The Procter Gamble Company

Hiroshi Nakahata

Toshiyuki Matsuda

Kenji Fujimoto

Yasuhisa Minemoto

Uwe Schneider

John Joseph Curro

Urmish Popatlal Dalal

Masaharu Nishikawa

Todd Douglas Lenser

Fred Naval Desai

Joerg Andreas Mueller

Douglas Herrin Benson

Sandra H Clear

Eiro Fukuda

Kouichi Miyamoto

Todd Joseph Statt

Melanie Acevedo

Hong Lu

Thomas Luebcke

Keith W Rollag

Masato Higaki

Takuya Shirakawa

Stephan David Conrad

Haruko Sato

Takaie Iba

Stephen David Conrad

An absorbent article includes a first waist region, a second waist region and a crotch region disposed between the first and second waist regions; and a chassis comprising a topsheet, a backsheet and an absorbent core disposed between the topsheet and the backsheet. The absorbent article also includes an ear disposed in one of the waist regions. The ear includes a laminate having a first nonwoven and a second nonwoven and an elastomeric material sandwiched between said first and second nonwovens in an elasticized region. The laminate also includes a first bonding region comprising a first plurality of ultrasonic bonds having a first bond density, and a second bonding region comprising a second plurality of ultrasonic bonds having a second bond density. The first bond density is greater than the second bond density.

Absorbent article with ear portion

An extensible apertured nonwoven web, and a method for making such an apertured nonwoven web. In one embodiment the method comprises the steps of providing an apertured nonwoven web, incrementally stretching it in a direction substantially parallel to the cross machine direction, and applying tension in the machine direction such that the web width after applying tension is less than the web width after incremental stretching. In another embodiment the method comprises the steps of providing a nonwoven web; weakening the nonwoven web at a plurality of locations to create a plurality of weakened, melt-stabilized locations; applying a first tensioning force to the nonwoven web to cause the nonwoven web to rupture at the plurality of weakened, melt-stabilized locations creating a plurality of apertures in the nonwoven web coincident with the weakened, melt-stabilized locations, incrementally stretching the nonwoven web in a direction substantially parallel to the cross machine direction, and applying tension in the machine direction such that the web width after applying machine direction tension is less than the web width after incremental stretching. An apparatus for producing a web of the present invention by this method is also disclosed. The extensible apertured nonwoven web produced has a plurality of apertures each having a hole size greater than 2 mm, and a hole aspect ratio less than 6, the nonwoven web having an open area greater than 15% and being capable of at least 70% extension in the cross machine direction at a loading of 10 g/cm.

Method of making high-elongation apertured nonwoven web

A disposable pull-on garment to be contained in a package is disclosed. The pull-on garment has a waist opening and leg openings, and has a longitudinal centerline and a transverse centerline. The pull-on garment comprises a main portion and side portions extending transversely outwardly from the main portion. The pull-on garment has longitudinal side contour lines to define a transverse width of the pull-on garment. The pull-on garment has a first transverse width between the longitudinal side contour lines at the waist opening and a second transverse width between the longitudinal side contour lines at the side portions. The second transverse width is greater than the first transverse width and is the greatest transverse width at the side portions in a flat contracted and unfolded condition of the pull-on garment. The side portions are folded along a folding line toward the longitudinal centerline when the pull-on garment is contained in a package such that the second transverse width decreases and the difference between the first transverse width and the second transverse width decreases when the side portions are folded compared with when the side portions are unfolded.

Disposable pull-on garment

The disposable pull-on garment has a longitudinal centerline, a front region, a crotch region, and a back region. The front and back regions are joined at seams to form a waist opening and leg openings. The pull-on garment comprises a main portion, a side portion, and a waist portion. The side portion is disposed transversely outboard of the main portion. The waist portion comprises a center waist portion, an outer side waist portion, and an inner side waist portion. The contraction rate of the inner side waist portion is less than that of the center waist portion, and the contraction rate of the side portion longitudinally inboard of the inner side waist portion is greater than that of the inner side waist portion.

