Kimberly-clark Worldwide, Inc.

Kimberly-clark Corporation

Lance James Garrett, Jr

Peiguang Zhou

Monica Signoret Diaz

Mark Michael Mleziva

Ann Louise McCormack

Cristian M Neculescu

Duane Girard Uitenbroek

Charles John Morell

Robert E Weber

Kevin George Hetzler

Wanda Walton Jackson

Steven Wayne Fitting

A Todd Leak

Glynis Allicia Walton

Ralph V Braun

Karen Lynn English

Billy Ray Jones, Jr

David C Law

Christine H Brown

Wiliam Bela Haffner

A garment including an elastomeric composite laminate around one or more openings for the legs, arms, waist, neck, or the like of a wearer. The garment includes a substrate defining the one or more openings, and an elastomeric composite laminate attached to the substrate adjacent the one or more openings. The elastomeric composite laminate includes reinforcement strands incorporated into an elastomeric adhesive film. In one embodiment, the garment is a pant-like garment with the elastomeric composite laminate adjacent each of the leg openings.

Garment including an elastomeric composite laminate

A latent material having various controlled shrinkage tensions and patterns and a method of making the same. The materials include polymer materials that are capable of absorbing microwave energy. Different degrees of shrinkage of the material may be controlled to create different tensions in the material. Additionally, various stereo and three-dimensional patterns may be generated on the material. These materials may be used in the formation of personal care articles. The materials are made by incorporating a polymer material onto the film, wherein the polymer material is capable of turning microwave energy into heat. Upon exposure to microwave radiation, the heat will cause the latent material to shrink. The use of different types and amounts of polymer materials will result in a latent material having different tensions and patterns.

Materials having controlled shrinkage and patterns and methods of making same

Hot-melt adhesive compositions of atactic polypropylene and isotactic polypropylene are particularly suitable for bonding non-woven elastic composites. A selected amount of isotactic polypropylene is blended with a selected amount of atactic polypropylene to prepare an adhesive composition having one or more performance properties (e.g., bond strength) that are superior to the performance properties of conventional hot-melt adhesives.

Hot-melt adhesive for non-woven elastic composite bonding

Disclosed herein is a low gauge, multilayer film which may be laminated to other materials such as, for example, fibrous nonwoven webs. The multilayer film may include one or more skin layers which in certain configurations comprise no more than about 15 percent of the overall thickness and in other configurations no more than about 10 percent of the overall thickness of the multilayer film. Such films and laminates have a wide variety of uses including, but not limited to, personal care absorbent products, articles of clothing and health care related items such as surgical drapes and gowns.

Low gauge films and film/nonwoven laminates

A laminate suitable for use as the hook component of a hook-and-loop fastener. The laminate comprises a first extensible substantially non-elastic layer and a second layer comprising a nonwoven material. The nonwoven material is prebonded by a number of first spaced-apart bond sites to form first bonded and first unbonded areas. The second layer is attached to the first layer by a plurality of second spaced-apart bond sites to form a bulked laminate having a plurality of second bonded and second unbonded areas. The second bonded and second unbonded areas together define a surface area of said bulked laminate with said second bonded areas covering from about 5 to about 20 percent of the surface area. At least 50 percent of the second bonded areas have an area of less than about 4 square millimeters and have a density of greater than about 2 bonds per square centimeter. The laminate is bulked due to said second layer having from about 15 to about 30 percent more surface area than the first layer per the same unit area of said laminate. Also disclosed are disposable absorbent articles including such a laminate.

Laminate material

The creped nonwoven laminate loop material of the present invention includes a creped nonwoven layer attached to a support layer. The creped nonwoven layer may be, for example, a spunbond nonwoven web or a staple fiber bonded carded web. The support layer may be formed of any material that can be suitably attached or bonded to the creped nonwoven layer, including a foam, a plastic film or another nonwoven web. The exposed, top surface of the creped nonwoven layer includes raised 'loop' areas having low fiber density and high z-directional fiber orientation that are designed to receive and engage the hook elements projecting from a hook material. The raised areas of the creped nonwoven layer are separated by non-raised areas having relatively higher fiber density and relatively lower z-directional fiber orientation when compared to the fiber density and z-directional fiber orientation of the raised areas. The primary areas of bonding or attachment of the bottom surface of the nonwoven layer to the top surface of the underlying support layer are the non-raised areas; in addition, some secondary bonding of the nonwoven layer to the support layer outside of the non-raised areas may exist. The support layer provides structural integrity for the creped nonwoven laminate material and dimensionally stabilizes the creped nonwoven layer. The creped structure of the nonwoven layer further provides resistance against compression of the fibers forming the hook receiving loop material during use, thereby facilitating entry and engagement of hook elements projecting from the hook material. The creped nonwoven loop laminate of this invention can be employed as the loop material of a hook and loop fastening system, such as used on disposable personal care absorbent articles.

Creped nonwoven laminate loop fastening material for mechanical

Latex coated breathable barrier

Growing community of inventors

Neenah, WI, United States of America

Lance James Garrett, Jr