Thin until wet structures for acquiring aqueous fluids

US6746976B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• The Procter & Gamble Company · US

Inventors

• Edward Joseph Urankar · Maineville, US
• Gerald Alfred Young · Lawrenceburg, US
• Mattias Schmidt · Idstein, DE
• James Albert Cleary · Indian Springs, US
• Matthias Konrad Hippe · Sulzbach, DE
• Giovanni Carlucci · Chieti, IT

Key dates

• Filing date: Sep 20, 2000
• Grant date: Jun 8, 2004
• Expiry date: Mar 25, 2021

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10T442/695
• WIPO field: Medical technology
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

Disclosed are thin until wet materials that are suitable for use as acquisition members for absorbent articles (e.g., diapers, catamenial products, and adult incontinence devices). Preferred materials according to the present invention are either: 1) fibrous assemblies that utilize wet strength means to stabilize the material or 2) compressed regenerated cellulosic sponges so that, when the material is saturated with an aqueous fluid, it has an expanded wet density of between about 0.04 grams/cm3 and about 0.4 grams/cm3 and an expanded capillary desorption height of less than about 25 cm and a temporary binding means that helps maintain the material at a compressed dry density between about 0.06 grams/cm3 and about 1.2 grams/cm3 until the material is exposed to an aqueous fluid. The ratio of the compressed dry density to the expanded wet density is also greater than about 1.5:1. A suitable process for making the materials and absorbent structures using the materials are also disclosed.