Patents Examined by Angela J Grayson
  • Patent number: 7090667
    Abstract: An absorbent article, such as a thin incontinence pad or pantyliner, is disclosed which has an absorbent core formed from multiple layers of blended material for providing protection against involuntary urine loss. A method of forming the absorbent article is also disclosed. The absorbent article includes a liquid permeable bodyside liner, a liquid-impermeable baffle, and first and second absorbents positioned between the liner and the baffle. The first absorbent is a stabilized material containing a superabsorbent and has a predetermined basis weight. The second absorbent is also a stabilized material containing a superabsorbent. The second absorbent is positioned below the first absorbent and has a basis weight that is at least equal to the basis weight of the first absorbent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2006
    Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
    Inventors: David Arthur Fell, William Anthony Georger, Jody Dorothy Suprise
  • Patent number: 6822134
    Abstract: The present invention is a disposable absorbent article having a backsheet and a fecal management member joined to the backsheet. The fecal management member includes a backing and a sheet of fibers. The sheet of fibers have anchor portions in the backing at spaced bonding locations and have arcuate portions of the sheet projecting from the backing between bonding locations. The sheet of fibers includes additional fibers which are joined to at least some of the arcuate portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2004
    Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
    Inventors: Gabriele Stiehl, Ludwig Busam, Jorg Muller
  • Patent number: 6759567
    Abstract: A personal care product that has a liquid impermeable backsheet, a liquid permeable topsheet, and an absorbent composite located between the topsheet and backsheet. The absorbent composite has an upper layer made of synthetic fiber with at most 20 weight percent pulp and the upper layer has a density between about 0.03 and 0.15 g/cc and a basis weight between about 20 to 75 gsm. The composite has a lower layer having from 80 to 95 weight percent pulp, at most 20 weight percent binder, and has a density greater than the upper layer and between 0.06 and 0.20 g/cc, and a basis weight between 120 and 200 gsm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2004
    Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
    Inventors: Charles Wilson Colman, Rodney Lawrence Abba, Jaime Braverman, John Thomas Cooper, Maureen Myrl Falls, Tiffany Marshalle Lee Hunter, Steven Rashad Inabinet, David Martin Jackson, Nancy Donaldson Kollin, Yen-Ling Lai, Sylvia Bandy Little, Robert John Makolin, David Joseph Nickel
  • Patent number: 6685689
    Abstract: A method for producing an elongate sheet of material that includes barrier flaps which extend along the side-edges of said sheet in spaced relationship with respective side-edges, and which project up from the plane of the sheet, including placing along each edge-part of a first elongate web a narrower second elongate web, so the outer side-edges of respective second webs will lie edge-to-edge with the side-edges of the first web; placing along each edge-part of the first elongate web and on top of respective second webs a third elongate sheet narrower than the first sheet, so the outer side-edges of respective third webs will lie edge-to-edge with the side-edges of the first and second webs; joining the first, second and third webs together with a join extending along the outer side-edges of the webs; and swinging the third webs laterally outwards through 180° around the join lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2004
    Assignee: SCA Hygiene Products AB
    Inventor: Peter Rönnberg
  • Patent number: 6679867
    Abstract: A male incontinence device includes a receptacle formed of a shape-retaining material, and having a first open end adapted for receiving the penis of a user and a second end defining a urine discharge port. The discharge port is adapted for being located forward of the penis. A back flow chamber is formed with an interior of the receptacle, and is adapted for capturing urine flowing backward towards the user and away from the discharge port. A collection bag has a mouth communicating with the discharge port for collecting urine discharged through the receptacle. A support harness is adapted for being worn by the user to support the receptacle in an operative position during use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2004
    Assignee: Arcus Medical, LLC
    Inventor: John D. Miskie
  • Patent number: 6676648
    Abstract: A disposable absorbent garment has a front region, a back region, and a central region, each region having a length along a longitudinal axis of one third of the length of the absorbent garment. An absorbent pad positioned within the regions has a length of absorbent pad in the back region divided by a length of absorbent pad in the front region and central region less than 0.10, and the length in the front region is greater than the length in the back region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2004
    Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
    Inventors: Mary Anne Bruemmer Prestley, Marianne Keevill Leick, Gregory James Hess, David Arthur Fell, Sarah Jane Marie Freiburger, Amy Lynn Fletcher, Cornelis Jacobus Bosselaar, Joseph Patrick Fell, Jacqueline Ann Gross, John Anthony Rooyakkers, Kenneth Raymond Schueler, Jr.
