Kimberly-clark Worldwide, Inc.

Kimberly-clark Corporation

Kimberly-clark Wordwide, Inc.

David Arthur Kuen

Robert Lee Popp

Joseph Daniel Coenen

Christopher Peter Olson

Jack Lee Couillard

Shawn Ahmed Quereshi

Frank Steven Glaug

Richard Joseph Kamps

Katherine Carol Wheeler

Kristi Jo Bryant

Mark Steven Franke

Cynthia H Hendren

Lisa L Nickel

Yee Yang

Alan Francis Schleinz

Heather Schenck Mortell

John Irvin VanDeurzen

John Irvin Van Deurzen

Shirlee Ann Weber

Charles Robert Tomsovic

Lynn Kirkpatrick LeMahieu

Laurie Couture-Dorschner

David Albert Maxton

Neal A Rollins

Lloyd Carl Hietpas

Sherry Ann Van Dyke

Charles P Keuhn, Jr

Julia Mae Luben

Katherine C Wheeler

A prefastened absorbent garment is manufactured with its longitudinal axis in the machine direction. A web of garment chassis material extending in the machine direction is overlaid with a side panel web. The side panel web is attached at opposite width borders of the chassis web and has one or more complementary fasteners opposing each other in the longitudinal axis direction of the garment chassis web. The garment can be folded to place the complementary fasteners in releasable engagement and individuated from the combined chassis and side panel webs.

Refastenable absorbent product with overlaid side panels and method of making same in the machine direction

An absorbent garment for wear about a wearer's waist includes a waist belt, a garment shell and an absorbent assembly constructed to take in and retain body exudates released by the wearer. The absorbent assembly is releasably attached generally at front and back waist regions thereof to the waist belt. The garment shell is attached generally at front and back waist regions thereof to the waist belt, with the absorbent assembly generally disposed within the garment shell, whereby the front waist region of the garment shell is in opposed relationship with the front waist region of the absorbent assembly and the back waist region of the garment shell is in opposed relationship with the back waist region of the absorbent assembly.

Absorbent garment and method for placing an absorbent garment on a wearer's waist

A disposable absorbent pant having refastenable seams that minimize the product's potential for tearing when forces are applied to separate the refastenable seams. More particularly, the refastenable seams have a shear separation strength that is less than a tensile or tear strength of the outer cover and/or side panels. Also, the bonding strength between a fastening component and the portion of the chassis to which the fastening component is bonded may be greater than the shear separation strength of the refastenable seams. Additionally, the shear separation strength of the refastenable seams may be greater than the peel separation strength of the refastenable seams to enable easy unfastening of the garment through the application of peel forces.

Disposable absorbent pant having refastenable seams

An absorbent garment has an absorbent assembly disposed within a garment shell configured for encircling a wearer's waist. The absorbent assembly has an inner surface adapted for contiguous relationship with the wearer's body, a front waist region in opposed relationship with a front waist region of the garment shell, a back waist region in opposed relationship with a back waist region of the garment shell, and a crotch region extending longitudinally between and interconnecting the front and back waist regions of the absorbent assembly. The absorbent assembly is releasably attached generally at a front waist end thereof to the garment shell generally at the front waist end of the garment shell, and is also releasably attached generally at a back waist end thereof to the garment shell generally at the back waist end of the garment shell.

Absorbent garment

An absorbent garment has an absorbent assembly disposed within a garment shell configured for encircling the wearer's waist. The garment shell comprises a front panel assembly having laterally opposite side margins, and a back panel assembly having laterally opposite side margins. The absorbent assembly is attached at a front waist region thereof to the garment shell generally at the side margins of the front panel assembly to together define front side margins of the absorbent garment. The absorbent assembly is further attached at a back waist region thereof to the garment shell generally at the side margins of the back panel assembly to together define back side margins of the absorbent garment. The front side margins and the back side margins of the absorbent garment are releasably attached to each other to removably secure the absorbent garment on the wearer's waist.

A method of producing refastenable side seams in an absorbent garment results in an absorbent garment that is adapted to easy application and removal. The refastenable side seams can be produced in either a cross direction, wherein the width of the product is the machine direction, or a machine direction wherein the length of the product is the machine direction. Each of the refastenable side seams includes a lap side seam, which puts the seams under shear strain, as opposed to peel forces. The resulting garment can be opened and closed on either a left side or a right side of the garment.

