MXPA01005943A - Disposable absorbent article storing liquid in a constant pattern - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides an absorbent article such as a diaper, a training pant, an adult incontinence article, a bed mat, or the like which is capable of evenly storing urine in a first storage region and in a second storage region. In particular, the fraction of the amount of liquid stored in the first storage region to the amount of liquid stored in the second storage region remains relatively unchanged over a wide range of loadings of the article. The present invention further provides a process for handling urine in the absorbent article which comprises a step of storing liquid in a first storage region and of storing liquid in a second storage region such that the ratio of the amount of liquid stored in the first storage region to the amount of liquid stored in the second storage region remains relatively constant over a wide range of loadings of the article.

Description

DISPOSABLE ABSORBENT ARTICLE STORING LIQUID IN A CONSTANT PATTERN FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to absorbent articles such as diapers, training pants, adult incontinence articles, bed mats, and the like. In particular, the present invention relates to those absorbent articles that store urine by means of either capillary or osmotic pressure.

BACKGROUND Absorbent articles such as diapers, training pants, adult incontinence articles, bed mats, and the like, are well known in the art and are frequently used for example for babies, crawling babies, incontinent persons, and prostrate persons. in the bed. It has been recognized in the prior art that the storage of acquired urine near the respective outlet of the body can be considered inherently disadvantageous. The human urethra is located almost within the human's legs. Therefore, the storage in particular of larger urine discharges near the urethra would lead to increased volume between the user's legs. The increased volume, of course, limits the mobility of the user and in this way is uncomfortable. Therefore it is desirable to store the acquired urine away from the point of acquisition.

In order to minimize the size over the total storage area and optimize the use of the material within that storage region, it is also desired to distribute the liquid as easily as possible over the storage area. PCT Patent ication WO 98/22067 (Mathews et al.) Provides a personal care product in which the ratio of the amount of liquid stored in the central region to the amount of liquid stored in at least one of the end regions after 30 minutes of an insult is less than 5: 1. Although a small part of the liquid acquired outside the acquisition region is transported, it has failed to recognize how the acquired liquid must be distributed with the storage region. PCT Patent ication WO 98/43578 (LaVon et al.) Provides an absorbent article comprising an absorbent core with a crotch region and at least one waist region whereby the crotch region has a final storage capacity of liquid less than the waist region. The article further has an improved liquid handling performance such as an acquisition rate of at least 0.6 ml / s in the fourth jet. Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to overcome the problems of absorbent articles of the prior art. It is a further object of the present invention to provide the absorbent article that transports the purchased liquid out of the acquisition region and distribute the acquired liquid within the storage region. It is a further object of the present invention to provide an absorbent article that stores the purchased liquid in a constant pattern of filling out of the acquisition region.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides an absorbent article comprising an acquisition region, a first storage region that is separated from the acquisition region and a second storage region that is separated from the acquisition region, the second storage region being symmetrically different of the first storage region. The article has a total design capacity, said first storage region having a capacity of at least 10% of the total design capacity, said second storage region having a capacity of at least 10% of said total design capacity . The absorbent article according to the present invention is characterized in that the article has a filling pattern difference of less than 30% according to the filling ratio test disclosed herein. The present invention further provides a process for storing urine within an absorbent article. The article has an acquisition region, a first storage region that is separated from the acquisition region, and a second storage region that is separated from the acquisition region and that is symmetrically different from said first storage region. The process for storing body fluids comprises the steps of: acquiring the liquid towards the core in the acquisition region, the amount of liquid acquired in the liquid distribution member being a fraction A of the total design capacity of said article to handle the urine, • store the liquid in a first storage region, the amount of liquid being stored in said first region of storage. storage a fraction B1 of the purchased liquid, said fraction B1 being of at least 10%, • storing the liquid in a second storage region, the amount of liquid being stored within the first liquid storage region being a B2 fraction of said purchased liquid, said fraction B2 being at least 10%. The process of the present invention is characterized in that for any value of said fraction A between 20% and 80%, the proportion B1 / B2 differs by less than 30% from the proportion of B1 / B2 for a fraction A of 20% .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention is described below by means of a variety of different modalities and by means of a variety of different characteristics. Additional embodiments of the present invention may be obtained by combining the characteristics of one embodiment with the features of another embodiment disclosed herein and / or with other features disclosed herein. These additional embodiments are considered to be implicitly disclosed herein and therefore form a part of the present invention. It will be apparent to the skilled person that combinations of certain characteristics can lead to non-functional items that are not part of this present invention. It is an aspect of the present invention to provide a process for storing urine within an article to handle urine in a constant storage pattern. It is another aspect of the present invention to provide an article for handling urine.

