Absorbent products having flexible hydrophilic wick means

• US 5,624,421 A
• Filed: 03/26/1996
• Issued: 04/29/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: McNeil-PPC Incorporated (Johnson & Johnson)
• Original Assignee: McNeil-PPC Incorporated (Johnson & Johnson)
• Inventors: Kraskin, Kenneth, Dabi, Shmuel
• Primary Examiner(s): Millin, V.
• Assistant Examiner(s): STRIGHT, RONALD K
• Application Number:
  US08/621,702
• Time in Patent Office: 399 Days
• Field of Search: 604/358, 604/369, 604/378, 604/379, 604/380, 604/385.1, 604/385.2, 604/387, 604/904
• US Class Current: 604/378
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/47218 with a raised crotch region, e.g. hump
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/511 Topsheet, i.e. the permeable cover or layer facing the skin
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/53747 the layer is facing the topsheet layer is part of the topsheet A61F13/511
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/58 Adhesive tab fastener elements A61F13/5611, A61F13/5616, A61F13/66 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/4958 with a faecal management layer
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/51411 being impervious to fluids but not for air or vapours
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/51443 being impervious to fluids and being air permeable
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/530007 being made from pulp
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/530328 being mineral fibres, e.g. glass
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/530481 having superabsorbent materials, i.e. highly absorbent polymer gel materials
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/53081 with special pore dimension or arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/53721 with capillary means
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/53765 characterized by its geometry
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/53769 with the wicking layer not contacting the absorbent core
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/53791 being resilient or elastic

Abstract

Sanitary napkins and other absorbent products as well as a method for their use are provided by this invention. The sanitary napkin includes wick structure disposed on a body-facing side of the napkin which is biased away from the body-facing side to provide a body-contacting portion disposed in a different plane from the plane of the body-facing side.

Claims

1. A sanitary napkin comprising:

(a) an absorbent element having longitudinally extending sides, transverse ends, a body-facing side and an undergarment-facing side; and

(b) resilient wick means disposed on said body-facing side, said wick means having means for absorbing body fluid and thereafter transporting said body fluid to said absorbent element, said wick means being anchored to said absorbent element at at least two spaced apart anchoring locations interior of the transverse ends such that said wick means is arched and biased away from said body-facing side to provide a body-contacting portion intermediate of the anchoring locations, said wick means being supported in said arched shape by its resiliency and unsupported by any structure except the inherent support supplied by the resiliency of the wick means, wherein said body fluid is first drawn into said wick means and then into said absorbent element and, wherein said wick means has an absorbency less than the absorbency of said absorbent element.

2. The sanitary napkin of claim 1 wherein said wick means comprises resilient absorbent material.

3. The sanitary napkin of claim 2 wherein said body-facing side of said absorbent element comprises a body fluid pervious surface.

4. The sanitary napkin of claim 3 wherein said wick means is disposed on said body fluid pervious surface of said absorbent element.

5. The sanitary napkin of claim 2 wherein said wick means comprises a hydrophilic foam material.

6. The sanitary napkin of claim 2 further comprising a body fluid pervious sheet attached to a body-facing side of said wick means.

7. The sanitary napkin of claim 2 further comprising a body fluid pervious cover disposed over said wick means and attached to said absorbent element so as to substantially entrap said wick means thereunder.

8. The sanitary napkin of claim 1 wherein said absorbent element comprises a greater capillary pressure than said wick means.

9. The sanitary napkin of claim 1 wherein said wick means comprises a fibrous structure.

10. The sanitary napkin of claim 1 wherein said absorbent element comprises one or more of wood pulp, sphagnum moss, and super-absorbent.

