MXPA97001386A - Wet lining for auxiliary training for children for the excus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an absorbent article for personal care comprising: a liquid-permeable body side liner, an outer cover and an absorbent core positioned between said side-to-body liner and said outer cover for forming said article, said liner side to body is sealed to said outer cover to encapsulate said absorbent core and comprises a nonwoven fabric having a fiber probability, said fabric includes a wet indicator treatment comprising a mixture of sorbitan monooleate and castor oil hydrogenated and polyethoxylated, said article has a relative surface humidity value of 60% or greater to about 1 minute, and a relative surface humidity value of 55% less to about 10 minut

Description

WET LINING FOR AUXILIARY TRAINING FOR CHILDREN FOR EXCUSED FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to lining materials for absorbent articles for personal care. More specifically, the present invention is directed to a woven fibrous nonwoven lining material which has an initial wet feel to indicate to the user that an insult has occurred, and then, over time, the lining material It provides a drier and more comfortable feeling.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION A main goal in the development of personal care products during the last decade has been the creation of lining materials which provide a feeling of cleanliness and dryness. Most absorbent personal care products include diapers, training pants, incontinence devices, sanitary napkins, bandages and the like employing a liner or body facing material which is adapted to be placed on one side of the skin. of the user. Using the diapers as an example, the diapers originally felt very wet to the touch once they had been insulted due to the diaper's inability to channel the fluids out from the wearer's skin to areas inside the diaper where the liquid could be united and retained. By advancing diapers and other personal care products, such products have more effectively increased the channeling of fluids away from the user's skin and therefore creating a much drier feeling. This has a number of benefits, including, but not limited to, the well-being of the skin, especially regarding the rash caused by the diaper, and improved comfort for the wearer.

In the area of diapers, one of the most recent advances has been the creation of training shorts which are a cross or bridge between diapers and underwear for children. The purpose of the training pants is to provide a transition garment during the training phase to stop the toilet of a child's development. It may be desirable if such devices, or diapers, training pants and incontinence garments were initially insulting, wet or damp enough to alert the wearer and temporarily remind him of the fact that an insult has taken place. For a number of reasons, once the insult has been carried out, it is not practical or possible to change the soiled product. As a result of this, the user will have to use the soiled product for some period of time. Consequently, once the initial signal of an accident has been given to the user, it would be desirable for the lining material to then revert to a feeling as dry as possible so as to provide comfort to the user until such time as the product could be changed There is therefore a need for an absorbent article for personal care which has a lining material which initially provides a "wet" feeling to the user to indicate that an insult has taken place but which with time provides the user with a dry sensation as practically as possible. The present invention is directed to the lining material.

SYNTHESIS OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to an absorbent article for personal care with a wet liner where the initial insult has a relatively high surface humidity but then, within a short period of time, the relative surface humidity drops to a value lower so that in the long run the product in general has a more comfortable feel. The absorbent article for personal care includes a liquid-permeable body-side liner, an outer cover and an absorbent core placed between the body-side lining and the outer shell to form Article. The body side liner is made of fibrous non-woven fabric wherein the fabric includes a moisture indicator treatment which may comprise a mixture of sorbitan monooleate and polyethoxylated hydrogenated ricin oil. It is desirable that the wet indicator treatment be present on the fabric in an aggregate of from 1 to 5 percent by weight based on the total weight of the fabric. The resulting article has a relative surface humidity value of 60 percent greater about one minute after the insult and a relative surface humidity value of 55 percent or less about 10 minutes. More preferably, the value of surface humidity per minute is 75 percent higher.

In a more refined embodiment, the lining of the body includes a non-woven fabric of polyolefin fibers having a basis weight ranging from about 0.5 about 0.85 ounces per square yard. The outer cover may comprise a layer of polyolefin film fastened to a layer of a fibrous non-woven fabric and the absorbent core may contain at least about 20 percent by weight d superabsorbent based on the total weight of the absorbent core.

