The Procter Gamble Company

The Procter & Gamble

Gary D Lavon

Keith Joseph Stone

Bret Darren Seitz

Thomas Allen Desmarais

Paul Seiden

Letha Margie Hines

Stephen Allen Goldman

Douglas Herrin Benson

Stephen Joseph Lange

William Robert Vinnage, Jr

John Walter Hackett

Absorbent foams materials that are capable of acquiring and distributing aqueous fluids, especially discharged body fluids such as urine. These absorbent foams combine relatively high capillary absorption pressures and capacity-per-weight properties that allow them to acquire fluid, with or without the aid of gravity. These absorbent foams also give up this fluid efficiently to higher absorption pressure storage materials, including foam-based absorbent fluid storage components, without collapsing. These absorbent foams are made by polymerizing high internal phase emulsions (HIPEs).

Absorbent foams made from high internal phase emulsions useful for

Described herein is a multiple layer absorbent core having a front ear section, a crotch section and a back ear section, wherein the machine direction length of the crotch section equals the combined machine direction length of the front ear section and the back ear section, the angle and radii forming the transition from the crotch width to the ear width being equal, the core being suitable for use in an absorbent article, and a method for manufacturing such multiple layer absorbent core. The method comprises providing a single web of absorbent core material from a roll, in which the web having parallel straight longitudinal side edges; continuously transporting the web of absorbent core material in the machine direction; continuously cutting the web of absorbent core material longitudinally into web sections having at least one full-pattern strip having a repeating hourglass-shape and first and second side trim pieces each of the side trim pieces having a straight edge defined by one of the parallel straight longitudinal side edges of the web and an opposite non-linear longitudinal edge having a pattern corresponding to one of the longitudinal edges of the full-pattern strip; continuously orienting the side trim pieces relative to the full-pattern strip such that the ear sections and said crotch section of the side trim pieces are superimposed in registration with said full-pattern strip to form a continuous multiple layer composite strip; and successively cutting the composite strip in the transverse direction at predetermined intervals to form discrete multiple layer absorbent cores.

Zero scrap absorbent core formation process

An absorbent article having an expandable component. The expandable component comprises a compressed, resilient element disposed within an air impermeable envelope. The compressed element provides the absorbent article with a thin, low bulk profile prior to use of the disposable absorbent article, thereby reducing shipping and storage space. At the point of use of the absorbent article, the air impervious envelope is opened, thereby permitting entry of air into the envelope and expansion of the compressed element. In one embodiment the expandable component is a spacer for maintaining fecal void space in a disposable diaper. Alternatively, the expandable component can provide displacement of the topsheet relative to the backsheet along the longitudinal centerline of a sanitary napkin.

Disposable absorbent article having a sealed expandable component

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Middletown, OH, United States of America

Gary D Lavon