CA2130318A1 - Dual gasket absorbent garment and method of manufacture - Google Patents
Dual gasket absorbent garment and method of manufactureInfo
- Publication number
- CA2130318A1 CA2130318A1 CA 2130318 CA2130318A CA2130318A1 CA 2130318 A1 CA2130318 A1 CA 2130318A1 CA 2130318 CA2130318 CA 2130318 CA 2130318 A CA2130318 A CA 2130318A CA 2130318 A1 CA2130318 A1 CA 2130318A1
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- outer cover
- elastic members
- elastic member
- zones
- spaced
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Abstract
An absorbent garment and method of manufacture employ an outer cover that defines between its side edges a center zone, lateral zones between the center zone and the side edges, and medial zones between the center zone and the lateral zones. A leg elastic member is operatively joined to each medial zone, and a flap elastic member is operatively joined to each lateral zone. Each medial zone is folded onto itself to sandwich a leg elastic member therewithin. To complete the garment, an absorbent assembly is disposed on the center zone of the outer cover and a liner is disposed on the absorbent assembly and bonded to the outer cover.
Description
2130~8 PATENT
DUAL GASKET ABSORBENT GARMENT
AND METHOO OF MANUFACTURE
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to articles for absorbing ~ody fluids. More particularly, the invention pertains to an absorbent garment having dual gaskets for leakage protection. The invention also pertains to efficient processes for making such absorbent garments.
Disposable garments for the absorption and containment of urine and other body exudates are generally known in the art. Such disposable garments have found particular utility in the fields of infant care, child care, feminine care and adult incontinency. Present commercially available disposable garments for such uses are generally unitary, preshaped or prefolded, and comprised of a fluid pervious bodyside liner, a fluid impervious backing sheet, and an absorbent material disposed between the bodyside liner and the backing sheet. They also include an attachment system for securing the garment to the body of the wearer.
Various garment structures have been devised in an attempt to obtain good body conformance, leakage prevention and comfort. To enhance leakage protection, some prior garments have employed gathers in the leg regions. To date, however, absorbent garments have still been subject to failures in the form of leakage around the legs.
Existing leg gathers have not satisfactorily provided both leakage prevention and comfort, and/or have required a complicated manufacturing process.
Therefore, what is lacking and needed in the art is an improved absorbent garment that can be manufactured in an efficient process and that employs dual gaskets for leakage protection.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In response to the discussed deficiencies in the prior art, a new absorbent garment has been developed. Garments of the present invention have torso gaskets and leg gaskets to minimize lateral movement of solid and liquid waste, and can be manufactured by an efficient process. In one embodiment, an absorbent garment of the present invention includes an outer cover having end edges and side edges extending between the end edges. The outer cover defines a center zone, lateral zones between the center zone and each of the side edges, and medial zones between the center zone and each of the lateral zones. Leg elastic members are operatively joined to the medial zones, and each of the medial zones is folded onto itself to define folded regions. The folded regions are located between the center zone and each of the lateral zones, with the leg elastic members sandwiched within the folded regions. Flap elastic members are operatively joined to the lateral zones. An absorbent assembly is disposed on the center zone of the outer cover, and a liner is positioned over the absorbent assembly and bonded to the outer cover.
This embodiment of the invention yields an absorbent garment with both torso gaskets and leg gaskets to impede lateral waste movement.
Depending on the construction of the outer cover, as described hereinafter, the torso and leg gaskets may independently be liquid permeable or impermeable, as well as gas permeable or impermeable. The outer cover is desirably relatively soft to the touch so that the torso and leg gaskets do not irritate the wearer.
Another aspect of the invention pertains to a method of making an absorbent garment. This method includes: providing an outer cover having a pair of side edges, the outer cover defining a center zone between the side edges, lateral zones between the center zone and each side edge, and medial zones between the center zone and each lateral zone; disposing an absorbent assembly on the outer cover; disposing a liner on the absorbent assembly; bonding the liner to the outer cover;
operatively joining a flap elastic member to each of the lateral zones;
operatively joining a leg elastic member to each of the medial zones;
and folding each of the medial zones upon itself to define folded regions between the center zone and each of the lateral zones, each of the folded regions sandwiching one of the leg elastic members therewithin.
This embodiment of the method allows torso and leg gaskets to be formed by operatively joining the leg and flap elastic members to the outer cover and folding the outer cover in a relatively uncomplicated manner. This method avoids assembling separate gaskets off-line and subsequently attaching the independent gaskets. The method also enables the garment to be constructed with a reduced quantity of materials because the bodyside liner can be substantially narrower than the outer cover.
Numerous features and advantages of the present invention will appear from the following description. In the description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention. Such embodiments do not represent the full scope of the invention. Reference should therefore be made to the claims herein for interpreting the full scope of the invention.
21~3318 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a disposable absorbent garment according to the present invention.
Fig. 2 is a top plan view of several components of the disposable absorbent garment shown in Fig. 1, in a flat and stretched condition and with portions broken away for purposes of illustration.
Fig. 3 is an enlarged section view taken generally from the plane of the line 3-3 in Fig. 1.
Fig. 4 is an enlarged section view of several components of the disposable absorbent garment shown in Fig. 1, at an intermediate stage of assembly.
Fig. 5 is an enlarged section view similar to Fig. 4, but showing a later stage of assembly.
Fig. 6 is an enlarged section view similar to Figs. 4 and 5, but at a still later stage of assembly and corresponding to a section view taken generally from the plane of the line 6-6 in Fig. 2.
Fig. 7 is a section view similar to Fig. 3, but illustrating components of an alternative disposable absorbent garment according to the present invention.
Fig. 8 is a section view of components of the disposable absorbent garment shown in Fig. 7, at an intermediate stage of assembly.
DEFINITIONS
Within the context of this specification, each term or phrase below will include the following meaning or meanings:
~1~û318 (a) "bonded" refers to the joining, adhering, connecting, attaching, or the like, of two elements. Two elements will be considered to be bonded together when they are bonded directly to one another or indirectly to one another, such as when each is directly bonded to intermediate elements.
(b) "disposable" includes being disposed of after use, and not intended to be washed and reused.
(c) "disposed," "disposed on," "disposed with," "disposed at,"
"disposed near," and variations thereof are intended to mean that one element can be integral with another element, or that one element can be a separate structure joined to or connected to or placed with or placed near another element.
(d) "elastic," "elasticized" and Uelasticity" include that property of a material by virtue of which it tends to recover its original size and shape after removal of a force causing a deformation.
(e) "force" includes a physical influence exerted by one body on another which produces acceleration of bodies that are free to move and deformation of bodies that are not free to move. Force is expressed in grams per unit area.
(f) "freestanding" refers to a particular portion of a first element, which portion is not bonded to a second element and is capable of moving relative to second element.
(g) "front" and "back" are used to designate relationships relative to the garment itself, rather than to suggest any position the garment assumes when it is positioned on a wearer.
(h) "integral" is used to refer to various portions of a single unitary element rather than separate structures joined to or connected to or placed with or placed near one another.
2130~1~
(i) "liquid impermeable" when used to describe a layer or laminate means that urine will not pass through the layer or laminate under ordinary use conditions ;n a direct;on generally perpendicular to the plane of the layer or laminate at the point of liquid contact.
(j) "member" when used in the singular can have the dual meaning of a single element or a plurality of elements.
(k) "operatively joined", with reference to the attachment of an elastic member to another element, means that the elastic member when attached to or connected to the element, or treated with heat or chemicals, by stretching, or the like, gives the element elastic properties; and with reference to the attachment of a non-e astic member to another element, means that the member and element can be attached in any suitable manner that permits or allows them to perform the intended or described function of the joinder. The joining, attaching, connecting or the like can be either directly, such as joining either member directly to an element, or can be indirectly by means of another member disposed between the first member and the first element.
(1) "outward" refers to a position relative to the center of an absorbent garment, and particularly transversely and/or longitudinally away from the longitudinal and transverse center of the absorbent garment.
(m) "stretch bonded" refers to an elastic member being bonded to another member while the elastic member is extended at least about 25 percent of its relaxed length. Desirably, the term "stretch bonded" refers to the situation wherein the elastic member is extended at least about 100 percent, and more desirably at least about 300 percent, of its relaxed length when it is bonded to the other member.
