Kimberly-clark Worldwide, Inc.

Jesse Paul Sorenson

Michael Andrew Machurick

Gregory Allen MacDonald

Jack Lee Couillard

Kent Allan Franklin

William Joseph Meyer

David Michael Lehner

Rodney Steele Gardinier

Glenn Chance Dunlap, Iii

Aric Anton Melzl

Suzanne Marie Schmoker

Joseph Andrew Mlinar

Kenneth John Wagner

Paul William Christoffel

David William Koenig

Paul Theodore Van Gompel

Marcille Faye Ruman

Jerome Steven Veith

Chadwick Irvin Romzek

Brian Keith Rhodes

Donald Joseph Sanders

Devertt DeWayne Woolwine

Cynthia Helen Nordness

Robin Kurt Nason

David James Van Eperen

Adam Schoultz

Cindy Lou Price

Lori Sue Schutkoske

Paul Alois Weber

Thomas Michael Lager

Faith Eileen Cochrane

Jerome James Workman, Jr

Sherry Ann Van Dyke

Thomas Mathias Kolb

David Michael Clemens

Caleb E Ihrig

Steven L Schnasse

Donald Joesph Sanders

Steven James Langolf

Greg Malchow

Daryl Steven Meyer

Bradley William Schoon

Paul George Milbrodt

Jason Andrew Verboomen

Apparatus for separately conveying a plurality of discrete parts from a web and applying each of the discrete parts to a substrate includes a plurality of transfer pucks and a drive assembly. The drive assembly is configured to rotate each of the transfer pucks such that a plurality of pairs of discrete parts is applied to the web. Each applied pair of discrete parts includes a first discrete part and a second discrete part spaced a first distance from the first discrete part, wherein adjacent pairs of discrete pairs are spaced a second distance that is different from the first distance.

Apparatus and method for applying discrete parts to a moving web

Apparatus for applying ribbon in a nonlinear pattern to a web includes a guide assembly having a roller adapted to guide the ribbon onto the web as the web is moving in a first direction. A reciprocating device is provided to move at least the roller of the guide assembly back and forth along an axis of motion. The axis of motion is other than parallel to the first direction.

Apparatus for and method of applying ribbon in a nonlinear pattern to a web

A refastenable absorbent garment comprises a body panel comprising a non-woven material, and preferably a non-woven spunbond material having a pattern of discrete bonded areas. The body panel has a non-elasticized area. A hook-type fastener member comprises a high-density array of hooks with a hook density of at least about 60 hooks per square centimeter. At least a portion of the array of hooks is engaged with the non-woven material at the non-elasticized area of the body panel. In one preferred embodiment of the invention, between about 5% and 25% of the non-woven spunbond material comprises the bonded area. In another preferred embodiment, the non-woven spunbond material has a basis weight of between about 0.3 osy and about 2.0 osy. A method for making the absorbent garment, and for securing the absorbent garment to a user, also are provided.

Refastenable absorbent garment

A method of tucking a pair of side panels into a body portion of a pant-like garment in which the fold locations can be controlled. The garment is positioned between an upper vacuum conveyor and a lower vacuum conveyor. Opposing vacuum zones from the upper and lower conveyors hold a front region of the garment away from a back region of the garment. While the garment is in the opened, or pulled apart, position, the side panels are pushed between the front and back regions toward one another.

Method of tucking side panels with side panel fold location control

Methods and apparatus for assembly of extensible composite webs and web sausages, and personal care articles manufactured from such webs. The invention comprises fabricating a resiliently extensible web by bringing together and securing to each other as discrete elements, intervening web substrate elements between resiliently stretchable elastic elements. Securement between elastic elements and web substrate elements is defined by alternating zones of securement and non-securement along a length of the web substrate. The invention comprises deactivating elastic elements in the non-securement zones thereby to retract elastic strands in the non-securement zones without retracting the corresponding web or webs in such non-securement zones, and correspondingly, to distinguish the securement zones as relatively more resiliently stretchable and the non-securement zones as relatively less resiliently stretchable. The invention further comprises applying, to the relatively non-stretchable non-securement zones, fastener material extending generally between adjacent ones of the relatively more resiliently stretchable securement zones.

