Absorbent article including an absorbent structure

• US 20050192550A1
• Filed: 02/27/2004
• Published: 09/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SCA Hygiene Products AB (Industrivärden AB)
• Original Assignee: SCA Hygiene Products AB (Industrivärden AB)
• Inventors: Birring, Mats, Vartiainen, Kent, Hansson, Charlotta, Porso, Berith, Forsbring, Goran
• Granted Patent: US 7,883,497 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/378
• 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 2013/15495 pore dimension
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/53081 with special pore dimension or arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/530897 having capillary means, e.g. pore or fibre size gradient

Abstract

The invention relates to an absorbent article such as a diaper, an incontinence protector, a sanitary towel or the like, having a transverse direction, a longitudinal direction and a centre axis (II) extending in the longitudinal direction, and a direction of thickness, the article comprising a liquid-permeable cover sheet (611) arranged on an upper surface of the article, a backing sheet (612) arranged on a lower surface of the article, and an absorbent structure (600) enclosed between these sheets, the absorbent structure (600) having, in the longitudinal direction, a middle portion (601) and two opposite end portions (602) and, in the transverse direction, a central portion (603) and two opposite edge portions (604). The absorbent article is distinguished principally in that the edge portions (604) in the absorbent structure'"'"'s middle portion (601), within at least part of the direction of thickness, have a first mean pore size, and in that the central portion (603) in the middle portion (601) of the absorbent structure has a second mean pore size within at least part of the direction of thickness, the first mean pore size being greater than the second mean pore size, and in that the absorbent article can be folded along the longitudinal centre axis (II) so that a part of the article on one side of the centre line (II) extending in the longitudinal direction is brought to lie against a corresponding part of the article on the other side of the centre line (II) extending in the longitudinal direction on the upper surface of the article, and the portions (604) which have the greater, first mean pore size constitute a liquid-receiving zone (610) when the article is in use.

Claims

1. Absorbent article such as a diaper, an incontinence protector, a sanitary towel or the like, having a transverse direction, a longitudinal direction and a centre axis (II) extending in the longitudinal direction, and a direction of thickness, the article comprising a liquid-permeable cover sheet (611) arranged on an upper surface of the article, a backing sheet (612) arranged on a lower surface of the article, and an absorbent structure (600) enclosed between these sheets, the absorbent structure (600) having, in the longitudinal direction, a middle portion (601) and two opposite end portions (602) and having, in the transverse direction, a central portion (603) and two opposite edge portions (604), characterized in that the edge portions (604) in the absorbent structure'"'"'s middle portion (601), within at least part of the direction of thickness, have a first mean pore size, and in that the central portion (603) in the absorbent structure'"'"'s middle portion (601) has a second mean pore size within at least part of the direction of thickness, the first mean pore size being greater than the second mean pore size, and in that the absorbent article can be folded along the longitudinal centre axis (II) so that a part of the article on one side of the centre line (II) extending in the longitudinal direction is brought to lie against a corresponding part of the article on the other side of the centre line (II) extending in the longitudinal direction on the upper surface of the article, and the portions (604) which have the greater, first mean pore size constitute a liquid-receiving zone (610) when the article is in use.

2. Absorbent article according to claim 1, characterized in that the liquid-permeable cover sheet (611), on one side of the longitudinal centre axis (II), is connected to the liquid-permeable cover sheet (611) on the other side of the longitudinal centre axis (II).

3. Absorbent article according to claim 1, in which the absorbent structure (600) has an upper surface directed towards the liquid-permeable cover sheet (611) and a lower surface directed towards the backing sheet (612), characterized in that the absorbent structure is folded along the longitudinal centre axis (II) so that at least a part of the upper surface on one side of the longitudinal centre axis (II) in the middle portion (601) of the absorbent structure lies against a part of the upper surface on the other side of the longitudinal centre axis (II).

4. Absorbent article according to claim 3, characterized in that the upper surface on one side of the longitudinal centre axis (II) in the middle portion (601) of the absorbent structure is bonded to the upper surface on the other side of the longitudinal centre axis (II).

5. Absorbent article according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the edge portions (604) in the middle portion (601) of the absorbent structure have the first mean pore size throughout the entire thickness of the absorbent structure.

6. Absorbent article according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the edge portions (604) of the end portions (602) in the absorbent structure (600) also have the first mean pore size, within at least part of the direction of thickness.

7. Absorbent article according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that the absorbent structure (600), in the direction of thickness, has a first sheet (605) and a second sheet (606), the first sheet (605) having a smaller extent in the longitudinal direction than the second sheet (606).

8. Absorbent article according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the absorbent structure has a first mean pore size which is at least 1.1 times as great as the second mean pore size.

9. Absorbent article according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the liquid-receiving zone (610) has a density of between 0.02 and 0.2 g/cm³, preferably between 0.06 and 0.15 g/cm³, and in that the area having the second, lesser mean pore size has a density of between 0.1 and 1.0 g/cm³, preferably between 0.12 and 0.6 g/cm³.