Kimberly-clark Worldwide, Inc.

Kimberly-clark Corporation

Clifford Jackson Ellis

Lawrence Howell Sawyer

Sylvia Bandy Little

Richard Norris Dodge, Ii

Connie Lynn Hetzler

Rob David Everett

Candace Dyan Krautkramer

David Martin Jackson

Roger Bradshaw Quincy, Iii

Tamara Lee Mace

Hoa La Wilhelm

Eric Scott Kepner

David F Bishop

Jian Qin

Bernard H Cohen

Eugenio Go Varona

Jeffrey Eldon Fish

MaryAnn Zunker

David Louis Zenker

Susan Carol Paul

Robert A Stevens

Arthur Edward Garavaglia

Jay Sheldon Shultz

Christopher Cosgrove Creagan

Hannong Rhim

Sandra M Yarbrough

Barbara Ann Gossen

Roland Columbus Smith, Jr

Daniel R Laux

Clifford M Vogt

Mark Gordon Heath

Lynn Carol Brud

Eric Mitchell Johns

Shannon K Byerly

David K LeMahieu

David G Iwanski

Violet M Grube

William D Hanson

Tom K Wentzel

Susan Kathleen Cobbs

Maria E Signoret

A method of making a resilient tampon includes the steps of providing binder fibers having an average fiber length of at least 35 mm; combining the binder fibers to form a loose fleece; activating the binder fibers; and compressing a portion of the loose fleece into a pledget after activating the binder fibers. A resilient tampon includes 70 wt % to 95 wt % absorbent fibers and 5 wt % to 30 wt % bicomponent binder fibers. The binder fibers have an average fiber length greater than 35 mm.

Resilient tampon and method for making

A warming product that contains an exothermic composition configured to generate heat in the presence of oxygen and moisture is provided. The exothermic composition is applied to a thermal composite containing two or more fibrous layers, which are structured to provide enhanced distribution of the exothermic composition through the thermal composite structure. For example, a first fibrous layer may rapidly acquire the exothermic composition and distribute it primarily in the &#x2212;z direction (direction of thickness) to a second fibrous layer, which may then distribute the exothermic composition primarily in the &#x2212;x and &#x2212;y directions. Typically, at least a portion of the exothermic composition is able to flow through the second fibrous layer and contact additional layers. For example, the exothermic composition may contain a moisture-holding layer configured to supply moisture to the exothermic composition. This places the exothermic composition into close contact with the moisture-holding layer, which may provide enhanced heating efficiency. Further, the exothermic composition may also adhere the moisture-holding layer to the composite without the need for additional bonding mechanisms.

Warming product

A cooling product (e.g., pad, bandage, headband, wrap, cloth, and so forth) that contains a gel configured to cool the skin of a body part when placed adjacent thereto is provided. The gel is contained within a composite that has two or more fibrous layers structured to provide enhanced distribution of the gel therethrough. More specifically, a first fibrous layer may rapidly distribute the gel in primarily the -z direction (direction of thickness) to a second fibrous layer, which then distributes it primarily in the -x and -y directions. The second fibrous layer may then be placed adjacent to a user's skin to provide the desired cooling. Because the gel is distributed primarily in the -x and -y directions, however, direct contact between the gel and skin is limited, thereby reducing the 'sticky' feel normally associate with such gels. The cooling product is also flexible, and may be easily adapted to a body part.

Cooling product

There is provided a surge material for personal care products comprising a layered structure of at least one relatively high permeability layer on a top side toward a wearer and at least one relatively low permeability layer where the structure has a capillary tension range between about 1 and 5 cm with a differential capillary tension of at least about 1 cm from top to bottom. The surge material should have a high permeability layer with a permeability of at least 1000 Darcys and a low permeability layer with a permeability of less than 1000 Darcys. The surge material should also have a said high permeability layer which has a permeability of at least 250 Darcys greater than the low permeability layer. Such a layered structure should have a first insult run-off value of at most 30 ml from a 100 ml insult delivered at 20 ml/second. Such a surge material is useful in personal care products like diapers, training pants, absorbent underpants, adult incontinence products, feminine hygiene products and the like.

Heterogeneous surge material for absorbent articles

Disclosed herein are elastic laminate materials. The elastic laminate materials are laminates of extensible nonwoven fibrous webs and thermoplastic elastic materials. The laminate may be a two-layer composite material having a single nonwoven fibrous web bonded to one side of the thermoplastic elastic material, or it may be a three-layer composite having a nonwoven fibrous web bonded to each side of the thermoplastic elastic material. The extensible nonwoven fibrous webs may be staple fiber webs. The thermoplastic elastic material may be single-layer or multi-layer elastic films, or elastic fibrous layers. Where single- or multi-layer elastic films are used, the films may be breathable films. The elastic material, or some of the staple fibers, or both, may be selected such that the staple fiber webs are thermally compatible with the thermoplastic elastic material to facilitate laminate bonding. Processes for forming the elastic laminate material are also disclosed.

