US Provisional Application No. 64/097,755 — Patent Pending

The sheet tells you
when it's safe to flush.

Lymnil integrates a colorimetric dispersibility indicator directly into the substrate of flushable sanitary articles. When the article disperses to a safe threshold, the indicator changes color — visible in the bowl, without instrumentation, at the moment of use.

How It Works Licensing Inquiries
Awaiting dispersal…
—

Simulate the dispersibility confirmation signal · Click Flush to begin

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📋US Prov. App. 64/097,755
🔬48 Claims · 4 Independent Families
🏭Lymnil Inc. · Michigan
⚖️Docket LYMN-001-PROV
🌊Addresses IWSFG IS 01:2023 Gap
The Problem

Every flushable article ships without per-unit proof.

The Regulatory Gap

Standards certify the product class. Nothing confirms the article.

IWSFG, FTC, and municipal water authorities have produced over a decade of standards for flushable products. Those standards address laboratory disintegration performance on population samples — not whether the specific sheet being flushed right now has actually dispersed.

Users flush articles that have not yet dispersed because they have no signal to wait for. Sewer blockages follow. Class-action litigation follows. Municipal remediation costs accumulate.

$1B+
Annual municipal remediation costs attributed to non-dispersed "flushable" articles in the U.S. and U.K. combined
Regulatory & Litigation Pressure

The burden on manufacturers is converging from every direction.

The industry faces coordinated pressure from regulation, litigation, and municipal surcharge programs simultaneously — with no substrate-level technical answer in existence.

🏛️
FTC Green Guides: Active review of flushability marketing claims. "Flushable" label scrutiny intensifying under proposed revision.
🌊
IWSFG IS 01:2023: International standard requiring documented dispersibility — lab-only, no per-unit confirmation mechanism exists.
⚖️
Class-action exposure: Multiple major wipe brands named in consumer deception suits over "flushable" labeling. Eight-figure settlements.
🏙️
Municipal surcharges: Water utilities in New York, London, and Sydney imposing per-SKU remediation contributions and product surcharge programs.
The Science

Built into the fiber. Not added to the label.

The Lymnil composite is designed around a single principle: the article itself carries the evidence of its own dispersal state. Four independent chemistry pathways. One user-facing signal.

⚗️

Ionochromic Trigger

A chromophore held by ionic pairing at bowl-water strength (5–15 mM). Flush dilution drops ionic strength below 3 mM — the pair dissociates, releasing the visible signal.

Trigger: <3 mM ionic strength · Above urine (150 mM) ✓
🧪

pH-Responsive Dye

Wet-strength resin hydrolysis during disintegration generates a local pH shift of 0.3–1.2 units. A calibrated indicator dye (pKa 5.5–8.5) transitions across that window.

Trigger: resin hydrolysis pH shift · Not bulk bowl pH ✓
⚡

Redox Signal

Fiber separation exposes reducing equivalents on cellulose chain ends. A redox indicator in its oxidized first state transitions to a reduced second state on contact.

Trigger: fiber separation event · Body-fluid inert ✓
💊

Hydrolytic Release

Microencapsulated chromophore held in quenched state by a labile ester or carbonate tether. Capsule rupture under flush agitation cleaves the bond, releasing vivid color into bowl water.

Trigger: agitation + aqueous hydrolysis · Capsule-protected ✓
Mechanism Detail

Four trigger pathways. One result.

Each trigger mechanism is independently patented and calibrated to the specific aqueous conditions of toilet bowl disintegration — not to in-use moisture, perspiration, or urine.

Ionic Strength (mM) — trigger calibration window
TRIGGER
0 mM (flush)3 mM ↑300 mM (urine)
Flush dilution~0.5–1.5 mM
Trigger threshold<3 mM
Perspiration~9 mM — no trigger ✓
Urine~150–300 mM — no trigger ✓
Mechanism I — Preferred Embodiment

Ionochromic chromophore complex

An ion-pair chromophore is stabilized at the ionic strength of typical toilet bowl water (~5–15 mM). Flush water dilutes the holding medium below ~3 mM — the ion-pair dissociates and the liberated chromophore adopts the second color state, producing the visible confirmation signal.