  • Patent number: 6664436
    Abstract: The present invention relates to shape deformable materials, which are capable of (1) being deformed, (2) storing an amount of shape deformation, and (3) recovering at least a portion of the shape deformation when exposed to a humid environment. The shape deformable materials can advantageously be in the form of films, fibers, filaments, strands, nonwovens, and pre-molded elements. The shape deformable materials of the present invention may be used to form products, which are both disposable and reusable. More specifically, the shape deformable materials of the present invention may be used to produce products such as disposable diapers, training pants, incontinence products, and feminine care products.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2003
    Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
    Inventors: Vasily A. Topolkaraev, Dave A. Soerens
  • Patent number: 6652499
    Abstract: Absorbent product such as an incontinence pad, sanitary pad, diaper, absorbent inlay or the like, having a central absorbent portion with an upper permeable surface. The absorbent product also has a fluid-impermeable backsheet. In order to provide width adaptation and to allow a basin-shape to be formed in the product, two lateral portions are provided. Each of the lateral portions extends in the longitudinal direction of the product. The inner edge of each lateral portion is attached to the central portion by means of a surplus of material and the outer edge is a free outer edge. The lateral portions can thus move in a lateral direction independently of a central portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2003
    Assignee: SCA Hygiene Products
    Inventors: Kent Edgren, Peter Rönnberg, Ulrika Hagrud
  • Patent number: 6648865
    Abstract: The present invention is a disposable absorbent article having a backsheet, and a fecal management member joined to the backsheet. The fecal management member includes a backing and a sheet of fibers. The sheet of fibers have anchor portions in the backing at spaced bonding locations and have arcuate portions of the sheet projecting from the backing between bonding locations. The arcuate portions include a surface coating agent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2003
    Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
    Inventors: Gabriele Stiehl, Jorg Muller
  • Patent number: 6649810
    Abstract: A disposable diaper is provided comprising a liquid permeable topsheet, a liquid impermeable backsheet, and a liquid retentive absorbent member interposed between the two sheets, wherein the disposable diaper has a product basis weight of 50 to 220 g/cm2, and a portion of the disposable diaper where the absorbent member is positioned has a portion having a rate of body fluid absorption of 3.0 g/sec or more and a portion having a saturated body fluid absorption of 75 g/100 cm2 or more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2003
    Assignee: Kao Corporation
    Inventors: Masanori Minato, Shigeto Yanagihara, Kenji Ishiguro, Mikio Suzuki, Tetsuya Masuki
  • Patent number: 6641568
    Abstract: Absorbent articles having improved sustained fit on the body, improved appearance through the period of use, and improved comfort for the wearer. The absorbent article has a containment assembly, a waist feature and a diagonal support member feature disposed so as to lie in the diagonal support zone of the wearer's body when the article is worn. The diagonal support member is designed to support the article from the small of the back, over the hip, and to the lower abdomen. The diagonal support member is distinct from the waist feature, which is designed to provide only enough circumferential tension to hold itself in position on the body. The absorbent article has a garment-like high-waisted appearance, gentle tension around the waist to avoid discomfort and/or pressure marking, good leakage protection, good sustained fit, and easy application and removal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2003
    Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
    Inventors: Gregory Ashton, Frederick Michael Langdon
  • Patent number: 6635039
    Abstract: The combination of a package and plural absorbent pads, e.g., pantiliners. Each of the pads is an elongated generally planar member having a body engaging surface and an opposed liquid barrier surface. Each of the pads is folded along a line extending transversely to the long dimension of the pad so that its body engaging surface forms the inner surface of the folded pad and its liquid barrier surface forms the outer surface of the folded pad. The folded pads are stacked on top of one another. The package can be of various shapes, e.g., a pouch, a parallelepiped gusseted member, etc., and is formed of a flexible sheet material, e.g., a plastic film. It has a hollow interior into which the stack of pads is located. The package includes an openable mouth, e.g., a weakened or breakable line in a portion of the material making up the package, two overlapping edges of the material making up the package, etc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2003
    Assignee: Tyco Healthcare Retail Services AG
    Inventor: Ruth Levy
  • Patent number: 6632209
    Abstract: A disposable absorbent garment comprising a topsheet, a back-sheet and an absorbent core disposed between the topsheet and backsheet is disclosed. The absorbent core is formed from a folded laminated comprising three layers, including an upper layer, a lower layer and a central fibrous layer including from about 50 to about 95 percent by weight superabsorbent polymer and about 5 to about 50 percent by weight stabilization additives. The upper and lower layers comprise tissue, airlaid fluff pulp synthetic non-woven fibrous layers. The central fibrous layers is adhesively bonded to both the upper and lower layers, all layers together assisting to maintain the dry and wet integrity of the absorbent core. Folding of the thin absorbent laminate provides an absorbent core that can handle large doses of urine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2003
    Assignee: Paragon Trade Brands, Inc.
