The Procter Gamble Company

The Proctor 'gamble Company

William Scott Andes

Mark T Lund

Donald Carroll Roe

Gary Dean LaVon

Gerald A Young

Gregory Wade Taylor

Timothy Paul Burda

The present invention provides a spray nozzle with both desirable aesthetic and functional attributes. The spray nozzle includes a central orifice and a plurality of blind recesses concentrically disposed around the central orifice, as well as an annular channel connecting all of the blind recesses. The recesses and the channel each individually provide desirable aesthetic properties, while in combination they each reduce the likelihood of product residue buildup in the other. The recesses interrupt the smooth walls of the channel to divert liquid product out of the channel before it can dry out.

Spray nozzle for anti-clog spray package

Nozzle

In accordance with the present invention, products are contained within a continuous cylindrical sleeve in a low- or no-tension condition. Products are captured within the sleeve during its formation. The sleeve forms a continuous path encircling the product(s) in at least one plane through the products and package, defining an axial direction normal to the plane and a circumferential direction around the product(s) within the plane. One or more axially-extending pleats are unitarily formed from the material comprising the cylindrical wall of the sleeve, such that the circumference of the cylindrical sleeve is reduced. By reducing the circumference of the cylinder the interior volume of the sleeve, and thus the finished package, is reduced, thus subjecting the products within the package to a compressive force. The compressive force is imparted by a uniform reduction in circumference resulting in a uniform inwardly-directed product compression. Where a single pleat is formed so as to uniformly reduce the circumference of the sleeve, the reduction in circumference is approximately equal to the finished width of the pleat. Multiple pleats multiply the reduction in circumference.

Continuous process for packaging compressible products

This application relates to the use of slitted regions in absorbent members formed of absorbent materials that remain relatively thin until wetted with such fluids. Suitable materials include presently preferred varieties of polymeric foam materials. Single and multi-layered absorbent members incorporating slitted regions are disclosed, as well as the use of pre-formed cup-shaped slits for enhanced initial fluid acquisition. Such slitted regions in combination with planar expansion properties enable the absorbent members to respond dynamically to various fluid loading conditions to create useful structural features. The slitted regions, in combination with absorbent materials having expansion potential in at least one direction within the plane of the absorbent member, cause the slitted regions to buckle and/or deform out of the plane of the absorbent member, thereby causing the slit surfaces to displace angularly and/or translationally with respect to one another. This more fully exposes the slit surfaces to the incoming fluid for improved acquisition capabilities. The use of pre-formed cup-shaped slits enables the absorbent member to more quickly capture and absorb aqueous body fluids, and is particularly useful for containment and dewatering of moist or runny fecal material and higher viscosity fluids and/or those having a higher concentration of particulate material therein such as blood, menses, or wound fluids.

Slitted absorbent members for aqueous body fluids formed of expandable

Growing community of inventors

Springfield, OH, United States of America

William Scott Andes