Kimberly-clark Worldwide, Inc.

Gary Douglas Williams

Jeffrey Dean Lindsay

Thomas Gerard Shannon

Fung-jou Chen

Jian Qin

Peiguang Zhou

Sheng-Hsin Hu

Bruce Michael Siebers

Lisha Yu

Nadezhda Efremova

Christian Lee Sanders

Nicholas Alan Kraft

Palani Raj Wallajapet

Sridhar Ranganathan

Bernhardt Edward Kressner

Tammy Jo Balzar

Yong Li

Cynthia Watts Henderson

Anthony John Wisneski

Shiming Zhuang

Scott A Baum

Wendy Lynn Van Dyke

Patricia Ann Samolinski

Michael Franklin Kalmon

Daphne Lynn VanBuren

Nagabhusan Senapati

Hongxia Gao

Sara Marie Vermillion

Nadezhda V Efremova

In some embodiments, a nonwoven fabric includes a first web that is at least partially formed of extruded strands which include an auto-adhesive material. The nonwoven fabric is adapted to be bonded to another item that includes a similar auto-adhesive material. In other embodiments, a method of forming a nonwoven fabric includes extruding a plurality of strands that are formed of an auto-adhesive material. The method further includes routing the plurality of strands toward a moving support, depositing the plurality of strands onto the moving support, and then stabilizing the plurality of strands to form a web. In other embodiments, a fastening system includes a nonwoven fabric that has a web which is formed of a plurality of extruded strands that include an auto-adhesive material. The fastening system further includes a foam layer that has a surface with a plurality of free-standing struts that include a similar auto-adhesive material.

Method of forming a nonwoven fabric and fastening system that include an auto-adhesive material

Nonwoven fabric and fastening system that include an auto-adhesive material

A dispenser for sheet materials includes a top portion, a bottom portion, and a restraining member preventing the top and bottom portion from separating. The top portion and the bottom portion can telescope to vary the dispenser's overall height. In one embodiment, by designing a dispenser having bottom sidewalls and top sidewalls of approximately the same length, problems with access to the exposed sheet or excessive manipulation to change the dispenser's height can be avoided. In another embodiment, by designing the dispenser such that the height of the dispenser can automatically reduce as the sheet material is depleted or where the height can be adjusted by simply pushing down on the dispenser's top makes the dispenser convenient to use.

Adjustable sheet dispenser

An absorbent article ( ) includes a backsheet layer ( ), a liquid permeable topsheet layer ( ), and an absorbent body ( ) sandwiched between the backsheet and topsheet layers. The absorbent body ( ) includes a first fibrous stratum ( ) having a first quantity of absorbent fibers, a second fibrous stratum ( ) having a second quantity of absorbent fibers, and at least a third fibrous stratum ( ) which is located between and integrally formed with the first and second fibrous strata ( ). In particular aspects, the third fibrous stratum ( ) includes an operative quantity of a substantially hydrophilic, wet-strength agent. In other aspects, the wet-strength agent is distributed in the third quantity of absorbent fibers to render the third fibrous stratum ( ) substantially non-dispersible.

High-strength, stabilized absorbent article

Disclosed is an absorbent foam that exhibits desirable softness and flexibility properties yet is highly absorbent. In one embodiment, the absorbent foam comprises a water-swellable, water-insoluble polymer wherein the absorbent foam exhibits a Free Swell value of at least about 10 grams of liquid per gram of absorbent foam and a Softness value that is less than about 30 grams of force per gram per square meter of absorbent foam. In a second embodiment, the absorbent foam has an average cell size of the cells in the absorbent foam between about 10 microns to about 100 microns and an average wall thickness of the cells in the absorbent foam between about 0.1 micron to about 30 microns. Such an absorbent foam may be used in a disposable absorbent product intended for the absorption of fluids such as body fluids.

Absorbent foam

Disclosed is a process for preparing an absorbent foam. The process generally comprises forming a solution of a polymer in a solvent, freezing the solution at a relatively slow cooling rate to a temperature below the freezing point of the solvent, removing the solvent from the frozen solution, and recovering the polymer to form a water-swellable, water-insoluble polymeric foam. The process has been found to enable one to prepare an absorbent foam that exhibits desirable softness and flexibility properties yet is highly absorbent. Such an absorbent foam may be used in a disposable absorbent product intended for the absorption of fluids such as body fluids.

Process for preparing an absorbent foam

Growing community of inventors

Neenah, WI, United States of America

Gary Douglas Williams