The absorbent article of the present invention is capable of storing urine in a constant pattern. In other words, the absorbent article of the present invention is capable of filling different storage regions with a constant fill ratio. For the purposes of the present invention, this capacity is quantified by the fill ratio test defined hereinafter. The absorbent article according to the present invention has a fill pattern difference of less than 30% according to the fill ratio test disclosed herein, preferably a fill ratio differential of less than 20%, more preferably a difference in filling ratio less than 10%, most preferably a difference in fill ratio less than 5%. Preferably, the present absorbent article of the present invention more rapidly acquires urine in a usage configuration. For the purposes of the present invention, this capability is quantified by the curve acquisition test disclosed hereinafter. The absorbent article according to the present invention has a liquid acquisition rate in the fourth stream of at least 2 milliliters per second, preferably a liquid acquisition rate in the fourth jet of at least 2.5 milliliters per second, of more preferably a liquid acquisition rate in the fourth stream of at least 3 milliliters per second, most preferably a liquid acquisition rate in the fourth stream of at least 4 milliliters per second. The total absorbent article of the present invention is intended to be worn by a user so that the user retains their mobility during the use of the article of the present invention. In some embodiments of the present invention, the absorbent article of the present invention comprises a fixing means that is unitary with the article. The term "unitary" as used herein indicates that the attachment means are attached to the absorbent article and that the attachment means are not intended to be separated from the article during the use of the article. The fixing means are intended to retain the absorbent article of the invention present around the lower torso of the user during use. Suitable fixing means such as, for example, adhesive tapes, mechanical fasteners, garment-type articles, and the like, are well known in the art. Alternatively, the absorbent article of the present invention can be attached to the lower torso of the wearer by a fastening means that is not unitary with the article such as, for example, a brief. It is further desirable that the absorbent article of the present invention be flexible enough to easily conform to the wearer's body during use. For the purpose of the present invention, a Cartesian coordinate system is defined as follows: The z-direction is defined to be perpendicular to the surface of the acquisition region at the attempted loading point. The direction x is defined to coincide with the longitudinal dimension of the absorbent article. In the case of a diaper, the x direction runs from the front region of the article (which comes into contact with the front waist region of the user during use) to the back region of the article (which comes in contact with the region). back of user's waist during use). Accordingly, the direction and coincides with the transverse dimension of the absorbent article which runs from the left to the right of the user during use. It will be understood within this context that this Cartesian coordinate system is only! a true Cartesian coordinate system when the article is in a flattened configuration. For typical conditions of use, the configuration of the article is such that the direction x, y, and z, as defined above, only forms a set of locally perpendicular coordinates. The article of the present invention has a total design capacity. The term "total design capacity" as used herein refers to the maximum volume of the body fluid that the item is designed to absorb. Typically, the total design capacity is equal to the combined capacity of all storage members under the typical conditions of use. If the storage members can not be identified, then the total design capacity can be determined by the Wet Capacity Test defined hereinafter. The total design capacity is also related to the amount of body fluid exuded by the user of the item during the intended period of use. The article for handling body fluids of the present invention comprises at least one acquisition region. The term "acquisition region" as used herein refers to that region of the article that comprises the attempted loading point of the article. The term "loading point" as used herein is that point or region of the article that is intended to be placed closer to the exit of the user's urethra during use. Typically, the acquisition region is dimensioned such that it allows variation of the relative mutual placement of the respective output of the body with respect to the article. The acquisition region may also comprise means for intermediate storage of the purchased liquids. Generally, the acquisition region extends over at least one third of the longitudinal dimension of the absorbent article, extends over the total transverse dimension of the absorbent article, and extends over the total caliper of the absorbent article. Preferably, the acquisition region is positioned within the absorbent article so that the attempted loading point is centered with respect to the acquisition region. The absorbent article of the present invention comprises at least one waist region. The term "waist region" as used herein refers to those regions forward and / or backward of the aforementioned acquisition region of the absorbent article. Therefore, the waist region can give account for up to two thirds of the longitudinal dimension of the absorbent article. Similar to the acquisition region, the waist region extends over the total transverse dimension of the absorbent article and extends over the total caliper of the absorbent article. The waist regions are typically intended to be placed in close proximity to the front waist region or the waist rear region respectively of the wearer during use. The absorbent article of the present invention comprises a first storage region and a second storage region. The term "storage region" as used herein refers to those regions of the article that are intended for the final storage of the urine. Typically, these regions exhibit a higher suction than, for example, the acquisition