Absorbent article having improved integrity and acquisition

• US 6,319,239 B1
• Filed: 05/08/1998
• Issued: 11/20/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Original Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Inventors: Bruce, Anne Holland, Daniels, Dean Jeffrey, Kirkbride, Tana Marie, Craig, Stephanie Tych
• Primary Examiner(s): Ruhl, Dennis
• Application Number:
  US09/074,909
• Time in Patent Office: 1,292 Days
• Field of Search: 604/385.2, 604/378, 604/374, 604/368, 604/385.01, 604/367, 604/382, 604/383, 428/137, 428/131
• US Class Current: 604/385.01
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/51394 creating a visual effect, e.g. having a printed or coloured topsheet, printed or coloured sub-layer but being visible from the topsheet, other than embossing for purposes of bonding, wicking, acquisition, leakage-prevention
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/539 characterised by the connection of the absorbent layers with each other or with the outer layers

Abstract

Absorbent articles such as sanitary napkins, panty liners, adult incontinence devices, and the like, that have components that are bonded for improved integrity and an unbonded window on their body-facing side for improved acquisition are disclosed. The absorbent articles comprise a topsheet that is fused to an underlying liquid pervious or absorbent layer at a plurality of individual bonded areas. The absorbent articles have an unbonded window that is substantially free of bonded areas, which is surrounded by regions of the absorbent article that contain bonded areas.

Claims

1. An absorbent article having a body-facing side, said absorbent article comprising:

a liquid pervious topsheet defining said body-facing side of said absorbent article;

a liquid impervious backsheet joined to said topsheet; and

an underlying liquid pervious layer having a thickness, said underlying layer being positioned between said topsheet and said backsheet,

wherein said body-facing side of said absorbent article has a bonded region and an unbonded window wherein said topsheet is fused to said underlying layer at a plurality of individual bonded areas that are located in said bonded region, and said unbonded window on said body-facing side is substantially free of bonded areas, and is surrounded by a closed geometric figure formed by a plurality of spaced apart bonds which is surrounded by said bonded region, wherein at least some of said bonds in said bonded region are arranged in a quilted pattern that comprises a plurality of bonds arranged in the pattern of a diamond and several bonds arranged in a pattern inside said diamond pattern, said bonded areas having a circular plan view shape with a diameter between about 1 mm and about 3 mm, and being distributed in a density of between about 2 and about 9 bonds per cm².

2. The absorbent article of claim 1 wherein said bonded areas have outer edges, and the outer edges of said bonded areas are spaced more than about 0.5 mm apart.

3. The absorbent article of claim 1 having a longitudinal centerline, wherein said unbonded window is centered about said longitudinal centerline.

4. The absorbent article of claim 1 wherein said bonds have a circular plan view shape.

5. The absorbent article of claim 4 wherein said bonds which form said closed geometric figure are arranged in a number of opposed, concave inwardly-oriented, curvilinear lines.

6. The absorbent article of claim 1 wherein said unbonded window is surrounded by a plurality of spaced apart bonds arranged in a quilted pattern that covers substantially all of that portion of said body-facing side of said absorbent article located in said bonded region.

7. The absorbent article of claim 6 wherein said bonds inside said diamond pattern are arranged in the configuration of a rounded shape within said diamond pattern.

8. The absorbent article of claim 7 wherein said pattern of bonds is a repeating pattern.

9. The absorbent article of claim 1 wherein said bonds comprise heat and pressure bonds.

10. The absorbent article of claim 1 wherein said bonds comprise ultrasonic bonds.

11. The absorbent article of claim 1 wherein said topsheet comprises an apertured thermoplastic film.

12. The absorbent article of claim 11 wherein said underlying liquid pervious layer comprises a spunbonded polypropylene nonwoven material.

13. The absorbent article of claim 11 wherein said underlying liquid pervious layer comprises at least one layer of multi-bonded air laid nonwoven material.

14. The absorbent article of claim 11 wherein said underlying layer comprises a laminate comprised of a spunbonded polypropylene nonwoven material and a multi-bonded air laid nonwoven material.

15. The absorbent article of claim 13 further comprising an absorbent core positioned between said liquid pervious layer and said backsheet wherein said absorbent core comprises at least one layer of multi-bonded air laid nonwoven material.

16. The absorbent article of claim 11 wherein said underlying liquid previous layer comprises a latex bonded air laid nonwoven material.

17. The absorbent article of claim 16 further comprising an airfelt absorbent core positioned between said liquid pervious layer and said backsheet.

18. A sanitary napkin having a body-facing side, and a longitudinal centerline, said sanitary napkin comprising:

a liquid pervious apertured thermoplastic film topsheet;

a liquid impervious backsheet joined to said topsheet;

a laminate acquisition component positioned between said topsheet and said backsheet, said acquisition component comprising a two layer nonwoven structure comprising a spunbonded polypropylene nonwoven material closest to said thermoplastic film and a multi-bonded air laid nonwoven material beneath said polypropylene nonwoven material, wherein said apertured film and said laminate acquisition component are bonded together by a plurality of fusion bonds;

an absorbent core positioned between said topsheet and said acquisition component, said absorbent core comprising a multi-bonded air laid nonwoven material comprising cellulose fibers, bi-component fibers, a latex binder, and a plurality of particles of superabsorbent hydrogel-forming material;

wherein said body-facing side of said sanitary napkin has a bonded region and an unbonded window wherein said topsheet is fused to said laminate acquisition material at individual bonded areas that are located in said bonded region and said unbonded window is substantially free of bonds, and is surrounded by said bonded region, said bonded areas having a circular plan view shape with a diameter between about 1 mm and about 3 mm, and being distributed in a density of between about 2 and about 9 bonds per cm².

19. A sanitary napkin having a body-facing side, a garment-facing side, and a longitudinal centerline, said sanitary napkin comprising:

a liquid pervious apertured thermoplastic film topsheet;

a liquid impervious backsheet joined to said topsheet;

an acquisition component positioned between said topsheet and said backsheet, said acquisition component comprising a latex bonded air laid nonwoven material;

an airfelt absorbent core positioned between said acquisition component and said backsheet;

wherein said body-facing side of said sanitary napkin has a bonded region and an unbonded window wherein said topsheet is fused to said acquisition component at individual bonded areas that are located in said bonded region and said unbonded window is substantially free of bonds, and is surrounded by a closed geometric figure formed by a plurality of spaced apart bonds which is surrounded by said bonded region, wherein at least some of said bonds in said bonded region are arranged in a quilted pattern that comprises a plurality of bonds arranged in the pattern of a diamond and several bonds arranged in a pattern inside said diamond pattern, said bonded areas having a circular plan view shape with a diameter between about 1 mm and about 3 mm, and being distributed in a density of between about 2 and about 9 bonds per cm².

20. An absorbent article having a body-facing side, said absorbent article comprising:

a liquid pervious topsheet defining said body-facing side of said absorbent article;

a liquid impervious backsheet joined to said topsheet; and

an underlying liquid pervious layer having a thickness, said underlying layer being positioned between said topsheet and said backsheet,

wherein said body-facing side of said absorbent article has a bonded region and an unbonded window wherein said topsheet is fused to said underlying layer at a plurality of individual bonded areas that are located in said bonded region, and said unbonded window on said body-facing side is substantially free of bonded areas, wherein said unbonded window is surrounded by a plurality of spaced apart bonds arranged in the shape of a closed geometric figure having opposed concave inwardly oriented curvilinear sides, and said bonds are distributed in a density of between about 2 and about 9 bonds per cm².