Surgery – Means and methods for collecting body fluids or waste material – Absorbent pad for external or internal application and...
Utility Patent
1996-08-15
2001-01-02
Weiss, John G. (Department: 3761)
Surgery
Means and methods for collecting body fluids or waste material
Absorbent pad for external or internal application and...
C604S385310
Utility Patent
active
06168584
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a spacer for use in disposable absorbent articles, particularly to spacers for use in disposable absorbent articles which isolate fecal material from the wearer, and more particularly to spacers for use in disposable absorbent articles having a void space for receiving the fecal material, wherein the void space is maintained by such a spacer. The present invention also relates to disposable absorbent articles having such spacers.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Disposable absorbent articles are well known in the art. Disposable absorbent articles are used to absorb and retain urine and fecal material. A particularly desired feature of disposable absorbent articles is the capability to minimize the task of cleaning of fecal material which is present on the wearer's skin after the soiled disposable absorbent article is removed from the wearer. In order to achieve this end, and to minimize epidermal contact and the associated irritation caused by the fecal material, attempts have been made to confine the fecal material to limited portions of the disposable absorbent article.
Selected teachings in the art disclose a cavity or cutout in the absorbent core to receive the fecal material. The fecal material passes through the topsheet and is received by the material removed from or otherwise displaced from the absorbent core (such as through compression). However, these references suffer from the drawback that a cavity in the core or a removal of material from the core decreases its absorbent capacity. The cavity is limited in volume by the size of the core. Furthermore, the cavity may not remain registered with the anal opening. Examples of such teachings include U.S. Pat. No. 2,043,325 issued Jun. 9, 1936 to Jackson, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 4,731,065 issued Mar. 15, 1988 to Yamada, U.S. Pat. No. 4,834,737 issued May 30, 1989 to Khan, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,062,840 issued Nov. 5, 1991 to Holt et al.
One attempt to minimize the task of cleaning of fecal material from the skin of the wearer is to provide a void space in the disposable absorbent article to receive the fecal material and to isolate it from the skin of the wearer. Typically, the void space is intermediate the topsheet which contacts the skin of the wearer and the absorbent core which absorbs fluid excretions, such as urine. In this arrangement, the topsheet may have an aperture or other passageway which communicates the fecal material into the void space.
Many of these references also disclose various arrangements for providing elastic extensibility to the topsheet relative to the aperture therethrough and the absorbent core. However, these references suffer from the drawback that the void space for receiving fecal material typically does not remain open when the wearer is in a sitting position or after the first loading has occurred. Examples of such teachings include U.S. Pat. No. 4,662,877 issued May 5, 1987 to Williams, commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,892,536 issued Jan. 9, 1990 to Desmarais et al., and commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,990,147 issued Feb. 5, 1991 to Freeland.
To overcome this problem, other references teach adding a spacer to the disposable absorbent article. The spacer may be transversely oriented, generally horse-shoe shaped, or may comprise longitudinally oriented parallel or divergent members.
However, these references suffer from the drawback that the spacer is not disposed in a void space, or if so disposed, is constructed such that transverse compression caused by the wearer's thighs may close the spacer, preventing fecal material from passing through the aperture in the topsheet to the void space. Instead, the fecal material remains on the topsheet and in contact with the skin of the wearer.
Examples of such references include European Patent Application No. 0,355,740 A2 published Feb. 28, 1990 in the name of Enloe, UK Patent Application No. GB2,074,875 A published Nov. 11, 1981 in the name of Edwards, French Patent Application No. 2,561,078 published Sep. 20, 1985 in the name of Lefebvre, U.S. Pat. No. 4,382,443 issued May 10, 1983 to Shafer et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 4,560,380 issued Dec. 24, 1985 to Tharel.
A need exists in the art for a spacer which can be incorporated into a disposable absorbent article and particularly into a disposable absorbent article having a void space. Furthermore, a need exists for a spacer which can accommodate the natural transverse compression caused by the wearer's thighs. Yet further, such a spacer and the disposable absorbent article used therewith, should not become misregistered with the anal opening nor unduly restrict the target area for receipt of fecal material while the spacer and disposable absorbent article are worn.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a spacer which is adaptable to a wide variety of disposable absorbent articles and particularly disposable absorbent articles having a void space, which can accommodate the transverse pressure imposed by the wearer's thighs, can remain properly registered during use, and which does not unduly restrict the target area for the receipt of fecal material while the disposable absorbent article is worn.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention comprises a spacer for use in a disposable absorbent article having front and rear waist margins and longitudinal and transverse axes. The spacer symmetric about the longitudinal axis. The spacer may comprise a smaller and a larger transverse span disposed respectively at longitudinally opposite ends of the spacer, with the larger span disposed toward the rear waist margin. Alternatively, the spacer may comprise a generally closed figure having a greater and a lesser radii of curvature at respective longitudinally opposite ends, each radius having a concavity oriented in the longitudinal direction and defining portions spanning the longitudinal axis, these portions being joined by longitudinally oriented spans of the spacer.
The spacer may be incorporated into a disposable absorbent article comprising a liquid impervious backsheet, a liquid previous topsheet at least partially peripherally joined to the backsheet to form a void space intermediate the topsheet and backsheet, and an absorbent core disposed between the topsheet and backsheet. The absorbent core comprises and upper layer joined to the topsheet and a lower layer joined to the backsheet. The spacer is joined to either the upper layer or the lower layer of the absorbent core in a disposition intermediate the upper layer and the lower layer such that the upper layer and the lower layer have a space therebetween of at least about 0.6 centimeters when the spacer is under a pressure of about 1,400 kilograms per square meter. The topsheet has an aperture register with the spacer for communicating liquid and solid fecal material to the void space unoccupied by the absorbent core and the spacer. The lower layer of the absorbent core comprises air felt disposed intermediate the spacer and the backsheet and devoid of a cavity or cutout therein registered with void space.
REFERENCES:
patent: Re. 33351 (1990-09-01), Papajohn
patent: 2043325 (1936-06-01), Jackson, Jr.
patent: 2334597 (1943-11-01), Badertscher
patent: 2517269 (1950-08-01), Wolfe
patent: 3881488 (1975-05-01), Delanty et al.
patent: 4212302 (1980-07-01), Karami
patent: 4324247 (1982-04-01), Aziz
patent: 4382443 (1983-05-01), Shafer et al.
patent: 4560380 (1985-12-01), Tharel
patent: 4662877 (1987-05-01), Williams
patent: 4731065 (1988-03-01), Yamada
patent: 4778459 (1988-10-01), Fuisz
patent: 4804380 (1989-02-01), Lassen et al.
patent: 4834737 (1989-05-01), Khan
patent: 4865597 (1989-09-01), Mason, Jr. et al.
patent: 4892536 (1990-01-01), Desmarais et al.
patent: 4895568 (1990-01-01), Enloe
patent: 4962916 (1990-10-01), Palinkas
patent: 4968312 (1990-11-01), Khan
patent: 4990147 (1991-02-01), Freeland
patent: 5062840 (1991-11-01), Holt et al.
patent: 5171236 (1992-12-01), Dreier et al.
patent: 5176672 (1993-01-01), Bruemmer et al.
patent: 5330459 (1994-07-01), Lavon et
Allen Patrick Jay
Sims Bret Alan
Huston Larry L.
Krebs Jay A.
Reichle K. M.
The Procter & Gamble & Company
Weirich David M.
LandOfFree
Spacers for use in disposable absorbent articles and... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Spacers for use in disposable absorbent articles and..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Spacers for use in disposable absorbent articles and... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2527970