Kimberly-clark Worldwide, Inc.

Velcro Industries B.v.

Alexander J Neeb

Richard John Schmidt

Brian J Vanbenschoten

Timothy Ray Martin

Heidi S Tremblay

Robert Lee Popp

Marcille Faye Ruman

Christopher M Gallant

Scott M Filion

Ernesto S Tachauer

Debra Hartley Durrance

Wallace L Kurtz, Jr

Keith G Buzzell

Joseph K Parshley

William P Clune

Susan Elaine Shawver

Richard Warren Tanzer

James Russell Fitts, Jr

Susan Carol Paul

Tamara Lee Mace

Arthur Edward Garavaglia

Kurtis Lee Brown

Joseph Earl Pierce

Terry K Timmons

Eric Scott Kepner

Christopher Dale Fenwick

William L Huber

Oomman Painumoottil Thomas

Monica Graciela Varriale

Glen Thomas Mildenhall

Chad Michael Freese

Paul A Dandurand

Warren L Collier, Iv

Debra H Durrance

A method of forming a post bonded loop laminate material includes providing a first layer of material comprising a nonwoven web of loop material having fibers and applying a force to the nonwoven web of loop material to generally orient the fibers in the direction of the applied force. The first layer of material is laminated to a second layer of material while applying the force to the nonwoven web of loop material to form a nonwoven loop laminate material. The first layer of material is bonded to the second layer of material after forming the nonwoven loop laminate material to form a post bonded loop laminate material.

Mechanical fastening system for an article

A mechanical fastening system for products, for example, an absorbent article such as infant training pants, in which the mechanical fastening system is a hook-and-loop type fastening system on the garment in which the loop material is a nonwoven material laminate which has been post bonded after the laminate has been constructed.

A skin-friendly hook component of a hook and loop fastener that reduces or eliminates the occurrence of red-marking and/or irritation if brought into contact with a wearer's skin. In one embodiment, the hook component can have a relatively large top surface area among the hooks with respect to a surface area of the hook backing. In another embodiment, the hook backing is highly flexible, attributable to a flexible resin and/or modified topography. In yet another embodiment, a highly flexible polymer, or polymers, can be used to make individual hooks such that the hooks bend in response to a minimum amount of pressure. Various illustrated hook tapes have features along their edges to enhance skin-friendliness. A skin-friendly hook component results any combination of the disclosed embodiments. The hook component is particularly beneficial when used in absorbent articles.

Skin-friendly hook fastening component

High loft, low density nonwoven webs suitable for use in a variety of applications requiring strong fabric layers are produced by forming substantially continuous, spunbond, crimped, bicomponent fibers of crimpable, e.g., side by side or eccentric sheath/core (A/B) configuration which are unheated prior to collection. The fibers are then heated and cooled in the absence of impeding forces to achieve maximum crimp in the Z-direction and produce a web of lofted material of greater uniformity than attained with comparable material whose fibers are drawn by a heated process. The resultant nonwoven material can then be pattern bonded or laminated for additional strength without interfering with the desired loft of the low density nonwoven. The additionally strengthened nonwoven may then be further processed such as by lamination or the like to further increase its utility.

Strong high loft low density nonwoven webs and laminates thereof

A method of making a touch fastener includes coextruding, side-by-side, a plurality of lanes of polymeric material to form a sheet-form base. The sheet-sheet form base includes a lane of a first polymeric material disposed between two lanes of a second polymeric material, the second polymeric material is different from the first polymeric material. The method further includes molding a plurality of discrete fastener element stems extending outwardly from and integral with the sheet-form base in each of the two lanes of the second polymeric mateial and forming engageable heads on the stems.

Hook fasteners and methods of making the same

An elastic laminate is provided which has an elastic layer and one or two outer facing layers. The elastic layer is formed from an improved styrene-(ethylene-butylene)-styrene-(ethylene-butylene) tetrablock copolymer, or a blend of the copolymer. The copolymer has a number average molecular weight of at least about 70,000. The two ethylene-butylene blocks have number average molecular weights which together constitute more than 75% of the number average molecular weight of the copolymer.

High performance elastic laminates made from high molecular weight styrenic tetrablock copolymer

A hook and loop fastener having an increased coefficient of friction compared to conventional nonwoven hook and loop systems. The increased coefficient of friction strengthens engagement between a hook component and a loop component, both when the hooks and loops are engaged, and even when the hooks and loops are not engaged but merely in contact with one another. The coefficient of friction can be increased by adding tackifiers in the hook forming process and/or in the loop forming process, or by extruding multi-component fibers using a fiber type that enhances strength and a fiber that has less strength but has a higher coefficient of friction, or by using fibers of various cross-sectional shapes, or by processing surface bloom additives into the hook and/or loop structures.

Hook and loop fastener having an increased coefficient of friction

A bi-stable hook component of a touch fastener can bend into, and remain in, a stable concave position. Another stable position enables initial engagement with a mating component (e.g., a loop component). The concave position applies engagement-enhancing tension to the engaged loops, and in some cases forces end portions of the hooks into close proximity with one another to secure the fastening and to produce a curved touch fastener that, as engaged, can better conform to an underlying curved surface, such as the contour of a wearer's body. Absorbent articles having such a bi-stable fastening system are also disclosed.

Bi-stable fastening

Growing community of inventors

Alpharetta, GA, United States of America

Alexander J Neeb