Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.

Kimberly-Clark Corporation

Barbara Oakley Sauer

Robert Eugene Vogt

Laura Jean Turner

Herb F Velazquez

Paul John Serbiak

Paul Roy Schmidt

Richard Frederick House

Georgia Lynn Zehner

Yung Hsiang Huang

Timothy James Blenke

Carl Gerard Rippl

Paul Theodore VanGompel

Chinmay Suresh Betrabet

Melissa Christine Putzer

Nancy E Dawson

Thomas Glenn Merrill

Mary Rece Holt

Ruth Ann Lachapell

A personal care absorbent article, such as an infant diaper, a training pant, an incontinence garment and the like, having at least one swellable structure attached thereto for use as a containment dam or support structure. The swellable structure having a swellable layer and a cover material adapted to expand upon swelling of the swellable layer. The pleated cover material allows the swellable layer to swell freely in a z-direction.

Swellable structure having a pleated cover material

A product comprising an absorbent paper material and a dispenser adapted to hanging from a support such as a towel bar or a hook is disclosed. The dispenser can be optionally located on a surface instead of hung from a support, and a space at the bottom of the dispenser protects the absorbent paper material from damage due to liquid spills on the surface. The dispenser has an advantage of two distinct dispensing modes, and protection of the unused absorbent paper material from liquid spills.

Optionally hangable container and dispensing method

A personal care absorbent article, such as an infant diaper, a training pant, an incontinence garment and the like, having a structure for opening a support channel adjacent a gluteal fold when the wearer is in a sitting position. The structure having an expandable element hingedly connected to a compressible element whereby the expandable element forms the support channel upon compression of the compressible element.

Structure forming a support channel adjacent a gluteal fold

A personal care article for preventing exudates from contacting the body of a user comprises a substrate including an extensible bodyside liner layer, and an aperture support structure limiting extensibility of the bodyside liner layer along the length of the aperture support structure. One support band of an aperture support structure runs through the gluteal fold between the buttocks of a user. The aperture support structure positions an aperture in the bodyside liner layer in the gluteal fold of a user, in alignment with the anus, so that fecal material enters a containment receptacle upon leaving the anus. In another embodiment, the personal care article can include a comfort stretch layer comprising an elastomeric, hot melt, pressure-sensitive adhesive located between a bodyside liner layer and an outer layer. Elastomeric elements can follow the outside edges along the length of the personal care article and then curve inwardly at the crotch portion and cross each other at a cooperative location frontward of the aperture and corresponding to the perineum of a user. The personal care article can also have a first length at rest, and a second length when secured to the body of a user, the second length being at least 30% greater than the first length.

Personal care article with aperture aligned for receiving fecal material

An absorbent article having a flap and a spacer wherein the flap is positioned in the rear waist portion of the article and forms a pocket. The spacer is positioned proximate the pocket opening and biases the pocket into an open position. The flap may be a laterally extending liquid impermeable flap which is fixedly secured to the article along a seam. The seam, which may be substantially U-shaped, extends between first and second terminal ends. The flap has a free edge which extends between the first and second terminal ends of the seam. The seam and free edge of the flap define the boundaries of a pocket which is formed between the flap and a topsheet of the absorbent article. The pocket has an opening extending between the first and second terminal ends of the seam. The spacer affixed to the article whereby it is disposed between the flap and the topsheet proximate, and optionally extending through, the pocket opening to bias the free edge of the flap away from the topsheet.

Absorbent article with a flap and spacer

A personal care absorbent article, such as an infant diaper, a training pant, an incontinence garment and the like, having a structure for forming a separation barrier between a wetting point and a fecal discharge point when the wearer of the personal care absorbent article is in a sitting position. The structure having an expandable region connected to a compressible region whereby the expandable region forms the separation barrier upon compression of the compressible region.

