Articles having an acquisition layer with stretch openings and processes to make them

• US 11,628,100 B2
• Filed: 04/18/2019
• Issued: 04/18/2023
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Original Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Inventors: Saevecke, Dirk, Garcia, Julien Rene, Siemons, Maike
• Primary Examiner(s): Stephens, Jacqueline F
• Application Number:
  US16/387,579
• Publication Number:
  US 20190328588A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,461 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/15699 Forming webs by bringing together several webs, e.g. by laminating or folding several webs, with or without additional treatment of the webs
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/15747 Folding; Pleating; Coiling; Stacking; Packaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/472 specially adapted for female use A61F13/474, A61F13/475, A61F13/476 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/49 Absorbent articles specially adapted to be worn around the waist, e.g. diapers
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/51104 the top sheet having a three-dimensional cross-section, e.g. corrugations, embossments, recesses or projections
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/5116 being formed of multiple layers A61F13/5123 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/5123 the apertures being formed on a multilayer top sheet
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/535 inhomogeneous in the plane of the pad, e.g. core absorbent layers being of different sizes A61F13/5323, A61F13/537 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/53708 the layer having a promotional function on liquid propagation in at least one direction
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/53713 the layer having a promotional function on liquid propagation in the vertical direction
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/53747 the layer is facing the topsheet layer is part of the topsheet A61F13/511
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/53756 the layer facing the back-sheet
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/49053 being stretchable in the longitudinal direction or machine direction, i.e. longitudinal
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/53721 with capillary means
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/53782 with holes

Abstract

An absorbent article such as a diaper comprising an acquisition layer with one or more longitudinally-extending stretch openings is provided. The stretch openings may be obtained by slitting and stretching an acquisition layer material. The topsheet forms recesses at the wearer-facing surface of the absorbent article as it folds inside the stretch openings. The stretch openings may provide a three dimensional profile on the wearer-facing side of the absorbent article in a simple and cost effective manner.

Claims

1. An absorbent article for personal hygiene comprising a wearer-facing side, a garment-facing side, and a longitudinal axis, the absorbent article having a first length measured along the longitudinal axis, the absorbent article comprising:

a liquid permeable topsheet on the wearer-facing side;

a liquid impermeable backsheet on the garment-facing side;

an absorbent core between the topsheet and the backsheet; and

an acquisition layer between the topsheet and the absorbent core;

wherein the acquisition layer comprises one or more stretch openings;

wherein the one or more stretch openings each have a second length measured along the longitudinal axis;

wherein the second length is at least 33% of the first length; and

wherein at least a portion of the topsheet is attached through at least one of the stretch openings to an underlying layer.

2. The absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein each of the one or more stretch openings is present along at least 50% of a longitudinal length of the acquisition layer.

3. The absorbent article according to claim 2, wherein the acquisition layer comprises two stretch openings disposed symmetrically relative to the longitudinal axis.

4. The absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the topsheet is at least partially positioned within at least one of the stretch openings so that the portion of the topsheet forms a recess on the wearer-facing side.

5. The absorbent article according to claim 4, wherein the recess has a depth of at least 0.25 mm, as measured from the wearer-facing side.

6. The absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the stretch openings does not extend to any edges of the acquisition layer.

7. The absorbent article according to claim 6, wherein at least one of the stretch openings extends to a front edge and/or a back edge of the acquisition layer.

8. The absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition layer does not comprise superabsorbent particles, and wherein the absorbent article comprises an additional acquisition layer between the topsheet and the absorbent core.

9. The absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein the absorbent core comprises one or more channels.

10. A package comprising a plurality of absorbent articles according to claim 1.