IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,258,716
Granted Patent B2
US 12,258,716 · App. 18/370,489 · Granted Mar 25, 2025

Embossed multi-ply tissue products

Inventors: Christopher Steven LeCount (Greenville, WI); Kevin Joseph Vogt (Neenah, WI); Sarah Ann Funk (Omro, WI); Jeffrey Dean Holz (Sherwood, WI); Jason Daniel Hanke (Appleton, WI); Mike Thomas Goulet (Neenah, WI)
Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
D21H27/005D21H27/02D21H27/40
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,258,716
App. No.
18/370,489
Granted
Mar 25, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

The present invention provides an embossed multi-ply tissue product that is visually pleasing and has improved physical attributes. For example, the inventive multi-ply tissue products have reduced stiffness, such as a GM Flexural Rigidity less than about 600 mg*cm, improved absorbency, such as a Residual Water (W Residual ) value less than about 0.15 g, and improved wet resiliency, such as a wet elastic strain ratio greater than about 32 percent.

Claims (18)

1. An embossed multi-ply tissue product comprising a first outer surface, an opposed second outer surface wherein the first outer surface comprises a background pattern and a plurality of embossments covering from about 5.0 to about 10.0 percent of the first outer surface, the product having a GM Flexural Rigidity from about 450 to about 600 mg*cm, a dry geometric mean tensile (GMT) from about 1,500 to about 4,000 g/3″, a Stiffness Index from about 3.0 to about 6.0 and a GM Slope from about 9,000 to about 14,000 g.

2. The embossed multi-ply tissue product of claim 1 having a basis weight from about 45 to about 65 grams per square meter (gsm).

3. The embossed multi-ply tissue product of claim 1 having a GMT from about 2,000 to about 4,000 g/3″.

4. The embossed multi-ply tissue product of claim 1 having a GM Flexural Rigidity from about 500 about 560 mg*cm.

5. The embossed multi-ply tissue product of claim 1 having a CD Flexural Rigidity from about 300 to about 400 mg*cm and a ratio of MD Flexural Rigidity to CD Flexural Rigidity from about 1.5 to about 2.5.

6. The embossed multi-ply tissue product of claim 1 comprising a first through-air dried tissue ply and a second through-air dried tissue ply.

7. The embossed multi-ply tissue product of claim 6 wherein the first and second through-air dried tissue plies are uncreped.

8. The embossed multi-ply tissue product of claim 1 having a basis weight from about 45 to about 60 gsm and a GMT from about 2,000 to about 4,000 g/3″.

9. The embossed multi-ply tissue product of claim 1 wherein at a least a portion of the plurality of embossments are discrete line elements.

10. The embossed multi-ply tissue product of claim 9 wherein at least a portion of the discrete, line element embossments are non-linear.

11. The embossed multi-ply tissue product of claim 10 wherein the discrete, non-linear line elements have an element length from about 20.0 to about 60.0 mm.

12. The embossed multi-ply tissue product of claim 11 wherein the background pattern comprises a plurality of spaced apart, parallel line elements.

13. The embossed multi-ply tissue product of claim 10 wherein the discrete, non-linear line elements have and a depth from about 500 to about 800 μm.

14. The embossed multi-ply tissue product of claim 1 wherein none of the plurality of embossments are dot embossments.

15. The embossed multi-ply tissue product of claim 12 wherein the plurality of spaced apart, parallel line elements have a width from about 2.0 to about 6.0 mm.

16. The embossed multi-ply tissue product of claim 1 having a Residual Water (W Residual ) value less than about 0.15 g.

17. The embossed multi-ply tissue product of claim 1 having a Liquid Absorbed and Retained rate from about 94 to about 99 percent.

18. The embossed multi-ply tissue product of claim 1 having a sheet bulk from about 15 to about 20 cubic centimeters per gram (cc/g).

Continuity (3)
Continuation 17570758 · Jan 7, 2022
Continuation 17266452
Related Publication 20240060242A1 · Feb 22, 2024
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