Kimberly-clark Worldwide, Inc.

Marcus David Weiher

Adrienne Rae Loyd

Thomas William VanDenBogart

Shelley Rae Rasmussen

Dennis Joseph Boyle

Lukas Martin Scherrer

Garry Roland Woltman

Sarah Jane Marie Freiburger

Angela Ann Johnston

Adam Patrick Vollmer

Vivian Kate Barad

Allan James Krueger

Andrew Michael Lake

Gary Alan Turchan

Jonathan Kyle Arendt

Paula Cardinahl Winkel

Pamela Mary Thompson

Gary Mastalish

Betsy Charlotte Fields

Judy May Lee

Gary John Borkowski

Michael John Bott

Daniel Thomas LaBash

Rebecca Jeanine Sinclair

Joseph DiPalma

Teresa Marie Zander

Rodney Lawrence Abba

Thomas William Van Den Bogart

Carrie Nicole Pateras

Laura Jane Walker

Jesse James Pasterski

Lynn Marie Matheus

Wen Tong Lay

Carrie Nicole Sinkele

Steven Anthony Moore

A pull-activated applicator includes a barrel, a pledget, a finger grip, and a deployment element. The pledget includes a withdrawal string and is located within the barrel. The barrel, the pledget, and the deployment element are configured such that application of a force to the deployment element in a first direction deploys the pledget and withdrawal string from the barrel in a second direction generally opposite the first direction.

Pull-activated tampon applicator

A package includes a tampon and applicator assembly and a wrapper for enclosing the tampon and applicator assembly. The wrapper is selectively configurable between a sealed configuration wherein the tampon and applicator assembly are sealingly enclosed in the wrapper and an opened configuration for allowing the tampon and applicator assembly to be removed from the wrapper. The wrapper has a front panel, a back panel, two side edges, two end edges, an interior space, a longitudinal axis, and a transverse axis. The front panel has, in the opened configuration of the wrapper, a pair of spaced-apart longitudinal components extending generally parallel to each other and longitudinally of the wrapper to define an opening in the wrapper. Each of the longitudinal components is spaced inward from the respective side edge.

Packaged tampon and applicator assembly

A method of assembling a tampon applicator includes providing a barrel with internal ridges that define a guide channel having an effective diameter. The method includes providing a plunger that has a finger flare with a circular shape and a flare diameter that is at least 15% larger than the effective diameter of the guide channel. The method includes assembling the plunger and the barrel by pushing the finger flare into the guide channel and deforming the finger flare into a non-circular shape while moving the finger flare through the guide channel. The method includes moving the finger flare out of the plunger end of the barrel and reestablishing the circular shape of the finger flare.

Method for assembling a tampon applicator

A packaged tampon and applicator assembly includes a tampon and an applicator assembled together with the tampon and adapted to facilitate insertion of the tampon in a user. A wrapper has an interior space and sealingly encloses the tampon and applicator assembly in the interior space. The wrapper includes a line of weakness formed therein to facilitate tearing of the wrapper along the line of weakness to facilitate opening a portion thereof to provide an opening in the wrapper through which the tampon and applicator assembly is removed from the wrapper. The wrapper is further configured to inhibit separation of the opened portion from the wrapper. The remainder of the wrapper defines a pocket sized for receiving the entire applicator therein following use of the applicator to insert the tampon in the user. Should mention facilitation of the opening via a line of weakness (i.e. perforation).

The present invention provides an improved tampon applicator having a grip area which provides the user better gripping ability. The grip area may be an area between two ridges on the outer tube of the applicator. In the alternative or in addition to the ridges, the grip area may be a raised pattern which is raised by a distance of between about 0.10 mm and about 0.75 mm. The present invention also provides an improved petal design for a tampon applicator. In this embodiment of the present invention, the petals are separated from each other on all sides by a non-linear gap and the gap is not parallel with the longitudinal axis of the tampon applicator.

Tampon applicator with ridges and multiple petals

An absorbent feminine care article () having a longitudinal direction (), a lateral direction (), first and second longitudinally opposed end portions (), and an intermediate portion () located between the end portions. The article () comprises an absorbent body structure () sandwiched between a cover () and a baffle (). In a particular aspect, the absorbent structure () can include one or more distinctively configured embossment regions (), and the embossment regions can be distributed along the intermediate portion () of the article.

Nonlinear, undulating perimeter embossing in an absorbent article

An easy open package for personal care products which has sensory cues as to the location of the opening of a wrapper component. In addition, the present invention provides a wrapper component which has a gradient seal which allows the user to effectively open the wrapper without unnecessarily tearing the wrapper.

An apparatus and process () for forming an embossed web or other article can include moving a target, composite web () along an appointed machine-direction () at a selected web speed, and operatively contacting the target web () with a rotary embossing device () to thereby form a non-linear embossment region () in at least a selected embossment portion of the target web (). For example, the web speed can be at least a minimum of about 1.9 m/sec. In a particular aspect, the embossing device () can include an outer peripheral surface () having a lateral cross-direction () and a circumferential-direction (), and can include a non-linear embossing member () located on the outer surface (). In another aspect, the embossing member () can be configured to include a selected traversing occurrence along the circumferential-direction () of the embossing device (). In a further aspect, the embossing member () can be configured to include a selected lateral traversing distance ().

Method and apparatus for forming an embossed article

An embossing method and apparatus () comprises a rotary embossing device () having a radial direction () and an outer peripheral surface (). The embossing device () includes at least one embossing-component () which extends at least radially outward from the peripheral surface (), and is configured to provide for a first embossing-pattern (). The embossing device () also includes a rotary shaft member (). A base embossing-segment () is operatively joined to the rotary shaft member () and configured to carry a first base-section () of the first embossing-component (). In a particular aspect, a first, supplemental embossing-segment () is operatively joined and selectively positionable on the rotary shaft member (), and is configured to carry a first supplemental-section () of the first embossing-component (). In other aspects, a first spacing mechanism () can adjust a radial position of the first, supplemental embossing-segment (), and a first, supplemental attachment-mechanism () can secure the radial position of the second supplemental embossing-segment ().

Multi-segmented embossing apparatus and method

Growing community of inventors

Sherwood, WI, United States of America

Marcus David Weiher