The absorbent article for personal care of the present invention has a wide variety of applications, including but not limited to, use in the form of a training pant, or diaper or incontinence garment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a partial top plan view of an absorbent personal care product, in this case, a training pant according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is a graph showing relative surface moisture values over time for absorbent products for personal care including the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to an absorbent personal care product with a wet liner for use as a training aid for the child's toilet. The lining material of the present invention can also be used in other products and applications where a material is required which upon first insulting feels wet to the touch, but which in a short period of time again feels dry. Consequently, another use would be as a lining material for other absorbent products for personal care including, but not limited to, diapers incontinence garments.

Absorbent personal care products include such items as diapers, training pants, sanitary napkins, incontinence garments, similar bandages. Referring to Figure 1, in its most basic design all of those products 10 typically include a side-by-side liner 12, an outer cover 14 and an absorbent core 1 placed between the side-to-body liner 12 and the outer core 14. Generally , the body side liner and the outer cover are sealed to each other around their peripheries so as to encapsulate the absorbent core and thereby make it possible to trap and retain any fluids contained within the absorbent core.

The wet-side liner 12 of the present invention comprises a fabric of material which is made of a plurality of fibers which are knitted or woven. Non-woven fibrous fabrics have traditionally been found to work particularly well as the fabric material for the present invention. Examples of such fabrics include, but are not limited to, spin-knitted fabrics, melt-blown fabrics, carded and bonded fabrics, air-laid fabrics, wet-laid fabrics, spin-woven fabrics. generally any other fibrous non-woven fabric having sufficient strength to be used as a liner for absorbent products for personal care.

The fibers themselves may be of any fiber type, such as a short fiber, not long or longer, more continuous fiber, as found, for example, in fabrics formed by meltblown and spunbond. The fibers can be natural or synthetic. Polyolefins, polyesters, cellulosics, polyacetates and polyacrylate thermoplastics are some examples of the polymers from which the fibers can be formed. In addition, it is possible to make fiber from homopolymers, copolymers and mixtures of such polymers. It is also possible to form fibrous fabrics and / or blends of both synthetic fibers and natural fibers. In addition, the fibers can be hydrophilic or hydrophobic in nature or they can be treated in this way.

The fibers themselves may have a variety of cross-sectional constructions in section including, but not limited to, solid, hollow, round or irregular shapes such as bilobal, trilobal, and "x-shaped". The fibers may also be multi-constituent fibers. For example, biconstituent and bicomponent fibers work particularly well to join the fibrous tissue together. This is because such fibers typically have a lower melting point component which is used to bond with heat and an upper melting component which adds elasticity strength to the fibers. Generally, the fibers will have diameters that will vary between about 15 and 22 microns.

In order to provide sufficient resistance in use, the fibrous tissue will typically require an additional uni. Fibrous woven fabrics often have sufficient strength due to the pattern of tissue used to form the tissue. Non-woven fabrics, on the other hand, with carding, have a relatively random orientation or fib pattern. Consequently, such fabrics may require additional levels of fiber binding or entanglement collectively referred to as "binding". Examples of techniques or joining methods include, but are not limited to hydroentanglement, sewing, stitching, bonding with the adhesive bond, and ultrasonic bonding. When the fibers that make up all or part of the tissue are thermoplastic in nature, the ultrasonic and heat bonding has been found to work particularly well. When the bicomponent fibers are being used and / or a higher fabric is desired, the bonding through air works well. When higher resistances are required, the point joint works well. The pun connection can be achieved using, for example, an ultrasonic or heated uni equipment and the pattern bonding rolls.

Once the fabric / liner has been formed it is treated with a moisture indicator treatment which at least partially surrounds the outer surfaces of the fibers to provide the fabric / liner with moisture indicator. Conventional lining materials such as non-woven polypropylene fabrics treated with surfactant, take fluids very quickly and transfer them rapidly to the underlying absorbent core. As a result of this, within a very short period of time, the liner feels dry for the user. By using a wet indicator treatment, relative surface humidity can be maintained at a higher level for a longer period of time. This is achieved by way of the present invention. As shown by the test data mentioned below, when a time-wetting scheme was used, the surfactants treated with current surfactant when moistened had initial wetting, but this level of wetting rapidly falls with time. With the coating and liners of the present invention, the higher wetting values were extended for a longer initial period of time while allowing the liner to finally return to an acceptable level of dryness in a reasonable period of time.

