MXPA99011177A - Process for making an absorbent composite web - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a process for making a multi-layered absorbent composite web. The web comprises at least a primary material and a secondary material. The primary material comprises apertures wherein fibers from the secondary material are inserted for fluid capture and transport. The secondary material may form a layer on the primary material once the apertures of the primary material are filled. That is, the secondary material may form a layer of material placed adjacent to the bottom surface of the primary material.

Description

PROCESS FOR DEVELOPING AN ABSORBENT COMPOSITE FRAME FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method for making an absorbent composite web having a primary material with openings extending therethrough and a secondary material that at least fills the openings and that can also form a layer adjacent to the bottom surface of the primary material.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It has been widely known in the art of the disposable absorbent article that it is extremely desirable to construct absorption devices such as disposable diapers, catamenial pads, sanitary napkins, incontinence pads, incontinence pads, and the like, which have a dry surface feel to the user to improve the comfort of use and to minimize the development of undesirable skin conditions due to prolonged exposure of moisture absorbed within the absorbent article. Accordingly, it is generally desirable to promote the transfer of fluid in a direction away from the user and into an absorbent element, while resisting fluid transfer in the reverse direction. Conventional absorbent articles typically include an absorbent element (sometimes referred to as an absorbent core) elastically interposed of a fluid-permeable element that is in contact with the body (sometimes referred to as a top sheet or a wrapper) and a protective barrier impermeable to the fluid that (sometimes referred to as a back sheet). The absorbent element is, of course, intended to receive and contain body fluids such as menses and urine. The element that is in contact with the body is intended to provide greater or lesser comfort and dry feeling contact with the surfaces of the body while allowing free passage of the fluids therethrough and towards the absorbent element. The protective barrier is intended to prevent bodily fluids, which are issued or which escape from the absorbent element, from soiling the wearer's garment. The comfort of the user is enhanced if the absorbent article, in addition to its properties of high fluid transmission capacity and fluid retention, exhibits the characteristic of fluid transmission capacity in a single direction. This will improve it which is known as the rewet characteristic of the absorbent product. The fluid must quickly and easily transmit through the upper sheet and into the absorbent core. As the absorbent core becomes saturated, the fluid will tend to pass back through the absorbent article, or rewet, causing discomfort to the user. Since the absorbent core becomes increasingly saturated during use or is subjected to a pressure, there will be a tendency for the fluid to transmit backwards through the cover, or to rewet the surface of the cover and consequently the body of the cover. user. This discomfort caused by rewetting may cause the user to discard the absorbent product before its useful life has ended. Therefore, it is desirable to inhibit this rewet and thus reduce the user's discomfort.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a process for forming an absorbent composite web. The process preferably comprises the steps of: a) supplying a plurality of first fibers to a shaped screen having a plurality of portions in relief thereon; b) placing the first fibers on the screen configured to form a primary material having an upper surface and a lower surface; c) remove the primary material from the configured screen, the primary material having openings corresponding to the raised portions of the configured screen; and d) filling the openings of the primary material with a plurality of second fibers. Preferably, the process further provides the step of placing said plurality of second fibers on the lower surface of the primary material to produce a secondary material placed adjacent to the primary material. The secondary material has a top surface placed adjacent to the bottom surface of the primary material and a lower surface placed away from the primary material.

