Kimberly-clark Worldwide, Inc.

Kimberly-clark Corporation

Vasily Aramovich Topolkaraev

Neil T Scholl

Ryan J McEneany

Mark Michael Mleziva

Dave Allen Soerens

Thomas Allan Eby

Gregory James Wideman

Antonio J Carrillo Ojeda

James Hongxue Wang

Davis Dang H Nhan

Antonio J Carrillo

Yuriy Galabura

Jayant Chakravarty

David Glen Biggs

WanDuk Lee

Theodore T Tower

YoungSook Kim

Thomas Walter Odorzynski

Duane Girard Uitenbroek

Richard Warren Tanzer

Aimin He

Ross Thomas Kaufman

Dustin J Smith

Steven J Roffers

Lori A Eslinger

Fu-Jya Daniel Tsai

Palani Raj Ramaswami Wallajapet

Charles Wilson Colman

Brent Merrik Thompson

Bridget Ann Balogh

Austin N Pickett

JaeHong Lee

Tom Eby

David William Koenig

Jian Qin

Kelly Dean Branham

Cathleen Mae Uttecht

Michael Joseph Garvey

Stephen Avedis Baratian

Deborah Joy Calewarts

Steven R Stopper

Karen Goeders

Hristo Angelov Hristov

Jared Lockwood Martin

Peiguang Zhou

Georgia Lynn Zehner

Ann Louise McCormack

Susan Elaine Shawver

Bo Shi

Oomman Painummoottil Thomas

Bernhardt Edward Kressner

John Philip Vukos

Alan Edward Wright

John Herbert Conrad

Jaehong Lee

Dennis Y Lee

Dianna L Ambrose

Andy J Meyer

Patrick Martin Downey

Tyler J Lark

John Gavin MacDonald

Thomas David Ehlert

Patrick Sean McNichols

David Michael Schertz

Shirlee Ann Weber

Tamara Lee Mace

Darold Dean Tippey

Kevin Christopher Possell

Kevin George Hetzler

Duane Lyle McDonald

William Bela Haffner

Mark G Reichmann

Peter Michailovich Kobylivker

Sarah Ann Funk

Joy Francine Jordan

Kazuhiro Takahashi

Glynis Allicia Walton

Rob Lee Jacobs

Peter Shawn Lortscher

Jessica Sara Van Handel

Patrick Dean Abney

Sharon S Chang

Oomman Painumoottil Thomas

Richmond R Cohen

Stephen Clark Smith

Maya Aroch

Glen Thomas Mildenhall

Palani Raj R Wallajapet

David W Hall

Barton Andrew Laughlin

Michael G Shlepr

John Ford Condron

Karien J Rodriguez

Juha P Kemppinen

Yuewen Xu

Debra Ann Miller

Cynthia S Krueger

Dennis Lloyd Hasha

Matthew Joseph Graham

Yusuke Ueda

Three dimensional nonwoven materials and methods of manufacturing such materials are disclosed. In one embodiment, a nonwoven material comprising a plurality of fibers may comprise a first surface and a second surface, the first surface being opposite from the second surface, and an apertured zone. The apertured zone may comprise a plurality of nodes extending away from a base plane on the first surface, a plurality of connecting ligaments interconnecting the plurality of nodes, wherein a majority of the plurality of nodes include at least three connecting ligaments connecting to adjacent nodes, and a plurality of openings providing a percent open area for the apertured zone of the nonwoven material from about 10% to about 60%, as determined by the Material Sample Analysis Test Method.

Three-dimensional nonwoven materials and methods of manufacturing thereof

Three dimensional nonwoven materials and absorbent articles comprising such materials are disclosed. In one embodiment, an absorbent article may comprise an outer cover, a bodyside liner, an absorbent body, and a nonwoven material coupled to the bodyside liner. The nonwoven material may comprise an apertured zone providing a percent open area for the apertured zone that is greater than about 15%. The nonwoven material may be coupled to liner by a front waist bond forming a front waist bonding region which extends through the apertured zone and a rear waist bond forming a rear waist bonding region, wherein the rear waist bonding region has a length that is between about 2% and about 10% of the material length and the front waist bonding region has a length that is between about 20% and about 50% of the material length.

Three dimensional nonwoven materials and methods of manufacturing such materials are disclosed. In one embodiment, a nonwoven material may comprise a plurality of fibers, a first surface, and an apertured zone comprising: a plurality of nodes extending away from a base plane on the first surface, a plurality of connecting ligaments interconnecting the plurality of nodes, wherein a majority of the plurality of nodes include at least three connecting ligaments connecting to adjacent nodes, and a plurality of openings. The apertured zone may further comprise a lane of nodes which extends substantially in the longitudinal direction, and wherein the lane of nodes extending substantially in the longitudinal direction is formed of longitudinally adjacent nodes which are aligned such that lines drawn between centers of longitudinally adjacent nodes within the lane of nodes each form an angle with respect to the longitudinal direction of less than about 20 degrees.