(n) "stretch bonded laminate" refers to a composite material having at least two layers in which one layer is a gatherable layer and the other layer is an elastic layer. The layers are joined together when the elastic layer is in an extended condition so that upon relaxing the layers, the gatherable layer is gathered.
These terms may be defined with additional language in the remaining portion of the specification.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
With reference to Figs. 1-3, a disposable absorbent garment formed according to the invention is shown for purposes of illustration as an adult incontinence garment 20. The invention may also be embodied in other types of absorbent garments such as diapers, diaper pants, feminine napkins, children's training pants, or the like.
The incontinence garment 20 generally includes an outer cover 22, an absorbent assembly 23 and a bodyside liner 24. Once assembled, the outer cover 22, absorbent assembly 23 and bodyside liner 24 are maintained in position about the wearer with an attachment system 25 (Fig. 1). On each longitudinal side of the garment 20, the assembled outer cover 22, absorbent assembly 23 and bodyside liner 24 form a torso gasket 28 and a leg gasket 29 which minimize lateral movement of solid and liquid waste. The components of the disposable incontinence garment 20 and their method of assembly will now be described in more detail.
The outer cover 22 has opposite end edges 30 (Figs. 1 and 2) and opposite side edges 31 (Figs. 2 and 3) that extend between the end edges. The illustrated outer cover 22 is generally rectangular, although it may alternatively be T-shaped, I-shaped, or irregularly-shaped. A crotch region 32 of the outer cover 22 is generally located approximately midway between the end edges 30 and comprises about from 15 to about 50 percent of the longitudinal length dimension of the outer cover. The absorbent assembly 23 is disposed on an inner surface 33 of the outer cover 22 in at least the crotch region 32. The outer cover 22 also has a longitudinal centerline, generally designated reference numeral 34 in Fig. 2, which extends longitudinally along theouter cover length dimension.
A width dimension of the outer cover 22 extends between the side edges 31. The outer cover 22 defines in its width dimension a center zone 35, medial zones 36, and lateral zones 38 (Figs. 2 and 3). The center zone 35 generally represents that portion of the width of the outer cover where the absorbent assembly 23 is positioned. One medial zone 36 and one lateral zone 38 are located between the center zone 35 and each side edge 31 of the outer cover 22. The lateral zones 38 are positioned along and extend inward from the side edges 31, whereas the medial zones 36 are located between the center zone 35 and each of the lateral zones 38. The lateral zones 38 each comprise a distal segment 40 adjacent the side edge 31 and an interior segment 41 between the distal segment 40 and the adjacent medial zone 36 (Fig. 3). The boundaries between the various zones and segments are determined in part by where the outer cover 22 is folded, bonded to itself, and/or bonded to the liner 24, as described hereinafter.
The dimensions of the outer cover 22 will vary according to the intended use of the incontinence garment 20. The outer cover 22 may, for example, have a length dimension measured between the end edges 30 of from about 25 to about 85 centimeters, and a width dimension measured between the side edges 31 of from about 12 to about 68 centimeters. In particular, the center zone 35 may have a width, measured perpendicular to the longitudinal centerline 34 and in the plane of the outer cover 22, of from about 6 to about 22 centimeters.
Each medial zone 36 may have a width of from about 2 to about 11 centimeters, and desirably from about 3.8 to about 6.4 centimeters, and each lateral zone 38 may have a width of from about 1 to about 12 centimeters, and desirably from about 3.4 to about 7.4 centimeters.
The outer cover 22 desirably comprises a material that is formed or treated to be liquid impermeable. Alternatively, the outer cover 22 may comprise a liquid permeable material and other suitable means, such as a liquid impermeable layer associated with the absorbent assembly 23 (not shown), are provided to impede liquid movement away from the absorbent assembly. The outer cover 22 may comprise a single layer of material or a laminate of two or more separate layers of material, desirably having-integral center, medial and lateral zones 35, 36 and 38 defined therein. The outer cover 22 may also be gas permeable, such that gases encountered during use of the absorbent garment are able to pass through the material under ordinary use conditions, over either all or part of its surface area. Suitable outer cover materials include films, wovens, nonwovens, laminates of films, wovens, and/or nonwovens, or the like. For example, the outer cover 22 may comprise a liquid impermeable, gas permeable thermal laminate comprising a cast or blown film formed of polypropylene, polyethylene or the like, and a polypropylene spunbond web. In one particular embodiment, the outer cover 22 comprises a liquid and gas permeable, polypropylene spunbond web bonded to an apertured, liquid impermeable, gas permeable, polymeric film.
The absorbent assembly 23 comprises materials adapted to absorb and retain liquid waste. The absorbent assembly 23 may be rectangular as illustrated, or T-shaped, I-shaped or irregularly-shaped, and is narrower and desirably also shorter than the outer cover 22. The absorbent assembly 23 is disposed on the center zone 35 of the outer cover 22 and may be bonded to the outer cover using adhesives, ultrasonic bonds, thermal bonds, or other suitable means.
The absorbent assembly 23 may comprise various absorbent materials, such as an air-formed batt of cellulosic fibers (i.e., wood pulp fluff) or a coform material composed of a mixture of cellulosic fibers and synthetic polymer fibers. The absorbent assembly 23 may also include compounds to increase its absorbency, such as O - 95 weight percent of organic or inorganic high-absorbency materials, which are typically capable of absorbing at least about 15 and desirably more than 25 times their weight in water. Suitable high-absorbency materials are described in U.S. Patents 4,699,823 issued October 13, 1987, to Kellenberger et al. and 5,147,343 issued September 15, 1992, to Kellenberger.
H,gh-absorbency materials are available from ~arious commercial vendors, such as Dow Chemical Company, Hoechst Celanese Corporation, 2~30318 and Allied Colloids, Inc. The absorbent assembly 23 may also include tissue layers or acquisition or distribution layers to help maintain the integrity of fibrous absorbents or transport liquids (not shown).
The bodyside liner 24 is formed of a liquid permeable material to allow liquid waste, and possibly semi-solid waste as well, to pass through the liner and be absorbed by the absorbent assembly 23. The liner 24 may comprise, for example, a nonwoven web or sheet of wet strength tissue paper, a spunbonded, meltblown or bonded-carded web composed of synthetic polymer filaments or fibers, such as polypropylene, polyethylene, polyesters or the like, or a web of natural polymer filaments or fibers such as rayon or cotton. In addition, the liner may be treated with a surfactant to aid in liquid transfer.
The liner 24 is disposed on, and in particular positioned over, the absorbent assembly 23 and may be bonded directly thereto using ultrasonic bonds, thermal bonds, adhesives, or other suitable means.
In the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 1-3, the liner 24 has side edges that are substantially coextensive with the side edges of the absorbent assembly 23, although other widths are suitable as described hereinafter.
With additional reference to Figs. 4-6, assembly of the outer cover 22, absorbent assembly 23 and bodyside liner 24 to form the torso and leg gaskets 28 and 29 will now be described. Components of the garment 20, in particular the outer cover 22, may be positioned on a support surface (not shown) which transports the components through the various stages of assembly. Multiple garments 20 may easily be assembled in a continuous process with the machine direction parallel to the longitudinal centerline 34 of the outer cover 22.
Fig. 4 illustrates components of the incontinence garment 20 at an intermediate stage of assembly. While only one side of the garment 20 is shown, the opposite side may be constructed in the same manner. In Fig. 4, which represents a transverse section view, the outer cover 22 is in a flat and stretched condition; the absorbent assembly 23 is 21~0318 disposed on the center zone 35; and the liner 24 is disposed on the absorbent assembly 23.
The incontinence garment 20 also includes leg elastic members 44 and flap elastic members 46. The leg and flap elastic members 44 and 46 may comprise any suitable elastic material for gathering the outer cover 22. Suitable elastic materials include: thin ribbons of natural or synthetic rubber; a stretch bonded laminate material, comprising for example a prestretched elastic meltblown inner layer sandwiched between and bonded to a pair of spunbond polypropylene nonwoven webs; elastic threads such as dry-spun coalesced multifilament elastic threads sold under the trade mark LYCRA and available from E. I. du Pont de Nemours ànd Company; or the like. Elasticity could also be imparted '3 the outer cover 22 by extruding a hot melt elastomeric adhesive in place of the leg and flap elastic members 44 and 46. Other suitable elastic gathering means are disclosed in U.S. Pat nts No. 4,938,754 to Mesek and 4,388,075 to Mesek et al.
