FR2504799A1 - Absorbent material for baby's napkins and surgical dressings - is corrugated to combine great capacity with flexibility - Google Patents

Abstract

The material is made in the form of a long band and is corrugated over an area useful for absorption. The corrugations are parallel and set fairly tightly together. Pref. one face of the band is covered with a sheet of permeable material and the other face with a waterproof sheet. The permeable sheet can be corrugated in a similar way to the band. The corrugations are pref. maintained in position by being glued at their crests to an adjacent covering sheet. Alternatively corrugations can be maintained by a thread or threads, pref. of elastic material, passing transversely through the corrugations and fixed to the flanks of each corrugation. A baby's napkin made of this material pref. has several areas of corrugations running in different directions. The absorbent material is suitable for making baby's napkins, surgical dressings, etc. The corrugations greatly increase the capacity of the napkin without loss of flexibility. In particular, the napkin can absorb not only urine but motion of the bowels without undue spreading.

Description

 The invention relates to an absorbent material. It will find its application in particular in the manufacture of baby diapers and dressings.

 Currently, absorbent materials act by capillarite to retain the liquid. In the manufacture of baby diapers, the absorbent material is generally a nonwoven, such as cellulose wadding, which is held in compact form by a quilting or at least a casing formed on the absorbent face by a permeable veil. .

 Depending on their use, current absorbent materials have many drawbacks.

 In particular, for the manufacture of baby diapers, traditional or in the form of complete diapers or diaper changes, the absorbent structure insulates the baby's skin from the damp absorbent material only by the presence of a permeable veil in non-woven skin, as a result the baby's skin is in almost direct contact with the wetness of the diaper which can cause him to suffer from cracks.

 Current absorbent materials can retain a liquid such as baby's urine, but not the stool which will tend to spread over the entire surface of the diaper.

 The flexibility qualities for a given absorbent material such as cellulose wadding depend on the thickness of the material; the flexibility at the level of folding will be all the more thunderous that the material used is thin. On the other hand, the absorption capacity of a material, such as cellulose wadding, is a function of its volume, the capacity increasing with the latter.

 In the manufacture of layers, the criteria of flexibility and high capacity are important but lead to irreconcilable geometric conditions.

 For dressings intended to cover wounds, the problems are at the level of the friction of the absorbent material on the wound; prolonged friction becomes irritating and is particularly painful on a wound. The origin of this friction comes from the non-extensibility of the absorbent materials usually used, unlike the skin. The absorbent materials flat on the skin cannot follow the elastic deformations of the latter and slide on it. This phenomenon is also similar for baby diapers.

 The main object of the present invention is to provide an absorbent material which combines the qualities of great flexibility and great capacity. The use of this type of material for making baby diapers will make them more flexible, which will facilitate learning to walk by not interfering with the movement of the child's legs.

 A second object of the present invention is to present a baby diaper which has a material that absorbs baby's stool.

In addition, the material used will isolate the child's skin from the generally damp absorbent material.

 Another object of the present invention is to provide a dressing which has an absorbent material capable of following the deformations of the skin so as not to irritate it.

 Other objects and advantages of the present invention will appear during the description which follows, which is however given only for information.

 The absorbent material, in particular usable in the manufacture of baby diapers and dressings, composed of an absorbent material in the form of a longitudinal strip is characterized in that it is pleated over a thickness useful for absorption, the said folds being arranged relatively parallel to each other and relatively tightly.

 The invention will be better understood if reference is made to the description below, as well as to the accompanying drawings which form an integral part thereof.

 Figure 1 shows schematically the use of absorbent material in making a baby diaper.

 FIG. 2 illustrates, by way of example, a method of fixing the absorbent material.

 Figure 3 shows a baby change pant using the absorbent material according to the invention.

 Figure 4 shows a dressing using the absorbent material according to the invention.

The absorbent material has a large absorption capacity linked to a large volume, and great flexibility, thanks to a relatively small thickness. To combine the two qualities the absorbent material will have a pleated and stretchy surface
In FIG. 1, we have shown diagrammatically by the reference 1, an absorbent material appearing in the form of a pleated strip in the zone of maximum absorption. The relatively thin and therefore flexible strip of thickness has a series of substantially parallel and relatively tight folds which form a large absorption volume. The amplitude of the folds makes it possible to adjust the absorption capacity, achieving a more or less large volume.

 The strip of absorbent material may be produced, for example, from cellulose wadding.

 In making baby diapers, the absorbent material 1 can be used directly in contact with the baby's skin. The strip of absorbent material will preferably have suitable pleating, at the crotch of the child, the absorbent material will preferably be compacted by prior padding.

The pleated layer may be incorporated into a rubberized panty which will guarantee the tightness of the whole. Another type of preparation is also possible to avoid padding of the absorbent material. Indeed, it lacking compactness, it is necessary to incorporate it into an envelope which can be produced in the form of a veil of permeable peel.

 In a preferred embodiment, the permeable web 2 covering the absorbent material 1 will have a pleating zone.

