Kimberly-clark Worldwide, Inc.

Kimberly-clark Corporation

Paul Joseph Datta

Michael Barth Venturino

Gary Lee Travis

Mark George Everson

Michael Tod Morman

Thomas Harold Roessler

Bernhardt Edward Kressner

Richard Daniel Pike

Michael Scott Brunner

Catherine Marguerite Hancock-Cooke

Stanley Michael Gryskiewicz

Jacqueline Ann Gross

Barbara Ann Gossen

Joseph Daniel Coenen

Yung Hsiang Huang

Robert Eugene Vogt

Duane Girard Uitenbroek

Paul Theodore VanGompel

Kristi Jo Bryant

Stephen Carl Baumgartner

Michael Andrew Machurick

David W Powell

Gary Chester Anderson

Tim Richard Cazzato

Steven Lambert Weyenberg

Glenn Alan Mintern

Timothy James Blenke

David Arthur Fell

Thomas Walter Odorzynski

Earle Harry Sherrod

Mary Anne Bruemmer-Prestley

Jennifer Elizabeth Pozniak

Cassandra E Morris

John Edward Kerins

Kathy Geralyn Richardson

John Timothy Hahn

David Andrae Justmann

Peter Shawn Lortscher

Julie Ann Moser

Raymond Gerard St Louis

Kristi Jo Schroeder

Linda M Dorschner

Stephen Bradford Cook

Cornelis Jacobus Bosselaar

Michael Francis Drymalski

Catherine Marguerite Hancock-Cook

Bradley John Berken

Courtney M Nelson

Sirlei Auler Waterhouse

Michael Francís Drymalski

Catherine Marquerite Hancock-Cooke

An absorbent garment, such as a diaper, designed to reduce or eliminate any tendency of the garment to droop when loaded. The absorbent garment includes an absorbent chassis that defines a waist opening and two leg openings. Based on dimensions of the garment, the absorbent chassis suitably has a diaper length ratio of about 0.85 or less, a droop design ratio of about 150 millimeters or less, and/or an absorbent length design ratio of about 280 millimeters or less.

Absorbent garment characteristics for droop elimination

An absorbent garment, such as a diaper structure, includes a visually discernible alignment indicator visible from a body-facing surface. The alignment indicator includes at least one first reference point. The absorbent garment comes with instructions defining the location of the first reference point on the absorbent article, defining the location of a second reference point on a wearer, and instructing the consumer to position the absorbent garment so that the first reference point optically aligns with the second reference point, and to fasten the absorbent garment in the position.

Diaper structure with alignment indicator

An absorbent article, such as a disposable diaper, includes a chassis having a front waist region, a back waist region, and a crotch region extending between the front and back waist regions. An outer cover member and a bodyside liner extend longitudinally between the front and back waist regions. An absorbent body structure is sandwiched between the outer cover member and the bodyside liner. A waistband portion includes at least one elastomeric portion. The waistband portion has a relaxed circumference wherein between about 45% to about 70% of the circumference is defined by the elastomeric portion. The waistband portion has an extended circumference for a target wearer wherein, at the extended circumference, the elastomeric portion is extended between about 10% to about 40% of its relaxed circumferential length.

Absorbent article with an elastic waistband having a preferred ratio of elastic to non-elastic materials

A pant-like, prefastened, disposable absorbent article having two leg openings which are directly below and visible through a waist opening. The waist opening has a relaxed waist opening measurement or relaxed waist diameter that is greater than a width of a chassis of the absorbent article in a crotch region. As such, the wearer's legs are positioned within and through the leg openings for easy application of the pant-like prefastened, disposable absorbent article. After initial application of the absorbent article, a waist size adjustment feature allows the waist perimeter dimension to be adjusted to conform the waist opening to the waist of the wearer.

Convertible diaper/pant with ease of application

A disposable garment for absorbing human exudate is disclosed having a first attachment member and a pair of second attachment members. The garment has a front panel, a back panel and a crotch region therebetween. The garment is folded to enable the pair of second attachment members to be secured to the first attachment member and form a waist opening and a pair of leg openings. A pair of frangible sections is formed in the first attachment member at locations outboard of the side edges of the front panel. Each of the second attachment members can bridge across one of the frangible sections and be removeably secured to the first attachment member to form an easy to open disposable garment.