region of the article. Accordingly, the combination of all storage regions will contain the majority of liquid liquid purchased within the limit of extended usage times if the article is loaded with less than 75% of its total design capacity. Although the first storage region and the second storage region may be regions of a larger storage region, the first storage region and the second storage region of the article of the present invention are symmetrically different from each other. The term "symmetrically different" refers to a first storage region and a second storage region, both of these regions being comprised in another storage region. Within this context, the first storage region and the second storage region are defined as follows: I. A storage region S having a total capacity of at least 20% of the total design capacity of the absorbent article. is selected (this may be for example the front or rear waist region), which is connected in the x-y dimension. Connected in the dimension xy means within the xy (two-dimensional) plane there exists a continuous curved line that connects the projections of any of the points A and A 'that are part of the region S on the xy plane, without leaving the projection of the region S on the xy plane. II. The above S region is divided into two subregions S1 and S2 which satisfy the following requirements: A. The storage capacity of S1 is substantially equal to the storage capacity of S2. B. The storage capacity of S2 is greater than 40% of the storage capacity of S. O The regions S1 and S2 are connected in the x-y dimensions. D. Both regions do not overlap in the z direction. E. Region S1 is closer to the acquisition region than region S2. In this context, the term "closest" refers to the distance from the center point of the capacity of the S1 region that is at least 3 cm closer to the point of loading than the center point of the capacity of the S2 region . The central point of capacity is given by the center of gravity of the liquid stored within the region when the article is fully loaded by way of the wet capacity test. It will be understood in this context that these regions are defined in a purely geometric way. In particular, there is no need for the placement of these regimens to be reflected in the structure of the article such as by a change in the material. Optionally, the absorbent article according to the present invention may comprise a liquid handling member that is intended to transport urine from the acquisition region to a waist region and Potentially to a storage member positioned within a waist region. The process for handling urine according to the present invention comprises a step of acquiring the urine in the article of the invention present in the acquisition region of the article. Typically, the passage is triggered by the elimination of urine over the region of acquisition of the article by the user. Preferably, the rate of acquisition of the article during the passage is sufficiently high to prohibit the fluid from deflecting or blocking the article, which can subsequently lead to leakage and minimize contact of the skin with the urine. During this acquisition step, a certain volume of urine is acquired in the article which is a fraction A of the total design capacity of the absorbent article. The process of the present invention further comprises a step of storing a first portion of purchased liquid in the first storage region and a second portion of liquid purchased within the second storage region. The fraction of purchased liquid which is stored in the first storage region is referred to as B1 while the fraction of purchased liquid that is stored in the second storage region is referred to as B2. In the process of the present invention, fractions B1 and B2 are at least 10 per cent, preferably at least 20 per cent, more preferably at least 30 per cent, most preferably at least 40 per cent. During the process of the present invention the proportion of B1 / B2 for any value of fraction A between 20 percent and 80 percent differs by less than 30 percent from the proportion of B1 / B2 of a fraction A of 20 percent , preferably differs by less than 20 percent, more preferably differs by less than 10%, and preferably differs by less than 5 percent. In other words, the proportion of the amount of liquid stored in the first storage region of liquid relative to the amount of liquid stored in the second liquid storage region remains relatively constant over a wide range of charges; different from the absorbent article. So, the acquired liquid is evenly distributed between the first storage region and the second storage region so that the increase in the size in the storage region as a whole can be minimized and the material used more efficiently. Optionally, the process of the present invention may comprise a step of transporting at least a portion of liquid purchased from the acquisition region to the first storage region and / or to the second storage region. This step of the process can be carried out by the optional liquid handling member of the absorbent article of the present invention. The absorbent article according to the present invention is capable of storing the acquired liquid uniformly in the first storage region and in the second storage region. This allows the gauge to increase or the storage region as a whole can be minimized and the material from the storage regions can be used very efficiently. For the purpose of this invention, this capability is quantified by the fill ratio test described hereinafter. The absorbent article according to the present invention has a difference in fill ratio of less than 10 percent according to the fill ratio test disclosed herein, preferably less than eight percent, more preferably less than six percent, most preferably less than four percent. Optionally, the process for handling the urine according to the present invention comprises a step of attaching the absorbent article to the lower torso of the user. During the passage, the fixation of the article is achieved through the means of unitary union with the article. The step can be carried out by the user himself or the step can be carried out by a person seeking care. The purpose of the step is to align the urethra with the acquisition region of the article. In the following, a suitable embodiment