Absorbent article demonstrating controlled deformation and longitudinal fluid distribution

• US 10,265,224 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2015
• Issued: 04/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. (Johnson & Johnson)
• Original Assignee: Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. (Johnson & Johnson)
• Inventors: Barbosa, Livea Fujita, Rezende, Felipe Boni, Rosenfeld, Leonard
• Primary Examiner(s): Philips, Bradley H
• Application Number:
  US14/656,057
• Publication Number:
  US 20160089281A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,503 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/47218 with a raised crotch region, e.g. hump
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/4756 the means consisting of grooves, e.g. channels, depressions or embossments, resulting in a heterogeneous surface level
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/51104 the top sheet having a three-dimensional cross-section, e.g. corrugations, embossments, recesses or projections
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/51108 the top sheet having corrugations or embossments having one axis relatively longer than the other axis, e.g. forming channels or grooves in a longitudinal direction
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/533 having discontinuous areas of compression
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/536 having discontinuous areas of compression

Abstract

The present invention generally relates to absorbent articles and in particular to a absorbent articles demonstrating controlled deformation and enhanced fluid wicking in the longitudinal direction of the absorbent articles.

Claims

1. An absorbent article having a transversely extending centerline and a longitudinally extending centerline and a body facing surface, the body facing surface comprising:

a central region having i) a first transverse side parallel to the transversely extending centerline and a second transverse side parallel to the transversely extending centerline and opposite the first transverse side in the direction of the longitudinally extending centerline; and

ii) a first longitudinal side parallel to the longitudinally extending centerline and a second longitudinal side parallel to the longitudinally extending centerline and opposite the first longitudinal side in the direction of the transversely extending centerline, the central region comprising an embossing pattern comprising at least two longitudinally extending channels having respective ends thereof and interconnecting with each other, other than at or in addition to their respective ends, to define at least one substantially embossed region;

a first longitudinal end region having a length measured from the first transverse side of the central region to a first transverse edge of the absorbent article directionally along the longitudinally extending centerline away from the central region, the first longitudinal end region comprising a first plurality of channels defining a first longitudinal end embossing pattern having a length wherein at least one of the channels of the first plurality of channels extends directionally along a longitudinally extending centerline from the first transverse side from about 50% to about 90% of the length of the first longitudinal end region;

a second longitudinal end region having a length measured from the second transverse side of the central region to a second transverse edge of the absorbent article directionally along the longitudinally extending centerline and away from the of the central region, the second longitudinal end region comprising a second plurality of channels defining a second longitudinal end embossing pattern having a length wherein at least one of the channels of the second plurality of channels extends directionally along a longitudinally extending centerline from the second transverse side from about 50% to about 90% of the length of the second longitudinal end region, the embossing pattern of the central region located longitudinally between and interconnected with the first and second plurality of channels at the respective ends of the at least two longitudinally extending channels of the embossing pattern of the central region;

a central longitudinal zone extending longitudinally across the first and second transverse end regions and the central region, the central longitudinal zone extending symmetrical about and directionally along the longitudinally extending centerline and comprising opposing longitudinally extending central longitudinal zone edges parallel to the longitudinally extending centerline defining a central longitudinal zone width W of from about 5 mm to about 20 mm, wherein the embossing pattern of the central region is located within the central longitudinal zone and does not extend beyond the central longitudinal zone width W;

a first transverse end region extending from the first longitudinal side of the central region directionally along the transversely extending centerline and away from the central region, the first transverse end region comprising a least one first longitudinally extending outer channel spaced from about 5 mm to about 26 mm from the nearest central longitudinal zone edge; and

a second transverse end region extending from the second longitudinal side of the central region directionally along the transversely extending centerline and away from the of the central region, the second transverse end region comprising a least one second longitudinally extending outer channel spaced from about 5 mm to about 26 mm from the nearest central longitudinal zone edge

wherein the embossing pattern of the central region interconnects in fluid communication with the embossing patterns of the first and second longitudinal end regions, thereby defining the first and second transverse sides of the central region.

2. The article of claim 1 wherein the at least two interconnected longitudinally extending channels of the central region are interconnected at at least two nodes located on the longitudinally extending centerline.

3. The article of claim 2 wherein the at least two interconnected longitudinally extending channels are interconnected at at least three nodes located on the longitudinally extending centerline.

4. The article of claim 1 wherein the at least two interconnected longitudinally extending channels define at least two substantially embossed regions.

5. The article of claim 4 wherein the at least two interconnected longitudinally extending channels define at least three substantially embossed regions.

