Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.

Palani Raj Ramaswami Wallajapet

Jian Qin

Yong Li

Shannon Kathleen Melius

Vasily Aramovich Topolkaraev

David Louis Zenker

Anthony John Wisneski

Hannong Rhim

Wendy Lynn Van Dyke

Violet May Grube

David Arthur Fell

Sheng-Hsin Hu

William Grover Reeves

Richard Warren Tanzer

Ronald Lee Edens

Cheryl Ann Mocadlo

Alice Y Romans-Hess

Dmitry Yavich

Edwin T Ta

Dave Allen Soerens

Michael John Faulks

Georgia Lynn Zehner

Lawrence Howell Sawyer

Thomas Walter Odorzynski

Sridhar Ranganathan

Cristian M Neculescu

Heather Anne Sorebo

Duane Girard Uitenbroek

Cathleen Mae Uttecht

Jacek K Dutkiewicz

Susan Carol Paul

Pamela Jean Mayberry

John Philip Vukos

Debra Jean McDowall

Audra Stefanik Wright

Stephen Michael Campbell

Frank Jerrel Akin

Margaret Gwyn Latimer

Michael William Veith

Andrew Edsel Huntoon

Prasad Shrikrishna Potnis

Sandra Marie Rogers

Joy Francine Jordan

Richard Mark Hansen

Randall James Palmer

Courtney Eileen Shea

Jason Sybren Fairbanks

Peter Robert Elliker

Toan Thanh LeMinh

Thomas Michael Killian

Cynthia Marie Phillips

Dennis Y Lee

Mark John Jung

Jonathan K Rice

Jian Oin

Charles Paul Keuhn, Jr

Daniel William Hesse

Richard D Schultz

Rhiannon L Thoresen

James Hongxue Wang

Jun Zhang

Ali Yahiaoui

Thomas David Ehlert

Patrick Sean McNichols

Ann Louise McCormack

Michael Barth Venturino

Fu-Jya Daniel Tsai

Bernhardt Edward Kressner

Tong Sun

Catherine Marguerite Hancock-Cooke

Jayant Chakravarty

David Glen Biggs

Joseph Kenneth Baker

Mark G Reichmann

Donald Joseph Sanders

Patrick Robert Lord

Peter Michailovich Kobylivker

Daniel Lee Ellingson

Steven R Stopper

Linda Susan Huard

Christopher Dale Fenwick

Roland Columbus Smith, Jr

Kristin Ann Goerg-Wood

Mary Alice Berceau

Maya Aroch

Michael Franklin Kalmon

Heath David Van Wychen

Richmond R Cohen

Krzysztof Andrzej Szymonski

Barton Andrew Laughlin

Kurt J Bevernitz

John Ford Condron

April Montoya Vaverka

Patrick Martin Downey

Rowland Jaynes McClellan, Jr

David Michael Kale

Nagabhusan Senapati

Adrienne Nicole Hengels

Donald Francis Guay

D Keith Osteen

The foam and fiber composite can provide an absorbent article with improved dryness and an improved liquid distribution capability. The foam and fiber composite can be formed from at least two materials. The first material is an open cell foam material and the second material is a fibrous material. A plurality of the fibers forming the fibrous material can be fluid inserted into the open cell foam material thereby forming the foam and fiber composite. In various embodiments, the foam and fiber composite can be incorporated into an absorbent article as a component of an absorbent system located between a topsheet layer and a backsheet layer of the absorbent article.

Method of manufacturing a foam and fiber composite

Absorbent articles with carefully controlled stretch properties are disclosed. In particular, the absorbent articles have a waistband that encompasses a pair of opposing side panels and a waist region of the article. The side panels are attached to longitudinal edges of a chassis and are configured to extend around a person's waist. The side panels are attached to fastening devices for fastening the absorbent article to a wearer. In accordance with the present invention, the side panels and the waist region are both elastic. In order to improve fit and comfort, the stretch properties of the side panels are matched with the stretch properties of the waist region. For example, elongation of the side panels can be matched to elongation of the waist region or, alternatively, displacement of the side panels can be matched to the displacement of the waist region for a given range of forces.

Absorbent articles having a waist region and corresponding fasteners that have matching stretch properties

An absorbent article includes a liquid intake region, a liquid retention region, a barrier region, and plural strips of microlayer material located adjacent to the liquid retention region.

Absorbent article formed with microlayered film

The present invention provides a nonwoven web prepared from an aliphatic polyester polymer which has sufficient tear strength and is biodegradable. Biodegradable nonwoven webs of the present are prepared from a polymer blend having from about 65% by weight to about 99% by weight of a biodegradable aliphatic polyester polymer and from about 1% by weight to about 35% by weight of a second polymer selected from the group consisting of a polymer having a lower melting point than the biodegradable aliphatic polyester polymer, a polymer having a lower molecular weight than the biodegradable aliphatic polyester polymer and mixtures thereof. Surprisingly, the nonwoven webs of the present invention have a tear strength greater than the tear strength of a nonwoven web prepared from the biodegradable aliphatic polyester polymer alone. In addition, other properties of the resulting nonwoven web, such as the tensile strength and energy to break, are not adversely affected, by the addition of the second polymer, in ways that make the resulting nonwoven web unusable for its intended purpose.

High strength nonwoven web from a biodegradable aliphatic polyester

In a method and apparatus for forming a bonded web comprised at least in part of a polyester, a first material web and a second material web are arranged in opposed relationship with each other at least along those portions of the first and second material webs to be bonded together. At least one of the first and second material webs is comprised at least in part of the polyester. The opposed webs are transported in a machine direction to the nip of a bonding apparatus comprised of a first bonding member and a second bonding member defining the nip therebetween for passage of the opposed first and second material webs therebetween in the machine direction. A shear force is applied to the webs generally in the machine direction at the nip and the webs are mechanically bonded together at the nip while the shear force is applied to webs.