Low-cost elastic laminate material

There is provided a fibrous web which includes a binder and which is compressed to a density of up to about 0.3 g/cc. The web may preferably be formed by the bonded carded web process or air lay process. The binder may depend on hydrogen bonding using moisture or may be a non-aqueous solution, a powder, a fibrous binder or a conjugate fiber binder including a moisture triggerable component. Conjugate fibers may be crimped. When wetted the web of this invention should expand rapidly to greater than 80% of its uncompressed thickness and greater than 90% of its thickness when saturated if starting from the uncompressed state.

Compressed absorbent composites

There is provided a surge material for personal care products which is a wettable web of fibers of 30 microns in diameter or less where the web has a permeability between about 250 and 1500 Darcys, a capillary tension between about 1.5 and 5 cm, and which maintains that permeability and capillary tension over the life of the web. Its preferred that the web have a density between about 0.02 g/cc to about 0.07 g/cc.

Highly efficient surge material for absorbent article

Highly efficient surge material for absorbent articles

Disclosed herein a personal care absorbent article which when first insulted, has a high initial surface moisture value which is maintained for several minutes but then, after a short period of time, drops to a lower value. As a result, the product has an initial 'wet' feel but quickly changes to a 'drier' feel so as to provide more comfort long term to the wearer.

Enhanced wet signal response in absorbent articles

A wet wipe which includes a pattern bonded polypropylene nonwoven web adapted to provide a sustained controlled release to a surface of an aqueous alcoholic composition contained within the nonwoven web. The nonwoven web has a basis weight of from about 17 to about 100 grams per square meter and includes polypropylene meltblown fibers having diameters in a range of from about 0.01 to about 50 micrometers. The aqueous alcoholic composition contained within the polypropylene nonwoven web is present in a range of from about 300 to about 600 weight percent, based on a dry weight of the nonwoven web of 34 grams per square meter. The wet wipe provides a first release of the aqueous alcoholic composition in a range of from about 40 to about 70 weight percent, a second release in a range of from about 10 to about 25 weight percent, and a third release in a range of from about 5 to about 18 weight percent, of the composition originally present in the nonwoven web. The total amount of the aqueous alcoholic composition remaining in the nonwoven web after three releases is no more than about 25 weight percent, based on the amount of the composition originally present. Also provided is a method of applying a sustained controlled release of an aqueous alcoholic composition to a surface.

Multiple application meltblown nonwoven wet wipe and method

Generally stated, the present invention provides a distinctive absorbent article which includes a backsheet layer and an absorbent retention portion which is superposed on the backsheet layer. The retention portion has a length and a width, and has laterally opposed side edges thereof and longitudinally opposed end edges thereof. A surge management portion is located adjacent a bodyside surface of the retention portion. The surge management portion is constructed to temporarily hold received liquid and release the liquid to the retention portion. The surge management portion has a width, opposed side edges thereof and opposed end edges thereof, and has a length thereof which is less than the length of the retention portion. The end edges of the surge management portion are located longitudinally inboard from the end edges of the retention portion. A porous topsheet layer is disposed in facing relation with the backsheet layer to sandwich the retention portion and the surge management portion between the backsheet layer and the topsheet layer. The topsheet layer has marginal regions thereof attached to marginal regions of the backsheet layer. The attached marginal regions of the topsheet and backsheet layers are located laterally outboard of the side edge regions of the surge management portion. A surfactant material is applied to a medial section of the topsheet layer to provide a greater wettability of the medial section, as compared to a remainder of the topsheet layer. The medial section has a width which is substantially not more than the width of the surge management portion.

Absorbent article having an improved surge management

Generally stated, the present invention provides a distinctive absorbent article comprising a backsheet layer, and a topsheet layer which is disposed in facing relation with the backsheet layer. An absorbent body is interposed between the backsheet layer and topsheet layer. The absorbent body includes a retention portion which comprises a matrix of substantially hydrophilic fibers having a distribution of high-absorbency particulate material therein. The hydrophilic fibers and high-absorbency particles can be provided in a fiber-to-particle weight ratio within the range of about 70:30 to about 30:70. A surge management layer, comprising bicomponent fibers having a denier of not more than about 3 d, is located adjacent at least one major, facing surface of the topsheet layer, and can cooperate with the article components to provide for a liquid Penetration Rate index of not less than about 2.67 ml/sec.

Thin absorbent article having rapid uptake of liquid

Disclosed herein is a fibrous nonwoven web which is particularly well-suited for use as a surge layer in personal care absorbent articles including, but not limited to, diapers, training pants, incontinence garments, sanitary napkins, bandages and the like. The fibrous nonwoven web is made from a plurality of fibers heat bonded to one another to form a nonwoven web having a basis weight of at least 20 grams per square meter, a void volume of between about 40 and about 60 centimeters per gram of web while under a pressure of 689 dynes per square centimeter, a permeability of about 5,000 to about 8,000 darcy, a porosity of about 97.2 percent to about 98.8 percent and a surface area per void of about 24 to about 49 square centimeters per cubic centimeter. The fibrous nonwoven web will have a saturation capacity of between about 30 and about 50 grams of 0.9 percent saline solution per gram of web and a compression resilience in both the wet and dry state of at least about 60 percent.

Surge management fibrous nonwoven web for personal care absorbent

Growing community of inventors

Woodstock, GA, United States of America

Clifford Jackson Ellis