Stabilized absorbent material and systems for personal care products having controlled placement of visco-elastic fluids

US6608236B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Andrew Scott Burnes · Lawrenceville, US
• Rebecca Lyn Dilnik · Neenah, US
• Connie Lynn Hetzler · Alpharetta, US
• Thomas Patrick Jorgenson · Neenah, US
• Tamara Lee Mace · Marietta, US
• David Michael Matela · Alpharetta, US
• Jayne B. Nelson · Menasha, US
• Lawrence Howell Sawyer · Neenah, US
• Alexander M. Schmidt-Foerst · Woodstock, US
• Heather Sorebo · Appleton, US
• James Allyn Spiers · Acworth, US
• Laura Walker · Appleton, US
• Rodney L. Abba · Oshkosh, US
• Charles J. Chappell · Joliet, US
• Valerie V. Finch · Neenah, US
• Ann Marie Giencke · Menasha, US
• Michael Brent Kottek · Neenah, US
• Allan James Krueger · Winneconne, US
• Andrew Michael Lake · Combined Locks, US
• MeeWha Lee · Appleton, US
• Sarah Elizabeth Long-Radloff · Appleton, US
• Janice G. Nielsen · Appleton, US
• Ann Margaret Vanevenhoven · Appleton, US

Key dates

• Filing date: May 5, 1998
• Grant date: Aug 19, 2003
• Expiry date: Feb 26, 2019

Classification

• Technology area (CPC A): Human Necessities
• CPC primary: A61F2013/53782
• WIPO field: Medical technology
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

There is provided a distribution material for personal care products which is a fabric which wicks artificial menses according to a horizontal wicking test a distance of about 1 inch in less than about 1.5 minutes. Materials meeting this performance criteria generally have a pore size distribution with a high percentage (usually more than 50 percent) of pore diameters between about 80 and 400 microns and a density below about 0.15 g/cc.There is also provided a personal care product system having a distribution/retention layer and a pad shaping layer wherein each layer has a stain length ratio of 0.5 or less and the distribution/retention layer has a saturation profile of 4 or less.