AU2015392253B2 - Absorbent article with improved waist panels and side seams - Google Patents
Absorbent article with improved waist panels and side seams Download PDFInfo
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- AU2015392253B2 AU2015392253B2 AU2015392253A AU2015392253A AU2015392253B2 AU 2015392253 B2 AU2015392253 B2 AU 2015392253B2 AU 2015392253 A AU2015392253 A AU 2015392253A AU 2015392253 A AU2015392253 A AU 2015392253A AU 2015392253 B2 AU2015392253 B2 AU 2015392253B2
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- Prior art keywords
- waist panel
- layer
- protective layer
- rear waist
- front waist
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
- A61F—FILTERS IMPLANTABLE INTO BLOOD VESSELS; PROSTHESES; DEVICES PROVIDING PATENCY TO, OR PREVENTING COLLAPSING OF, TUBULAR STRUCTURES OF THE BODY, e.g. STENTS; ORTHOPAEDIC, NURSING OR CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICES; FOMENTATION; TREATMENT OR PROTECTION OF EYES OR EARS; BANDAGES, DRESSINGS OR ABSORBENT PADS; FIRST-AID KITS
- A61F13/00—Bandages or dressings; Absorbent pads
- A61F13/15—Absorbent pads, e.g. sanitary towels, swabs or tampons for external or internal application to the body; Supporting or fastening means therefor; Tampon applicators
- A61F13/45—Absorbent pads, e.g. sanitary towels, swabs or tampons for external or internal application to the body; Supporting or fastening means therefor; Tampon applicators characterised by the shape
- A61F13/49—Absorbent articles specially adapted to be worn around the waist, e.g. diapers
- A61F13/496—Absorbent articles specially adapted to be worn around the waist, e.g. diapers in the form of pants or briefs
- A61F13/4963—Absorbent articles specially adapted to be worn around the waist, e.g. diapers in the form of pants or briefs characterized by the seam
Abstract
A child's absorbent training pant (20) is provided. The pant (20) includes a chassis (22) having a front waist region (23) with a front panel (24), a rear waist region (25) with a rear waist panel (26), and a crotch region (27) with a crotch panel (28) extending between the front and back panels. A waist opening (30) and a pair of leg openings (32) are formed by selectively joining the front waist panel (24) and rear waist panel (26) at side seams (34) on the lateral sides of the pant (20). The side seams (34) extend between the waist opening (30) and respective leg openings (32). A waist border (36) peripherally surrounds the waist opening (30), and is formed upon joining the front waist panel (24) and the rear waist panel (26) at side seams (34).
Description
ABSORBENT ARTICLE WITH IMPROVED WAIST PANELS AND SIDE SEAMS
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Conventional open diapers and incontinence products while still in widespread use have in recent years been replaced by closed-sided products often referred to as training pants and pull-on diapers due to the fact that they utilized chassis designs that are modeled more after conventional underwear. As a result, they often include the use of side seams to join the front and rear waist panels to form a waist opening and leg openings.
Due to the nature of the materials used to form the waist panels, the side seams are routinely made using thermal fusion in lieu of adhesive seams. Thermal seams are more desirable as they can form stronger bonds due to the melting and fusion of the fibers and/or other materials of the respective front and rear waist panels. To form such bonded side seams, several techniques are employed. One is ultrasonic bonding and the other is conventional heated bonding rolls which typically use a male patterned roll and a corresponding smooth anvil roll or mating patterned rolls where the bonding designs on each roll mate with one another.
Generating good sides seam bonds is important to the overall integrity of the product. Without good side seam bonding, the front and rear waist panels can prematurely delaminate from one another causing the product to become partially or fully unfastened during use resulting in a plethora of undesirable consequences.
Fortunately, this problem is not routinely encountered because it is commonplace for the waist panel materials of the front and rear waist panels to be made of the same material on both the respective body-facing and garment-facing surfaces of the waist panels.
Unfortunately, as product designs progress and market demands continue to grow, there is an everyincreasing need for the product manufacturers to incorporate more and more features to drive product sales. One attribute that is in particular demand is softness. For years, many pull-on products have used conventional polypropylene polymer in formation of the fibers that go into the fibrous nonwoven webs that make up the garment and body-facing sides of the front and back waist panels.
As to the waist panels, themselves, a common design is to use two external layers of fibrous nonwoven web (one for the garment side and one for the body-facing side) with a layer of elastic material sandwiched between and adhesively joined to each of the external layers of fibrous nonwoven
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PCT/CN2015/077143 web material. The elastic layer can be a stranded material such as a plurality of laterally-extending and vertically-spaced apart elastic strands. Alternatively, the elastic layer can be a layer of elastic film or an elastic mesh material laminated between the two outer layers of fibrous nonwoven web material. With such designs, a common formation technique is to make the external, garment-facing layer of material in the waistband (above the upper-most edge of the elastic material forming the waistband) taller than the internal, body-facing layer of material that also extends above the upper-most edge of the elastic material forming the waistband. This extra external waistband material is folded inwardly over the body-facing layer and then down over the upper-most, top edge of the absorbent core. This is done to protect the wearer from the unfinished and otherwise exposed top edge of the absorbent core. Alternatively both layers, the internal and external layers, are extended above the uppermost edge of the elastic material and then folded inwardly over the top edge of the absorbent core to again protect the wearer from the top edge of the absorbent core. In yet another embodiment a portion of the waistband including all three components (the external layer, the elastic layer and the internal layer) are folded over inwardly towards the bodyside of the product. As a result, a portion of the external layer again becomes an interior layer of the side seams subject to fusion bonding. In all the foregoing embodiments, when both the internal and external layers are made of the same polymer or compatible polymers, forming heat-fused side seams that have sufficient side seam strength has not been a problem.
However, in an effort to make more desirable products, one solution is to use polymers such as polyethylene to form homogeneous fibers or bicomponent fibers with polyethylene exterior surfaces or sheaths and polyesteror polypropylene interiors or cores. Polyethylene is recognized as having a better hand and more perceived softness when compared to polypropylene. A problem can arise however when an attempt is made to fusion bond polyethylene with polypropylene. Due to the incompatibility of the polymers, creating strong side seams becomes a problem as such polymers do not bond together well using fusion bonding (heat and pressure) with standard construction techniques. This is because, when an external layer is folded over, onto the inside of the product, to cover the top edge of the absorbent core, the external layers become dispersed between internal layers. As a result, when heated fusion bonding takes place to form the side seams, the layers of dissimilar polymers do not bond sufficiently and therefore begin to delaminate during use thereby resulting in inferior products that are unacceptable from a consumer standpoint. Consequently, there is a need for alternate designs that allow the use of incompatible polymers while still creating strong side seams and yielding softer-feeling products.
2015392253 12 May 2020 incompatible polymers while still creating strong side seams and yielding softer-feeling products.
It is an object of the present invention to substantially overcome or at least ameliorate one or more of the disadvantages of the prior art.
SUMMARY
An aspect of the present invention provides an absorbent article comprising a front waist region, a rear waist region and a crotch region disposed between said front waist region and said rear waist region with said absorbent article defining a longitudinal centerline;
said front waist region having a front waist panel and said rear waist region having a rear waist panel with an absorbent structure located in said crotch region and extending into said front waist panel region and said rear waist panel region;
each of said front waist panel and said rear waist panel having a waist panel top edge, a waist panel left side edge and a waist panel right side edge, each of said front waist panel and said rear waist panel further having a garment facing surface and a body-facing surface;
said front waist panel being bonded to said rear waist panel to form a pair of side seams to define a waist border with a waist opening and a pair of leg openings;
said absorbent structure having an absorbent structure front top edge located in said front waist region, an absorbent structure rear top edge located in said rear waist region and a pair of absorbent structure longitudinal side edges joining said absorbent structure front top edge and said absorbent structure rear top edge, said absorbent structure having a body-facing surface and a garment facing surface;
said front waist panel having a front waist panel garment layer and a front waist panel liner layer with an elastics means located there between;
said rear waist panel having a rear waist panel garment layer and a rear waist panel liner layer with an elastics means located there between;
said absorbent structure being attached to a body-facing surface of said front waist panel liner layer and said rear waist panel liner layer;
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2015392253 12 May 2020 said front waist panel having a front waist panel protective layer covering at least a portion of said body-facing surface of said absorbent structure including at least a portion of said absorbent structure front top edge;
said rear waist panel having a rear waist panel protective layer covering at least a portion of said body-facing surface of said absorbent structure including at least a portion of said absorbent structure rear top edge;
at least one of said pair of side seams including said front waist panel garment layer, said rear waist panel garment layer, said front waist panel liner layer, said rear waist panel liner layer and at least one of said front waist panel protective layer and said rear waist panel protective layer;
said at least one of said front waist panel protective layer and said rear waist panel protective layer being located between said front waist panel liner layer and said rear waist panel liner layer, and said front waist panel liner layer and said rear waist panel liner layer being located between said front waist panel garment layer and said rear waist panel garment layer;
said at least one of said pair of side seams having a fusion bond bonding together said front waist panel liner layer, said rear waist panel liner layer and said at least one of said front waist panel protective layer and said rear waist panel protective layer, wherein no portion of the front waist panel garment layer is bonded directly to the front waist panel protective layer, and wherein no portion of the rear waist panel garment layer is bonded directly to the rear waist panel protective layer, and wherein no portion of the front waist panel garment layer is bonded directly to the rear waist panel garment layer.
