Kimberly-clark Worldwide, Inc.

David John Enz

Robert Lee Popp

David Fleger Bishop

Wendy Lynn VanDyke

Sara Jane Wille Stabelfeldt

Catherine Marguerite Hancock-Cooke

Adrienne Rae Loyd

Mary Lou McDaniel

Carmen Lira

Deborah Snell Hannah

Alanna Nicole Haessler

Ann Louise McCormack

Garry Roland Woltman

Katie Ann Boland

Renee Sue Booms

Paul Douglas Beuther

Candace Dyan Krautkramer

Chadwick Irvin Romzek

Kyle Mark Barriger

Patrick Robert Lord

Kurt Garrett Krupka

Brian Wayne Tomac

Jeffrey Alan DeBroux

Thomas William VanDenBogart

Sarah Anne Olson

Todd W Wilkes

Jesse James Pasterski

Kevin Gerald Dolan

Claudiu Andrei Bouruc

Thomas Harold Roessler

Andrew Thomas Hammond

Sarah A Kleuskens

Kroy Donald Johnson

Lisha Yu

Dean M Wydeven

Patrick Dean Abney

Thomas William Van Den Bogart

Kristin Ann Goerg-Wood

Roxanne Belinda Hallock

Matthew Randall Jones

Daniel J Grassl

Suzanne K Sullivan Conrad

Carmen Lira-Núñez

Devin Charles McElrath

Pat Abney

Thomas W Vandenbogart

Qianxiang Feng

James P King

Suzanne K Vanderloop

Susanne K Vanderloop

Katie Boland

Channon Arteman

Devany Martin

Candice Dyan Krautkramer

Lisa Carmen

Wendy Lynn Vandyke

Jesse J Pasterski

Devin Charles Mcelrath

Jeffrey A Debroux

An absorbent article is described that includes leg elastics that form the outermost edges of the product. The leg elastics can include an increased number of elastomeric strands and can extend outboard of the chassis. In this manner, the leg elastics can form a proper seal with the legs of the wearer without interference and can be visually inspected by a caregiver. Placing the leg elastics outboard of the chassis also provides for an efficient manner of producing the garment by attaching multiple elastic components to the garment along a vertical bonding seam.

Process for making absorbent articles with extended leg elastics

Absorbent articles of the present disclosure may be constructed with a secondary liner sheet placed on top of a body facing liner of the articles configured to form a pocket. The pocket provides a barrier, thereby separating a front region of the absorbent articles from a rear region. In this manner, the absorbent articles of the present disclosure may reduce the spread of bodily exudates throughout the articles. The reduced spreading of exudates may help to keep skin healthy by reducing the amount of skin exposed to the skin irritants within the exudates and/or by preventing additional skin irritants from being created by preventing the mixing of BM and urine, at least in proximity to the skin of the wearer.

Absorbent article with pocket dividing front and rear regions

A plate configured to contact a web includes a first region having a first characteristic and a second region having a second characteristic different than the first characteristic. The plate has a substantially arcuate wall with an inner surface and an outer surface. A plurality of vacuum holes extends between the inner and outer surfaces and are configured to be in fluid communication with a vacuum source. A vacuum region is adapted to contact the first region of the web and a reduced-vacuum region is adapted to receive the second region of the web. The plurality of vacuum holes are configured such that, when attached to the vacuum source, a vacuum pressure at the vacuum region is greater than a pressure at the reduced-vacuum region so that the first region of the web is held against the plate with a greater force than the second region.

Plate for an anvil roll with a reduced-vacuum region for use in a slip and cut system and method of using the same

A method of manufacture for a vaginal insert. The vaginal insert may have a core, a cover, and a removal element. In various embodiments, the cover can be conformed to the vaginal insert.

Vaginal insert method of manufacture

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

The present invention provides a body adhering absorbent article which is capable of absorbing bodily fluids. In this particular embodiment of the present invention, provided is an absorbent article which is specifically designed for attachment to a wearer's skin in the vulva region of the wearer's torso.

Body adhering absorbent article

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 modifying a male fastener of a fastening system includes feeding a web having a base substrate and a male fastening material to a modifying member having an outer surface. The male fastening material has a plurality of male fasteners with a first, unmodified profile. The profile of at least some of the plurality of male fasteners of the male fastening material are modified by engagement of the plurality of male fastener with the outer surface of the modifying member and by causing the plurality of male fasteners to slip along the outer surface of the modifying member. A modified male fastening material includes a plurality of male fasteners modified from a first profile to a second, different profile by passing the male fastening material over the outer surface of the modifying member.

Process for modifying a hook profile of a fastening component and a fastening component having hooks with a modified profile

An absorbent article is provided. The 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. A pair of ears extend transversely outward from opposite sides of the absorbent assembly in a back waist region, each of the ears having a primary first fastening-component that is selectively engagable with a primary second fastening-component in a front waist region. There is a pair of spaced-apart secondary first fastening-components disposed on the outer layer in the front waist region, each of the secondary first fastening-components being selectively engageable with the secondary second fastening-components. Each secondary first fastening-component fits into a fastener region, wherein each fastener region is defined by an outline. Each outline has a waist edge and an opposite leg edge connected by an outer edge and an inner edge. The length of the outer edge is shorter than the length of the inner edge.

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.

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

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Neenah, WI, United States of America

David John Enz