To achieve the effect described above, the fibr of the lining material was treated with a wet indicator treatment comprising a mixture of sorbitan monooleate and polyethoxylated hydrogenated castor oil. Desirably the coating is applied as an aqueous dispersion so that the treated part of the liner had from about 1 about 5 percent of the coating by weight, based on the total weight of the treated part of the liner. Such coating material is available from ICI Americas, Inc.

Wilmington, Delaware and is a liquid non-ionic textile softener < s > ® designated Ahcovel Base N-62 (G-1962). The Ahcovel Base N-62 a concentrate which can be diluted to form aqueous dispersions of high fluid solids. This is a monooleate sorbitan mixture (HLB of 4.3) and a polyethoxylated hydrogenated rici oil (HLB of 10.8). Its specific graved at 77 ° F (25 ° C) is approximately 1.10 and viscosity at 25 ° C is approximately 850 centipoises.

The outer cover of the present invention is for the purpose of retaining any exudate from body fluids or other liquids within the absorbent core of the absorbent product for personal care. Plastic films and / or nonwovens and / or film / non-woven laminates can be used to form the outer covers. Thermoplastic polymers including, but not limited to, polyolefins have been found to work particularly bi as the forming material for both woven outer casings and film. If desired, the outer cover can be made breathable through the use of breathable plastic films and / or through the use of perforations.

The absorbent core which is placed between the liner from the side to the body and the outer cover is used to absorb the main part of the body fluids or other liquid delivered to it through the liner from the side to the body. Any of the currently available absorbent materials can be used to form the absorbent core. Examples of such materials include, but are not limited to, natural and synthetic wood pulp fluff fibers, hydrophilic thermoplastic fibers and superabsorbents.

The superabsorbents are organic or inorganic materials, soluble in water and swellable in water capable, under the most favorable conditions, of absorbing at least 20 times their weight and, more desirably, at least about 30 times their weight in an aqueous solution containing 0.9 percent by weight of sodium chloride. Organic materials suitable for use as superabsorbent materials in conjunction with the present invention can include natural materials such as agar, pectin, guar gum, and the like; as well as synthetic materials, such as synthetic hydrogel polymers. Such hydrogel polymers include, for example, the alkali metal salts of polyacrylic acids, polyacrylamides, polyvinyl alcohol, ethylene maleic anhydride copolymers, polyvinyl ethers, methyl cellulose, carboxymethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose; and polymers and copolymers of vinyl sulphonic acid, polyacrylates, polyacrylamides, polyvinyl pyrrolidone and the like. Other suitable polymers include the hydrolyzed acrylonitrile grafted starch, the acrylic acid grafted starch, and the isobutylene maleic anhydride polymers mixtures thereof. The hydrogel polymers are preferably slightly degraded to render the materials virtually insoluble in water. The degradation can, for example, be achieved by irradiation or mediated covalent, ionic, van der Waals or hydrogen bonding. The superabsorbent materials may be in any form suitable for use in absorbent composites including particles, fibers, flakes, spheres and the like. Tale superabsorbents are usually available in particle sizes varying from about 2 to 1000 microns. The absorbent core 16 may contain from 0 to 100 percent d superabsorbent by weight based on the total weight of the absorbent core.

Depending on the design of the absorbent product for personal care, other components may also be included. For example, referring again to Figure 1, if the personal care absorbent product 1 is a training pant, it may also include the elastic side panels 18. The product may also include (not shown) such things as containment fins. , clamping devices and other layers of liquid transfer or retention material.

Having described the invention in detail, several samples of the present invention were prepared and tested in relation to their relative surface humidity according to the test procedure set forth below.

TEST METHODS PROOF OF RELATIVE SURFACE MOISTURE The relative surface moisture in the liner and general e in the product was calculated from measurements made using the apparatus of a surface dryness measuring equipment manufactured by Hoechst Atkiengesellschaft of Germany. A detailed description of this type of equipment and its operation can be found in the United States Patent of North America Number 4, 924,084 granted to Lask et al., Which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The equipment for this apparatus included a strip chart recorder from Line Instrument Corporation of Reno, Nevada (Model 1201). The chart recorder recorded the humidity readings of an optical light sensor which in turn was connected to a DC power source. Before driving the test, the equipment was turned on and allowed to warm up for a minimum of 4 minutes.

