Appeal No. 2007-0517
Application No. 10/768,647
machine, each coil is spliced to the leading end of the next coil. (‘647
specification, p. 1, para 2). Previously, splicing techniques employed a splice that
“is not fluid permeable and therefore unusable in an article.” (Id. at para 3).
Articles formed from the spliced regions were culled as they were not as absorbent
as the non spliced region articles. (Id.). Applicant’s rectify this problem in the art
by employing a splicing material that has a fluid permeability that is at least as
great as the fluid permeability of the absorbent materials being joined. (Claim 1).
There are two independent claims under appeal, claims 1 and 12.
Independent claims 1 and 12 read as follows:
1. A process for splicing a first portion of absorbent material to a
second portion of absorbent material to form a longer, continuous
length of absorbent material suitable for uninterrupted sequential
infeed to a processing machine, each of the first and second portions
of absorbent material having a fluid permeability, the process
comprising the steps of:
placing a trailing end of said first portion adjacent a leading end
of said second portion;
aligning said trailing end of said first portion with said leading
end of said second portion; and
attaching a piece of splicing material to said trailing end of the
first portion to define a first spliced region and to said leading end of
the second portion to define a second spliced region, said piece of
splicing material having a fluid permeability at least about as great as
the fluid permeability of said first portion of absorbent material and at
least about as great as the fluid permeability of said second portion of
absorbent material, the fluid permeability of said first splicing region
being at least about as great as the fluid permeability of said first
portion of absorbent material and the fluid permeability of said second
splicing region being at least about as great as the fluid permeability
of said second portion of absorbent material.
2
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