Disclosed herein is an absorbent article including a front waist region, a rear waist region and a crotch region disposed between the front waist region and the rear waist region with the absorbent article defining a longitudinal centerline. The front waist region has a front waist panel and the rear waist region has a rear waist panel with an absorbent structure located in the crotch region and extending into the front waist panel region and the rear waist panel region. Each of the front waist panel and the rear waist panel has a waist panel top edge, a waist panel left side edge and a waist panel right side edge. Each of the front waist panel and the rear waist panel further has a garment facing surface and a body-facing surface. The front waist panel is bonded to the rear waist panel to form a pair of side seams to define a waist border with a waist opening and a pair of leg openings. The absorbent structure has an absorbent structure front top edge located in the front waist region, an absorbent structure rear top edge located in the rear
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2015392253 12 May 2020 waist region and a pair of absorbent structure longitudinal side edges joining the absorbent structure front top edge and the absorbent structure rear top edge with the absorbent structure having a body-facing surface and a garment facing surface. The front waist panel has a front waist panel garment layer and a front waist panel liner layer with an elastics means located there between. The rear waist panel has a rear waist panel garment layer and a rear waist panel liner layer with an elastics means located there between. The absorbent structure is attached to a body-facing surface of the front waist panel liner layer and the rear waist panel liner layer. The front waist panel has a front waist panel protective layer covering at least a portion of the bodyfacing surface of the absorbent structure including at least a portion of the absorbent structure front top edge. The rear waist panel has a rear waist panel protective layer covering at least a portion of the body-facing surface of the absorbent structure including at least a portion of the absorbent structure rear top edge. At least one of the pair of side seams includes the front waist panel garment layer, the rear waist panel garment layer, the front waist panel liner layer, the rear waist panel liner layer and at least one of the front waist panel protective layer and the rear waist panel protective layer. At least one of the front waist panel protective layer and the rear waist panel protective layer is located between the front waist panel liner layer and the rear waist panel liner layer, and the front waist panel liner layer and the rear waist panel liner layer are located between the front waist panel garment layer and the rear waist panel garment layer. At least one of the pair of side seams has a fusion bond bonding together the front waist panel liner layer, the rear waist panel liner layer and at least one of the front waist panel protective layer and the rear waist panel protective layer.
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In an embodiment the side seams can have a peel strength of at least about 450 grams force and the peel strength can range from about 450 grams force to about 5000 grams force.
In an embodiment the garment layer, the liner layer and the protective layer each have top edge which terminates at the waist border.
In an embodiment the garment layer, the liner layer and the protective layer each have top edge and at least one of the top edges terminates at the waist border.
In an embodiment at least one of the front waist panel and the rear waist panel, the liner layer and the protective layer are joined to one another by a fold line between the liner layer and the protective layer. In an embodiment at least one of the front waist panel protective layer and the rear waist panel protective layer does not extend into at least a portion of one of the pair of side seams.
In an embodiment in at least one of the pair of side seams, the front waist panel garment layer and the front waist panel liner layer have a peel strength which is less than 400 grams force.
In an embodiment in at least one of the pair of side seams, the rear waist panel garment layer and the rear waist panel liner layer have a peel strength which is less than 400 grams force.
In an embodiment the front waist panel has a waist panel bottom edge and the front waist panel protective layer has a waist panel protective layer top edge, a waist panel protective layer lower edge, a waist panel protective layer left side edge, and a waist panel protective layer right side edge with the waist panel protective layer lower edge being positioned between the waist border of the front waist panel and the waist panel bottom edge of the front waist panel.
In an embodiment at least one of the pair of side seams does not contain the waist panel protective layer left side edge and the waist panel protective layer right side edge from at least one of the front waist panel and the rear waist panel.
In an embodiment the rear waist panel has a waist panel bottom edge and the rear waist panel protective layer has a waist panel protective layer top edge, a waist panel protective layer lower edge, a waist panel protective layer left side edge and a waist panel protective layer right side edge with the waist panel protective layer lower edge being positioned between the waist border of the rear waist panel and the waist panel bottom edge of the rear waist panel.
In an embodiment the rear waist panel has a waist panel bottom edge and the rear waist panel protective layer has a waist panel protective layer top edge, a waist panel protective layer lower edge,
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PCT/CN2015/077143 a waist panel protective layer left side edge and a waist panel protective layer right side edge with the waist panel protective layer lower edge being positioned between the waist border of the rear waist panel and the waist panel bottom edge of the rear waist panel.
In an embodiment at least one of the pair of side seams does not contain the waist panel protective layer left side edge and the waist panel protective layer right side edge.
In an embodiment at least one of the pair of side seams do not contain the waist panel liner layer from at least one of the front waist panel and the rear waist panel.
In another embodiment the absorbent article includes a front waist region, a rear waist region and a crotch region disposed between the front waist region and the rear waist region with the absorbent article defining a longitudinal centerline. The front waist region has a front waist panel and the rear waist region has a rear waist panel with an absorbent structure located in the crotch region and extending into the front waist panel region and the rear waist panel region. Each of the front waist panel and the rear waist panel has a waist panel top edge, a waist panel left side edge and a waist panel right side edge, each of the front waist panel and the rear waist panel further has a garment facing surface and a body-facing surface. The front waist panel is bonded to the rear waist panel to form a pair of side seams to define a waist border with a waist opening and a pair of leg openings. The absorbent structure has an absorbent structure front top edge located in the front waist region, an absorbent structure rear top edge located in the rear waist region and a pair of absorbent structure longitudinal side edges joining the absorbent structure front top edge and the absorbent structure rear top edge with the absorbent structure having a body-facing surface and a garment facing surface. The front waist panel has a front waist panel garment layer and a front waist panel liner layer with an elastics means located there between. The rear waist panel has a rear waist panel garment layer and a rear waist panel liner layer with an elastics means located there between. The absorbent structure is attached to a body-facing surface of the front waist panel liner layer and the rear waist panel liner layer. The front waist panel has a front waist panel protective layer covering at least a portion of the bodyfacing surface of the absorbent structure including at least a portion of the absorbent structure front top edge. The rear waist panel has a rear waist panel protective layer covering at least a portion of the body-facing surface of the absorbent structure including at least a portion of the absorbent structure rear top edge. At least one of the pair of side seams includes the front waist panel garment layer, the rear waist panel garment layer, the front waist panel protective layer and the rear waist panel protective layer. The front waist panel protective layer and the rear waist panel protective layer are located between the front waist panel garment layer and the rear waist panel garment layer. At least
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PCT/CN2015/077143 one of the pair of side seams has a fusion bond bonding together the front waist panel garment layer, the front waist panel protective layer, the rear waist panel protective layer and the rear waist panel garment layer.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a folded and sealed pull-on diaper or training pant according to the present invention.
Figure 2 is a top plan view of the unfolded version of the pull-on diaper of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is perspective view of another folded and sealed pull-on diaper according to the present invention utilizing a three piece design.
Figure 3A is a partial, cross-sectional side view taken along line 3A-3A of Figure 3 showing the side seam of a pull-on diaper according to the present invention.
Figure 4 is a top plan view of the unfolded version of the pull-on diaper of Figure 3.
Figure 5 is a partial, cross-sectional side view taken along line 5-5 of Figure 1 showing the waist section and top of the absorbent structure of a pull-on diaper according to the present invention.
Figure 6 is a partial, cross-sectional side view taken along line 6-6 of Figure 1 showing the side seam of a pull-on diaper according to the present invention.
Figure 7 is an alternate partial, cross-sectional side view of a waist section and the top-most portion of the absorbent structure of a pull-on diaper according to the present invention similar to that shown in Figure 5.
Figure 8 is an alternate partial, cross-sectional side view of a waist section and top-most portion of the absorbent structure of a pull-on diaper according to the present invention similar to that shown in Figure 5.
Figure 9 is an alternate partial, cross-sectional side view of a waist section and top-most portion of the absorbent structure of a pull-on diaper according to the present invention similar to that shown in Figure 5.
