Absorbent article and method of making same

• US 20080287899A1
• Filed: 09/27/2007
• Published: 11/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: First Quality Retail Services LLC (First Quality Products LLC)
• Original Assignee: Tyco Healthcare Retail Services Ag (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Morrell-Schwartz, Linda, Guzman Reyes, Loida
• Application Number:
  US11/904,493
• Publication Number:
  US 20080287899A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/365
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/15699 Forming webs by bringing together several webs, e.g. by laminating or folding several webs, with or without additional treatment of the webs
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/15739 Sealing, e.g. involving cutting
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/49012 the elastic means being elastic panels
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/496 in the form of pants or briefs
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/49063 the diaper having decoupled components

Abstract

Disposable protective undergarments and methods for manufacturing the same, wherein the undergarments include a front portion and a back portion longitudinally spaced from one another, each of the front and back portions having a waist area, a leg area longitudinally spaced from the waist area and a belly area positioned between the waist area and the leg area are provided, in which the belly area includes an ultrasonically bonded, stretchable film. A crotch insert bridges a gap between the front and back portions. Alternatively, protective undergarments including ultrasonic bonds fixing the crotch insert to the front portion and the back portion is also provided.

Claims

1. A protective undergarment comprising:

a front portion and a back portion longitudinally spaced from one another, each having a waist area, a leg area longitudinally spaced from the waist area and a belly area positioned between the waist area and the leg area, the belly area comprising an ultrasonically bonded, stretchable film; and

a crotch insert having a front end fixed to the front portion and a back end fixed to the back portion and bridging a gap between said front and back portions, such that portions of the leg area of the front portion, the leg area of the back portion, and the crotch insert together define leg openings.

2. The undergarment of claim 1 wherein each of the front and back portions comprises an inner non-woven layer and an outer non-woven layer with a stretchable film sandwiched therebetween.

3. The undergarment of claim 2 wherein the stretchable film is ultrasonically bonded to the inner and outer non-woven layers.

4. The undergarment of claim 1 wherein the belly area is uni-directionally stretchable in a direction across a wearer'"'"'s belly.

5. The undergarment of claim 1 wherein the stretchable film comprises elastomeric stretch film.

6. The undergarment of claim 1 wherein the front portion and the back portion each has a repeating wave-shaped pattern along a crotch end of the portions.

7. The undergarment of claim 1 wherein the back portion has a wave-shaped repeating pattern along a crotch end of the back portion and the front portion is substantially straight along a crotch end of the front portion.

8. The undergarment of claim 1 wherein the back portion is substantially straight along a crotch end of the back portion and the front portion is substantially straight along a crotch end of the front portion.

9. The undergarment of claim 1 wherein the stretchable film is ultrasonically bonded under tension.

10. A protective undergarment comprising:

a front portion and a back portion each having a waist area, a leg area longitudinally spaced from the waist area, and a belly area between the waist area and the leg area;

a crotch insert having a front end overlapping with the front portion and a back end overlapping with the back portion at the belly area; and

ultrasonic bonds fixing the front end of the crotch insert to the front portion and fixing the back end of the crotch insert to the back portion;

wherein portions of the leg area of the front portion, the leg area of the back portion, and the crotch insert together define leg openings.

11. The undergarment of claim 10 wherein the ultrasonic bonds comprise at least one repeating pattern that is at least partially aligned with the profile of a crotch end of the back portion.

12. The undergarment of claim 10 wherein each of the ultrasonic bonds comprises at least one line substantially parallel to a waist end of the back portion.

13. The undergarment of claim 10 wherein each of the ultrasonic bonds comprises from one to three lines that are substantially parallel to the waist end of the back portion.

14. The undergarment of claim 10 wherein the belly areas of the front and back portions comprise stretchable material.

15. The undergarment of claim 14 wherein the ultrasonic bonds are applied to an area covering less than about 25% of the stretchable material.

16. The undergarment of claim 14 wherein the ultrasonic bonds are applied to an area covering less than about 95% of the stretchable material.

17. The undergarment of claim 10 wherein the ultrasonic bonds are applied in a machine direction.

18. The undergarment of claim 10 wherein the ultrasonic bonds are applied in a cross-machine direction.

19. The undergarment of claim 10 wherein the ultrasonic bonds comprise a pattern of non-contiguous repeating elements.

20. A method of manufacturing a protective undergarment comprising the steps of:

forming front and back undergarment portions each having a belly area comprising a stretchable film;

spacing the front and back undergarment portions longitudinally from one another;

fixing a front end of a crotch insert to the front portion; and

fixing a back end of the crotch insert to the belly area of the back portion by ultrasonic bonds to bridge a gap between said front and back undergarment portions.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the step of fixing the back end of the crotch insert to the belly area of the back portion comprises applying at least one repeating ultrasonic bond pattern that is at least partially aligned with the profile of a crotch end of the back portion.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein the step of fixing the back end of the crotch insert to the belly area of the back portion comprises applying an ultrasonic bond that includes at least one line substantially parallel to a waist end of the back portion.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the step of applying an ultrasonic bond includes applying from one to three lines of ultrasonic bonds that are substantially parallel to the waist end of the back portion.

24. The method of claim 20 wherein the step of fixing the back end of the crotch insert to the back portion comprises applying an ultrasonic bond to an area covering less than about 25% of the stretchable film.

25. The method of claim 20 wherein the step of fixing the back end of the crotch insert to the back portion comprises applying an ultrasonic bond to an area covering less than about 95% of the stretchable film.

26. The method of claim 20 wherein the step of fixing the back end of the crotch insert to the back portion comprises applying the bond in a machine direction.

27. The method of claim 21 wherein the step of fixing the back end of the crotch insert to the back portion comprises applying the bond in a cross-machine direction.

28. A method of manufacturing a protective undergarment comprising the steps of:

forming from at least one continuous web of material outer front and back portions each having a waist end and a crotch end longitudinally spaced from the waist end;

applying stretchable film, under tension, onto each of the outer front and back portions at a belly area of each of the front and back portions;

applying an ultrasonic bond to bond the stretchable film and the outer front and back portions; and

fixing a front end of a crotch insert to the front portion and a back end of the crotch insert to the back portion thereby bridging a gap between the front and back portions.

29. The method of claim 28 further comprising the steps of:

forming from at least one continuous web of material inner front and back portions each having a waist end and a crotch end longitudinally spaced from the waist end for mating with the outer front and back portions; and

mating the inner front and back portions to the outer front and back portions with the stretchable film sandwiched therebetween, prior to the step of applying the ultrasonic bond.

30. The method of claim 29 further comprising the step of deactivating leg elastics applied to the front and back portions prior to fixing the crotch insert to the portions by cutting a portion of the leg elastics at locations where the crotch insert overlaps the front and back portions.