Surgery – Means and methods for collecting body fluids or waste material – Absorbent pad for external or internal application and...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-07
2001-11-27
Weiss, John G. (Department: 3761)
Surgery
Means and methods for collecting body fluids or waste material
Absorbent pad for external or internal application and...
C604S385260, C604S385240
Reexamination Certificate
active
06322547
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method of producing an intermittent elastic web of material, a method of applying elastic in the manufacture of absorbent sanitary articles, and a sanitary article provided with elastic in accordance with this latter method.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
For different reasons, it is normal to provide absorbent sanitary articles, such as sanitary napkins, diapers and incontinence guards, with elastic elements. For instance, diapers are nearly always provided with so-called leg elastic which functions to provide sealing abutment of the diaper casing sheet with the thighs of the wearer. Elastic elements are also often used to give sanitary articles or parts of such articles a desired shape, and also to provide waist elastic. Elastic is also used to raise liquid barrier forming parts of the article, to prevent liquid from spreading across the outer sheet of the article. Absorbent sanitary articles of the aforesaid kind are produced in a continuous process line, in which a web of material, that normally forms the outer backing sheet of the article, travels continuously through the process line in successive stages which include the application of absorbent bodies and the application of further surface sheets or layers and elastic elements. The individual articles are cut from the continuous composite web in the final stage of such a process line. The elastic elements are most often mounted in a pre-stretched state, i.e. have been stretched from a rest state to which they strive to return. So that the pre-stretched elastic elements will not contract and therewith gather together or pucker the material to which they are fastened, the elastic elements are maintained in a stretched state until the final stage of the manufacturing process. This can be readily achieved with elastic elements that extend across the full length of the article in the movement direction of the process line. However, in the case of elastic elements that are active across only a part of the length of the article in the movement direction, a problem arises in retaining the elements in a pre-stretched state without complicating the process and/or without mounting functionally inactive parts of elastic elements on the web in the article manufacturing process. A solution to this problem is proposed in Swedish Patent Application No. 9602131-6 filed on May 31, 1996.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
The present invention aims to solve these problems in a simpler manner than that proposed in the aforesaid patent application.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the invention, this object is achieved by means of a method of producing an intermittent elastic web which is characterized by laying-out an elongated elastic element in a pre-stretched state in a longitudinally extending undulating or wave shape and fastening said element to a longitudinally extending web of material in a manner such that the web touches or extends transversely beyond the outermost parts of the wave crests and wave troughs of the undulating elastic element, and thereafter cutting a longitudinal section from the web such as to divide the web into two parts in which at least outer parts of wave crests and wave troughs will be located on opposite sides of the cut longitudinal section. This will result in two intermittent elastic webs which, in the continuous production of absorbent sanitary articles, can be caused to extend along the full length of the article in the direction of web movement, while enabling associated severed wave-shaped parts of the elastic element to be placed in intended positions on the article. Because the severed wave-shaped parts are fastened in a stretched state to a continuous carrier, there is no difficulty in keeping the carriers, and therewith the elastic elements, in a stretched state up to the final stage of manufacture.
In one preferred embodiment, the elastic element is laid-out in a regular wave form and the cut parts of the web are displaced longitudinally in relation to one another by an odd multiple of half the wave length, so that wave crests and wave troughs will be located opposite one another in the longitudinal direction.
The invention also relates to a method of applying elastic in the manufacture of absorbent sanitary articles, said method being characterized by laying-out an elongated elastic element in a regular longitudinal wave-shape and fastening said element to a longitudinally extending web of material having a first and a second long edge, such that the web transversely touches or extends beyond the outermost parts of wave crests and wave troughs of the wave-shaped elastic element, and thereafter taking-out a longitudinal section from the web such that wave crests and wave troughs will be located on opposite sides of the section that is taken-out and such that the web will be divided into two parts, of which one part is displaced transversely in relation to the other part so that, subsequent to said displacement, both web parts will extend parallel with one another with the first and second edges of the web facing towards each other, and also displacing said parts longitudinally by an odd multiple of half a wave length, wherein the two web parts are thereafter fastened to a casing sheet or to an absorbent body of an absorbent sanitary article with wave crests and wave troughs located in the crotch part of the article.
According to one preferred embodiment in which the elastic is applied to blanks from which absorbent sanitary articles are produced and which are disposed sequentially in a continuous row on a travelling conveyor belt with their longitudinal axes coincidin with the direction of belt movement, the wave length of the elastic element is chosen to be equal to the length of the absorbent sanitary article.
The invention also relates to an absorbent sanitary article, such as a sanitary napkin, a diaper or an incontinence guard, that includes two elastic elements which oppose one another in relation to the longitudinal axis of the article, wherein said article is characterized in that the elastic elements are fastened to wave-shaped carriers that have straight edges, in that said carriers are fastened to the article in general and extend along the full length of the article, and in that the elastic elements are arcuate in shape with their ends facing towards the nearest adjacent long edge of the article and extend over a distance which is equal to half the length of said article.
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SCA Molnlycke AB
Stephens Jacqueline F
Weiss John G.
Young & Thompson
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