Figure 10 is a partial top plan view of a bonding seam that can be used with a side seam for a pull-on diaper according to the present invention.
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Figure 11 is a partial top plan view of another bonding seam that can be used with a side seam for a pull-on diaper according to the present invention.
Figure 12 is an enlarged, partial, cross-sectional side view of another bonded side seam for a pull-on diaper according to the present invention.
Figure 13 is a perspective view of an alternate design of a folded and sealed pull-on diaper or training pant according to the present invention.
Figure 14 is a top plan view of the unfolded version of the pull-on diaper of Figure 13.
Figure 15 is a partial, cross-sectional side view taken along line 15-15 of Figure 13 showing the side seam of a pull-on diaper according to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The invention will now be described in detail with reference to particular embodiments thereof. The embodiments are provided by way of explanation of the invention, and not meant as a limitation of the invention. For example, features described or illustrated as part of one embodiment may be used with another embodiment to yield still a further embodiment. It is intended that the present invention include these and other modifications and variations as come within the scope and spirit of the invention.
The present invention provides an improved method for making absorbent articles, such as a child's training pant, pull-on diaper and adult incontinence pull-on pants having elasticized front and rear waist panels that are joined to one another along side seams. Principles of the invention will be described by reference to a child's training pant. However, as mentioned, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to training pants, but relates to any type of absorbent disposable garment or article incorporating lateral side seams. Such articles may include, for example, incontinence articles, pull-up diapers, and the like.
With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, a disposable child's absorbent training pant 20 is illustrated. The pant 20 includes a chassis 22 having a front waist region 23 with a front panel 24, a rear waist region 25 with a rear waist panel 26, and a crotch region 27 with a crotch panel 28 extending between the front and back panels. A waist opening 30 and a pair of leg openings 32 are formed by selectively joining the front waist panel 24 and rear waist panel 26 at side seams 34 on the lateral sides of the pant 20.
The side seams 34 extend between the waist opening 30 and respective leg openings 32. A waist
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PCT/CN2015/077143 border 36 peripherally surrounds the waist opening 30, and is formed upon joining the front waist panel and the rear waist panel 26 at seams 34. The side seams 34 will be discussed in greater detail below.
Still referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the pant chassis 22 includes an absorbent structure 38 disposed in the crotch panel 28 and extending into the front waist panel 24 in the front waist region 23 and the rear waist panel 26 in the rear waist region 25. In general, the absorbent structure 38 has a length dimension that is greater than the width dimension. The absorbent structure 38 has an absorbent structure front top edge 40 and an absorbent structure rear top edge 42 separated by absorbent structure longitudinal side edges 44. As with all the layers described herein, each layer of the producthas a body-facing surface which faces the inside of the product when worn and a garmentfacing surface which faces the exterior of the product when worn and therefore is closer to any possible garments the wearer may be wearing. The front tope edge 40 and the rear top edge 42 are generally parallel to the waist border 36 and the transverse “X” axis of the product as shown in Figure
2. The longitudinal side edges 44 form the lateral sides of the absorbent structure 38 and are generally parallel to the longitudinal or “Y” axis of the product as shown in Figure 2. As illustrated, the absorbent structure 38 may extend to a point below the waist border 36 in either or both the front waist region 23 and the rear waist region 25. Alternatively, the absorbent structure 38 may extend all the way to the ends of the pant 20 at or adjacent to the waist border 36. The absorbent structure 38 may have any suitable shape and configuration, as recognized in the art. For example, the absorbent structure 38 may be more hourglass shape to mimic the curved leg cutout portions of the chassis 22.
The absorbent structure 38 typically includes and absorbent medium such as wood pulp fluff and optionally hydrogel material (not shown) and it may be encased in what is termed a core wrap material (not shown) such as tissue and/or a polymeric fibrous nonwoven web such as a meltblown web. Additionally or alternatively the absorbent medium may be encased in a liquid pervious topsheet and a liquid impermeable backsheet (again not shown) as is recognized in the art. This latter configuration is particularly suitable for the embodiment shown in Figures 3 and 4.
If desired, containment flaps 46 may attached at their proximal edges 48 to the absorbent structure 38 or the chassis 22 in general while their free distal ends 50 may be fitted with elastic means 52 such as one or more elastic strands 52.
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The waist border 36 of the training pant 20 is elasticized with elastic means such as spaced-apart elastic strands 37 or a unitary elastic ribbon or elastic film layer any or all of which are typically encased within garment and body side-facing layers of a soft material such as a fibrous nonwoven web.
If greater product tension is required to supplement the ability to hold the product upon the torso of the wearer, auxiliary elastics 39 may be incorporated into the front 24 and rear 26 waist panels between the waist border 36 and the leg openings 32. These additional elastics 39 may be made from the same materials as the elastic means 37 and may extend across the entire width of the product and even into the side seams 34. Alternatively, the elastics 39 may terminate short of the side seams 34 and in addition, they may or may not extend across the absorbent structure 38. For example, in the front waist region 23, the elastics 39 are shown as extending over the absorbent structure 38 while in the rear waist region 25 they do not extend over the absorbent structure 38. The elastics 39 may have the same spacing as the elastics 37 in the waist border 36, the elastic spacing may be greater or smaller than the elastics 37 or they may have an uneven spacing if so desired. As a result of the spacing, size (denier) and degree of stretching used when securing the elastics 37 and 39 to the chassis 22, the degree of tension in the various areas of the chassis 22 can be varied from one region to another. Still further, leg elastics 41 may be used to secure the leg openings 32 about the legs of the wearer as is known in the art. Finally, any or all of the elastic means 37,39 and 41 may be attached to the chassis 22 through the use of adhesives or other means continuously or intermittently along the surfaces of the chassis 22.
Turning to Figures 3 and 4 there is shown pull-on diaper or training pant 20 of an alternate design. In this design, the pant has what is termed a “three-piece” construction in that it comprises a front waist panel 24 and a rear waist panel 26joined by an absorbent structure 38. Compared to the design in Figures 1 and 2, there are no leg cutouts or leg elastics in the chassis 22, though supplemental leg elastics could be run down the longitudinal sides of the absorbent structure 38 (not shown).
The absorbent structure 38 of Figures 3 and 4 can be of the same design as the absorbent structure described with respect to Figures 1 and 2. The front waist panel 24 and the rear waist panel 26 each have a waist panel top edge 54, a waist panel bottom edge 55, a waist panel left side edge 56 and a waist panel right side edge 58 joining the waist panel top edge 54 and the waist panel bottom edge 55. The front waist panel 24 and the rear waist panel 26 are joined via a pair of side seams 34 along their respective left and right waist panel side edges 56 and 58.
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Referring to Figures 5 and 6, there are shown cross-sections of the front waist panel. Figure 5 shows a cross-section taken along line 5-5 of Figure 1 and Figure 6 shows a cross-section taken along line 66 of Figure 1. It should be understood that while these figures show the front waist panel 24, the description contained herein is also applicable to the rear waist panel 26. Further, the front and rear waist panels may be configured differently from one another, as far as design, with some or all of the features described herein being employed in one waist panel but not the other. The front waist panel 24 can utilize elastic means in the waist area (such as waist elastic means 37) as well in the area in and around the absorbent structure 38 (such as auxiliary elastic means 39). The front waist panel 24 has a front waist panel garment layer 60 designed to be positioned away from the wearer and adjacent the wearer’s clothing and a front waist panel liner layer 62 designed to be positioned towards the body side of the wearer. (In the same fashion, the rear waist panel 26 has rear waist panel garment layer 64 and a rear waist panel liner layer 66. See Figure 3A.)
The elastics means 37 and optional elastic means 39 are positioned between the garment layer 60 and the liner layer 62. Referring to Figure 5, to protect the wearer from any rough edges associated with the absorbent structure front top edge 40, a front waist panel protective layer 68 is positioned over the top edge 40 thereby covering the top edge 40 and a portion of the body contacting surface of the absorbent structure 38. The protective layer 68, 70 in both the front waist panel 24 and the rear waist panel 26 has a waist panel protective layer lower edge 63. To provide further protection, it is desirable that the front waist panel protective layer 68 also covers the absorbent structure longitudinal side edges 44 and, desirably, extends laterally along the X axis to and into the side seams 34. See Figures 2 and 4. (In the same fashion, the rear waist panel 26 has a rear waist panel protective layer 70. See Figure 3A.) Still further, it should be understood that these same components and configurations can be used with the three piece chassis shown in Figures 3,3A and 4.
