Kimberly-clark Corporation

Kimberly-clark Worldwide, Inc.

Ruth Lisa Levy

Michael Tod Morman

Lawrence Howell Sawyer

Ann Louise McCormack

Richard Daniel Pike

Henry Louis Griesbach, Iii

Jay Sheldon Shultz

Philip A Sasse

Charles Edward Bolian, Ii

Sharon W Gwaltney

Lynn E Preston

Richard Macferran Shane

Eugenio Go Varona

Frank Paul Abuto

Susan Carol Paul

Debra Jean McDowall

Robert E Weber

John Joseph Sayovitz

Henry L Griesbach

Robert David Wright

Stephen Clark Smith

Ernest P Sedlock

Andrew Edward Diamond

Joel E Edwards

La-Donna Lynn Brown

The present invention provides a liquid distribution layer for absorbent articles which exhibits directional liquid distribution properties and has desirable physical integrity. The liquid distribution layer is a nonwoven web of substantially continuous microfibers that has its fibers substantially aligned along one planar dimension of the web, wherein the fibers are hydrophilically modified or hydrophilic. Additionally, the liquid distribution layer may have an increasing fiber alignment gradient as well as a decreasing fiber thickness gradient in the direction of the web thickness. Further provided are suitable processes for producing the liquid distribution layer.

Liquid distribution layer for absorbent articles

A fabric substrate comprising thermoplastic polyolefin fibers is printed with a printing composition comprising a room temperature curable latex polymer, a pigment and a cure promoter, which retains a colorfastness above 3 when exposed to liquids with a pH between about 2 and about 13. The mixture may be applied to the fabric as an aqueous mixture with a pre-cure pH adjusted to above 8 using a fugitive alkali and then cured at room temperature.

Room temperature latex printing

The present invention is directed to elastic fibrous nonwoven web laminates which exhibit elastic properties in at least one direction and, if desired, two or more directions due to the use of at least one fibrous nonwoven web facing layer which contains a plurality of slits. The resultant laminates are useful in a wide variety of applications not the least of which include garments, surgical drapes and other supplies as well as personal care absorbent articles including diapers, training pants, sanitary napkins, incontinence garments, bandages and the like. Processes for forming such laminates are also disclosed.

Slit elastic fibrous nonwoven laminates and process for forming

The invention provides a perforated nonwoven web fabricated from a bonded thermoplastic polymer web. The perforated nonwoven web contains a multitude of self-sustaining sustaining perforations that are substantially free of melt-fused edges and can be characterized as stretch-opened perforations. The invention further provides a process for producing the perforated nonwoven web.

Perforated nonwoven fabrics

A shaped nonwoven fabric comprises continuous spunbond filaments made by directly forming the spunbond filaments into a web in a single process. The fabric has an array of discrete surface features such as apertures or projections, or both. The spunbond filaments are bonded together with an adhesive polymeric component so that the shape of the fabric is retained. The fabric can be engineered to have particular fluid handling properties, strength properties, abrasive properties and aesthetic properties. Articles such as personal care products, garments, medical products and cleaning products are also disclosed.

Shaped nonwoven fabric

There is provided herein a ribbed clothlike nonwoven fabric made by a method comprising the steps of providing a nonwoven web of thermoplastic polymer of staple length or longer fibers or filaments having a pattern of fused bond areas wherein the pattern has at least one space and at least one unit width, as defined herein, in a ratio of at least 0.30, and then extending the web up to less than the breaking point of the fibers or filaments in at least one direction. The product which is thereby produced is a ribbed clothlike nonwoven fabric comprising a web of thermoplastic polymer of staple length or longer fibers or filaments having a pattern of fused bond areas wherein the pattern has space and unit width in a ratio of at least 0.30, and wherein the fabric has been extended up to less than the breaking point of the fibers or filaments in at least one direction so as to produce ribs. The stretching may be accompanied by heating by methods known in the art to a temperature ranging from greater than the polymer's alpha-transition temperature to about 10 percent below the onset of melting at a liquid fraction of 5 percent.

Ribbed clothlike nonwoven fabric

Disclosed is a method of producing a barrier fabric having stretch and recovery properties. The method includes the steps of heating at least one nonwoven web containing meltblown non-elastic thermoplastic polymer fibers to a temperature at which the peak total energy absorbed by the nonwoven web of meltblown fibers is at least about 250 percent greater than the amount absorbed by the nonwoven web of meltblown fibers at room temperature; applying a tensioning force to neck the heated nonwoven web; and cooling the necked nonwoven web so that the nonwoven web has at least the same hydrostatic head and/or particulate barrier properties as the nonwoven web before necking. Also disclosed is a stretchable barrier fabric composed of a nonwoven web of meltblown non-elastomeric thermoplastic polymer fibers, the nonwoven web being heat treated so that it is adapted to stretch at least about 10 percent more than an identical untreated nonwoven web of meltblown non-elastomeric thermoplastic polymer fibers. The stretchable barrier fabric is adapted to provide a hydrostatic head of at least about 20 cm and/or a particle holdout efficiency of at least about 40 percent for particles having an average size greater than 0.1 micron. The stretchable barrier fabric may be a component of a multilayer material and may be used in disposable protective garments.

Stretchable meltblown fabric with barrier properties

Nonwoven fabric

Method for making shaped nonwoven fabric

Disclosed is a method of producing a nonwoven material having improved resistance to penetration by particles. The method includes the steps of heating at least one nonwoven web containing meltblown thermoplastic polymer fibers to a temperature at which the peak total energy absorbed by the nonwoven web of meltblown fibers is at least about 250 percent greater than the amount absorbed by the nonwoven web of meltblown fibers at room temperature; applying a tensioning force to neck the heated nonwoven web so that at least a portion of individual meltblown fibers have sections where the fiber diameter is substantially less than the diameter of the immediately adjacent sections; and cooling the necked nonwoven web Also disclosed is a nonwoven material composed of at least one web of meltblown thermoplastic polymer fibers, the web containing at least a portion of individual meltblown fibers having sections where the fiber diameter is substantially less than the diameter of the immediately adjacent sections so that the web is adapted to have improved resistance to particle penetration. The nonwoven material may be a component of a multilayer material having desirable resistance to particle penetration.

Particle barrier nonwoven material

Growing community of inventors

Sugar Hill, GA, United States of America

Ruth Lisa Levy