of the fluid handling member will be described. The fluid handling member is assembled from an open-cell spur material which is completely enveloped by a membrane. A suitable membrane material is available from SEFAR of Rüschlikon, Switzerland, under the designation SEFAR 03-20 / 14. A suitable foam material is available from Recticel of Brussels, Belgium, under the designation Bulpren S10 black. One suitable technique for completely wrapping the foam material with the membrane material is to wrap the membrane material around the foam material and then thermally seal all the open edges of the membrane material. It will be readily apparent to those skilled practitioners to choose other similarly suitable materials. Depending on the specific intended application of the liquid handling member, it may also be required to choose similar materials with slightly different properties. After assembly, the liquid handling member is activated by immersing the liquid handling member in water or in synthetic urine until the liquid handling member is completely filled with the liquid and until the membranes are completely wetted with the liquid . After activation, a portion of the liquid is squeezed into the liquid handling member by applying an external pressure to the liquid handling member. If the activation of the liquid handling member is successful, the liquid handling member should not suck air. The particular geometry of the liquid handling member of the present invention may be varied according to the specific requirements of the intended application. If, for example, the liquid handling member is intended to be used in an absorbent article the liquid handling member can be defined such that its attempted acquisition zone of liquid fits between the legs of the user and further that its attempted liquid discharge zone adapts the shape of the storage member associated with East. Accordingly, the external dimensions of the liquid handling member such as length, width or thickness can also be adapted to the specific needs of the intended application. In this context, it is to be understood, however, that the design of the external shape of the liquid handling member can have an impact on its operation. For example, the cross section of the liquid handling member impacts directly on its liquid flow rate. For the application of the liquid handling member in an absorbent article according to the present invention, the liquid handling member may be combined with a storage member. The term "liquid storage member" refers to an article that is capable of acquiring, distributing and / or storing liquid. The volume of the liquid storage member can vary with the amount of liquid stored such as by swelling. Typically, the storage member will imbibe the liquid by means of capillary suction and / or osmotic pressure. Other storage members may also use vacuum as a means to store the liquid. The liquid storage member is also capable of retaining at least a portion of the liquid stored under pressure. Suitable storage members are well known in the art and may for example comprise a superabsorbent polymeric material such as polyacrylate. The storage member may further comprise a fibrous structure, such as a pad of cellulosic fibers, in which the particulate superabsorbent material is dispersed. A suitable gelling absorbent material is ASAP400 available from Chemdal Ltd., United Kingdom. Additional examples of polymers Suitable superabsorbents, often also referred to as "hydrogel-forming polymer" or "gelling-absorbent material", are described in U.S. Patent No. 5,562,646 (Goldman et al.), issued October 8, 1996 and in the U.S. Patent No. 5,5599,335 (Goldman et al.) issued February 4, 1997. In order to capture liquid discharged from the liquid handling member, the storage member can be placed in direct liquid communication with the liquid discharge area attempted by the liquid handling member. Other liquid handling members suitable for the purposes of the present invention are described in PCT patent application No. PCT / US98 / 13497 entitled "Liquid transport member for high flow velocities between two port regions" filed under name of Ehmsperger and others filed on June 29, 1998, and on the following PCT patent applications co-filed with the present application entitled "High-flux liquid transport members comprising two regions with different permeability" (Case P &G CM1840MQ) filed in the name of Ehrnsperger et al., "Member of liquid transport for high flow rates between two port regions" (Case P &G CM1841 MQ) filed under the name of Ehrnsperger et al., "Member of liquid transport for high velocities of flow against gravity "(Case P &G CM1842MQ) filed in the name of Ehrnsperger et al.," Member of liquid transport that has regions of volume with high permeability and port regions with high pressure threshold " (Case P &G CM1843MQ) filed in the name of Ehmsperger et al. All of these documents are attached here by reference. In one embodiment of the present invention, the liquid handling member of the present invention is geometrically saturated or substantially geometrically saturated with the free liquid. The term "free liquid" as used herein is refers to liquid that is not confined to a specific surface or other entity. The free liquid can be distinguished from the confined liquid by measuring the spin relaxation time of proton T2 of the liquid molecules according to NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) spectroscopy methods well known in the art. In one embodiment of the present invention, the absorbent article is a disposable absorbent article such as a diaper, a training pant, a sanitary napkin, an article for incontinence article, or the like. Such an absorbent article may further comprise a liquid-permeable topsheet, a liquid-impermeable backsheet at least partially attached peripherally to the topsheet. The absorbent article may further comprise an absorbent core which may be a storage member for urine. The top sheets, backsheet, and absorbent cores suitable for the present invention are well known in the art. In addition, there are numerous additional features known in the art which can be used in combination with the absorbent article of the present invention, such as for example locking mechanisms for securing the absorbent article around the user's lower torso.