To test each sample, each sample was placed on top of a plexiglass plate approximately the same size as that of the sample. In order to normalize the moisture values for each sample, a dryness reading and a moisture reading were both obtained in addition to the current humidity curve that was generated over a preselected time interval which in this case was 10 minutes .

To obtain a dryness reading and therefore a lower limit on the graph, the sensor was placed on the upper part of the sample with the longitudinal axis of the sensor being perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the sample and with the ends of the optical light sensor extending equidistant on both lateral edges of the sample. The sample was placed with the side of the liner adjacent to the light sensor and the backing sheet facing the plexiglass support. The outline pen was then activated by changing the recorder to wait to record and the pen was then zeroed on to the location of the 20-grid mark and the recorder was then returned to the standby position and the detector was removed from the sample.

A stainless steel ring was then centered having an internal diameter of 6 centimeters, a height of 4 centimeters and a weight of approximately 326 grams over the longitudinal and transverse center of the sample in the same location in which the dryness reading was taken. Within the center of the steel ring, 80 milliliters of salt water was poured from a certified blood bank (Catalog No. B3158-1) from Baxter Healthcare Corporation, Scientific Products Division, McGaw Park, Illinois. The salt water solution was a stabilized isotonic 0.9% salt water solution that did not contain condoms. The salt water solution was at room temperature (72 to 74 ° F) (22 to 23 ° C). The 80 milliliters of salt water solution was poured rapidly into the ring and thus onto the liner side of the absorbent sample. Immediately after the salt water solution was absorbed below the surface of the liner (no excess liquid remained on the liner), the stainless steel ring was removed and the optical light sensor was immediately placed on top of the shows in the same way as described above and the graphic record was changed from waiting to recording. The record was adjusted to a graph speed of 1 centimeter per minute and the test was allowed to run for a total of 10 minutes. At the end of the 10 minute interval, the graph pen was lifted and the graph was turned off by changing the graph to the wait. Thereafter, the ring was placed back on the top of the sample in the same location as before and the sample was completely saturated by pouring an additional amount of salt water solution generally an amount of 100 milliliters to completely saturate the core. absorbent. The amount of liquid in the pad after the second insult should be sufficient so that the weight of the sensor causes a slight return flow of the liquid to the surface. The ring was then removed and the optical light sensor, whose optical perception part had been cleaned and freed from any saltwater solution in excess of the previous measurement, was placed in the same location on the upper part of the sample in the same way as described above. The graph was again changed from wait to record and the graph was either momentarily activated or the graph paper moved back and forth to achieve a mark or location on the grid paper representing the total saturation measurement For the sample. Having done this, each sample was then set to zero or a dry value (VD), a total saturation value (Vs) and a time-dependent curve extending from the point of absorption of the initial 80 milliliters of saltwater solution to one point ten minutes later.

Following the collection of these data, the relative surface moisture values were calculated using the following equation: surface humidity = Vt - VD x 100 = relative VR (%) where : Vt is the value on the curve at a given time.

VD is the value of the curve when the sample is dry. VD equals 20 for all tested examples.

Vs is the value of the curve when the sample is saturated.

EXAMPLES To demonstrate the present invention, training shorts were made according to the present invention and this ® was tested against a Pull-Ups training pant.

® Kimberly-Clark's Huggies (size 2) and a short ® of training from Procter and Gamble Pampers Trainers regarding percent moisture in one and ten minutes using the test outlined above.

® ® The Pampers Trainers had a body-side lining that is believed to contain short rayon fibers, an absorbent core which contains superabsorbent, an outer shell and elastic side panels.

Training shorts from Kimberly-Clark ® ® Huggies Pull-Ups currently available have an outer shell including an inner layer of an 18 micron thick polypropylene film laminated adhesively to an outer layer of 0.8 g polypropylene yarn per square yard (27 grams per meter) square (gsm)). The side-to-body lining was a polypropylene yarn bonded fabric of 0.75 ounces per square yard (25.4 grams per square meter) having an average fiber size of three deniers.