The process preferably further provides the step of attaching the primary material and the secondary material by attachment or attachment means to form a bonded, multi-layer, absorbent composite web. The fixing means can be selected from the group consisting of thermal bonds, ultrasonic joints, mechanical dynamic joints, adhesive joints, mechanical joints, and combinations thereof. The raised portions of the shaped screen comprise shapes selected from the group consisting of pyramidal shapes, conical shapes, cylindrical shapes, spherical shapes, rectangular shapes, polygonal shapes and combinations thereof, to thereby produce similarly shaped openings within the primary and / or secondary materials. In the present process, the first fibers of the primary material may preferably comprise non-woven fibers selected from the group consisting of single-component fibers, two-component fibers, three-component fibers and combinations thereof. The second fibers of the secondary material may preferably comprise a combination of synthetic fibers, synthetic material and / or cellulosic fibers. The secondary material most preferably comprises a ratio of fiber and / or synthetic to cellulosic fiber from 10 to 90. The synthetic fibers comprise at least one fiber selected from the group consisting of polyolefin, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyester and combinations thereof . The secondary material may also comprise synthetic material such as polyamines, superabsorbent polymers and combinations thereof, instead of or in combination with the aforementioned synthetic fibers. The cellulosic fibers used herein preferably comprise at least one fiber selected from the group consisting of ground wood pulp, creped cellulose wadding and combinations thereof. The cellulosic fibers here can be chemically hardened, curled cellulosic fibers. In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, the secondary material may further comprise an element selected from the group consisting of gelling absorbent material, zeolite, charcoal, silica, cyclodextrins, and combinations thereof. In an alternative embodiment of the present, the primary material can be preformed. A process for forming an absorbent composite web using a previously formed primary material comprising the following steps: a) placing a preformed primary material on a forming apparatus, the primary material having a top surface, a bottom surface and a plurality of openings extending from the upper surface to the lower surface of the primary material; and b) filling the openings of the preformed primary material with a plurality of second fibers. This alternating process may further comprise the step of placing said plurality of second fibers on the lower surface of the preformed primary material to produce a secondary material located adjacent to the preformed primary material. The secondary material has a top surface which is positioned adjacent to the bottom surface of the preformed primary material and a lower surface located remote from the preformed primary material. Preferably, the preformed primary material and the secondary material are joined together by attachment or attachment means to form a bonded, multi-layer, absorbent composite. The joining means may include thermal joints, ultrasonic joints, mechanical dynamic joints, adhesive bonds, mechanical joints, and combinations thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Although the description concludes with the claims pointing out in a particular way and claiming differently the exposed matter that is considered as formant of the present invention, it is believed that the invention will be better understood from the following descriptions which are taken in combination with the accompanying drawings, in which they use similar designations to designate substantially identical elements, and in which: Figure 1 is a simplified view of a preferred process of the present invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the absorbent composite web of the present invention; Figure 3 is a perspective view of the part of a shaped screen used in a process for the formation of a primary material of the present invention; Figure 4A is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of a relief portion; Figure 4B is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of a raised portion; Figure 4C is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of a relief portion; Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of an absorbent composite web; Figure 5A is a cross-sectional view of an alternate embodiment of an absorbent composite web; Figure 6 is an exploded cross-sectional view of a weft formation process of the present invention; Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of an alternate mode of a composite frame; Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of an alternate mode of a composite frame; and Figure 9 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the invention of a composite screen.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION As used herein, the term "absorbent article" refers to devices that are absorbed and contain body exudates, and, more specifically, refer to devices that are placed against or close to the user's body to absorb and contain the various exudates discharged from the body. The term "disposable" is used herein to describe absorbent articles that are not intended to be washed or restored or otherwise used as an absorbent article (i.e., they are intended to be discarded after only one use). , and, preferably, to be recycled, composted or otherwise disposed in an environmentally compatible manner). A "unitary" absorbent article refers to the absorbent articles that are formed of separate parts joined together to form a coordinated entity such that they do not require separate manipulated parts such as a separate bra and pad.

The process The present invention provides a process for forming an absorbent composite web. The process preferably comprises the steps of: a) supplying a plurality of first fibers to a shaped screen having a plurality of portions in relief thereon; b) placing the first fibers on the screen configured to form a primary material having an upper surface and a lower surface; c) removing the primary material from the configured screen, the primary material having openings corresponding to the raised portions of the configured screen; and d) filling the openings of the primary material with a plurality of second fibers.