METHODS Unless stated otherwise, all methods are carried out under ambient conditions, ie 32 +/- 2 ° Celsius and relative humidity of 30-50%. Unless stated otherwise, the synthetic urine used in the test methods is commonly known as Jayco SynUrine and is available from the Jayco Pharmaceuticals Company of Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. The formula for synthetic urine is: 2.0 g /: from KCI; 2.0 g / l of Na2SO4; 0.85 g / l of (NH4) H2PO4; 0. 15 g / l (NH4) H2PO4; 0.19 g / l of CaCl2; ad 0.23 g / l MgCl2. All of the chemicals are reactive in grade. The pH of synthetic urine is within the range of 6.0 to 6.4 Wetting ability test This test is designed to measure the total capacity of an absorbent item. As the first step of this test, the test sample is completely immersed in the synthetic urine for 10 minutes. Then, the test sample is placed with its acquisition region facing the glass frit on a sufficiently large glass frit which is in direct liquid communication with a liquid reservoir filled with synthetic urine.

Therefore, this glass frit provides a hydrostatic head of approximately 1 mm. After thirty minutes, the test sample is removed from the glass frit. Finally, the total capacity of the test sample is determined by weighing the liquid consumption of the test sample.

Filling ratio test method This test method is intended to measure the proportion of liquid stored in the first storage member of the device to be tested with respect to the liquid stored in the second storage member of the device. Therefore, the ratio of the amounts of liquid in the two storage members is measured briefly after the liquid has been acquired at the loading point of the device. The test is suitable for devices comprising a first storage member and a second storage member with both storage members having a total capacity of at least 5% of the total design capacity of the device.

