The Procter Gamble Company

Michael Nyle Hershberger

Ronald Ray McFall

Thomas Ward Osborn, Iii

Christopher C Miller

Pamela Jean Brown

Nathan Daniel Estruth

Christy Ann Olson

Jared Bernard Kline

A business method for products and services. The business model provides for retail purchase of a product or service. The product or service is then transported from the retail point of purchase to a professional. The professional then activates the product or service for the consumer.

Method of selling and activating consumer products and services

Absorbent devices, and more particularly absorbent devices that are worn interlabially by female wearers for catamenial purposes, incontinence protection, or both, are disclosed. The absorbent interlabial device of the present invention comprises a main absorbent portion with an upper portion, a lower portion opposed to the upper portion, and two ends. The upper portion faces toward the vestibule of the wearer during insertion of the device into the wearer's interlabial space and during use. The ends of the absorbent device are preferably taped so that the lower portion of the interlabial device is longer than the upper portion. The ends are also provided with at least one curvilinear segment, with the ends preferably having a sinusoidal or S-shape. The absorbent interlabial device preferably also has an arcuate pattern of discrete autogenous bonds. The combination of the preferred S-shaped ends and the arcuate bonding pattern provides greater product stiffness control for simultaneous improved comfort and handling characteristics.

Shaped absorbent interlabial device

Interlabial absorbent device

A method of making an absorbent device that is worn interlabially by female wearers for catamenial purposes, incontinence protection, or both, is disclosed. The method involves at least partially enclosing a continuous length of absorbent material in a cover material. The cover material is positioned so that it lies on opposite sides of the length of absorbent material. The absorbent material is then optionally shaped so that along its length there are regions of greater and lesser thickness on alternating sides of the longitudinal axis of the absorbent material. In one embodiment, the shaping is accomplished by bonding a first portion of the cover material to a second portion of the cover material on the opposite side of the absorbent material so that the bonding penetrates through the absorbent material. A generally transverse direction cut is made across the length of absorbent material which alternates longitudinally across the length of absorbent material to provide the device with shaped ends. The method produces a plurality of interlabial devices having an asymmetrical shape about a longitudinal axis and shaped end with a minimum of waste therebetween.

Method of making a shaped absorbent interlabial device

Absorbent interlabial device

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Cincinnati, OH, United States of America

Michael Nyle Hershberger