Kimberly-clark Worldwide, Inc.

Avent, Inc.

Sridhar Ranganathan

Jian Qin

Andrew Thomas Baker

Richard Norris Dodge, Ii

Xiaomin Zhang

Dave Allen Soerens

Lawrence Howell Sawyer

Thomas Michael Ales

Davis-Dang H Nhan

David Louis Zenker

Yong Li

Shannon Kathleen Melius

Jose Kollakompil Abraham

Violet May Grube

Andrew Mark Long

Stanley Roy Kellenberger

Sudhanshu Gakhar

Francis P Abuto

David Martin Jackson

Fred R Radwanski

Sylvia Bandy Little

Charles Wilson Colman

Debra Jean McDowall

Stanley Michael Gryskiewicz

Billie Jean Matthews

Michael William Veith

Rob David Everett

Shawn Jeffery Sullivan

Jason Matthew Laumer

Young Ko

Jeffrey Robert Heller

David Arthur Fell

Heather Anne Sorebo

William Grover Reeves

Kuo-Shu Edward Chang

Cathleen Mae Uttecht

Palani Raj Ramaswami Wallajapet

Davis Dang Hoang Nhan

Joseph R Feldkamp

Andrew Edsel Huntoon

Shawn Jeffrey Sullivan

Vikram Sharad Kaul

Jeffrey Jennings Krueger

Jenny L Day

Toan Thanh LeMinh

John Gavin MacDonald

Xuedong Song

Russell Frederick Ross

Robert J Henshaw

Eric Donald Johnson

Timothy James Blenke

Kaiyuan Yang

Russell J Kroll

Ning Wei

Fu-Jya Daniel Tsai

Jeffrey Eldon Fish

George Ikuya Nukuto

Frank Paul Abuto

Donald Eugene Waldroup

Phillip A Schorr

Bernhardt Edward Kressner

Edward A Colombo

Wing-Chak Ng

Carl Gerard Rippl

Jayant Chakravarty

Darold Dean Tippey

Michael Joseph Garvey

MeeWha Lee

John Herbert Conrad

Michael John Niemeyer

Brenda Marie Nelson

Anthony John Wisneski

Joseph Kenneth Baker

Hoa La Wilhelm

Thomas M Ales, Jr

Eric Edward Lennon

Kiran K Reddy

Varunesh Sharma

Joseph Earl Pierce

Gabriel Hamman Adam

Mark Londborg

Wendy Lynn Van Dyke

Richard Harry Thiessen

Ralph Solarski

Robert G Geer

Karen Goeders

Gary Douglas Williams

Cameron Ray Morris

Stephanie Ann Rossignol

Denis R Grimard

Paul Woon

Gregory Marc Lefkowitz

Jeanne Marie Gatto

Michael Franklin Kalmon

Richard Dickerson Mosbacher

InYoung Sa

Marsha R Forthofer

Jennifer S Stadelman

Leon Eugene Chambers, Jr

Andrew B Clement

Methods of manufacturing a substrate including a component, such as superabsorbent material, having a volatile hydrophobic coating are disclosed. The method can include providing a fluid supply including a liquid and providing a supply of the component. The component can include a volatile hydrophobic coating. The method can include introducing the component to the fluid supply. The method can also include transferring the component in the fluid supply to provide the substrate. The method can further include applying heat to the substrate. The heat can remove the volatile hydrophobic coating from the component.

Component including a volatile hydrophobic coating and methods including the same

Methods and apparatuses for producing a zoned and/or layered substrate are described. A substrate can include a first layer including a first zone, a second zone, and an interface between zones. The first zone can include a plurality of fibers. The second zone can include a plurality of fibers and can be offset from the first zone in a cross-direction. The interface can include at least some of the plurality of fibers of the first zone and at least some of the plurality of fibers of the second zone to provide a purity gradient with a transition width less than 3.8 cm as defined by the Purity Gradient Test Method as described herein.