As mentioned previously, one of the problems being solved by the present invention is the possible incompatibility of the material forming the garment side of the waist panels with the material forming the body side of the waist panels when the waist panels are joined together to form fused side seams 34. If the material forming the exterior or garment side of the waist panels does not fusion bond well with the material forming the interior or liner or body-facing side of the waist panel, when the exterior material is folded inwardly to cover the top edge of the absorbent structure, the material of the exterior layer will be located between layers of the incompatible interior side material and so the fusion bonding of the layers located within the side seam will potentially suffer. As a result, the materials being used to form the exterior and interior layers of the waist panel must be compatible with one another from a io
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PCT/CN2015/077143 fusion bonding perspective when the exterior layer is being folded inwardly in the conventional forming process over the top of the absorbent structure to cover its top edge.
With the present folding process and resultant product and side seam design, it does not matter if the interior and exterior materials are compatible because the way the present designs are folded/formed, no exterior layer material needs to form an interior portion of the side seams which are subject to fusion bonding. Consequently, the problem of whether these layers and materials are compatible or incompatible with one another does not become a problem.
It should be understood that the present invention is directed to side seams 34 that are fused to one another via the use of heat and pressure such as are generated by the use of such bonding techniques as heated bonding rolls and ultrasonic bonding equipment. These fusion bonding techniques are collectively referred to a bonding or fusing in the context of forming the side seams 34. This is to be distinguished from the used of adhesives to form the side seams 34 though it is possible to use adhesives as a supplement to the aforementioned bonding/fusing techniques. For example, adhesives may be used to attach the protective layer 68 to the body-facing surface of the absorbent structure 38 and some of this adhesive may also be located in the areas of the side seams 34. In addition, adhesives will likely be used to join at least some portion of the body-facing surface of the waist panel garment layers 60, 64 to the garment-facing surfaces of the respective waist panel liner layers 62, 66.
Turning to Figures 3A, 5 and 6, the front and rear waist panel liner (62, 64) and waist panel protective (68, 70) layers must be compatible with one another for seaming purposes when forming the side seams 34. By “compatible” it is meant that the side seams 34 have sufficient peel strength that they do not routinely separate during normal use on the wearer. As shown in the Examples below, based upon peel strength testing, it is generally desirable that the side seams have a peel strength of at least about 450 grams force (gf) and will generally have a peel strength ranging from about 450 gf to about 5000 gf, alternatively from about 650 gf to about 3500 gf and still further, from about 800 gf to about 2000 gf.
One way to ensure that the front and rear waist panel liner (62, 64) and protective (68, 70) layers are compatible with one another is to have the two layers be made from the same material. As shown in Figures 3A, 5 and 6, the front waist panel protective layer 68 can be an extension of the front waist panel liner material 62. The front waist panel liner layer material 62 can be formed sufficiently long in the X and Y directions (laterally and longitudinally, respectively) so that a front waist panel fold line 72
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PCT/CN2015/077143 can be formed and the extra material can be extended down over the absorbent structure front top edge 40 and desirably the absorbent structure longitudinal edges 44. This is shown in Figure 5.
Turning to Figures 3A and 6, due to the extension and folding along waist panel fold lines 72 and 74, a second layer of material for both the front waist panel 24 and the rear waist panel 26 is present in the side seam area 34 of the waist panels between the garment layers (60, 64). This second layer of material is the waist panel protective layer 68, 70. More importantly, however, unlike conventional folding techniques, there is no material from the waist panel garment layers (60, 64) in the interior portions of the seams 34 to interfere with the bonding/fusion process.
Alternate versions of the present invention are shown in Figures 7,8 and 9 of the drawings. As stated above, the protective layer 68 is the same material as the liner layer 62 due to the folding at the fold line 72. In Figure 7, the protective layer 68 can again be the same material with no fold line 72 being shown due to the formation process wherein the area where the fold line 72 is located having been severed from the end product. Alternatively, the protective layer 68 may be formed from a separate piece of material that is compatible with the liner layer 62. Once again it is desirable that the protective layer 68 extend down over the absorbent structure front top edge 40 and at least a portion of the bodyfacing side of the absorbent structure 38. Further, it is desirable that the protective layer 68 extends over the absorbent core longitudinal side edges 44 and into the areas where the side seams 34 will be formed between the front waist panel 24 and the rear waist panel 26. The same is true with respect to the rear waist panel protective layer 70 in the rear waist panel 26.
In addition to forming the protective layer 68 from the same or different but compatible materials as the liner layer 62, the overall height of the various layers can be varied relative to the front waist panel upper edge 76 and in the same fashion with respect to the rear waist panel layers and upper edge 78. As can be seen in Figure 7, the garment layer 60, the liner layer 62 and the protective layer 68 all have a top edge. However, in the embodiment shown in Figure 7, the garment layer 60 is shorter in the Y or longitudinal direction as compared to the liner layer 62 and the protective layer 68 (both of which are the same length adjacent the waist opening 36). As a result, the top edge of the garment layer 60 does not align with the top edge of the liner layer 62 and the protective layer 68 which do align with one another to thus form a portion of the waist border 36. In Figure 8, the liner layer 62 is the tallest layer and the garment layer 60 and the protective layer 68 are shorter than the liner layer 62. In addition, the garment layer 60 and the protective layer 68 may be the same length or different lengths with respect to one another. In Figure 9, the garment layer 60 and the liner layer 62 are the same height and form the front waist panel upper edge 76 which in turn forms the waist border 36. Similarly,
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PCT/CN2015/077143 the rear waist panel 26 can be formed in the same way as shown in Figures 3A and 5-9 with respect to the rear waist panel garment layer 64, rear waist panel liner layer 66, rear waist panel protective layer
70, rear waist panel fold line 74, and rear waist panel upper edge 78.
In the context of compatible materials, the garment layers 60, 64, the liner layers 62, 66 and the protective layers 68, 70 typically will be made from fibrous nonwoven webs. Suitable nonwoven webs include staple fibers webs and more continuous fiber or filament webs such as are found in meltblown webs and spunbond webs. Through air bonded carded staple fiber webs are particularly suitable for the garment layers 60 and 64 because such fibers as bicomponent fibers can be used which include polyethylene-based polymers for the sheaths to provide a softer feel and hand, while the cores of the bicomponent fibers can be made from such polymers as polypropylene and polyester (PET) to provide other properties such as rigidity and compression resilience. Conversely, the liner layers 62, 66 and protective layers 68, 70 can be made from, for example, spunbond webs or combinations of spunbond and meltblown webs which are typically made from polypropylene-based polymers. In these situations, when some portion of the exterior surfaces of the fibers being used for the garment layers are polyethylene-based (50 weight percent or greater of the polymer mix utilizes a polyethylene backbone) and some portion of the exterior surfaces of the fibers being used for the liner and protective layers are polypropylene-based(50 weight percent or greater of the polymer mix utilizes a polypropylenebackbone), there is a significant chance the layers being heat fused together will not be compatible and will therefore form an unacceptable side seam 34 with an insufficient peel strength. In such situations, the designs of the present invention provide an economical solution to being able to provide one set of attributes in one area of the product versus another while still being able to form sufficiently strong side seams 34 in the end product.
Yet an additional embodiment of the present invention is shown in Figures 13 through 15 of the drawings. In this embodiment, the front and rear waist panel protective layers 68 and 70 each have a waist panel protective layer top edge 54a (which may or may not coincide with the front and rear waist panel top edges 54), a waist panel protective layer lower edge 63, and a waist panel protective layer left side edge 56a and a waist panel protective layer right side edge 58a which can connect the top 54a and lower 63 edges and which are each respectively positioned inward of the waist panel left side edge 56 and waist panel right side edge 58 and thus closer to the longitudinal centerline 80 of the product. As a result, when a cross-sectional side view is taken along line 15-15 of Figure 13 through the area where the side seam 34 is formed, there is no protective layer material 68, 70 which extends into the pair of side seam 34. This has several advantages. First, the side seams 34 are less bulky
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PCT/CN2015/077143 and stiff because there are two less layers forming the seams 34. Second, because the protective layer left and right side edges 56a and 58a are not a part of the side seaming process, they do not have to be made of a material that is compatible with the material forming the liner layers 62 and 66 which in turn take part in the fusion process when the side seams 34 are formed. However, if this modified protective layer with a non-compatible material is used, it will have to be adhered to the underlying layer or layers with a suitable adhesive or other suitable means as is known in the art.
Turning to the side seams 34 and their bonding/fusion, reference should be made to Figures 10-12 of the drawings. Any number of bonding designs or patterns may be used. As mentioned previously, fusion of the layers may take place using conventional ultrasonic bonding equipment. Additionally, heated bonding rolls may be used in which one roll has a bonding pattern such as is shown in Figures 10 and 11 and the other roll may be a flat anvil roll. Alternatively, some portions of the bonding patterns may be placed on either roll such as in a male/female set of bonding rolls or, a first of the two rolls may have raised male patterns that contact a flat, anvil portion on the other, second roll and in the same fashion raised male patterns on the second roll may contact flat, anvil portions on the first roll.