    Inventor: Harry J. Chmielewski
  • Patent number: 6623467
    Abstract: A reusable diaper is made of two sheets of fabric. One sheet is an absorbant rectangular sheet. The second sheet is an inverted bell-shape and may be of resilient material. The absorbant sheet is stitched along one edge to the bell-shaped sheet along the length of the axis of symmetry of the bell-shaped sheet. The absorbant sheet is only stitched to the bell-shaped sheet adjacent one comer of the absorbant sheet so that, when unfolded, the absorbant sheet is at least twice the length of the axis of symmetry of the bell-shaped sheet. The absorbant sheet may thus be folded into a narrow rectangular absorbant pad lying along the axis of symmetry of the bell-shaped sheet. The opposite tapered ends of the bell-shaped sheet are wrapped around an infant's waist and are drawn to the front of the infant through a loop on the vertex of the bell-shape once the vertex has pulled lifted up between the infant's legs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2003
    Inventor: Lotta Charles-Lundaahl
  • Patent number: 6616648
    Abstract: Absorbent article such as a diaper and an incontinence guard comprising a liquid permeable topsheet (2), a liquid impermeable backsheet (3) and an absorbent body (4) enclosed therebetween, said article having a front portion (5), a rear portion (6) and a crotch portion (7), therebetween, whereby the front and rear portion exhibits side flaps (8, 9), which are intended to attach the article to a pantlike shape around the waist of the user. The article has at least one pre-stressed elastic means (11a) and at least attached to the back sheet, that said first elastic means (11a) is brought in an essentially V-shaped pattern having the peak of the pattern located to a first point (13) being essentially located on a imagined longitudinal center line (12) in said crotch portion (7) and that the V-shaped elastic means (11a) diverge in the direction from said longitudinal center line (12) toward the front portion (5).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2003
    Assignee: SCA Hygiene Products AB
    Inventors: Kent Hermansson, Kenneth Strannemalm, Katharina Karlsson, Solgun Drevik
  • Patent number: 6616787
    Abstract: Provided is a water-decomposable absorbent article including an absorbent body that has a water-decomposable top sheet, a water-decomposable back sheet, a water-decomposable adsorbent core sandwiched between the top sheet and the back sheet, and an adhesive layer provided on the back sheet to fit the absorbent article to an external support; and a water-decomposable release sheet for protecting the adhesive layer before use with covering the adhesive layer. The release sheet includes a release layer that faces the adhesive layer, a water-decomposable fibrous layer, and a water-soluble polymer layer sandwiched between the release layer and the fibrous layer. A basis weight of the release layer is at least 0.05 g/m2 but smaller than 0.3 g/m2, and an equilibrium contact angle between a surface of the release layer and a water drop thereon is at least 100 degrees.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2003
    Assignee: Uni-Charm Corporation
    Inventors: Shigeo Imai, Sachiyo Suzuki
  • Patent number: 6616645
    Abstract: Absorbent diaper pants having a front part (2), a back part (3) with an elastic member (20) in the waist hole (12) region, and a crotch part (4) with elastic hems (19) in the diaper pants (1) leg holes (13), wherein the front part (2) and the back part (3) are provided with fastening means (21), and on the diaper pants (1) inner surface side a changeable absorbent pad (14) is arranged, and the diaper pants (1) are further provided with a therapeutic orthopaedic pad (29); characterized in that the orthopaedic pad (29) is located in a rectangular housing (27) arranged on the diaper pants (1) facing side, while this housing (27) is by its front and back transverse ends, in a takeable apart manner, secured to the end edges (9, 10) of the front part (2) and of the back part (3), and the absorbent pad (14) is inserted inside retaining means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2003
    Inventor: Zden{haeck over (e)}k Morávek
  • Patent number: 6610039
    Abstract: An absorbent article (10) has a longitudinal direction (26) and a lateral direction (24). The article includes a backsheet layer (30), a liquid-permeable topsheet layer (28), and an absorbent body (32) sandwiched between the backsheet layer (30) and topsheet layer (28). A surge management member (46) is joined between the topsheet layer (28) and the absorbent body (32), and the surge management member (46) includes at least a first nonwoven fabric layer (52). In particular aspects, the article (10) can be bent around a wearer's body contours with a reduced tendency to form a transverse channel crease (76) along the cross-direction of the surge management member, particularly when the surge member (46) is curved through the wearer's crotch region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2003
    Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
    Inventors: Hoa La Wilhelm, Alan Francis Schleinz, David Louis Zenker
  • Patent number: 6605752
    Abstract: An absorbent product which possesses two longitudinal side edges (12,13), two transverse end edges (10,11), a longitudinal centre line and a transverse centre line, and which comprises a liquid-permeable outer layer (2), a liquid-impermeable backing layer (3) and an absorption core (4) which is located between the outer layer (2) and the backing layer (3), with the absorption core (4) comprising a first and a second absorption layer (14,15), with the first absorption layer (14) being arranged behind the liquid-permeable outer layer (2) and the second absorption layer (15) being arranged between the first absorption layer (14) and the liquid-impermeable backing layer (3), with the first absorption layer (14) having two longitudinal channels (16,17), with each of the channels having an outer edge (20) closest to the corresponding longitudinal side edge (12,13) of the product and an inner edge (21) closest to the longitudinal centre line of the product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2003
    Assignee: SCA Hygiene Products AB
    Inventors: Ing-Britt Magnusson, Lennart Nilsson
  • Patent number: 6602238
    Abstract: A shorts-type absorbent article having leg region forming members 71, 71 arranged in an elongated state at a pair of leg regions 70 arranged around a wearer's leg, wherein each of the leg region elastic members comprises a first and a second elastic member 71a, 71b and the first and second elastic members do not exhibit elastic expansible/contractible property at least at a central area of the portion where the absorbent core exists, and the predetermined parts of the first and second elastic members are fixed to the component of the absorbent article by a second fixing means S, S.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2003
    Assignee: Kao Corporation
    Inventors: Shinobu Takei, Kenji Ando, Ken Nemoto