Kimberly-clark Worldwide, Inc.

Kimberly-clark Wolrdwide, Inc.

Paul William Christoffel

Suzanne Marie Schmoker

Paul Theodore Van Gompel

Sarah Jane Marie Freiburger

Mary Anne Bruemmer-Prestley

Donald Joseph Sanders

Lori Sue Schutkoske

Cindy Lou Price

Jesse Paul Sorenson

Harold Norbert Heller

David Fleger Bishop

Lawrence James Romano, Iii

Jeffery Michael Tabor

Lisa LaRae Bushman

Steven Charles Schapel

Sarah Jane Freiburger

Melanie J Milslagle

Mark John Jung

Paul Hasler

Sandra Ann Richlen

Donald Joesph Sanders

Willard Frances Hawley, Jr

Zachary J Lee

Mark James VanRossum

Mark David Spiegelberg

Mark Joseph VanGroll

Joel Curtis Krueger

Gregory Fromm

Lawrence J Romano Iii

A dispensing container includes a plurality of sheets of products stored within a housing. The container includes a dispensing orifice having a length that extends along a longitudinal axis from a first end to a second end. In particular embodiments, the dispensing orifice has a maximum width disposed not less than 20% and not more than 49% of the distance from the first end to the second end, a midpoint width disposed halfway between the first end and the second end, the midpoint width being less than the maximum width, and a third width disposed 80% of the distance from the first end to the second end, the third width being no greater than 80% of the maximum width. In particular embodiments, the dispensing orifice is symmetrical about a longitudinal axis but asymmetrical about a transverse axis. In particular embodiments, the dispensing orifice has an ovoid shape.

Storing and dispensing container for product having improved dispensing orifice

Apparatus and methods for manufacturing personal care absorbent articles. Such personal care absorbent article includes a fastening area in the front portion for receiving fastener material thereon. First and second fault lines are formed on opposing sides of the fastening area leaving uncut web portions at the fault lines during selected manufacturing operations, thus to support machine direction stresses on the front portion web, and subsequently trimming away such uncut web portions of the fault lines. Fastener material is applied over the first and second fault lines, thus bridging the fault lines. The fastener material is releasably secured to the fastening area, non-releasably secured to the front portion outwardly of the respective fault lines, and unsecured to the front portion between the fastening area and the fault lines thus to support a re-fastening feature of such personal care absorbent articles.

Method of assembling personal care absorbent article

Apparatus and methods for manufacturing personal care absorbent articles. Such personal care absorbent article includes a fastening area in the front portion for receiving fastener material thereon. First and second fault lines are formed on opposing sides of the fastening area leaving uncut web portions at the fault lines during selected manufacturing operations, thus to support machine direction stresses on the front portion web, and subsequently trimming away such uncut web portions of the fault lines. Fastener material is applied over the first and second fault lines, thus bridging the fault lines. The fastener material is releasable secured to the fastening area, non-releasable secured to the front portion outwardly of the respective fault lines, and unsecured to the front portion between the fastening area and the fault lines thus to support a re-fastening feature of such personal care absorbent articles.

A method of unwinding material in a process system for producing a product includes the steps of loading a roll of material in an unwind system, programming a controller with an unwind equation, the controller in communication with the unwind system, computing a material feed rate based on a predetermined product circumference and an average stretch-to-stop roll profile, and putting a diameter of the roll of material and the material feed rate in the unwind equation of the controller, and unwinding a varying amount of material from the roll of material at a varying unwind speed, the controller being responsive to the unwind equation to vary the unwind speed for forming a plurality of products, each product defining a respective circumference substantially equal to the predetermined product circumference.

Through-roll profile unwind control system and method

An absorbent garment includes a front body panel having a terminal waist edge and a terminal crotch edge and a rear body panel having a terminal waist edge and a terminal crotch edge. The terminal crotch edge of the rear body panel is longitudinally spaced from and forms a gap with the terminal crotch edge of the front body panel. An absorbent insert includes first and second longitudinally spaced end portions and opposite laterally spaced side edges. The absorbent insert bridges the gap between the front and rear body panels with the first and second end portions overlying and connected to the front and rear body panels respectively. At least one of the first and second end portions of the absorbent insert is connected respectively to a corresponding one of the front and rear body panels with at least first and second adhesive regions having first and second adhesive basis weights respectively. At least a portion of the second adhesive region is located adjacent the terminal crotch edge of at least one of the front and rear body panels. The second adhesive basis weight is greater than the first adhesive basis weight. In another aspect, the first adhesive region has a first peel strength and the first and second adhesive regions in combination have a second peel strength. In one embodiment, the second peel strength is greater than the first peel strength. In another aspect, a method of assembling the absorbent garment is provided.

Three-piece garment having an absorbent insert secured with variable adhesive regions

A refastenable absorbent garment comprises a front body panel comprising a pair of side portions defining opposite side edges and a landing portion extending between said side portions, wherein the landing portion and each of the side portions are separated by a line of weakness. A rear body panel comprises opposite side edges that are joined to the opposite side edges of the front body panel to form a side seam. A hook-type fastener member comprises a carrier member secured to the side portions of the front body panel in front of the side seam and a plurality of hooks extending from the carrier member, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of hooks are engaged with the landing portion. A method for making the absorbent garment, and for securing the absorbent garment to a user, also are provided. In another aspect, an absorbent garment comprises a body panel having a length and a fastening member comprising at least two engagement portions releasably engaging the body panel. Each of the engagement portions having an engagement length, wherein the sum of the engagement lengths is at least about 20% of the body panel length. In one preferred embodiment, the fastening member comprises a carrier member having a length, which is preferably at least about 50% of the length of a seam between a front and rear body panel, and which is preferably at least about 50% of the length of the rear body panel.

Refastenable absorbent garment

Methods and apparatus for assembly of extensible composite webs and web sausages, and personal care articles manufactured from such webs. The invention comprises fabricating a resiliently extensible web by bringing together and securing to each other as discrete elements, intervening web substrate elements between resiliently stretchable elastic elements. Securement between elastic elements and web substrate elements is defined by alternating zones of securement and non-securement along a length of the web substrate. The invention comprises deactivating elastic elements in the non-securement zones thereby to retract elastic strands in the non-securement zones without retracting the corresponding web or webs in such non-securement zones, and correspondingly, to distinguish the securement zones as relatively more resiliently stretchable and the non-securement zones as relatively less resiliently stretchable. The invention further comprises applying, to the relatively non-stretchable non-securement zones, fastener material extending generally between adjacent ones of the relatively more resiliently stretchable securement zones.

Multiple component web

Method of fabricating a multiple component web

A folded absorbent article including a front portion, back portion, and an intermediate crotch portion. The front portion joins the back portion by first and second side seams forming a waist opening and leg openings. Each of the front and back portions includes a demarcation line positioned between first and second zones. Each of the front and back portions includes a first section, a second section, and a third section. The first section is longitudinally folded over the second section providing a first side seam positioned laterally outboard of a longitudinal centerline of the absorbent article to form a first longitudinal fold line. The third section is folded over the first section providing the second side seam positioned laterally outboard of the longitudinal centerline to form a second longitudinal fold line. The first zone is transversely folded along the demarcation line over a portion of the crotch forming a folded absorbent article.

Folded absorbent article

Growing community of inventors

Appleton, WI, United States of America

Paul William Christoffel