Center-fill absorbent article with reusable frame member

Details Center-fill absorbent article with reusable frame member Center-fill absorbent article with reusable frame member

1999-10-01

2004-07-20

Calvert, John J. (Department: 3761)

Surgery

Means and methods for collecting body fluids or waste material

Absorbent pad for external or internal application and...

C604S393000, C604S385190

Reexamination Certificate

active

06764477

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
High-performance absorbent articles for feminine care and incontinence care tend to be too expensive for many peoples of the world. Disposable absorbent articles in less developed nations tend to be crude and much more prone to leakage than the more expensive articles available in more developed countries.
One long-elusive goal for high-performance articles is center fill, in which the absorbed fluid is predominantly retained in the center and is generally restrained from wicking to the sides of the article, from whence leakage may occur. 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, though several attempts have been proposed to reduce leakage and promote center fill. For example, fluid impervious cuffs and flaps have been widely used or proposed. These added barriers are costly and do not prevent fluid from reaching the edge of the absorbent article, though they can be effective in reducing leakage in some absorbent articles.
What is needed is a low-cost means of providing high-performance in sanitary napkins and related absorbent articles. What is needed further is an improved, low-cost means for promoting center fill and reducing flow toward the edges of the absorbent article for leakage reduction that offers improved feel and appearance of the article while also reducing leakage and reducing smearing of fluids across the surface of the article or other forms of failure.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A high-performance center-fill absorbent article such as a sanitary napkin has been invented comprising a reusable frame member which receives a smaller detachable and replaceable single-use absorbent device. The reusable frame member comprises a flexible, resilient outer shaping member which surrounds the single-use absorbent device and holds it in place against the body of the wearer for better body fit and flow control. The reusable frame member also can provide further leakage control through additional barriers to fluid flow, desirably through the use of a wicking barrier such as an impervious polymeric film on a portion of the body-side surface of the reusable frame member to prevent leakage from the sides of the single-use absorbent device. Desirably, the outer shaping member in the reusable frame has a central void for receiving the single-use absorbent device, with a wicking barrier lining the sides of the void and extending laterally outward therefrom to reside on the surface of the outer shaping member to prevent soiling of the outer shaping member by body fluid. Also desirably, the wicking barrier or other impervious film extends across the central void to define a liquid impervious sublayer which can prevent fluid from escaping the central void and/or provide a surface for holding the single-use absorbent device in the central void.
The single-use absorbent device is an inexpensive, disposable absorbent element such as a commercial ultrathin pad or pantiliner that is capable of receiving and holding a substantial quantity of fluid, and that can be discarded and replaced with a fresh single-use absorbent device. Thus, a composite sanitary napkin or incontinence device comprising a reusable frame and a replaceable single-use absorbent device offers an economical, high-performance article. A reusable frame comprising an outer shaping member combined with a single-use absorbent device provides leakage protection superior to that possible with the single-use absorbent device alone. The improved leakage protection is generally due to the enhanced body fit and flow containment offered by the reusable frame and by the center-fill geometry offered by the composite absorbent article.
The single-use absorbent devices suited for use with the reusable frame member desirably comprise a liquid pervious topsheet, a baffle layer connected to the topsheet, an absorbent core between the topsheet and the baffle layer, and attachment means for detachable connection to the reusable frame member such as adhesive material on the baffle layer and release paper over the adhesive material. The single-use absorbent device can be detachably connected to the reusable frame member once the release paper has been removed, exposing the adhesive on the single-use absorbent device. The single-use absorbent device can be placed within a central void within the outer shaping member of the surrounding reusable frame, which is the most preferred embodiment, or can lie substantially above the outer shaping member. After use, the single-use absorbent device can be removed from the reusable frame member and replaced with a new single-use absorbent device without always requiring disposal of the reusable frame member.
The reusable frame comprises an outer shaping member and means to prevent premature soiling of the outer shaping member such as at least one of a wicking barrier on the body-side surface of the outer shaping member or a hydrophobic surface on the outer shaping member, especially a surface that is unitary therewith. The reusable frame further comprises an impervious sublayer beneath the central void for holding the single-use absorbent device (e.g., by direct contact therewith or by supporting an additional layer of material above the impervious sublayer but beneath the central void) and/or for preventing fluid from escaping from the central void. The impervious sublayer may be directly visible through the central void when viewed from above body-side surface of the reusable frame member, or may be covered by another layer of material. The impervious sublayer may be integral with the wicking barrier, as is the case when the wicking barrier is a single polymeric film extending over the outer shaping member and across the central void, descending into the central void to maintain a void for receiving the single-use absorbent device. Alternatively, the impervious sublayer may be a part of a backsheet on the garment-side surface of the reusable frame member.
The outer shaping member, in some embodiments, is absorbent and can absorb body fluids, but this should only occur when the central absorbent member is substantially loaded with fluid. In other words, the outer shaping member may provide additional absorbent capacity to prevent leakage if that of the central absorbent member is exceeded, but under normal use the fluid is received by the central absorbent member and is hindered from wicking into an absorbent outer shaping member by virtue of a wicking barrier or hydrophobic treatment on the surface of the outer shaping member. But when fluid wicks to the longitudinal ends of the central absorbent member or other selected regions that are normally only wetted when the central absorbent member is highly loaded, the wicking barrier may be absent there or provided with apertures to enable fluid access to the outer shaping member.
The reusable frame and the outer shaping member generally have a size similar to known sizes for high-performance absorbent articles, being small enough to fit the user comfortably but large enough to receive a smaller single-use absorbent device such as a pantiliner. In particular, the reusable frame is wider than the single-use absorbent device.
In conventional sanitary napkins and other absorbent articles, the article can become excessively bunched or compressed when wetted because the material of the absorbent core collapses when wetted. In contrast, even when the outer shaping member of the present invention is cellulosic, by maintaining the outer shaping member in a dry state, it can maintain its shaping and body fit functions throughout use. Thus, the outer shaping member can serve as a shaping and body fit element as well as a “cradle” to hold the single-use absorbent device and the wicking barrier in place.
Hence, in one aspect, the present invention resides in a flexible, reusable frame member attachable to the undergarments of a wearer for receiving a suitable single-use absorbent device, the single-use absorbent device b

Affiliated with

Also associated with

Rating

Center-fill absorbent article with reusable frame member does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Center-fill absorbent article with reusable frame member, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Center-fill absorbent article with reusable frame member will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3187192