Surgery – Means and methods for collecting body fluids or waste material – Absorbent pad for external or internal application and...
Patent
1997-02-28
2000-05-09
Weiss, John G.
Surgery
Means and methods for collecting body fluids or waste material
Absorbent pad for external or internal application and...
604378, 604383, A61F 1315
Patent
active
060606371
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to absorbent products like baby diapers, adult incontinence products and particularly to sanitary napkins or pantyliners. These absorbent products all have absorbent cores which according to the present invention comprise absorbent gelling materials in granular form or other particles. A problem associated with such cores is that these particles can migrate out of the article along the paths of liquid entry into the product and then become recognisable to the user while also being lost for the absorptive capacity of the article. Therefore a shield positively separating the paths of liquid transport into the product from the particles is provided for absorbent structures according to the invention.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The problem of migrating particles of highly absorbent material has been considered in several publications but to the knowledge of the inventors it has not yet been satisfactorily resolved. For example U.S. Pat. No. 4,321,924 discloses a sanitary napkin which comprises a fibrous layer as part of the topsheet to improve strike through characteristics of the absorbent article. However no disclosure of the appropriate size of pores in the topsheet is given and the problem of particle migration in absorbent structures is not touched upon.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,752,349 discloses a sanitary napkin wherein a wicking layer adjacent to the topsheet extends beyond the periphery of the absorbent core. It therefore would serve as a barrier along a straight line between particles in said absorbent core and the liquid passage ways in the topsheet of the sanitary napkin. However no barrier against migration around the edge of the tissue is foreseen or considered since this disclosure does not relate to the same problem underlying the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,009,653 shows absorbent gel material containment structures interposed between topsheet and backsheet of absorbent articles. This patent addresses the problem of particle migration from the absorbent structure through the liquid passage ways in the topsheet and implies that a wetlaid tissue between the topsheet and the absorbent structure would reduce absorbent gel material particles migration. However as in the above cited prior art no shielding at the edge of the wetlaid tissue is provided for.
EP-A-248 584 also discloses sanitary napkins which have fully enclosed absorbent structures by providing several layers of tissue around the particle containing absorbent structure. However these tissues are not joined to each other along an endless peripheral line such that particle migration paths remain open for particles to ultimately migrate through the liquid passage ways in the topsheets employed in these articles.
It is therefore an objective of the present invention to fully shield absorbent structures comprising absorbent particles from the liquid passage ways in the topsheet of absorbent articles. In particular tissues having pore sizes smaller than the smallest particle are desirable since they simultaneously perform as wicking and distribution layers while serving as particle migration shields.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 in a cross sectional view of a prior art absorbent structure construction without barrier or shield against particle migration losses.
FIG. 2 in a cross sectional view of an embodiment according to the present invention where a particle migration shield is inserted between the topsheet and the absorbent structure containing particles.
FIG. 3 is a partially cut away top plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 is an alternative embodiment of FIG. 2.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an absorbent product comprising a topsheet with liquid passage ways, a liquid impervious backsheet and an absorbent core enveloped between the topsheet and the backsheet. The core comprises dry absorbent particles or other particles which are capable of permeating in their dry state through the topsheet along the liquid passage
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Bitowft Bruce Kevin
Carrier Michael Edward
Geilich Ralf
Puchert Karsten
Bamber Jeffrey V.
Fitzpatrick Matthew P.
Ruhl Dennis
The Procter & Gamble & Company
Weiss John G.
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