Kimberly-clark Worldwide, Inc.

Kimberly-clark Corporation

Scott A Baum

Paul Douglas Beuther

Rodney Lawrence Abba

Richard Martin Urquhart

Robert Paul Guarnotta

Stephen Percival John McGary

Thomas Gerard Shannon

George Ikuya Nukuto

Tammy Jo Balzar

Leslie Thomas Long

Catherine Marguerite Hancock-Cooke

Cynthia Watts Henderson

Duane Lyle McDonald

Janica S Behnke

Janet Elaine Collins

Gary Douglas Williams

Patricia Ann Samolinski

Daphne Lynn VanBuren

Laura Leigh Boudrie

Charlcie C K Leitner

Ryan M Patterson

Pamela J Hermans

Hongxia Gao

Sara Marie Vermillion

By interfolding or interleaving at least a portion of the dispensing panel of a dispenser with the first sheet in a stack of sheet material such that a leading edge of the first sheet is exposed, it is no longer necessary to reach into the dispenser to dispense the first sheet. To dispense the first sheet, the optional removable panel is torn from the dispenser, and then the already exposed leading edge of the first sheet protruding from the dispensing panel is grasped and pulled to withdraw the first sheet from the dispenser.

Interfolded dispensing panel

A package for consumable products is disclosed. In one embodiment, the package includes a connecting member that connects a group of products together. The connecting member may comprise one or more bands that partially encircle the products or connect the products along a top surface. In addition, the package configuration may include a locking element that is configured to attach adjacent packages together or to attach the package to an adjacent structure, such as the railing of a shopping cart.

Packaging configurations for consumable products

A dispenser for sheet materials includes a top portion, a bottom portion, and a restraining member preventing the top and bottom portion from separating. The top portion and the bottom portion can telescope to vary the dispenser's overall height. In one embodiment, by designing a dispenser having bottom sidewalls and top sidewalls of approximately the same length, problems with access to the exposed sheet or excessive manipulation to change the dispenser's height can be avoided. In another embodiment, by designing the dispenser such that the height of the dispenser can automatically reduce as the sheet material is depleted or where the height can be adjusted by simply pushing down on the dispenser's top makes the dispenser convenient to use.

Adjustable sheet dispenser

Different embodiments for adapting a package, such as a tissue carton or wet wipes container, for placement into a cup holder or for being secured by a cup holder are disclosed. By adapting existing packages containing disposable articles to fit into a cup holder, the package can be kept securely in place in an automobile. By adapting the existing package design, existing packaging machinery can be used to produce the product.

Dispenser for dispensing two different substrates

In manufacturing a moving web, such as a tissue sheet, the web is transported at very high speeds, often in an unsupported manner, which can result in unstable operations regarding handling and winding of the web. This is particularly true in the region between the creping blade and the reel for a lightweight, low modulus tissue sheet that is characteristic of a high-quality, soft tissue basesheet. To provide an improved means of controlling the tissue web during manufacture and to improve the manufacturing rate, an apparatus and method of stabilizing the moving web that incorporates a creping blade foil, one or more aerodynamic sheet stabilizing foils, and a roll foil in a specific relationship to each other is disclosed. This method has been shown to improve the stability of a moving tissue web, allow for a higher rate of operation, and enable the production of softer tissue basesheets.

Method for improving stability of moving webs

In manufacturing a moving web, such as a tissue sheet, the web is transported at very high speeds, often in an unsupported manner, which can result in unstable operations regarding handling and winding of the web. This is particularly true in the region between the creeping blade and the reel for a lightweight, low modulus tissue sheet that is characteristic of a high-quality, soft tissue base sheet. To provide an improved means of controlling the tissue web during manufacture and to improve the manufacturing rate, an apparatus and method of stabilizing the moving web that incorporates a creeping blade foil, one or more aerodynamic sheet stabilizing foils, and a roll foil in a specific relationship to each other is disclosed. This method has been shown to improve the stability of a moving tissue web, allow for a higher rate of operation, and enable the production of softer tissue basesheets.

Method and apparatus for improving stability of moving webs

A method of cleaning tissue webs in a rewinder utilize the Coanda effect to produce an improved tissue product. The Coanda effect web cleaner utilizes the smooth flow of a thin layer of air to scrub off dust and lint embedded and entangled in the web surface while stabilizing the web in its travel. Two of these Coanda effect web cleaners arranged on opposite sides of a multiple-ply web in a rewinder are effective when operated according to the method of the invention to produce a rewound tissue with an unexpectedly low loose dust and lint count on its surfaces.

Web cleaning method

Cellulosic webs can be embossed using an extended nip structure with embossing means in a controlled nip dwell zone. Single and multiply wipes and towels produced by plying together two or more such webs can be embossed. Webs having common caliper and basis weight can be processed using the extended nip structure with an appropriate embossing means. The tendency of the embossed relief to relax and disappear after processing can be substantially alleviated by controlling dwell time to ensure reliable embossing.

Method for embossing web material using an extended nip

A tissue web cleaner and method of cleaning tissue webs in a rewinder utilize the Coanda effect to produce an improved tissue product. The Coanda effect web cleaner utilizes the smooth flow of a thin layer of air to scrub off dust and lint embedded and entangled in the web surface while stabilizing the web in its travel. Two of these Coanda effect web cleaners arranged on opposite sides of a multiple-ply web in a rewinder are effective when operated according to the method of the invention to produce a rewound tissue with an unexpectedly low loose dust and lint count on its surfaces.

Web cleaner

During tissue converting operations, a tissue 'sausage' is conveyed between a pair of converging tractive belts to a cut-off saw where the sausage is cut into individual clips of tissue. Tissue bulk is preserved by providing the tissue-contacting surfaces of the belts with spaced-apart protrusions which cause the tissue sausage to assume a profile approximating a sine wave. The sine wave profile increases the tractive force of the belts, which in turn allows a lowering of the compressive load exerted by the belts on the tissue sausage. As a result, the bulk loss of the tissue sheets within the sausage is reduced.

Method for applying a tractive force to a stack of tissues with reduced

A tissue product and method are disclosed in which individual discrete tissue sheets which overlap each other are wound into a roll. The overlapping provides a means for pop-up, one-at-a-time tissue dispensing. Preferably, the sheets are dispensed axially from a coreless roll. The overlapping sheets within the roll can be interleaved as well as overlapped to increase the frictional engagement between successive sheets. This product form is useful for a variety of tissue products, such as facial tissue, bath tissue, kitchen towels and napkins.

Growing community of inventors

Fremont, WI, United States of America

Scott A Baum