Figure 1 shows a preferred process 1 00 with which a first fiber deposit 1 05 composed of a fiber substantially insensitive to moisture, preferably being a two component fiber, is charged to a feed element for the transfer of the fibers to the first forming head 120. The first forming head 120 is responsible for positioning (i.e., air positioning) the fibers on the shaped screen 80 comprising one or more types of raised portions 70 (see Figures 3, 4A, 4B and 4C). In practice, the fibers from the first fiber deposit 1 05 are dosed onto the screen 80 formed between the relief portions 70 to create a primary material 1 5 that is fibrous and has openings extending therethrough (Figure 2); that is, the openings are created within the primary material 1 5 from the relief portions 70 on the configured screen 80. A process suitable for air placement of the fibers present in the screen 10 in both forming heads 120 and 135 is described in the TCP Application WO 96/07792 published March 14, 1996 to Mosgaard, this disclosure being incorporated herein by reference. Once the openings 25 are formed within the primary material 15, the material 1 5 is sucked away from the configured screen 80 by a first vacuum 125. The first vacuum 125 lifts the primary material 15 from the shaped screen 80 and transports the primary material 15. to the second forming head 135. In the second forming head 135, a blended combination of synthetic fiber and cellulosic fiber is placed on the lower surface 1 8 (see Figure 2) of the primary material 15. Any of the aforementioned synthetic materials it can also be used in the process shown in Figure 2, for example, an absorbent material such as a functional absorbent material can be used. Preferably, a second vacuum 140 is located below the second forming head 1 35 and the primary material 1 5. This second vacuum 140 sucks the fibers from the second fiber deposit 1 1 0 towards the openings 25 of the primary material 15. Once that the openings are filled, the cellulose / synthetic fiber blend can preferably continue to be placed on the lower surface 1 8 of the primary material 15, thereby forming a layer of secondary material that is fibrous (see Figure 2). The primary and secondary materials here may not be joined to one another in their formation by a means of attachment or attachment. Preferably, however, the materials 1 5 and 20, respectively, can be joined by a joining means such as any of the compatible adhesives known in the art or by heating the composite web simultaneously. To join together the primary and secondary materials through heat, the fibers capable of thermal bonding can be employed between and / or through the primary and secondary materials to help form the thermal bonds between them in their heating. PCT Application WO 95/1 8886 published July 1, 1995, by Mosgaard et al., Discloses heating a weft with heat bonded layers therein to assist bonding, this disclosure being incorporated herein by reference. Figure 1 further discloses a means for transporting an absorbent composite web previously bound 1 0 to a joining means 150. By the term "pre-linked" is meant herein the state of a web before it is joined by a medium of external union; it is not meant to suggest that the plot can not possess some measure of union between the primary and secondary materials themselves. In the preferred process of the present, a third vacuum 145 conveys the weft 10 to a joining means 1 50. As previously mentioned, a joining means 150 can comprise any of those conventional means known in the art; for example, thermal bonding, ultrasonic bonding, adhesive bonding, a combination of these, etc. Once the web 10 moves through the joining operation, the formed absorbent composite web 10 is in an externally bound state, that is, joined together by external means. In a preferred embodiment of the present, a void similar to the vacuum 140 shown in Figure 1 can be placed below the first forming head 120. This vacuum would preferably be used to suck the primary material, preferably being fibers from the first spreading head. formation 120 on the shaped surface 80. In addition, the vacuum under the first forming head 120 would maintain those fibers on the shaped surface 80. Also preferably, there may be multiple forming heads for the distribution of various types of fibers varying in composition, denier, caliber, length, diameter, texture and other types of variable fiber characteristics. These multiple forming heads can rotate in or out of position along the process path as specified, or these can be formed in series along the process path. It should be noted, however, that neither the alignment nor the configuration of the forming heads form any part of the appended invention and can be manipulated and configured in any number of ways to suit the design intent of one skilled in the art. In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, the primary material can be preformed. A process for forming an absorbent composite web using a previously formed primary material comprising the following steps: a) placing a preformed primary material on a forming apparatus, the primary material having a top surface, a bottom surface and a plurality of openings extending from the upper surface to the lower surface of the primary material; and b) filling the openings of the preformed primary material with a plurality of second fibers. This alternating process may further comprise the step of placing a plurality of secondary material preferably comprising fibers 22 on the lower surface 18 of the preformed primary material 1 5 to produce a secondary material 20 located adjacent the preformed primary material 1. The secondary material 20 has an upper surface 21 which is positioned adjacent the lower surface 18 of the preformed primary material 15 and a lower surface 23 located remote from the preformed primary material 15. Preferably, the preformed primary material 15 and the secondary material 20 are joined together by means of attachment or fixation to form a bonded, multi-layer, absorbent composite. The joining means may include thermal joints, ultrasonic joints, mechanical dynamic joints, adhesive bonds, mechanical joints, and combinations thereof. In another alternative embodiment of the present, the raw fibers 17 can be placed on a screen that is flat and therefore free of any raised portion. Once the fibers have been placed, they form the primary material 15 and are supplied to a medium that will perforate the material 1 5, thereby providing the openings within the primary material 1 5 without using a shaped screen. After formation of the openings by the piercing means, the primary material 15 is supplied to a means which will place the second fibers 22 thereon to thereby produce a secondary material 20. This process would also work equally well for a preformed primary material., that is, the preformed material would be placed, perforated by the perforation means and then supplied to the media, whereby a secondary material similar to absorbent fibers would be placed on the perforated primary material, preformed. This drilling process is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 4,780, 352, issued October 25, 1988, to Palumbo and is incorporated herein by reference.

