Surgery – Means and methods for collecting body fluids or waste material – Absorbent pad for external or internal application and...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-15
2001-10-02
Weiss, John G. (Department: 3761)
Surgery
Means and methods for collecting body fluids or waste material
Absorbent pad for external or internal application and...
C604S385010, C604S385230
Reexamination Certificate
active
06297424
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to absorbent articles, and more particularly to absorbent articles having wetness indicating graphics providing an interactive training aid.
The toilet training process may incorporate a wide variety of different aspects, including many training techniques and training aids that may be used by parents and caregivers, hereinafter simply referred to as caregivers. One aspect of the total toilet training process is the change from diapers to training pants to help the child understand that he or she should now use the toilet just like adults. Another aspect of the total toilet training process includes caregiver instruction as a positive encouragement and reinforcement to the child that he or she should now be using a toilet instead of diapers. Although the use of training pants and positive encouragement from the caregiver has been helpful in the toilet training process, there is still much room for improvement. Specifically, caregivers are still searching for easier and quicker ways to guide their children successfully through the toilet training process.
Many caregivers have difficulty in determining the readiness of a child to begin the toilet training process, and underestimate the difficulty of teaching the toilet training process to young children. If a child does not respond to an initial toilet training instruction or introduction, the caregiver can at a loss for finding techniques, methods, or teaching tools to encourage the child to master the art of toilet training. Thus, while various teaching tools such as books, videotapes, charts with stickers, personalized toilets, and interactive toilet training kits are available, there remains a need for new and improved educational and motivational mechanisms to facilitate the toilet training process.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In response to the discussed deficiencies associated with prior absorbent garments, an absorbent article has been developed that provides toilet training aid benefits through the use of interactive graphics that inform the caregiver and child when an accident has occurred. The interactive graphics can include a permanent character graphic and one or more active object graphics. The object graphics are referred to as “active” because they are constructed to “disappear” or “appear” from view, particularly when the child has an accident and the active object graphic is contacted with urine, but also when the product is in use and the disappearance or appearance occurs over time as a result of exposure to the environment, such as molecules in the air. The interactive wetness indicating graphics can also include a story line in which the permanent character graphic is illustrated performing an activity involving the active object graphic. In this way, the absorbent article may permit the caregiver to interact with the child regarding the story line created by the graphics and may provide an opportunity for the caregiver to teach the child important lessons regarding toilet training due to the active nature of the object graphic.
Hence, in one embodiment, the invention concerns an absorbent article including an outer cover having an interior surface and an opposite exterior surface, and an absorbent assembly disposed on the interior surface of the outer cover. The absorbent article also includes a permanent character graphic and an active object graphic that are disposed on the outer cover, with the permanent character graphic being interactively interrelated with the active object graphic.
The term “active graphic” as used herein refers to an appearing graphic, a fading graphic, or a combination of appearing and fading graphics. The term “appearing graphic” is used herein to refer to a graphic that becomes visible or becomes significantly more visible when exposed to urine, or that becomes visible or becomes significantly more visible with the passage of time when exposed to the environment but not exposed to urine. Conversely, the term “fading graphic” is used herein to refer to a graphic that becomes invisible or significantly less visible when exposed to urine, or that becomes invisible or significantly less visible with the passage of time when exposed to the environment but not exposed to urine.
In particular embodiments, the active graphic can comprise a fading graphic which is formed from an ink that is soluble in aqueous solutions such as urine. The ink is positioned in the absorbent article so that it becomes wet and dissolves when the product is insulted with liquid. Once dissolved, the ink washes away from the outer cover and is obscured by the outer cover. As a result, the active graphic seems to disappear from view.
Suitable urine-soluble inks are available from a variety of commercial vendors, such as Sun Chemical Corp. of Philadelphia, Pa., USA under the trade designation AQUA DESTRUCT. Particular urine-soluble compositions are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,022,211 issued May 10, 1977 to Timmons et al., which is incorporated herein by reference. The ink color can be selected to provide a pleasing appearance and graphic impact, including fading rapidly upon contact with liquid. To facilitate rapid fading, the fading graphics can comprise line drawings having a line width of from about 1 to about 2 millimeters.
The active graphic can also comprise a fading or an appearing graphic which is formed from a composition such as an ink or adhesive that changes color when exposed to an aqueous solution such as urine. A color change composition can be adapted to blend in with a background or surrounding color, either before or after exposure to the aqueous solution. Suitable compositions of this color-change type are available from a variety of commercial vendors, such as a pH-change/color-change hot melt adhesive available from Findley Adhesives, Inc. of Wauwatosa, Wis., USA. Alternatively, the active graphic can comprise pH sensitive inks, fugitive inks, colored absorbent particles, hydratable salts, moisture sensitive films, enzymes, heat sensitive inks and dyes, or the like.
Fading graphics can simply disappear from view, relative to the exterior surface of the outer cover. For example, fading object graphics can be made to disappear into a permanent background graphic. Representative examples include an object graphic such as yellow fish disappearing or fading into a background graphic such as blue water or green weeds; an object graphic such as pink flowers fading into a background graphic such as a green lawn; an object graphic such as lavender sand toys fading into a background graphic such as tan sand; an object graphic such as pink sea shells fading into a background graphic such as tan sand; an object graphic such as small animals fading into a background graphic such as a jungle scene; an object graphic such as frogs fading into a background graphic such as water lilies; an object graphic such as green toys fading into a background graphic such as a yellow floor or blanket area; an object graphic such as pink angels fading into a background graphic such as blue clouds; an object graphic such as a red bone fading from a background graphic such as the inside of a dog's dish; an object graphic such as a cat's yellow yarn balls fading from a background graphic such as a green checkered floor; an object graphic such as a toy car disappearing from a background graphic such as a road; or the like.
The active graphic can also be configured to appear over time due to exposure to the environment. In particular, the active graphic can be responsive to time intervals, temperature levels, oxygen levels, or the like, and combinations thereof. Various visual indicators that appear over time in response to particular conditions are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,058,088 issued Oct. 15, 1991 to Haas et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,053,339 issued Oct. 1, 1991 to Patel; U.S. Pat. No. 5,045,283 issued Sep. 3, 1991 to Patel; U.S. Pat. No. 4,987,849 issued Jan. 29, 1991 to Sherman; U.S. Pat. No. 4,903,254 issued Feb. 20, 1990 to Haas; U.S. Pat. No. 4,812,053
Olson Christopher Peter
Ratliff Kathleen Irene
Weber Shirlee Ann
Gage Thomas M.
Kimberly--Clark Worldwide, Inc.
Webb Jamisue A
Weiss John G.
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