Disposable garment having first and second attachment members

Prefastened absorbent articles () may include a singular fastening mechanism that includes an oversized fastener (), to provide stability between the front waist region and the back waist region and to maintain the prefastened configuration. The prefastened absorbent articles can include a multiple property fastener () that has at least one engagement zone () and at least one non-abrasive zone ().

Pre-fastened absorbent article having simplified fastening features

An absorbent garment, such as a diaper, folded in a manner that prevents leg elastics from remaining folded inward in a crotch region during product application. Each of two transversely opposed distal edges in a back waist region and each of two transversely opposed distal edges in a front waist region are folded onto a surface of the garment along respective longitudinal fold lines. The garment is also folded along at least one transverse fold line. A distance between the longitudinal fold lines in the back waist region may be greater than a distance between transversely opposed leg elastics in a crotch region of the garment. A distance between the longitudinal fold lines in the back waist region may be less than a combined distance between each of the transversely opposed distal edges of the back waist region and the respective longitudinal fold line.

Easy-to-unfold folded absorbent garment with distal edges of the front and back waist regions folded along respective longitudinal fold lines

A pant-like, prefastened, disposable absorbent article having side seams which include a front ear passively bonded to a back ear, wherein the front ear is releasable from the back ear desirably without tearing or damaging the back ear. The tearable front ear has a basis weight less than a basis weight of the back ear.

Product seal of dissimilar materials

A disposable absorbent article is disclosed having a waist opening and a pair of leg openings. The absorbent article has first, second and third pairs of leg elastics secured between an outer cover and an inner liner. The first, second and third leg elastics are arranged around each of the pair of leg openings with each of the third pair of leg elastics being positioned intermediate one of each of the first and second pairs of leg elastics. Each of the third pair of leg elastics is also separated from one of the first pair of leg elastics by a first gap and from one of the second pair of leg elastics by a second gap.

Disposable absorbent underpants

An absorbent insert for use with an absorbent garment has a body-facing outer surface and a garment-facing outer surface. The garment-facing outer surface is at least partially permeable to fluids. The insert also includes one or more absorbent layers and one or more delay layer(s) adapted to substantially affect the flow of fluid through the insert.

Absorbent insert for use with an outer absorbent garment

A disposable absorbent article is provided which includes a substantially liquid-impermeable, stretchable outer cover, a liquid permeable, stretchable top surface, and an absorbent body located between the outer cover and the top surface. The stretchable top surface can further include a first zone and a second zone. The stretchable outer cover can be configured to provide a first level of elongation when subjected to a tensile force of 100 gmf per inch (per 2.54 cm) of width according to the Material Elongation and Deformation Tensile Test set forth herein, while the first zone provides a second level of elongation that is less than the first level of elongation.

Stretchable absorbent article having zones of differential stretch

A laminate is provided that is highly conformable to the contours of a wearer's body when used in a personal care absorbent article or a medical article. The laminate is extendible in its cross direction to a width at least 25% greater than an original, unstretched width upon application of a stretching force and exhibits little or no retractive force in the cross direction once they have been stretched. Elastic elements are placed to provide stretch and recovery in the machine direction of the laminate without affecting the inelasticity of the cross direction. When the garment is worn, the laminate is extendible only in one axis where needed to provide a substantially perfect fit on the wearer while the retractive force provided in a second axis of the laminate helps ensure snug fit.

Composite elastic in one direction and extensible in another direction

A disposable absorbent underpants for containing body fluid includes a first pair of leg elastics, a second pair of leg elastics, and a third pair of leg elastics. Each of the third pair of leg elastics is a distinct member containing at least one strand of elastic that is partially enclosed by a carrier sheet. Each of the third pair of leg elastics is separated from at least one of the first or the second pair of leg elastics by a gap.

Disposable absorbent underpants for containing body fluid

Growing community of inventors

Appleton, WI, United States of America

Paul Joseph Datta