The Absorbent Composite Screen Figure 2 provides a perspective view of a weft 10 or an absorbent composite web 10. By the terms "weft" and "absorbent composite web" we will be understood herein as a multi-layer absorbent or fluid transport and retention structure. made of two or more different parts, where at least a part of the structure functions mainly to transport the fluid. The weft 10 preferably comprises a primary material 15 formed by a first series of fibers 1. The primary material 15 comprises an upper surface 16, which preferably gives to a user when the weft 10 is used in a disposable absorbent article. Opposed to the upper surface 16 is the lower surface 1 8 of the primary material 15. As seen in Figure 2, the primary material 15 is formed in such a manner as to provide openings 25 in all of the primary material 15. These openings 25 extend from the upper surface 16 to the lower surface 18 of the primary material 15. The openings 25 can be randomly assigned throughout the primary material 15 a these can be located in any conceivable organized or regular configuration throughout the primary material 1. Preferably, the openings 25 will be formed in a regular manner from the top to the bottom. Also, the openings 25 can comprise a wider opening in the upper part 16 than in the lower surface 1 8 and the inverse is also natural. The secondary material 20 is formed from a second series of fibers 22. The secondary material comprises an upper surface 21 and a lower surface 23. The upper surface 21 of the secondary material 20 is located adjacent the lower surface 18 of the primary material 15. As is clearly seen in Figure 2, the secondary material 20 not only forms a layer which is adjacent to the lower surface 18 of the primary material 1 5, but is also inserted into the openings 25 of the primary material 1. therefore, as the fluid tackles the upper surface 16 of the primary material 1 5, it will also immediately undertake at least a portion of the secondary material 20, ie, those portions within the openings 25. Figure 2 provides a view wherein the secondary material 20 located within the openings 25 appears to be at the same level as the upper surface 16 of the primary material 15. This is a preferred embodiment, however, the secondary material 20 may extend from about a quarter from the base of an opening 25 to approximately the total height of an apertures 25. However, for optimum performance, it is believed that the present that the level of the secondary material 20 within an opening 25 should be approximately equal to the upper surface 16 of the primary material 1 5. Preferably, the first series of fibers 1 7 used to form the primary material 1 5 are insensitive to the humidity. By the term "moisture insensitive" it will be understood herein that the fibers will substantially not absorb any fluid within their structure and furthermore will not collapse as a result of the fluid loading. In addition, the fibers 17 will remain intact upon the occurrence of the fluid supply and, very importantly, will not retain any liquid. The purpose of the fibers 1 7 is to collect the fluid quickly and transport it only as quickly out of its structure to the fibers 22 of the secondary material 20 for storage. To further adapt this transport function of the primary material 15, the density of the primary material 15 must be less than the density of the secondary material 20.

