Surgery – Means and methods for collecting body fluids or waste material – Absorbent pad for external or internal application and...
Reexamination Certificate
1998-10-23
2001-07-17
Weiss, John G. (Department: 3761)
Surgery
Means and methods for collecting body fluids or waste material
Absorbent pad for external or internal application and...
C604S385101, C604S358000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06262331
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to disposable absorbent articles, such as disposable diapers. More particularly, the present invention relates to a disposable absorbent article that has a body-facing, extensible topsheet that includes slits that open when the topsheet is subjected to tensile forces and that close when the tensile forces are released.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Infants and other incontinent individuals wear absorbent articles such as diapers and incontinent briefs to receive and contain discharged urine and other body exudates. Such absorbent articles function both to contain the discharged materials and to isolate those materials from the body of the wearer and from the wearer's garments and bed clothing. Disposable absorbent articles having many different basic designs are known in the art. For example, U.S. Reissue Pat. No. Re. 26,152, entitled “Disposable Diaper,” which issued on Jan. 31, 1967, to Duncan et al., describes a basic disposable diaper structure that has achieved wide acceptance and considerable commercial success.
Disposable absorbent articles that include a topsheet having a single, relatively large area aperture to permit fecal material to pass therethrough are known. Such structures are directed to isolating the fecal material from the body of the wearer. Examples of such known structures are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,037,416, entitled “Disposable Absorbent Article Having Elastically Extensible Topsheet,” which issued on Aug. 6, 1991, to Allen et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,269,775, entitled “Trisection Topsheets for Disposable Absorbent Articles and Disposable Absorbent Articles Having Such Trisection Topsheets,” which issued on Dec. 14, 1993, to Freeland et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,624,422, entitled “Absorbent Article Having an Extendible Split Core,” which issued on Apr. 29, 1997, to Allen.
In addition to isolating fecal material from the body of the wearer, it is also highly desirable that fecal material be concealed from view upon removal of the absorbent article from the body of the wearer. Such concealment is especially desirable when the fecal material is in semi-solid or fluid form, which is typical of bowel movements of newborn and very young infants, and of others suffering from diarrhea. Accordingly, it is an aspect of the present invention to provide a disposable absorbent article that is so configured as to block from view as much as possible of semi-solid and fluid fecal material that is received in article during use.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Briefly stated, in accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an absorbent article that is worn about the waist and lower torso. The article includes a liquid impervious backsheet having an outer, garment-facing surface and an inner, body-facing surface. An absorbent core is provided adjacent the body-facing surface of the backsheet. The absorbent core has a shape to enable the core to be placed adjacent the crotch area of the body of a wearer and has the capacity to absorb liquids. A flexible, liquid-impervious topsheet overlies the absorbent core, the topsheet including a plurality of spaced discontinuities that are substantially closed when the topsheet is in an untensioned condition and that are open to define a plurality of spaced openings extending through the topsheet when the topsheet is subjected to tension, to enable solid and semi-solid fecal materials to pass through the topsheet to the absorbent core. Upon removal of the article form the wearer the topsheet openings close to substantially conceal the fecal material.
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Nakahata Hiroshi
Roe Donald C.
Miller Steven W.
Rasser Jacobus C.
Ruhl Dennis
The Procter & Gamble & Company
Weirich David M.
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