Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.

Catherine Marguerite Hancock-Cooke

David Fleger Bishop

Robert Lee Popp

Sara Jane Wille Stabelfeldt

Wendy Lynn VanDyke

David John Enz

Alanna Nicole Haessler

Paul Joseph Datta

Sarah Lee Christoffel

Marci Elizabeth Sojka

Thomas Harold Roessler

Seul Gee Lee

Brendon Frank Ribble

John Edward Kerins

Laurie Couture-Dorschner

Russell Joseph Brumm

Jeffrey Alan DeBroux

KueYoung You

MinJae Lee

Sarah A O'Brien

Jiyoung Haley Jung

DaeGun Kim

Andrew Mark Long

Patrick Sean McNichols

Timothy James Blenke

Sheng-Hsin Hu

George Ikuya Nukuto

Russell Evan Thorson

John David Amundson

Palani Raj Ramaswami Wallajapet

Wing-Chak Ng

Debra Jean McDowall

MeeWha Lee

Tim G Dollevoet

John Timothy Hahn

Julie Ann Paveletzke

Patrick Robert Lord

Gary Lee Travis

Daniel Lee Ellingson

Scott A Baum

Vickie Marie Thomack

Barbara Ann Gossen

Jennifer L Marvin

Janis Wilson Hughes

David Andrae Justmann

Michael Joseph Nelson

Jane Louise Clough

Mark George Everson

Stephen Carl Baumgartner

Janet Elaine Collins

Patsy Ann Krautkramer

Timothy J Probst

Christopher Martin Pieper

Kristi Jo Schroeder

Susan Marie Trefethren

Cole William Poole

Laura Leigh Boudrie

Robert Clarke Hochholzer

Joseph Robert Riegert

Louise C Coe

Linda M Dorschner

Michael Francis Drymalski

Chris P Olson

Thomas Tanakon Ungpiyakul

Bradley A Colvin

Minjae Lee

Adam Suttner

Edward Wright Leaphart, Jr

Christopher Dines Nelsen

Pamela J Hermans

Ryan M Patterson

Pam Thompson

Emil Stavinoha, Sr

Sandra K Walker

Adrienne Nicole Hengels

Jeffrey A Debroux

Sarah A Obrien

Kueyoung You

An absorbent article includes bond seams that are positioned forwardly towards the article central longitudinal direction from the lateral-most side edges of the article, and which are aligned with the highest point of high-rise leg openings on the article. The absorbent article is conformable on both front and back panels, with the front panel being narrower in dimension than the back panel. The bond seams and leg openings can be seen on the front surface of the relaxed and flattened absorbent article. Such absorbent article may be manufactured along the article transverse direction by use of differential tension during manufacture, or differential retractive properties of elastic base materials.

Method of making an absorbent article having stretchable panels

A pant-like absorbent articles having handles on side panels of the article for ease of removal and donning of the absorbent garment is disclosed. The article includes a front waist region, a back waist region, and a chassis extending longitudinally between and interconnecting the front and back waist regions attached by at least one side panel. Formed within the side panel is at least one handle. The handle includes an aperture formed through the side panel. The handle further includes a reinforcing material operatively joined to the at least one side panel adjacent distal side edges of the aperture.

Disposable article with reinforced handle

An absorbent article includes bond seams that are positioned forwardly towards the article central longitudinal direction from the lateral-most side edges of the article, and which are aligned with the highest point of high rise leg openings on the article. The absorbent article is conformable on both front and back panels, with the front panel being narrower in dimension than the back panel. The bond seams and leg openings can be seen on the front surface of the relaxed and flattened absorbent article. Such absorbent article may be manufactured along the article transverse direction by use of differential tension during manufacture, or differential retractive properties of elastic base materials.

Absorbent article having stretchable panels and method of making same

An absorbent article is provided that can include a fastening system configured to attach the rear waist region to the front waist region to define a wear configuration of the absorbent article. The fastening system can comprise a primary fastening system and a secondary fastening system, the secondary fastening system including at least one secondary first fastening component and at least one secondary second fastening component. A region of flexibility can be provided between adjacent components of the absorbent article between the at least one secondary first fastening component and the bodyside liner in an area under the at least one secondary first fastening component.

Absorbent article having a fastening system with improved flexibility

An absorbent article includes a chassis having longitudinally opposite ends, transversely opposite sides, a bodyside liner at least in part defining the inner surface of the article, an outer cover at least in part defining the outer surface of the article, and an absorbent core disposed between the liner and the outer cover. A pair of ears extends transversely outward from the opposite sides of the chassis at the second waist portion thereof. A primary fastening system has a primary first fastening component located on each of the pair of ears and a primary second fastening component. A secondary fastening system has a secondary second fastening component located on each of the ears and corresponding secondary first fastening components. A non-linear strip attached to an outer surface of the article includes the primary second fastening component and the secondary first fastening components.

Absorbent article having a primary fastening system and a secondary fastening system

An absorbent article can include a fastening system configured to attach the rear waist region to the front waist region to define a wear configuration of the absorbent article. The fastening system can include a primary fastening system and a secondary fastening system. The primary fastening system can include at least one primary first fastening component and a primary second fastening component. The secondary fastening system can include at least one secondary first fastening component and at least one secondary second fastening component. The absorbent article can further include a strip coupled to the outer cover. The strip can include the primary secondary fastening component. The at least one secondary first fastening component can be coupled to a first carrier.