One flap elastic member 46 is operatively joined to the inner surface 33 of each lateral zone 38 of the outer cover 22. The flap elastic members 46 are desirably spaced from their respective side edges 31 by from about 0 to about 50 millimeters, and more desirably from about 10 to about 20 millimeters. Further, the flap elastic members 46 are desirably spaced transversely outward from the absorbent assembly 23 by from about 30 to about 180 millimeters, and more desirably from about 60 to about 90 millimeters, measured in the plane of the outer cover 22.
Similarly, one leg elastic member 44 is operatively joined to the inner surface 33 of each medial zone 3~ of the outer cover 22. The leg elastic members 44 are desirably spaced from the flap elastic members 46 by at least about 20 millimeters, particularly from about 20 to about 120 millimeters, and more desirably spaced therefrom by at least about 40 millimeters, particularly from about 40 to about 90 millimeters, measured in the plane of the outer cover 22. The leg elastic members 44 are also transversely positioned so as to be spaced from the longitudinal sides of the absorbent assembly 23 by from about 2130~18 10 to about 50 millimeters, and desirably from about 20 to about 32 mill;meters, and spaced from the side edges 31 of the outer cover 22 by from about 20 to about 170 millimeters, and desirably by at least about 40 millimeters, measured in the plane of the outer cover 22.
The leg and flap elastic members 44 and 46 may be operatively joined to the outer cover 22 using adhesives, ultrasonic bonds, thermal bonds, or other suitable means. Additionally, the leg and flap elastic members 44 and 46 may be stretch bonded to the outer cover 22 or bonded in a relaxed state to a gathered portion of the outer cover. As one illustration of stretch bonding, each flap elastic member 46 may be stretched to at least about 2 times its relaxed length and bonded to the inner surface 33 using a hot melt adhesive. Similarly, each leg elastic member 44 may be stretched to at least about 2 times its relaxed length and bonded to the inner surface 33 using a hot melt adhesive. Both the leg and flap elastic members 44 and 46 may but need not extend to the end edges 30 of the garment 20. Terminating the elastic members short of the end edges 30 may be accomplished by a variety of methods known in the art, such as employing discrete, relatively short lengths of elastic material or bonding a continuous elastic material to the outer cover 22 only through the crotch region 32 and cutting the material at the end edges 30.
Fig. 4 illustrates an adhesive substance 48 positioned above and in the process of being deposited on the flap elastic member 46 and a portion of the lateral zone 38. The adhesive is used to bond the lateral zone 38 to itself after being folded. The adhesive 48 may comprise a hot melt adhesive applied by various techniques, such as spraying, slot-coating extrusion, printing or the like. Suitable adhesives are available from Findley Adhesives, Inc., Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. As an alternative to using an adhesive 48, the lateral zone 38 may be bonded to itself using ultrasonic bonds, thermal bonds, stitches or the like.
After application of the adhesive 48 to the lateral zones 38, the outer cover 22 is routed through a suitable folding mechanism, such as a folding board (not shown), so that the side edges 31 move inwardly 2~0318 and each lateral zone 38 is folded onto itself. The outer cover 22 may then be routed between suitable rollers (not shown) such that each lateral zone 38 is bonded to itself by the adhesive 48 (not shown in Fig. 5). Alternatively, the lateral zones 38 need not be folded over and bonded to themselves (see Fig. 7).
At the later stage of assembly shown in Fig. 5, an adhesive substance 49 similar to adhesive 48 is positioned over and is in the process of being deposited on the longitudinal side regions of the liner 24, the leg elastic members 44, and the medial zones 36 of the outer cover 22. Subsequently, the components are routed through suitable folding means (not shown) so that each medial zone 36 is folded inwardly upon itself and bonded to itself due to the adhesive 49. As an alternative to using an adhesive 49, the medial zone 36 may be bonded to itself using ultrasonic bonds, thermal bonds, stitches, or the like.
The resulting structure is illustrated in Fig. 6 (adhesives 48 and 49 not shown), which corresponds to the transverse section view taken generally along line 6-6 in Fig. 2. Folding the medial zone 36 upon itself and bonding it to itself results in a folded region 50 encompassing the entire medial zone 36. This folding and bonding step also defines a boundary 52 (Figs. 3 and 6) between the medial zone 36 and the adjacent lateral zone 38. The boundary 52 represents the location along the width dimension of the outer cover 22 that is transversely outward from the absorbent assembly 23 and where the outer cover extends away from itself after being folded inwardly upon itself with the leg elastic members 44 enclosed within the folded region 50.
The folded regions 50, including the leg elastic members 44 sandwiched therein, form the leg gaskets 29 of the garment 20.
Assembly of the garment 20 as described above also defines a second boundary 54 (Figs. 3 and 6). This boundary 54 represents the dividing line between the distal segment 40 and the interior segment 41 of the lateral zone 38, and is the location nearest the flap elastic member 46 at which the lateral zone 38 is bonded to the liner 24 or absorbent assembly 23. With reference to Figs. 3 and 6, the interior segment 41 213031~
of the lateral zone 38 is bonded to the side edges of the absorbent assembly 23 and the side edges of the bodyside liner 24. The distal segment 40 of each lateral zone 38 is freestanding from the liner 24 and absorbent assembly 23, and forms one of the torso gaskets 28 of the garment 20. Desirably, each flap elastic member 46 is spaced from the respective boundary 54 and correspondingly the respective interior segment 41 by from about 12 to about 50 millimeters. In an alternative embodiment, the lateral zones 38 need not be bonded to the liner 24 or absorbent assembly 23.
As suggested in Fig. 1, the longitudinal ends 58 of the torso gaskets 28 may be bonded to the liner 24 near the end edges 30 of the outer cover 22. Furthermore, in the described process for forming the torso and leg gaskets 28 and 29, adhesives 48 and 49 need not be applied over the entire areas illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, and the order of forming the gaskets could be reversed.
Thus, the incontinence garment 20 can be formed to include both torso gaskets 28 and leg gaskets 29 by operatively joining the leg and flap elastic members 44 and 46 to the outer cover 22 and folding the outer cover in a relatively uncomplicated manner. This process avoids off-line assembly of separate gaskets and their subsequent attachment to the liner 24. The described process also permits the bodyside liner 24 to be narrower than the outer cover 22, and in fact can be formed coextensive with the sides of the absorbent assembly 23.
The assembly of the outer cover 22, absorbent assembly 23 and bodyside liner 24 is held in place about the wearer with the attachment system 25. The illustrated attachment system 25 includes a pair of elastic straps 60, hook members 62 at each end of each strap, and loop members 64 bonded to the outer cover 22 for releasably engaging the hook members. As an alternative to hook-and-loop fasteners, the elastic straps 60 could be attached to the outer cover 22 using other types of fasteners (not shown), such as buttons, buckles, snaps or the like. Still alternatively, the assembly of the outer cover 22, absorbent assembly 23 and bodyside liner 24 could be maintained about the body of the wearer with other attachment systems (not shown), such 21~0318 as tapes, a belt, cohesive strips or the like. Suitable attachment systems are disclosed in U.S. Patent 4,315,508 issued November 8, 1988, to Bolick.
In use, the incontinence garment 20 is positioned on the wearer to receive solid and liquid waste and secured with the attachment system 25. Lateral waste movement is impeded by both the torso gaskets 28 and the leg gaskets 29. In the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 1-3, the outer cover 22 forms the torso and leg gaskets 28 and 29 and is liquid impermeable, thus providing liquid impermeable gaskets 28 and 29. The outer cover 22 is also desirably relatively soft to the touch so that contact with the torso and leg gaskets 28 and 29 does not irritate the wearer.
An alternative incontinence garment 70 according to the present invention is partially shown in Fig. 7, where components similar to those previously described have been given the same reference numeral.
The outer cover 22 of the incontinence garment 70 comprises a laminate having an inner layer 71 and an outer layer 72. The inner layer 71 is formed or treated to be liquid impermeable. For example, the inner layer 71 may comprise a film formed of polypropylene, polyethylene, or the like. The outer layer 72 is desirably formed of a material that is soft to the touch and permeable to both gas and liquid. For example, the outer layer 72 may comprise a spunbond nonwoven web formed of polypropylene and polyethylene medium-crimped bicomponent fibers in a 50/50 side-by-side configuration, which web is point bonded and has a basis weight of from about 15 to about 50 grams per square meter, and particularly about 34 grams per square meter. The inner and outer layers 71 and 72 may be bonded together with adhesives, thermal bonds, ultrasonic bonds or the like, and their relative position may be reversed (not shown).