In Figure 10, the seam 34 has a bond pattern which includes an outboard longitudinal bonding line 34a and an inboard longitudinal bonding line 34b (the terms “outboard” and “inboard” being taken in relation to the relative closeness to the longitudinal centerline 80 of the product). Traversing the portion of the seam 34 in between these two bonding lines 34a and 34b are a series of alternating lines of parallel bonding 34c and 34d. Lateral bond lines 34c may be narrower that lateral bond lines 34d and bond lines 34c may be raised and the bond lines 34d more depressed (or vice versa) with respect to the exterior front surface of the training pant 20. To further strengthen the seams 34 in Figure 10, a series of alternating inward diagonal bond lines 34e and outward diagonal bond lines 34f are included and they can be joined at an apex 34g is so desired.
An alternate bonding design is shown in Figure 11 of the drawings. It too contains an outboard longitudinal bonding line 34a and an inboard longitudinal bonding line 34b. Between the bonding lines 34a and 34b are a series of dot bonds 34h and flat bond areas 34I. The dots 34h are shown being offset on a diagonal from both the X and Y axes (lateral and longitudinal axes). Both the size and spacing of the dots can be varied. In addition, the dots can be replaced with other shapes such as, for example, squares, ovals, polygons, stars, diamonds, etc.
Turning to Figure 12 there is shown an enlarged cross-sectional side view of an exemplary side seam 34 due to the bonding of the layers of the present invention including the waist elastic means 37, the auxiliary elastic means 39, the front waist panel garment layer 60, the front waist panel liner layer 62,
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PCT/CN2015/077143 the front waist panel protective layer 68, the rear waist panel protective layer 70, the rear waist panel liner layer 66 and the rear waist panel garment layer 64. A plurality of exemplary side seam bond or fusion points 35 are shown joining the aforementioned layers together. The fusion points 35 are shown as being laterally aligned with the elastics 37 and 39 but this is not a requirement. The fusion bonds 35 can be offset from these elastics and/or there can be a combination of fusion bond points 35 some of which align with the elastics and others which do not. The critical point is to achieve a good heat or fusion bond between the interior layers (62, 68, 70 and 66) which are all made from compatible polymers to effectuate a good seam between the front 24 and rear 26 waist panels. The fact that the incompatible material of the garment layers 60 and 64 is also in the fusion process on the outsides of the seams 34 is not a problem because these layers are typically adhered to the adjacent noncompatible liner layers 62 and 66 by way of adhesive bonds which are sufficient in this area because they do not encounter the peel forces that the interior layers (62, 68, 70 and 66) encounter and so do not as directly affect the structural integrity of the seal and the functioning of the seams 34 and the resultant product during use.
An additional variant of the embodiments discussed above and shown in Figures 5-9 and 13-15 is that additional elastic means (not shown), similar to the elastic means 37 and 39, may be employed between the protective layers 68, 70 and the respective liner layers 62, 66. These additional elastics can provide further vertical support for the training pant 20 to hold the product on the torso of the wearer.
An additional variant of the embodiments is a modification of the design shown in Figures 13-15 of the drawings. In Figures 13-15, the front and rear waist panel protective layers 68, 70 are shown as having side edges 56a and 58a which are narrower that the waist panel side edges 56 and 58. As a result, the side edges 56a and 58a do not extend into the pair of side seams 34. Alternatively, the side edges of the waist panel liner layers 62 and 66 can be made narrower so that they do not extend into the side seams 34 while the waist panel protective layers 68, 70 can be made full size so they do extend into the side seams 34.
With all the embodiments of the present invention disclosed herein as well as variants thereof, it is desirable that the side seams have a peel strength of at least about 450 grams force (gf) with a range of about 450 gf to about 5000 gf, alternatively from about 650 to about 3500 gf, and still further about 800 to about 2000 gf. In contrast, when the garment layer 60, 64 is not compatible with the liner layer 62, 66 and/or the protective layer 68, 70, the peel strength between the garment layer and these layers will be less than the other layers. Generally, the peel strength between the garment layer and either or
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PCT/CN2015/077143 both of the liner layer and the protective layer will be less than about 400 gf when the bonding technique for such layers is solely a fusion bond. Note however that the peel strength of such layers can be improved by the use of additional bonding methods such as adhesives.
EXAMPLES AND TESTING
Generally, when the interior, body-facing layers of a training pant are made of polypropylene and the exterior, garment facing layers are made of a softer polymer such as polyethylene or bicomponent fibers with polyethylene sheaths and polypropylene or polyester cores, the layers will not be compatible in the context of forming sufficiently strong side seams 34. The same is also true when the softer layer is the body-facing layer. One way to determine this strength is to perform a peel strength test of the side seams 34 in accordance with the following test procedure.
TEST PROCEDURE - PEEL STRENGTH
This procedure is a tensile strength bench test to measure the force required to separate a fusionbonded seam that joins the front and rear side panels. The bonded seam can be formed from a pattern of bond points or small bonded regions such as are described herein. The force of separation is measured by determining load values as the two waistpanel materials are pulled apart perpendicular to their plane of contact. The test values are an indication of how strongly the waist panels are adhered together, and how difficult it would be for a consumer to separate the side seams fusion bonding the front and rear side panels when incorporated into a product, such as the side seam of a disposable training pant. The sample is pulled in the tensile tester until the sample pulls apart. Bond strength is the peak load result as measured in grams force.
1. Overview
A material sample of two waist panel layers joined by a bond such as heat and pressure bond is assembled. The sample is prepared by aligning and bonding the materials of the front and rear side panel together. Alternatively, the sample is cut out of a product with the side seam in the middle of the cut strip. The sample is cut adjacent the waist opening and includes the waist border and has a circumferential width (parallel to the transverse or X axis of the product) of 6 inches (15.24 centimeters) by 1 inch (2.54 centimeters).The sample is then placed between clamps on a tensile tester. One piece of material is held in the upper clamp, while the other is held in the lower clamp. The bond is arrayed between the clamps, approximately parallel to the edges of the clamp faces. The width of all materials
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PCT/CN2015/077143 to be tested is 1 inch (25.4 mm). The gage length is 2 inches (50.8 mm) between the edges of the clamp faces. The term load refers to the gram force value measured by the load cells in the tensile tester.
The jaws are separated at a controlled rate until the side seam fusion bond is pulled apart. The load values generated throughout this process are recorded. The peak load value is recorded as the bond or peel strength.
Peak load values for samples of non-standard widths should be normalized by multiplying or dividing by the factor by which the sample width deviates from 1 inch (25.4 mm). For example, the peak load value derived by pulling apart a 0.5 inch (12.7 mm) wide sample should be multiplied by 2.
2. Apparatus and Materials
Constant Rate of Extension (CRE) tensile tester: such as an MTS tensile tester model Synergie 200 Test Bed; available from MTS.RTM. Systems Corporation, Research Triangle Park, N.C. USA.
Load cells: A suitable cell selected so the majority of the peak load values fall between 10 and 90% of the manufacturer's recommended ranges of load cell's full scale value; for example, Model 100N available from MTS.RTM. Systems Corporation, Research Triangle Park, N.C. USA.
Operating software and data acquisition system: such as MTS TestWorks.RTM. for Windows software version 4; available from MTS.RTM. Systems Corporation, Research Triangle Park, N.C. USA.
Grips: pneumatic-action grips, top and bottom, identified as part number 38.00716 available from MTS Systems Corporation.
Grip faces: 25 by 75-mm (1 by 3-inch) interlocking faces such as are available from MTS Systems Corporation.
3. Conditioning
Reasonable ambient conditions are required for testing. The instruments used should be calibrated as
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PCT/CN2015/077143 described in the manufacturer's instructions for each instrument.
4. Test Specimen
Specimens may be assembled from raw materials or removed from intact products.
Specimens from products: A waist panel specimen is taken by removing a 1 inch (2.54 centimeter) by 6 inch (15.24 centimeter) rectangular piece, in which the bond is centered in and perpendicular to the 6 inch (15.24 centimeter) dimension. The long dimension of the specimen should correspond to the circumferential dimension of the garment and the specimen should be cut so that one of the long edges of the specimen includes the waist opening edge.
Specimens from raw materials: Raw material specimens may be assembled by combining materials that would serve as the front and rear waist panels of the product. Each material should be cut to at least 1 inch (2.54 cm) by 6 inches (15.24 cm), with the long dimension corresponding to the circumferential dimension of a garment that would be made therefrom. Materials are then joined in a manner such as is described herein using heat and pressure or ultrasonics to form a representative side seam.
