Drapeable sanitary absorbent napkin

• US 7,594,904 B2
• Filed: 09/16/2004
• Issued: 09/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Edgewell Personal Care Brands, LLC (Edgewell Personal Care Company)
• Original Assignee: McNeil-PPC Incorporated (Johnson & Johnson)
• Inventors: Rosenfeld, Leonard G., Wysocki, Theresa, Nikitina, Marina, Yang, Morris, Poccia, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Stephens; Jacqueline F.
• Application Number:
  US10/943,175
• Publication Number:
  US 20060058755A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,839 Days
• Field of Search: 604/385.01, 604/385.16, 604/385.22, 604/367, 604/366, 604/378, 604/384, 604/385.101, 604/374, 604/375, 604/377, 604/400, 604/385.23, 442/224, 442/246, 442/414
• US Class Current: 604/385.01
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/15203 Properties of the article, e.g. stiffness or absorbency chemical aspects A61L15/00

Abstract

An absorbent article including a cover layer, a barrier layer and an absorbent system arranged between the cover layer and the barrier layer, the absorbent article being drapeable and possessing the absorbency attributes required of a sanitary napkin.

Claims

1. An absorbent article comprising:

a cover layer;

a barrier layer;

an absorbent system arranged between said cover layer and said baffler layer;

wherein said absorbent article has a total thickness of less than 2.5 mm; and

wherein at least a portion of said absorbent article satisfies one of the two following equations;

AC>

18.12−

12.11 1n(BW/MCB), where BW/MCB is <

3.45; and

AC>

3.0, where BW/MCB is ≧

3.45.

2. The absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein said absorbent article has a thickness of less than 2.0 mm.

3. The absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein said absorbent article has a thickness of less than 1.5 mm.

4. The absorbent article according claim 1, wherein said absorbent system includes superabsorbent material.

5. The absorbent article according to claim 4, wherein said absorbent system comprises a material including a mixture of cellulosic fibers and superabsorbent material.

6. The absorbent article according to claim 5, wherein said material contains from about 90% to about 40% cellulosic fibers and about 10% to about 40% SAP.

7. The absorbent article according to claim 6, wherein said absorbent material is embossed to have at least a first region and a second region.

8. The absorbent article according to claim 7, wherein said first region has a density greater than said second region.

9. The absorbent article according to claim 8, wherein said first region covers about 20% to about 60% of said of the surface area of the material and wherein said second region comprises between about 40% and about 80% of said material.

10. The absorbent article according to claim 9, wherein said first region has a density greater than 0.3 g/cc and said second region has a density in the range from about 0.07 to about 0.25 g/cc.

11. The absorbent article according to claim 10, wherein said material has a basis weight of about 50 to about 600 gsm.

12. The absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein said absorbent system is a material manufactured by an air-laying process.

13. The absorbent article according to claim 12, wherein said material comprises cellulosic fibers, binder material and nonbonding materials.

14. The absorbent article according to claim 13, wherein said material includes less than 50% cellulosic fibers, less than 20% binder material and greater than 30% non-bonding materials.

15. The absorbent article according to claim 14, wherein said material has a basis weight of about 50 gsm to about 600 gsm.

16. The absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein said absorbent system is substantially entirely SAP.

17. The absorbent article according to claim 16, wherein said SAP is present in an amount of at least 50 gsm.

18. The absorbent article according to claim 16, wherein said SAP is present in an amount of between about 100 gsm and about 150 gsm.

19. The absorbent article according to claim 16, wherein said SAP has an absorbent capacity of at least 20 g/g after 1 minute.

20. The absorbent article according to claim 16, wherein said SAP has a total capacity of at least 40 g/g.

21. The absorbent article according to claim 16, wherein said SAP is secured to an internal surface of said barrier.

22. The absorbent article according to claim 21, wherein said SAP is secured to said internal surface of said barrier by adhesive.

23. The absorbent article according to claim 16, wherein said SAP has a gel blocking ratio of at least 0.50.

24. The absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein the cover is a spunlace material including from about 10 to about 65 wt % rayon and from about 35 to about 90 wt % polyester.

25. The absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of said absorbent article has a BW/MCB ratio of at least 2.5.

26. The absorbent article according to claim 25, wherein said article has an AI of at least 1.71.

27. The absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of said absorbent article has a BW/MCB ratio of at least 10.0.

28. The absorbent article according to claim 27, wherein said article has an AI of at least 1.74.

29. The absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of said absorbent article has a BW/MCB ratio of at least 20.0.

30. The absorbent article according to claim 29, wherein said article has an AI of at least 1.5.

31. The absorbent article according to claim 29, wherein said article has an AI of at least 1.78.

32. The absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein said absorbent article is a sanitary napkin.

33. The absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein said absorbent article is a pantiliner.

34. The absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein said absorbent article is an incontinence device.

35. The absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of said absorbent article has a BW/MCB ratio of at least 2.5.

36. An absorbent article comprising:

a body facing surface;

a garment facing surface;

wherein said absorbent article has a total thickness of less than 2.5 mm; and

wherein at least a portion of said absorbent article satisfies one of the two following equations;

AC>

18.12−

12.11 1n(BW/MCB), where BW/MCB is <

3.45; and

AC>

3.0, where BW/MCB is ≧

3.45.

37. An absorbent article comprising:

a cover layer;

a barrier layer;

an absorbent system arranged between said cover layer and said baffler layer;

wherein said absorbent article has a total thickness of less than 2.5 mm; and

wherein at least a portion of said absorbent article satisfies one of the two following equations;

AC>

18.12−

12.11 1n(BW/MCB), where BW/MCB is <

3.45;

AC>

3.0, where BW/MCB is ≧

3.45;

and wherein said absorbent system consists of a layer of superabsorbent material arranged between said cover layer and said barrier layer, said layer of superabsorbent material having a basis weight between 100 gsm and 150 gsm.