The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 14, 2003
Filed:
Feb. 19, 1999
Barbara Oakley Sauer, Fremont, WI (US);
Laura Jean Turner, Appleton, WI (US);
Robert Eugene Vogt, Neenah, WI (US);
Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc., Neenah, WI (US);
Abstract
An absorbent article having a flap and a spacer wherein the flap is positioned in the rear waist portion of the article and forms a pocket. The spacer is positioned proximate the pocket opening and biases the pocket into an open position. The flap may be a laterally extending liquid impermeable flap which is fixedly secured to the article along a seam. The seam, which may be substantially U-shaped, extends between first and second terminal ends. The flap has a free edge which extends between the first and second terminal ends of the seam. The seam and free edge of the flap define the boundaries of a pocket which is formed between the flap and a topsheet of the absorbent article. The pocket has an opening extending between the first and second terminal ends of the seam. The spacer affixed to the article whereby it is disposed between the flap and the topsheet proximate, and optionally extending through, the pocket opening to bias the free edge of the flap away from the topsheet.