For the purpose of this test method, samples of the device to be tested are loaded with one or more jets or effusions of synthetic urine. For this test, a jet or effusion is defined as having the volume of 20% of the total design capacity of the device to be tested. The jets are arranged on the device loading point in 5 minute intervals at a rate of approximately 5 ml / s or a maximum rate that does not cause the liquid to bypass, whichever is less. The 5 minute interval starts when the previous jet is completely absorbed by the device. For the purpose of this test method, the consumption or charge or liquid uptake of the first storage region and the second storage region of the device to be tested have to be measured separately. There exists a variety of potentially suitable test methods to determine the uptake of liquid from a certain region. It will be readily apparent to those with knowledge what method is most suitable for the device to be tested. Potentially suitable methods vary from very simple methods such as separating the device in its different regions and weighing its increase in weight to more complex methods such as x-ray analysis and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. In x-ray analysis, the effect that the amount of energy absorbed when the device is exposed to x-rays is proportional to the amount of liquid per unit of surface area contained in the device that is used to determine the water content of the specific regions of the device. For example, such a method is described in the article entitled "Fluid distribution: X-ray image data collation" by David F. Ring, Oscar Lijap, and Joseph Passeente in the global non-woven journal, Summer 1995, at pages 66 to 70. Suitable x-ray systems are available from, for example, LIXI Inc. of Downers Grove, Illinois, USA, under the designation SA-100-2 SERIES, MODEL HLA-40-440M02. The system uses the Optimus Bio-scan software. The x-ray system can, for example, be operated with an exposure time of two seconds, with a tube voltage of 50 Kv, and a current of 12mA. However, it should be noted that for the exposure time, the tube voltage and the different current values have to be chosen depending on the specific properties of the test sample that will be examined. It is also well known in the art to determine the water content of a specific region of a device by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. In all methods, particular care should be taken that the weight of the liquid (liquid confined as well as free liquid) which is stored in either one of the regions is considered accurately. It is also important that only the uptake of liquid is measured by comparing a device loaded with an unloaded device. First, a first sample of the device is loaded with a first stream of synthetic urine at its loading point. The charges of the first storage region and the second storage region of the device are measured five min after the jet or effusion has been fully absorbed. The charges will be referred to as Fi and S2 respectively. Then, a second sample of the device to be tested is loaded with 5 subsequent jets. The charges of the first storage region and of the second storage region of the device are measured five min after the fifth jet has been completely absorbed. The charges will be referred to as F5 and Ss, respectively. The filling ratio R i of a sample of the device loaded with i jets is the ratio of the charge of the first storage region to the charge of the second storage region and is given by: = The difference in filling pattern D represents the relative change in fill ratio from the 20% load to the 100% load. Therefore D is obtained by: CURVED ACQUISITION METHOD Curve acquisition test methods help simulate the introduction of urine into a device for fluid management of the body. A similar test method is described in PCT patent application No. IB99 / 00741 (Case P &G CM2060F: Q) incorporated herein by reference. The following describes the key principles of this test: 1. The device is retained in a curved configuration to more realistically simulate the position of the device in a standing or sitting user. 2. The vertical orientation, practical, requires that the applied liquid must be distributed against gravity. 3. The global configuration provides the key data of acquisition, distribution and storage of liquid within the various materials thus providing a better understanding of the properties of the material, and their combined performance. 4. The apparatus includes a pressurized air cushion, which allows to better analyze the products which have any variable thickness through various parts thereof, or which exhibit a pronounced change in thickness throughout the loading process.

The following description is adopted for devices for handling body fluids of the baby diaper type, and in particular for devices intended for babies in a weight range of approximately 9 to 18 kg. However, the experienced person will be able to adopt it easily for other purposes, such as for other sizes, or applications for adult incontinence.

