Absorbent article comprising an agent able to convey a perception to the wearer, without the need to create the external condition perceived

• US 20040082928A1
• Filed: 10/17/2003
• Published: 04/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Original Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Inventors: Carlucci, Giovanni, Pesce, Antonella, Meo, Daniela, Di Cintio, Archille
• Granted Patent: US 6,972,010 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/361
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 15/20 containing organic materials
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 15/46 Deodorants or malodour counteractants, e.g. to inhibit the formation of ammonia or bacteria
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2300/20 containing or releasing organic materials
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2300/40 characterised by a specific therapeutic activity or mode of action
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2300/802 Additives, excipients, e.g. cyclodextrins, fatty acids, surfactants

Abstract

The present invention relates to absorbent articles, such as sanitary napkins, panty-liners, nursing pads, baby diapers and the like, comprising an agent able to convey a perception to the wearer, without the need to create the external condition perceived by the wearer. Such absorbent articles are able to improve comfort, by, for example, conveying to the wearer thereof a long lasting freshness sensation upon prolonged wearing time of such articles

Claims

1. An absorbent article, preferably hygienic disposable absorbent article, comprising an agent able to convey a perception to the wearer, without the need to create the external condition perceived by the wearer.

2. An article according to claim 1, wherein said article is feminine hygienic disposable article, typically a panty liner, sanitary napkin, incontinent pad, interlabial pad or breast pad.

3. An article according to claim 1, wherein the agent is a cooling agent able to stimulate thermo-receptors of the skin and/or mucosal surface of the wearer of the article, to convey a freshness sensation to the wearer, without the need to change the temperature on the skin and/or mucosal surface.

4. An article according to claim 3 wherein the cooling agent is selected from the group consisting of ketals, carboxamides, cyclohexyl derivatives, cyclohexanol derivatives, camphor, borneol, eucalyptol, methyl salicylate, tea tree oil, eucalyptus oil, peppermint oil and mixtures thereof.

5. An article according to claim 3, wherein the cooling agent is selected from the group consisting of:

a ketal according to the following formula;

in which R¹ represents a C₂-C₆-alkylene radical having at least 1, but not more than 3, hydroxyl group(s), preferably 1 hydroxyl group, and either R² and R³ independently of one another represent C₁-C₁₀-alkyl which is optionally substituted by about 1 to about 3 radicals selected from the group comprising hydroxyl, amino and halogen, C₅-C₇-cycloalkyl, preferably cyclohexyl, C₆-C₁₂-aryl, preferably phenyl, with the proviso that the total of the C atoms of R² and R³ is not less than 3, or R² and R³ together represent an alkylene radical which, together with the carbon atom which carries the radicals R² and R³, forms a 5-7-membered ring, it being possible for this alkylene radical, in turn, to be substituted by C₁-C₆-aklyl groups, or mixtures thereof;

or a carboxamide of the following formula;

wherein R′

, when taken separately, is hydrogen or an aliphatic radical containing up to about 25 carbon atoms;

R″

when taken separately is hydroxy, or an aliphatic radical containing up to about 25 carbon atoms, with the proviso that when R′

is hydrogen, R″

may also be an aryl radical of up to about 10 carbon atoms and selected from the group consisting of substituted phenyl, phenalkyl or substituted phenalkyl, naphthyl and substituted naphthyl, pyridyl; and

R′ and

R″

, when taken together with the nitrogen atom to which they are attached, represent a cyclic or heterocyclic group of up to about 25 carbon atoms,

or

wherein R′ and

R″

, when taken separately, are each hydrogen, C₁-C₅ alkyl or C₁-C₈ hydroxyalkyl and provide a total of no more than about 8 carbon atoms, with the proviso that when R′

is hydrogen, R″

may also be alkylcarboxyalkyl of up to about 6 carbon atoms;

R′ and

R″

, when taken together, represent an alkylene group of up to 6 carbon atoms, the opposite ends of which group are attached to the amide nitrogen atom thereby to form a nitrogen heterocycle, the carbon chain of which may optionally be interrupted by oxygen;

R¹ is hydrogen or C₁-C₅ alkyl; and

R₂ and R₃ are each C₁-C₅ alkyl;

with the provisos that (i) R¹, R₂ and R₃ together provide a total of at least about 5 carbon atoms, preferably from about 5-10 carbon atoms; and

(ii) when R¹ is hydrogen, R₂ is C₂-C₅ alkyl and R₃ is C₃-C₅ alkyl and at least one of R₂ and R₃ is branched, preferably in an alpha or beta position relative to the carbon atom marked (*) in the formula, or a mixture thereof;

or a cyclohexanol derivative according to the following general formulae;

wherein R represents a linear or branched alkyl group having about 1 to about 5 carbon atoms,

or

wherein R¹ and R² are independently hydrogen, or a linear or branched alkyl group having about 1 to about 5 carbon atoms, or mixtures thereof;

or a cyclohexyl derivative according to the following general formula

wherein R represents —

H, a C₁-C₅ linear or branched alkyl group, a C₁-C₅ alkenyl group, a C₁-C₅ alkoxy group or a C₁-C₅ acyloxy group, R¹ represents —

H, or a linear or branched alkyl group having from 1 to 5 carbon atoms, or mixtures thereof;

or a mixture thereof.

