Kimberly-clark Worldwide, Inc.

Violet May Grube

Lawrence Howell Sawyer

Sridhar Ranganathan

David Louis Zenker

Shannon Kathleen Melius

Palani Raj Ramaswami Wallajapet

Sylvia Bandy Little

Richard Norris Dodge, Ii

Yong Li

Debra Jean McDowall

Stanley Michael Gryskiewicz

Xiaomin Zhang

Billie Jean Matthews

Rob David Everett

Thomas Gerald Bolwerk

Dave Allen Soerens

David Arthur Fell

Cristian M Neculescu

Heather Anne Sorebo

William Grover Reeves

Kuo-Shu Edward Chang

Stephen Michael Campbell

Michael William Veith

Prasad Shrikrishna Potnis

Andrew Edsel Huntoon

Sandra Marie Rogers

Richard Mark Hansen

Randall James Palmer

Toan Thanh LeMinh

Courtney Eileen Shea

Jason Sybren Fairbanks

Thomas Michael Killian

Jonathan K Rice

Mark John Jung

Rhiannon L Thoresen

Richard D Schultz

Daniel William Hesse

Richard D Schulz

Mark J Jung

A bonded structure including one or more substrates bonded together with a tackified amorphous poly-alpha-olefin adhesive composition. One method of making such a bonded structure is carried out by applying a tackified amorphous poly-alpha-olefin adhesive composition to one or more substrates at a temperature of about 170 degrees Celsius or lower, and joining the substrates to themselves or to one another. The bonded structure has a dynamic peel strength between about 400 and about 1000 grams per 25 millimeters. The bonding efficiency of the bonded structure renders the bonded structure suitable for incorporation into a variety of articles, including personal care products, health/medical products, and household/industrial product, for example.

Tackified amorphous-poly-alpha-olefin-bonded structures

Absorbent article including an absorbent core having multiple absorbent layers. The absorbent layers interact in a manner which desirably locates absorbed liquid in an appointed, high saturation wicking layer.

Layered absorbent structure with a zoned basis weight

The present invention provides an absorbent article ( ) having a longitudinal direction ( ), and a lateral, cross direction ( ). The article includes a liquid permeable top sheet layer ( ), a substantially liquid impermeable backsheet layer ( ), and an absorbent structure ( ) having a primary retention portion ( ) sandwiched between the top sheet and backsheet layers. The retention portion ( ) includes a wet-formed mixture of fibers and superabsorbent material. The retention portion has a selected edge-wise compression value, such as an edge-wise compression value of not more than a maximum of about 9 g/gsm, and a modified circular bend value, such as a modified circular bend value of at least minimum of about 0.3 g/gsm. In particular aspects, the retention portion ( ) can include cellulosic fibers.

Absorbent article with improved, wet-formed absorbent

A distinctive absorbent article includes an absorbent core having multiple absorbent layers, wherein the absorbent layers interact in such a manner which preferentially locates absorbed liquid in an appointed, high saturation wicking layer. The localization of the liquid within this wicking layer increases the potential of this layer to move liquid through capillary action due to the higher saturation level and increased amount of liquid available. The intake capability of the absorbent system is maintained or improved over current systems by keeping a second layer of the absorbent system at low saturation levels through as many insults of the product as possible, while providing optimum intake performance through appropriate control of the composite properties. The low saturation in this layer provides void volume for the incoming insult as well, as a high permeability, thus increasing the intake rate of the absorbent system as a whole, but the structure of the low saturation layer is also balanced to provide an appropriately high level of capillary tension to provide enough control of the liquid to stop leakage from occurring. This low saturation layer is used in addition to a surge material and provides intake functionality in addition to that provided by the surge material. In particular aspects of the invention, the body side layer of the absorbent core does not extend over the entire surface of the overall absorbent core, therefore is not used as the high saturation, wicking layer, but as the intake layer. This arrangement also allows the intake layer to be in direct contact with the incoming liquid, therefore allowing for more immediate access and improved intake function. In additional aspects, at least one primary layer region can have a non-uniform, selectively zoned basis weight distribution. Particular configurations of the at least one primary layer region can be constructed with a target area of such primary layer region having a basis weight which is less than a basis weight of another non-target portion of the primary layer region. Moreover, at least one primary layer region can have a heterogeneous structure. In particular constructions, the at least one primary layer region can include a plurality of two or more sublayers.

Layered absorbent structure with a zoned basis weight and a heterogeneous layer region

A distinctive absorbent article includes an absorbent core having multiple absorbent layers, wherein the absorbent layers interact in such a manner which preferentially locates absorbed liquid in an appointed, high saturation wicking layer. The localization of the liquid within this wicking layer increases the potential of this layer to move liquid through capillary action due to the higher saturation level and increased amount of liquid available. The intake capability of the absorbent system is maintained or improved over current systems by keeping a second layer of the absorbent system at low saturation levels through as many insults of the product as possible, while providing optimum intake performance through appropriate control of the composite properties. The low saturation in this layer provides void volume for the incoming insult as well, as a high permeability, thus increasing the intake rate of the absorbent system as a whole, but the structure of the low saturation layer is also balanced to provide an appropriately high level of capillary tension to provide enough control of the liquid to stop leakage from occurring. This low saturation layer is used in addition to a surge material and provides intake functionality in addition to that provided by the surge material. In particular aspects of the invention, the body side layer of the absorbent core does not extend over the entire surface of the overall absorbent core, therefore is not used as the high saturation, wicking layer, but as the intake layer. This arrangement also allows the intake layer to be in direct contact with the incoming liquid, therefore allowing for more immediate access and improved intake function.

Layered absorbent structure

The present invention provides an absorbent article (,) having a longitudinal direction (,), and a lateral, cross direction (,). The article includes a liquid permeable top sheet layer (,), a substantially liquid impermeable backsheet layer (,), and an absorbent structure (,) having a primary retention portion (,) sandwiched between the top sheet and backsheet layers. The retention portion (,) includes a wet-formed mixture of fibers and superabsorbent material. The retention portion has a selected edge-wise compression value, such as an edge-wise compression value of not more than a maximum of about 9 g/gsm, and a modified circular bend value, such as a modified circular bend value of at least minimum of about 0.3 g/gsm. In particular aspects, the retention portion (,) can include cellulosic fibers.

Absorbent article with an improved, wet-formed absorbent

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Greenville, WI, United States of America

Violet May Grube