Sheet products bearing designs that vary among successive sheets, and apparatus and methods for producing the same

Abstract

A system for manufacturing pluralities of consecutive sheets bearing successively varying arrangements of design features is disclosed. The system may include a pattern imparting roller having a substantially cylindrical acting surface reflecting features of a design pattern thereon, the design pattern having a machine direction repeat length; and a separating mechanism disposed downstream of the pattern imparting roller, configured to effect repeated and spaced cutting, perforating or scoring along separation lines, between portions of a material web, the separation lines being spaced apart on the web by sheet length measured along the machine direction. The sheet length is less than the design pattern repeat length.

1 . A system for manufacturing pluralities of consecutive sheets bearing successively varying arrangements of design features, comprising:
 a pattern imparting roller having a radius r, a rotation axis, an outer circumference 2πr, and a substantially cylindrical acting surface reflecting features of a design pattern thereon, a machine direction tangent to the acting surface and perpendicular to the rotation axis, and a cross direction parallel to the rotation axis, the acting surface having an axial acting surface length AL measured along the cross direction, the design pattern having a machine direction repeat length RLM; and   a separating mechanism disposed downstream of the pattern imparting roller, configured to effect repeated and spaced complete cutting, or repeated and spaced partial cutting, perforating or scoring along separation lines, between portions of a material web, the separation lines being spaced apart on the web by sheet length SL measured along the machine direction,   wherein SL is less than RLM; and   wherein the design pattern has the following attributes:
 the design pattern has no linear, continuous unadorned pathway along the cross direction that has a pathway width greater than 7 percent of SL; 
 the design pattern includes series of similarly-shaped design elements along lines that are neither perpendicular nor parallel with the machine and cross directions; and 
 any image in the design pattern of all or a portion of a person, animal, anthropomorphic character or cartoon character including at least a head and/or face of the same, has an Occupied Rectangular Area of no more than 10 percent of the average sheet area. 
   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the repeat length RLM is less than or equal to 2πr, and the separation lines are perpendicular to the machine direction. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the value RLM/SL expressed as a ratio of lowest possible integers has a numerator of 4 or greater. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the value RLM/SL expressed as a ratio of lowest possible integers has a numerator of 5 or greater. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the calculated value of RLM/SL is equal to or greater than 3. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the calculated value of RLM/SL is equal to or greater than 4. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the calculated value of RLM/SL is equal to or greater than 3. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the calculated value of RLM/SL is equal to or greater than 4. 
     
     
         9 . A system for manufacturing pluralities of consecutive sheets bearing successively varying arrangements of design features, comprising:
 a pattern imparting roller having a radius r, a rotation axis, an outer circumference 2πr, a substantially cylindrical acting surface reflecting features of a design pattern thereon, a machine direction tangent to the acting surface and perpendicular to the rotation axis, and a cross direction parallel to the rotation axis, the acting surface having an axial acting surface length AL measured along the cross direction, the design pattern having a cross direction repeat length RLC; and   a separating mechanism disposed downstream of the pattern imparting roller, configured to effect spaced complete cutting, or spaced partial cutting, perforating or scoring, along separation lines, between portions of a material web, the separation lines being spaced apart on the web by sheet length SL measured along the cross direction,   wherein SL is less than RLC; and   wherein the design pattern has the following attributes:
 the design pattern has no linear, continuous unadorned pathway along the machine direction that has a pathway width greater than 7 percent of SL; 
 the design pattern includes series of similarly-shaped design elements along lines that are neither perpendicular nor parallel with the machine and cross directions; and 
 any image in the design pattern of all or a portion of a person, animal, anthropomorphic character or cartoon character including at least a head and/or face of the same, has an Occupied Rectangular Area of no more than 10 percent of the average sheet area. 
   
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9  wherein the repeat length RLC is less than or equal to AL, and the separation lines are parallel to the machine direction. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the value RLC/SL expressed as a ratio of lowest possible integers has a numerator of 4 or greater. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the value RLC/SL expressed as a ratio of lowest possible integers has a numerator of 5 or greater. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the calculated value of RLC/SL is equal to or greater than 3. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the calculated value of RLC/SL is equal to or greater than 4. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the calculated value of RLC/SL is equal to or greater than 3. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the calculated value of RLC/SL is equal to or greater than 4.