6. An article according to claim 3, wherein the cooling agent is a cyclohexyl derivative and more preferably is menthyl lactate.

7. An article according to claim 3, which comprises menthol as a first cooling agent in combination with a second cooling agent, preferably selected from the group consisting of ketals, carboxamides, cyclohexyl derivatives other than menthol, cyclohexanol derivatives and mixtures thereof, preferably the second cooling agent is according to those of claim 5.

8. An article according to claim 3, which comprises on at least a portion of the article from about 0.01 gm⁻

2 to about 300 gm<sup>−

2</sup> of a cooling agent or a mixture thereof.

9. An article according to any of the preceding claims 1 or 3, comprising a delivery system for containing and delivering the agent to at least a portion of the skin and/or mucosal surface of mammal wearing the article.

10. An article according to claim 9, characterized in that the delivery system is an emollient-containing composition comprising from about 0.1% to about 99.9%, by weight of the agent or mixture thereof, and from about 99.9% to about 0.1%, by weight of the emollient or mixture thereof.

11. An article according to claim 10, wherein the delivery system comprises an emollient typically selected from the group consisting of petroleum-based;

fatty acids, particularly those having from about 8 to about 28 carbon atoms in their fatty chain;

sucrose ester fatty acids;

polyethylene glycol and derivatives thereof;

fatty acid ester type;

alkyl ethoxylate type;

fatty acid ester ethoxylates;

fatty alcohol type;

polysiloxane type;

propylene glycol and derivatives thereof;

glycerine and derivatives thereof, including glyceride, acetoglycerides, and ethoxylated glycerides of C₈-C₂₈ fatty acids;

spermaceti and other waxes;

fatty alcohol ethers, particularly those having from about 8 to about 28 carbon atoms in their fatty chain, propoxylated fatty alcohols;

other fatty esters of polyhydroxy alcohols;

lanolin and its derivatives;

kaolin and its derivatives;

sorbitol and its derivative;

trihydroxy stearin;

ester derivatives and mixtures thereof.

12. An article according to claim 9, wherein the delivery system comprises an alcohol or ester or acid derivative of following formulae or mixtures thereof

13. An article according to claim 9, wherein the delivery system comprises triethyl citrate, acetyl tributyl citrate, triacetyl citrate, O acetyl triethyl citrate, polyethylene glycol and/or propylene glycol.

14. An article according to any of the preceding claims 1 or 3, wherein the article comprises a wearer-facing surface, characterized in that at least a portion of the wearer-facing surface comprises the agent.

15. An article according to claim 3, wherein said article is a hygienic absorbent article comprising a topsheet as a wearer facing surface, a backsheet as a garment facing surface and an absorbent core sandwiched between the topsheet and backsheet, said backsheet preferably being a breathable backsheet.

16. An absorbent article according to claim 15, wherein said breathable backsheet comprises at least one layer selected from an apertured polymeric film or a 2-dimensional planar apertured film.

17. An absorbent article according to claim 16, wherein said layer is a 2-dimensional planar apertured layer, wherein said apertures have an average diameter of from about 150 micrometers to about 1 micrometers.

18. An absorbent article according to claim 16, wherein said layer is an apertured polymeric film, wherein said apertures have an average diameter of from about 100 micrometers to about 500 micrometers.

19. An absorbent article according to claim 16, wherein said breathable backsheet comprises at least two layers, a first layer comprising an apertured layer and a second layer comprising a fibrous layer.

20. An absorbent article according to claim 19, wherein said breathable backsheet comprises at least a first layer of a resilient, three dimensional web which consists of a liquid impervious polymeric film having apertures forming capillaries which are not perpendicular to the plane of the film but are disposed at an angle of less than 90°

relative to the plane of the film, and at least a second breathable layer being a fibrous nonwoven web made from synthetic fibers having a basis weight of less than about 40 g/m2.

21. An article according to any of the preceding claims 1 or 3, preferably feminine hygienic disposable absorbent article, wherein at least a portion of the article is provided in a color that further contributes to the perception conveyed to the wearer of the article.