial tissue, the improvement comprising embossing the basesheet with an embossing pattern substantially covering its entire surface prior to rewinding the basesheet into a hardroll.
12. The method of Claim 11 wherein the basesheet is a two-ply basesheet.
13. The method of Claim 11 wherein the basesheet is a single-ply basesheet which is subsequently combined with one or more other facial tissue basesheets prior to being converted into a multi-ply facial tissue.
CA 2049552 1990-08-21 1991-08-20 Embossed facial tissue Abandoned CA2049552A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US57058790A 1990-08-21 1990-08-21
US570,587 1990-08-21

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA2049552A1 true CA2049552A1 (en) 1992-02-22

Family

ID=24280237

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA 2049552 Abandoned CA2049552A1 (en) 1990-08-21 1991-08-20 Embossed facial tissue

Country Status (1)

Country Link
CA (1) CA2049552A1 (en)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US11346058B2 (en) 2017-03-13 2022-05-31 Essity Hygiene And Health Aktiebolag Multi-ply tissue paper product and method of manufacturing

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US11346058B2 (en) 2017-03-13 2022-05-31 Essity Hygiene And Health Aktiebolag Multi-ply tissue paper product and method of manufacturing

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