Sanitary napkin

Details Sanitary napkin Sanitary napkin

1999-08-11

2001-10-30

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, C604S387000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06309378

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is related to a, preferably disposable, sanitary napkin, and provided with side wings that can be used initially or during use, according to the will and convenience of the user.
As already known in the art, sanitary napkins are normally disposable and used to collect and contain vaginal exudates, especially menstrual blood, intermenstrual secretion and even urine in cases of incontinence.
Typically, such napkins are comprised of a generally oblong body made of absorbent material, wrapped between two layers, one of which is an upper permeable layer adapted to contact the user's body, and the other is a lower impermeable layer facing her under garment.
The permeable upper layer is adapted to contact the pelvic region of the user, and therefore it is generally made of a comfortable non-irritating material. According to the current state of the art, said layer can be a perforated plastic film, a porous or crosslinked foam, a sheet of woven or non-woven material provided with natural fibers (wood or cotton fibers), synthetic fibers (polyester or polypropylene), or even of a synthetic or natural fiber combination. The upper layer can be of hydrophobic material, thus tending to remain dry.
On the other hand, the function of the impermeable lower layer is to prevent the fluid absorbed and retained in the absorbent body from passing through towards the user's clothes or skin, and it is generally a fine polyethylene sheet. The lower layer may be vapor permeable, in which case it is provided with small pores or made of a material impermeable to liquids.
Prior art sanitary napkins frequently have one or more adhesive regions in the respective impermeable lower layers, generally in a central portion in the longitudinal and/or transverse direction thereof, in order to attach the napkin to the internal face of the crutch portion of the user's panties. The adhesive region may comprise a single area or a series of discrete areas, and the trend is to apply the adhesive to the lower layer along one or more longitudinal bands, to simplify the process of manufacture.
In its turn, the absorbent body may be made of any material able to absorb and retain body exudates such as, for example, wood pulp, paper, bamboo fibers, sugar cane husks, corn stem or cob, turf moss, absorbent foams or sponges, synthetic or polymeric fibers, super-absorbent materials (that form hidrogels when in contact with liquids), combinations of the materials above, and the like.
Currently, most sanitary napkins are provided with flexible wings that extend laterally, for example, as a prolongation of one or both of the upper and lower layers, with the function of attaching the napkin to the user's panties. For such, the wings are folded around the edges of the crutch portion of the panties, and face the external surface thereof. Preferably, one or more regions of the wings are coated with adhesives, thus allowing them to be attached to the panties for preventing displacement of the napkin when in use.
The adhesive regions are preferably located over the lower surface of the wing, which is usually a prolongation of the impermeable lower layer of the napkin.
The adhesive coated regions, either in the impermeable lower layer of the napkin, or in the respective wings, must be protected against any type of contact before the napkin is used, to avoid the risk of losing their adhesive properties or inadvertent adhesion to unsuitable parts of the user's napkin or clothes, in which case the napkin might be damaged due to the softness of the materials used in its manufacture.
For that purpose, protective sheets are frequently used, which sheets are also known as “release papers” and are comprised of a sheet of paper coated with anti-adhesive resin such as silicone, or the like, thus protecting the adhesive surface until it is used, at which time they are removed for exposing the adhesive.
DESCRIPTION OF THE ART
As to the prior art, reference can be made to U.S. Pat. No. 5,281,209 granted to Osborn and Lavash, wherein the wings of a sanitary napkin are folded and kept adhered to the lower surface of the napkin body, thus providing a rest position in which they will be held in a non-stable state if the user initially does not wish to use them.
For keeping said wings attached to the body of the napkin when they are not in use, recessed areas are provided over or inside the impermeable lower layer of the napkin, under which the wings are temporarily inserted. Such an arrangement producer a feeling of insecurity in the user since the wings could easily get out of position during use due to the movement of her body and possibly cause leakage.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,330,461 granted to Leeker can also be cited, this document disclosing a sanitary napkin provided with optionally usable wings, but the arrangement prevents the user from pulling the wings out during use, for part of the surface of the wing acts as a support for the product as a whole since the beginning of its use.
Mention can also be made of Swedish Patent SE9601688, granted to Hanssen and Trenk, which discloses a sanitary napkin provided with optionally usable wings. However, the option for non-use of the wings implies in the removal thereof, without possibility of a later use after the product has already having been put into use.
It is clear that the state of art does not provide any sanitary napkin having side wings that can be used optionally by the user even after the product is put to use, and does not cause discomfort or even leakage if the user decides not to use them.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
One of the main objects of this invention is to provide a sanitary napkin provided with wings or tabs that can be used initially or at any time during use of the napkin.
Another object of the invention is a sanitary napkin provided with flexible folded side wings which can be releasably attached before use of the article.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a sanitary napkin having wings that remain folded during use until the user decides to use them, thus providing her with a feeling of security from undesirable leakages.
Such objects are attained by means of a sanitary napkin which is comprised of an upper liquid permeable layer; a lower liquid impermeable layer; an absorbent body placed between the upper and lower layers; an impermeable top film over the lower layer; laterally extendible foldable wings that can be lodged in a rest position between the lower layer and the top film. According to the invention, the wings are releasably attached at least to the top film.
As used herein, releasable attachment means the existence of suitable attaching means (glue, welding, sealing, crimping, and the like) that can be deliberately undone without significant damage to any of the previously attached underlying substrates.
An example of releasable attachment is the contact of a permanent touch adhesive (commonly known as “psa”, the abbreviation for “pressure sensitive adhesives”) over a substrate coated with a resin that permits non-permanent adherence.
Still another example of releasable attachment is that attained by crimping, which consists of pressing two or more layers of material against each other, in such a way that the interface between the two layers can provide a surface with protuberances and recesses for the inter-penetration between the respective materials, thus releasably attaching one layer to another.


REFERENCES:
patent: 4596570 (1986-06-01), Jackson et al.
patent: 4864828 (1989-09-01), Matheny et al.
patent: 4917697 (1990-04-01), Osborn, III et al.
patent: 5330461 (1994-07-01), Leeker
patent: 5520676 (1996-05-01), Lavash et al.
patent: 5643245 (1997-07-01), Osborn, III et al.
patent: 5669898 (1997-09-01), Ahr
patent: 5714027 (1998-02-01), Taub
patent: 5743897 (1998-04-01), Niihara et al.
patent: 5772648 (1998-06-01), Osborn, III et al.
patent: 5873871 (1999-02-01), Lavash et al.
patent: 0 464 855 A1 (1992-01-01), None
patent: 0 607 090 A1 (1994-07-01), None

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