Granted Patent B2

US 12,611,342 · App. 18/944,083 · Granted Apr 28, 2026

Inventors: Michael Remus (Heidelberg, DE); Naomi Ruth Nelson (Cincinnati, OH); Lee Mathew Arent (Fairfield, OH); Edward Daniel Theiss, III (Union Township, OH); Stephan Spiekers (Frankenhardt, DE); Victoria Anne Borchert (West Chester, OH); Peter Kramkowski (Bad Soden am Taunus, DE); Michael Wayne Taylor (Cincinnati, OH); Benjamin Jacob Clare (Cincinnati, OH); Emily Charlotte Boswell (Cincinnati, OH); Nery Vanesa Breslin (Hamilton, OH)

Assignee: THE PROCTER & GAMBLE COMPANY

A61F13/551

Abstract

Claims (34)

1 . A package of one or more absorbent articles comprising:

a package material comprising natural fibers;

wherein the package material forms a front panel, a back panel opposite the front panel, a first side panel, a second side panel opposite the first side panel, a top panel, and a bottom panel opposite the top panel, wherein the panels define an interior compartment of the package, and wherein the one or more absorbent articles are disposed in the interior compartment;

wherein the package material has a Basis Weight between 50 gsm and 120 gsm, wherein the Basis Weight is defined as mass per unit area;

wherein the package comprises a weakened region comprising perforations disposed in the package material configured to form an opening;

wherein the weakened region is disposed on at least a portion of the top panel or a top edge region of the top panel;

wherein the package is sealed such that the one or more absorbent articles are enclosed within the interior compartment;

wherein the package has a Weakened Region Performance Factor of between 0.14:1 and 0.98:1, according to the Strength Tensile Test Method.

2 . The package of claim 1 , wherein the package material comprises at least 50 percent by weight natural fibers.

3 . The package of claim 1 , wherein all of the panels of the package are formed from a unitary piece of package material.

4 . The package of claim 1 , wherein the top panel comprises closing gussets, a closing seam, and a closing seam fin extending from the closing seam.

5 . The package of claim 4 , wherein the weakened region is disposed between the closing seam and the interior compartment.

6 . The package of claim 1 , wherein the weakened region is disposed on at least the portion of the top edge region of the package between at least one of: the top panel and the front panel, and the top panel and the back panel.

7 . The package of claim 1 , wherein the weakened region is disposed on at least a portion of three of the panels of the package.

8 . The package of claim 7 , wherein the weakened region is disposed on the front, back, and first side panels.

9 . The package of claim 1 , wherein the package has a Weakened Region Tensile Strength of between 1.18 kN/m and 8.00 kN/m, according to the Strength Tensile Test Method.

10 . The package of claim 1 , wherein the package has a Relative Tear Strength of between 0.8 N/mm and 1.3 N/mm, according to the Tear Tensile Test Method.

11 . The package of claim 1 , wherein the package exhibits a recyclable percentage of between about 70 percent to about 99.9 percent as determined by the PTS-RH:021/97 (Draft October 2019), under category II, test method.

12 . The package of claim 1 , wherein the package material is recyclable, and wherein the package material exhibits a recyclable percentage of at least 70 percent, as determined by PTS-RH:021/97 (Draft October 2019) method.

13 . The package of claim 1 , wherein the package is formed from a single ply of the package material.

14 . The package of claim 1 , wherein the package material is free of a barrier layer.

15 . The package of claim 1 , wherein the package material comprises a barrier layer.

16 . The package of claim 15 , wherein the barrier layer forms less than 30 percent by weight of the package material.

17 . A package of one or more absorbent articles comprising:

a package material comprising natural fibers;

wherein the package material forms a front panel, a back panel opposite the front panel, a first side panel, a second side panel opposite the first side panel, a top panel, and a bottom panel opposite the top panel, wherein the panels define an interior compartment of the package, and wherein the one or more absorbent articles are disposed in the interior compartment;

wherein the package material has a Basis Weight between 50 gsm and 120 gsm, wherein the Basis Weight is defined as mass per unit area;

wherein the package comprises a weakened region comprising perforations disposed in the package material configured to form an opening;

wherein the weakened region is disposed on at least a portion of the top panel or a top edge region of the top panel;

wherein the package is sealed such that the one or more absorbent articles are enclosed within the interior compartment;

wherein the package has a Weakened Region Performance Factor of between 0.14:1 and 0.98:1, according to the Strength Tensile Test Method, and a Tear Performance Factor of between 0.865 and 5.16, according to the Tear Tensile Test Method.

18 . The package of claim 17 , wherein the package exhibits a recyclable percentage of between about 70 percent to about 99.9 percent as determined by the PTS-RH:021/97 (Draft October 2019), under category II, test method.

19 . The package of claim 17 , wherein the package material comprises at least 50 percent by weight natural fibers.

20 . The package of claim 17 , wherein the top panel comprises closing gussets, a closing seam, and a closing seam fin extending from the closing seam, wherein the weakened region is disposed between the closing seam and the interior compartment.

Continuity (3)

References Cited (65)