The side-to-body lining was treated with 0.3 percent by weight, based on the total weight of the Triton X-102 surfactant liner which at least partially coated the fibers bound by spinning. Triton X-102 surfactant is a non-ionic octylphenoxypolyethoxyethanol surfactant which is available from Union Carbide Chemicals and Plastics Company, Inc. of Danbury, Connecticut. The absorbent core for the training pants had a total weight of 28 grams (one ounce) with 16 grams (0.56 ounces) of Kimberly-Clark CR-254 wood pulp fluff and 12 grams (0.42 ounces) of polyacrylate particulate superabsorbent crosslinked SAB 836 from Stockhausen, Greensboro, North Carolina. The wood pulp fluff and the superabsorbent particles were mixed together to form the absorbent core and the core was wrapped with an optically non-polished wet strength tissue sheet of 9.79 pounds per ream. The training pants also contained elastic side panels, inner containment flaps and an elastic waist. The top sheet or body side liner was attached to the wrapping sheet of the absorbent core using the spray adhesive. Such training pants are further explained in U.S. Patent No. 4,940,464 issued to Van Gompel et al., Which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

The training pants according to the present invention were made in the same way as the Kimberly-Clark Huggies Pull-Ups ® training shorts described above except that the base weight of the polypropylene body-side lining bonded by spinning it was reduced in basis weight from 0.75 ounces per square yard (osy) (25.4 grams per square meter) to 0.6 ounces per square yard (20.3 grams per square meter.) The average fiber size for the fibers bound by yarn was 2.5 deniers . In addition, instead of using the Triton X-102 surfactant, the body-side liner was treated with 3 percent by weight, based on the total weight of the liner, of an aqueous dispersion of a non-ionic fabric softener ® liquid Ahcovel Base N -62 from ICI Americas, Inc. of Wilmington, ® Delaware. The Ahcovel fabric softener is a mixture of sorbitan monooleate (CAS 1338-43-8) and polyethoxylated hydrogenated castor oil (CAS 61788-85-0). The fabric softener ® Ahcovel N-62 at least partially coated the fibers bound by spinning.

All three products were tested with the side panels removed and the elastics cut to allow the products to lie as flat as possible for testing. Each of these products was insulted separately with 80 milliliters of 0.9 percent saline solution at room temperature (72 to 74 ° F) (22 to 23 ° C) and tested in accordance with the moisture test procedure of relative surface and the equipment described above. Relative surface moisture values (Table II) were calculated from the raw values on the chart record set forth in Table I below. Two samples of each of the products of the present invention and of the other products were run and the values were averaged and put on the graph in Figure 2 of the drawings. The data points and the curve for the relative surface moisture values for the ® training shorts from current Kimberly-Clark Huggies Pull-Ups ("Calzón 1") were graphed using the "plus sign" ("+") while the data points and curve for the Procter and Gamble training pants ("Calzón K-C") were drawn using "squares". The data points for the present invention ("Invention") were graphed using "diamonds". The values were recorded for a period of ten minutes. From the curve, values were calculated at intervals of 12 seconds.