As shown in Fig. 7, the liquid impermeable inner layer 71 may be narrower than the outer layer 72. Selecting the width of the inner layer 71 to extend only into the medial zone 36 of the outer cover 22 allows the garment 70 to include a liquid permeable torso gasket 28 and a liquid impermeable leg gasket 29. Alternatively, the inner layer 71 21~0~18 may extend transversely outward only to the periphery of the center zone 35, in which case both the torso gaskets 28 and the leg gaskets 29 would be liquid permeable (not shown).
The absorbent assembly 23 of the garment 70 includes a liquid storage layer 74 and an optional liquid transport layer 76 disposed on the storage layer. The transport layer 76 may be or comprise any suitable material for managing, distributing or facilitating movement of liquids into the storage layer 74. Desirably, the transport layer 76 functions to draw liquid from the bodyside surface of the liner 24 and then permit desorption by the storage layer 74; Suitable transport layer materials are disclosed in U.S. Patent 4,798,603 issued January 17, 1989, to Meyer et al. and European Patent Appli~ation EP 0 539 703 Al, published May 5, 1993, to Hanson et al.
The bodyside liner 24 of the incontinence garment 70 is positioned over the absorbent assembly 23 and bonded to the absorbent assembly 23 and/or the outer cover 22. As illustrated, the longitudinal side edges of the liner 24 may extend into the folded region 50 and be sandwiched within the medial zones 36.
For purposes of illustration, the garment 70 is illustrated as including alternative forms of leg and flap elastic members 44 and 46.
The leg elastic members 44 of the garment 20 each include a pair of elastic strands. Additionally, the flap elastic members 46 are operatively joined to the lateral zones 38 without folding each lateral zone upon itself and bonding it to itself.
The garment 70 is illustrated in Fig. 8 at an intermediate stage of assembly. The outer cover 22, including liquid impermeable inner layer 71, may be positioned on a transport surface (not shown).
Between its side edges 31, the outer cover 22 defines a center zone 35, lateral zones 38 between the center zone and each side edge, and medial zones 36 between the center zone and each lateral zone. The absorbent assembly 23 is disposed on the center zone 35, and the l-iner 24 is disposed on the absorbent assembly and directly bonded to the outer cover 22.
The flap elastic members 46 are operatively joined to the lateral zones 38, and the leg elastic members 44 are operatively joined to each of the medial zones 36. The leg elastic member 44 are desirably spaced from the side edges 31 by at least about 20 millimeters and spaced from the flap elastic members 46 by at least about 20 millimeters. Each of the lateral zones 38 need not be folded and bonded to itself, provided a suitably soft elastic such as a stretch bonded laminate is employed.
Each of the medial zones 36 is folded upon itself and bonded to itself to define folded regions 50 between the center zone 35 and each of the lateral zones 38. Each of the folded regions 50 sandwiches one of the leg elastic members 44 therewithin.
The foregoing detailed description has been for the purpose of illustration. Thus, a number of modifications and changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
For instance, alternative or optional features described as part of one embodiment can be used to yield another embodiment. Additionally, two named components could represent portions of the same structure. Also, various materials described in the aforementioned U.S. patents may be used to construct the aforementioned components of the absorbent garments 20 and 70.
Therefore, the invention should not be limited by the specific embodiments described, but only by the claims.
DUAL GASKET ABSORBENT GARMENT
AND METHOO OF MANUFACTURE
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to articles for absorbing ~ody fluids. More particularly, the invention pertains to an absorbent garment having dual gaskets for leakage protection. The invention also pertains to efficient processes for making such absorbent garments.
Disposable garments for the absorption and containment of urine and other body exudates are generally known in the art. Such disposable garments have found particular utility in the fields of infant care, child care, feminine care and adult incontinency. Present commercially available disposable garments for such uses are generally unitary, preshaped or prefolded, and comprised of a fluid pervious bodyside liner, a fluid impervious backing sheet, and an absorbent material disposed between the bodyside liner and the backing sheet. They also include an attachment system for securing the garment to the body of the wearer.
Various garment structures have been devised in an attempt to obtain good body conformance, leakage prevention and comfort. To enhance leakage protection, some prior garments have employed gathers in the leg regions. To date, however, absorbent garments have still been subject to failures in the form of leakage around the legs.
Existing leg gathers have not satisfactorily provided both leakage prevention and comfort, and/or have required a complicated manufacturing process.
Therefore, what is lacking and needed in the art is an improved absorbent garment that can be manufactured in an efficient process and that employs dual gaskets for leakage protection.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In response to the discussed deficiencies in the prior art, a new absorbent garment has been developed. Garments of the present invention have torso gaskets and leg gaskets to minimize lateral movement of solid and liquid waste, and can be manufactured by an efficient process. In one embodiment, an absorbent garment of the present invention includes an outer cover having end edges and side edges extending between the end edges. The outer cover defines a center zone, lateral zones between the center zone and each of the side edges, and medial zones between the center zone and each of the lateral zones. Leg elastic members are operatively joined to the medial zones, and each of the medial zones is folded onto itself to define folded regions. The folded regions are located between the center zone and each of the lateral zones, with the leg elastic members sandwiched within the folded regions. Flap elastic members are operatively joined to the lateral zones. An absorbent assembly is disposed on the center zone of the outer cover, and a liner is positioned over the absorbent assembly and bonded to the outer cover.
This embodiment of the invention yields an absorbent garment with both torso gaskets and leg gaskets to impede lateral waste movement.
Depending on the construction of the outer cover, as described hereinafter, the torso and leg gaskets may independently be liquid permeable or impermeable, as well as gas permeable or impermeable. The outer cover is desirably relatively soft to the touch so that the torso and leg gaskets do not irritate the wearer.
Another aspect of the invention pertains to a method of making an absorbent garment. This method includes: providing an outer cover having a pair of side edges, the outer cover defining a center zone between the side edges, lateral zones between the center zone and each side edge, and medial zones between the center zone and each lateral zone; disposing an absorbent assembly on the outer cover; disposing a liner on the absorbent assembly; bonding the liner to the outer cover;
operatively joining a flap elastic member to each of the lateral zones;
operatively joining a leg elastic member to each of the medial zones;
and folding each of the medial zones upon itself to define folded regions between the center zone and each of the lateral zones, each of the folded regions sandwiching one of the leg elastic members therewithin.
This embodiment of the method allows torso and leg gaskets to be formed by operatively joining the leg and flap elastic members to the outer cover and folding the outer cover in a relatively uncomplicated manner. This method avoids assembling separate gaskets off-line and subsequently attaching the independent gaskets. The method also enables the garment to be constructed with a reduced quantity of materials because the bodyside liner can be substantially narrower than the outer cover.
Numerous features and advantages of the present invention will appear from the following description. In the description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention. Such embodiments do not represent the full scope of the invention. Reference should therefore be made to the claims herein for interpreting the full scope of the invention.
21~3318 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a disposable absorbent garment according to the present invention.
Fig. 2 is a top plan view of several components of the disposable absorbent garment shown in Fig. 1, in a flat and stretched condition and with portions broken away for purposes of illustration.
Fig. 3 is an enlarged section view taken generally from the plane of the line 3-3 in Fig. 1.
Fig. 4 is an enlarged section view of several components of the disposable absorbent garment shown in Fig. 1, at an intermediate stage of assembly.
Fig. 5 is an enlarged section view similar to Fig. 4, but showing a later stage of assembly.
Fig. 6 is an enlarged section view similar to Figs. 4 and 5, but at a still later stage of assembly and corresponding to a section view taken generally from the plane of the line 6-6 in Fig. 2.
Fig. 7 is a section view similar to Fig. 3, but illustrating components of an alternative disposable absorbent garment according to the present invention.
Fig. 8 is a section view of components of the disposable absorbent garment shown in Fig. 7, at an intermediate stage of assembly.
