Kimberly-clark Worldwide, Inc.

Kimberly-clark Corporation

Joseph Andrew Mlinar

Kenneth John Wagner

Russell Evan Thorson

Jesse Paul Sorenson

Brian Keith Rhodes

Jeffery Michael Tabor

Todd W Wilkes

Melanie J Milslagle

Marlene R Dins

Thomas J Vanselow

Lacey L Poole

Julie Ann Paveletzke

Lorry F Sallee

Wendy L Hamilton

Mark Gordon Heath

Thomas George Olsen

Thomas M Killian

Erica F Creighton

Patrick James Mickle

Mary F Kutchenriter

Todd W Hajos

Sara Elaine Welch

Timothy John Kettenhofen

John T Hahn

A pant-like garment having an elastomeric film laminate front panel and back panel. A front leg elastic member disposed adjacent the front panel leg edge. A back leg elastic member disposed adjacent the back panel leg edge. The absorbent garment having a leg elastic covering panel which extends between and interconnects the front panel to the back panel such that the front leg elastic member is sandwiched between the leg elastic covering panel and the front panel and such that the back leg elastic member is sandwiched between the leg elastic covering panel and the back panel. The length of the leg elastic covering panel is less than the garment length. An absorbent composite is attached to the leg elastic covering panel and a pair of side seams connects the front region to the back region to define a waist opening and a pair of leg openings.

Method of incorporating leg elastics in a pant-like disposable absorbent garment, and garment made thereby

A package of folded absorbent pants includes a housing portion with a front wall having a transparent window region. A plurality of absorbent pants are disposed within the housing portion. At least one of the pants is a display pant having a first folded configuration and being positioned within the housing portion to be at least partially visible through the transparent window region. A portion of the pants have a second folded configuration and are aligned in facing relation to define a first stack. The display pant is positioned within the housing portion such that the longitudinal direction of the display pant is aligned in a first direction and the first stack longitudinal direction is aligned in a second direction that is different than the first direction.

Package of folded disposable absorbent pants

An absorbent garment includes a body panel having a terminal waist edge, at least first and second layers terminating at the terminal waist edge and at least one elastic element disposed between the first and second layers. The body panel has at least first and second adhesive regions. The first adhesive region is defined by the at least one elastic element, which is strand coated with a first adhesive. The second region is defined by a control coating of a second adhesive applied between the first and second layers. In one embodiment, the first region has a greater sensory softness than the second region. In one embodiment, the body panel, in an unstretched condition, has a surface softness with a can deviation of coefficient of friction less than about 0.020 in the first adhesive region. A method of assembling an absorbent garment include strand coating at least one elastic element with a first adhesive and applying a control coating of a second adhesive to a portion of at least one of a first and second layer of web material.

Absorbent garment with strand coated adhesive components

A method to incorporate leg elastic members into pant-like disposable absorbent garments, and garments made thereby. In particular embodiments, the method includes supplying elastomeric film laminate first and second body panel webs spaced apart from each other. A continuous first leg elastic member is attached to the first body panel web, and a continuous second leg elastic member is attached to the second body panel web. A continuous leg elastic covering web is attached to both the first body panel web and the second body panel web so as to sandwich the first and second leg elastic members between the leg elastic covering web and the respective body panel web, thereby creating a composite web. In particular embodiments, the present invention can provide an efficient and process friendly technique to cover and hold in place leg elastic members in a pant-style disposable garment that employs elastomeric film laminates.

An absorbent garment includes a body panel having a terminal waist edge, at least first and second layers terminating at the terminal waist edge and at least one elastic element disposed between the first and second layers. The body panel has at least first and second adhesive regions. The first adhesive region is defined by the at least one elastic element, which is strand coated with a first adhesive. The second region is defined by a control coating of a second adhesive applied between the first and second layers. In one embodiment, the first region has a greater sensory softness than the second region. In one embodiment, the body panel, in an unstretched condition, has a surface softness with a mean deviation of coefficient of friction less than about 0.020 in the first adhesive region.

A disposable incontinent underwear product can comprise areas having different stretch characteristics and thereby fit persons of varying body shape in a more comfortable and/or visually appealing manner. Additionally, in some embodiments, the different areas of stretch can aid in positioning absorbent components, such as an absorbent insert or core that is included in the undergarment to absorb body exudates. For example, a garment may feature at vertical stretch in an area above the crotch and below the waist while featuring horizontal stretch at the hip areas at its front and back sides. As another example, a garment may feature horizontal stretch across the front of the garment and vertical stretch across the back of the garment in areas above the crotch and below the waist. In some embodiments, the crotch also features horizontal, vertical, or biaxial stretch.

Disposable undergarment with stretch areas for optimal fit

A method of forming a disposable, refastenable absorbent article is disclosed. The method includes directing a first material parallel to and spaced apart from a second material. A pair of lines of perforations is formed across the width of the first material. A pair of attachment members is then secured to the first material such that each bridges across one of the pair of lines of perforations. An absorbent assembly is secured across the first and second materials to form a subassembly. The subassembly is then folded and the first and second materials are bonded together by first and second seam lines. The first and second materials are then separated at locations outward from each of the first and second seam lines to form a disposable, refastenable absorbent article.

Method of forming a disposable, refastenable absorbent article

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 for weakening a portion of a web includes moving a web in a machine direction between at least a first location and a second location, wherein the second location is positioned downstream of the first location, forming a line of weakness in the web at the first location, wherein the web has a first tensile strength across the line of weakness, and weakening the line of weakness at a second location, wherein the web has a second tensile strength across the line of weakness after the line of weakness is weakened at the second location and wherein the first tensile strength is greater than the second tensile strength.

Method for weakening a portion of a 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

The present invention provides an apparatus and method for forming a composite web having selected discrete pocket regions which are distributed on a carrier layer and contain high-absorbency material. The invention includes a pattern chamber having opposed side walls, an entrance end wall and an exit end wall. A particulate supplying mechanism provides particles of high-absorbency material into the pattern chamber, and a web supplying mechanism provides a gas permeable carrier layer. A foraminous forming mechanism moves the carrier layer through the pattern chamber, and the forming mechanism includes a pattern of openings which are formed therethrough and are arranged to provide for a selected pattern of the discrete pocket regions. A vacuum supplying mechanism provides a selected level of relatively low gas pressure at an underside region of the forming mechanism to produce a selected gas-flow through the carrier layer and the foraminous forming mechanism to form the pocket regions. A covering mechanism provides a layer of liquid-permeable covering material to sandwich said pocket regions of high-absorbency material between said carrier layer and said covering layer.

Growing community of inventors

Appleton, WI, United States of America

Joseph Andrew Mlinar