The test sample is held in a curved plexiglass device that uses a flexible, soft air bag, which is used to simulate the various pressures of the baby between 0.69 kPa - 6.9 kPa (0.1 -1 psi), and the test sample it is charged with subsequent liquid jets, with appropriate waiting time between them. The key result of this test is the time for the liquid from each of the effusions or jets to penetrate the test sample. After loading the test sample by this test, the test sample can be used for further analysis, such as rewet measurement, preferably the post-curved acquisition collagen rewet method (PCACORM) as described in the application Patent PCB IB99 / 00741 (Case P &G CM2060FQ), or measure the gauge, or measure the liquid distribution, such as by determining the load in the various sections of the test sample. For test samples having the above-mentioned size, the standard protocol loads the test sample four times with 75 ml +/- 2 mis, at a rate of 15 ml / sec, supplied at one-hour intervals. The present disclosure refers to an automated procedure, including automatic data capture. Of course, analogous systems such as data record registration can be used, as long as the described principles are followed. The test equipment is illustrated schematically in Figure 6 of PCT patent application No. IB99 / 00741 (Case P &G CM2060FQ) incorporated herein by reference. The complete equipment or preferably a multiplicity thereof for ease of replication, it is placed inside a chamber of controlled conditions, with ambient temperature and humidity within the following limits: Temperature: 32 ° C + 2 ° (90 ° F + 3 ° F) Relative humidity: 50% + 10% If a form of deviation from this protocol is considered appropriate, it must be explicitly stated in the protocol. The curve acquisition tester comprises four important parts (the size of this unit is adapted for baby diapers and can therefore be adjusted for the absorbent article of other intended groups of users): a) A holding unit which is essentially made of perspex / plexiglas. It has been found that the appropriate 5 mm thick plates provide sufficient strength to operate without undue deformation. The essential part of the holding unit is a bucket having a rectangular upper opening of 130 mm extending outward from the plane of the drawing, and a width of 260 mm. The rectangular cover has a length of about 200 mm and ends in a semi-cylindrical shape having a radius of 130 mm. The holding unit has one or more means for retaining the loading unit in place, shown therein by a hinged lid and corresponding fixing means, such as the screws. The holding unit further comprises means for stable support. b) A loading unit comprising a liquid application means which is designed to accommodate in the cuvette of the retention unit, having a rectangular section having a length of approximately 180 mm, and having a cross section of approximately 100 mm by 128 mm, ending in a semi-cylindrical section that has a radius of 100 mm. The loading unit further comprises a flange, which allows the unit to be hung in the bowl being larger than said opening of the bowl, and which also prevents the unit from being loaded. pushed out of the bucket being retained by the lid. The space for the vertical movement of the loading unit is approximately 4 cm. The total load unit is made from the same material as the holding unit, and can weigh about 1 kg, including the liquid application medium. c) Liquid application means comprise a Plexiglas tube having an internal diameter of 47 mm, and a height of approximately 100 mm. This is firmly fixed to a circular opening having a diameter of approximately 50 mm through the loading unit, positioned centrally around the lowest point of the semi-cylindrical portion. The opening of the tube is covered by an open mesh (such as a wire mesh with openings of approximately 2 mm separated by 1 mm filaments), to be flush with the opening of the loading unit. A flexible tube with a diameter of 6 mm, such as Norpren A60G (6404-17), available) from Colé Parmer Instrument Company, IL, USA, is connected to a test fluid metering pump, such as the digital pump, cataloged by the number G-07523-20, which has an easy loading pump head, No. G-07518-02, both by Cole-Parrner Instrument Company, IL, USA, with a pump control unit to allow the pump to start and stop based on electrical signals. Two electrodes are placed at the opposite points just inside the mesh at the lower end of the Plexiglas pipe, to be able to detect the interruption of the electric current through the electrolyte fluid, once the tube is emptied. The electrodes are connected via the cable to a time signal measurement unit. d) A pressure generating means comprises a flat, flexible air cushion, such as generally available for medical purposes (blood pressure measurement), having an uninflated dimension of 130 mm by 600 mm, which can be inflated by means of a manual pump and a valve with a device for recording the pressure, which can be connected to an electrical transducer to provide an electrically recordable signal that corresponds to the pressure. This system is designed to operate at pressures up to 6.89 kPa (1 psi), and is adjusted for the standard procedure of 2.07 kPa (0.3 psi). e) Optionally, the apparatus may comprise an automatic control unit, such as a suitable computerized control unit, connected to the pump control unit, the stopwatch and the pressure recorder, which may also operate several units of measurement in parallel. The suitable program is for example LabView® by National Instruments, Munich, Germany. A complete test equipment can be supplied by High Tech Company, Ratingen / Germany, D-64293 Darmstadt.

