Securing arrangement for absorbent article

Details Securing arrangement for absorbent article Securing arrangement for absorbent article

2000-04-20

2003-02-25

Calvert, John J. (Department: 3765)

Surgery

Means and methods for collecting body fluids or waste material

Absorbent pad for external or internal application and...

C604S365000, C604S390000, C604S391000, C428S208000, C428S156000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06524289

ABSTRACT:

TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an absorbent article, such as a sanitary towel, an incontinence protector, a diaper, a seat protector or a bed protector, comprising an absorption body enclosed between a liquid-permeable cover layer and a liquid-tight cover layer, which liquid-tight cover layer comprises a carrier layer having a first surface and a second surface, the first surface being intended to function as a securing arrangement for securing on a textile surface or textile-like surface. The invention also includes a diaper with a securing arrangement according to the invention, for fastening the article in a shape similar to pants.
BACKGROUND
The most common way of securing a sanitary towel inside a pair of pants during use is to arrange a securing surface, in the form of a self-adhesive, on that side of the sanitary towel which, during use, is intended to be in contact with the user's pants. In order to avoid problems associated with the stickiness of the adhesive surface during storage and transport of the sanitary towels, the securing adhesive is usually protected by a separate detachable strip of paper or the like which has been treated with a release agent. When the sanitary towel is to be used, the protective strip is removed so that the adhesive is exposed and can be used for securing the sanitary towel in the user's pants. The protective strip fulfils no other function and is thrown away once it has been detached from the securing adhesive. The use of such protective strips involves a number of disadvantages. For example, it is awkward to handle the protective strips when the sanitary towel is to be used, especially if the sanitary towel is provided with several different protective strips which need to be removed. In addition, the use of protective strips means that a lot of material is unnecessarily used up, which is a disadvantage from the environmental and energy points of view and also from the point of view of cost.
A further inconvenience with a self-adhesive placed on the liquid-tight cover layer for securing the article to the pants is that it is difficult to place the article inside a pair of pants without the article folding or deforming during positioning. The folding or deformation can lead to adhesive coming into contact with adhesive. These articles are then very often unusable, since it is difficult to free the stuck contact areas from each other without destroying the article. If an article in this condition is still used, there is a high risk of liquid leaking out. The problem is associated principally with incontinence protectors and other articles used by the elderly or handicapped persons with reduced mobility of the hands, but the problem also arises when using sanitary towels.
In order to eliminate the separate protective strips, it is already known to provide a sanitary towel both with adhesive areas and with areas which have been treated with release agent, these being arranged in such a way that the sanitary towel can be folded up with the adhesive areas bearing against, and protected by, the areas which have been treated with release agent. Sanitary towels of this kind are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,376,440, EP 471,385, EP 471,386 and EP 471,387. Such an arrangement reduces the amount of material used up, and to some extent simplifies the handling of the sanitary towel. An important problem, however, is that the possibility of arranging the securing adhesive in the manner which affords the best attachment of the sanitary towel inside the user's pants is greatly restricted since the positioning of the adhesive surfaces must in the first instance be chosen in such a way that, after the sanitary towel has been folded up, the adhesive surfaces bear against the corresponding areas that have been treated with release agent. In addition, there is still the problem of the article folding as it is being placed in the pants, resulting in undesired sticking together of the adhesive surfaces.
EP 393,953 has already disclosed a pressure-sensitive securing arrangement which comprises a support whose one side is provided with a pressure-sensitive adhesive, arranged in the spaces between a number of barbs or projections protruding from the support, the barbs or projections extending beyond the adhesive. The securing arrangement is particularly suitable for use on fabrics, the barbs or projections being able to penetrate down through the surface of the fabric so that the adhesive is brought into contact with and sticks to the fabric. The disadvantages of this known type of securing arrangement are mainly that it is stiff and hard and thus can easily cause chafing and other discomfort for the user. In addition, the protruding barbs pose a certain risk of damage to the surface on which the arrangement is secured. Moreover, the securing arrangement is relatively expensive and complicated to produce. A similar adhesive securing arrangement is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,376,440.
Another sanitary towel having an adhesive securing arrangement is described in EP 234,194 and in EP 229,639. The known sanitary towel comprises a pressure-sensitive adhesive securing layer, and an elastic foam material layer arranged outside the adhesive layer and provided with openings through which the adhesive is exposed for securing purposes. Such a securing arrangement, however, does not have a sufficiently large available securing surface area to permit satisfactory securing. Moreover, there are difficulties involved in producing the known sanitary towel, since a web of foam material is relatively fragile and easily breaks when subjected to the tensile stresses that arise at high production speeds. In addition, at high production speeds, it is difficult to monitor and control the stretching which occurs in the elastic foam material. Moreover, the foam material is expensive and difficult to produce in the form of layers that are sufficiently thin to allow the adhesive to act through the foam material. A thick, bulky material is also difficult to handle in a continuous process since it requires frequent roller changes, which of course has a negative impact on efficiency and cost.
An adhesive securing arrangement for securing a sanitary towel inside a pair of pants is also described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,888,255. The securing arrangement comprises an elastic foam material layer having a coefficient of friction greater than 2. A pressure-sensitive adhesive layer is arranged on the elastic foam material layer. Such a securing arrangement, however, requires a separate detachable protective strip of paper or the like that has been treated with release agent. Also, it is difficult to free adhering contact areas from each other if the article becomes folded during actual securing in the pants.
Another problem with the previously known sanitary towels having a securing arrangement in the form of a self-adhesive coating is that it is difficult to regulate the degree of stickiness so that the latter is sufficient regardless of what material the user's pants are made of. The stickiness will be different for different textile materials, and one and the same adhesive coating will, for example, secure several times better against a surface made of nylon, or nylon-like material, than against cotton material. In the case of an adhesive coating which provides sufficiently good securing in pants made of cotton, there is a risk that a pair of pants made of nylon or the like will be damaged when the sanitary towel is removed, or that residues of adhesive will remain on the pants.
Diapers of the type mentioned at the outset are usually secured with tape flaps which are secured against a reinforced plastic surface on the front portion of the diaper. Although such a securing arrangement provides satisfactory securing of the diapers, it also has some disadvantages. For example, it is difficult to protect the tape flaps before use. In the known diapers, this problem is solved by the fact that the flaps are folded in over surfaces that have been treated with release ag

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