Tambrands, Inc.

James River-norwalk, Inc.

The Transzonic Companies

Richard E Kajander

John G Nelson

David J Fitzgerald

An absorbent pad, such as a sanitary napkin, is provided having a fibrous facing sheet. The fibrous face is a fractional-denier fibrous nonwoven fabric which may or may not be laminated to a thermoplastic sheet, depending on its strength. The sheet is vacuum perforated to make it permeable to body fluids.

Absorbent pad with fibrous facing sheet

A combination of hot melt and water-based adhesives (solution resin or latex) is particularly advantageous for bonding fibers together to form a layer and for bonding that layer to an adjoining layer. The water-based adhesive, which need not be crosslinkable, provides fiber-to-fiber bonding through the layer of fibers, while the hot melt adhesive bonds the layer of fibers to the adjoining layer. In preferred embodiments, the layer of fibers is moisture absorbent and formed of wood pulp, cotton, rayon, or cellulose triacetate fibers (possibly with the addition of a small amount of thermoplastic fibers to increase bulk); the fibers can be reprocessed fibers of irregular lengths; the water-based adhesive is a latex, non-crosslinkable adhesive; the adjoining layer is permeable to moisture and made of a nonwoven polyolefin, rayon, polyester, or blend thereof; a moisture-barrier layer (e.g., closed-cell foam or moisture-impervious film) is adhered by hot melt adhesive to the other surface of the layer of fibers; the laminate forms a panty shield.

Laminate incorporating hot melt and water based adhesives

Anfractuous cellulose fibers exhibiting exceptional high bulking properties are produced by treatment of dry hammermilled wood cellulose fibers with anhydrous liquid ammonia at substantially atmospheric pressure. Fibrous webs of enhanced bulk are produced by preparing an aqueous furnish comprising at least ten percent by weight ammonia treated anfractuous fibers in admixture with conventional papermaking fibers.

Method of producing high bulking anfractuous cellulosic fiber using

An applicator for delivering an object, such as a menstrual tampon, to a cavity, such as the vaginal canal, which applicator is not much longer than the object when delivered to the user, is provided. The applicator is a unitary injection blow-molded device which includes a first tubular section housing the object, a second collapsible and extensible corrugated tubular section abutting the first section, and a third tubular section abutting the second section and serving primarily as a handle. An integral pusher member is formed in the interior of the applicator attached to the inner wall of the third section, and is biased to assume a position along the centerline of the applicator. The applicator is delivered to the user in a collapsed state, with the pusher alongside the object in the first section. The user extends the object by pulling on the first and third sections, withdrawing the pusher from the first section so that it aligns itself behind the center of the object. The applicator is inserted in the cavity and the object is ejected by pushing the third section toward the firsts section, collapsing the second section and driving the pusher member forward.

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Ware, MA, United States of America

Richard E Kajander