The calibration window is the inventive insight: the trigger sits far above flush dilution but well below perspiration and far below urine. No in-use condition crosses the threshold.

Trigger ionic strength<3 mM
Transition time15–60 sec
Chromophore classSpirolactone, crown-ether-azo
ReversibilityIrreversible
pH gradient — wet-strength resin hydrolysis shift
TRIGGER
pH 4pH 7pH 9
Resin hydrolysis:
Generates local pH shift +0.3–1.2 units during fiber disintegration
Dye pKa:
Calibrated to 5.5–8.5 — responds to article-internal pH, not bulk bowl water
Mechanism II

Wet-strength resin hydrolysis pH signal

Temporary wet-strength resins (glyoxylated polyacrylamide, PAE) hydrolyze during disintegration, releasing acid and amine groups that generate a local pH shift of 0.3–1.2 units. A pH-responsive dye calibrated to this window transitions color as the article's own chemistry changes.

The dye responds to the article's internal chemistry — not bulk bowl water pH — making it inherently self-referencing to that article's dispersal state.

Trigger pH shift+0.3–1.2 units
Dye pKa5.5–8.5
Example dyeBromothymol blue analog
Dye loading≤50 mg/m²
Fiber separation releases reducing equivalents:
🔵
Oxidized
State 1
→
🟢
Reduced
State 2
Reducing agent: Free –OH on cellulose chain ends liberated during fiber separation under aqueous agitation. Not present at meaningful concentration in body fluids.
Mechanism III

Fiber-separation redox signal

When cellulose fibers separate during aqueous disintegration, free hydroxyl groups on newly exposed chain ends act as mild reducing agents. A redox-responsive indicator in its oxidized first color state transitions to the reduced second color state on contact.

The signal is intrinsically coupled to actual fiber separation — not merely wetness — making it highly specific to the dispersal event.

Trigger eventFiber separation
Reducing agentCellulose –OH (chain ends)
Example indicatorResazurin analog
SelectivityHigh — body fluid inert
Hydrolytic tether cleavage — chromophore release:
Chromophore
(quenched)
—
Ester
Tether
—
Carrier
↓ H₂O + agitation
Free Chromophore
vivid color in bowl water
Carrier
disperses
Preferred: Curcumin-carbonate ester — pale yellow → vivid orange-yellow in bowl water
Mechanism IV

Microencapsulated hydrolytic tether release

A chromophore is covalently held in a quenched first state by attachment to a carrier via a hydrolytically labile tether. Microcapsule shells protect the conjugate during storage and handling.

Under flush agitation, capsule shells rupture and the tether undergoes hydrolysis, releasing free chromophore into the aqueous phase as a vivid dispersed color visible in the bowl — confirming both rupture and fiber disintegration.

Capsule diameter1–500 µm
Shell materialPolyurea (UF-free)
Tether chemistryEster / carbonate
SignalColor in bowl water
User Experience

Four moments. One article. Zero extra steps.

The dispersibility confirmation requires nothing from the user beyond normal use. The article does the work.

01

Normal Use

Article used as intended. Indicator remains in first color state — humidity, perspiration, and brief water contact do not trigger.

02

Flush Initiated

Bowl water ionic dilution begins. Fiber matrix disintegration proceeds. Trigger conditions build toward threshold.

03

Threshold Reached

Dispersibility threshold satisfied. Indicator transitions to second color state within 15–120 seconds, visible in the bowl.

04

✓ Confirmed

User sees the second color state in the bowl water. No app, no sensor, no instrumentation. The article confirmed itself.

Proof of Concept

Interactive dispersibility confirmation simulator

Adjust flush conditions and article parameters to observe the colorimetric transition in real time. Built on the chemistry of Claim 1, Mechanism I (ionic dilution).