6. The absorbent article of claim 1, wherein the at least one channel of the first plurality of channels extends directionally along or about a longitudinally extending centerline across from about 65% to about 90% of the first longitudinal end region.

7. The absorbent article of claim 1, wherein the at least one channel of the second plurality of channels extends directionally along or about a longitudinally extending centerline across from about 65% to about 90% of the second longitudinal end region.

8. The absorbent article of claim 1, wherein the at least one channel of the first plurality of channels extends directionally along the longitudinally extending centerline across from about 65% to about 90% of the first longitudinal end region and the at least one channel of the second plurality of channels extends directionally along the longitudinally extending centerline across from about 65% to about 90% of the second longitudinal end region.

9. The absorbent article of claim 1, wherein at least one channel of the first and second plurality of channels, respectively, comprises at least one first branch(es) and/or at least one second branch(es), respectively.

10. The absorbent article of claim 9, wherein the at least one channel extending directionally along the longitudinally extending centerline of the first and second plurality of channels, respectively, comprises at least one first branch(es) and/or at least one second branch(es), respectively.

11. The absorbent article of claim 10, wherein the at least one channel extending directionally along the longitudinally extending centerline of the first and second plurality of channels, respectively, is located within the central longitudinal zone and does not extend beyond the central longitudinal zone width W.

12. The absorbent article of claim 10, wherein at least one first branch(es) and/or at least one second branch(es), respectively, is located within the central longitudinal zone and extends beyond the central longitudinal zone width W.

13. The absorbent article of claim 11, wherein the first branch(es) and/or second branch(es), respectively, of the at least one channel extending directionally along the longitudinally extending centerline of the first and second plurality of channels, respectively, is located within the central longitudinal zone and extend beyond the central longitudinal zone width W.

14. The absorbent article of claim 1, wherein the central longitudinal zone width W is from about 10 mm to about 18 mm.

15. The absorbent article of claim 1, wherein the first longitudinally extending outer channel is spaced from about 10 mm to about 20 mm from the nearest central longitudinal zone edge.

16. The absorbent article of claim 1, wherein the second longitudinally extending outer channel is spaced from about 10 mm to about 20 mm from the nearest central longitudinal zone edge.

17. The absorbent article of claim 1, wherein one or each of the first and second longitudinally extending outer channels extends and connects with the other longitudinally extending outer channel to unite their respective ends (in fluid communication) such that the outer embossing pattern surrounds or substantially surrounds the central embossing pattern and the first and second plurality of channels.

18. An absorbent article comprising:

a longitudinally extending centerline;

a transversely extending centerline;

a first longitudinal end region;

a second longitudinal end region;

a central region arranged between the first and second longitudinal end regions;

a body facing surface comprising;

a central longitudinal zone which extends from one end of the article to the other end of the article directionally along and symmetrically about the longitudinally extending centerline, the central longitudinal zone comprising opposing longitudinally extending zone edges defining a central longitudinal zone width W of from about 5 mm to about 20 mm and wherein the central longitudinal zone width W is symmetrical about the longitudinally extending centerline;

first and second end embossing patterns each located in the first and second longitudinal end regions, respectively, each longitudinal end region having a length measured from a respective transverse side of the central region to a respective transverse edge of the absorbent article, the first and second end embossing patterns comprising, respectively and independently, a first and second plurality of branched channels wherein at least one of each of the first and second plurality of branched channels extends longitudinally within and not extending beyond the central longitudinal zone across from about 50% to about 90% of the length of the first and second end regions, respectively;

a central embossing pattern within the central longitudinal zone and not extending beyond to the central longitudinal zone width W, the central embossing pattern located in the central region and comprising at least two longitudinally extending channels having respective ends thereof extending in the direction of the longitudinally extending centerline to interconnect, at their respective ends, with the first and second plurality of branched channels, the longitudinally extending channels further interconnecting with each other, other than at their ends, to define at least one substantially embossed region; and

an outer embossing pattern comprising at least two longitudinally extending outer channels, the longitudinally extending outer channels positioned opposite one another and at least partially separated by the central longitudinal zone, wherein each longitudinally extending outer channel is spaced from about 5 mm to about 26 mm from the nearest zone central longitudinal zone edge;

wherein the central embossing pattern interconnects in fluid communication with the first and second end embossing patterns of the first and second longitudinal end regions to facilitate fluid flow longitudinally across the article and define the transverse sides of the central region; and

wherein the central embossing pattern, the first and second end embossing patterns and outer embossing pattern cooperate to facilitate deformation of the article into a hump deformation upon application of the article to a user'"'"'s crotch region where the body facing surface is aligned to contact a user'"'"'s body.