DEFINITIONS
Within the context of this specification, each term or phrase below will include the following meaning or meanings:
~1~û318 (a) "bonded" refers to the joining, adhering, connecting, attaching, or the like, of two elements. Two elements will be considered to be bonded together when they are bonded directly to one another or indirectly to one another, such as when each is directly bonded to intermediate elements.
(b) "disposable" includes being disposed of after use, and not intended to be washed and reused.
(c) "disposed," "disposed on," "disposed with," "disposed at,"
"disposed near," and variations thereof are intended to mean that one element can be integral with another element, or that one element can be a separate structure joined to or connected to or placed with or placed near another element.
(d) "elastic," "elasticized" and Uelasticity" include that property of a material by virtue of which it tends to recover its original size and shape after removal of a force causing a deformation.
(e) "force" includes a physical influence exerted by one body on another which produces acceleration of bodies that are free to move and deformation of bodies that are not free to move. Force is expressed in grams per unit area.
(f) "freestanding" refers to a particular portion of a first element, which portion is not bonded to a second element and is capable of moving relative to second element.
(g) "front" and "back" are used to designate relationships relative to the garment itself, rather than to suggest any position the garment assumes when it is positioned on a wearer.
(h) "integral" is used to refer to various portions of a single unitary element rather than separate structures joined to or connected to or placed with or placed near one another.
2130~1~
(i) "liquid impermeable" when used to describe a layer or laminate means that urine will not pass through the layer or laminate under ordinary use conditions ;n a direct;on generally perpendicular to the plane of the layer or laminate at the point of liquid contact.
(j) "member" when used in the singular can have the dual meaning of a single element or a plurality of elements.
(k) "operatively joined", with reference to the attachment of an elastic member to another element, means that the elastic member when attached to or connected to the element, or treated with heat or chemicals, by stretching, or the like, gives the element elastic properties; and with reference to the attachment of a non-e astic member to another element, means that the member and element can be attached in any suitable manner that permits or allows them to perform the intended or described function of the joinder. The joining, attaching, connecting or the like can be either directly, such as joining either member directly to an element, or can be indirectly by means of another member disposed between the first member and the first element.
(1) "outward" refers to a position relative to the center of an absorbent garment, and particularly transversely and/or longitudinally away from the longitudinal and transverse center of the absorbent garment.
(m) "stretch bonded" refers to an elastic member being bonded to another member while the elastic member is extended at least about 25 percent of its relaxed length. Desirably, the term "stretch bonded" refers to the situation wherein the elastic member is extended at least about 100 percent, and more desirably at least about 300 percent, of its relaxed length when it is bonded to the other member.
(n) "stretch bonded laminate" refers to a composite material having at least two layers in which one layer is a gatherable layer and the other layer is an elastic layer. The layers are joined together when the elastic layer is in an extended condition so that upon relaxing the layers, the gatherable layer is gathered.
These terms may be defined with additional language in the remaining portion of the specification.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
With reference to Figs. 1-3, a disposable absorbent garment formed according to the invention is shown for purposes of illustration as an adult incontinence garment 20. The invention may also be embodied in other types of absorbent garments such as diapers, diaper pants, feminine napkins, children's training pants, or the like.
The incontinence garment 20 generally includes an outer cover 22, an absorbent assembly 23 and a bodyside liner 24. Once assembled, the outer cover 22, absorbent assembly 23 and bodyside liner 24 are maintained in position about the wearer with an attachment system 25 (Fig. 1). On each longitudinal side of the garment 20, the assembled outer cover 22, absorbent assembly 23 and bodyside liner 24 form a torso gasket 28 and a leg gasket 29 which minimize lateral movement of solid and liquid waste. The components of the disposable incontinence garment 20 and their method of assembly will now be described in more detail.
The outer cover 22 has opposite end edges 30 (Figs. 1 and 2) and opposite side edges 31 (Figs. 2 and 3) that extend between the end edges. The illustrated outer cover 22 is generally rectangular, although it may alternatively be T-shaped, I-shaped, or irregularly-shaped. A crotch region 32 of the outer cover 22 is generally located approximately midway between the end edges 30 and comprises about from 15 to about 50 percent of the longitudinal length dimension of the outer cover. The absorbent assembly 23 is disposed on an inner surface 33 of the outer cover 22 in at least the crotch region 32. The outer cover 22 also has a longitudinal centerline, generally designated reference numeral 34 in Fig. 2, which extends longitudinally along theouter cover length dimension.
A width dimension of the outer cover 22 extends between the side edges 31. The outer cover 22 defines in its width dimension a center zone 35, medial zones 36, and lateral zones 38 (Figs. 2 and 3). The center zone 35 generally represents that portion of the width of the outer cover where the absorbent assembly 23 is positioned. One medial zone 36 and one lateral zone 38 are located between the center zone 35 and each side edge 31 of the outer cover 22. The lateral zones 38 are positioned along and extend inward from the side edges 31, whereas the medial zones 36 are located between the center zone 35 and each of the lateral zones 38. The lateral zones 38 each comprise a distal segment 40 adjacent the side edge 31 and an interior segment 41 between the distal segment 40 and the adjacent medial zone 36 (Fig. 3). The boundaries between the various zones and segments are determined in part by where the outer cover 22 is folded, bonded to itself, and/or bonded to the liner 24, as described hereinafter.
The dimensions of the outer cover 22 will vary according to the intended use of the incontinence garment 20. The outer cover 22 may, for example, have a length dimension measured between the end edges 30 of from about 25 to about 85 centimeters, and a width dimension measured between the side edges 31 of from about 12 to about 68 centimeters. In particular, the center zone 35 may have a width, measured perpendicular to the longitudinal centerline 34 and in the plane of the outer cover 22, of from about 6 to about 22 centimeters.
Each medial zone 36 may have a width of from about 2 to about 11 centimeters, and desirably from about 3.8 to about 6.4 centimeters, and each lateral zone 38 may have a width of from about 1 to about 12 centimeters, and desirably from about 3.4 to about 7.4 centimeters.
The outer cover 22 desirably comprises a material that is formed or treated to be liquid impermeable. Alternatively, the outer cover 22 may comprise a liquid permeable material and other suitable means, such as a liquid impermeable layer associated with the absorbent assembly 23 (not shown), are provided to impede liquid movement away from the absorbent assembly. The outer cover 22 may comprise a single layer of material or a laminate of two or more separate layers of material, desirably having-integral center, medial and lateral zones 35, 36 and 38 defined therein. The outer cover 22 may also be gas permeable, such that gases encountered during use of the absorbent garment are able to pass through the material under ordinary use conditions, over either all or part of its surface area. Suitable outer cover materials include films, wovens, nonwovens, laminates of films, wovens, and/or nonwovens, or the like. For example, the outer cover 22 may comprise a liquid impermeable, gas permeable thermal laminate comprising a cast or blown film formed of polypropylene, polyethylene or the like, and a polypropylene spunbond web. In one particular embodiment, the outer cover 22 comprises a liquid and gas permeable, polypropylene spunbond web bonded to an apertured, liquid impermeable, gas permeable, polymeric film.
The absorbent assembly 23 comprises materials adapted to absorb and retain liquid waste. The absorbent assembly 23 may be rectangular as illustrated, or T-shaped, I-shaped or irregularly-shaped, and is narrower and desirably also shorter than the outer cover 22. The absorbent assembly 23 is disposed on the center zone 35 of the outer cover 22 and may be bonded to the outer cover using adhesives, ultrasonic bonds, thermal bonds, or other suitable means.
The absorbent assembly 23 may comprise various absorbent materials, such as an air-formed batt of cellulosic fibers (i.e., wood pulp fluff) or a coform material composed of a mixture of cellulosic fibers and synthetic polymer fibers. The absorbent assembly 23 may also include compounds to increase its absorbency, such as O - 95 weight percent of organic or inorganic high-absorbency materials, which are typically capable of absorbing at least about 15 and desirably more than 25 times their weight in water. Suitable high-absorbency materials are described in U.S. Patents 4,699,823 issued October 13, 1987, to Kellenberger et al. and 5,147,343 issued September 15, 1992, to Kellenberger.
H,gh-absorbency materials are available from ~arious commercial vendors, such as Dow Chemical Company, Hoechst Celanese Corporation, 2~30318 and Allied Colloids, Inc. The absorbent assembly 23 may also include tissue layers or acquisition or distribution layers to help maintain the integrity of fibrous absorbents or transport liquids (not shown).
