Classifications

• • 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
  • A61F13/53—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 absorbing medium
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61L—METHODS OR APPARATUS FOR STERILISING MATERIALS OR OBJECTS IN GENERAL; DISINFECTION, STERILISATION OR DEODORISATION OF AIR; CHEMICAL ASPECTS OF BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS OR SURGICAL ARTICLES; MATERIALS FOR BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS OR SURGICAL ARTICLES
  • A61L15/00—Chemical aspects of, or use of materials for, bandages, dressings or absorbent pads
  • A61L15/16—Bandages, dressings or absorbent pads for physiological fluids such as urine or blood, e.g. sanitary towels, tampons
  • A61L15/20—Bandages, dressings or absorbent pads for physiological fluids such as urine or blood, e.g. sanitary towels, tampons containing organic materials
• • 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
  • A61F13/51—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 outer layers
  • A61F13/511—Topsheet, i.e. the permeable cover or layer facing the skin
  • A61F13/51113—Topsheet, i.e. the permeable cover or layer facing the skin comprising an additive, e.g. lotion or odour control
• • 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
  • A61F13/51—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 outer layers
  • A61F13/514—Backsheet, i.e. the impermeable cover or layer furthest from the skin
  • A61F13/51456—Backsheet, i.e. the impermeable cover or layer furthest from the skin characterised by its properties
  • A61F13/51458—Backsheet, i.e. the impermeable cover or layer furthest from the skin characterised by its properties being air-pervious or breathable
• • 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
  • A61F13/15203—Properties of the article, e.g. stiffness or absorbency
  • A61F2013/15284—Properties of the article, e.g. stiffness or absorbency characterized by quantifiable properties
  • A61F2013/15463—Absorbency
• • 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
  • A61F13/53—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 absorbing medium
  • A61F2013/530131—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 absorbing medium being made in fibre but being not pulp

Definitions

• panty liners that contain active additives, such as lactobacillus, and comprise a liquid-permeable top sheet which lies proximal to the wearer in use, a liquid-impermeable backing sheet which lies distal from the wearer in use and possibly an intermediate absorption layer and possibly also fastener means.
• active additives such as lactobacillus
• additives In recent times, various types of active additives have begun to be used in absorbent products, such as diapers, panty liners and the like. Examples of such additives are deodorants such as zeolites and silica described in WO 97/46188, WO 97/46190, WO 97/46192, WO 97/46193, WO 97/46195 and WO 97/46196, for example. These additives are intended essentially to act in the product per se. Another example resides in the addition to diapers of softening additives, for example lotions, that are intended to be transferred from the product to the wearer's skin.
• softening additives for example lotions
• Active additives are intended to impart new or enhanced properties to the absorbent product in some respect.
• Lactic acid forming bacteria (mentioned in SE 9703669-3, SE 9502588-8, WO 92/13577, SE 9801951-6, SE 9804390-4, WO 00/01206 and WO 00/01207, among others), are applied to that part of the absorbent product which lies proximal to the wearer in use and are intended to be transferred to the wearer's genitals as a supplement to the wearer ' s own lactobacillus. This is particularly of value in situations where the own lactobacillus flora is weakened. For example, females of a fertile age naturally have lactobacillus in their genitals as a defence against undesired microorganisms.
• lactobacillus Since lactic acid forming bacteria (lactobacillus) are living organisms, and indeed must be alive in order to carry out their desired functions, it is important that the environment in which it such bacteria are present does not have a negative influence on their survival. This has been found problematic with regard to the development of products that include lactobacillus as an active component. It has been found that the survival of lactobacillus is negatively influenced primarily in a high humidity environment at room temperature. In order to ensure that the lactobacillus have a healthy storage environment, there has been developed a packaging unit which is sufficiently impervious to prevent the ingress of moisture during the storage period (WO 00/01207).
• the product is also subjected to a drying stage immediately prior to packaging the product, so as to ensure that the moisture content of the product will be sufficiently low when the package is sealed.
