Absorbent product provided in roll form

Details Absorbent product provided in roll form Absorbent product provided in roll form

1998-01-23

2001-07-03

Lewis, Aaron J. (Department: 3761)

Surgery

Means and methods for collecting body fluids or waste material

Absorbent pad for external or internal application and...

C604S385050, C604S387000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06254582

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The current invention is directed to absorbent products such as panty liners, sanitary napkins, incontinence pads and the like. More specifically, the current invention is directed to an absorbent product provided in roll form that is segmented to allow the user to customize the length of the product and that eliminates the need for release paper.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the past, absorbent pads such as panty liners, sanitary napkins and incontinence pads have been sold in fixed lengths. Typically, the user will desire a longer length on those days when she expects a large flow and a shorter length when she expects a small flow. However, absorbent pads are generally sold in only two predetermined lengths—standard and long. Consequently, a user whose needs could be optimally met by a pad having an intermediate length between standard and long, or by a very short or very long pad, will have to settle for a pad having less than optimal length. Moreover, even if the user finds that “standard” and “long” pads are of suitable length, she must still purchase and store both types so that the appropriate pad can be selected on any given day.
Consequently, it would be desirable to provide an absorbent pad in a continuous strip, preferably in roll form, in such a manner that the user could readily customize the pad length to her individual needs on any given day.
Past approaches to providing absorbent pads in roll form have not been entirely adequate. Generally, such rolls contain pads of fixed length, offering the user no more flexibility in terms of pad length than when buying individual pads. Illustrative of this approach are U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,183,910 (Patterson) and 4,598,528 (McFarland). Another approach, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,505,704 (Roeder), allows the user to cut the rolled pad into any desired length. However, it is necessary to either supply the roll in a dispenser having a cutting edge, or to instruct the user to employ scissors to cut the roll into individual pads of the desired length.
Consequently, it would be desirable to provide a pad in roll form that could be divided into pads of various lengths without requiring the user to carry about a special dispenser or a pair of scissors.
Another problem associated with traditional absorbent pads arises because they are generally held in place by pressure sensitive adhesive, typically a double sided tape or a hot melt type glue, disposed on the garment facing side of the pad. The pressure sensitive adhesive holds the pad in place by adhering it to the crotch of the wearer's undergarment. The pressure sensitive adhesive is covered with release paper that protects the adhesive from dirt and unintended adhesion during manufacture, packaging and storage. Since the release paper must be removed by the user just prior to application of the product to an undergarment, its presence creates waste and complicates the utilization of the product.
Consequently, it would be desirable to provide an absorbent pad in roll form that utilized pressure sensitive adhesive strips for pad placement but that did not require release paper.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the current invention to provide an absorbent pad in roll form that can be divided into pads of various lengths, without requiring the user to carry about a special dispenser or a pair of scissors, and that utilized pressure sensitive adhesive for pad placement but that did not require release paper to protect the adhesive. These and other objects are accomplished in a strip of absorbent product from which individual absorbent pads may be torn, comprising (i) longitudinally extending body facing and garment facing surfaces formed on opposing sides of the absorbent product strip, (ii) a longitudinally extending strip of absorbent material having a length, a width, and first and second longitudinally extending surfaces, and (iii) a longitudinally extending fluid impervious barrier strip, at least a portion of the barrier strip covering the first surface of the absorbent material strip and forming the garment facing surface. The strip of absorbent material has a plurality of weakened zones. The weakened zones are arranged along lines extending substantially transversely across the width of the absorbent material strip so as to form preferential tearing lines. The tearing lines are spaced at predetermined intervals along the length of the absorbent material strip so to form strip segments.
In one embodiment of the current invention, the absorbent product strip is formed into a roll by wrapping the absorbent material strip, with the barrier strip covering the first surface, onto itself so as to bring the body facing surface into contact with the garment facing surface. In this embodiment, the strip of absorbent product further comprises (i) a strip of pressure sensitive adhesive disposed on the garment facing surface, and (ii) a release surface formed on the body facing surface. When the absorbent product strip is wrapped into the roll, the strip of pressure sensitive adhesive is brought into contact with the release surface, thereby protecting the adhesive.
The current invention also encompasses a method of making absorbent pads for use in absorbing body fluids so as to prevent staining of a user's garment. In one embodiment of the method, the absorbent pads are made by the steps of (i) forming a longitudinally extending strip of absorbent material having a length and a width, (ii) forming a plurality of weakened zones in the strip of absorbent material, the weakened zones arranged along lines extending substantially transversely across the width of the strip of absorbent material so as to form preferential tearing lines, the tearing lines spaced at predetermined intervals along the length of the strip of absorbent material so as to define strip segments therebetween, and (iii) tearing a plurality of contiguous strip segments from the absorbent material strip by tearing along one of the weakened zones so as to form an absorbent pad formed by the plurality of contiguous strip segments.
Accordingly, the claimed invention relates to a supply of absorbent pads for use in absorbing body fluids so as to prevent staining of a user's garment, comprising a longitudinally extending strip of absorbent pad segments, the pad segments having a predetermined uniform interval length of from about 1 to about 3 inches said strip being tearable into individual absorbent pads without the use of a dispenser having a cutting edge or scissors, said strip of absorbent pad segments having longitudinally extending first and second edges and: a) a longitudinally extending body facing surface defined in part by a first major surface of a longitudinally extending strip of absorbent material having a plurality of substantially transverse weakened zones forming preferential tearing lines, said weakened zones spaced at predetermined intervals along said absorbent material strip corresponding to the predetermined interval lengths of said pad segments; (b) a longitudinally extending fluid impervious barrier strip, wherein a portion of said barrier strip overlies and is adhesively bonded to the absorbent material covering a second major surface, opposite the first major surface of said absorbent material strip and forming a longitudinally extending garment facing surface of said strip of absorbent pad segments, and portions of said barrier strip forming first and second portions of said body facing surface adjacent said first and second longitudinally extending edges, respectively; (c) a pressure sensitive adhesive disposed on said garment-facing surface of said strip of the absorbent pad segments; and (d) a continuous, longitudinally extending release surface formed on said first and second portions of said body-facing surface formed by said barrier strip, proximate the edges; wherein said fluid impervious barrier strip forms a fluid barrier which prevents fluid leakage during use of said absorbent pads, said longitudinally extending strip of absorbent pad segm

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