Appeal No. 2002-2298 Page 3
Application No. 09/442,442
The claimed subject matter
Claims 44 and 46, the independent claims on appeal, read as follows:
44. An apertured web made by the process comprising the steps of
providing an apparatus comprising:
(1) a support structure having at least one outwardly facing support
surface;
(2) a forming member mounted on said support structure and
having a mounting surface on one side facing toward said one support
surface of said support structure and having a web-engaging forming
surface on the other side, said web-engaging forming surface including
recesses, said forming member defining drain holes extending from said
recesses through said forming member to said mounting surface, at least
one of said drain holes extending at least partly over said one support
surface of said support structure; and
(3) a porous structure that is disposed between said support
structure and said forming member mounting surface and that defines at
least one open area which is located at least partly between said one
support surface and said one drain hole and which extends laterally
beyond said one support surface to accommodate fluid flow from said one
drain hole past said one support surface;
supporting a starting web of material on said web-engaging forming
surface;
directing fluid against said starting web to cause portions of said starting
web to be deformed into said recesses and to cause the formation of apertures
through said starting web to define said apertured web as said fluid flows through
said apertures;
draining at least some of said fluid at least (a) through said one drain hole,
(b) through said one open area, and (c) past said one support surface; and
removing said apertured web from said forming surface, wherein said apertured
web has a reduced number of incompletely formed apertures relative to an
apertured web made using a corresponding apparatus comprising said support
structure and said forming member but not said porous structure.
46. An apertured web made by the process comprising the steps of
providing an apparatus comprising:
(1) a support structure having at least one outwardly facing support
surface;
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