The Procter Gamble Company

Milton D Spahni

James C Baird

Ronald W Kock

Mark John Steinhardt

Delmar R Muckenfuhs

Charles G Yeazell

Leslie D Ryan

Robert C Johnson

Thurman J Koger, Ii

Thomas Rattray

Theodore E Farrington, Jr

A bag in squeeze bottle fluid dispenser capable of dispensing substantially all of the fluid product contained therein. A suitable bag support element is inserted inside the flexible bag to prevent substantial axial movement of the bag in the direction of its discharge orifice and to encourage radial collapse of the bag instead. The internal bag support means, which in a preferred embodiment comprises an extruded plastic helix, has an internal fluid passage formed within the coils of the helix and fluid communication to allow fluid contained within the bag to access the internal fluid passage along substantially the entire length of the internal bag support element. Thus, radial collapse of the flexible bag does not block the passage of fluid remaining in the bag through the discharge orifice in the bag until substantially all of the fluid contained within the bag has been dispensed. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the internal bag support element is inserted into the dispenser through the discharge orifice of the bag to a point substantially coinciding with the opposite end of the flexible bag after the bag has been filled with the fluid to be dispensed.

Bag-in-squeeze-bottle fluid dispenser with unsealed fluid passage

A bicomponent material which allows liquids to pass in a first direction, but substantially prevents the liquids from passing in the opposite direction, is disclosed. The material also exposes any gases attempting to pass in the direction opposite to that of the liquid transmission to an odor control lamina. The material is especially suitable for use with articles which deal with bodily fluids and the gases generated therefrom.

Bicomponent material

An article including at least one segment which is capable of being elastically shirred along at least a portion of its length subsequent to manufacture of the article, preferably by mechanical manipulation of a predetermined portion of the elastically shirrable segment. The predetermined mechanically manipulatable portion of the elastically shirrable segment preferably comprises an elastomeric monomer which is maintained in a prestretched and tensioned condition in the desired direction of shirring. The opposed ends of the elastically shirrable segment in the article are interconnected to one another through the prestretched and tensioned elastomeric member. The prestretched and tensioned elastomeric member is also secured in fixed relation to at least one rigidifying member to form a composite structure which is strong enough to resist collapse in a direction parallel to the tensile forces acting upon the prestretched and tensioned elastomeric member prior to mechanical manipulation of the composite structure. The article is elastically shirred by mechanically manipulating the predetermined portion of the shirrable segment until movement of the prestretched and tensioned elastomeric member relative to the rigidifying member is effected. To elasticize the article containing the elastically shirrable segment, the relative movement between the prestretched and tensioned elastomeric member and the rigidifying member must be sufficient to release the tensile forces in the mechanically manipulated portion of the composite structure. This relative movement produces a degree of elastic shirring in the segment, and consequently in the article to which it is attached, in the direction of prestretching of the elastomeric member. The degree of segment shirring is proportional to the extent to which there is relative movement between the prestretched and tensioned elastomeric member and the rigidifying member in the area comprising the composite structure. Thus, the tension in the elastically shirrable segment can be increased by the user, as desired, by mechanically manipulating more of the composite structure. Elastically shirrable segments of the present invention are particularly well suited to high speed article manufacturing operations, since the segments can be applied to the articles in a substantially untensioned condition and their tension released subsequent to article manufacture.

Article including segment which is elastically shirrable after

A disposable absorbent structure for the removal and retention of moisture and/or particulate from a soiled object coming in contact therewith. The structure preferably comprises a macroscopically patterned, three-dimensionally expanded, shear resistant uppermost layer having an object contacting surface and a non-object contacting surface, said uppermost layer exhibiting a pattern of protuberances extending upwardly from a first plane and terminating in a second plane substantially parallel to and remote from the first plane. The uppermost layer further exhibits a multiplicity of discrete apertures in its second plane and is pervious to moisture in its first plane. A moisture absorbent substrate having its uppermost surface coextensive with the uppermost object contacting layer is secured substantially continuously to substantially all of the non-object contacting surface of the uppermost layer. The discrete apertures located in the second plane of the uppermost layer expose the subjacent portions of the moisture absorbent substrate directly to the soiled object when the disposable absorbent structure contacts the object. Under normal use conditions, the portions of the uppermost layer initially located in the first plane and the portions of the uppermost layer initially located in the second plane undergo resilient deformation to move closer toward one another, but do not become coplanar with one another when subjected to compressive loads. When the compressive loads are removed, they move in the direction of their initial positions. Absorbent structures of the present invention function to transfer moisture and/or particulate from a soiled object into the moisture absorbent substrate via the discrete apertures in and/or the moisture-pervious portions of the uppermost layer of the structure. Once moisture and particulate enter the moisture absorbent substrate, they are effectively isolated from objects coming in contact with the structure by the uppermost object contacting layer.

Disposable absorbent mat structure for removal and retention of wet and

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Okeana, OH, United States of America

Milton D Spahni