Zoned and/or layered substrates and method and apparatus for producing the same

Methods and apparatuses for producing a zoned and/or layered substrate are described. A method can include providing a first supply of fibers, providing a second supply of fibers, and providing a headbox. The headbox can include a machine direction, a cross-direction, and a first cross-directional divider that separates a first zone of the headbox from a second zone of the headbox in a cross-directional manner. The method can further include transferring the first supply of fibers and the second supply of fibers to the headbox. The method can also include transferring the first supply of fibers and the second supply of fibers through the headbox to provide the substrate.

Method and apparatus for producing a zoned substrate

A disposable absorbent article includes a bodyside liner, an outer cover, an absorbent body disposed between the bodyside liner and the outer cover, and a surge layer disposed between the bodyside liner and the absorbent body, the surge layer having an X-Y plane, a Z-direction, and a longitudinal direction, and a barrier extending substantially through the surge material in the Z-direction, wherein the barrier is configured to block at least one linear longitudinal fluid flow path. The surge layer can alternatively have a plurality of barriers extending substantially through the surge material in the Z-direction, wherein the plurality of barriers is configured to block a plurality of linear longitudinal fluid flow paths or all linear longitudinal fluid flow paths while allowing non-linear fluid flow paths in the longitudinal direction.

Disposable absorbent article with surge layer including at least one barrier

A material for distributing fluid can include a first side edge, a second side edge, a first end edge, and a second end edge. The material can include a first surface and a second surface opposite from the first surface. The material can be liquid impermeable and at least one of the first surface and the second surface include at least one channel. The channel can include a channel width, a channel length, and a channel depth. The channel width can be from 0.1 mm to 2.5 mm. The channel depth can be configured such that the channel does not extend completely through the material.

Material including channel for improved fluid distribution

Method and apparatus for producing a zoned and/or layered substrate

A bodyside liner material for use in disposable absorbent personal care products has an average material plane and includes a plurality of raised areas extending in a z-direction from the average material plane; a plurality of apertures through the liner material; a hydrophobic treatment agent disposed on the raised areas; and a plurality of land areas disposed between the raised areas, wherein the land areas are hydrophilic. The bodyside liner material can also include a plurality of raised areas extending in a z-direction from the average material plane; a plurality of depressed areas alternating with the plurality of raised areas, wherein the depressed areas extend in the opposite z-direction from the average material plane, and wherein the depressed areas are hydrophilic; a plurality of apertures through the liner material, wherein the apertures are disposed only in the depressions; and a hydrophobic treatment agent disposed on the raised areas.

Treated three-dimensional apertured liners

In one aspect a drug delivery device may include a reservoir containing a liquid drug formulation and a microneedle assembly in fluid communication with the reservoir. The microneedle assembly may include a plurality of microneedles, with each microneedle defining an open channel for receiving a drug formulation. The open channel may have a normalized hydraulic radius ranging from about 0.1 to about 0.8. The open channel may also have a liquid-to-solid interfacial energy and a liquid-to-vapor interfacial energy when a fixed volume of the drug formulation is received therein. In addition, the drug formulation and a cross-sectional geometry of the open channel may be selected and configured such that the liquid-to-solid energy exceeds the liquid-to-vapor energy as the length of the fixed volume of drug formulation is increased within the open channel.

Microneedles with improved open channel cross-sectional geometries

An absorbent article facilitating sensing the presence of a body exudate in the absorbent article includes an absorbent member; a sensor coil disposed on or in the article; and an electrical double-layer capacitor disposed on or in the article and in electrical communication with the sensor coil, wherein the capacitor is in fluid communication with the absorbent member. An absorbent article system also includes a detector circuit including an exciter coil configured for electromagnetic communication with the sensor coil, and sensor electronics configured to indicate the presence of a body exudate based on changes in the electromagnetic communication between the exciter coil and the sensor coil.