This pleating has several advantages, first of all, the said pleats make it possible to separate the baby's skin from the absorbent material, the latter being generally wet, the risks of cracks will thus be reduced, then the hollows of the folds will be able to receive the baby's stool, which will prevent them from spreading. This last advantage, moreover, was already present in the preparation of a layer from a pleated absorbent material.

 According to the invention, the use of a pleated veil 2 on a traditional absorbent material offers the advantages stated above apart from the qualities of flexibility. In a preferred embodiment, a waterproof film 3 may constitute the external face, opposite to the absorbent face, and which will make it possible to make complete diapers or brief diapers.

 The corrugations of the absorbent material, necessary for the pleating, may be produced by any suitable process, in particular, machines designed to emboss the cardboard.

 FIG. 2 shows diagrammatically examples of methods which can be used jointly or in parallel, to hold the folds of the absorbent material 1 in place. A proposed solution is the passage of a wire 4 substantially perpendicular to the folds and which crosses them right through, preferably in a middle zone. The wire 4 will have attachment points 5 on different folds. The fixing can for example be ensured by means of a bonding. The attachment points 5 will be all the more numerous when it is desired to avoid deformations of the pleated zone 1. Another solution will be to fix the end of the vertices of the folds on the surface of adjacent material 6. These fasteners 7 can be made by any suitable means, in particular by bonding. Depending on the result sought, all or part of the fold vertices may be fixed.

 A diaper, shown in Figure 3, can advantageously be made using an absorbent material similar to that described in Figure 1. The diaper 8, will have a traditional shape but will, according to the invention, an absorbent material located at crotch level with pleating. The absorbent material may advantageously be covered with a veil, similar to the veil 2 in FIG. 1, which will have a series of folds 9 relatively tight and parallel at the crotch. The pleated absorbent material will allow the diaper to retain great flexibility and a high absorption capacity, the inner veil covering the absorbent material and which has the fold zone 9 will absorb the baby's stool and will isolate his skin from absorbent material. A film, for example a polyethylene film, will constitute the outer envelope of the diaper, similar to the film 3 of FIG. 1.

 To improve the tightness of the assembly, at the openings, elastic cords will be located at the waist 10 and the leg passages 11.

 A similar structure, composed of an absorbent face consisting of a permeable web, preferably pleated, of an absorbent material preferably also pleated, and a waterproof outer film, could have been adopted to achieve a complete change.

 The dressings, intended to cover wounds, will have, according to the invention, an extensible absorbent surface which can follow the deformations of the skin. FIG. 4 represents, by way of example, a dressing which has adhesive surfaces 12 for adhering to the skin and an absorbent surface 13 intended to cover the wound. The absorbent material, which can be made in traditional fabrics, will be pleated. Thus, by the deformations of the folds, the absorbent material can lengthen and can follow the deformations of the skin. A greater elongation of the absorbent material may be possible using a ply bonding wire, similar to the wire of Figure 2, which will have elastic properties. To allow deformation to be followed in several directions, the absorbent material will advantageously have several pleating zones of different directions.

 This; ~ realization of several zones having different pleating directions, could have been adopted for the production of baby diapers. Similarly, the adoption of an elastic ply connecting wire, may have the advantage of ensuring that the baby's diaper is better applied to the child.

 In the figures given by way of example, the folds are always in a rectilinear form, but an undulating arrangement of the latter could have been adopted without departing from the scope of the present invention. An undulation of the folds will have the advantage of allowing extensibility in all directions of the layer plane, unlike rectilinear folds which allow elongation only in a direction perpendicular to that of the folds.

 The embodiment which has just been described is given for information only, and other embodiments of the present invention, within the reach of ordinary skill in the art, could be adopted without however go beyond the framework of this one.

Claims (10)

 1. Absorbent material, in particular usable in the manufacture of baby diapers and dressings, composed of an absorbent material, in the form of a longitudinal strip, characterized in that it is pleated over a thickness useful for absorption , said folds being arranged relatively parallel to each other and relatively tightly.  2. Absorbent material according to claim 1, characterized by the milk that at least one of its faces is covered by a permeable veil (2), pleated or not, the said plies being arranged relatively parallel to each other and relatively tightly.  3. Absorbent material, according to claim 1, characterized in that one of its faces is covered by a wettable waterproof film (3) for isolating the absorbent material.  4. absorbent material according to claims 2 and 3, charac terized by the fact that it has one of its faces covered by a permeable web (2), which may have pleating zones or not, the other face being covered by a waterproof film (3).  5. Absorbent material, according to claims 2 or 3, charac terized in that the folds of the absorbent material (1) are held in place by fasteners (7), produced by any suitable means, for example by gluing, of all or part of the vertices of the folds on the neighboring surface (6).  6. absorbent material according to the preceding claims, characterized in that it has means for holding the folds in a certain direction.  7. absorbent material according to claim 6, characterized in that the means are in the form of son (4) passing right through the folds substantially in their middle and in a perpendicular direction, the wire being fixed at least at level of its ends on the folds.  8. Absorbent material according to claim 7, characterized in that the son (4j are elastic.  9. Absorbent material according to the preceding claims, characterized in that the folds are straight or can be wavy.  10. Baby diaper made from an absorbent material according to the preceding claims, characterized in that it has several areas of folds whose directions are different.