Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.

Kimberly-Clark Corporation

Andrew Scott Burnes

Lawrence Howell Sawyer

Connie Lynn Hetzler

Sylvia Bandy Little

Tamara Lee Mace

Kuo-Shu Edward Chang

Yong Li

Stanley Michael Gryskiewicz

Billie Jean Matthews

Hoa La Wilhelm

Margaret Gwyn Latimer

Richard Allen Anderson

James Brian Riddle

Eugenio Go Varona

Richard Norris Dodge, Ii

Ann Louise McCormack

Heather Anne Sorebo

Jacek K Dutkiewicz

MeeWha Lee

Valerie Victoria Finch

Rebecca Lyn Dilnik

Allan James Krueger

Andrew Michael Lake

David Michael Matela

Rodney Lawrence Abba

Jayne B Nelson

Thomas Patrick Jorgenson

Janice G Nielsen

Kristin Ann Goerg-Wood

Laura Jane Walker

Alexander M Schmidt-Foerst

Lisa Ann Schild

Michael Brent Kottek

Roe C Allen, Jr

Ann Marie Giencke

Charles John Chappell

Krzysztof Andrezej Szymonski

James Allyn Spiers

Ann Margaret Vanevenhoven

Sarah Elizabeth Long-Radloff

There is provided a new multi-layered fibrous material for use in personal care products. In this material, a layer having a mixture of pulp, superabsorbent and binder is adjacent a layer having a very high superabsorbent concentration. The structure is then compacted to a density of between about 0.1 to 0.3 g/cc. These layered structures have better intake properties than traditionally made competitive materials. These structures surprisingly also have better distribution properties than competitive materials. Such a fibrous material is useful in personal care products, like diapers, training pants, incontinence garments and feminine hygiene products.

Layered composites for personal care products

Stabilized absorbent material and systems for personal care products having controlled placement of visco-elastic fluids

There is provided an absorbent system for personal care products which may be transversely divided into about an equally sized center zone, two intermediate zones and two end zones where the ratio of the amount of liquid stored in the center zone to the amount of liquid stored in at least one of the end zones 30 minutes each of three insults of 80 ml according to a MIST Evaluation Test after less than 5:1. Such an absorbent system may be used in personal care products like diapers, training pants, feminine hygiene products, absorbent underpants, adult incontinence products, and the like.

Absorbent articles with controllable fill patterns

There is provided an absorbent system for personal care products which may be transversely divided into about an equally sized center zone, two intermediate zones and two end zones where the ratio of the amount of liquid stored in the center zone to the amount of liquid stored in at least one of the end zones 30 minutes after each of three insults of 80 ml according to a MIST Evaluation Test is less than 5:1. Such an absorbent system may be used in personal care products like diapers, training pants, feminine hygiene products, absorbent underpants, adult incontinence products, and the like.

Disclosed is an absorbent structure comprising fibers, wherein the absorbent structure exhibits desired liquid transport properties. In one embodiment of the present invention, an absorbent structure comprises wettable cellulosic fibers, wherein the absorbent structure exhibits a Vertical Liquid Flux rate value at a height of about 15 centimeters of at least about 0.002 grams of liquid per minute per gram per square meter of absorbent structure per inch of cross-sectional width of the absorbent structure (g/(min*gsm*inch). The absorbent structure is suitable for use in disposable absorbent products.

Absorbent structure for liquid distribution

A multifunctional material is provided for use in personal care products. The multifunctional material has a permeability between 100 and 10000 Darcys and a capillary tension between about 2 and 15 cm. Structures containing this multifunctional material can have a runoff rate of less than 25 ml per 100 ml insult, over its life. The multifunctional material should have between about 30 and 75 weight percent of a slow rate superabsorbent, between 25 and 70 weight percent of pulp and from a positive amount up to about 10 percent of a binder component. The material preferably has a density between about 0.05 and 0.5 g/cc. The material has a liquid pass through function which desorbs a surge material across time frames consistent with user conditions and releases the liquid for distribution to remote storage locations. The material, when combined with the intake and distribution materials, defines a composite structure for use in personal care products.

Multifunctional absorbent material and products made therefrom

The present invention relates to an improved loop portion of a hook and loop fastening system. The loop portion is a two-layer composite including a compressively resilient backing material and a layer of fibrous loop material. The loop material is placed adjacent the bottom surface of the backing material and then a plurality of the loop fibers are needled or stitched through the backing material to form a plurality of loops which project above the top surface of the backing material. Due to the resilient nature of the backing material, when a hook member is brought into engagement with the loop material, the backing material compresses thereby exposing a greater portion of the individual loops for engagement with the hooks. Once the hooks have been engaged, the backing material expands back to make the exposed portion of the loops smaller. As a result, more individual engagements between hook and loop elements occur and there is less play between the hook members and loop elements thereby yielding a more firmly engaged hook and loop system as evidenced by increased peel strengths when compared to conventionally-backed loop structures. To add increased strength to the structure, the layer of loop material may contain an adhesive to bond the fibers and more firmly anchor the loops so as to lessen the chance of their disengagement during separation of the hook members from the loop members. Lastly, the adhesive employed may be a pressure-sensitive adhesive to permit the adherence of the loop structure to another substrate such as a diaper outercover.

Compressively resilient loop structure for hook and loop fastener systems

Disclosed herein is a compressively resistant and resilient fibrous nonwoven web which is suitable for a wide variety of uses including, but not limited to, a portion of a personal care absorbent product which is located on the side of the absorbent core of the product which faces the wearer. The nonwoven web can include bicomponent fiber and has a thickness of 2.5 mm or greater at a pressure of 68.9 pascal, a specific volume of 14 cc/g or greater at a pressure of 6,895 pascal, and a Frazier air permeability of 100 cubic meters per square meter per minute or greater.

Compressively resistant and resilient fibrous nonwoven web

Growing community of inventors

Lawrenceville, GA, United States of America

Andrew Scott Burnes