Weyerhaeuser Company Limited

Paragon Trade Brands, Inc.

J Donald Soderlund

Richard H Young, Sr

E Peter Lancaster

An apparatus and method for effecting zoned deposition of superabsorbent particles in a fibrous web includes the use of dual dispensing nozzles for forming selected deposition patterns. Fluidized streams of the superabsorbent particles are formed, with rotary valve assemblies employed for creating pulsed flow to each of the dispensing nozzles. The length, width, and relative positioning of the deposition patterns can be selectively varied in accordance with desired performance characteristics.

Method and apparatus for zoned application of particles in fibrous

The present invention is a method and apparatus for making a diaper having one or more elastic margins. The diaper uses for the entire moisture permeable backing sheet an elastomeric material of the type that is heat unstable and relatively inelastic in its unshrunk form and stable and relatively elastic in its heat shrunk form. Diapers made using one of these materials as a backing sheet can be conventionally assembled. After assembly, the marginal areas, which may be either or both of the transverse and longitudinal margins, may be heated to a sufficient temperature for shrinkage to occur in the backing sheet. This shrinkage will only occur when the backing sheet is unrestrained. The method provides for the maintenance of longitudinal tension in the central portion of an end-to-end assembly of diaper units while relaxing the edge tension on the units. This is accomplished in the present diaper making machine by passing the assembly over a series of rollers which are of cylindrical form in the central portion and are tapered at each end. The marginal portions overhang the tapered portion where they are free to shrink after heating. If an elastic waist construction is desired, the diapers are similarly heated in a transverse direction whereupon any transverse tension is relaxed to enable transverse shrinkage to occur. While the preferred diaper uses the heat shrinkable material as the entire backing film, it is within the scope of the invention to insert ribbons of this material along the appropriate marginal edges of the diapers and use conventional backing film materials.

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Bellevue, WA, United States of America

J Donald Soderlund