Multiple component web

An apparatus for fabricating the refastenable absorbent garment includes a web perforator adapted to perforate a base web in a cross direction and a construction drum positioned downstream of the web perforator and adapted to receive the perforated base web. A landing material cutter is adapted to cut a landing material and fastener material in the cross direction. A landing member rotator is positioned adjacent the construction drum and downstream of the landing material cutter. The landing member rotator is adapted to separate successive pieces of the landing material with the fastener material attached thereto at the cross direction landing material cut, rotate the pieces of landing material with the fastener member attached thereto and apply the piece of landing material and fastener material to the base web on the construction drum.

Apparatus for assembling refastenable absorbent garments

A method of tucking a pair of refastenable side seams into a body portion of a pant-like garment in which the fold locations can be controlled and the likelihood of creases occurring in the fastening components is reduced or eliminated. The garment is positioned either on one vacuum conveyor or between an upper vacuum conveyor and a lower vacuum conveyor. Vacuum zones from the conveyors hold the garment in place. While the garment is held by the vacuum zones, the refastenable side seams are pushed between the front and back regions toward one another with the fastening components being placed in a flat configuration.

Method of tucking refastenable side seams

Method of fabricating a multiple component web

A method for assembling a refastenable absorbent garment includes moving a landing material in a machine direction, wherein the landing material has opposite lateral side edges, moving a fastener material in a machine direction, wherein the fastener material comprises a refastenable portion and a base portion, and removeably attaching the refastenable portion of the fastener material to at least one of the side edges of the landing material. The method preferably further includes successively cutting the landing material with the fastener material removeably attached thereto along a cross direction and thereby forming a plurality of landing members with a fastener member removeably attached thereto and successively rotating each of the plurality of landing members with the fastener members removeably attached thereto. The method further includes successively attaching each of the landing members to the base web and attaching the base portion of the fastener member to the base web.

Method and apparatus for assembling refastenable absorbent garments

A quantitative method of evaluating swimwear for underwater leakage using a mechanical test mannequin, a water tank, a fluorescent bowel movement simulant, and a fluorescence meter. More particularly, a swimwear garment is applied to the mannequin, the fluorescent bowel movement simulant is inserted into the swimwear garment, the mannequin and the swimwear garment are submersed into water within the water tank, and a motion mechanism attached to the mannequin moves the mannequin up and down, thereby simulating typical water play movements. The fluorescence meter can be used to quantitatively determine the amount of leakage of the fluorescent bowel movement simulant from the swimwear garment.

Method and apparatus for evaluating swimwear for underwater leakage

A method is provided for making a universal packaging bag that has a window through which a component on a product can be visually perceived. The method provides for the bag to be used on differently designed bagging machines, such a right-handed bagging machine or a left-handed bagging machine.

Method for making a flexible packaging bag for use with different

A universal flexible packaging bag is provided that contains a stack of products, such as a plurality of disposable absorbent training pants, in which each product has a component, such as a graphic on a front panel of a training pant, that is to be visually perceived through a window in the bag. The bag is uniquely designed to accommodate differently designed bagging machines, such as a right-handed bagging machine and a left-handed bagging machine, so that a stack of products can be positioned in the bag such that the component is visible through the window.

Universal flexible packaging bag

A flexible polymer packaging bag is provided with an easy-open end seal feature for easily tearing through a fused seal. The bag has a pair of side walls, a pair of end walls, a top wall, and a bottom wall, in which the walls form an interior space. A stack of articles are contained in the interior space. A seal is in one of the walls and includes at least one seal area and at least one weakened zone. A frangible line for opening the bag is in the one wall and intersects the seal at the weakened zone, so that the frangible line can be easily tom where it intersects the seal.

Flexible polymer packaging bag with easy-open end seal feature

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Little Chute, WI, United States of America

Jesse Paul Sorenson