An absorbent article having extensibility at waist panel is disclosed. The absorbent article includes a liquid pervious topsheet, an absorbent core disposed underneath the topsheet, and a chassis layer. A first or second waist panel includes a portion of the chassis layer. The chassis layer includes a plurality of spaced discontinuities regularly disposed in at least a portion of the first or second waist panel. The discontinuities are open to provide the chassis layer with extensibility in the transverse direction when the first or second waist panel is subjected to tension. The absorbent article also includes an extensibility controlling means to control the extensibility of the chassis layer.

Absorbent article having extensibility at waist panel

An absorbent article comprising a stretchable fastening member is disclosed. The absorbent article comprises a chassis and a stretchable fastening member. The chassis extends longitudinally and laterally and comprises a liquid pervious topsheet, a liquid impervious backsheet and an absorbent core disposed therebetween. The stretchable fastening member comprises a fixed portion permanently joined to the chassis, a distal portion provided with a fastening material and a stretchable panel positioned between the fixed portion and the distal portion. The stretchable fastening member is joined to the chassis such that the distal portion is positioned laterally outwardly from the fixed portion in the flat-out configuration of the stretchable fastening member. The stretchable panel of the stretchable fastening member comprises a first stretchable zone and a second stretchable zone disposed in the lateral direction. The first stretchable zone is capable of providing extensibility upon an initially applied extension force. Extensibility of the second stretchable zone is restricted by a restriction means until the restriction means is inactivated, and the restriction means is inactivated upon a further applied extension force such that the second stretchable zone provides an additional extensibility to reduce a stress developed in the stretchable panel.

Absorbent article having stretchable fastening member

A disposable pull-on garment is disclosed, The pull-on garment comprises a ring-like elastic belt. The ring-like elastic belt comprises a front belt portion and a back belt portion comprising a belt layer and a belt elastic material joined to the belt layer. Each ring-like elastic belt portion has a central panel, and left and right side panels contiguous with its central panel. The central panel of the front belt portion is joined to the front waist panel of the absorbent main body. The central panel of the back belt portion is joined to the back waist panel of the absorbent main body. The respective left and right side panels of the front belt portion and the back belt portion are joined together at or adjacent to the respective left and right side edges to form the waist opening and the two leg openings. The longitudinal lengths of the side panels of the back belt portion are greater than the longitudinal lengths of the respective side panels of the front belt portion.

A disposable pull-on garment includes an absorbent main body and a ring-like elastic belt forming a waist opening and two leg openings. The absorbent main body has longitudinal side edges and transverse end edges. The elastic belt includes a front belt and a back belt each having a transverse waist border and a transverse abdomen border. In the back belt, a waist border elastic material is disposed adjacent to the waist border between the waist border and the end edge of the absorbent main body, a side elastic material is disposed adjacent to the abdomen border, and a waist anchoring elastic material is disposed between them. A leg opening angle formed by the abdomen border and each of the longitudinal side edges of the absorbent main body is greater when the disposable pull-on garment is in a contracted configuration than when the disposable pull-on garment is in an uncontracted configuration.

Absorbent articles such as disposable diapers, incontinent briefs, diaper holders, training pants, and the like, that provide dynamic fit about the wearer by the use of elasticized hip panels. Such absorbent articles comprise a liquid pervious topsheet; a liquid impervious backsheet; an absorbent core disposed between the topsheet and the backsheet; elasticized side panels positioned in the side panels of the back waist region; and an elasticized hip panel positioned in the central region of the back waist region. The elasticized hip panel comprises a stretch laminate comprising one or more elongatable components and an elastic hip panel member that are mechanically stretched to allow expansion of the stretch laminate beyond the original planar state of the diaper in the lateral direction. By adding stretch to the middle-back of the absorbent article, the absorbent article is capable of expanding in the back waist region thereby creating a more three-dimensional fit to better contour the hips and buttocks and to more completely wrap the wearer's hips and buttocks. In an alternative embodiment, a single elastic hip panel member is positioned in most of the central region of the back waist region with the stretch laminate being mechanically stretched in selected zones or preferably over the entire area of the elastic hip panel member. The absorbent core is either stretchable or preferably not attached to the stretch laminate in the mechanically stretched zones to not encumber the stretch of the stretch laminate. The topsheet is also preferably stretchable.

Growing community of inventors

Kobe, Japan

Hiroshi Nakahata