Surgery – Means and methods for collecting body fluids or waste material – Absorbent pad for external or internal application and...
Patent
1997-04-03
1999-04-06
Clarke, Robert A.
Surgery
Means and methods for collecting body fluids or waste material
Absorbent pad for external or internal application and...
604387, A61F 1315
Patent
active
058911251
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This is a 371 of PCT/US95/10354 which is the PCT filing of European application 94202428.2 filed on Aug. 24, 1994.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to disposable absorbent articles comprising a gas bubble to raise the body facing surface of the article towards the wearer especially in the area of liquid discharge. In particular the present invention relates to sanitary napkins, catamenials incontinence inserts and pantyliners comprising an air bubble between backsheet and absorbent core to raise the absorbent core and the topsheet towards the perineal area of female users. The gas bubble is filled with gas such that it yields to external pressures in order to maintain a comfortable fit of the absorbent article.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The basic problem of achieving an absorbent article which closely contacts the body surface around the liquid discharge area of wearers of such articles has been addressed by various designs heretoforth. However, the designs and features suggested in this respect can be further improved for comfort and convenience in respect to the widely varying surface topography of different wearers. This is underlined by the lack of widely available products having features which raise the body facing surface towards the wearer.
WO-9207535 discloses topsheet raising devices in the form of resilient longitudinal spacing structures. The spacing structure is activated by side pressure from the thighs of the wearer. WO-9014063 discloses a hose-like absorption body which also spaces the topsheet away from the absorbent core thereby producing a void space for additional absorption capacity in an absorbent product. U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,824 discloses a labia-pad which is anatomically conformed by folding and confining the product into a raised shape. None of these three prior art disclosures refers to hermetically enclosed gas bubbles to provide the desired shaping function.
GB-1,462,467 discloses an absorbent pad construction designed for heavy-load bearing bed pads. GB-1,575,363 discloses bed pads or sanitary dressings having a backsheet of particular resiliency. U.S. Pat. No. 4,723,953 also discloses a particularly soft bed pad construction showing good resiliency. These three documents all refer to a bubble pack type of construction of the impermeable backsheet in order to provide resiliency for the whole of the absorbent article. No particular area in the topsheet is raised to register with any part of the human body according to these disclosures. U.S. Pat. No. 3,881,491 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,921,232 both relate to activatable gas bubbles designed to provide resiliency and form the absorbent article surface into such a shape that it provides for particular benefits in acquiring bodily exudates. Both documents particularly relate to the separation of feces by providing pockets within the body-facing surface of the absorbent article. These designs have the drawback that they need an activation liquid usually urine. On top of that, the uncertainty in gas amount created raises questions of consistency of design and function.
It is therefore an objective of the present invention to provide an absorbent article with a gas bubble which is yielding so as to comfortably conform the body-facing surface of the article to the individual topography of the wearer particularly in the area of liquid discharge.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention a disposable article for absorbing liquid by placing it adjacent a body discharge area is provided. The article has a body-facing surface, typically provided by a liquid permeable substrate of fibrous or film-like structure; a garment facing surface, typically provided by a liquid impermeable substrate and an absorbent core placed between the body facing surface and the garment facing surface. The absorbent article has a longitudinal and a lateral axis and is characterised by comprising a yielding gas bubble, preferably an air bubble, to raise the body facing surface towards the liquid discharge area o
REFERENCES:
patent: 5330459 (1994-07-01), Lavon et al.
patent: 5505720 (1996-04-01), Walters et al.
patent: 5520674 (1996-05-01), Lavon et al.
Bamber Jeffrey V.
Clarke Robert A.
Milbrada Edward J.
Miller Steven W.
The Procter & Gamble & Company
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