Appeal No. 2003-1818
Application 09/223,602
Salvucci pertains to soft, absorbent, fibrous sheet
materials, such as tissues, characterized by high bulk and low
density. As described in the reference:
The present invention is a soft, absorbent,
creped, fibrous, web formed by deposition from an
aqueous slurry. . . . The web is characterized by
having a basis weight of from about 10 to about 30
pounds per 2880 ft.2, a TEA-to-stiffness ratio greater
than 1.50 x 10-4, and an average calculated density
throughout its thickness of no load of less than 0.300
grams per cubic centimeter. . . .
The present invention also is a method for forming
the above-described soft, absorbent, creped, fibrous
webs or sheet material. In accordance with the method,
a fiber furnish is mixed from lignocellulosic fibers,
an elastomeric bonding material and water. A web is
formed from the fiber furnish by introduction of the
fiber funrish [sic] into a drainage zone in which it
contacts at least one foraminous support surface which
permits the removal of water thereform [sic].
Additional water is removed from the web without
employing mechanical compression until the web is at
least 80% dry. The web is then adhered to a creping
surface and removed therefrom by a creping blade. In
some embodiments, the web is adhered with an adhesive
to the creping surface. The method also includes in
some instances the steps of applying an adhesive to
selected areas of the web such as by printing, and
pressing the web into engagement with the creping
surface so that only selected areas of the web are
adhered to the creping surface [column 4, lines 17
through 55].
Salvucci also discloses specific examples of the web having
machine direction stretches of 18.6% and 21.8% (see Examples III
and IV), that the creping drum may comprise a Yankee dryer (see
column 9, lines 61 through 63), and that the creping blade
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