Kimberly-clark Corporation

Kimberly-clark Worldwide, Inc.

Marion C Morris

Ronald H Wideman

Mark Michael Mleziva

Franklin M Chen

James Russell Fitts, Jr

Richard H Frick

Donald V Willitts

Hugo L Kons

Robert R Bomber

Charles John Morell

Howard Martin Welch

Michael Charles Cook

John A Brewer

Lavada Campbell Boggs

John A Rooyakkers

Anne M Fahrenkrug

Neal A Rollins

Oomman Painumoottil Thomas

Raymond Jeffrey May

Richard Macferran Shane

Leslie D Dobbins

Cathy L Winters

Kenneth Michael Salter

Randolph J Hill

Jr James R Fitts

Michael C Cook

Kenneth M Salter

In the invention, a method is provided for producing a composite nonwoven fabric. A polymer is extruded into heated continuous filaments, possibly elastic, from the die head to a first chilled roller, wherein the extruder is configured to provide the continuous filaments to the chilled roller in a canted direction that is at a tangent or angle to the surface of the first chilled roller. The filaments are conveyed in a downward direction by way of chilled rollers to a nip. In a next step, the nonwoven web is sprayed with an adhesive and is laminated on the continuous filaments in the nip to form a composite nonwoven fabric. The continuous filaments move vertically downward approximately in line with the lamination process, facilitating automatic re-threading of filaments when they are broken or interrupted in their travel downward onto the chilled rolls.

Method and apparatus for producing laminated articles

A composite elastic material includes a layer of ribbon-shaped elastomeric elements disposed in machine direction alignment and point bonded to an extensible layer which may be a gatherable layer or a stretchable layer. A layer of meltblown elastomeric fibers may be bonded to the layer of elastomeric ribbon-shaped elements before bonding to the extensible layer. The elastic composite has excellent cohesion, controlled breathability to air and water vapor, an opaque appearance, and is easy to cut and convert to end use products such as garments, pads, diapers, and personal care products where elasticity is desired.

Composite elastic material with ribbon-shaped filaments

Disclosed is a process using an electric field for contacting a substantially neutrally charged material, that is responsive to an electric field, with a substrate. Also disclosed is a disposable absorbent product, including the electrically responsive material, that is intended for the absorption of body fluids, prepared by the process.

Placement of electric-field-responsive material onto a substrate

A stretchable absorbent garment having a fluid-pervious inner layer, an outer layer, and an absorbent structure located between said inner and outer layers, and at least two generally parallel elastomeric strands stretch bonded to the garment along its length such that when in a relaxed state, all of the above described elements are reduced in length.

Stretchable shaped absorbent garment

An apparatus and method for winding a thin elastomeric ribbon having a low coefficient to friction onto a reel is disclosed. The ribbon is fed onto a rotating reel while being traversed along the axial length of the reel to distribute the ribbon onto the reel. The nodes typically formed on the axial ends of ribbon rolls wound in this manner are eliminated by reversing the traversed direction of the ribbon short of the end cap of the reel to form a gap between the axial end of the ribbon roll and the end cap and then shifting the ribbon turns into the gap to thereby collapse the node.

Method and apparatus for level winding elastomeric ribbon

A method for winding soft elastomeric ribbon on spools of substantially greater width than the width of the ribbon is provided which includes the winding of the ribbon on a surface driven spool. The ribbon passes through guides from a feed source, with the guides in proximity to the take-up spool. Traversing of the ribbon is provided by either shifting the guides or the take-up apparatus across the horizontal length less than the length of the spool to prevent overrunning of the outer edges of the spool. The invention also includes the spool wound with soft elastomeric ribbon to a thickness several times that of the ribbon and along a length several times greater than the width of the ribbon.

Method for winding elastomeric ribbon

Growing community of inventors

Appleton, WI, United States of America

Marion C Morris