Steps to assemble the acquisition equipment 1) Calibration of the pump: before starting the experiment, the pump must be calibrated to ensure a flow rate of 75 ml for 5 seconds. If necessary, the pipe must be replaced. 2) Preparation and thermal equilibrium of the test fluid. 3) Placement of the cushion in the bucket without folds or creases. 4) Weigh the total item that will be tested to the nearest 0.01 g in the top load balance. Mark the loading points on the test sample with a pen. The positioning and fixing (such as by a suitable adhesive tape) of the test sample to the loading unit, such that the liquid receiving surface is oriented towards the loading unit (and hence the back sheet towards the cushion), to have the opening aligned with the loading point of the device. The device is then placed on the curved loading unit without cutting the leg elastics or other elastic if present, with the marked loading point located inside the center of the tube, and fixed to the loading unit by suitable fixing means, such as tape. Generally, the configuration of the device should resemble a typical usage configuration as closely as possible. The device is then placed together with the charging unit in the tester, and the electrode cables are connected. 5) The lid is closed, and fixed with screws. 6) The cushion is then inflated to the desired pressure, that is. 2.07 kPa (0.3 psi), thus pushing the load unit against the lid, and thus exerting pressure on the test sample. 7) The end of the flexible tube is placed in such a way that it goes towards the center of the opening and extends approximately 5 cm towards the tube. 8) The liquid pump is turned on for the preset time (ie 5 seconds) and the same acquisition time to the stopwatch. 9) When emptying the Plexiglas tube, the electrodes provide a stop signal of the acquisition time chronometer, over which the waiting time is started on the chronometer for 60 minutes. 10) The charging cycle (step 7 and 8) is repeated up to a total of four times. 0 Results i! At the conclusion of the previous cycle, the respective acquisition rates i can be calculated for each "effusion or jet" by dividing the load by effusion (ie, 75 ml) by the time in seconds required for each effusion. (If the acquisition rates are 5 obtained close to the liquid supply rates (ie 15 ml / sec,) the test and registration conditions can be changed respectively.)

Claims (10)

CLAIMS 1 . An absorbent article, said article comprising an acquisition region, a first storage region that is separated from the acquisition region, and a second storage region that is separate from the acquisition region, the second storage region being symmetrically different from the acquisition region. the first storage region, characterized in that the article has a difference in filling pattern of less than 30% according to the fill ratio test disclosed herein. 2. An absorbent article according to claim 1, the article further comprising a liquid transport member that transports liquids from the acquisition region to the first storage region and to the second storage region. 3. An absorbent article according to claim 2, wherein the liquid transport member is substantially geometrically saturated prior to the intended use of the article. 4. An absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein said article is a disposable absorbent article. 5. An absorbent article according to claim 4, wherein the article is a disposable diaper. 6. A process for storing urine within an absorbent article, having an acquisition region, a first storage region that is separated from the acquisition region, and a second storage region that is separate from the acquisition region and that is symmetrically different from the first storage region, said process for storing body fluids comprising the steps of acquiring the liquid in the article in the acquisition region, the amount of the liquid acquired in said liquid distribution member being a fraction A of the total design capacity of said article to handle the urine, store the liquid in a first storage region, the amount of liquid that is stored in said first liquid storage region being a fraction B1 of said acquired liquid, said fraction B1 being at least 10%, storing the liquid in a second liquid storage region, the amount of liquid that is stored in said first storage region of liquid. liquid being a fraction B2 of said purchased liquid, said fraction B2 being of at least 10%, characterized in that for any value of said fraction A between 20% and 80%, the proportion of B1 / B2 differs by less than 30% of the proportion of B1 / B2 for a fraction A of 20%. 7. A process for storing urine according to claim 6, said article further comprising a liquid transport member, said process further comprising the steps of transporting at least a portion of the purchased liquid to said first liquid storage member that transports at least a portion of liquid purchased to said second liquid storage member said transporting steps being carried out by the liquid transport member. A process for storing urine according to claim 6, wherein said liquid distribution member is substantially geometrically saturated with the liquid prior to the first acquisition of urine in said liquid distribution member. An absorbent article designed to carry out a process according to any of claims 6 to 8. 10. An absorbent article according to claim 9, wherein the article is a disposable absorbent article.

1. An absorbent article according to claim 10, wherein said disposable absorbent article is a diaper.