The Procter Gamble Company

Jeffry Rosiak

Michael Devin Long

Uwe Schneider

Jeromy Thomas Raycheck

Todd Douglas Lenser

Jason Edward Naylor

Justin B Owens

Urmish Popatlal Dalal

Donald Carroll Roe

Jeffrey Michael Kent

Kazuya Ogawa

Robert George Cox, Jr

Keith Richard Willhaus

Todd M Fegelman

Ronald Joseph Zink, Ii

Kaoru Ishihara

Ling Tong

Stephen Joseph Lange

David Carlton Ordway

Louis J Cedrone

Michael Brian Quade

Paul Gerald Tiettmeyer

Nicholas Alexander Taylor

Sally Lin Kilbacak

Kumardipti Chatterjee

Tanner Laurie Williams

Ricky Reynaldo Yanez, Jr

Tina Brown

Miguel Angel Caballero

Wei Zhou

Chad Burnett

Matthew Alexander Gittings

Christopher Krasen

Tianzhuo Zhu

Ronald Joseph Ii Zink

Kyzuya Ogawa

Zhiqiang Huang

The present disclosure relates to absorbent articles including elastic laminates, and more particularly, to methods and apparatuses for making absorbent articles having elastic laminates in front and/or back waist regions with frangible pathways.

Absorbent articles and methods and apparatuses for making absorbent articles with frangible pathways

The present disclosure relates to diaper pants having a first belt and a second belt with one or more frangible pathways. A frangible pathway may extend between inner edge and outer edges of a belt. A grip region comprising an accessibility opening may be positioned between the inner and outer edges of the belt. The frangible pathway may comprise a first tear zone and a second tear zone extending from the accessibility opening to a distal terminus and to a proximal terminus. Such frangible pathway configurations provide a feature that allows a belt of a diaper pant to be relatively easily torn along the frangible pathway. Once torn along the frangible pathway, the diaper pant may be removed from a wearer and rolled up for disposal. A fastener component may be connected with another portion of the diaper pant to help maintain the diaper pant in a disposal configuration.

Absorbent articles with frangible pathways and disposal features

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to absorbent articles with front and back waist panels having different stretch characteristics. A first waist panel may be connected with a chassis and positioned in a first waist region, and a second waist panel may be connected with the chassis and positioned in a second waist region. In some configurations, the first waist panel may comprise a first structural feature that is not included in the second waist panel or may comprise a first structural feature is different from a second structural feature included in the second waist panel. As such, the first structural feature provides different stretch characteristics between the first waist panel and the second waist panel.

Absorbent articles including front and back waist panels with different stretch characteristics

A method for ultrasonically bonding elastic laminates is provided. The method includes attaching a removable shell layer to at least a portion of an exterior surface of a rotating roll, advancing at least a laminate material assembly along a machine direction to dispose the laminate material assembly on the removable shell layer, applying a vacuum pressure to the laminate material assembly, ultrasonically bonding the laminate material assembly, and advancing the elastic laminate including the laminate pattern along the machine direction.

Methods and apparatuses for assembling elastic laminates with a rotating roll and removable layer

Methods and systems for mechanically forming one or more surface protrusions integrally from a garment material, the one or more surface protrusions extending outwardly from a garment surface of the garment material, include placing at least one selected area of the garment surface against a first surface of a forming die having a plurality of openings which have a configuration and orientation corresponding with the configuration and orientation of the one or more surface protrusions of the garment material. The garment surface may be softened by application of a source of energy, wherein the source of energy comprises at least two sonotrodes mounted in a rotary drum. At least some of the softened garment surface is positioned into at least one opening of the plurality of openings.

Surface protrusion formations and methods of manufacturing

Methods and systems for mechanically forming one or more surface protrusions integrally from a garment material, the one or more surface protrusions extending outwardly from a garment surface of the garment material, include pre-heating at least one selected area of the garment material; placing the at least one selected area of the garment surface that is pre-heated against a first surface of a forming die, the first surface having a plurality of openings which have a configuration and orientation corresponding with the configuration and orientation of the one or more surface protrusions of the garment material. The garment surface may be softened by application of a source of energy, at least some of the softened garment surface positioned into at least one opening of the plurality of openings.

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 having a topsheet, a backsheet, and an absorbent core positioned between the topsheet and the backsheet. The article also includes a side panel having an ultrasonically bonded, gathered laminate. The laminate has an elastomeric layer and a substrate and is joined to the chassis at a chassis attachment bond and positioned in one of the first or second waist regions. The ultrasonically bonded, gathered laminate also includes an ear structural feature comprising a surface modification to the substrate and comprising at least one of the following: embossing, apertures, perforations, slits, melted material or coatings, compressed material, secondary bonds that are disposed apart from a chassis attachment bond, plastic deformation, and folds.

Absorbent articles including improved elastic panels

A system for ultrasonic bonding of elastic includes a rotating roll. The rotating roll has an exterior surface. A removable shell layer is attached to the external surface. The removable shell layer includes one or more patterned segments. The patterned segments include a shell channels formed through the removable shell layer to form a pattern.

A method for assembling elastic laminates includes the steps of stretching an elastic film at a spreader mechanism in the cross direction to a first elongation; advancing the elastic film from the spreader mechanism to an anvil, wherein the anvil comprises an active vacuum zone having a maximum width in the cross direction of Wv. The maximum width is divided into a first portion and a second portion, wherein the first portion is disposed in overlapping relationship with the engagement portion and inboard of the engagement portion in the cross direction and the first portion has a width in the cross direction of VZi and wherein the second portion has a width in the cross direction of VZo, and wherein a ratio of VZi is greater than to VZo is greater than 1.

Absorbent article with elastic laminate

The present disclosure relates to methods for sealing absorbent cores of disposable diaper pants during the assembly process. The diaper pants may include a chassis connected with a ring-like elastic belt. Aspects of the assembly methods involve bonding a continuous length of absorbent cores between a continuous topsheet substrate and a continuous backsheet substrate advancing in a machine direction. The combined continuous topsheet substrate, continuous backsheet substrate, and continuous length of absorbent cores are then cut along a cross direction to create discrete chassis, wherein the topsheet, the backsheet, and the absorbent core of each chassis have equal longitudinal lengths. The discrete chassis are then deposited onto a first continuous elastic laminate and a second continuous elastic laminate. Opposing end regions of the absorbent cores may then be sealed by positioning a sealing layer across the topsheets of the chassis.

Methods for sealing absorbent cores on absorbent articles

Methods of separating discrete articles from continuous webs are disclosed. The methods use a separation assembly. The present disclosure further includes a cutting assembly and a pair of cutting rolls for use in the separation assembly.

Methods and apparatuses for separating discrete articles from continuous webs

The present disclosure relates to methods and apparatuses for rejecting defective absorbent articles from a converting line. At a downstream portion of a converting process, a continuous length of absorbent articles may be subjected to a final knife and cut to create discrete absorbent articles advancing on a first carrier. From the first carrier, the discrete absorbent articles may be transferred to a transfer apparatus, which in turn, transfers the discrete absorbent articles to a second carrier. The transfer apparatus may include carrier members that orbit around an axis of rotation and may be adapted to receive the absorbent articles from the first carrier and transfer the absorbent articles to the second carrier. Defective absorbent articles may be detected by an inspection system, which may be operably connected with the transfer apparatus and/or the first carrier to remove the defective absorbent articles from the converting process.

Methods and apparatuses for rejecting defective absorbent articles from a converting line

Methods and apparatuses for transferring absorbent articles and rejecting defective absorbent articles

Growing community of inventors

Loveland, OH, United States of America

Jeffry Rosiak