Absorbent articles having improved performance

• US 20030135182A1
• Filed: 02/14/2003
• Published: 07/17/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Lin-Sun Woon, Paul S. Woon
• Original Assignee: Lin-Sun Woon, Paul S. Woon
• Inventors: Woon, Lin-Sun, Woon, Paul S.
• Application Number:
  US10/367,568
• Publication Number:
  US 20030135182A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/378
• 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 13/4758 the means preventing fluid flow in a longitudinal direction
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/532 inhomogeneous in the plane of the pad
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/534 having an inhomogeneous composition through the thickness of the pad A61F13/538, A61F13/539 take precedence; homogeneous cores with tissue wrapping A61F13/53
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/53747 the layer is facing the topsheet layer is part of the topsheet A61F13/511
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/53765 characterized by its geometry
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/659 Including an additional nonwoven fabric
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/668 Separate nonwoven fabric layers comprise chemically different strand or fiber material

Abstract

The present invention relates to absorbent articles. Specifically, the present invention relates to a personal care article having improved performance. The present invention is directed to personal care articles, including feminine pads, having a multi-component liquid absorbent structure that provides maximum protection, reduces leakage and generally stays dry to the touch, provides a better fit, and, after an insult, is more aesthetically pleasing because it masks or hides more liquid. The absorbent articles include a multi-component liquid absorbent structure that has a first liquid absorbent component that is a coherent, flexible matrix including stratified layers of fibrous material as well as a second liquid absorbent component.

Claims

1. A multi-component liquid absorbent structure comprising:

a first liquid absorbent component comprising a coherent, flexible matrix including stratified layers of fibrous material, the first liquid absorbent component having a first major surface, a second major surface, a first total area and a first volume, and

a second liquid absorbent component comprising a layer of a different liquid absorbent material adjacent the second major surface of the first liquid absorbent component, the second liquid absorbent component having a second total area and a second volume such that the ratio of the second total area to the first total area is greater than about 3.5 to 1, the ratio of the second volume to the first volume is greater than about 10 to 1 and the total volume of the liquid absorbent structure is less than about 130 cm³.

2. The liquid absorbent structure of claim 1, wherein the first liquid absorbent component comprises strata of air-laid staple length fibers, air-laid fluff cellulose fibers, air-laid chemically modified cellulose fibers, hydrogel fibers and combinations thereof.

3. The liquid absorbent structure of claim 2, wherein the first liquid absorbent component further includes particulate materials.

4. The liquid absorbent structure of claim 2, wherein the first liquid absorbent component is bonded utilizing thermal binder fibers, adhesives, thermal point bonding, mechanical entanglement, latex emulsions and combinations thereof.

5. The liquid absorbent structure of claim 1, where in the second liquid absorbent component is selected from hydrogel containing composite structures, cellulose fluff structures, and generally homogeneous air-laid structures.

6. A multi-component liquid absorbent structure comprising:

a first liquid absorbent component comprising a coherent, flexible matrix including stratified layers of fibrous material, the first liquid absorbent component having a first major surface, a second major surface, a first total area and a first liquid absorbent capacity, and

a second liquid absorbent component comprising a layer of a different liquid absorbent material adjacent the second major surface of the first liquid absorbent component, the second liquid absorbent component having a second total area and a second liquid absorbent capacity,

such that the ratio of the second total area to the first total area is greater than about 3.5 to 1, the ratio of the second liquid absorbent capacity to the first liquid absorbent capacity is greater than about 10 to 1 and an overall liquid absorbent capacity of the liquid absorbent structure is greater than about 35 grams.

7. The multi-component liquid absorbent structure of claim 6, wherein the interstitial spaces at the second major surface of the first liquid absorbent component are configured to transfer liquid substantially along the length of the first liquid absorbent component in addition to releasing liquid to the second liquid absorbent component.

8. The multi-component liquid absorbent structure of claim 7, wherein the first liquid absorbent component retains less than about 30% of an artificial menses liquid about 1 minute after introduction of an approximately 10 mL insult at the center of the structure.

9. The multi-component liquid absorbent structure of claim 6, wherein the first liquid absorbent component provides a distribution of interstitial spaces that are smaller in size adjacent the second major surface and larger in size adjacent the first major surface.

10. The multi-component liquid absorbent structure of claim 8, wherein the first liquid absorbent component provides a distribution of interstitial spaces that are smaller in size adjacent the second major surface than interstitial spaces in the second liquid absorbent component adjacent that second major surface.