The bodyside liner 24 is formed of a liquid permeable material to allow liquid waste, and possibly semi-solid waste as well, to pass through the liner and be absorbed by the absorbent assembly 23. The liner 24 may comprise, for example, a nonwoven web or sheet of wet strength tissue paper, a spunbonded, meltblown or bonded-carded web composed of synthetic polymer filaments or fibers, such as polypropylene, polyethylene, polyesters or the like, or a web of natural polymer filaments or fibers such as rayon or cotton. In addition, the liner may be treated with a surfactant to aid in liquid transfer.
The liner 24 is disposed on, and in particular positioned over, the absorbent assembly 23 and may be bonded directly thereto using ultrasonic bonds, thermal bonds, adhesives, or other suitable means.
In the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 1-3, the liner 24 has side edges that are substantially coextensive with the side edges of the absorbent assembly 23, although other widths are suitable as described hereinafter.
With additional reference to Figs. 4-6, assembly of the outer cover 22, absorbent assembly 23 and bodyside liner 24 to form the torso and leg gaskets 28 and 29 will now be described. Components of the garment 20, in particular the outer cover 22, may be positioned on a support surface (not shown) which transports the components through the various stages of assembly. Multiple garments 20 may easily be assembled in a continuous process with the machine direction parallel to the longitudinal centerline 34 of the outer cover 22.
Fig. 4 illustrates components of the incontinence garment 20 at an intermediate stage of assembly. While only one side of the garment 20 is shown, the opposite side may be constructed in the same manner. In Fig. 4, which represents a transverse section view, the outer cover 22 is in a flat and stretched condition; the absorbent assembly 23 is 21~0318 disposed on the center zone 35; and the liner 24 is disposed on the absorbent assembly 23.
The incontinence garment 20 also includes leg elastic members 44 and flap elastic members 46. The leg and flap elastic members 44 and 46 may comprise any suitable elastic material for gathering the outer cover 22. Suitable elastic materials include: thin ribbons of natural or synthetic rubber; a stretch bonded laminate material, comprising for example a prestretched elastic meltblown inner layer sandwiched between and bonded to a pair of spunbond polypropylene nonwoven webs; elastic threads such as dry-spun coalesced multifilament elastic threads sold under the trade mark LYCRA and available from E. I. du Pont de Nemours ànd Company; or the like. Elasticity could also be imparted '3 the outer cover 22 by extruding a hot melt elastomeric adhesive in place of the leg and flap elastic members 44 and 46. Other suitable elastic gathering means are disclosed in U.S. Pat nts No. 4,938,754 to Mesek and 4,388,075 to Mesek et al.
One flap elastic member 46 is operatively joined to the inner surface 33 of each lateral zone 38 of the outer cover 22. The flap elastic members 46 are desirably spaced from their respective side edges 31 by from about 0 to about 50 millimeters, and more desirably from about 10 to about 20 millimeters. Further, the flap elastic members 46 are desirably spaced transversely outward from the absorbent assembly 23 by from about 30 to about 180 millimeters, and more desirably from about 60 to about 90 millimeters, measured in the plane of the outer cover 22.
Similarly, one leg elastic member 44 is operatively joined to the inner surface 33 of each medial zone 3~ of the outer cover 22. The leg elastic members 44 are desirably spaced from the flap elastic members 46 by at least about 20 millimeters, particularly from about 20 to about 120 millimeters, and more desirably spaced therefrom by at least about 40 millimeters, particularly from about 40 to about 90 millimeters, measured in the plane of the outer cover 22. The leg elastic members 44 are also transversely positioned so as to be spaced from the longitudinal sides of the absorbent assembly 23 by from about 2130~18 10 to about 50 millimeters, and desirably from about 20 to about 32 mill;meters, and spaced from the side edges 31 of the outer cover 22 by from about 20 to about 170 millimeters, and desirably by at least about 40 millimeters, measured in the plane of the outer cover 22.
The leg and flap elastic members 44 and 46 may be operatively joined to the outer cover 22 using adhesives, ultrasonic bonds, thermal bonds, or other suitable means. Additionally, the leg and flap elastic members 44 and 46 may be stretch bonded to the outer cover 22 or bonded in a relaxed state to a gathered portion of the outer cover. As one illustration of stretch bonding, each flap elastic member 46 may be stretched to at least about 2 times its relaxed length and bonded to the inner surface 33 using a hot melt adhesive. Similarly, each leg elastic member 44 may be stretched to at least about 2 times its relaxed length and bonded to the inner surface 33 using a hot melt adhesive. Both the leg and flap elastic members 44 and 46 may but need not extend to the end edges 30 of the garment 20. Terminating the elastic members short of the end edges 30 may be accomplished by a variety of methods known in the art, such as employing discrete, relatively short lengths of elastic material or bonding a continuous elastic material to the outer cover 22 only through the crotch region 32 and cutting the material at the end edges 30.
Fig. 4 illustrates an adhesive substance 48 positioned above and in the process of being deposited on the flap elastic member 46 and a portion of the lateral zone 38. The adhesive is used to bond the lateral zone 38 to itself after being folded. The adhesive 48 may comprise a hot melt adhesive applied by various techniques, such as spraying, slot-coating extrusion, printing or the like. Suitable adhesives are available from Findley Adhesives, Inc., Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. As an alternative to using an adhesive 48, the lateral zone 38 may be bonded to itself using ultrasonic bonds, thermal bonds, stitches or the like.
After application of the adhesive 48 to the lateral zones 38, the outer cover 22 is routed through a suitable folding mechanism, such as a folding board (not shown), so that the side edges 31 move inwardly 2~0318 and each lateral zone 38 is folded onto itself. The outer cover 22 may then be routed between suitable rollers (not shown) such that each lateral zone 38 is bonded to itself by the adhesive 48 (not shown in Fig. 5). Alternatively, the lateral zones 38 need not be folded over and bonded to themselves (see Fig. 7).
At the later stage of assembly shown in Fig. 5, an adhesive substance 49 similar to adhesive 48 is positioned over and is in the process of being deposited on the longitudinal side regions of the liner 24, the leg elastic members 44, and the medial zones 36 of the outer cover 22. Subsequently, the components are routed through suitable folding means (not shown) so that each medial zone 36 is folded inwardly upon itself and bonded to itself due to the adhesive 49. As an alternative to using an adhesive 49, the medial zone 36 may be bonded to itself using ultrasonic bonds, thermal bonds, stitches, or the like.
The resulting structure is illustrated in Fig. 6 (adhesives 48 and 49 not shown), which corresponds to the transverse section view taken generally along line 6-6 in Fig. 2. Folding the medial zone 36 upon itself and bonding it to itself results in a folded region 50 encompassing the entire medial zone 36. This folding and bonding step also defines a boundary 52 (Figs. 3 and 6) between the medial zone 36 and the adjacent lateral zone 38. The boundary 52 represents the location along the width dimension of the outer cover 22 that is transversely outward from the absorbent assembly 23 and where the outer cover extends away from itself after being folded inwardly upon itself with the leg elastic members 44 enclosed within the folded region 50.
The folded regions 50, including the leg elastic members 44 sandwiched therein, form the leg gaskets 29 of the garment 20.
Assembly of the garment 20 as described above also defines a second boundary 54 (Figs. 3 and 6). This boundary 54 represents the dividing line between the distal segment 40 and the interior segment 41 of the lateral zone 38, and is the location nearest the flap elastic member 46 at which the lateral zone 38 is bonded to the liner 24 or absorbent assembly 23. With reference to Figs. 3 and 6, the interior segment 41 213031~
of the lateral zone 38 is bonded to the side edges of the absorbent assembly 23 and the side edges of the bodyside liner 24. The distal segment 40 of each lateral zone 38 is freestanding from the liner 24 and absorbent assembly 23, and forms one of the torso gaskets 28 of the garment 20. Desirably, each flap elastic member 46 is spaced from the respective boundary 54 and correspondingly the respective interior segment 41 by from about 12 to about 50 millimeters. In an alternative embodiment, the lateral zones 38 need not be bonded to the liner 24 or absorbent assembly 23.