The specimen is tested using the tensile test procedure that follows; the specimen is tested with the side seam centered between and parallel to the grips of the testing apparatus. At least four specimens of each sample should be tested, and the results averaged.
5. Procedure
Tensile Tester test conditions:
Break sensitivity - 60%
Preload? - No
Test speed - 500 mm/min
Gage length: 2 inches (50.8 mm)
Number of cycles: 1
A. Using the tensile frame pushbutton controls for crosshead position, move grips to provide a gage length of 2 inches (50.8 mm). Take the crosshead channel to this initial gage length.
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B. Place a material specimen so that the bond is centered (vertically) between the grips, held in a centered position (horizontally) within each grip, and oriented correctly (6 inch/15.24 mm dimension running the width direction on the grips). The specimen's vertical edges should be perpendicular to the nearest edges of the grip faces, and the bond should be parallel to the edges of the faces.
C. Close the upper grips on the specimen and tare the load channel.
D. Hold the specimen in such a way as to minimize slack in the specimen, but do not place the specimen under tension, and close the lower grips on the specimen.
E. Run the test using the above parameters by clicking on the RUN button.
F. When the test is complete, save the data to a sample file.
G. Remove the specimen from the grips.
H. Run additional specimens of a given sample using steps B-E and G; the data for all specimens within a sample should be saved to a single file.
I. Continue testing all samples in this manner.
J. Data are reported as the average peak load value in grams force for each sample.
EXAMPLES
Testing of side seam strength was done to compare conventional construction designs with construction designs according to the present invention. The garment layers of the front and rear waist panels were made from through air bonded carded webs utilizing 2 denier, 38 millimeter long,bicomponent staple fibers having polyethylene sheaths and polyester cores with a basis weight of 20 grams per square meter (gsm). The liner layers and protective layers of the front and rear waist panels were made from 2 denier polypropylene spunbond with a basis weight of 15 gsm. The conventional three-piece design training pant used a conventional folding technique where the garment layer was folded over and on top of the absorbent structure on the body side of the product.
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The side seams were formed using heated bonding rolls (135 degrees Celsius and 15 kilograms force of pressure) with a bond pattern such as is shown in Figure 10 of the drawings.
The conventional design training pant was compared to a design according to the present invention with the same garment, liner and protective layers as were used with the conventional design. The bonding pattern, temperature and bonding pressure were also the same as with the conventional product. The difference was that the liner layer (as opposed to the garment layer) was folded over on itself towards the body side of the absorbent structure to form the waist panel protective layer covering the top edge of the absorbent structure instead of the garment layer as in the conventional design. As a result, when the side seams were formed there was no garment layer on the interior of the side seams.
Testing of the side seams was done in accordance with the above test procedure and the results are presented below in Table 1 (conventional product and side seams) and Table 2 (product and side seams according to the present invention and folded according to the present invention).The peel strength results for the left and right side seams of each of the products are given in the units of grams force (gf).
As can be seen from the below data, the average side seam strength for the conventional folding and bonding technique (Table 1) was is in the range of 410 and 414 gf while the average side seam strength for the present invention utilizing the same materials (Table 2) was in the range of 970 and 976 gf, an increase in average side seam strength of over two and one third times the conventional valuesand over two times the strength even at the minimum values. Thus, it can be seen that the construction designs of the present invention greatly improves side seam bond strength over conventional folding and sealing designs when dissimilar materials are being used for interior and exterior surfaces of the waist panels. Due to the unique structure of the present invention, the garment layer is not present in the interior portion of the side seams and therefore any concern over poor bonding of side seams and poor peel strengths can be minimized.
Table 1
Temperature : 135°C Pressure : 15kg
Conventional waistband construction
| Sample NO. | Left (grams force) | Right (grams force) |
| 1 | 362.1 | 433 |
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| 2 | 463.4 | 331.4 |
| 3 | 516.6 | 456.8 |
| 4 | 357.3 | 405.6 |
| 5 | 389.9 | 386.7 |
| 6 | 472.2 | 483 |
| 7 | 379.7 | 429.8 |
| 8 | 389.3 | 398.6 |
| 9 | 363.8 | 416.4 |
| 10 | 436.3 | 477.3 |
| 11 | 386.9 | 384.5 |
| 12 | 399.7 | 400.7 |
| 13 | 451.9 | 357 |
| 14 | 531.8 | 348.2 |
| 15 | 339.5 | 417.5 |
| 16 | 406.5 | 384.8 |
| 17 | 369.5 | 388.5 |
| 18 | 401.4 | 340.4 |
| 19 | 414.8 | 348.2 |
| 20 | 364.4 | 359.3 |
| 21 | 381.5 | 279.8 |
| 22 | 442.8 | 462 |
| 23 | 359.9 | 361.8 |
| 24 | 379.3 | 344.7 |
| 25 | 376.2 | 442.7 |
| 26 | 501.9 | 455.9 |
| 27 | 485.5 | 355.1 |
| 28 | 472.3 | 427.6 |
| 29 | 358.7 | 416.6 |
| 30 | 478.4 | 378.7 |
| 31 | 440 | 388 |
| 32 | 436 | 349.5 |
| 33 | 489.5 | 397.6 |
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| 34 | 410.2 | 434.2 |
| 35 | 450.4 | 452.9 |
| 36 | 460.3 | 359.8 |
| 37 | 398.9 | 522.7 |
| 38 | 398.8 | 378.9 |
| 39 | 315.6 | 381.4 |
| 40 | 392.8 | 405.6 |
| 41 | 410.9 | 364.8 |
| 42 | 370.9 | 494.6 |
| 43 | 433.9 | 548.1 |
| 44 | 336.4 | 439.4 |
| 45 | 465.4 | 386.8 |
| 46 | 386.9 | 456.2 |
| 47 | 549.6 | 442.8 |
| 48 | 446.6 | 449.1 |
| 49 | 393.8 | 396.2 |
| 50 | 438 | 389.2 |
| 51 | 400 | 434.1 |
| 52 | 421.3 | 370.6 |
| 53 | 380 | 450.1 |
| 54 | 300.9 | 397.1 |
| 55 | 351.6 | 371 |
| 56 | 364.6 | 466.9 |
| 57 | 508 | 437.4 |
| 58 | 447.2 | 402.4 |
| 59 | 406.4 | 431.2 |
| 60 | 402.3 | 296.8 |
| 61 | 303.3 | 426.6 |
| 62 | 348 | 430 |
| 63 | 415.5 | 382.7 |
| 64 | 431.6 | 420.4 |
| 65 | 351.3 | 425.2 |
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| 66 | 448.4 | 356.9 |
| 67 | 332.7 | 370.1 |
| 68 | 443.1 | 456.3 |
| 69 | 328.4 | 426.8 |
| 70 | 434.7 | 426.9 |
| 71 | 438.1 | 426.6 |
| 72 | 358.9 | 478.4 |
| 73 | 464.7 | 389.8 |
| 74 | 365.5 | 360.7 |
| 75 | 412.4 | 494.9 |
| 76 | 368.2 | 433.5 |
| 77 | 460 | 499.3 |
| 78 | 352.3 | 431.7 |
| 79 | 603.3 | 455.6 |
| 80 | 401.2 | 469.1 |
| 81 | 390.3 | 367.8 |
| 82 | 462 | 414.5 |
| 83 | 363.6 | 384.2 |
| 84 | 313.7 | 466.5 |
| 85 | 500.5 | 424.7 |
| 86 | 348.9 | 430.7 |
| 87 | 336.8 | 386 |
| 88 | 443.8 | 419.2 |
| 89 | 344.6 | 446.5 |
| 90 | 348.8 | 441.1 |
| 91 | 445.9 | 411.7 |
| 92 | 474.3 | 444 |
| 93 | 330.2 | 420.3 |
| 94 | 500.1 | 406.3 |
| 95 | 392.8 | 463.1 |
| 96 | 449.3 | 410.5 |
| 97 | 488.4 | 355.4 |
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| 98 | 335.5 | 435.8 |
| 99 | 435.7 | 536.5 |
| 100 | 401.2 | 385 |
| Average | 410.1 | 413.8 |
| MAX | 603.3 | 548.1 |
| MIN | 300.9 | 279.8 |
| StD | 57.72 | 47.49 |
“MAX” = maximum value for samples tested.
“MIN” = minimum value for samples tested.
