Kimberly-clark Worldwide, Inc.

Kimberly-clark Corporation

Gary Chester Anderson

Paul Joseph Datta

Joyce Ann Damico

Thomas John Connelly

Bernhardt Edward Kressner

An absorbent article is disclosed for absorbing body fluids discharged from a human body. The absorbent article includes an absorbent having first and second longitudinally-extending sides, first and second distally spaced ends and a garment-facing surface. The absorbent article includes a structure which interacts with an adjacent undergarment for retaining the absorbent in the crotch region of a human body. The structure includes at least two grooves or channels formed in the garment-facing surface of the absorbent which are sized and configured to receive the side edges of an undergarment. When the undergarment is pulled up around the torso of the user, the side edges of the undergarment will nest in the grooves or channels and hold the absorbent article securely in place, thereby decreasing the likelihood of leakage.

Absorbent article having channels for receiving the edges of an undergarment

An absorbent article is disclosed which is designed to be secured to an undergarment. The undergarment includes a crotch protion with a pair of side edges. The absorbent article includes a liquid permeable cover, a liquid-impermeable baffle and an absorbent enclosed by the cover and the baffle to form a pad. The pad has first and second raised longitudinally-extending sides, each with a vertically oriented outer surface. The pad also has a garment-facing surface. The absorbent article also includes a pair of flaps which cooperate with one another to extend around the crotch portion of the undergarment and overlap one another. Each of the flaps has a proximal edge and a distal edge. The proximal edges are affixed to one of the vertically oriented outer surfaces and each of the distal edges extend downwardly and inwardly around the crotch portion of the undergarment. The pair of flaps are secured together by an attachment. The absorbent article further includes first and second channels formed in the garment-facing surface of the pad. The first and second channels are sized and configured to mate with the side edges of the undergarment.

A liquid-permeable, nonwoven web is disclosed which is useful as a bodyside liner for an absorption article, particularly baby diapers, incontinent garments and feminine care products. The nonwoven web contains at least 3 layers of thermoplastic filaments which are bonded together. The filaments have a denier of between about 3 to 15. The web has a basis weight of between about 0.5 to 1.0 ounces per square yard and a length of fiber per unit volume of between about 100 to 400 meters per cubic centimeter. A web constructed according to the above description provides good masking properties for body exudate, especially menstrual fluid, which comes in contact with it. The web also permits a rapid passage of human exudate therethrough into an adjacent absorbent where it can be retained.

Nonwoven web useful as a bodyside liner for an absorption article

A spunbonded liner material having a heavy loading of pigment, formed of a heavier denier than normal spunbonded fiber in a lightweight fabric. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the fibers are formed of polypropylene and the pigment is formed of titanium dioxide present in an amount between about 1 and about 6 percent by weight of the fabric. The fabric material further has an open area of between about 25 and about 50 percent with an average pore size of between about 15,000 and 35,000 square microns and a fiber denier of greater than 3. Masking is greater than two times conventional nonwovens.

Growing community of inventors

Appleton, WI, United States of America

Gary Chester Anderson