Surgery – Means and methods for collecting body fluids or waste material – Absorbent pad for external or internal application and...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-01-16
2002-11-26
Weiss, John G. (Department: 3761)
Surgery
Means and methods for collecting body fluids or waste material
Absorbent pad for external or internal application and...
C604S386000, C156S062600
Reexamination Certificate
active
06485477
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The invention relates to a blank intended for producing a shaped element in an absorbent product, such as a sanitary towel, an incontinence pad or panty liner, which blank is made from a rigid material and initially has a plane and essentially elongate shape with a longitudinal direction and a transverse direction, two short sides and two long sides, a central portion and two end portions.
The invention also relates to a shaped element for an absorbent product, such as a sanitary towel, an incontinence pad or panty liner, which shaped element is made from a rigid material and has an essentially elongate shape with a longitudinal direction and a transverse direction, two short sides and two long sides, a central portion and two end portions, one end portion of which has a bowl-shaped portion.
The invention also relates to an absorbent product, such as a sanitary towel, an incontinence pad or a panty liner, which product has an essentially elongate shape with two end portions and a central portion located between the end portions, and a longitudinal center line, which product comprises a shaped element and which product has a bowl-shaped portion in one end portion and a ridge-like raised portion in the other end portion.
The invention also includes a method of producing a shaped element according to the above, and also a method of producing an absorbent product, such as a sanitary towel, an incontinence pad or a panty liner.
BACKGROUND
Conventional absorbent products of the type referred to above usually have a plane shape. As the genital area of women does not have a correspondingly plane appearance, problems can therefore arise in fitting and wearing such products. The bearing of the product against the body is not the best that could be desired and if looseness occurs there is also a great risk of leakage.
In order to solve this problem, it has been proposed that the absorbent products should be of bowl-shaped design rather than plane. Broadly speaking, this shape fits better against the contours of the body. A bowl-shaped contour can be achieved by, for example, fitting elastic to the product. EP 155 515 describes how an absorbent product is imparted a bowl-shaped appearance by elastic being fitted in the longitudinal side edges of the product. WO 96/20679 describes an absorbent product which comprises a resilient component and tensioning members in order to give the product a bowl-shaped appearance.
A problem with products of the abovementioned type is that they do not fit particularly well against the anatomy of the wearer but simply have a generally bowl-shaped appearance. Such a shaped product therefore does not have a good fit against the body.
Furthermore, gaps tend to occur between the body of the wearer and the panties of the wearer because many women wear panties of inferior quality, either from the outset or as a result of great age, during their menstruation. When neither the absorbent product nor the panties are capable of maintaining good contact with the body of the wearer, the risk of leakage of menstrual fluid past both the absorbent product and the panties becomes great.
EP 302 523 describes an absorbent product which has a three-dimensionally designed, anatomically adapted shape. The product has an end portion of flat or concave design and an end portion which is provided with a raised portion. The flat or concave end portion is intended to be placed in front of the mons pubis of the wearer and the end portion comprising the raised portion is intended to fit against the buttocks of the wearer. The three-dimensional design of the product is obtained by folding a moderately rigid absorption body. In order to make the raised portion permanent, the rear side of the product is provided with a glued surface in the end portion that is to have the raised portion. When the raised portion has been created, it is preserved with the aid of the glue. One problem with a product of this type is that it tends to collapse under the pressure from the body of the wearer. Another problem is that the glued sealing of the raised portion loses its adhesion and the product is then flattened out.
In order to solve this problem, it has been proposed that products are provided with dimensionally stable, rigid members. Such products are described in SE-A-9604223-9 and SE-A-9604221-3. The members, or shaped elements, which bring about the dimensional stability are three-dimensionally designed members made from material which resists crumpling and flattening when it is subjected to forces from the body of the wearer, for example when the wearer walks or sits on the product.
A problem which is just as great as that constituted by plane absorbent products when they are to be adapted to the three-dimensional anatomy of the wearer is that constituted by the three-dimensional absorbent in the production process. Three-dimensional parts are difficult to handle in a production process, for example when they are to be joined together to form an absorbent product.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
An object of the invention is to remedy the abovementioned problems and produce a shaped element for absorbent products which is easy to produce and also an absorbent product comprising the shaped element, which product is leakproof, comfortable and easy to produce.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
A blank of the type referred to in the introduction, in which problems associated with previously known such products have essentially been removed, is according to the invention characterized in that one end portion on the blank is wider than the central portion and has a width which increases towards the short side of the blank and the other end portion has an elongate cutout, or slit.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the widest part on the end portion is 1.5-5 times as wide as the narrowest width on the central portion.
According to another embodiment, the shaped element has been joined together to form a raised portion in one end portion, from a plane blank, and the bowl-shaped portion has been created with the aid of a fold indication extending in the transverse direction of the shaped element. Additional fold indications, can be arranged essentially in the longitudinal direction of the blank, in at least the central portion of the blank, on each side of a longitudinal center line through the blank.
The invention also includes an absorbent product which is characterized in that a ridge-like raised portion in one end portion of the product has been created by the shaped element being joined together to form a raised portion from a plane blank, and in that a bowl-shaped portion has been created with the aid of a fold indication extending in the transverse direction of the shaped element.
According to an alternative embodiment, the absorbent product has leakage barriers arranged on both sides of the longitudinal center line.
The invention also includes a method of producing a shaped element, which is characterized in that a blank intended to constitute the shaped element is produced in plane form with an essentially elongate shape with a longitudinal direction and a transverse direction, two short sides and two long sides, two end portions and a central portion, where one end portion is given a width which increases towards the short side of the blank and the other end portion is provided with a cutout, the blank is folded double along a longitudinal center line of the blank so that two surfaces are formed on the blank, the cutout is joined together and the joined parts are folded up into a three-dimensional state.
According to the invention, the fold indications can be arranged in the longitudinal direction of the blank before the cutout is joined together.
The invention also includes a method of producing an absorbent product, according to which a blank intended to constitute a shaped element in the absorbent product is produced in plane form with an essentially elongate shape with a longitudinal direction and a transverse direction, two short sides and two long sides, two end portio
Bogart Michael G.
SCA Hygiene Products AB
Weiss John G.
Young & Thompson
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