Patent ID: 8158043

Claim:
A method for making apertures in a web, the method comprising: a. providing a precursor web material having a machine direction and a cross machine direction, the web having a predominant molecular orientation relative to the machine direction and the cross machine direction; b. providing a forming apparatus comprising intermeshing members comprising a first member and a second member, wherein the first member comprises a surface that intermeshes with said second member, and the second member comprises teeth joined to the second member at a base, said teeth being tapered from said base to a tip, wherein the base of each tooth having has a cross-sectional length dimension greater than a cross-sectional width dimension, and each tooth is oriented such that the cross-sectional length dimension of the tooth is disposed at an angle greater than 50° relative to the predominant molecular orientation of the web; and c. moving the precursor web material through the intermeshing members; wherein apertures are formed in the precursor web material as the teeth on the second member penetrate the precursor web material, and said apertures have an aspect ratio of less than 4.0.