As suggested in Fig. 1, the longitudinal ends 58 of the torso gaskets 28 may be bonded to the liner 24 near the end edges 30 of the outer cover 22. Furthermore, in the described process for forming the torso and leg gaskets 28 and 29, adhesives 48 and 49 need not be applied over the entire areas illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, and the order of forming the gaskets could be reversed.
Thus, the incontinence garment 20 can be formed to include both torso gaskets 28 and leg gaskets 29 by operatively joining the leg and flap elastic members 44 and 46 to the outer cover 22 and folding the outer cover in a relatively uncomplicated manner. This process avoids off-line assembly of separate gaskets and their subsequent attachment to the liner 24. The described process also permits the bodyside liner 24 to be narrower than the outer cover 22, and in fact can be formed coextensive with the sides of the absorbent assembly 23.
The assembly of the outer cover 22, absorbent assembly 23 and bodyside liner 24 is held in place about the wearer with the attachment system 25. The illustrated attachment system 25 includes a pair of elastic straps 60, hook members 62 at each end of each strap, and loop members 64 bonded to the outer cover 22 for releasably engaging the hook members. As an alternative to hook-and-loop fasteners, the elastic straps 60 could be attached to the outer cover 22 using other types of fasteners (not shown), such as buttons, buckles, snaps or the like. Still alternatively, the assembly of the outer cover 22, absorbent assembly 23 and bodyside liner 24 could be maintained about the body of the wearer with other attachment systems (not shown), such 21~0318 as tapes, a belt, cohesive strips or the like. Suitable attachment systems are disclosed in U.S. Patent 4,315,508 issued November 8, 1988, to Bolick.
In use, the incontinence garment 20 is positioned on the wearer to receive solid and liquid waste and secured with the attachment system 25. Lateral waste movement is impeded by both the torso gaskets 28 and the leg gaskets 29. In the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 1-3, the outer cover 22 forms the torso and leg gaskets 28 and 29 and is liquid impermeable, thus providing liquid impermeable gaskets 28 and 29. The outer cover 22 is also desirably relatively soft to the touch so that contact with the torso and leg gaskets 28 and 29 does not irritate the wearer.
An alternative incontinence garment 70 according to the present invention is partially shown in Fig. 7, where components similar to those previously described have been given the same reference numeral.
The outer cover 22 of the incontinence garment 70 comprises a laminate having an inner layer 71 and an outer layer 72. The inner layer 71 is formed or treated to be liquid impermeable. For example, the inner layer 71 may comprise a film formed of polypropylene, polyethylene, or the like. The outer layer 72 is desirably formed of a material that is soft to the touch and permeable to both gas and liquid. For example, the outer layer 72 may comprise a spunbond nonwoven web formed of polypropylene and polyethylene medium-crimped bicomponent fibers in a 50/50 side-by-side configuration, which web is point bonded and has a basis weight of from about 15 to about 50 grams per square meter, and particularly about 34 grams per square meter. The inner and outer layers 71 and 72 may be bonded together with adhesives, thermal bonds, ultrasonic bonds or the like, and their relative position may be reversed (not shown).
As shown in Fig. 7, the liquid impermeable inner layer 71 may be narrower than the outer layer 72. Selecting the width of the inner layer 71 to extend only into the medial zone 36 of the outer cover 22 allows the garment 70 to include a liquid permeable torso gasket 28 and a liquid impermeable leg gasket 29. Alternatively, the inner layer 71 21~0~18 may extend transversely outward only to the periphery of the center zone 35, in which case both the torso gaskets 28 and the leg gaskets 29 would be liquid permeable (not shown).
The absorbent assembly 23 of the garment 70 includes a liquid storage layer 74 and an optional liquid transport layer 76 disposed on the storage layer. The transport layer 76 may be or comprise any suitable material for managing, distributing or facilitating movement of liquids into the storage layer 74. Desirably, the transport layer 76 functions to draw liquid from the bodyside surface of the liner 24 and then permit desorption by the storage layer 74; Suitable transport layer materials are disclosed in U.S. Patent 4,798,603 issued January 17, 1989, to Meyer et al. and European Patent Appli~ation EP 0 539 703 Al, published May 5, 1993, to Hanson et al.
The bodyside liner 24 of the incontinence garment 70 is positioned over the absorbent assembly 23 and bonded to the absorbent assembly 23 and/or the outer cover 22. As illustrated, the longitudinal side edges of the liner 24 may extend into the folded region 50 and be sandwiched within the medial zones 36.
For purposes of illustration, the garment 70 is illustrated as including alternative forms of leg and flap elastic members 44 and 46.
The leg elastic members 44 of the garment 20 each include a pair of elastic strands. Additionally, the flap elastic members 46 are operatively joined to the lateral zones 38 without folding each lateral zone upon itself and bonding it to itself.
The garment 70 is illustrated in Fig. 8 at an intermediate stage of assembly. The outer cover 22, including liquid impermeable inner layer 71, may be positioned on a transport surface (not shown).
Between its side edges 31, the outer cover 22 defines a center zone 35, lateral zones 38 between the center zone and each side edge, and medial zones 36 between the center zone and each lateral zone. The absorbent assembly 23 is disposed on the center zone 35, and the l-iner 24 is disposed on the absorbent assembly and directly bonded to the outer cover 22.
The flap elastic members 46 are operatively joined to the lateral zones 38, and the leg elastic members 44 are operatively joined to each of the medial zones 36. The leg elastic member 44 are desirably spaced from the side edges 31 by at least about 20 millimeters and spaced from the flap elastic members 46 by at least about 20 millimeters. Each of the lateral zones 38 need not be folded and bonded to itself, provided a suitably soft elastic such as a stretch bonded laminate is employed.
Each of the medial zones 36 is folded upon itself and bonded to itself to define folded regions 50 between the center zone 35 and each of the lateral zones 38. Each of the folded regions 50 sandwiches one of the leg elastic members 44 therewithin.
The foregoing detailed description has been for the purpose of illustration. Thus, a number of modifications and changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
For instance, alternative or optional features described as part of one embodiment can be used to yield another embodiment. Additionally, two named components could represent portions of the same structure. Also, various materials described in the aforementioned U.S. patents may be used to construct the aforementioned components of the absorbent garments 20 and 70.
Therefore, the invention should not be limited by the specific embodiments described, but only by the claims.
Claims (31)
1. An absorbent garment comprising:
an outer cover having end edges and side edges extending between the end edges, the outer cover defining a center zone, lateral zones between the center zone and each of the side edges, and medial zones between the center zone and each of the lateral zones;
leg elastic members operatively joined to the medial zones, each of the medial zones folded onto itself to define a folded region between the center zone and each of the lateral zones, the leg elastic members sandwiched within the folded regions;
flap elastic members operatively joined to the lateral zones;
an absorbent assembly disposed on the center zone of the outer cover; and a liner positioned over the absorbent assembly and bonded to the outer cover.
an outer cover having end edges and side edges extending between the end edges, the outer cover defining a center zone, lateral zones between the center zone and each of the side edges, and medial zones between the center zone and each of the lateral zones;
leg elastic members operatively joined to the medial zones, each of the medial zones folded onto itself to define a folded region between the center zone and each of the lateral zones, the leg elastic members sandwiched within the folded regions;
flap elastic members operatively joined to the lateral zones;
an absorbent assembly disposed on the center zone of the outer cover; and a liner positioned over the absorbent assembly and bonded to the outer cover.
2. The absorbent garment of claim 1, wherein each of the lateral zones is folded onto itself and bonded to itself to sandwich one of the flap elastic members therebetween.
3. The absorbent garment of claim 1, wherein the flap elastic members are spaced from the respective leg elastic members by at least about 20 millimeters.
4. The absorbent garment of claim 3, wherein the flap elastic members are spaced from the respective leg elastic members by at least about 40 millimeters.
5. The absorbent garment of claim 1, wherein each of the lateral zones includes a distal segment adjacent one of the side edges and an interior segment between the distal segment and one of the folded regions, the interior segment bonded to the liner and the respective flap elastic member operatively joined to the respective distal segment.
6. The absorbent garment of claim 5, wherein each flap elastic member is spaced from the respective interior segment by from about 12 to about 50 millimeters.
7. The absorbent garment of claim 1, wherein the outer cover comprises a liquid impermeable material.
8. The absorbent garment of claim 1, wherein the outer cover comprises a gas and liquid permeable nonwoven layer bonded to a liquid impermeable polymeric material.