Ionic strength
12.0 mM
Trigger status
Pre-flush
Transition
0%
Elapsed
0s

Flush timeline

In-use
Dilution
Dispersal
Confirmed
0s———

Parameters

Flush dilution target
0.5–1.5 mM
Trigger threshold
<3 mM
Perspiration — no trigger
~9 mM
Urine — no trigger
~150–300 mM

Bowl cross-section

indicator
Ionic strength12.0 mM
0↑ 3mM300mM
Awaiting flush

Chromophore state — 144 indicator molecules

Paired — first state
Released — second state (confirmed)
Intact

Ionic strength trace (mM) — real time

Regulatory Timeline

Fifteen years of pressure. Zero substrate-level solutions.

Lymnil addresses the gap that regulators have explicitly identified but that no manufacturer has technically solved.

2010
Regulatory

INDA/EDANA First Flushability Guidelines (GD4)

Industry produces first voluntary guidelines. "Flushable" defined by lab tests only — no per-unit indication mechanism contemplated.

2015
Litigation

FTC Wipe Deception Investigations Begin

FTC issues warning letters to manufacturers. First class-action suits filed in federal courts against major wipe brands.

2018
Regulatory

IWSFG IS 01 Published

International Water Services Flushability Group releases first international standard. Municipal utilities worldwide begin adopting as procurement reference.

2021
Litigation

Eight-Figure Class-Action Settlements

Multiple major wipe brand owners settle consumer deception claims. Combined settlement values reach hundreds of millions across cases.

2023
Regulatory

IWSFG IS 01:2023 — Tightened Requirements

Updated standard tightens disintegration thresholds and requires dispersibility documentation. Still lab-only — no per-unit mechanism.

2025
Pending

FTC Green Guides Revision — Flushability Under Active Review

Revision cycle includes flushability claims. New guidance expected to increase evidentiary burden for "flushable" label use.

2026
✓ Filed

Lymnil — US Provisional App. No. 64/097,755

First patent-anchored substrate-level dispersibility confirmation indicator. Zero commercial competitors. Licensing window open.

Market Opportunity

A $12 billion category with a mandate and no solution.

Regulatory and litigation pressure on flushable wipe manufacturers is structural, not cyclical. The licensing window for a first-mover substrate-level solution is open now.

$12B+
Global flushable wipes & dispersible tissue market (2025)
$1B+
Annual sewer blockage remediation costs attributed to non-dispersed wipes
48B
Flushable wipe units sold annually in North America and Europe
0
Commercially available flushable articles with per-unit dispersal confirmation today

Primary Licensing Targets

Kimberly-ClarkCottonelle / Scott
Procter & GambleCharmin / Always
Nice-Pak ProductsPrivate label wipes
Rockline IndustriesStore brand wipes
Suominen CorporationNonwoven substrate
Essity / SCATork / Tempo / TENA
Georgia-PacificQuilted Northern
Hengan InternationalAsia Pacific
Stage-Gated Valuation

The PoC is the key unlock.

Each gate event de-risks a specific dimension of the venture and converts that risk reduction directly into licensable value. Click any stage to explore the valuation step-change.

1
Stage 1 — Current
Provisional filed
$50K – $150K
2
Stage 2 — Key unlock
Proof of concept demonstrated
$500K – $2M
PoC
3
Stage 3
Non-provisional + prior art clear
$1M – $5M
4
Stage 4
Lab validation — IWSFG compliance
$3M – $10M
5
Stage 5
First license executed
$5M – $25M+
Indicative licensing value range
Stage 1 — Current
$50K – $150K
Stage midpoint
$100K
vs. prior stage
baseline
risk removed
Priority date
Stage insight
US Provisional App. No. 64/097,755 establishes priority date and begins the 12-month non-provisional window. Value at this stage reflects priority position only — chemistry, compliance, and commercial validity remain unproven.
Licensing Structure

Four families. Four hooks. One technology.

Each independent claim family provides a separate licensing and enforcement mechanism. Licenses can be structured by family, article category, and geographic territory.

Apparatus License

Rights to manufacture and sell composite sheet articles incorporating the Lymnil colorimetric indicator assembly in any dispersible sanitary article format.

Claims 1, 10, 11–29, 45–48

Method of Use License

Rights to distribute and instruct users in the method of confirming dispersibility via the Lymnil colorimetric signal in a flush environment.

