Kimberly-clark Worldwide, Inc.

James William Clark

Ralph Lee Anderson

Fred R Radwanski

Shawn Eric Jenkins

James Joseph Detamore

Henry Skoog

Joseph F Merker

Reginald Smith

Thomas C Saffel

Ming Xie

Joseph D Mitchell

Joseph Kenneth Baker

John Michael Conner

Philip Shi Hung Hui

Julie W Trusock

Philip Shi Hui

A dry wiper for use with disinfectant solutions having synthetic fibers and a disinfectant releasing treatment that makes the wiper active disinfectant stable is disclosed. Particularly, the wiper is stable for use in both quaternary ammonium disinfectant solutions and bleach disinfectant solutions. A method for producing such a wiper is also disclosed.

Wiper for use with disinfectants

A pre-moistened wiper that exhibits good antimicrobial kill at relatively small levels of antimicrobial agent is provided. In one embodiment, for example, the wiper contains a sanitizing formulation that includes between about 0.01% by weight to about 1% by weight of an antimicrobial agent, including a quaternary ammonium compound, and water. The sanitizing formulation is capable of being released from the wiper as a solution such that the quaternary ammonium compound is present within the solution in an amount less than about 2000 parts per million of the solution. The wiper can exhibit a log reduction forof at least about 2.

Antimicrobial pre-moistened wipers

A textured fabric having at least one surface that contains peaks and valleys is provided. Greater than about 90% of the peaks and less than about 10% of the valleys are disposed with a treatment composition, the treatment composition comprising a latex polymer. In one embodiment, for example, the textured fabric is a hydraulically entangled composite fabric formed from a spunbond nonwoven web and pulp fibers. When coated onto the fabric, the treatment composition may form a thin film layer on the fiber surface that prevents fibers or zones of fibers from breaking away from the surface as lint. Further, because the coating is applied only to the peaks, the valleys may remain free of the latex polymer and substantially maintain the absorbency of the uncoated fabric.

Textured fabrics applied with a treatment composition

A multiple mode headbox is provided including a support surface, two or more chambers, and an adjustable roof. Each chamber includes a plurality of nozzles adapted to optionally supply papermaking fibers to the support surface. The adjustable roof is operably configured to adjust over a range of movement such that it defines a forming zone between the support surface and at least one chamber in a first mode, and between said support surface and at least one different said chamber in a second mode.

Multiple mode headbox

A water dispersible nonwoven web is disclosed. The nonwoven web is produced in an airlaying process and contains pulp fibers mixed with water soluble fibers. The water soluble fibers may be, for instance, polyvinyl alcohol fibers. The nonwoven web may be pre-saturated with a cleaning solution. Once pre-saturated with a cleaning solution, the wiping product is particularly well suited to cleaning and/or disinfecting surfaces, such as toilet seats prior to use. Because the nonwoven web is water dispersible, the wiper may be disposed of by being flushed down a toilet.

Water dispersible, pre-saturated wiping products

A composite fabric is provided that contains staple fibers hydraulically entangled with a nonwoven web formed from continuous filaments. A portion of the staple fibers is entangled with the web, while another portion protrudes through the web. The resulting surface topography has one surface with a preponderance of the smooth, staple fibers, and another surface with a preponderance of the continuous filaments from the nonwoven web, but also including some of the protruded smooth, staple fibers. Thus, each surface contains smooth staple fibers and is soft.

Soft and bulky composite fabrics

A wiper having a controlled release anti-microbial agent therein for providing anti-microbial cleansing of surfaces is provided. The wiper is formed from an absorbent base web to which an anti-microbial formulation is adhered. The formulation includes an anti-microbial agent that is capable of being controllably released from the wiper. In some embodiments, a polymer mixture may be employed to control the rate of release of the anti-microbial agent. Various anti-microbial agents, such as metal ions and organic compounds may be employed.

Wiper containing a controlled-release anti-microbial agent

The present invention is generally directed to base webs that are creped after a bonding material has been applied to at least one side of the web according to a predetermined pattern. According to the present invention, the bonding material contains a creping adhesive mixed with composite particles. The composite particles generally have a median particle size of less than about 5 microns and a particle size distribution of less than about 10 microns.

Creping adhesive and products and process incorporating same

A use-dependent indicator system for detecting the exhaustion of an active chemical within an absorbent article is provided. The indicator system includes at least one dye component and a polymer mixture. The dye component(s) can be non-reactive and/or reactive dyes. The polymer mixture can contain a polymer, such as a latex adhesive, to facilitate control over the dissolution rate of the dye component(s). By controlling the dissolution rate of the dye component(s), an indicator system of the present invention can impart a change in color to signal the exhaustion of an active chemical incorporated within the absorbent article, such as an anti-microbial agent.

Use-dependent indicator system for absorbent articles

A wiper that provides a controlled release anti-microbial agent has a substrate layer to which the anti-microbial agent is adhered. In addition, the wiper will have one or more laminate layers, at least one of which will be absorbent. Various anti-microbial agents such as silver containing additives, calcium hypochlorite, and chlorine dioxide generating compounds may be employed. The substrate layer may be a poly(ethylene vinyl acetate) meltblown web and the laminate layer may be a hydroentangled composite absorbent fabric.

Controlled release anti-microbial hard surface wiper

A method for forming an antimicrobially-treated fabric is provided. The method includes forming a solution from a liquid and an antimicrobial agent, such as 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyloctadecyldimethyl ammonium chloride. In one embodiment, a cellulosic fibrous material is combined with the solution while in the pulper to form a liquid suspension such that the antimicrobial agent becomes substantive to the cellulosic fibrous material. A web is formed from the antimicrobially-treated cellulosic fibrous material such that substantially all of the cellulosic fibrous material present within the web is derived from the antimicrobially-treated cellulosic fibrous material. In one embodiment, the web of antimicrobially-treated fibrous material is also hydraulically entangled with a nonwoven substrate. In some embodiments, when dried, the antimicrobial agent forms a covalent bond with the cellulosic fibrous material.

Growing community of inventors

Roswell, GA, United States of America

James William Clark