Absorbent article having a fastening system

A method of manufacturing an absorbent article including a fastening system having a primary fastening system and a secondary fastening system is disclosed. In one embodiment, the method can include providing an absorbent assembly, providing a web of primary second fastening component material, and providing a carrier web including a secondary first fastening component material. The method can further include coupling the carrier web to the web of primary second fastening component material to form a composite web, cutting the composite web to form a discrete composite web component, and coupling the discrete composite web component to the outer cover of the absorbent assembly, with the discrete composite web component forming the primary second fastening component of the primary fastening system and the at least one secondary first fastening component of the secondary fastening system.

An absorbent article includes a pair of ears secured to and extending transversely outward from opposite sides of a back portion of the article. Each of the ears is stretchable in at least a transverse direction of the article from a relaxed position to an extended position. A waistband includes a waist elastic disposed in at least the back portion. The waist elastic has an in product load loss of less than 60 percent according to a four-hour hold stress relaxation test. A fastening system has a primary fastening system and a secondary fastening system. In a wear configuration of the absorbent article, the secondary fastening system secures each of the ears of the pair of ears in the extended position.

Absorbent article having a fastening system and waist elastic with low load loss properties

A folded absorbent article is provided. The folded absorbent article includes an absorbent assembly having a liquid permeable inner layer, an outer layer, and an absorbent body between the inner and outer layers. The folded absorbent article further includes a pair of ears extending outward from absorbent assembly in the back waist region, with each ear including a loop fastening component, and a pair of spaced-apart hook fastening components on the outer layer in the front waist region. A pair of longitudinally extending foldlines are also provided in the front waist region. An outboard-most longitudinal edge of each of the hook fastening components is spaced apart from a respective side of the absorbent assembly, and an inboard-most longitudinal edge is spaced apart from a respective longitudinally extending foldline at least a distance equal to a predetermined process range.

An absorbent article is provided. The absorbent article includes a bodyside liner, an outer cover, and an absorbent core between the liner and the outer cover. The absorbent article further includes a pair of ears extending outward from the opposite sides of the absorbent article, and a fastening system having a primary fastening system and a secondary fastening system. The primary fastening system includes a primary first fastening component disposed on each of the pair of ears and a primary second fastening component disposed on the outer surface of the article. The secondary fastening system includes a secondary second fastening component on each of the pair of ears and a corresponding secondary first fastening component on the outer surface of the article. Each of the secondary first fastening components has a stiffness in the longitudinal direction of the article of less than 185 milligrams according to a Gurley Stiffness Test.

Absorbent article having a fastening system with low stiffness

A folded absorbent article is provided. The folded absorbent article includes an absorbent assembly including a liquid permeable inner layer, an outer layer, and an absorbent body. Each of a pair of ears extend outward from the back waist region and include a loop fastening component. A pair of spaced-apart hook fastening components are located on the outer layer in the front waist region, each being selectively engageable with a respective one of the loop fastening components in a wear configuration of the article. The absorbent article is folded such that the hook fastening components engage the back waist region, and such that a peak force required to disengage each of the hook fastening components from the back waist region is less than 120 grams-force when measured using a Diaper Opening Force Test.

Folded absorbent article with a fastening system

Absorbent articles with carefully controlled stretch properties are disclosed. In particular, the absorbent articles have a waistband that encompasses a pair of opposing side panels and a waist region of the article. The side panels are attached to longitudinal edges of a chassis and are configured to extend around a person's waist. The side panels are attached to fastening devices for fastening the absorbent article to a wearer. In accordance with the present invention, the side panels and the waist region are both elastic. In order to improve fit and comfort, the stretch properties of the side panels are matched with the stretch properties of the waist region. For example, elongation of the side panels can be matched to elongation of the waist region or, alternatively, displacement of the side panels can be matched to the displacement of the waist region for a given range of forces.

Absorbent articles having a waist region and corresponding fasteners that have matching stretch properties

An absorbent garment, such as a diaper, designed to reduce or eliminate any tendency of the garment to droop when loaded. The absorbent garment includes an absorbent chassis that defines a waist opening and two leg openings. Based on dimensions of the garment, the absorbent chassis suitably has a diaper length ratio of about 0.85 or less, a droop design ratio of about 150 millimeters or less, and/or an absorbent length design ratio of about 280 millimeters or less.

Absorbent garment characteristics for droop elimination

Absorbent articles with carefully controlled stretch properties are provided. Of particular advantage, the carefully controlled stretch properties can prevent too much tension in the front leg area of the garment. The outer cover is constructed such that the front leg zone has a tension of less than about 1200 grams-force at about 160% to about 175% stretch in the lateral direction, and each of the front waist zone, the front crotch zone, the back crotch zone, the back leg zone, and the back waist zone of the outer cover has a tension of greater than about 1500 grams-force at about 160% to about 175% stretch in the lateral direction. Methods of making such an absorbent article are also provided.

Absorbent garments with improved fit in the front leg area

An absorbent article, such as a disposable diaper, includes a chassis having a front waist region, a back waist region, and a crotch region extending between the front and back waist regions. An outer cover member and a bodyside liner extend longitudinally between the front and back waist regions. An absorbent body structure is sandwiched between the outer cover member and the bodyside liner. A waistband portion includes at least one elastomeric portion. The waistband portion has a relaxed circumference wherein between about 45% to about 70% of the circumference is defined by the elastomeric portion. The waistband portion has an extended circumference for a target wearer wherein, at the extended circumference, the elastomeric portion is extended between about 10% to about 40% of its relaxed circumferential length.

Absorbent article with an elastic waistband having a preferred ratio of elastic to non-elastic materials

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Neenah, WI, United States of America

Catherine Marguerite Hancock-Cooke