Kimberly-clark Worldwide, Inc.

International Paper Company

Prasad Shrikrishna Potnis

Michael Tod Morman

Randall James Palmer

Cristian M Neculescu

Charles John Morell

David Michael Matela

Peiguang Zhou

Howard Martin Welch

Stephen Michael Campbell

Michael Allen Daley

Thomas Harold Roessler

Ann Louise McCormack

Palani Raj Ramaswami Wallajapet

Sandra Marie Rogers

Gregory Todd Sudduth

Richard Mark Hansen

Audrie Tomoko Ono

Patricia Hsiaoyin Hwang

Susan Elaine Shawver

James Russell Fitts, Jr

Wing-Chak Ng

Gary Harold Knauf

Bryon Paul Day

Matthew Boyd Lake

Gregory K Hall

Varunesh Sharma

Janis Wilson Hughes

Timothy Ray Martin

Sjon-Paul Lee Conyer

Violet May Grube

Jason Sybren Fairbanks

Courtney Eileen Shea

Thomas Michael Killian

Jonathan K Rice

Mark John Jung

Daniel William Hesse

Rhiannon L Thoresen

Faris Ohan

Richard D Schultz

Ashok M Adur

Leslie Warren Collier, Iv

Keith S Shih

Stephen Carl Baumgartner

Monica Graciela Varriale

Victor P Holbert

Raymond Jeffrey May

Stephen C Meyer

Peter F Lee

Christopher S Cleveland

Alvin Charles Jalonen

Richard D Pastor

Elizabeth C Cornelius

Rahim Armat

Leo Stoeberl

Gregory Tod Sudduth

Rasha Wafik Zaki Guirguis

Wayne Chu

Richard D Schulz

Susan L Bronk

Mark J Jung

Gregory Hall

Todd Gregory Sudduth

Charles Herman Ellison

Jose Enrique Maldonado Pacheco

Absorbent articles having form fitting properties are disclosed. In particular, the absorbent articles include at least one waist elastic member that extends a substantial distance in the longitudinal direction. The waist elastic member, for instance, may be positioned in a front region of the article, in a back region of the article or in both the front and back regions. The waist elastic member includes a breathable elastic film. In order for the film to be breathable, the film includes apertures. The apertures appear on the film according to a particular pattern and having a particular diameter so that the film retains desired stretch properties.

Waist elastic members for use in absorbent articles

An elastomeric film includes a first layer co-extruded with a second layer. The first layer includes a single-site catalyzed ethylene-alpha olefin copolymer having a density of about 0.860 to about 0.900 grams per centimeter. The second layer includes a styrene copolymer selected from styrene-butadiene-styrene, styrene-isoprene-styrene, styrene-ethylene/butylene-styrene, styrene-ethylene/propylene-styrene, or styrene-(ethylene/propylene)-styrene-(ethylene/propylene). The first layer may optionally include filler particles. An extensible laminate including the elastomeric film is also disclosed.

Elastomeric film and laminates thereof

An elastic laminate having an expandable facing layer, e.g., a nonwoven web with off-axis perforations, and an elastic film layer is produced to provide a preferential direction of extendability and retraction in the laminate. The elastic laminate is particularly useful as a waist area panel in disposable pant-like garments.

Preferentially stretchable laminates with perforated layers

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

Stretchable film laminates including a layer of elastomeric openwork, such as a plurality of elastic strands or an elastomeric mesh structure. The stretchable film laminates may include a film layer bonded to the layer of elastomeric openwork, with the film layer having cross-directional stretch and the laminate having a multi-phase stretchability profile. The stretchable film laminates may be made by extruding a film from a die, stretching the film, forming and stretching a layer of elastomeric openwork, conveying the stretched elastomeric openwork onto the film while the film is stretched, and passing the film and the elastomeric openwork through a nip. The invention also includes a machine capable of producing machine-direction, cross-direction, and biaxial stretch materials. The machine includes at least one extruder, at least one filament die and at least one film die both attached to the extruder(s), and at least one nip downstream of the extruder(s).

Stretchable film laminates and methods and apparatus for making stretchable film laminates

An extensible laminate having improved set and hysteresis is disclosed. The extensible laminate includes an extensible nonwoven web laminated to an elastomeric sheet that have been mechanically stretched in the cross direction after lamination. A method for making the extensible laminate includes laminating an extensible nonwoven web to an elastomeric sheet to form a laminate and mechanically stretching the laminate in a cross direction by at least about 50 percent.

Extensible laminate having improved stretch properties and method for making same

A breathable, substantially liquid impermeable film and laminate are provided for use in a wide variety of personal care garments and protective garments. The film, and laminate containing the film, are extendible in a cross-direction to a stretched width which is at least 25% greater than an original, unstretched width. The film and laminate have a first water vapor transmission rate of at least about 500 grams/m -24 hours coinciding with the unstretched width. The film and laminate have a much higher second water vapor transmission rate which is at least about 225% of the first water vapor transmission rate, and not less than about 4000 grams/m -24 hours, coinciding with a stretched width that is only 25% greater than the stretched width.

Film having high breathability induced by low cross-directional stretch

A substrate comprising a paper layer and at least one biodegradable polymer layer extruded thereon is provided. The paper layer may have an extruded polymer layer on each side, it may have multiple polymer layers extruded on one side, or both. Additives appropriate for the particular use of the substrate may be added to one or more of the polymer layers.

Biodegradable paper-based agricultural substrate

The invention addresses the use of a composite carbon dioxide scavenging filler which has been dispersed uniformly into a polymeric matrix. The resultant layer can then be coated or laminated onto a paper, paperboard, foil, or other substrates. It can also be made into a cast or blown film. The carbon dioxide scavenging structure thus created desirably contains a polymeric matrix binder as the filler dispersion medium, one or more particular carbon dioxide scavenging fillers, one or more moisture producing/retaining agents or moisture retaining agents, and, optionally, one or more polymeric or surfactant dispersion/wetting agents aiding the wetting and the uniform dispersion of the fillers in the matrix. This allows products contained in a package, such as roasted coffee, or produce, to maintain freshness and counteract pressure buildup in a package which results in bulging, rupture, loss of freshness, poor shelf appearance, and increased anaerobic bacterial activity.

Controlled atmosphere packaging

A wettable polypropylene composition comprising polypropylene and a hydrophilic, polar compound which includes functional sites selected from the group consisting of carboxyl, hydroxy, ether or ester moieties, wherein the polypropylene composition is wettable, having a contact angle less than or equal to 75.degree.. The hydrophilic polar compounds are selected from the group consisting of maleic anhydride-modified polypropylene (MAPP), acrylic acid modified polypropylene, ethylene acrylate modified polypropylene, polypropylene grafted with a sodium salt of an acrylic acid, polyethylene glycol (PEG), modified polyethylene glycol, polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH), polyvinyl formal (PVF); and monomer and dimer fatty acids having a carbon chain length in the range of 6 to 50, preferably 18 to 36. The compositions can further include the presence of an amorphous compound and surfactants.

Wettable polypropylene composition and related method of manufacture

Growing community of inventors

Duluth, GA, United States of America

Prasad Shrikrishna Potnis