TABLE 1 Unprocessed Surface Moisture Data Invention Calzón 1 Calzón K-C Minutes Sample 1 Sample 2 Sample 1 Sample 2 Sample 1 Sample 0. 0 80.0 75.0 81.5 82.0 800 79.0 0. 2 800 75.5 81.5 82.5 805 79.0 04 79.5 75.0 81.5 82.5 73.0 710 0. 6 77.0 74.0 81.5 82.5 60.0 60.0 0. 8 75.0 71.5 81.0 82.0 55.0 54.0 1. 0 72.0 69.0 81.0 62.0 52.0 51.0 1. 2 70.0 67.0 80.5 81.0 50.5 49.0 1. 4 68.5 65.5 78.0 80.0 49.0 47.5 1. 6 67.0 64.5 76.0 78.0 47.5 465 1. 8 66.0 63.0 740 77.0 46.5 45.0 2. 0 64.5 62.0 73.0 76.5 46.0 445 2. 2 63.0 61.5 710 760 45.0 43.5 24 62.5 61.0 70.5 75.0 445 43.0 2. 6 615 60.0 70.0 745 440 • 42.5 2. 8 605 59.0 70.0 74.0 43.5 42.5 3. 0 59.5 58.0 69.5 73.5 43.5 425 3. 2 59.0 57.5 69.0 73.0 43.0 42.0 34 58.0 57.5 68.5 72.5 43.0 42.0 36 57.5 57.0 68.0 72.0 43.0 41.5 3. 8 57.0 56.5 67.5 715 42.5 41.5 40 56.5 56.0 675 71.5 42.5 41.5 42 56.0 555 67.0 710 42.5 41.0 44 55.5 55.5 67.0 71.0 42.0 41.0 46 55.0 55.0 66.5 70.5 42.0 41.0 48 54.5 55.0 68.5 70.0 42.0 41.0 50 54.0 54.5 66.0 70.0 42.0 40.5 . 2 535 54.5 67.6 70.0 42.0 40.5 54 53.0 54.0 676 70.0 42.0 40.5 . 6 52.5 54.0 676 695 41.5 40.5 . 8 52.0 53.5 66.9 69.5 41.5 405 60 52.0 535 66.9 69.5 41.5 405 62 52.0 53.0 66.9 69.5 415 40.5 64 51.5 53.0 66.2 69.0 41.5 405 66 51.5 52.5 662 690 41.0 40.5 68 51.0 52.5 66.2 69.0 410 40.5 7. 0 51.0 52.0 66.2 69.0 41.0 40.5 7. 2 51.0 52.0 65.4 69.0 410 40.5 74 51.0 52.0 65.4 68.5 41.0 40.5 7. 6 51.0 51.5 64.7 68.5 41.5 40.5 7. 8 50.5 51.5 64.7 685 41.5 40.5 80 50.5 51.5 64.0 68.5 41.5 41.0 8. 2 50.0 51.5 64.0 68.0 41.5 41.0 8. 4 50.0 51.0 63.2 68.0 41.5 41.0 8. 6 50.0 51.0 63.2 68.0 41.5 41.0 8. 8 49.5 51.0 63.2 66.0 415 41.0 90 49.5 51.0 63.2 67.5 41.5 41.0 9. 2 49.5 51.0 63.2 67.5 41.5 410 9. 4 49.5 51.0 62.5 67.0 41.5 41.0 9. 6 49.5 51.0 62.5 670 41.5 41.0 9. 8 49.0 51.0 62.5 67.0 41.5 41.0 . 0 49.0 51.0 62.5 67.0 41.5 41.0 tured 82.0 82.0 88.0 88.0 835 83.5 TABLE II Relative Surface Humidity (percentage) I nvention Calzón 1 Calzón K-C Averages Minutes Sample 1 Sample 2 Sample 1 Sample 2 Sample 1 Sample 2 Invention Calzón 1 Calido K-C 0. 0 96.8 88.7 90.4 91.2 94 5 92.9 92.7 90.8 93 7 0. 2 96.6 89.5 90 4 91.9 95.3 92.9 93.1 917 94 1 0. 4 96.0 88.7 90.4 91.9 83.5 80.3 92.3 917 81.9 0. 6 91.9 67.1 90.4 91.9 63.0 63.0 89.5 917 63.0 0. 6 88.7 83 1 89 7 91.2 55.1 53 5 85.9 904 54 3? or 8-? .b hi t 91¿ 50 4 4¿ é 81.5 ¿Ó 4 49.6 « 1. 2 ftdi HA flfid 85 J 48.0 14.J Hl adi 189 1. 4 76.2 73 4 85.3 88.2 45.7 43.3 75.8 86 8 44 5 1. 6 75.8 71.8 82.4 85.3 43.3 41.7 73.8 83.6 42.5 1. 8 74.2 69 4 79.4 83.8 41.7 39.4 71.8 81.6 40.6 2. 0 71.8 67.7 77.9 83.1 40.9 38 6 69.8 80.5 39 8 2. 2 69 4 66.9 75.0 82.4 39 4 37 0 68.1 76.7 38.2 2. 4 68.5 66.1 74 3 80.9 38.6 367 67.3 77.6 37 4 2. 