Surgery – Means and methods for collecting body fluids or waste material – Absorbent pad for external or internal application and...
Reexamination Certificate
1998-02-23
2001-11-20
Ruhl, Dennis (Department: 3761)
Surgery
Means and methods for collecting body fluids or waste material
Absorbent pad for external or internal application and...
C604S385080
Reexamination Certificate
active
06320096
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to disposable training pants used to wean infants from diapers.
Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open (Kokai) No. Hei7-33916 discloses training pants for infants, in which a topsheet of the pants is provided on an upper surface thereof with wetness indicator means having a water hold capacity per unit area higher than that of the topsheet itself.
However, it is difficult for the training pants of the prior art to provide the pants wearer with an uncomfortable feeling of wetness unless the wetness indicator means is adequately wetted. In other words, the wetness indicator means cannot satisfactorily function when an amount of discharged urine, i.e., an amount of urine held in the wetness indicator means, is relatively small.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the problem as has been described above, it is a principal object of the invention to provide improved training pants that gives a wearer a significant feeling of wetness even when an amount of discharged urine is relatively small.
The object set forth above is achieved, according to the invention, by disposable training pants comprising a liquid-permeable topsheet layer, a liquid-impermeable backsheet layer and a liquid-absorbent core disposed between these two sheet layers and having a front waist region, a rear waist region and a crotch region extending between the front and rear waist regions. The topsheet layer is formed in a transverse middle thereof at least in the crotch region with a liquid-impermeable zone having a hydrophobicity higher than laterally opposite side zones adjacent the middle zone.
The laterally opposite side zones may be either hydrophilic or liquid-permeable and hydrophilic.
According to an alternative embodiment, the topsheet layer entirely covers the absorbent core and comprises a liquid-permeable and slightly hydrophobic or hydrophilic first sheet and a liquid-impermeable and highly hydrophobic second sheet placed on an upper surface of the first sheet in a transverse middle thereof and indirectly covering the absorbent core partially in a transverse direction thereof.
The second sheet may comprise a liquid-impermeable and highly hydrophobic zone in a transverse middle of the second sheet and hydrophilic zones extending on both sides of the liquid-impermeable and highly hydrophobic zone.
According to still another embodiment, the second sheet comprises highly hydrophobic zones and slightly hydrophobic or hydrophilic zones alternately arranged transversely of the absorbent core.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5431643 (1995-07-01), Ouellette et al.
patent: 5743776 (1998-04-01), Igaue et al.
patent: 0 615 738 (1994-09-01), None
patent: 0 661 031 (1995-07-01), None
patent: 2081098 (1982-02-01), None
patent: WO96/12459 (1996-05-01), None
Inoue Yasushi
Otsubo Toshifumi
Lowe Hauptman & Gilman & Berner LLP
Ruhl Dennis
Uni-Charm Corporation
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