Although the density of the primary material 1 5 is preferably smaller than the density of the secondary material 20, it should be distinguished that the hollow volume, which is the inverse of the density here, is preferably higher for the primary material 15 than for the secondary material 20. In practice, the hollow volume is related to the number of voids or separate volume (i.e., spaces) per gram of fibers. It is desirable that there are more open spaces in the primary material 15 than in the secondary material 20 to create a density gradient across the two materials, by which the fluid is easily and quickly sucked from the primary material into the secondary material. As distinguished above, the primary material 15 is to be formed in such a way as to allow its structure to rapidly receive the fluids and then transport them to the secondary material without the collapse of the primary material 15. In this way, the primary material 15 will then be capable of receiving multiple fluid streams and then transferring these fluids to the secondary material 20. Generally, due to that material within the openings 25 and that the secondary layer located below the primary layer comprises the same fibers, i.e. , the second series of fibers 22, each will have approximately the same density. However, any of the material within the openings 25 or the secondary material layer located below the primary layer can be further densified through compaction or the addition of certain elements which may include, but are not limited to, gelling absorbent material, superabsorbent polymers, silica, perfume, cyclodextrins, absorbent foam, thermally capable fibers, charcoal, zeolite, etcetera. For example, in one embodiment, the secondary material may be densified by elements which then cause it to have a greater density than both of the primary material 15 and the material within the openings 25. In such an embodiment, the density gradients are established through the primary material 1 5 to the secondary material 20 as well as through the material within the openings 25 towards the secondary material 20; this is a preferred modality. Also, the material within the openings 25 can be made to be more dense than the secondary material 20. In an alternate embodiment of the present, the densities for each component of the 1 0 screen can have densities that are all approximately equal. In such a case, there is little or nothing of the discernible density gradient established through the primary material 15, the secondary material 20, or the material within the openings 25. Preferably, the secondary material 20 will have a higher basis weight than the primary material. 1 5. This corresponds to the secondary material 20 also preferably having higher density than the primary material 15 and helps to ensure that a density gradient is established from the primary material 1 5 to the secondary material 20. The sizes of both primary material 15 as the secondary material 20 is within the ranges of 0.5 to 10 millimeters, preferably one to five millimeters and more preferably 1.5 to 2.0 millimeters. The basis weights for the primary material 15 and for the secondary material 20 are in the ranges of 20 to 3000 g / m2, preferably 40 to 1000 g / m2 and more preferably 50 to 300 g / m2.

In an alternate embodiment of the present, density gradients are created within either the primary material 1 5, the secondary material 20, or both. When a density gradient is established within the primary material 15, it is also related to the variable pore sizes established throughout the primary material 15 and is thus also referred to as the pore size gradient. The density within the primary material 15 can be made to be less dense towards its upper surface 16 and denser toward the upper surface 21 of the secondary material 20, i.e., the lower surface of the primary material 1 5. Internal densification can be performed by compacting the fibers within the primary material 15 and / or through the formation of the primary material 15 from identical or similar fibers of variable denier, that is, the coarseness or fineness of a fiber. Similarly, the secondary material 20 can be densified internally, whereby the portion of the material 20 closest to the upper surface 21 is less dense than the portion closest to the lower surface 23 of the secondary material 20. Again, This internal densification can be performed through the compaction of the fibers within the secondary material 20 and / or through the formation of the secondary material 20 from similar or similar fibers of variable denier, that is, the coarseness or fineness of a fiber. The variable denier of the fibers within a material establishes the density gradient or the gradient of the pore sizes within the materials. Preferably, the upper denier fibers and / or a mixture comprising a higher percentage of coarse fibers, will reside closer to the primary and superior surfaces of the primary and secondary materials. The lower denier fibers will then therefore preferably reside closer to the lower or lower surfaces of the primary and secondary materials. These preferred constructions create primary and secondary materials that are less dense on their upper surfaces and denser on their lower surfaces. Specifically, coarser upper fibers (ie, those having higher deniers) are more resilient and less structurally compressive and thus allow the creation of larger hollow volumes in the upper surfaces of a material. The finer upper fibers (ie, those with lower deniers) are less resilient and more structurally compressive and thus allow the creation of greater compaction and smaller hollow volumes in