Contactless passive sensing for absorbent articles

A wetness monitoring system is provided for an absorbent article, the wetness monitoring system including a signaling device including an alarm to indicate that the absorbent article has reached an insult limit. The signaling device operates with a sensor array which is disposed on the outermost surface of the absorbent article outer cover. The signaling device includes a detection circuit which measures changes in inductance or capacitance. The wetness monitoring system does not make direct contact with the absorbent structure located within an outer cover of the absorbent article.

Absorbent article fullness indicator

An indicator assembly for use with a non-vascular catheter device. The indicator assembly includes: a first retainer secured to a catheter tube, the first retainer being an indwelling retainer which is deployed within a non-vascular lumen or cavity of the body; a second retainer secured to the catheter tube, the second retainer deployed outside the human body; and an indicator located outside the body on the catheter tube between the first retainer and the second retainer. The first retainer and the second retainer are configured to maintain substantially the same position with respect to each other on the tube and the indicator is configured to signal a change in position with respect to either the first or the second retainer, thereby indicating a change in the length of a stoma.

Stoma length indicator assembly and positioning system

Systems and methods for monitoring nutritional uptake of an individual are disclosed. The method can include monitoring microflora intestinal gas concentration levels associated with a patient and adjusting the volume of nutrient provided by the patient with an artificial feeding device based at least in part on the microflora intestinal gas levels associated with the patient. A microflora intestinal gas sensor can be used to monitor the microflora intestinal gas associated with the patient. The microflora intestinal gas sensor can monitor the microflora intestinal gas in a patient's exhaled breath or in the patient's digestive tract. The microflora intestinal gas sensor be included as part of an enteral feeding system at the distal end or outside end of an enteral feeding tube. Systems and methods for monitoring nutritional uptake of an infant based on microflora intestinal gas levels associated with the infant are also disclosed.

Method and system for monitoring nutritional uptake as a function of microflora intestinal gas levels

A chemical gas sensor formed from a nonwoven material is described. The gas sensor includes a flexible, gas-permeable, nonwoven web-based material substrate having a matrix that is composed of a plurality of inert thermoplastic, pulp, cellulose or staple fibers as either a major or minor portion, with a plurality of gas-sensitive fibers formed from a polymer that can absorb volatile organic compounds (VOC), and a plurality of electrically conductive fibers. The gas-sensitive fibers are intermixed with and associated spatially among a network of adjacent electrically conductive fibers, such that a change in physical morphology of said gas-sensitive fibers as a result of interacting with volatile organic compounds, causes a change in dielectric properties that disrupts said network of adjacent electrically conductive fibers. The sensor can be configured as either a resistive or a capacitive chemisensor.

Nonwoven-based chemi-capacitive or chemi-resistive gas sensor

An absorbent article includes a chassis including a bodyside liner, an outer cover having an interior surface and an exterior surface, and an absorbent structure positioned adjacent the interior surface of the outer cover, the chassis including an insult zone and a crotch region positioned in between a front region and a back region, the front region and the back region defining a waist region therebetween. The absorbent article also includes a sensor element disposed in or on the chassis, the sensor element extending from a proximal end in the waist region to at least the insult zone and in fluid communication with the insult zone, the sensor element including a multi-layer wicking material.

Sensor products using wicking materials

A heating article is provided including a heating element including a first layer of nonwoven fibers mixed with conductive fibers, wherein the layer is divided to include a conductive region and a nonconductive region, wherein the conductive region extends in a co-extensive and co-planar pattern in a majority of the layer, and wherein the conductive region has first and second ends, and a power source removably coupled to the first and second ends. The first layer can include nonwoven fibers mixed with non-metallic conductive fibers. The heating article can also include a second layer superposed with the first layer, wherein the second layer is substantially free of non-metallic conductive fibers.

Heating articles using conductive webs

Growing community of inventors

Suwanee, GA, United States of America

Sridhar Ranganathan