IP Library Granted Patent US 8,496,637
Granted Patent B2
US 8,496,637 · App. 12/141,146 · Granted Jul 30, 2013

Tri-folded disposable absorbent article, packaged absorbent article, and array of packaged absorbent articles with substantially continuously distributed absorbent particulate polymer material

Inventors: Harald Hermann Hundorf (Bonn, DE); Holger Beruda (Schwalbach, DE); Horst Blessing (Cincinnati, OH); Peter Dziezok (Hochheim, DE); Axel Krause (Erftstadt, DE); Mattias Schmidt (Idstein, DE); Lutz Stelzig (Frankfurt am Main, DE); Martin Werner Frank (Schwalbach, DE)
Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,496,637
App. No.
12/141,146
Granted
Jul 30, 2013
Kind
B2
Abstract

A tri-folded disposable absorbent article comprising a substantially cellulose free absorbent core located in a chassis between a topsheet and a backsheet and comprising absorbent particulate polymer material. An array of absorbent article packages comprising disposable absorbent articles comprising a substantially cellulose free absorbent core is also disclosed.

Claims (27)

1. An array of absorbent article packages comprising:

a plurality of absorbent article packages, each of the absorbent article packages comprising a packaging material and a plurality of disposable absorbent articles disposed in the packaging material in a substantially superposed stacked configuration;

the disposable absorbent articles each comprising a chassis including a topsheet and a backsheet and a substantially cellulose free absorbent core located between the topsheet and the backsheet and comprising absorbent particulate polymer material;

wherein the absorbent core includes first and second absorbent layers, the first absorbent layer including a first substrate and the second absorbent layer including a second substrate;

the absorbent particulate polymer material is deposited on the first and second substrates;

the absorbent core further comprises thermoplastic adhesive material covering the absorbent particulate polymer material on the respective first and second substrates; and

the first and second absorbent layers are combined together such that at least a portion of the thermoplastic adhesive material of the first absorbent layer contacts at least a portion of the thermoplastic adhesive material of the second absorbent layer, wherein the disposable absorbent article is a diaper;

wherein the absorbent particulate polymer material is disposed between the first and second substrates in an absorbent particulate polymer material area, and the absorbent particulate polymer material is substantially continuously distributed across the absorbent particulate polymer material area;

the absorbent particulate polymer material is deposited on the first and second substrates in respective patterns of land areas and junction areas between the land areas such that the absorbent particulate polymer material is discontinuously distributed on the first and second substrates; and

the first and second absorbent layers are combined together such the respective patterns of absorbent particulate polymer material are offset from one another;

wherein the width of the land areas is from about 8 mm to about 12 mm and the width of the junction areas is less than about 5 mm;

wherein each disposable absorbent article has a longitudinal axis extending from a first end to a second end and is tri-folded substantially perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis along a first fold line and a second fold line spaced from the first fold line so as to form a central section extending from the first fold line to the second fold line, a first end section extending from the first fold line to the first end, and a second end section extending from the second fold line to the second end, so that the first section, central section, and second section are superposed to one another;

wherein at least a first of the plurality of absorbent article packages comprises disposable absorbent articles having a first size and occupying a volume in the at least the first of the plurality of absorbent article packages of less than about 200 cc per absorbent article under base compression of from about 2500 to about 5000 N; and at least a second of the plurality of absorbent article packages comprises disposable absorbent articles having a second size different than the first size and occupying a volume in the at least the second of the plurality of absorbent article packages different than the volume occupied by the disposable absorbent articles having the first size in the first of the plurality of absorbent article packages.

2. The array of claim 1 , wherein the first section, central section, and second section are substantially coextensive.

3. The array of claim 1 , wherein the first section overlays the central section and the second section overlays the first section.

4. An array of absorbent article packages comprising:

a plurality of absorbent article packages, each of the absorbent article packages comprising a packaging material and a plurality of disposable absorbent articles disposed in the packaging material in a substantially superposed stacked configuration;

the disposable absorbent articles each comprising a chassis including a topsheet and a backsheet and a substantially cellulose free absorbent core located between the topsheet and the backsheet and comprising absorbent particulate polymer material;

wherein each disposable absorbent article has a longitudinal axis extending from a first end to a second end and is tri-folded substantially perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis along a first fold line and a second fold line spaced from the first fold line so as to form a central section extending from the first fold line to the second fold line, a first end section extending from the first fold line to the first end, and a second end section extending from the second fold line to the second end, so that the first section, central section, and second section are superposed to one another;

wherein at least a first of the plurality of absorbent article packages comprises disposable absorbent articles having a first size and occupying a volume in the at least the first of the plurality of absorbent article packages of less than about 200 cc per absorbent article under base compression of from about 2500 to about 5000 N;

wherein at least a second of the plurality of absorbent article packages comprises disposable absorbent articles having a second size different than the first size and occupying a volume in the at least the second of the plurality of absorbent article packages different than the volume occupied by the disposable absorbent articles having the first size in the first of the plurality of absorbent article packages.

5. The array of claim 4 , wherein the first section, central section, and second section are substantially coextensive.

6. The array of claim 4 , wherein the first section overlays the central section and the second section overlays the first section.

7. The array of claim 4 , wherein the absorbent core includes first and second absorbent layers, the first absorbent layer including a first substrate and the second absorbent layer including a second substrate; the absorbent particulate polymer material is deposited on the first and second substrates; the absorbent core further comprises thermoplastic adhesive material covering the absorbent particulate polymer material on the respective first and second substrates.

8. The array of claim 7 , wherein the first and second absorbent layers are combined together such that at least a portion of the thermoplastic adhesive material of the first absorbent layer contacts at least a portion of the thermoplastic adhesive material of the second absorbent layer.

9. The array of claim 7 , wherein the absorbent particulate polymer material is disposed between the first and second substrates in an absorbent particulate polymer material area, and the absorbent particulate polymer material is substantially continuously distributed across the absorbent particulate polymer material area; the absorbent particulate polymer material is deposited on the first and second substrates in respective patterns of land areas and junction areas between the land areas such that the absorbent particulate polymer material is discontinuously distributed on the first and second substrates; and the first and second absorbent layers are combined together such the respective patterns of absorbent particulate polymer material are offset from one another.

10. The array of claim 4 , wherein the disposable absorbent article is a diaper.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 19, 2008
From: HUNDORF, HARALD HERMANN; BERUDA, HOLGER; BLESSING, HORST; DZIEZOK, PETER; KRAUSE, AXEL; SCHMIDT, MATTIAS; STELZIG, LUTZ; FRANK, MARTIN WERNER
To: THE PROCTER & GAMBLE COMPANY
Reel/Frame 021407/0827 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 60936037 · Jun 18, 2007
Related Publication 20080312624A1 · Dec 18, 2008