Heterogeneous surge material for absorbent articles

USRE39919E1 · kind E1 · reissue

Assignee

• Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Richard Norris Dodge, II · Appleton, US
• Clifford Jackson Ellis · Woodstock, US
• Connie Lynn Hetzler · Alpharetta, US
• Eric Scott Kepner · Fletcher, US
• Sylvia Bandy Little · Marietta, US
• Lawrence Howell Sawyer · Neenah, US
• Candace Dyan Krautkramer · Neenah, US

Key dates

• Filing date: May 18, 1999
• Grant date: Nov 13, 2007
• Expiry date: May 18, 2019

Classification

• Technology area (CPC —): General

Abstract

There is provided a surge material for personal care products comprising a layered structure of at least one relatively high permeability layer on a top side toward a wearer and at least one relatively low permeability layer where the structure has a capillary tension range between about 1 and 5 cm with a differential capillary tension of at least about 1 cm from top to bottom. The surge material should have a high permeability layer with a permeability of at least 1000 Darcys and a low permeability layer with a permeability of less than 1000 Darcys. The surge material should also have a said high permeability layer which has a permeability of at least 250 Darcys greater than the low permeability layer. Such a layered structure should have a first insult run-off value of at most 30 ml from a 100 ml insult delivered at 20 ml/second. Such a surge material is useful in personal care products like diapers, training pants, absorbent underpants, adult incontinence products, feminine hygiene products and the like.