the lower surfaces of a material. It is preferred that the lower or lower portion of a material be denser and that its upper portions be less dense to receive the fluids quickly, thus pulling them away from the upper surfaces and holding them within the lower surfaces of a material away. of its upper surfaces. Figure 7 shows a cross-sectional view of a weft 10 having a primary material 1 5 and a secondary material 20 which has been densified internally with the fibers 1 7 and the fibers 22, respectively. As has been mentioned above, this internal densification may have occurred, either through the compaction of the fibers and / or through the inclusion of denier fibers is variable. It should be noted that although the primary material 15, for example, may comprise fibers 1 7 of variable deniers, the base weights of the fibers are all approximately equal. That is, the base weights of the fibers do not vary as the denier of the fibers within a material varies. It is further distinguished that the internal densification of the fibers can occur through the use of variable fiber types that have different weights, thicknesses, mass densities and other attributes that may affect the density within the materials 1 5 and 20. The primary material 1 5 can also be formed from a nonwoven web, which may be a spunbonded web, a meltblown web, a carded bonded web, or an air-laid, thermally bonded web. The non-woven web can be made of fiber-forming polymers such as, for example, polyesters, polyamines, and polyolefins. Exemplary polyolefins include one or more of polypropylene, polyethylene, ethylene copolymers, propylene copolymers, and butene copolymers. In another preferred embodiment, the non-woven web may comprise two-component fibers. The two-component fiber used herein is preferably a heat-bondable two-component fiber having an inner core component and an outer shell component, wherein the inner core component has a higher melting point than the outer shell component. The fiber is typically hydrophobic, but can be made hydrophilic by incorporating a surfactant into the shell of the two-component fiber and / or by treating the outer surface of the shell with a surfactant. Exemplary two-component fibers and the processes for producing them are described in U.S. Patent No. 5,456,982 entitled "Two-component synthesis fiber and process for producing the same", issued to Hansen et al. October 1995, and U.S. Patent No. 5,603,707 entitled "Absorbent Article Having a Rewet Barrier", issued to Trombetta et al. on February 8, 1997, each of which patents are incorporated herein by reference. Whatever the two-component fiber used here, it must be substantially insensitive to moisture so as not to absorb an amount of fluid that would either hinder the rewetting of the primary material 1 5 or cause the structural integrity of the primary material to collapse or be compromised in another way. The primary material 15 must have an operable level of density and basis weight to quickly acquire and then drain the liquid surges towards the underlying secondary material, thus remaining substantially empty to receive the subsequent liquid charges, i.e. the connections . The primary material 1 5 must have sufficient void volume capacity to temporarily retain the amount of liquid that is typically discharged by a user during a single load or liquid loads in the frame 10. Insufficient void volume capacity may result in puddling of excessive fluid against the user's skin or in excessive fluid leakage. It should be noted herein that the primary material 15 preferably substantially comprises non-cellulosic material or any type of absorbent fiber that would retain and not substantially transfer all of the fluid received by the primary material 15 to the secondary material 20 and / or the fibers. 22 within an opening 25. The secondary material 20 preferably comprises from about 10% by weight to about 90% by weight of cellulosic material and from about 10% by weight to about 90% by weight of synthetic material. More preferably, the secondary material 20 comprises from about 10% by weight of a synthetic fiber such as polyolefin to about 90% by weight of a cellulosic fiber such as wood pulp or rayon. The purpose of the secondary material is to create an absorbent, liquid retention structure for the fluid conveyed to the secondary material 20 by the primary material 15. This is especially effective where the 1 0 screen is only the absorbent and retaining structure of the material. primary fluid inside the absorbent article. The absorbent materials suitable for use in the secondary material 20 are ground wood pulp, which is generally referred to as air felt, accreted cellulose wadding; melt blown polymers including coform; chemically hardened, modified or cross-linked cellulosic fibers; synthetic fibers such as bent polyester fibers, polyester, polyamines and polyolefins; peat moss; tissue including tissue wraps and tissue laminates; absorbent foams; absorbent sponges; superabsorbent polymers; gelling absorbent materials; or any equivalent material or combinations of materials, or mixtures thereof. Figure 3 provides a perspective view of a section of the forming process for the weft 10. Specifically, a first series of fibers 1 7 for the primary material 15 are shown as being placed on a shaped screen 80 having alternating raised portions 70 in everything. Figure 3 shows the shaped screen 80 which is partially filled with fibers 1 7, but in practice, this screen 80 would be completely filled from one part to the other with the fibers 17. In addition, the relief portions 70 are shown to be of pyramidal form. However, as shown in Figures 