11. The sanitary napkin of claim 1 wherein said absorbent element is the primary absorbent for said sanitary napkin.

12. A sanitary napkin comprising;

(a) an absorbent element having longitudinally extending sides, transverse ends, a body-facing side and an undergarment-facing side;

(b) a resilient wick for absorbing body fluid and for transporting said body fluid to said absorbent element, said wick means disposed on said body-facing side, said wick being anchored to said absorbent element at at least two spaced apart anchoring locations interior of the transverse ends such that said wick is arched and biased away from said body-facing side to provide a body-contacting portion intermediate of the anchoring locations, said wick being supported in said arched shape only by its resiliency, and unsupported by any structure except the inherent support supplied by the resiliency of the wick, wherein said body fluid is first drawn into said wick and then into said absorbent element; and

(c) a body fluid pervious cover disposed over said wick and attached to said absorbent element so as to substantially entrap said wick thereunder;

said absorbent element having a greater capillary pressure than said wick so as to draw body fluid therefrom and, wherein said wick has an absorbency less than the absorbency of said absorbent element.

13. The sanitary napkin of claim 12 wherein said resilient wick comprises hydrophilic foam.

14. The sanitary napkin of claim 12 wherein said resilient wick comprises resilient means for permitting said wick to maintain substantial perineal contact when said absorbent element shifts from close contact with the perineal area of the wearer during use.

15. An absorbent product comprising:

(a) an absorbent element having longitudinally extending sides, transverse ends, a body-facing side and an undergarment-facing side; and

(b) resilient wick means for absorbing body fluid attached to said body-facing side of the absorbent element, said wick means being anchored to said absorbent element at at least two spaced apart anchoring locations such that said wick means is arched and biased away from said body-facing side to provide a body-contacting portion intermediate of the anchoring locations, said wick means being supported in said arched shape only by its resiliency, and unsupported by any structure except the inherent support supplied by the resiliency of the wick means, wherein said body fluid is first drawn into said wick means and then into said absorbent element and, wherein said wick means has an absorbency less than the absorbency of said absorbent element.

16. An absorbent article for use on the body of a user, comprising:

(a) A primary absorbent element having a body-facing side and an undergarment-facing side; and

(b) resilient wick disposed on said body-facing side for absorbing body fluid and thereafter transporting at least a portion of said body fluid absorbed to said primary absorbent element, said wick being formed into an arcuate shape adapted to resiliently bias said wick against said user'"'"'s body, said wick having sufficient resiliency to maintain said arcuate shape when no pressure from said user'"'"'s body is applied to said wick, and unsupported by any structure except the inherent support supplied by the resiliency of the wick and wherein said body fluid is first drawn from said wick and then into said absorbent element and, wherein said wick has an absorbency less than the absorbency of said absorbent element.

17. A sanitary napkin comprising:

(a) an absorbent element having longitudinally extending sides, transverse ends, a body-facing side and an undergarment-facing side; and

(b) resilient wick means disposed on said body-facing side, said wick means having means for absorbing body fluid and thereafter transporting said body fluid to said absorbent element, said wick means being anchored to said body-facing side of said absorbent element at at least three spaced apart anchoring locations interior of the transverse ends such that said wick means is arched and biased away from said body-facing side to provide a plurality of body-contacting portions intermediate of the anchoring locations, said wick means being supported in said arched shape only by its resiliency, and unsupported by any structure except the inherent support supplied by the resiliency of the wick means, wherein said body fluid is first drawn into said wick means and then into said absorbent element and, wherein said wick means has an absorbency less than the absorbency of said absorbent element.

18. A method of collecting body fluids, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a sanitary napkin having an absorbent element having longitudinally extending sides, transverse ends, a body-facing side, and undergarment-facing side and resilient wick means for absorbing body fluid and thereafter transporting said body fluid to said absorbent element wherein said wick means has an absorbency less than the absorbency of said absorbent element, said wick means attached to said body-facing side and anchored at at least two spaced apart anchoring locations to said absorbent element and is disposed interior of the transverse ends such that said wick means is arched and biased away from said body-facing side to provide a body-contacting portion intermediate of the anchoring locations, said wick means being supported in said arched shape only by its resiliency, and unsupported by any structure except the inherent support supplied by the resiliency of the wick means, wherein said body fluid is first drawn into said wick means and then into said absorbent element;

(b) applying the garment-facing side of said napkin to an inner crotch area of an undergarment;

(c) collecting said body fluid in said wick means; and

(d) drawing body fluid collected by the wick means into said absorbent element to thereby decrease the likelihood that body fluid will soil said undergarment.