• This additional process step is, however, complicated and expensive. Consequently, there is a need for another production process or another lactobacillus-containing product that can provide for the lactobacillus a good and dry environment that is effective in ensuring healthy survival of the bacteria during storage.
• the object of the present invention is to provide an absorbent article, primarily a panty liner, which enables the active additives to retain their activity prior to use of the product, without requiring further treatment, such as drying of the product to a greater or lesser extent.
• panty liner that contains active additives, such as lactobacillus, and that comprises a liquid-permeable top sheet which lies proximal to the wearer in use, a liquid-impermeable backing sheet which lies distal from the wearer in use, optionally also an intermediate absorbent layer and optionally a fastener means, characterised in that the panty liner is produced chiefly from one or more low hygroscopic materials chosen from group of materials: non-woven, wadding, tow, and other synthetic fibre materials, wherein the moisture content of the panty liner is less than 2.5% after twenty-four hours at 22.5°C in an humidity of 46%, preferably less than 2.0%o, and more preferably less than 1.0%.
• active additives such as lactobacillus
• panty liner may also include a superabsorbent for absorbing fluid that must, of necessity, be taken-up, such as menstruation fluid, this amount corresponding to 2-4 g fluid in normal cases.
• a superabsorbent for absorbing fluid that must, of necessity, be taken-up, such as menstruation fluid, this amount corresponding to 2-4 g fluid in normal cases.
• the superabsorbent material which is applied in the core of the product, will take-up the fluid that must be taken-up in order for the product to fulfil its function in use.
• the remaining synthetic tow or wadding material has no appreciable hygroscopic capacity, it has a highly effective dry content at room temperature, which provides the lactobacillus with a dry environment during storage.
• Paper based materials of different kinds are normally used in typical products of this kind.
• pulp fibres among other things, are most often used in the core of the article, because besides being hydrophilic, such fibres absorb moisture and liquid effectively and are inexpensive.
• a sufficiently effective absorption capacity is obtained in the product with the use of superabsorbents that have the capacity of absorbing anticipated volumes of liquid discharged in use, i.e. a typical volume of about 0-4 ml. In this case, the liquid take-up is concentrated at the core and the remainder of the panty liner is made of material that does not tend to absorb moisture.
• the superabsorbent material used may have the form of small SAP grains, large SAP grains, or SAF (superabsorbent fibres).
• SAF superabsorbent fibres
• the product contains no superabsorbent, which is functional in those cases where no fluid is expected to be absorbed in use. This particularly applies to those cases in which it is only desired to transfer the lactobacillus to the wearer in use.
• the product may conveniently be provided with a breathable backing sheet, so that less perspiration will be produced when wearing the product, and so that the product will not take-up an unnecessarily large amount of moisture.
• low hygroscopic material material that is able to take-up atmospheric moisture in an amount sufficiently low to maintain a substantially dry environment under normal storage conditions, for example material such as tow, wadding and other synthetic fibre materials.
• tow is meant here a synthetic material consisting of long polypropylene fibres that have been bonded by transversal welds so as to hold the material together.
• Wadding is a synthetic high loft material which, for instance, is needled by thin air, resin bonded, thermobonded, or bonded by carded or combed fibres. Wadding is available commercially from, e.g., Libertex.
• the inventive panty liner is comprised of a liquid-permeable top sheet, a liquid- impermeable backing sheet, and optionally an intermediate absorbent body.
• the active additives preferably lactobacilli are applied in the close proximity of the top sheet.
• lactobacilli are applied in the close proximity of the top sheet.
• the material from which the panty liner is made will attract as little moisture as possible.
• Trials have shown that a moisture content of 2.5 weight-% is an upper limit value beneath which survival of the lactobacilli is good. Consequently, an inventive panty liner is made of material which will absorb less moisture than said upper limit under tested conditions (see Example 1), such as wadding and tow, for instance.
• Superabsorbent is preferably used in order to satisfy those absorption requirements that can arise in use.
• SAP superabsorbent
• the low hygroscopic material is tow.
• the low hygroscopic material is wadding.