4A, 4B and 4C, the relief portions can be of any shape desired by the manufacturer, eg, pyramidal, conical, cylindrical, polygonal, spherical, etc. , to produce an opening 25 with the desired shape 25. The shapes of the openings may therefore include conical, pyramidal, polygonal, cylindrical, spherical and any non-conventional or irregular shape desired by the manufacturer. It is noted herein that various types of raised portions 70 can be used on a shaped screen 80. The type of relief portion 70 used will depend on the shape, contour and structure of the desired openings within the primary material 1 5. Preferably, the upper portion of a relief portion 70 will have a surface area that is less than or equal to the surface area of the base of that relief portion 70. More preferably, the side surfaces of the relief portion 70 will provide a cut or tapered away from the upper portion of the raised portion 70. Where a raised portion 70 provides a tapered offset away from its upper portion (see FIGS. 4A and 4B), the fibers placed by a forming head toward the configured screen 80 will move toward down the sides of the embossed, tapered portions 70, and will collect in the recessed areas in the 80 sieve remote from the raised portions 70. By the term "recessed areas" As used herein, those areas on the screen 80 that are occupied by a raised portion 70 are implied. This mechanism is especially important when a manufacturer seeks to densify a frame 10 as discussed with respect to Figure 7. It is further noted that the height reached by the first fibers 17 placed on the configured screen 80 is limited. That is, the height of the fibers 17 will preferably not extend from the base to the top of any raised portion 70. Instead, the fibers 17 will be placed on the screen 80 in such a way that there would be no substantial resistance for the second series of fibers 22 completely penetrate the openings 25. The height of the first series of fibers 17, which forms the primary material 1 5, is limited to ensure that the opening opening in the lower surface 1 8 of the primary material 1 5 is large enough to allow transfer substantially without resistance of the fibers 22 therethrough. The modality discussed in Figure 8 is a specific type of modality that illustrates the alternatives herein and should be considered as an exception to the previously established criteria for placing a first series of fibers 1 7 on a configured 80 screen. Figures 5 and 5A show cross sections of two 1 0-wefts. Both figures show an additional absorbent material 30 located adjacent to the lower surface of the secondary material 20. Figure 5A shows an additional absorbent material 30 placed adjacent to the lower surface of the secondary material 20. Figure 5A represents an alternate modality here, wherein the additional absorbent material is placed adjacent to the weft 1 0. The absorbent material 30 may be the same or similar to the absorbent material used in the secondary material 20. In one embodiment of the absorbent article, the absorbent material 30 may represent a absorbent core of a conventional disposable absorbent article, for example, a diaper or catamenial product. Also disclosed in Figures 5 and 5A are the additives and elements included within the secondary material 20. The elements 40 may be materials responsible for adding fluid absorption, odor control, fragrance release, etc. These elements can be selected from the group consisting of gelling absorbent materials, zeolite, charcoal, silica, cyclodextrins, heat-binding fibers, perfume and combinations thereof. It is further distinguished herein that the weft 10 may comprise as many levels or layers of material as desired by a manufacturer. In fact, multiple layers, ie, at least two, of different types of fibers with denier, base weights, and varying material sizes can be employed as part of the invention herein. Figure 8 describes an alternative embodiment of the present, wherein a 1 0 frame comprises layers or multiple levels of material. A primary material 1 5 is positioned adjacent to a secondary material 20, which poses adjacent to a tertiary material 30. Also, the openings 25 of varying shapes are arranged within the primary and secondary materials and lead to the tertiary material 30. These openings 25 may, either, be filled with an absorbent material of fibers similar to those in the materials underlying the primary material 15, and / or the openings 25 may be unfilled and thus serve as an immediate conduit to the underlying materials primary material 1 5. For example, the central opening of the frame 10, that is, that opening 25 having the pyramidal or conical shape, is not substantially filled with any fiber, absorbent or otherwise. It would serve to allow the fluid to enter directly into the secondary material 20 and the tertiary material 30 as it collides with an unfilled hole 25. It is noted herein that the fibers within the openings 25 of Figure 8 are shown as fibers of the tertiary material 30, however, these fibers can also be of secondary material 20. It is further noted here that any of the elements mentioned here (for example, perfume, odor absorbers, etc.) can also be located within the secondary material 20 and / or the tertiary material 30 of the weft 10 of Figure 8. A combination of unfilled and filled openings 25 can be used in the two-layer or multilayer absorbent composite wefts 10 of the present. By the term "multi-layer" is meant a composite screen of the present having at least two levels of material within its structure. Suitable odor and / or perfume control agents are described in U.S. Patent No. 5,591,146 issued to Hasse on January 