Surgery – Means and methods for collecting body fluids or waste material – Absorbent pad for external or internal application and...
Patent
1988-10-11
1992-09-22
Isabella, David
Surgery
Means and methods for collecting body fluids or waste material
Absorbent pad for external or internal application and...
604375, 604379, 6043851, 604380, 428152, A61F 1315
Patent
active
051493322
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
INTRODUCTION
This invention relates to absorbent and cushioning products and processes for their manufacture, in which as one step in their manufacture, the products are given desirable attributes by a longitudinal microcompressive treatment. The invention, in certain broad aspects, includes absorptive menstrual products, including tampons and pads, other products for use next to the skin for cushioning or absorption of bodily fluids, and other products which have similar requirements.
In certain aspects, the invention relates to products made of batts of long fibers such as cotton or rayon and in other aspects the invention relates to products made of inexpensive air-laid fluff pulp. The invention includes unique combinations of such materials with superabsorbent substances.
BACKGROUND
Despite decades of research by major companies in the field of absorptive and cushioning products, a basic difficulty often remains, that either the final product is objectionably bulky prior to use, or in use, it does not have the level of performance desired.
The disadvantage of large bulk may be encountered at any stage in manufacture, distribution or use. For instance, products may occupy too much space on the shelves of retail stores, in storage cabinets at home, or when carried by or worn by the user. Efforts to overcome these disadvantages oftentimes result in compromise of performance or increase of cost.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is realized that an old technique, that of longitudinal compressive treatment of a web-form layer, by proper selection of starting materials, and by preserving its longitudinally compressed form, can lead to improved final products, in having lower pre-use bulk and better performance at practical cost. Many aspects of the invention take advantage, in use, of release of stored mechanical energy in the web, while in other aspects advantage is taken of the melding together of two layers, e.g. a fibrous distributing layer and a superabsorbent layer, during simultaneous longitudinal compressive treatment.
In another aspect of the invention, the efficiency of use of superabsorbent materials in many respects is enhanced by microcompressive treatment of the superabsorbent layer itself or of an absorbent layer combined with a superabsorbent layer.
In another aspect of the invention, a unique puff-up product is provided which enables the product to remain in dense form until use, and then, by repeated tensioning, to be rendered lofty and soft for use.
According to still another aspect of the invention, a highly dense absorbent pad is constructed which, though made of inexpensive and "dead" materials such as air-laid fluff pulp, is made capable of substantial liveliness and expansion when wetted.
According to still another aspect of the invention, products with these various attributes are produced by use of a matched serrated roll microcreper which provides bands of high density, microundulated material interspersed with bands of lesser density, microundulated material.
According to one broad aspect, the invention features a product comprising at least a first layer of fibers, the layer residing in a thickened, shortened microundulated state as a result of longitudinal micro-compressive treatment, the layer being characterized by being shortened at least 20% of its original length in the direction of treatment, there being at least 10 microundulations per inch in the layer in the direction of the treatment, the compressed-together relationship achieved by the treatment being substantially preserved in the product with adjacent microundulations in the layer residing with their sides abutting one another, the microundulated layer being shape-retentive and having stored mechanical energy capable, under activating conditions, to cause the product to expand.
Preferred embodiments of this aspect of the invention have the following features. The layer comprises long fibers in a substantially unbounded state, the shortened, compressed-together relationship being in the direction of the length of th
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Munchbach George E.
Walton Richard C.
Walton Richard R.
Young Robert W.
Isabella David
Reichle K.
Walton Richard R.
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