• the top sheet and the wadding are joined together by punctiform bonds or by linear bonds that form a pattern. This is achieved by welding or by applying a high pressure at points, along short lines (dashes) or in some other pattern, wherewith the width of the points or lines in the pattern is about 1-7 mm. This results in a combination of larger and smaller capillaries that promote liquid absorption and transportation of liquid to lower layers.
• the low hygroscopic material is thick non-woven, for example carded, spun-bonded, or a white or brown non-woven, "Evolon" having splittable fibres, with a weight per unit area of 80-140 g/m , available from Freudenburg, or microfibres.
• the superabsorbent material used in the inventive panty liner may have the form of SAP grains, e.g. Hysorb C 7100 from BASF, acid SAP, or SAF fibres.
• the superabsorbent material is applied in an amount in which it is able to absorb 0-6 g liquid, preferably 2-4 g liquid. This requires an addition of 0.1-0.5 g superabsorbent.
• the panty liner contains no superabsorbent.
• the panty liner When conditioning the inventive panty liner over a period of twenty-four hours and at a temperature of 22.5°C and a humidity of 46%>, the panty liner will have a moisture content that is lower than 2.5%>, preferably lower than 2.0%), and most preferably lower than 1.0%>.
• active additive is meant a substance, an agent or a composition that is applied to the absorbent article during its manufacture and that is intended to change or improve the function of the article in some way or another.
• active additives are deodorisers such as zeolite and silica, softeners, such as lotions, lactobacillus for inhibiting the cultivation of other micro-organisms, and acids, such as lactic acid and citric acid, acid SAP, and partially neutralised SAP which is intended to lower the pH and thereby inhibit bacterial growth.
• the active additive may, for instance, be a micro-organism.
• the active additive is an acid-producing microorganism.
• the active additive is a lactobacillus and more preferably a lactobacillus of the strain Lactobacillus plantarum LB 931 (deposition No. (DSM): 1 1918).
• the active moisture-sensitive additive is lactobacillus
• the additive can be applied in the form of a freeze-dried powder containing lactobacilli, or in the form of a suspension that contains lactobacilli.
• lactobacilli will preferably be applied in an appropriate quantity of 10 -10 11 , preferably 10 -10 1 CFU/product (CFU: Colony Forming Unit).
• the liquid-permeable top sheet is comprised of a soft skin-friendly material.
• the top sheet may be comprised of a layer of different types of non-woven fibre material, or most beneficially of tow or wadding.
• Other materials that can be used are perforated plastic films, plastic nets, stitched, crocheted or woven textiles, and combinations and laminates of these types of materials.
• the plastic may be a thermoplastic, for instance polyethylene (PE).
• the non-woven material may consist of synthetic fibres, such as polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyurethane (PU), a polyester, nylon or regenerated cellulose, or a mixture of different fibres.
• the liquid-impermeable backing sheet consists of a flexible material, preferably a thin film of polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP) or a polyester, although it may alternatively consist of a laminate of liquid-permeable material, such as non-woven, wadding or tow, and a liquid-impermeable material. All materials used in liquid-impervious backing sheets for absorbent articles may be used.
• the backing sheet may, beneficially, be air-permeable.
• a dispersion layer for leading the liquid to be absorbed from the top surface of the article to the superabsorbent polymers.
• These polymers are normally comprised of paper fibres (cellulose fluff), which is hydrophilic and has capillarity.
• the dispersion layer is conveniently comprised of synthetic fibre wadding, which is not hydrophilic and therefore does not absorb liquid to the same extent as cellulose fluff.
• Such a dispersion layer also includes capillaries for dispersing the liquid that is absorbed.
• Wadding includes relatively large capillaries or pores and when these capillaries or pores are, e.g., welded to a surface material, there are created smaller capillaries/pores that have a greater liquid retention capacity.
• the presence of a dispersion layer reduces the risk of discharged fluid running to and over the edge of the panty liner and therewith discolouring the panties or other garments of the wearer. It can be suitable to include a liquid acquisition layer (dispersion layer), even when the top sheet itself has good liquid acquisition properties.
