Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