Process for making a garment with refastenable sides

A pant-like absorbent refastenable garment adapted to easy application and removal has hook and loop fasteners on the front and back side panels and in particular embodiments frangible bonds connecting the front and back side panels. The frangible bonds connecting the front and back side panels can be easily broken by the user prior to use and the hook and loop fasteners can be engaged prior to, or during, donning. The hook and loop fasteners do not need to be prefastened at the time of manufacture.

Absorbent article with fastening system

A pant-like absorbent garment adapted to easy application and removal has refastenable side seams. The refastenable side seams extend from a waist opening to each of two leg openings between a front panel and a back panel. Each of the refastenable side seams includes a fastening component and a mating fastening component, each of which comprises either a hook material or a loop material. A portion of the mating fastening component can be die-cut in a sinusoidal or other nesting shape. The resulting refastenable seams can be lap seams, dual fastened lap seams, standing butt seams, or dual fastened standing butt seams.

Absorbent article with refastenable sides

A prefastened absorbent garment is manufactured with its longitudinal axis in the machine direction. A web of garment chassis material extending in the machine direction is overlaid with a side panel web laying substantially within the garment chassis borders. The side panel web is attached to the chassis web and has fasteners thereon. The side panel web can be split in two and folded to place its fasteners in proximity to complementary fasteners disposed at the opposing end of the garment on the chassis web when the chassis web is folded.

Refastenable absorbent product with Z-folded side panels and method of making same in the machine direction

A method of producing refastenable side seams in an absorbent garment results in an absorbent garment that is adapted to easy application and removal. The refastenable side seams can be produced in either a cross direction or a machine direction. Each of the refastenable side seams is a dual side seam that includes a standing butt seam formed between a front lap seam and a back lap seam. The resulting garment can be opened and closed on either a front side of the garment or a back side of the garment.

Process for making a garment with dual refastenable sides and butt seams

A process for making a prefastened and refastenable pant includes providing a plurality of discrete articles having side panels and waist regions including an activatable retractive material. The side panels can be folded parallel to a longitudinal centerline to overlap at least portions of first and second fastening components. The fastening components are then engaged to form a prefastened and refastenable pant. The retractive material can be activated subsequent to engagement of the fastening components, or subsequent to obtaining position control of the side panels, to provide the pant with a waistband-to-hip circumference ratio of about 95 percent or less. The prefastened and refastenable pant and apparatus for its manufacture are also disclosed.

Method and apparatus for making prefastened and refastenable pant with desired waist and hip fit

A disposable absorbent article for personal wear has an inner layer, an outer layer and an absorbent body disposed therebetween. Containment flaps are secured to the inner layer of the article, with each flap having a first layer extending outward from the inner layer of the article to a distal end of the flap. A generally liquid permeable second layer of the flap extends in opposed relation with a medial surface of the flap first layer of the flap and is free from fixed engagement therewith along at least a portion thereof whereby the flap second layer and the portion of the medial surface of the flap first layer define a surge chamber therebetween for receiving liquid body waste. The inner layer of the disposable article is interposed between the surge chamber and the absorbent body.

Containment flaps for absorbent article

A process and apparatus for making pant-like disposable absorbent garments with single-piece elastic side panels, and garments so made, are provided. The single-piece side panels eliminate the additional cost associated with multi-part side panels, and improve aesthetic appearance of the garments by eliminating side seams. The process and apparatus accomplish the steps of providing a garment chassis having unfinished lateral edges, folding the chassis so that a front portion overlaps a back portion, and folding and bonding the single-piece side panels so that opposing of the side panels are joined to the lateral edges on the garment chassis.

Process for making absorbent articles with single-piece panels

A prefastened absorbent garment is manufactured with its longitudinal axis in the cross machine direction. A web of garment chassis material extending in the machine direction is overlaid within the garment chassis borders. The side panel webs are attached to the chassis web and have hook and loop fasteners thereon. The garment can be individuated from the combined chassis and side panel webs.

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Neenah, WI, United States of America

David Arthur Kuen