Kimberly-clark Worldwide, Inc.

Chris P Olson

Andrew Mark Long

John David Amundson

Catherine Marguerite Hancock-Cooke

Tim G Dollevoet

Julie Ann Paveletzke

Shawn Jeffrey Sullivan

Russell Joseph Brumm

Christopher Martin Pieper

Susan Marie Trefethren

Cole William Poole

Bradley A Colvin

Adam Suttner

Sandra K Walker

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

A system for removing and donning a disposable absorbent article by using a separate robotic device includes an absorbent assembly having an inner layer that partly defines a body-facing surface, an outer layer that defines a garment-facing surface, and an absorbent body disposed between the inner and outer layers. The absorbent assembly also includes a pair of ears extending transversely outward from the opposite sides of the absorbent assembly in the back waist region, each of the ears including a body-facing surface with a primary first fastening-component that is selectively engageable with a primary second fastening-component in the front waist region of the absorbent assembly in a wear configuration of the article, and a garment-facing surface opposite the body-facing surface. The absorbent article also includes a manipulation-enablement feature configured to assist the post-retail manipulation of the absorbent article by the robotic device.

Automatic absorbent article change features

Growing community of inventors

Neenah, WI, United States of America

Chris P Olson