Front/back separation barrier

A product comprising an absorbent paper material and a container for use as a dispenser, which is adapted to hanging from a support member, such as a towel bar, is disclosed. The container can be optionally located on a surface, such as a counter top, and used as a dispenser. This provides the container with two different dispensing modes. The container has a hanger member integral with the container on one end, and the hanger member is attachable to the container in at least two separate positions. The hanger member is also adapted to covering at least a portion of the absorbent paper material exposed by an opening into the container prior to hanging the container.

Packaged absorbent paper product, container, and dispensing method

An absorbent article includes at least one fit panel which is located in one of the waist sections of the absorbent article adjacent an end edge of the absorbent article. The fit panel extends laterally beyond both of the side edges of an absorbent chassis of the absorbent article. The fit panel may include a center bridge panel and a pair of laterally opposed side panels which are connected to opposed lateral edges of the bridge panel. Desirably, the bridge panel and side panels provide individual zones of elasticity across the width of the fit panel which have different elastic properties.

Absorbent article having a fit panel

An absorbent article having a flap and a spacer wherein the flap is positioned in the rear waist portion of the article and forms a pocket. The spacer is positioned proximate the pocket opening and biases the pocket into an open position. The flap may be a laterally extending liquid impermeable flap which is fixedly secured to the article along a seam. The seam, which may be substantially U-shaped, extends between first and second terminal ends. The flap has a free edge which extends between the first and second terminal ends of the seam. The seam and free edge of the flap define the boundaries of a pocket which is formed between the flap and a topsheet of the absorbent article. The pocket has an opening extending between the first and second terminal ends of the seam. The spacer affixed to the article whereby it is disposed between the flap and the backsheet proximate, and optionally extending through, the pocket opening to bias the free edge of the flap away from the topsheet. Alternative spacer embodiments may be employed. A single spacer or two spacers positioned on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis of the article may be used to bias the pocket open. The use of a spacer which dynamically biases the flap away from the topsheet automatically adjusts the size of the pocket opening in response to relative movement between the wearer and the absorbent article. One or more hinged spacers may be employed to provide such a dynamic spacer.

Absorbent article with a flap and biasing spacer

An absorbent article includes an improved waist flap which includes a central zone and a pair of laterally opposed side zones which extend laterally outward from the central zone to the side edges of the absorbent article. The side zones of the waist flap are elasticized such that they are capable of being elongated in the lateral direction when the side edges of the absorbent article are extended to fasten the absorbent article about the waist of a wearer. The central zone of the waist flap may be substantially inelastic such that it conforms to the wearers body and, in particular, to the small of the wearer's back.

Absorbent article having a selectively elasticized waist flap

An absorbent article with an adhesive flap. The absorbent article has a crotch region, a rear waist region, and a body facing surface positionable adjacent a wearer when the article is in use. The absorbent article includes a backsheet, a liquid permeable topsheet attached to the backsheet, an absorbent structure disposed between said topsheet and said backsheet, and a flap positioned in the rear waist region of the article. The flap has first and second oppositely facing major surfaces wherein the first major surface faces the topsheet and the second major surface forms a portion of the body facing surface of the absorbent article. A substantial portion of the front edge of the flap is a free edge and an adhesive is disposed on the body facing major surface of the flap whereby the adhesive may engage the skin of the wearer when the absorbent article is in use. The adhesive flap thereby prevents the formation of a gap between the absorbent article and the wearer's skin near the rear waist region and, thus, inhibits the leakage of bodily exudates from the absorbent article.

Absorbent article with an adhesive flap

An absorbent article includes at least one containment flap which is configured to maintain a perpendicular, spaced relation away from the absorbent article in use to reduce the flow of body exudates from the article. The article further includes a dewatering layer located on an outer surface of the containment flap for absorbing at least a portion of any exudates which pass over said containment flap in use. The dewatering layer defines an absorbency of at least about 3 grams of saline solution per gram of material. The dewatering layer may further define a total absorbency of at least about 0.5 grams of saline solution and an incline absorbency of at least 1 milliliter.

Growing community of inventors

Fremont, WI, United States of America

Barbara Oakley Sauer