• Product Development:   I designed and tested hundreds of embossing patterns for markets in Europe, USA, Canada, Mexico, Central America, South America, Asia, and SE Asia.  Many of these patterns were implemented in production with my assistance.  I worked closely with brand leaders and marketing researchers around the world and gained valuable understanding of consumer perception of product attributes.  I designed and led experimental trials on pilot equipment and on full-scale manufacturing lines.  Most of my projects involved embossing of bathroom tissue, paper towels, napkins, and facial tissue.  I also led a project on lotionizing facial tissue. 
• Rapid Prototyping:   I made many improvements to existing methods of making embossed product prototypes and was instrumental in developing the use of laser engraved rolls and sleeves for pilot embossing.
• Process Development:   I aggressively pursued the use of laser engraved rollers for applications in manufacturing, and determined the conditions that make this economical.  I also developed the mathematics of positioning the repeating elements of an embossing pattern on an embossing cylinder to minimize certain disadvantages of typical repeating patterns (ridging or corrugation in the rolled product, and grooving in the rubber covered embossing cylinder).
• Manufacturing Support:   I provided technical support for many startups of new or improved products.  I also helped solve process problems at various manufacturing locations.
• Seminars and Presentations:   I developed and presented several in-house seminars on how embossing affects product properties, with audiences ranging from very small groups to company-wide conferences. 
• Understanding Product Attributes and Consumer Perception:   I contributed to the development of a new methodology for measuring handfeel (softness) and other subjective attributes. 

Kimberly Clark acquired (merged with) Scott Paper Company in December 1995.  They offered me a position in their R&D facilities in Roswell GA.  I declined, and started my own consulting company in February 1996.

I am the owner and principal specialist of Embossing Technologies.  I continue to do many of the things I did for Scott Paper Company, and I have since broadened my experience into several new areas.

My first published article was coauthored with Prof. G. Graham Allan at the University of Washington in Seattle. 

Fundamentals of fiber assemblages. IV. The lateral flexibility of helically crimped fibers in nonwovens, Cellulose Chemistry & Technology, 1976,10, 401.

The general topic was fiber rheology (deformation of fibers), and more specifically how a helically crimped fiber would bend when subjected to the type of forces applied when testing the "drape" of a nonwoven sheet.

I wrote a large number of technical memos and reports for Scott Paper Company between 1978 and 1995, all proprietary. 

More recently, I have written or coauthored articles that were published by Paperloop (now part of RISI) for presentations at trade shows:

• "Adding Quality Through Finishing Processes" by Carl Ingalls.
  Presented at Tissue World Americas 2002 in Miami on 1 October 2002.
• "Using Laser Engraving in Tissue Embossing" by Carl Ingalls and Ed Giesler.
  Presented at CMM International 2003 Conference in Chicago on 15 April 2003.

Tissue World Americas 2002 in Miami, held 30 September through 2 October 2002.
Carl Ingalls and Balbir Singh gave a joint presentation of their respective articles "Adding Quality Through Finishing Processes" and "Preserving Quality in Converting Processes".  Lydia Work led a panel for a Q&A session.  The PowerPoint slide presentation is available here.

CMM International 2003 Conference in Chicago, held in April 2003.
Carl Ingalls and Ed Giesler presented "Using Laser Engraving in Tissue Embossing" on 15 April.  The PowerPoint slide presentation is available here.

There are 7 embossing patents issued with Carl Ingalls as one of the inventors.  The first one in the list below is a utility patent and the others are design patents.

Patent #	Date Issued	Title	Assigned to
6,368,539	9 April 2002	Methods of embossing materials	Potlatch Corp
D453,421	12 Feb 2002	Embossed paper	Potlatch Corp
D441,541	8 May 2001	Paper towel	Potlatch Corp
D431,372	3 Oct 2000	Pattern for absorbent sheet material	Irving Tissue
D431,371	3 Oct 2000	Pattern for absorbent sheet material	Irving Tissue
D430,407	5 Sep 2000	Pattern for absorbent sheet material	Irving Tissue
D430,406	5 Sep 2000	Pattern for absorbent sheet material	Irving Tissue

For tips on using the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) database to view or search for patents, please click here.