Claims 6, 34–35

Manufacturing License

Rights to apply the Lymnil indicator assembly to dispersible fiber matrices by gravure, flexo, inkjet, interlaminar, or microcapsule incorporation methods.

Claims 7, 36–38

Indicator Assembly License

Rights to manufacture and supply the Lymnil chromophore formulation per se — available to chemical suppliers and nonwoven substrate manufacturers upstream of finished goods.

Claims 8, 39–40
Intellectual Property

48 claims. Four families. Filed.

US Provisional Application No. 64/097,755 establishes priority. The non-provisional deadline runs 12 months from filing. Four independent claim families provide broad coverage across the inventive system.

Apparatus claims on the composite sheet structure. Independent Claim 1 requires: a dispersible fiber matrix + colorimetric indicator assembly + threshold calibration + in-use non-trigger requirement. The non-trigger limitation is the key structural distinction over the prior art field.

Cl. 1Composite dispersibility-confirming sheet article comprising dispersible fiber matrix and colorimetric indicator assembly configured to transition from first to second color state upon dispersibility threshold, with in-use non-trigger requirement.
Cl. 10Dispersibility-confirming toilet tissue article — specific to multi-ply tissue web with ionochromic indicator layer meeting IWSFG IS 01:2023.
Cl. 47Roll of toilet tissue comprising plurality of perforated sheet units each incorporating the composite sheet, indicator zone within perforated unit boundary.

Method of use claims covering the act of confirming dispersibility via the colorimetric signal. Protects the user-facing protocol and creates an enforcement hook independent of the product structure claims.

Cl. 6Method: provide composite article → place in aqueous environment → observe color-state transition → interpret second color state as dispersibility confirmation.
Cl. 34Method of Cl. 6, further comprising flushing after observing the second color state.

Process claims on applying the colorimetric indicator assembly to a dispersible fiber matrix. Covers gravure, flexographic, inkjet, curtain coat, interlaminar positioning, wet-end addition, and microcapsule incorporation. Allows enforcement against manufacturing operations independent of product structure.

Cl. 7Method: form dispersible fiber matrix → apply colorimetric indicator assembly by specified methods → convert to consumer article units.
Cl. 38Method of Cl. 7, calibrating to ionic strength threshold <3 mM and transition time 15–120 sec under flush agitation conditions.

Composition claims on the chromophore formulation itself — independent of any specific article. Protects the indicator technology for licensing to chemical suppliers and nonwoven substrate manufacturers upstream of finished goods production.

Cl. 8Colorimetric indicator assembly: chromophore formulation exhibiting first state at 5–300 mM and second state below ~3 mM; carrier matrix compatible with dispersible fiber web; stable to 95% RH without aqueous immersion.
64/097,755
LYMN-001-PROV
48 (4 independent families)
Lymnil Inc. (Michigan)
Jeffrey D. Retherford
12 months from filing
Pre-Launch Gate Status

One gate closed. Three remaining.

The Lymnil domain is held dark pending completion of all gate conditions. Provisional filing is confirmed.

✓

Provisional Filed

US Provisional App. No. 64/097,755 filed. Filing date established. 12-month non-provisional window running.

3

Professional Prior-Art Search

Clusters A (flushable wipe indicators) and C (chromophore-in-tissue) search by registered patent agent. No blocking anticipation required.

4

LYMNIL Trademark Clearance

USPTO TESS, EUIPO, and common-law search in Classes 5, 10, and 16. No confusingly similar marks.

5

Michigan Articles of Incorporation

CSCL/CD-500 filing with Michigan LARA. Craig A. Retherford as resident agent, Ubly, Michigan.

Licensing & Partnership

Lymnil is available for licensing discussions with manufacturers of flushable wipes, dispersible tissue, moist toilet tissue, and nonwoven substrates. Non-exclusive licenses available by claim family, article category, and territory.

Jeffrey D. Retherford
Lymnil Inc. (Michigan)
14597 Marr Court
Woodbridge, VA 22193
(571) 597-9641
Jeffrey@lymnil.com
64/097,755
LYMN-001-PROV
Lymnil Inc.

Licensing Inquiry

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This site is in pre-launch gate status. Inquiries are forwarded directly to the inventor.