The Procter Gamble Company

The Proctor 'Gamble Company

Thomas A DesMarais

Keith Joseph Stone

Gary Dean LaVon

Gerald A Young

John Collins Dyer

Hugh A Thompson

Thomas Michael Shiveley

Stephen T Dick

Mary Elaine Freeland

Robert H Siegfried

William J Moore

Normally hydrophobic foams, such as polyurethane foams and polymerized water-in-oil emulsion foams, are rendered hydrophilic by means of treatment with simple surfactants and hydrophilizing agent salts. Thus, a surfactant-containing foam is treated with a solution of, for example, calcium chloride, and is dried to leave a substantially uniformly distributed residue of hydrated or hydratable calcium chloride on the surfactant-containing internal foam surfaces. In-use, the combination of surfactant and calcium chloride hydrate provides a hydrophilic surface to the foam. Other hydratable calcium or magnesium salts such as magnesium chloride can be used. The resulting hydrophilized foams are suitable for use in absorbent devices, including diapers, sanitary napkins, bandages, and the like.

Method for hydrophilizing absorbent foam materials

Disclosed are absorbent foam materials suitable for use as or in the absorbent cores of absorbent articles, such as diapers which absorb and retain aqueous body fluids. Such foam materials comprise hydrophilic, flexible open-celled structures which are preferably prepared by polymerizing high internal phase (HIPE) water-in-oil emulsions. Such foam materials have a pore volume of from about 12 to 100 mL/g, and a capillary suction specific surface area of from about 0.5 to 5.0 m.sup.2 /g. These materials also exhibit a resistance to compression deflection such that a confining pressure of 5.1 kPa produces after 15 minutes a strain of from about 5% to 95% compression when the material is saturated at 37.degree. C. to its free absorbent capacity with synthetic urine.

Absorbent foam materials for aqueous body fluids and absorbent articles

Normally hydrophobic foams, such as polyurethane foams and polymerized water-in-oil emulsion foams, are rendered hydrophilic by means of treatment with sorbitan monolaurate. Thus, a polymeric foam can be prepared or treated with sorbitan monolaurate and thereafter dried to leave a substantially uniformly distributed residue of sorbitan monolaurate on the internal foam surfaces. The resulting treated foams are rendered hydrophilic and are thus suitable for use in absorbent devices, including diapers, sanitary napkins, bandages, and the like.

Method for hydrophilizing absorbent foam materials using sorbitan

Disclosed is a process for the continuous preparation of high internal phase emulsions which are suitable for subsequent polymerization into polymeric foam materials that, upon dewatering, act as absorbents for aqueous body fluids. The process involves continuous introduction of a certain type of monomer-containing oil phase and a certain type of electrolyte-containing water phase into a dynamic mixing zone at relatively low water to oil phase ratios. Flow rates are then steadily adjusted to increase the water to oil ratio of the streams fed to the dynamic mixing zone while subjecting the dynamic mixing zone contents to shear agitation which is sufficient to thereby form a high internal phase emulsion that, upon subsequent polymerization, provides a foam having an average cell size of from about 5 to 100 microns. The formation of such a stable high internal phase emulsion is completed by feeding the contents of the dynamic mixing zone to and through a static mixing zone.

Process for preparing emulsions that are polymerizable to absorbent foam

A disposable absorbent article, such as a diaper, having a liquid impervious backsheet, a urine pervious liner, and absorbent core intermediate the backsheet and liner is disclosed. The liner has a passageway to allow communication of solid waste materials to the core, thereby isolating such waste from the skin of the wearer. The liner is longitudinally contracted by elastic strands disposed longitudinally nonadjacent the passageway, improving the fit of the article to the wearer without sacrificing leakage protection and allowing various sections of the article to assume independent functions.

Absorbent article having elastic strands

An integral disposable absorbent article such as a diaper having an absorbent core, a backsheet, a continuous topsheet, an elastically contractible leg cuff along each longitudinal edge, and a pair of floating inner cuffs extending longitudinally along the absorbent article in at least the crotch region. The floating inner cuffs provide enhanced containment of body exudates and enhanced fit. The floating inner cuffs each preferably comprise a cuff layer, a base layer underlaying the cuff layer, a first seam that affixes a portion of the cuff layer to the base layer, a central seam that affixes another portion of the cuff layer to the base layer, an unadhered stand-up portion of the cuff layer between the first seam and the central seam, and a central elastic member having a pair of affixed portions and an unaffixed portion between the pair of affixed portions. The gathering action of the central elastic member causes both the unaffixed portion and the unadhered stand-up portion of the cuff layer to stand-up and be spaced away from the base layer to provide a ridge that contains body exudates. Since the unaffixed portion of the central elastic member is not affixed to the cuff layer or the base layer, the central elastic member is free to move or float within the floating inner cuff so that it may seek and be positioned adjacent the leg crease of the wearer to optimize fit and enhance containment.

Absorbent article having floating inner cuffs

Compound sanitary napkins comprising a primary menstrual pad and a panty protector joined by union means having limited extent. The primary menstrual pad comprises an absorbent core and, optionally, a pad overwrap and, also optionally, a fluid barrier. The panty protector comprises an absorbent element and a moisture barrier and, optionally, a protector overwrap and, also optionally, adhesive attachment means. The two constituents are joined at their corresponding ends, with the absorbent element of the panty protector interposed between the moisture barrier of the panty protector and the primary menstrual pad, by the union means in such a manner that the two are free to move relative to one another along essentially their entire common length. In use, the compound sanitary napkin is secured to the user's undergarments (as by the optional adhesive attachment means) in such a position that the primary menstrual pad is interposed between the panty protector and the user's body.

Compound sanitary napkin

The object of this invention is to provide a composition of thermoplastic rubber which can be extruded into fibers and films with exceptional strength and good elasticity. Current formulations of some thermoplastic rubbers cannot be extruded into fibers or films with the accompanying strength and elasticity. Compositions of the current invention comprise 20 to 50% by weight of one of a group of fatty acids or fatty alcohols containing from about 12 to about 24 carbon atoms and 80 to 50% by weight of a member selected from the group consisting of A-B-A block copolymers, where B is poly(ethylenebutylene) and A is a thermoplastic polymer which is phase incompatible with B. This composition of matter results in a thermoplastic rubber composition that is easily extrudable into fibers or films. Extruded fibers of the current composition can be made into elastic fabrics, elastic bands for clothing or made into nonwoven structures for use in elastic bandages or wrapping. Films of the new composition can be used to make articles such as elastic disposable diaper backsheets or shower caps.

Extrusion process for thermoplastic resin composition for fabric fibers

Resilient polyester foam materials. Acyl halide, polyol, and polyhydroxy cross-linking agent are reacted in the presence of alkali metal carbonate to prepare the resilient polyester foams. A process similar to that used in the one-shot preparation of polyurethane foams is used. Preferred reactants are adipyl chloride, quadrafunctional polyol based on pentaerythritol, propoxylated pentaerythritol cross-linking agent, and sodium carbonate. The resilient polyester foams find use in products such as catamenial tampons.

Polyester foam materials

Foams (as for example polyurethane foam) catamenial tampons which have been treated with surfactant. Catamenial tampons of this invention exhibit improved humid expansion characteristics. In a preferred embodiment, the catamenial tampons comprise particles of lubricated polyurethane foam which have been treated with surfactant and which are contained within a fluid permeable overwrap. The invention includes a process for making the above described catamenial tampons.

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Norwood, OH, United States of America

Thomas A DesMarais