6 66.9 64 5 73.5 80.1 37 8 35 4 65.7 76.6 36 6 2. 6 65.3 62.9 73.5 79 4 37.0 35 4 64.1 76.5 367 3. 0 63.7 61.3 72.8 78 7 37 0 35 4 62.5 75 7 387 3. 2 62.9 60 5 72.1 77 9 36 2 34 6 61.7 75.0 35 4 3 4 61.3 60.5 71 3 77.2 36.2 34 6 60.9 74 3 35 4 3. 6 60.5 59.7 70.6 76.5 36.2 33.9 60.1 73.5 35.0 3. 8 59.7 58.9 69.9 75 7 35 4 33.9 59.3 72.8 34 6 4. 0 58.9 58.1 69.9 75 7 35 4 33.9 58.5 72.8 34 6 4. 2 58.1 57.3 69.1 75 0 35.4 33.1 57.7 72.1 34 3 4 4 57.3 57.3 69.1 75.0 34.6 33.1 57.3 72.1 33.9 4. 6 56.5 56.5 68.4 74.3 34 6 33.1 56.5 71.3 33.9 4 8 55.6 56 5 66.4 73.5 34.6 33.1 56.0 71.0 33.9 . 0 54.8 55.6 67.6 73.5 34.6 32.3 557 70.6 33.5 . 2 54.0 55.6 67.6 73.5 34.6 32.3 54.6 70.6 33.5 . 4 53 54.8 67.6 73.5 34 6 32.3 54.0 70.6 33.5 . 6 52.4 54.8 67.6 72.8 33.9. 32.3 53.6 70.2 33.1 . 8 51.6 54.0 66.9 72.8 33.9 32.3 52.6 69.9 33.1 6. 0 51.6 54.0 66.9 72.8 33.9 32.3 52.8 69.9 33 1 6. 2 51.6 537 66.9 72.8 33 9 32.3 52.4 69 9 33.1 6 4 50.8 53.2 66.2 72 1 33.9 32.3 52.0 69.1 33 1 6 6 50.8 52.4 66.2 72 1 33 1 32.3 51 6 69 1 32 7 6 8 50.0 52.4 66.2 72.1 33 1 32.3 51.2 69 1 32 7 7 C 50.0 51.6 66.2 72.1 33 1 32.3 50 8 69 1 32.7 7. 2 50.0 51.6 65.4 72.1 33 1 32.3 50.8 68 8 32.7 7 4 50.0 51.6 65.4 71 3 33.1 32.3 50.8 68.4 32.7 7. 6 50.0 50.8 64.7 71.3 33.9 32.3 50.4 68.0 33.1 7. 8 49.2 50.8 64.7 71.3 33.9 32.3 50.0 68.0 33.1 8. 0 49.2 50.8 64.0 71.3 33.9 33.1 50.0 67 6 33.5 8-2 48 4 50.8 64.0 70.6 33.9 33.1 49.6 67.3 33.5 8 4 48.4 50.0 63.2 70.6 33.9 33.1 497 66.9 33.5 8. 6 48 4 50.0 63-2 70.6 33.9 33.1 49.2 66 9 33.5 8. 8 47.6 50.0 63_2 70.6 33.9 33.1 48.8 66.9 33.5 9. 0 47 6 50.0 637 69.9 33.9 33.1 48.6 66.5 33 5 9. 2 47.6 50.0 63.2 69.9 33.9 33.1 48.8 66.5 33.5 9. 4 47.6 50.0 62.5 69.1 33.9 33.1 48.8 65.8 33.5 9. 6 47.6 50.0 62.5 69.1 33.9 33.1 48.8 65.8 33.5 9 8 46.8 50.0 62.5 69 1 33.9 33.1 484 65 8 .dd! LßM "" &! 5.1.3.9 33.9 55.1 48 ¿¿i - H 3Ü-G- Returning to the graph in figure 2 it can be seen that the training brief of Procter &Gamble had an initial relative surface humidity of approximately 90 percent.This value was maintained through the first minute and then between one and three minutes the value dropped to approximately 75 percent.In the next seven minutes the percentage of moisture began to flatten to a value of 65 percent at the end of 10 minutes, so this product started wet and continued to be wet.In contrast, the training shorts currently available from Kimberly-®® Clark Huggies and Pull-Ups started very wet at a relative surface humidity of 94 percent but then it decayed to a value of 50 percent by the end of one minute. minutes the relative surface humidity had dropped to as low as 35 percent. Therefore, this training pants dried more quickly after being insulted with the salt water solution.