Three dimensional nonwoven materials and methods of manufacturing such materials are disclosed. In one embodiment, a nonwoven material may comprise a plurality of fibers and may further comprise an opposing first surface and a second surface, an apertured zone comprising a plurality of nodes extending away from a base plane on the first surface, a plurality of connecting ligaments interconnecting the plurality of nodes, and a plurality of openings providing a percent open area for the apertured zone that is greater than about 15%, as determined by the Material Sample Analysis Test Method. The material may further comprise a first and second side zones with the nonwoven material having a material width and the first and second side zones having first and second side zone widths, and wherein each of the first and second side zone widths are between about 5% and about 25% of the nonwoven material width.

Superabsorbent particles having a median size of from about 50 to about 2,000 micrometers and containing nanopores having an average cross-sectional dimension of from about 10 to about 500 nanometers are provided. The superabsorbent particles exhibit a Vortex Time of about 80 seconds or less.

Nanoporous superabsorbent particles

Fibers that are formed from a thermoplastic composition that contains a rigid renewable polyester and has a voided structure and low density are provided. To achieve such a structure, the renewable polyester is blended with a polymeric toughening additive in which the toughening additive can be dispersed as discrete physical domains within a continuous matrix of the renewable polyester. Fibers are thereafter formed and then stretched or drawn at a temperature below the glass transition temperature of the polyester (i.e., 'cold drawn').

Renewable polyester fibers having a low density

Three dimensional nonwoven materials and methods of manufacturing such materials are disclosed. An absorbent article can include an absorbent body and an outer cover. The absorbent article can also include a fluid-entangled nonwoven material. The absorbent body can be disposed between the fluid-entangled nonwoven material and the outer cover. The fluid-entangled nonwoven can include a first surface and a second surface. The nonwoven material can also include a plurality of nodes extending away from abase plane on the first surface towards the absorbent body. The nonwoven material can further include a plurality of openings extending from the first surface to the second surface through the fluid-entangled nonwoven material. Individual openings of the plurality of openings can be disposed between adjacent nodes of the plurality of nodes.

A method for making a high topography nonwoven substrate includes generating a foam including water and synthetic binder fibers; depositing the foam on a planar surface; disposing a template form on the foam opposite the planar surface to create a foam/form assembly; heating the foam/form assembly to dry the foam and bind the synthetic binder fibers; and removing the template from the substrate after heating the foam/form assembly, wherein the substrate includes a planar base layer having an X-Y surface and a backside surface opposite the X-Y surface; and a plurality of projection elements integral with and protruding in a Z-direction from the X-Y surface, wherein the projection elements are distributed in both the X- and Y-directions, and wherein the density of a projection element is the same as the density of the base layer.

Process for making three-dimensional foam-laid nonwovens

An absorbent article comprising an absorbent member positioned between a topsheet and a backsheet is provided. The absorbent member contains at least one layer that comprises superabsorbent particles containing nanopores having an average cross-sectional dimension of from about 10 to about 500 nanometers.

Absorbent article containing nanoporous superabsorbent particles

A polyolefin material that is formed by solid state drawing of a thermoplastic composition containing a continuous phase that includes a polyolefin matrix polymer and nanoinclusion additive is provided. The nanoinclusion additive is dispersed within the continuous phase as discrete nano-scale phase domains. When drawn, the nano-scale phase domains are able to interact with the matrix in a unique manner to create a network of nanopores.

Polyolefin material having a low density

An absorbent article comprising an absorbent member positioned between a topsheet and a backsheet is provided. The absorbent member contains at least one layer that comprises porous superabsorbent particles, wherein the particles exhibit a relative humidity microclimate of about 67% or less after being exposed to an atmosphere having a temperature of about 23° C. and relative humidity of 80% for a time period of 20 minutes.

Absorbent article having a reduced humidity level

A feminine care absorbent article comprising an absorbent member positioned between a topsheet and a baffle is provided. The absorbent member contains at least one layer that comprises superabsorbent particles containing nanopores having an average cross-sectional dimension of from about 10 to about 500 nanometers.

Feminine care absorbent article containing nanoporous superabsorbent particles

A hollow fiber that generally extends in a longitudinal direction is provided. The hollow fiber comprises a hollow cavity that extends along at least a portion of the fiber in the longitudinal direction. The cavity is defined by an interior wall that is formed front a thermoplastic composition containing a continuous phase that includes a polyolefin matrix polymer and a nanoinclusion additive dispersed within the continuous phase in the form of discrete domains. A porous network is defined in the composition that includes a plurality of nanopores.

Hollow porous fibers

A method for forming a fiber is provided. The method comprises extruding a matrix polymer and a nanoinclusion additive to form a thermoplastic composition in which the nanoinclusion additive is dispersed within a continuous phase of the matrix polymer. The extruded thermoplastic composition is thereafter passed through a spinneret to form a fiber having a porous network containing a plurality of nanopores, wherein the average percent volume occupied by the nanopores within a given unit volume of the fiber is from about 3% to about 15% per cm.

Technique for forming porous fibers

Growing community of inventors

Appleton, WI, United States of America

Vasily Aramovich Topolkaraev