Tri-folded disposable absorbent article, packaged absorbent article, and array of packaged absorbent articles with substantially continuously distributed absorbent particulate polymer material

• US 8,496,637 B2
• Filed: 06/18/2008
• Issued: 07/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Original Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Inventors: Hundorf, Harald Hermann, Beruda, Holger, Blessing, Horst, Dziezok, Peter, Krause, Axel, Schmidt, Mattias, Stelzig, Lutz, Frank, Martin Werner
• Primary Examiner(s): Anderson, Lynne
• Application Number:
  US12/141,146
• Publication Number:
  US 20080312624A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,868 Days
• Field of Search: 604367-368, 604/372, 604381-382, 604/385.02, 604/385.201
• US Class Current: 604/385.02
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/5323 having absorbent material located in discrete regions, e.g. pockets
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/536 having discontinuous areas of compression
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/55115 characterized by the features before use, e.g. how are the diapers folded or arranged in a package
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/530547 positioned in a separate layer or layers

Abstract

A tri-folded disposable absorbent article comprising a substantially cellulose free absorbent core located in a chassis between a topsheet and a backsheet and comprising absorbent particulate polymer material. An array of absorbent article packages comprising disposable absorbent articles comprising a substantially cellulose free absorbent core is also disclosed.

Claims

1. An array of absorbent article packages comprising:

a plurality of absorbent article packages, each of the absorbent article packages comprising a packaging material and a plurality of disposable absorbent articles disposed in the packaging material in a substantially superposed stacked configuration;

the disposable absorbent articles each comprising a chassis including a topsheet and a backsheet and a substantially cellulose free absorbent core located between the topsheet and the backsheet and comprising absorbent particulate polymer material;

wherein the absorbent core includes first and second absorbent layers, the first absorbent layer including a first substrate and the second absorbent layer including a second substrate;

the absorbent particulate polymer material is deposited on the first and second substrates;

the absorbent core further comprises thermoplastic adhesive material covering the absorbent particulate polymer material on the respective first and second substrates; and

the first and second absorbent layers are combined together such that at least a portion of the thermoplastic adhesive material of the first absorbent layer contacts at least a portion of the thermoplastic adhesive material of the second absorbent layer, wherein the disposable absorbent article is a diaper;

wherein the absorbent particulate polymer material is disposed between the first and second substrates in an absorbent particulate polymer material area, and the absorbent particulate polymer material is substantially continuously distributed across the absorbent particulate polymer material area;

the absorbent particulate polymer material is deposited on the first and second substrates in respective patterns of land areas and junction areas between the land areas such that the absorbent particulate polymer material is discontinuously distributed on the first and second substrates; and

the first and second absorbent layers are combined together such the respective patterns of absorbent particulate polymer material are offset from one another;

wherein the width of the land areas is from about 8 mm to about 12 mm and the width of the junction areas is less than about 5 mm;

wherein each disposable absorbent article has a longitudinal axis extending from a first end to a second end and is tri-folded substantially perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis along a first fold line and a second fold line spaced from the first fold line so as to form a central section extending from the first fold line to the second fold line, a first end section extending from the first fold line to the first end, and a second end section extending from the second fold line to the second end, so that the first section, central section, and second section are superposed to one another;

wherein at least a first of the plurality of absorbent article packages comprises disposable absorbent articles having a first size and occupying a volume in the at least the first of the plurality of absorbent article packages of less than about 200 cc per absorbent article under base compression of from about 2500 to about 5000 N; and

at least a second of the plurality of absorbent article packages comprises disposable absorbent articles having a second size different than the first size and occupying a volume in the at least the second of the plurality of absorbent article packages different than the volume occupied by the disposable absorbent articles having the first size in the first of the plurality of absorbent article packages.

2. The array of claim 1, wherein the first section, central section, and second section are substantially coextensive.

3. The array of claim 1, wherein the first section overlays the central section and the second section overlays the first section.

4. An array of absorbent article packages comprising:

a plurality of absorbent article packages, each of the absorbent article packages comprising a packaging material and a plurality of disposable absorbent articles disposed in the packaging material in a substantially superposed stacked configuration;

the disposable absorbent articles each comprising a chassis including a topsheet and a backsheet and a substantially cellulose free absorbent core located between the topsheet and the backsheet and comprising absorbent particulate polymer material;

wherein each disposable absorbent article has a longitudinal axis extending from a first end to a second end and is tri-folded substantially perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis along a first fold line and a second fold line spaced from the first fold line so as to form a central section extending from the first fold line to the second fold line, a first end section extending from the first fold line to the first end, and a second end section extending from the second fold line to the second end, so that the first section, central section, and second section are superposed to one another;

wherein at least a first of the plurality of absorbent article packages comprises disposable absorbent articles having a first size and occupying a volume in the at least the first of the plurality of absorbent article packages of less than about 200 cc per absorbent article under base compression of from about 2500 to about 5000 N;

wherein at least a second of the plurality of absorbent article packages comprises disposable absorbent articles having a second size different than the first size and occupying a volume in the at least the second of the plurality of absorbent article packages different than the volume occupied by the disposable absorbent articles having the first size in the first of the plurality of absorbent article packages.

5. The array of claim 4, wherein the first section, central section, and second section are substantially coextensive.

6. The array of claim 4, wherein the first section overlays the central section and the second section overlays the first section.

7. The array of claim 4, wherein the absorbent core includes first and second absorbent layers, the first absorbent layer including a first substrate and the second absorbent layer including a second substrate;

the absorbent particulate polymer material is deposited on the first and second substrates;

the absorbent core further comprises thermoplastic adhesive material covering the absorbent particulate polymer material on the respective first and second substrates.

8. The array of claim 7, wherein the first and second absorbent layers are combined together such that at least a portion of the thermoplastic adhesive material of the first absorbent layer contacts at least a portion of the thermoplastic adhesive material of the second absorbent layer.

9. The array of claim 7, wherein the absorbent particulate polymer material is disposed between the first and second substrates in an absorbent particulate polymer material area, and the absorbent particulate polymer material is substantially continuously distributed across the absorbent particulate polymer material area;

the absorbent particulate polymer material is deposited on the first and second substrates in respective patterns of land areas and junction areas between the land areas such that the absorbent particulate polymer material is discontinuously distributed on the first and second substrates; and

the first and second absorbent layers are combined together such the respective patterns of absorbent particulate polymer material are offset from one another.

10. The array of claim 4, wherein the disposable absorbent article is a diaper.