Kimberly-clark Corporation

James J O'Connor

Timothy M McFarland

Joyce Ann Damico

Theodore B Lang

Rebecca J Weber

Peggy H Miller

The invention is generally accomplished by providing a seedbed of meltblown material having incorporated therein seeds. It is preferred that in addition to the incorporation of seeds that there is also incorporated absorbent material such as cellulose fibers and superabsorbent materials such as hydrogels.

Meltblown and coform materials having application as seed beds

The pad of the invention is composed of impervious backing sheet and a pervious body-side liner with an absorbent material there between. The pad is elasticized along its edges from points at substantially one end extending along the longer edges of the rectangular pad for at least two-thirds of the length of the pad. In a preferred form of the invention the pad has as its absorbent material a coform structure of air-formed meltblown polymers combined with air-formed cellulose fibers that have been formed onto a pervious spunbonded material that serves as the pervious body-side liner. In the preferred form the backing sheet is formed of an extrusion-coated spunbonded material that has the spunbonded material on the outer surface with the backing sheet folded over to overlap on the body side of the garment with the fabric toward the body. The folded portion forms the pad's baffles. Further, the preferred pad has length of between about 8 and 14 inches, and the width is preferably about 30 percent of the length.

Bowed, trough-like absorbent pad

The invention is generally accomplished by providing a pad that has an impermeable backing member, an overlaying permeable member and an absorbent coform layer therebetween. The pad is provided with a quilted pattern by permanent adhering compression of the pad in narrow areas, forming a lined pattern. The pad further may be heated to shrink the coform and provide a pleasing puckered surface.

Crinkled, quilted absorbent pad

The invention relates to a pad that has as the outer impervious layer a polymer sheet integrally bonded to a fabric material such that the fabric material is on the exterior of the polymer sheet. The fabric is exposed on the body side of the pad when the edges of the pad are wrapped with the impervious liner to form baffles. The absorbent material forming the inner portion of the pad is integrally connected to a pervious body-side liner material. The connection of pervious liner to absorbent is such that when the pad is manipulated the pervious liner material stays in contact with the absorbent material and aids in transfer of liquid through the pervious liner into the absorbent. The fabric forming part of the impervious layer is preferably hydrophobic.

Growing community of inventors

Calumet County, WI, United States of America

James J O'Connor