Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture – Methods – Surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-28
2001-07-31
Gray, Linda (Department: 1734)
Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture
Methods
Surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
C156S211000, C156S227000, C156S252000, C156S257000, C156S268000, C156S270000, C428S099000, C428S121000, C428S192000, C428S041900, C604S385110, C604S390000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06267836
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a method of manufacturing a tape tab for use in an absorbent article, the tape tab having a rounded user's end.
The invention also relates to a tape tab for a disposable absorbent article and to a disposable absorbent article comprising such a tape tab.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
From EP-A-0 379 850, a method is known for producing a tape system from a unitary strip, the tapes having rounded user's ends. According to the method of the above patent application, a longitudinal unitary strip of material is coated with adhesive, such that a central adhesive-free zone is present. A number of parallel, transversely extending straight cut lines are made, running from both longitudinal sides of the unitary strip towards the longitudinal center line. Two sinusoidal, longitudinal cut lines, bridge the straight-line, transverse cuts on both sides of the longitudinal center line to form individual tape tabs which each have an adhesive-free, rounded user's end.
A disposable absorbent article having tapered tape tabs with rounded user gripping parts is known from EP-A-0 233 704. The tapes are cut from a single strip of elongated material, in such a way that no scrap is produced. This is achieved by cutting the strip along straight transverse cut lines, running from the longitudinal sides of the strip towards the center line, the cut lines on opposite sides of the longitudinal center line being displaced relative to one another by half a tape width. A single, sinusoidal cut-line extends in the length of the strip, along the longitudinal center line of the strip to form the rounded user's end on each tape tab.
A disposable absorbent article having a tape tab comprising a combined adhesive fastener and a tape fastener is known from EP-A-0 321 132. In this patent application a tape tab is shown having a doubled-over user's end and a fastening surface to which a patch of VELCRO material is attached. An additional adhesive patch on the fastening surface of the tape tab provides for a disposal means to maintain the diaper in a rolled up or folded disposal-configuration after use. Because the end parts of the tapes are doubled over, the end parts are rounded along the thickness of the tape, and provide user-friendly gripping parts.
It is an object of the invention to provide a tape tab having at its user's end a gripping part that allows easy handling by the user, and which comprises a reinforcement area.
It is again an object of the invention to provide a tape tab that is baby-friendly and which minimizes the chances of skin-irritation upon wearing.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method of producing tape tabs from a unitary strip of material, in which the scrap produced on cutting is minimized.
It is another object of the present invention, to provide a method of making a tape tab for use in a disposable absorbent article, the tape tab having a rounded user-end.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The method according to the invention is characterized by:
a. cutting a unitary strip of material along parallel, spaced apart curved transverse cut lines, wherein the unitary strip of material comprises two longitudinal edges, the transverse cut lines extending from a first longitudinal edge in the direction of the second longitudinal edge, each curved cut line forming the contour of a rounded corner of the user's end of a first tape tab and forming a side extension of the user's end of a second tape tab which is adjacent the first tape tab,
b. doubling over of each side extension onto itself along a fold line to form the gripping parts, and
c. cutting the unitary strip of material along further parallel cut lines which extend from the curved transverse cut lines to the second longitudinal edge to form individual tape tabs.
By cutting the tapes along the curved cut lines, the material that is cut off the corner of one tape tab, remains attached to the neighboring tape tab to form a side extension of the neighboring tape tab. By folding back the side extension onto itself, a reinforced user's end is formed having a rounded corner. When the tape tabs are attached to an absorbent article, the rounded corner is closest to the waist edge of the absorbent article. The rounded corner reduces the chance of injury to the baby wearing the absorbent article, and can be easily gripped by the mother at the lower, doubled-over corner. The tape tabs can be adhesive tape tabs, mechanical tape tabs, or combinations thereof.
Adhesive tape tabs are attached at their manufacturer's end to an absorbent article, the user's end of the tape tabs, before use of the absorbent article, being glued to a release surface. An adhesive tape tab according to the present invention can be easily detached from the release surface, for application of the article to a baby, by lifting the doubled over user's-end with a finger tip and pealing back the tape. The doubled-over user's end does not become attached to the backsheet of the absorbent article upon application of the article to a baby, and forms a reinforced gripping part which can easily be lifted. Hence the tape tab according to the invention also provides for easy detachment of the tapes on removal of the absorbent article from the baby after use or for adjustment and reattachment of the tape tabs during use.
No scrap material is produced by the method of manufacturing tape tabs according to the invention.
In an embodiment or the method according to the invention, curved transverse cut lines are formed along a longitudinal edge of the unitary strip, to form cut-out sections. By folding over of one cut-out section, rounded corners of each time two neighboring tape tabs are formed. The tape tabs made according to this embodiment have two rounded corners at their user's end.
In a further embodiment of the method according to the invention, one surface of the unitary strip of material is provided with an adhesive and is covered with a unitary release strip. The combined unitary strip of material and the release strip are cut along transverse cut lines to form individual, composite tape tabs. The composite tape tabs each comprise a fastening member and a release member. The length of the tape tabs corresponds to the width of the unitary strip of material from which the tape tabs are cut. In one embodiment, the release strip is of equal width as the unitary strip of material, such that for a composite tape tab the fastening member and the release member are equal in length.
The attachment of the tape tabs to an absorbent article by the manufacturer can occur in several ways.
In case the tape tabs are comprised of a single fastening member only and do not comprise a release member, the manufacturer's end of the tape tabs can be directly attached to the backsheet of the absorbent article. Prior to attachment of these tape tabs, the absorbent article can have been provided with a reinforcement material in the anchoring regions in which the manufacturer's ends of the tape tabs are to be attached. The diaper can in such a case also comprise a release surface which is attached to the topsheet and to which the user's end of the tape tabs can be applied on assembly of the diaper by the manufacturer.
The tape tabs can comprise near their user's end a pressure sensitive adhesive or a mechanical fastening means of the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,180,534, U.S. Pat. No. 5,058,247 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,116,563, which fastening means easily detaches from the reinforcement material that is attached to the topsheet. At the manufacturer's end, the tape tabs can be provided with a strong adhesive which permanently attaches to the reinforcement material of the absorbent article.
In case the tape tabs are comprised of composite tape tabs, the release member of the tape tabs can be permanently fastened to the absorbent article by means of a relatively aggressive adhesive.
In this case, the reinforcement material in the anchoring regions on the
Fenske Wilfried Horst
Schmitz Christoph Johann
Gray Linda
Kolodesh Michael S.
Patel Ken K.
The Procter & Gamble & Company
Weirich David M.
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