• the panty liner has a length of 60-260 mm.
• the absorption body has a widest width of 30- 80 mm, preferably about 70 mm, and a smallest width at its rear end of 5-20 mm, preferably about 10 mm.
• the panty liner is produced conventionally, for example in length-wise production in a one-path or four-path continuous production line.
• a number of devices can be used to fasten the panty liner to the wearer's panties, such as tabs, flaps (wings), adhesive strings or friction surfaces.
• the panty liner will preferably include flaps or wings that can be folded around the edge of the wearer's panties and therewith fold the liner in place.
• the flaps, or wings may be provided with adhesive strings that are covered with release paper in their packaged state, such release paper consisting of silicone-coated paper that functions to protect the adhesive strings against contaminating substances, such as dust, dirt and the like, and also prevents said strings from drying-out prior to use.
• release paper consisting of silicone-coated paper that functions to protect the adhesive strings against contaminating substances, such as dust, dirt and the like, and also prevents said strings from drying-out prior to use.
• solely one flap may be provided with adhesive strings, although it is then necessary for the flaps to be dimensioned so that they will mutually overlap subsequent to being folded-in against the underside of the wearer's panties, or after having been folded around the edges of the panties.
• Fastener devices other than adhesive may be used to fasten the panty liner to the wearer's panties, e.g. hook devices of the touch-and-close fastener type capable of co- acting with the textile material from which the panties are made.
• Example 1 The invention will now be described by way of an example, although it will be understood that the example ahs no limiting effect on the scope of the invention.
• Example 1
• the moisture uptake of a number of material combinations was examined by conditioning the tested material samples over a period of twenty-four hours and at a temperature of 22.5°C and a humidity of 46% (Table 1). Two independent tests were carried out with each material sample.
• the commercially available product "Grace” also called Libresse Air
• This product includes polypropylene non-woven surface material, 140 grams of thermo-bonded LDA (Low Density Air-laid), and a breathable backing sheet of microporous polyethylene. The tests showed that all of the materials chosen exhibited values beneath 2.5% moisture content (with respect to weight), with the exception of the chosen reference material.
• NW is carded material Terpol (26g/m ) from Tenotex.
• **NW is spun-bonded 20g/m 2 from BBA NW.

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• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Epidemiology (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Veterinary Medicine (AREA)
• Public Health (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Animal Behavior & Ethology (AREA)
• Heart & Thoracic Surgery (AREA)
• Vascular Medicine (AREA)
• Biomedical Technology (AREA)
• Dermatology (AREA)
• Hematology (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Materials Engineering (AREA)
• Absorbent Articles And Supports Therefor (AREA)
• Orthopedics, Nursing, And Contraception (AREA)
• Micro-Organisms Or Cultivation Processes Thereof (AREA)

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• 2001
  • 2001-03-23 SE SE0101033A patent/SE0101033L/xx not_active IP Right Cessation
• 2002
  • 2002-03-12 MY MYPI20020882A patent/MY128704A/en unknown
  • 2002-03-22 WO PCT/SE2002/000574 patent/WO2002076363A1/en active IP Right Grant
  • 2002-03-22 BR BR0208335-3A patent/BR0208335A/pt active Search and Examination
  • 2002-03-22 MX MXPA03007948A patent/MXPA03007948A/es active IP Right Grant
  • 2002-03-22 JP JP2002574880A patent/JP2004532673A/ja active Pending
  • 2002-03-22 AU AU2002239209A patent/AU2002239209B2/en not_active Ceased
  • 2002-03-22 CA CA002441935A patent/CA2441935A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2002-03-22 PL PL02363857A patent/PL363857A1/xx not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2002-03-22 AR ARP020101059A patent/AR033441A1/es active IP Right Grant
  • 2002-03-22 EP EP02705662A patent/EP1377246A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2002-03-22 RU RU2003131180/14A patent/RU2286119C2/ru not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2002-03-22 KR KR10-2003-7012167A patent/KR20030083746A/ko active Search and Examination

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