9. The absorbent garment of claim 8, wherein the nonwoven layer is wider than the polymeric material.
10. The absorbent garment of claim 1, wherein the center zone has a width of from about 6 to about 22 centimeters, each of the medial zones has a width of from about 2 to about 11 centimeters, and each of the lateral zones has a width of from about 1 to about 12 centimeters.
11. The absorbent garment of claim 1, wherein the liner has opposite side edges, each side edge of the liner being sandwiched within one of the folded regions.
12. The absorbent garment of claim 1, wherein the flap elastic members are spaced from the side edges by less than about 50 millimeters and the flap elastic members are spaced from the respective leg elastic members by at least about 20 millimeters.
13. An absorbent garment comprising:
an outer cover having a longitudinal centerline, end edges, first and second side -edges extending between the end edges, and a crotch region located approximately midway between the end edges;
first and second leg elastic members, the first leg elastic member operatively joined to the outer cover between the longitudinal centerline and the first side edge, the second leg elastic member operatively joined to the outer cover between the longitudinal centerline and the second side edge, the outer cover being folded generally parallel to and on both sides of the longitudinal centerline and bonded to itself to define first and second folded regions, the first leg elastic member being sandwiched within the first folded region in the crotch region, the second leg elastic member being sandwiched within the second folded region in the crotch region;
first and second flap elastic members, the first flap elastic member operatively joined to the outer cover between the first folded region and the first side edge, the second flap elastic member operatively joined to the outer cover between the second folded region and the second side edge;
an absorbent assembly disposed on the outer cover; and a liner positioned over the absorbent assembly and bonded to the outer cover.
an outer cover having a longitudinal centerline, end edges, first and second side -edges extending between the end edges, and a crotch region located approximately midway between the end edges;
first and second leg elastic members, the first leg elastic member operatively joined to the outer cover between the longitudinal centerline and the first side edge, the second leg elastic member operatively joined to the outer cover between the longitudinal centerline and the second side edge, the outer cover being folded generally parallel to and on both sides of the longitudinal centerline and bonded to itself to define first and second folded regions, the first leg elastic member being sandwiched within the first folded region in the crotch region, the second leg elastic member being sandwiched within the second folded region in the crotch region;
first and second flap elastic members, the first flap elastic member operatively joined to the outer cover between the first folded region and the first side edge, the second flap elastic member operatively joined to the outer cover between the second folded region and the second side edge;
an absorbent assembly disposed on the outer cover; and a liner positioned over the absorbent assembly and bonded to the outer cover.
14. The absorbent garment of claim 13, wherein the flap elastic members are spaced from the respective leg elastic members by at least about 20 millimeters.
15. The absorbent garment of claim 13, wherein the outer cover comprises a gas and liquid permeable nonwoven layer bonded to a liquid impermeable polymeric material.
16. The absorbent garment of claim 15, wherein the nonwoven layer is wider than the polymeric material.
17. The absorbent garment of claim 13, wherein the first leg elastic member is spaced from the first flap elastic member and the second leg elastic member is spaced from the second flap elastic member by from about 20 to about 120 millimeters, and the first flap elastic member is spaced from the first side edge and the second flap elastic member is spaced from the second side edge by less than about 50 millimeters.
18. The absorbent garment of claim 17, wherein the first leg elastic member is spaced from the first flap elastic member and the second leg elastic member is spaced from the second flap elastic member by from about 40 to about 90 millimeters.
19. A method of making an absorbent garment, comprising the ? of:
providing an outer cover having a pair of side edges, the outer cover defining a center zone between the side edges, lateral zones between the center zone and each side edge, and medial zones between the center zone and each lateral zone;
disposing an absorbent assembly on the outer cover;
disposing a liner on the absorbent assembly;
bonding the liner to the outer cover;
operatively joining a flap elastic member to each of the lateral zones;
operatively joining a leg elastic member to each of the medial zones; and folding each of the medial zones upon itself to define folded regions between the center zone and each of the lateral zones, each of the folded regions sandwiching one of the leg elastic members therewithin.
providing an outer cover having a pair of side edges, the outer cover defining a center zone between the side edges, lateral zones between the center zone and each side edge, and medial zones between the center zone and each lateral zone;
disposing an absorbent assembly on the outer cover;
disposing a liner on the absorbent assembly;
bonding the liner to the outer cover;
operatively joining a flap elastic member to each of the lateral zones;
operatively joining a leg elastic member to each of the medial zones; and folding each of the medial zones upon itself to define folded regions between the center zone and each of the lateral zones, each of the folded regions sandwiching one of the leg elastic members therewithin.
20. The method of claim 19, further comprising folding each of the lateral zones upon itself and bonding each of the lateral zones to itself to sandwich one of the flap elastic members therebetween.
21. The method of claim 19, wherein the flap elastic members are spaced from the respective leg elastic members by at least about 20 millimeters.
22. The method of claim 21, wherein the flap elastic members are spaced from the respective leg elastic members by at least about 40 millimeters.
23. The method of claim 19, wherein each of the lateral zones includes a distal segment adjacent one of the side edges and an interior segment between the distal segment and one of the folded regions, the interior segments being bonded to the liner and the respective flap elastic member being operatively joined to the respective distal segment.
24. The absorbent garment of claim 23, wherein each flap elastic member is spaced from the respective interior segment by from about 12 to about 50 millimeters.
25. The absorbent garment of claim 19, wherein the outer cover comprises a liquid impermeable material.
26. The method of claim 19, wherein the outer cover comprises a gas and liquid permeable nonwoven layer bonded to a liquid impermeable polymeric material.
27. The method of claim 26, wherein the nonwoven layer is wider than the polymeric material.
28. The method of claim 19, wherein the center zone has a width of from about 6 to about 22 centimeters, each of the medial zones has a width of from about 2 to about 11 centimeters, and each of the lateral zones has a width of from about 1 to about 12 centimeters.
29. The absorbent garment of claim 19, wherein the flap elastic members are spaced from the side edges by less than about 50 millimeters and the flap elastic members are spaced from the respective leg elastic members by at least about 20 millimeters.
30. A method of making an absorbent garment, comprising the steps of:
providing an outer cover having a pair of side edges, the outer cover defining a center zone between the side edges, lateral zones between the center zone and each side edge, and medial zones between the center zone and each lateral zone;
disposing an absorbent assembly on the center zone;
disposing a liner formed of liquid permeable material on the absorbent assembly;
bonding the liner to the outer cover;
operatively joining a flap elastic member to each of the lateral zones, the flap elastic members spaced from the side edges by less than about 50 millimeters;
operatively joining a leg elastic member to each of the medial zones, the leg elastic members spaced from the flap elastic members by at least about 20 millimeters; and folding each of the medial zones upon itself and bonding each of the medial zones to itself to define folded regions between the center zone and each of the lateral zones, each of the folded regions sandwiching one of the leg elastic members therewithin.
providing an outer cover having a pair of side edges, the outer cover defining a center zone between the side edges, lateral zones between the center zone and each side edge, and medial zones between the center zone and each lateral zone;
disposing an absorbent assembly on the center zone;
disposing a liner formed of liquid permeable material on the absorbent assembly;
bonding the liner to the outer cover;
operatively joining a flap elastic member to each of the lateral zones, the flap elastic members spaced from the side edges by less than about 50 millimeters;
operatively joining a leg elastic member to each of the medial zones, the leg elastic members spaced from the flap elastic members by at least about 20 millimeters; and folding each of the medial zones upon itself and bonding each of the medial zones to itself to define folded regions between the center zone and each of the lateral zones, each of the folded regions sandwiching one of the leg elastic members therewithin.
31. The method of claim 30, wherein the flap elastic members are spaced from the respective leg elastic members by at least about 40 millimeters.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US21855394A | 1994-03-25 | 1994-03-25 | |
| US218,553 | 1994-03-25 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2130318A1 true CA2130318A1 (en) | 1995-09-26 |
Family
ID=22815555
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2130318 Abandoned CA2130318A1 (en) | 1994-03-25 | 1994-08-17 | Dual gasket absorbent garment and method of manufacture |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA2130318A1 (en) |
-
1994
- 1994-08-17 CA CA 2130318 patent/CA2130318A1/en not_active Abandoned
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| EEER | Examination request | ||
| FZDE | Dead |