7, 1997 and in U.S. Patent Application No. 08 / 635,221. filed on April 17, 1996, entitled "Absorbing article with agents that conceal the odor released by the fastening system" and United States patent applications No. 08/764, 817 filed on December 12, 1996 , entitled "A diaper that has perfume areas", each of which is incorporated herein by reference. Figure 9 discloses an alternate embodiment, wherein the openings 25 extend from the upper surface 21 to the lower surface 23 of the secondary material 20. This is an inversion of the structure of the weft 10 in Figure 2. Additionally, the fibers 1 7 inside the openings 25 are those fibers that form the primary material 1 5. The frame 1 0 of Figure 9 is shown upside down, whereby the lower surface 23 of the secondary material is shown facing upwards. This view of the weft is intended to clearly indicate the openings 25 and fibers 1 7 that are located therein. In practice, the primary material of Figure 9 is that material that it gives to a user and the secondary material gives away from a user. While not wishing to be bound by any particular theory, it is believed here that as fluid is acquired in the upper surface 16 of the primary material 1 in Figure 9, the fluid will travel through the openings 25 along the fibers. I move to an underlying absorbent element or to secondary material 20 for storage. It is distinguished herein that the weft 10 of Figure 9 is not a structure that is unique as the weft 10 in Figure 2. That is, there should be an accompanying absorbent element placed adjacent to or almost adjacent to the bottom surface 23 of the secondary material 20. It is not the intent of any embodiment of the present to allow fluid flow through an absorbent composite web 10 of the present without its capture and storage. The process of making the embodiment disclosed in Figure 9 is the same as that disclosed for Figure 2, except that the fibers 22 for the secondary material 20 are introduced by the first forming head 120. Also, the fibers 17 for the primary material 1 5 are introduced by the second forming head 135. That is, the secondary material 20 with the openings therein is formed first, and the primary material 5 is formed at the end. This represents an investment in the order of production for the primary and secondary materials in Figure 2. Although the particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other changes can be made and modification is without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, it is intended to protect in the appended claims all these changes and modifications that are within the scope of the present invention.

Claims (9)

1. REIVI NDICATIONS 1. A process for forming an absorbent composite web, characterized in that the process comprises the steps of: a) supplying a plurality of first fibers to a shaped screen having a plurality of portions in relief thereon; b) placing the first fibers on the screen configured to form a primary material having an upper surface and a lower surface; c) removing the primary material from the configured screen, the primary material having openings corresponding to the raised portions of the configured screen; and d) filling the openings of the primary material with a plurality of second fibers.
2. 2. The process according to claim 1, further providing the step of placing said plurality of second fibers on the lower surface of the primary material to produce a secondary material placed adjacent to the primary material, said secondary material having a top surface positioned adjacent to the primary material. the bottom surface of the primary material and a lower surface placed away from the primary material.
3. 3. The process according to claim 2, further providing the step of joining the primary material and the secondary material by means of fixation to form a composite, multilayer, absorbent composite web, said fixing means being selected from the group consisting of thermal joints, ultrasonic joints, mechanical dynamic joints, adhesive joints, mechanical joints, and combinations thereof.
4. The process according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the raised portions of the shaped screen comprise shapes selected from the group consisting of pyramidal shapes, conical shapes, cylindrical shapes, spherical shapes, rectangular shapes, polygonal shapes and combinations thereof.
5. The process according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the first fibers of the primary material may comprise nonwoven fibers selected from the group consisting of single component fibers, two component fibers, three component fibers and combinations of the same.
6. The process according to claim 2, 3 or 5, wherein the secondary material comprises synthetic material and cellulosic fibers, said secondary material most preferably comprising a ratio of synthetic to cellulose fiber from 10 to 90.
7. 7. The process according to claim 6, wherein the synthetic material comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of polyolefin, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyester, polyamines, superabsorbent polymers and combinations thereof.
8. The process according to claim 6, wherein the cellulosic fibers comprise at least one fiber selected from the group consisting of ground wood pulp, creped cellulose wadding, chemically hardened, curled cellulosic fibers, and combinations thereof .
9. 9. The process according to any of claims 2-3, 5-8, wherein the secondary material may further comprise an element selected from the group consisting of gelling absorbent material, zeolite, charcoal, silica, cyclodextrins, perfume. and combinations thereof.