Fastening system for a disposable absorbent garment

• US 4,834,742 A
• Filed: 08/25/1987
• Issued: 05/30/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide Incorporated (Kimberly-Clark Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Corporation
• Inventors: Rajala, Gregory J., Wilson, John C., Siebers, Bruce M., Odorzynski, Thomas W., Stevens, Robert A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rosenbaum, C. Fred
• Assistant Examiner(s): Whelton, Denise
• Application Number:
  US07/089,660
• Time in Patent Office: 644 Days
• Field of Search: 24/DIG.29, 24/DIG. 11, 24/442, 604/386, 604/389, 604/391
• US Class Current: 604/389
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/49007 Form-fitting, self-adjusting disposable diapers
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/49446 the edge leakage prevention means being an impermeable sheet or impermeable part of a sheet placed on or under the top sheet A61F13/49413 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/51464 being stretchable or elastomeric
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/5148 having an impervious inner layer and a cloth-like outer layer
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/539 characterised by the connection of the absorbent layers with each other or with the outer layers
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/5633 open type diaper
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/15284 characterized by quantifiable properties
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/51429 being elastomeric or stretchable sheet

Abstract

A disposable absorbent garment (10) of the type having opposed waistband portions (14 ) separated by an intermediate portion (16), comprises a breathable elastomeric nonwoven fabric outer cover (12) having an absorbent structure (32) integral therewith, including a liquid-impervious baffle (36), a liquid-pervious bodyside liner (34), and an absorbent core (38) therebetween. The absorbent structure (32) preferably forms an insert attached to the outer cover (12) without restricting the stretchability thereof. The garment (10) has a generally asymmetrical hourglass profile with leg cut-out openings (18) converging together to define a narrow crotch with front (28) and rear (30) panels on either side thereof, having pairs of front (20, 22) and rear (24, 26) ear portions, respectively. Laterally-opposed pairs of rear fastener members (42, 44) and front (46, 48) fastener members extend across the rear ear portions (20, 22) and front ear portions (24, 26), respectively. Longitudinally opposed pairs (42, 46; 44, 48) of the fastener members are engagable with one another, forming substantially full-length closures from the waistband (14) to each leg opening (18) of the garment (10). Each fastener member (42, 46; 44, 48) comprises at least two spaced snap elements (50A, 50B), representing primarily fixed-point closures, separated by an abutment surface (52, 54, 56, 58) presenting a secondary load-bearing closure, such as a cohesive adhesive strip (64), for effecting and maintaining a substantially continuous closure between the primary closures formed by the snap elements (50A, 50B) when longitudinally opposed pairs (42, 46; 44, 48) of the fastener members are fastened together about the body of a wearer, providing full-length, fixed-point fastening substantially from waist to leg of the wearer, resulting in a neat, trim fit and appearance.

Claims

1. An anatomically form-fitting, generally self-adjusting disposable absorbent garment comprising:

a breathable elastomeric outer cover including front and rear waistband portions defining a waist opening, a pair of leg openings delimited along marginal sides of said outer cover, an intermediate crotch section delimited between said leg openings and front and rear panels separated by said crotch section;

an absorbent insert structure substantially superposable on said front and rear panels and said crotch section, including a liquid permeable bodyside liner and a liquid impermeable baffle with an absorbent core disposed therebetween;

attachment means for attaching and integrating said insert to said outer cover while allowing substantially unrestricted functional stretchability thereof; and

full-length fastening means for releasably securing said garment about a wearer and providing a substantially full-length closure between each of said leg openings and said waist opening, including fixed position primary closure spaced from one another near waist opening and said leg openings, respectively, of said full-length closures, said primary closure being separated by abutment means presenting secondary load-bearing closure means extending substantially between said spaced primary closure means for effecting and maintaining the dimensional integrity of said full-length closure, said full-length fastening means having an effective modulus of elasticity sufficient to allow fastening while also preventing inadvertent disengagement of said fastener members when said garment is worn.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein said outer cover comprises an elastomeric nonwoven web.

3. The invention of claim 2 wherein said outer cover comprises a stretch-bonded laminar fabric comprising a nonwoven elastic web joined to one or more gatherable nonwoven webs.

4. The invention of claim 1, 2 or 3 further comprising front and rear ear portions delimited along said marginal side edges between said leg openings and said waist opening and wherein said fastening means further comprise front and rear fastener members respectively attached to said front and rear ear portions, each of said front fastener members being releasably engageable with a cooperating one of said rear fastener members to secure said garment about a wearer.

5. The invention of claim 4 wherein said outer cover further comprises a generally hour-glass or T-shaped profile having converging leg openings, defining said front and rear ear portions.

6. The invention of claim 5 wherein said outer cover profile is generally asymmetrical about a central transverse axis of said garment and wherein said rear panel has a large surface area than said front panel.

7. The invention of claim 6 wherein said rear fastener members are respectively attached to the body facing surface of said rear pair of ear portions and said front fastener members are respectively attached to the externally facing surface of said front pair of ear portions, said rear pair of ear portions and said rear pair of fastener members being releasably engageable in overlying relationship with said front pair of ear portions and said front pair of fastener members.

8. The invention of claim 4 wherein said primary closure means comprise cooperable snap-in elements.

9. The invention of claim 4 wherein said outer cover is resiliently stretchable from about 20% to about 200%.

10. The invention of claim 9 wherein said outer cover is resiliently stretchable in at least a cross-body direction.

11. The invention of claim 10 wherein said primary closure means have an effective modulus elasticity sufficient to allow fastening while preventing inadvertent disengagement of said fastener members when said garment is being worn, said fastener members cooperating with said resiliently stretchable outer cover to position said insert and secure said garment on the body of a wearer.

12. The invention of claim 11 wherein the effective peel strength of each of said primary closure means is from about 600 grams to about 2500 grams.

13. The invention of claim 12 wherein the effective shear strength of each said secondary closure means is at least about 3750 gram/inch².

14. The invention of claim 13 wherein the effective diameter of each of said primary closure means is less than about 0.4 inches.

15. The invention of claim 14 wherein the effective thickness of each of said primary closure means is from about 0.01 to about 0.19 inches.

16. The invention of claim 15 wherein

17. The invention of claim 16 wherein said secondary closure means comprises cooperable hook and loop materials respectively disposed on cooperating ones of said fastener members.

18. The invention of claim 17 wherein said more abrasive hook portion faces away from the body of a wearer fastened during use.

19. The invention of claim 16 wherein said secondary closure means comprises a cohesive adhesive.

20. The invention of claim 4 wherein said insert is attached and integrated into said outer cover while said outer cover is in a stretched condition.

21. The invention of claim 4 wherein a laterally opposed pair of said front or rear portions have fastener members which are releasably engageable with one another, so that said garment may be neatly and compactly packaged for disposal after use by folding or rolling one of said panels inwardly, bringing said pair of laterally opposed ears together around said rolled or folded panel and fastening said laterally opposed fastener members together.

22. The invention of claim 3 wherein said nonwoven elastic web comprises an A-B-A'"'"' block copolymer.

23. The invention of claim 3 wherein either of said elastic nonwoven webs and said one or more gatherable nonwoven webs comprises a polyolefin.

24. The invention of claim 22 wherein either of said elastic nonwoven webs and said one or more gatherable nonwoven webs comprises a polyolefin.

25. The invention of claim 22 wherein said elastic nonwoven web comprises coextrudable polyolefin.