Method and apparatus for mechanically bonding material webs

The present invention relates to a biodegradable substrate having a durable hydrophilic surface prepared from a biodegradable polymeric substrate having a surface, wherein the biodegradable polymeric substrate has been rendered hydrophilic by subjecting the substrate to a corona glow discharge and/or coating the substrate with a hydrophilic polymeric material in an amount of from about 0.01 to about 2.0 percent by weight, based on the dry weight of the substrate. The biodegradable substrate can be used in absorbent personal care product, biomedical devices and food packaging.

Durable hydrophilic treatment for a biodegradable polymeric substrate

A bonded structure including one or more substrates bonded together with a tackified amorphous poly-alpha-olefin adhesive composition. One method of making such a bonded structure is carried out by applying a tackified amorphous poly-alpha-olefin adhesive composition to one or more substrates at a temperature of about 170 degrees Celsius or lower, and joining the substrates to themselves or to one another. The bonded structure has a dynamic peel strength between about 400 and about 1000 grams per 25 millimeters. The bonding efficiency of the bonded structure renders the bonded structure suitable for incorporation into a variety of articles, including personal care products, health/medical products, and household/industrial product, for example.

Tackified amorphous-poly-alpha-olefin-bonded structures

Disclosed is an absorbent structure comprising an acidic or basic water-swellable, water-insoluble polymer, a basic or acidic second material, and, optionally, a buffering agent, wherein the absorbent structure exhibits desirable absorbent properties. Specifically, the present invention relates to an absorbent structure having the ability to absorb a large quantity of liquid while maintaining a substantially desired and balanced pH profile on or along the upper surface of the absorbent structure. The absorbent structure is useful in disposable absorbent products, such as those disposable absorbent products that are used to absorb body liquid.

Structure having balanced pH profile

This invention is a surge material having permanent storage properties that results in faster intake and greater saturation capacity and reduced fluid flowback. More specifically the invention is a surge material with a superabsorbent material printed on in a pattern of discrete regions. The objective of the invention is obtained by printing, or other known application process, a liquid superabsorbent precursor solution containing a crosslinkable composition onto a surge material and then curing the printed surge material to crosslink the polymers to get a surge material having discrete regions of superabsorbent material in the surge material. This invention is also useful in making an absorbent core of an absorbent article with improved strength, increased absorbency, and decreased shedding of superabsorbent material.

Nonabsorbent surge layer having discrete regions of superabsorbent and method for making

An absorbent article for absorbing body liquids, comprising a unitary system of microlayered film constructed and arranged to carry out the multiple functions of liquid intake, liquid uptake and distribution, liquid retention and liquid barrier requisite for such an absorbent article. The unitary system comprises a series of sequentially arranged topside, inside and bottom side regions having different properties needed to perform the functions of the absorbent article.

Absorbent article formed with microlayered films

Disclosed is an absorbent structure comprising an acidic or basic water-swellable, water-insoluble polymer, a basic or acidic second material, and, optionally, a buffering agent, wherein the absorbent structure exhibits desirable absorbent properties. Specifically, the present invention relates to an absorbent structure having the ability to absorb a large quantity of liquid while maintaining a substantially desired and balanced pH profile on or along the upper surface of the absorbent structure. The absorbent structure is useful in disposable absorbent products, such as those disposable absorbent products that are used to absorb body liquids.

Disclosed is an absorbent composition comprising each of an acidic and a basic material, wherein the absorbent composition exhibits desirable absorbent properties. Specifically, the present invention relates to an absorbent composition comprising either an acidic water-swellable, water-insoluble polymer having a pKbetween about 2 to about 12 or a basic water-swellable, water-insoluble polymer having a pKbetween about 2 to about 12 and either a basic or an acidic second material. The absorbent composition has the ability to slowly absorb a large quantity of liquid, particularly while under an external pressure. The absorbent composition is useful in disposable absorbent products, such as those disposable absorbent products that are used to absorb bodily liquids.

Absorbent composition

A method of preparing a nonwoven web that has substantially continuous synthetic fine fiber includes preparing an aqueous amide crosslinked polymer solution. The solution is extruded through a die having a plurality of orifices to form a plurality of threadlines. The threadlines are then attenuated with a primary gaseous source under conditions sufficient to permit the viscosity of each threadline to increase incrementally with increasing distance from the die, at a rate sufficient to provide fibers having a desired attenuation and mean fiber diameter without significant fiber breakage.

Process of making a nonwoven web

The present invention provides an absorbent article ( ) having a longitudinal direction ( ), and a lateral, cross direction ( ). The article includes a liquid permeable top sheet layer ( ), a substantially liquid impermeable backsheet layer ( ), and an absorbent structure ( ) having a primary retention portion ( ) sandwiched between the top sheet and backsheet layers. The retention portion ( ) includes a wet-formed mixture of fibers and superabsorbent material. The retention portion has a selected edge-wise compression value, such as an edge-wise compression value of not more than a maximum of about 9 g/gsm, and a modified circular bend value, such as a modified circular bend value of at least minimum of about 0.3 g/gsm. In particular aspects, the retention portion ( ) can include cellulosic fibers.

Absorbent article with improved, wet-formed absorbent

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Neenah, WI, United States of America

Palani Raj Ramaswami Wallajapet