“StD” = standard deviation
Table 2
Temperature : 135°C Pressure : 15kg
| Construction with present invention | ||
| Sample NO. | Left (grams force) | Right (grams force |
| 1 | 1195.2 | 943.1 |
| 2 | 1214.4 | 798.8 |
| 3 | 1228.7 | 1125.3 |
| 4 | 1056.3 | 941.8 |
| 5 | 917.2 | 1279.5 |
| 6 | 891.2 | 791.0 |
| 7 | 925.1 | 930.9 |
| 8 | 669.9 | 985.8 |
| 9 | 1058.6 | 744.5 |
| 10 | 924.1 | 890.5 |
| 11 | 887.6 | 1094.5 |
| 12 | 895.4 | 764.9 |
| 13 | 1204.4 | 769.2 |
| 14 | 664.9 | 753.0 |
| 15 | 1022.2 | 807.3 |
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| 16 | 921.3 | 897.6 |
| 17 | 948.8 | 1126.0 |
| 18 | 1048.3 | 726.9 |
| 19 | 755.8 | 1010.1 |
| 20 | 1040.0 | 842.8 |
| 21 | 1167.1 | 855.7 |
| 22 | 796.0 | 787.6 |
| 23 | 1019.3 | 849.0 |
| 24 | 1112.1 | 1220.2 |
| 25 | 980.4 | 808.8 |
| 26 | 1085.3 | 962.4 |
| 27 | 665.3 | 1005.2 |
| 28 | 885.9 | 963.5 |
| 29 | 647.0 | 1009.5 |
| 30 | 910.7 | 997.4 |
| 31 | 796.4 | 931.9 |
| 32 | 912.2 | 871.7 |
| 33 | 876.5 | 765.5 |
| 34 | 1059.0 | 704.3 |
| 35 | 878.2 | 882.4 |
| 36 | 619.2 | 835.1 |
| 37 | 1077.2 | 865.4 |
| 38 | 967.3 | 1017.8 |
| 39 | 650.7 | 1071.1 |
| 40 | 882.1 | 749.9 |
| 41 | 1059.9 | 1218.4 |
| 42 | 1008.3 | 991.1 |
| 43 | 922.6 | 1176.4 |
| 44 | 1172.9 | 802.3 |
| 45 | 1127.4 | 936.8 |
| 46 | 778.6 | 1265.3 |
| 47 | 1131.1 | 1041.2 |
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| 48 | 832.9 | 796.7 |
| 49 | 666.3 | 1012.2 |
| 50 | 999.8 | 781.4 |
| 51 | 883.9 | 1105.7 |
| 52 | 989.5 | 1065.0 |
| 53 | 962.9 | 1243.9 |
| 54 | 1346.4 | 922.0 |
| 55 | 1310.4 | 1127.9 |
| 56 | 1262.6 | 1317.9 |
| 57 | 1109.0 | 1117.9 |
| 58 | 911.6 | 1098.4 |
| 59 | 776.1 | 825.0 |
| 60 | 949.3 | 946.0 |
| 61 | 958.9 | 976.9 |
| 62 | 1119.9 | 809.1 |
| 63 | 857.6 | 786.7 |
| 64 | 954.4 | 1133.9 |
| 65 | 778.3 | 844.5 |
| 66 | 922.9 | 1011.8 |
| 67 | 1250.6 | 1062.8 |
| 68 | 954.5 | 849.5 |
| 69 | 936.5 | 764.2 |
| 70 | 874.7 | 1004.3 |
| 71 | 1028.3 | 1157.7 |
| 72 | 907.1 | 732.6 |
| 73 | 1170.5 | 1059.0 |
| 74 | 973.3 | 912.0 |
| 75 | 968.0 | 908.6 |
| 76 | 767.1 | 1005.3 |
| 77 | 729.1 | 776.4 |
| 78 | 965.9 | 1045.7 |
| 79 | 985.7 | 931.7 |
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| 80 | 980.9 | 1027.6 |
| 81 | 784.0 | 992.1 |
| 82 | 856.0 | 799.5 |
| 83 | 867.7 | 853.3 |
| 84 | 964.9 | 907.1 |
| 85 | 872.7 | 761.8 |
| 86 | 739.4 | 892.7 |
| 87 | 876.9 | 1185.2 |
| 88 | 1208.2 | 1259.4 |
| 89 | 990.4 | 1239.7 |
| 90 | 820.7 | 954.0 |
| 91 | 1731.4 | 1175.2 |
| 92 | 1134.3 | 953.5 |
| 93 | 1013.2 | 1200.9 |
| 94 | 1116.5 | 1405.1 |
| 95 | 1101.3 | 1317.7 |
| 96 | 1024.5 | 1200.8 |
| 97 | 1000.4 | 987.1 |
| 98 | 1133.3 | 1104.9 |
| 99 | 1219.6 | 1006.4 |
| 100 | 818.6 | 1395.7 |
| Average | 970.2 | 975.6 |
| MAX | 1731.4 | 1405.1 |
| MIN | 619.2 | 704.3 |
| StD | 175.53 | 166.78 |
“MAX” = maximum value for samples tested.
“MIN” = minimum value for samples tested.
“StD” = standard deviation
It should be understood that resort may be had to various other embodiments, modifications, and equivalents to the embodiments of the invention described herein which, after reading the description
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PCT/CN2015/077143 of the invention herein, may suggest themselves to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.
Claims (16)
- CLAIMS:1. An absorbent article comprising a front waist region, a rear waist region and a crotch region disposed between said front waist region and said rear waist region with said absorbent article defining a longitudinal centerline;said front waist region having a front waist panel and said rear waist region having a rear waist panel with an absorbent structure located in said crotch region and extending into said front waist panel region and said rear waist panel region;each of said front waist panel and said rear waist panel having a waist panel top edge, a waist panel left side edge and a waist panel right side edge, each of said front waist panel and said rear waist panel further having a garment facing surface and a body-facing surface;said front waist panel being bonded to said rear waist panel to form a pair of side seams to define a waist border with a waist opening and a pair of leg openings;said absorbent structure having an absorbent structure front top edge located in said front waist region, an absorbent structure rear top edge located in said rear waist region and a pair of absorbent structure longitudinal side edges joining said absorbent structure front top edge and said absorbent structure rear top edge, said absorbent structure having a body-facing surface and a garment facing surface;said front waist panel having a front waist panel garment layer and a front waist panel liner layer with an elastics means located there between;said rear waist panel having a rear waist panel garment layer and a rear waist panel liner layer with an elastics means located there between;said absorbent structure being attached to a body-facing surface of said front waist panel liner layer and said rear waist panel liner layer;said front waist panel having a front waist panel protective layer covering at least a portion of said body-facing surface of said absorbent structure including at least a portion of said absorbent structure front top edge;said rear waist panel having a rear waist panel protective layer covering at least a portion of said body-facing surface of said absorbent structure including at least a portion of said absorbent structure rear top edge;at least one of said pair of side seams including said front waist panel garment layer, said rear waist panel garment layer, said front waist panel liner layer, said rear waist panel liner layer and at least one of said front waist panel protective layer and said rear waist panel protective layer;24890544 1:hxa2015392253 12 May 2020 said at least one of said front waist panel protective layer and said rear waist panel protective layer being located between said front waist panel liner layer and said rear waist panel liner layer, and said front waist panel liner layer and said rear waist panel liner layer being located between said front waist panel garment layer and said rear waist panel garment layer;said at least one of said pair of side seams having a fusion bond bonding together said front waist panel liner layer, said rear waist panel liner layer and said at least one of said front waist panel protective layer and said rear waist panel protective layer, wherein no portion of the front waist panel garment layer is bonded directly to the front waist panel protective layer, and wherein no portion of the rear waist panel garment layer is bonded directly to the rear waist panel protective layer, and wherein no portion of the front waist panel garment layer is bonded directly to the rear waist panel garment layer.
- 2. The absorbent article of claim 1 wherein at least one of said pair of side seams has a peel strength of at least about 450 grams force.
- 3. The absorbent article of claim 1 wherein at least one of said pair of side seams has a peel strength of 450 grams force to 5000 grams force.
- 4. The absorbent article of claim 1 wherein in at least one of said front waist panel and said rear waist panel, said garment layer, said liner layer and said protective layer each have top edge which terminates at said waist border.
- 5. The absorbent article of claim 1 wherein in at least one of said front waist panel and said rear waist panel, said garment layer, said liner layer, and said protective layer each have a top edge and at least one of said top edges terminates at said waist border.
- 6. The absorbent article of claim 1 wherein, in at least on of said front waist panel and said rear waist panel, said liner layer and said protective layer are joined to one another by a fold line between said liner layer and said protective layer.
