Surgery – Means and methods for collecting body fluids or waste material – Absorbent pad for external or internal application and...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-07-30
2004-03-09
Lo, Weilun (Department: 3761)
Surgery
Means and methods for collecting body fluids or waste material
Absorbent pad for external or internal application and...
C604S385240
Reexamination Certificate
active
06702795
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to disposable absorbent garments and, more particularly, to a disposable absorbent garment having a stretchable ear portion and a method for making such a disposable absorbent garment.
Disposable absorbent garments contemplated by the invention include disposable diapers, disposable pull-on garments, and the like. These garments are worn about the lower torso or waist of the user so as to receive and contain urine and other bodily wastes. Disposable diapers are particularly intended for use on infants who depend on a caretaker to fit the diaper. Typically, the infant is laid down while the caretaker places the garment around the waist region of the infant and then secures two ends on each side of the diaper together.
Disposable pull-on garments include training pants, pull-on diapers, disposable underwear, and adult incontinence garments. It is generally expected that the user of any one of these garments will be able to put on and take off the garment on his\her own. As for training pants, these garments are intended for use on a young child just before or about the time the child is ready to graduate from diapers to regular underpants (i.e., during toilet training). Training pants (and other disposable pull-on pants) have closed sides such that the user or care giver raises the garment about the user's legs to put it on and slips the garment downward about the user's legs to take it off. Thus, training pants (and other pull-on pants) are designed to be put on and taken off in the same manner by which regular underpants are put on and taken off. This feature is particularly advantageous in toilet training because it provides an early introduction to underpants and, more specifically, trains the child to wear regular underpants. Similarly, it is advantageous that the training pants fit and look very much like regular underpants so that the child is comfortable in making the transition from training pants to regular underpants.
The principal elements that typically makeup the disposable absorbent garments described above are a liquid-permeable inner layer, a liquid-impermeable outer layer and an absorbent core sandwiched between the inner and outer layers. Elastic members may also be incorporated into different parts of the garments. For example, elastic members may be positioned longitudinally along the diaper, generally outboard of the absorbent core to effect a seal around the buttocks, legs or both of the user. In addition, several elastic members (e.g., in the form of elongated elastic threads) may be positioned laterally throughout the waist region (including the side waist regions) of a disposable absorbent garment to allow the garment to stretch when it is put on and then during wear. In this way, the garment can stretch to accommodate variations in waist size and leg size of the user, while fitting snugly about the waist and legs and without sagging. One drawback, however, is that the elastic strands are visible on the outer surfaces of the garment and can interfere to some extent with decorative or instructional printing displayed on the outer surfaces of the garment.
It is also known to provide disposable garments with separate side waist regions in the form of elastic side panels such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,938,753. The elastic side panels described therein have side edges which are attached to the outer edges of a central absorbent core assembly. The elastic side panels may be made from various elastomeric materials or combinations thereof and provide a more uniform fit generally more snug than side waist regions having elongated elastic strands. Moreover, the elastic side panels provide outer surfaces which are more uniform than the outer surfaces on side waist regions having elongated elastic strands. However, the elastomeric material for the side panel does not typically provide for a smooth, even outer surface when the side panels are in either the relaxed state or the stretched state. Accordingly, the side panels are not particularly conducive to having decorative or instructional printing displayed thereon.
Alternatively, it is known to provide a unitary pair of training pants with elasticized ear flaps such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,246,433. The elasticized ear flaps are formed by sandwiching a relaxed elastomeric element between two material layers of the ear flaps, and adhesively attaching the material layers to the relaxed elastomeric element to form an elastic laminate. The design also calls for mechanically stretching the elastic laminate such that the material layers permanently deform. Although the side waist region according to this design generally provides a more uniform fit than a side waist region having elongated elastic strands, the outside surfaces of the side waist region are not conducive to having decorative or instructional print displayed thereon because the mechanically stretched material layers are uneven and cannot fully return to their original undistorted configuration.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is, therefore, a principal object of the present invention to provide a disposable absorbent garment that is stretchable or extendible to fit snugly around the waist region of the user, is comfortable to wear and is conducive to having decorative or instructional printing displayed thereon. More particularly, the disposable absorbent garment should have side waist regions or ear regions that specifically include these attributes.
It is another feature and object of the invention to provide a disposable absorbent garment in the form of a training pant or an adult incontinence garment that fits and looks very much like regular underpants.
It is yet another feature and object of the present invention is to provide a disposable absorbent garment in the form of a diaper that has extendible or elasticated ear portions which provide adjustable and comfortable fit.
It is yet another feature and object of the invention to provide a disposable absorbent garment that can accommodate a wide range of user waist and leg sizes.
It is yet another feature and object of the invention to provide a disposable absorbent garment that is aesthetically pleasing.
It is yet another feature and object of the invention to provide a disposable absorbent garment that fits snugly and minimizes sagging.
It is yet another feature and object of the invention to provide a method of manufacturing a disposable absorbent garment that promotes efficiency and product quality.
Thus, in accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a disposable absorbent garment that includes a first material layer on the inside of the garment (or top sheet), a second material layer on the outside of the garment (or backsheet), and an absorbent core disposed between the inner sheet and the outer sheet. These components are assembled together to form a layered assembly or composite web structure having a front region, a back region, and a crotch region extending between the front region and the back region. The layered assembly is also characterized by a longitudinal plane that extends substantially centrally through each of the front region, back region, and crotch region. Further, each of the front and back regions includes at least a pair of ear portions which extend in substantially opposite lateral directions with respect to the longitudinal plane. At least one, but preferably all, of the ear portions includes a layered section including at least one, but preferably two (e.g., an ear inner layer and an ear outer layer), outer material layer and a stretchable member (e.g., an elastic film or heat-activated film) extendible between a contracted configuration and an extended configuration. The outer material layer is secured to the stretchable member when the stretchable member is disposed in an extended configuration such that the outer material layer is subsequently contractible then extendible with the stretchable member.
In another aspect of the invention, the
Amatong, Jr. Alberto Q.
Associated Hygienic Products LLC
Bogart Michael G.
Lo Weilun
The Morris Law Firm P.C.
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