Surgery – Means and methods for collecting body fluids or waste material – Absorbent pad for external or internal application and...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-22
2003-04-29
Lewis, Aaron J. (Department: 3761)
Surgery
Means and methods for collecting body fluids or waste material
Absorbent pad for external or internal application and...
C604S391000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06554816
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to absorbent articles which are adapted to contain body exudates. More particularly, the invention pertains to pant-like disposable absorbent articles having non-irritating refastenable seams, and methods of making such disposable absorbent articles.
Current disposable absorbent training pants for children going through the potty training stage have proved to be a particularly desirable and useful product. Such training pants generally include an absorbent chassis including a liquid impervious outer cover, a liquid pervious bodyside liner and an absorbent structure. The training pants further include stretchable side panels that are permanently bonded to opposite side edges of the absorbent chassis. The chassis and side panels thereby form a unitary waist opening and two leg openings. The fit of the pants may be further enhanced by gathering means along the waist and leg openings.
The components of traditional training pants are permanently seamed together to provide a pant product. Thus, traditional training pants do not employ fastening components such as hook-and-loop type fasteners which can irritate the skin if the fastening components come in contact with the wearer. Moreover, traditional training pants are useful in the toilet training process because the pant has a very garment-like look. Children identify diaper products with babies, and most children do not like being identified with or as babies. Consequently, these children do not want to wear baby diapers, and instead prefer to wear training pants that look like adult underwear. Thus, the switch from a traditional diaper to a more garment-like or underwear-like training pant can be an important step in the toilet training process.
One drawback with current training pants, however, is that the manner of applying them is limited to being pulled on like a pant. Applying the product like a pant is advantageous in many instances, and is particularly suited for active, walking children. Even for the same child, however, there may be times when it would be useful to apply the product like a diaper. For instance, it might be more convenient to apply the product like a diaper when there is a desire not to remove the child's shoes. Because it is difficult to know when a particular mode of applying the garment will be needed, it is beneficial to have a garment that is adaptable to being used either as a diaper or as a pant. This is preferable to keeping both types of garments available. A product that can be applied either like a diaper or a pant permits the interior of the product to be easily checked without having to pull the product downward.
Thus, it would be desirable to have a disposable absorbent article that provides the garment-like look of a traditional training pant, includes fastening components to allow application either like a diaper or a pant, and minimizes the likelihood of fastening components coming into contact with the skin of the wearer.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In response to the above-referenced unfulfilled need in the art, a new pant-like disposable absorbent article with shaped fastening components and a method of making such a disposable absorbent article have been discovered. The absorbent article includes a fastening system that can be repeatedly fastened, unfastened and refastened. The fastening components have interior corners near the leg openings that are recessed to avoid possible irritation of the wearer's skin.
In one embodiment, the present invention pertains to an absorbent article including an absorbent chassis and a fastening system. The absorbent chassis defines a longitudinal axis, a transverse axis, opposite first and second waist regions, and a crotch region which extends between and interconnects the first and second waist regions. The fastening system includes first and second fastening components disposed in the first waist region and adapted to releasably engage at least one mating fastening component disposed in the second waist region. Each first and second fastening component defines an interior corner disposed toward the longitudinal and transverse center of the absorbent chassis, and the interior corner is recessed.
The fastening components and the mating fastening components form refastenable seams for securing the first and second waist regions together. The refastenable seams allow the product to be either pulled on like a pant or applied like a diaper. If the training pant becomes soiled during use, the fastening components can be disengaged from the mating fastening components to easily remove the training pant from the waist of the wearer with reduced risk of undesirably soiling the clothes or legs of the wearer. Further, the fastening components can also be easily disengaged from the mating fastening components to inspect the training pant for possible soiling. Thus, the training pant is configured to be pulled on or off over the hips of the wearer such as conventional training pants and can be readily applied or removed by disengaging the fastening components similar to conventional diapers. Moreover, the first and second fastening components can be repositioned if necessary after the training pant has been pulled on over the legs and hips of the wearer.
The interior corners are recessed relative to their inner end edges and inner side edges in order to minimize skin irritation. When the fastening system is engaged, a relatively high degree of separation force is concentrated near the leg openings of the absorbent article. This relatively high degree of separation force tends to cause the fastening components to separate from one another in a shear mode and/or peel mode near the inner end edges of the fastening components. By recessing the interior corners as disclosed in greater detail hereinafter, the likelihood of the fastening components coming into contact with the skin of the wearer are significantly reduced.
The degree to which the interior corners are recessed can be defined in terms of a boundary arc. The boundary arc represents a radius taken a fixed distance from two imaginary lines emanating from the inner side edge of the fastening component and from the longitudinally innermost point of the fastening component. For purposes of the present invention, the fixed distance is about 2 centimeters, particularly about 1.5 centimeters, such as exactly 1.5 centimeters, and more particularly about 1 centimeter, such as exactly 1 centimeter, for improved performance.
The refastenable seams are formed when the first and second fastening components are engaged with the mating fastening components. The refastenable seams are desirably relatively thin, narrow and flexible to afford the look and feel of a cloth garment. Thus, in particular embodiments, the refastenable seams have a length-to-width ratio of about 2 or greater, such as about 2 to about 25, particularly about 5 or greater, such as about 5 to about 8. The refastenable seams define a length dimension and a width dimension that is perpendicular to the length dimension. For a child of about 9 to about 15 kilograms (20-34 lbs.), for example, the length dimension is desirably from about 5 to about 13 centimeters, such as about 10 centimeters, and the width dimension is desirably from about 0.5 to about 3 centimeters, such as about 2 centimeters. Desirably although not necessarily, the length dimension is aligned generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the absorbent article and the width dimension is aligned generally parallel to the transverse axis of the absorbent article. The term “generally parallel” as used herein refers to an angle within about 35 degrees or less of the referenced axis, and more particularly within about 20 degrees or less of the referenced axis.
The fastening components can comprise any refastenable fasteners suitable for absorbent articles, and desirably comprise mechanical fastening elements rather than adhesive fastening elements. Suitable mechanical fastening elements can be provided by interlocking geometri
Gage Thomas H.
Kimberly-Clarke Worldwide, Inc.
Kubicki M. Michael
Lewis Aaron J.
Webb Jamisue A.
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