11. A sanitary napkin having a longitudinal centerline and improved liquid management based on the utility of an absorbent multi-component structure, the sanitary napkin comprising:

a liquid permeable body-facing layer;

a liquid impermeable garment-facing layer; and

a multi-component absorbent structure between the liquid permeable body-facing layer and the liquid impermeable garment-facing layer, the multi-component absorbent structure comprising;

a first liquid absorbent component in which at least a portion of the component is positioned on the longitudinal centerline of the sanitary napkin, the first liquid absorbent component comprising a coherent, flexible matrix of fibrous materials forming generally stratified layers, the first liquid absorbent component having a first major surface adjacent the liquid permeable body facing layer, a second major surface opposite the first major surface, a first total area and a first liquid absorbent capacity, and

a second liquid absorbent component comprising a layer of a different liquid absorbent material adjacent the second major surface of the first liquid absorbent component, the second liquid absorbent component having a second total area and a second liquid absorbent capacity such that the ratio of the second total area to the first total area us greater than about 3.5 to 1 and the ratio of the second liquid absorbent capacity to the first liquid absorbent capacity is greater than about 10 to 1 and a total liquid absorbent capacity of the multi-component liquid absorbent structure is greater than about 35 grams.

12. The sanitary napkin of claim 11, wherein the first liquid absorbent component comprises strata of air-laid staple length fibers, air-laid fluff cellulose fibers, air-laid chemically modified cellulose fibers, hydrogel fibers and combinations thereof.

13. The sanitary napkin of claim 12, wherein the first liquid absorbent component further includes particulate materials.

14. The sanitary napkin of claim 12, wherein the first liquid absorbent component is bonded utilizing thermal binder fibers, adhesives, latex emulsions and combinations thereof.

15. The sanitary napkin of claim 11, where in the second liquid absorbent component is selected from hydrogel containing composites structures, cellulose fluff structures, and generally homogeneous air-laid structures.

16. The sanitary napkin of claim 11, wherein the interstitial spaces at the second major surface of the first liquid absorbent component are configured to transfer liquid substantially along the length of the first liquid absorbent component in addition to releasing liquid to the second liquid absorbent component.

17. The sanitary napkin of claim 16, wherein the first liquid absorbent component retains less than about 30% of an artificial menses liquid about 1 minute after an approximately 10 mL insult.

18. The sanitary napkin of claim 11, wherein the first liquid absorbent component provides a distribution of interstitial spaces that are smaller in size adjacent the second major surface and larger in size adjacent the first major surface.

19. The sanitary napkin of claim 18, wherein the first liquid absorbent component provides a distribution of interstitial spaces that are smaller in size adjacent the second major surface than interstitial spaces in the second liquid absorbent component adjacent that second major surface.

20. The sanitary napkin of claim 11, further comprising a channel in the second liquid absorbent component spanning at least a portion of the periphery of the first liquid absorbent component.

21. The sanitary napkin of claim 11, wherein the generally stratified layers of the first liquid absorbent component comprises at least two layers of a fibrous nonwoven web wherein.

22. The sanitary napkin of claim 21, wherein at least one of the layers of a fibrous nonwoven web is selected from bonded-carded webs, air-laid webs, meltblown fiber webs, spunbonded filament webs, hydraulically entangled fibrous webs, mechanically entangled fibrous webs and combinations thereof.

23. The sanitary napkin of claim 11, wherein the first liquid absorbent component overlays at least about 50% of a stain area in the second liquid absorbent component generated by artificial menses liquid about 10 minutes after an approximately 5 mL insult introduced at the center of the first major surface of the first liquid absorbent component.

24. A thin, efficient liquid absorbent structure comprising:

a first liquid absorbent component comprising a coherent, flexible matrix including stratified layers of fibrous materials, the first liquid absorbent component having a first major surface, a second major surface, a first total area, thickness and volume and a first liquid absorbent capacity, and

a second liquid absorbent component comprising a layer of a different liquid absorbent material adjacent the second major surface of the first liquid absorbent component, the second liquid absorbent component having a second total area, thickness and volume and a second liquid absorbent capacity,

wherein the thickness of first and second liquid absorbent component is each between about 1 mm and about 2 mm, the ratio of the second liquid absorbent capacity to the first liquid absorbent capacity is greater than about 10;

the ratio of the second total area to the first total area is greater than about 3.5 to 1, the ratio of the second volume to the first volume is greater than about 10 to 1 and the total volume of the liquid absorbent structure is less than about 30 cm³;

such that the first liquid absorbent component retains less than about 30% of an artificial menses liquid about 1 minute after an approximately 10 mL insult.