- 7. The absorbent article of claim 1 wherein at least one of said front waist panel protective layer and said rear waist panel protective layer does not extend into at least a portion of one of said pair of side seams.24890544 1:hxa2015392253 12 May 2020
- 8. The absorbent article of claim 1 wherein, in at least one of said pair of side seams, said front waist panel garment layer and said front waist panel liner layer have a peel strength which is less than 400 grams force.
- 9. The absorbent article of claim 8 wherein, in at least one of said pair of side seams, said rear waist panel garment layer and said rear waist panel liner layer have a peel strength which is less than 400 grams force.
- 10. The absorbent article of claim 1 wherein said front waist panel has a waist panel bottom edge and said front waist panel protective layer has a waist panel protective layer top edge, a waist panel protective layer lower edge, a waist panel protective layer left side edge, and a waist panel protective layer right side edge, said waist panel protective layer lower edge being positioned between said waist border of said front waist panel and said waist panel bottom edge of said front waist panel.
- 11. The absorbent article of claim 10 wherein at least one of said pair of side seams does not contain said waist panel protective layer left side edge and said waist panel protective layer right side edge from at least one of said front waist panel and said rear waist panel.
- 12. The absorbent article of claim 10 wherein said rear waist panel has a waist panel bottom edge and said rear waist panel protective layer has a waist panel protective layer top edge, a waist panel protective layer lower edge, a waist panel protective layer left side edge, and a waist panel protective layer right side edge, said front waist panel protective layer lower edge being positioned between said waist border of said rear waist panel and said waist panel bottom edge of said rear waist panel.
- 13. The absorbent article of claim 1 wherein said rear waist panel has a waist panel bottom edge and said rear waist panel protective layer has a waist panel protective layer top edge, a waist panel protective layer lower edge, a waist panel protective layer left side edge, and a waist panel protective layer right side edge, said waist panel protective layer lower edge being positioned between said waist border of said rear waist panel and said waist panel bottom edge of said rear waist panel.24890544 1:hxa2015392253 12 May 2020
- 14. The absorbent article of claim 13 wherein at least on of said pair of side seams does not contain said waist panel protective layer left side edge and said waist panel protective layer right side edge.
- 15. The absorbent article of claim 10 wherein at least one of said pair of side seams does not contain said waist panel liner layer from at least one of said front waist panel and said rear waist panel.
- 16. An absorbent article comprising a front waist region, a rear waist region and a crotch region disposed between said front waist region and said rear waist region with said absorbent article defining a longitudinal centerline;said front waist region having a front waist panel and said rear waist region having a rear waist panel with an absorbent structure located in said crotch region and extending into said front waist panel region and said rear waist panel region;each of said front waist panel and said rear waist panel having a waist panel top edge, a waist panel left side edge and a waist panel right side edge, each of said front waist panel and said rear waist panel further having a garment facing surface and a body-facing surface;said front waist panel being bonded to said rear waist panel to form a pair of side seams to define a waist border with a waist opening and a pair of leg openings;said absorbent structure having an absorbent structure front top edge located in said front waist region, an absorbent structure rear top edge located in said rear waist region and a pair of absorbent structure longitudinal side edges joining said absorbent structure front top edge and said absorbent structure rear top edge, said absorbent structure having a body-facing surface and a garment facing surface;said front waist panel having a front waist panel garment layer and a front waist panel liner layer with an elastics means located there between;said rear waist panel having a rear waist panel garment layer and a rear waist panel liner layer with an elastics means located there between;said absorbent structure being attached to a body-facing surface of said front waist panel liner layer and said rear waist panel liner layer;said front waist panel having a front waist panel protective layer covering at least a portion of said body-facing surface of said absorbent structure including at least a portion of said absorbent structure front top edge;24890544 1:hxa2015392253 12 May 2020 said rear waist panel having a rear waist panel protective layer covering at least a portion of said body-facing surface of said absorbent structure including at least a portion of said absorbent structure rear top edge;at least one of said pair of side seams including said front waist panel garment layer, said rear waist panel garment layer, said front waist panel protective layer and said rear waist panel protective layer;said front waist panel protective layer and said rear waist panel protective layer being located between said front waist panel garment layer and said rear waist panel garment layer;said at least one of said pair of side seams having a fusion bond bonding together said front waist panel garment layer, said front waist panel protective layer, said rear waist panel protective layer and said rear waist panel garment layer;wherein no portion of the front waist panel garment layer is bonded directly to the front waist panel protective layer, and wherein no portion of the rear waist panel garment layer is bonded directly to the rear waist panel protective layer, and wherein no portion of the front waist panel garment layer is bonded directly to the rear waist panel garment layer.
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/CN2015/077143 WO2016168997A1 (en) | 2015-04-22 | 2015-04-22 | Absorbent article with improved waist panels and side seams |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| AU2015392253A1 AU2015392253A1 (en) | 2017-11-02 |
| AU2015392253B2 true AU2015392253B2 (en) | 2020-06-04 |
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Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| AU2015392253A Active AU2015392253B2 (en) | 2015-04-22 | 2015-04-22 | Absorbent article with improved waist panels and side seams |
Country Status (3)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CN (1) | CN107405218B (en) |
| AU (1) | AU2015392253B2 (en) |
| WO (1) | WO2016168997A1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (7)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN110325160B (en) * | 2017-02-27 | 2022-04-08 | 宝洁公司 | Wearable article with elastic band |
| WO2018152834A1 (en) | 2017-02-27 | 2018-08-30 | The Procter & Gamble Company | Absorbent article having elastic belt |
| JP6949977B2 (en) * | 2017-02-27 | 2021-10-13 | ザ プロクター アンド ギャンブル カンパニーＴｈｅ Ｐｒｏｃｔｅｒ ＆ Ｇａｍｂｌｅ Ｃｏｍｐａｎｙ | Wearable item with elastic belt |
| CN110325155B (en) * | 2017-02-27 | 2022-07-29 | 宝洁公司 | Wearable article with characteristic material properties |
| JP7053257B2 (en) * | 2017-12-28 | 2022-04-12 | ユニ・チャーム株式会社 | Absorbent article |
| GB2607212A (en) * | 2019-12-20 | 2022-11-30 | Kimberly Clark Co | Absorbent article with refastenable side seams and method of manufacturing |
| CN113599086B (en) * | 2021-07-24 | 2023-02-10 | 山东茁彼母婴用品有限公司 | Absorbent article with improved waist panel and side seams |
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| US20040102749A1 (en) * | 2002-11-21 | 2004-05-27 | Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc. | Absorbent article with low coefficient of friction between materials of differential tensions |
| CN103717188A (en) * | 2011-08-09 | 2014-04-09 | 花王株式会社 | Underpants type absorbent article |
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| DE69936798T2 (en) * | 1998-12-28 | 2007-12-06 | Kao Corp. | Absorbent object |
| US20040102757A1 (en) * | 2002-11-21 | 2004-05-27 | Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc. | Disposable absorbent article with an elastic waistband and easy tear side seams |
| US20040127878A1 (en) * | 2002-12-30 | 2004-07-01 | Olson Christopher Peter | Surround stretch absorbent garments |
| TWI238711B (en) * | 2003-09-19 | 2005-09-01 | Kao Corp | Topsheet of absorbent article and absorbent article having the same |
| US8221378B2 (en) * | 2005-08-30 | 2012-07-17 | Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc. | Combination of refastenable and releasable bonds |
| US20080134487A1 (en) * | 2006-12-07 | 2008-06-12 | Julia Hartono | Integral waistband for a disposable absorbent article, an article and a method of forming said article |
| JP5059122B2 (en) * | 2006-12-22 | 2012-10-24 | エスセーアー・ハイジーン・プロダクツ・アーベー | Pant-type absorbent article and method for manufacturing a pant-type absorbent article |
| RU2532727C2 (en) * | 2009-03-23 | 2014-11-10 | Као Корпорейшн | Absorbing product |
| US20130289512A1 (en) * | 2012-04-30 | 2013-10-31 | Brian Keith Rhodes | Disposable Garment Having Soft, Discreet Seams |
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2015
- 2015-04-22 CN CN201580078722.1A patent/CN107405218B/en active Active
- 2015-04-22 AU AU2015392253A patent/AU2015392253B2/en active Active
- 2015-04-22 WO PCT/CN2015/077143 patent/WO2016168997A1/en active Application Filing
Patent Citations (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US20040102749A1 (en) * | 2002-11-21 | 2004-05-27 | Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc. | Absorbent article with low coefficient of friction between materials of differential tensions |
| CN103717188A (en) * | 2011-08-09 | 2014-04-09 | 花王株式会社 | Underpants type absorbent article |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| CN107405218A (en) | 2017-11-28 |
| WO2016168997A1 (en) | 2016-10-27 |
| CN107405218B (en) | 2021-06-29 |
| AU2015392253A1 (en) | 2017-11-02 |
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