The training pants according to the present invention showed a balance between the other two products. As can be seen from the graph in Figure 2, the curve for the present invention falls between the two curves. ® By using the Ahcovel moisture indicator treatment on the lining material, the values on the curve were maintained at a level much higher than that of the current Kimberly-Clark training brief during the first several minutes and the values then fell to a more acceptable level for the end of 10 minutes. In one minute, the training pants according to the present invention had a relative surface humidity value of about 80 percent. However, at ten minutes the value had gone up to approximately 50 percent.

Thus, it can be seen that the present invention provides an absorbent personal care product which maintains a high relative surface humidity for at least one minute and then within a very short period of time, of approximately ten minutes, it has a relative surface humidity value that drops to approximately 50 percent creating therefore a product which has a dry sensation that is more comfortable to the user until such time as it is possible or convenient to change the product dirty. Accordingly, the present invention has a practical application with respect to all types of personal care absorbent products.

Having thus described the invention in detail, it will be apparent that various modifications and changes may be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the following claims.

Claims (12)

R E I V I N D I C A C I O N S

1. An absorbent article for personal care that includes: a liquid-permeable body side liner, an outer cover and an absorbent core positioned between said side-to-body liner and said outer cover to form said article, said article has a relative surface humidity value of 60 percent or greater in about 1 minute and a relative surface humidity value of 55 percent or less in about 10 minutes.

2. The absorbent article for personal care as claimed in clause 1, characterized in that the body-side lining comprises a non-woven fabric having a plurality of fibers, said fabric includes a humidity indicator treatment.

3. The absorbent article for personal care as claimed in clause 2, characterized in that said article has a relative surface humidity value of 75 percent or greater than about one minute.

4. The absorbent article for personal care as claimed in clause 2, characterized in that the humidity indicator treatment comprises a mixture of sorbitan monooleate and polyethoxylated hydrogenated castor oil.

5. The absorbent article for personal care as claimed in clause 4, characterized in that said humidity indicator treatment is present on said fabric in an aggregate of from one to five percent by weight based on the total weight of said fabric.

6. An absorbent article for personal care that includes: a liquid-permeable body side liner, an outer cover, and an absorbent core positioned between said body-side liner and said outer cover, said side-to-body liner comprises a non-woven fibrous polyolefin fabric having a basis weight ranging from about 0.5 to about 0.85 ounces per square yard, said having having a moisture indicator treatment comprising a mixture of sorbitan monooleate and hydrogenated polyethoxylated castor oil, said outer shell comprises a layer of polyolefin film fastened to a layer of fibrous nonwoven fabric, said absorbent core contains at least 20 percent by weight of superabsorbent based on the total weight of the absorbent core, said article has a relative surface humidity value of 60 percent or greater at about one minute and a relative surface humidity value of 55 percent or less in about 10 minutes.

7. The absorbent article for personal care as claimed in clause 1, characterized in that said article is in the form of a training brief.

8. The absorbent article for personal care as claimed in clause 6, characterized in that said article is in the form of a training brief.

9. The absorbent product for personal care as claimed in clause 1, characterized in that said article is in the form of a diaper.

10. The absorbent article for personal care as claimed in clause 6, characterized in that said article is in the form of a diaper.

11. The absorbent article for personal care as claimed in clause 1, characterized in that said article is in the form of an incontinence garment.

12. The absorbent article for personal care as claimed in clause 6, characterized in that said article is in the form of an incontinence garment. SUMMARY An absorbent personal care product is described herein which, when first insulting, has a high initial surface moisture value which is maintained for several minutes but then, for a short period of time, falls to a lower value. As a result of this, the product has an initial "wet" feel but quickly changes to a drier feel, to provide more comfort.