Surgery – Means and methods for collecting body fluids or waste material – Absorbent pad for external or internal application and...
Patent
1991-11-14
1993-05-18
Green, Randall L.
Surgery
Means and methods for collecting body fluids or waste material
Absorbent pad for external or internal application and...
A61F 1315
Patent
active
052116417
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to a disposable absorbent article, such as a diaper, an incontinence guard or like article, which comprises a liquid-permeable casing layer, which when the article is worn lies nearest to the wearer's body, a liquid-impermeable casing sheet or backing sheet, and an absorbent pad enclosed between the two casing sheets.
Disposable absorbent articles, such as children's diapers or diapers which are intended for use as incontinence guards by adults, are normally constructed of a nonwoven layer through which the urine excreted passes, an absorbent layer of, for instance, cellulose fluff, optionally combined with so-called superabsorbents, and a liquid-impervious layer of polyethylene, for instance. For reasons of a process-technical nature, such articles have most often a flat, rectangular configuration, although such product configurations are not preferable in view of the fact that the body contours of the user are anything but flat.
In order to avoid lateral leakage through the sides of the article when worn, it is important that the article does not become folded or wrinkled so that liquid is able to run out through the sides of the article. The problem associated with the formation of folds and wrinkles is, naturally, pronounced when the wearer walks, sits down or moves in any other way, since the thighs of the wearer subject the article to external pressures sufficiently great to deform markedly the absorbent pad incorporated in the article, mainly in its transverse direction. It is thus important to configure the article such that the crotch region thereof will be relatively narrow. By crotch region is meant that region of the article which is intended to be located between the user's thighs when the article is worn. Since it is precisely the crotch region of the article which is responsible for receiving the largest amount of liquid excreted, it is extremely important that this crotch region, despite being narrow, is able to collect and absorb the liquid rapidly and effectively, while obtaining a good lateral seal at the same time.
The problem of lateral leakage cannot be solved solely by so shaping the article in manufacture that its crotch region will be narrower than its front and rear end respectively, since even in this case the article has a flat configuration and is consequently still wrinkled or folded in the crotch region when the absorbent pad is folded along the body of the person wearing the article. Although the liquid-permeable outer materials, essentially nonwoven materials, commercially available at present and used in sanitary products of the type diapers and incontinence guards, will allow a certain amount of liquid to pass rapidly therethrough, when the liquid is excreted quickly in large quantities, as is particularly the case with adult incontinence, part of this liquid will remain on top of the surface material and is therewith able to leak through any folds or wrinkles located between the absorbent pad and the user's body. This is because the absorbent material used predominently in present day absorbent products, namely cellulose fluff, comprises fibres which are so fine that the cavities therebetween become quickly filled locally with liquid, with the result that liquid which remains unabsorbed cannot be absorbed by the material immediately but must remain on top of the surface material.
A sanitary product must also be able to receive and retain a large quantity of liquid while subjected to external forces, both during the time taken for the liquid to penetrate the liquid-permeable outer material and subsequent to the liquid having been absorbed by the absorbent pad.
When manufacturing such articles, it is known to fold the outer, elongated parts of an initially flat and rectangular diaper in towards the central elongated part thereof. The intention is to obtain a crotch region which is narrower than the ends of the diaper. Such diapers are referred to generally as wing-folded diapers and an example of one such diaper is described and illustrated in
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Eiterjord B.ang.ard
Hermansson Jonas
Ronnberg Peter
Roos Anders
Green Randall L.
Jones Mary Beth O.
Molnlycke AB
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