Kimberly-clark Worldwide, Inc.

Other

Kimberly-clark Corporation

Douglas Paul Rammer

Daniel Hoo

Lorry F Sallee

Mark John Beitz

David Andrae Justmann

Richard Francis Keller

Joseph Michael Kugler

Chris Lee Heikkinen

Raymond Gerard St Louis

Lyle T Lamers

Peter James Krautkramer

Kuo-Shu Edward Chang

Sandra M Yarbrough

Cynthia Helen Nordness

Barbara Ann Gossen

Eric Scott Kepner

David James Van Eperen

Steven Scott Friderich

Donald LeRoy Smith

David James VanEperen

Cynthia Louise Wyngaard

Jeffrey Joseph Samida

Robert Thomas Cimini

Monica Lynn Bontrager

Roxanne Marie Zuleger

Joseph Conrad Burriss

Barbara Jean Wink

An absorbent article (,) which includes a backsheet layer (,) having a pair of laterally opposed and longitudinally extending side margins (,). Each side margin has an outwardly concave, terminal side edge contour,located at appointed leg opening regions (,) in an intermediate portion (,) of the side margin. Each concave side edge contour (,) has a selected longitudinal extent along a length dimension (,) of the article (,). A liquid permeable topsheet layer (,) is connected in a superposed facing relation to the backsheet layer (,), and an absorbent body (,) is sandwiched between the topsheet layer (,) and the backsheet layer (,). A separately provided gusset-flap composite member (,) is connected to at least one of the backsheet and topsheet layers along each of the leg opening regions (,). The gusset-flap member (,) provides a leg gusset section (,) and a containment flap section (,), and is distinctively configured to provide improved leakage resistance, fit and comfort.

Absorbent article with more conformable elastics

A distinctive method and apparatus for forming an article includes a moving of at least one first strand of material, such as strand (,), along an appointed machine-direction (,). The at least one first strand of material is attached to a base layer of material (,) to provide a substrate composite (,), and a laminate layer (,) can be placed adjacent the at least one first strand of material to provide a laminate composite web (,). In a particular aspect, at least one second strand of material, such as strand (,), can be moved along its appointed machine-direction, and the at least one second strand of material can be attached to the base layer (,). In another aspect, an appointed portion of the base layer (,) can be folded to substantially enclose the at least one second strand (,) with the base layer material. Alternatively or additionally, an appointed portion of the base layer (,) can be folded to substantially enclose the at least one first strand (,) and the laminate layer (,) with the base layer material. In a further aspect, at least one of the strands of material can be divided of into a plurality of strand segments to provide a substantially nongathering section of at least one of the strands.

Process for manufacturing an elastic article

A distinctive method for contouring a fibrous web includes the steps of (a) providing a fibrous web which defines an interconnected series of appointed article segments along a length dimension of said web, and (b) conveying said web at a selected speed along an appointed machine direction. The method also includes the step of (c) removing predetermined quantities of fibers from selected regions of said fibrous web with a moving, outer peripheral scarfing surface, which is movable along a selected movement direction. The scarfing surface is constructed to provide each of the article segments with a selected contoured basis weight which varies along the length dimension of said segment in a selected correspondence with a predetermined scarfing pattern. The scarfing pattern is provided by the outer peripheral scarfing surface and is variably patterned along the movement direction of the scarfing surface. A relative movement between the conveying step (b) and the removing step (c) is regulated to provide the selected correspondence and to thereby form said selected contoured basis weight on substantially each of the appointed article segments.

Intermittent, machine-direction fluff contouring method

A distinctive apparatus for contouring a fibrous web includes a supplying mechanism for providing a fibrous web which defines an interconnected series of appointed article segments along a length dimension of the web. A conveying mechanism moves the web at a selected speed along an appointed machine direction. A scarfing mechanism removes predetermined quantities of fibers from selected regions of the fibrous web. The scarfing mechanism is constructed to provide each of the article segments with a selected contoured basis weight which varies at least along the length dimension of the segment in a selected correspondence with a predetermined scarfing pattern. The scarfing pattern is provided by an outer peripheral surface of the scarfing mechanism, and the pattern is configured to have a selected variation at least along a movement direction of the scarfing mechanism. A regulating mechanism controls a relative movement between the conveying mechanism and the scarfing mechanism to provide the selected correspondence and to thereby form the selected contoured basis weight on substantially each of the article segments.

Intermittent, machine-direction fluff contouring roll

Growing community of inventors

Appleton, WI, United States of America

Douglas Paul Rammer