Surgery – Means and methods for collecting body fluids or waste material – Absorbent pad for external or internal application and...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-01
2003-09-02
Lo, Weilun (Department: 3761)
Surgery
Means and methods for collecting body fluids or waste material
Absorbent pad for external or internal application and...
C604S379000, C604S385280
Reexamination Certificate
active
06613955
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
To prevent leakage of body exudates from absorbent articles such as feminine care pads or napkins and disposable diapers, it is desirable that the exudates not reach the edges of the absorbent material in the article. A “center fill” strategy is desirable for leakage control, wherein fluids are preferentially held in a central region of the article. Unfortunately, in traditional absorbent articles, there is generally no barrier to bulk flow or capillary wicking from the target region to the edges of the article, so leaking from the edges of the article is a persistent problem. Thus, in traditional articles, fluid entering the center of the article still has the potential to travel to the sides and leak. Flow from the center to the sides can be especially rapid when the article is compressed, bringing the wet central portion of the article in contact with absorbent material at the sides of the article.
A variety of wicking barriers have been proposed, including barriers between absorbent components of an absorbent core. However, such wicking barriers generally serve a negative purpose only, that of hindering wicking and lack means for directly channeling flow. What is needed are flow barriers in an absorbent article that not only obstruct flow but provide void volume for receiving flow and means for directing flow to available absorbent material. Ideally, such barriers should also promote effective center fill performance of the absorbent article and efficient use of the absorbent materials of the absorbent core, while also functioning to improve body fit.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In an absorbent article comprising a central absorbent member separated from the rest of the absorbent core by a flexible wicking barrier such as a polymeric film that hinders flow from the central absorbent member to the longitudinal sides of the article, it has been discovered that the wicking barrier can be modified to define cuffs that intercept and receive fluid. The cuffs can extend longitudinally or in other directions to form flow channels capable of directing fluid to desired destinations in the absorbent core. These benefits can be achieved when the wicking barrier reverses direction (e.g., is folded back upon itself) with opposing edges of the wicking barrier being closer to each other than are the outer portions of the wicking barrier where the reversal or folding occurs.
Desirably, the cuffs extend in a substantially longitudinal direction with the loci of folding occurring in the longitudinal direction, with the longitudinal edges of the wicking barrier reversing back toward the longitudinal centerline of the article. Thus, a transverse cross-section of an absorbent article with substantially longitudinal wicking barrier cuffs can show that the wicking barrier extends laterally outward from the sides of the central absorbent member toward the longitudinal sides of article but then reverses direction such that the edges of the wicking barrier are disposed laterally inward from the laterally outermost portions of the wicking barrier. Spacer means can also be provided to hold the cuff open, providing void space between the upper and lower portions of the folded-over wicking barrier, with the void space being accessible to fluid flowing from the center of the absorbent article toward the longitudinal sides thereof.
Hence, in one aspect, the invention resides in an absorbent article for use on the body of a wearer, the absorbent article having two longitudinal sides, a target zone and a body side, the absorbent article comprising:
a) a liquid impervious backsheet;
b) a liquid pervious topsheet attached to the backsheet;
c) an absorbent core positioned between the topsheet and the backsheet, the absorbent core comprising an outer absorbent member and a central absorbent member, the outer absorbent member having a width in the target zone greater than the width of the central absorbent member in the target zone; and
d) a wicking barrier spanning a vertical distance between the outer absorbent member and the central absorbent member, further comprising a folded-over portion above the absorbent core forming a wicking barrier cuff open toward the central absorbent member, the wicking barrier cuff further comprising optional spacer means to hold the cuff open to receive fluid.
In another aspect, the invention resides in an absorbent article having a longitudinal direction, a transverse direction, a vertical direction substantially normal to both the longitudinal and transverse directions, and a body side, comprising:
a) a fluid pervious topsheet on the body side of the article;
b) a backsheet connected to the topsheet;
c) an absorbent core having a body side surface, the core being disposed between the backsheet and the topsheet, the core comprising an outer absorbent member having a central void open toward the body side of the article, and a central absorbent member disposed over the central void of the outer absorbent member and extending into the void; and
d) a wicking barrier disposed between the outer absorbent member and the central absorbent member, the wicking barrier comprising a vertical component between the outer absorbent member and the central absorbent member and a wicking barrier cuff on the body side surface of the absorbent core.
The central void can be a hole that passes completely through the outer absorbent member, or can be a depressed region within a contiguous, uninterrupted outer absorbent member. In one embodiment, the central void longitudinally divides the outer absorbent member into two discontiguous sections. In other embodiments, the outer absorbent member is divided by the central void in the crotch region, but the outer absorbent member may be contiguous in the front or back portions of the article (i.e., the central void does not extend substantially beyond the crotch region).
In another aspect, the invention resides in an absorbent article for use on the body of a wearer, the absorbent article having two longitudinal sides, a target zone and a body side, the absorbent article comprising:
a) a liquid impervious backsheet;
b) a liquid pervious topsheet attached to the backsheet;
c) an absorbent core positioned between the topsheet and the backsheet, the absorbent core comprising a central portion and an outer portion; and
d) a wicking barrier spanning a vertical distance between the outer portion and the central portion, further extending laterally outward from the central portion toward a longitudinal side of the article to span a first horizontal distance, whereupon the wicking barrier folds back upon itself toward the longitudinal centerline, spanning a second horizontal distance and forming a wicking barrier cuff with an upper layer and a lower layer, the cuff being open toward the central absorbent member and closed toward the longitudinal sides of the article.
In another aspect, the invention resides in an absorbent article for use on the body of a wearer, the absorbent article having two longitudinal sides, a longitudinal centerline, a target zone and a body side, the absorbent article comprising:
a) a backsheet;
b) a liquid pervious topsheet attached to the backsheet;
c) a central absorbent member positioned between the topsheet and the backsheet, the central absorbent member comprising longitudinal sides and a body-side surface;
d) a wicking barrier that extends beneath the central absorbent member, wraps the longitudinal sides thereof, and thereupon extends a horizontal distance on the body-side surface thereof toward the longitudinal centerline of the absorbent article; and
e) spacer means to provide void space between the central absorbent member and the portion of the wicking barrier above the body-side surface of the central absorbent member, thereby forming a wicking barrier cuff.
In another aspect, the invention resides in an absorbent article for use on the body of a wearer, the absorbent article having two longitudinal sides, a target zone, a body side, and a longitudinal centerline, the absorbent article comprising:
a
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