Papermaking belt having a three dimensional surface pattern

Abstract

A papermaking belt for making a fibrous structure product that has a machine direction, a cross machine direction orthogonal and co-planar with the machine direction, and a Z-direction mutually orthogonal to both the machine and cross machine directions. The papermaking belt also has a framework having a structure formed by a first layer wherein the first layer comprises a plurality of deflection conduits that correspond to a resultant image and extend in the Z-direction, where the resultant image being the product of at least one image modification algorithm. Further, at least one of the image modification algorithms is a beta image modification algorithm such that the beta image modification algorithm is a three dimensional image modification algorithm. The papermaking belt also has a reinforcing element.

1 . A papermaking belt for making a fibrous structure product having a machine direction, a cross machine direction orthogonal and co-planar thereto, and a Z-direction mutually orthogonal to both the machine and cross machine directions comprising:
 a framework, the framework comprising:
 a structure formed by a first layer wherein the first layer comprises a plurality of deflection conduits that correspond to a resultant image and extend in the Z-direction, the resultant image being the product of at least one image modification algorithm;
 wherein at least one of the image modification algorithms is a beta image modification algorithm, the beta image modification algorithm being a three dimensional image modification algorithm; and 
 
   a reinforcing element.   
   
   
       2 . The papermaking belt according to  claim 1  wherein the resultant image is the product of at least two image modification algorithms, a first image modification algorithm being an alpha image modification algorithm and a second image modification algorithm being a beta image modification algorithm. 
   
   
       3 . The papermaking belt according to  claim 2  wherein an alpha image modification algorithm is performed prior to the beta image modification algorithm. 
   
   
       4 . The papermaking belt according to  claim 3  wherein the alpha image modification algorithm is a two dimensional image modification algorithm. 
   
   
       5 . The papermaking belt according to  claim 2  wherein the resultant image is the product of a plurality of alpha image modification algorithms. 
   
   
       6 . The papermaking belt according to  claim 5  wherein the beta image modification algorithm is performed after all alpha image modification algorithms. 
   
   
       7 . The papermaking belt according to  claim 1  wherein the resultant image is vectorized. 
   
   
       8 . The papermaking belt according to  claim 7  wherein the resultant image is vectorized after all of the at least one image modification algorithms have been applied. 
   
   
       9 . The papermaking belt according to  claim 1  wherein the first layer further comprises a photosensitive resin. 
   
   
       10 . The papermaking belt according to  claim 9  wherein the photosensitive resin comprises a solid polymeric material which has been rendered solid by actinic radiation. 
   
   
       11 . The papermaking belt according to  claim 1  wherein the fibrous structure product is an absorbent paper product. 
   
   
       12 . A framework for a papermaking belt, the framework comprising a photosensitive resin that has been exposed to actinic radiation through a mask comprising an image, the image being the product of at least one image modification algorithm, wherein one of the at least one image modification algorithm is a beta image modification algorithm and wherein the beta image modification algorithm is a three dimensional image modification algorithm. 
   
   
       13 . The framework according to  claim 12  wherein the image is the product of at least two image modification algorithms. 
   
   
       14 . The framework according to  claim 13  wherein one of the at least two image modification algorithms is an alpha image modification algorithm, the alpha image modification algorithm being performed prior to the beta image modification algorithm. 
   
   
       15 . The framework according to  claim 14  wherein the alpha image modification algorithm is a two dimensional image modification algorithm. 
   
   
       16 . The papermaking belt according to  claim 14  wherein the beta image modification algorithm is performed after all alpha image modification algorithms. 
   
   
       17 . The papermaking belt according to  claim 14  comprising a plurality of alpha image modification algorithms. 
   
   
       18 . The papermaking belt according to  claim 12  wherein the resultant image is vectorized. 
   
   
       19 . The papermaking belt according to  claim 18  wherein the resultant image is vectorized after all of the one or more image modification algorithms have been applied. 
   
   
       20 . A process for making an image for a papermaking belt wherein the image is the product of:
 (a) providing an image; and   (b) performing at least one image modification algorithm thereon, one of the at least one image modification algorithms being a beta image modification algorithm and the beta image modification algorithm being a three-dimensional image modification algorithm to provide a resultant image.   
   
   
       21 . The process according to  claim 20  further comprising the step:
 (c) modifying the image with a second image modification algorithm, the image modification algorithm being an alpha image modification algorithm.   
   
   
       22 . The process according to  claim 21  wherein step (c) is performed before step (b). 
   
   
       23 . The process according to  claim 22  wherein the alpha image modification algorithm is a two dimensional image modification algorithm. 
   
   
       24 . The process according to  claim 21  further comprising the step:
 (d) modifying the image with a plurality of alpha image modification algorithms.   
   
   
       25 . The process according to step  24  wherein step (d) is performed before step (b). 
   
   
       26 . The process according to  claim 20  further comprising the step:
 (e) vectorizing the resultant image.   
   
   
       27 . The process according to  claim 26  wherein step (e) is performed after step (b). 
   
   
       28 . The process according to  claim 20  further comprising the step:
 (f) converting the resultant image to an industrially usable format.   
   
   
       29 . A process for making a papermaking belt comprising the steps of:
 (a) providing an image;   (b) performing at least one image modification algorithm on the image, one of the at least one image modification algorithms being a beta image modification algorithm and the beta image modification algorithm being a three-dimensional image modification algorithm to provide a resultant image;   (c) using the resultant image as a template to form a mask;   (d) radiating a photosensitive resin that is disposed on the surface of a reinforcing element through the mask; and   (e) removing the uncured photosensitive resin.   
   
   
       30 . The process according to  claim 29  further comprising the step:
 (f) modifying the image with a second image modification algorithm, the image modification algorithm being an alpha image modification algorithm.   
   
   
       31 . The process according to  claim 21  wherein step (f) is performed before step (b). 
   
   
       32 . The process according to  claim 31  wherein the alpha image modification algorithm is a two dimensional image modification algorithm. 
   
   
       33 . The process according to  claim 30  further comprising the step:
 (g) modifying the image with a plurality of alpha image modification algorithms.   
   
   
       34 . The process according to step  33  wherein step (g) is performed before step (b). 
   
   
       35 . The process according to  claim 29  further comprising the step:
 (h) vectorizing the resultant image.   
   
   
       36 . The process according to  claim 35  wherein step (h) is performed after step (b). 
   
   
       37 . The process according to  claim 29  further comprising the step:
 (i) converting the resultant image to an industrially usable format.   
   
   
       38 . The process according to  claim 37  wherein step (i) further comprises the step:
 (i)(1): printing the industrially usable format onto a transparent surface to form a mask.   
   
   
       39 . The process according to  claim 29  wherein the papermaking belt further comprises a negative-tone image of the resultant image.