Kimberly-clark Worldwide, Inc.

Fort James Corporation

David Henry Hollenberg

Jeffrey Dean Lindsay

Michael Alan Hermans

Mark Alan Burazin

Fung-jou Chen

Bernhardt Edward Kressner

Richard Joseph Kamps

Andrew Michael Lake

James Ellis Horton, Jr

Joseph D Mitchell

James Jay Tanner

Jay Chiehlung Hsu

Wesley James McConnell

Richard Ignatius Wolkowicz

Brigitte Kay Weigert

Lorrie Lynn Krynock

Sheng Hsin Hu

Patricia Mary Exarhos

Anand Kuchibhotla

Paper sheets useful for tissues, paper towels, napkins, disposable absorbent products and the like can be made to exhibit a high degree of wet resiliency. This property is achieved by using a combination of high yield pulp fibers (such as bleached chemithermomechanical pulp fibers) and a wet strength agent in an uncreped throughdrying process. The resulting product, when wetted, can spring back after being crumpled in one's hand.

Wet-resilient webs and disposable articles made therewith

A drinking straw for consuming a beverage is prepared by: a) melt-extruding a polymeric material in the shape of a continuous tubular conduit suitable for preparing a plurality of drinking straws; b) cooling said continuous tubular conduit to a temperature below the softening point of the polymer; c) flattening the tubular conduit so as to collapse its structure into a substantially planar form, thereby constricting the central longitudinal cavity and reducing the volume of the continuous tubular conduit; d) cutting a length from the continuous conduit of suitable length for making the straw; and e) dilating the length cut from the conduit so as to restore the cross-sectional area of the central cavity and reconstitute the tubular structure of the straw. Advantages of the invention include minimizing storage space and shipping bulk, as well as reducing the need for packaging materials. In further aspects of the invention, there are provided particular processes for making the drinking straw and a drinking straw dispenser.

Drinking straw prepared from flattened polymeric tubular conduit, method of making same and dispenser therefor

The present invention provides compressed paper webs that maintain a substantial amount of their absorptive capacity and wet strength when compressed. The compressed webs bounce back to a portion of their uncompressed state when wetted. The present compressed webs allow more towels to be added to a dispenser without substantially sacrificing the absorbent capacity or the strength of the towels.

Compressed absorbent fibrous structures

Low-density uncreped through-air-dried webs containing bleached chemithermomechanical pulp fibers and a wet-strength resin are calendered to significantly increase density and reduce caliper. When wetted, these webs substantially return to their original caliper and density and substantially regain their original fluid-handling characteristics. Consequently these webs are very thin when dry and thick when wet. They can be used for a wide variety of applications, including paper towels, wipers and fluid-handling components for infant care and personal care products.

High-density absorbent structure

A multi-ply tissue contains an internal indicia, such as a printed pattern applied to the center ply, which is visible through the outer plies of the tissue and which indicates the presence of some unique ingredients within the tissue product.

Multi-ply tissues having internal indicia

Papermaking sludge can be modified to a modeling clay-like consistency by the addition of one or more dispersing agents, such as polyacrylamide. The modified papermaking sludge can be formed into a number of useful products, such as paper sheets or extruded products.

Method for modifying papermaking sludge and products made from modified

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Kaukauna, WI, United States of America

David Henry Hollenberg