EP0202127A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Disposable absorbent articles
Assignee: Procter and Gamble Co
•
Filing: 1986-05-15
•
Granted: —
•
Expires: 2006-05-15
Abstract
Abstract Absorbent articles containing both pH control agents and substantially water-insoluble, highly neutralized hydrogel material as a fluid-absorbing polymer are disclosed. By placing pH control agents and hydrogel in distinct discrete zones within the article, absorbent products such as diapers can be realized which are highly effective for absorbing discharged body fluids and which also serve to prevent or reduce diaper rash.
Inventors
- 👤 Ronald Wayne Berg
- 👤 Robert Lee Stewart
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-01 20:04
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61L; A61L15/00; A61L15/16; A61L15/42; A61L15/46; A61F; A61F13/00; A61F13/15; A61F5/00; A61F5/44; A61F5/4401; A61F13/84; A61F13/8405; A61F13/51; A61F13/514; A61F13/51401; A61F2013/51409; A61F13/53; A61F2013/530481; A61F2013/53051; A61F2013/8476; A61L2300/00; A61L2300/20; A61L2300/21; A61L2300/40; A61L2300/404
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim
129 words
A disposable absorbent article useful for absorbing discharged body fluids while also reducing or preventing diaper rash, said absorbent article comprising (A) a liquid impervious backing sheet; (B) a relatively hydrophobic, liquid pervious topsheet; (C) a flexible absorbent core positioned between said backing sheet and said topsheet, said flexible absorbent core comprising hydrophilic fiber material and particles of a substantially water-insoluble, highly neutralized hydrogel material having at least 50% of its acidic functional groups neutralized with salt-forming cations; and (D) one or more pH control agents suitable for maintaining skin pH within the range of from 3.0 to 5.5 in the presence of urine and feces; said substantially water-insoluble, highly neutralized hydrogel particles and said pH control agents being non-uniformly distributed in distinct discrete zones within said absorbent article.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
129 words
A disposable absorbent article useful for absorbing discharged body fluids while also reducing or preventing diaper rash, said absorbent article comprising (A) a liquid impervious backing sheet; (B) a relatively hydrophobic, liquid pervious topsheet; (C) a flexible absorbent core positioned between said backing sheet and said topsheet, said flexible absorbent core comprising hydrophilic fiber material and particles of a substantially water-insoluble, highly neutralized hydrogel material having at least 50% of its acidic functional groups neutralized with salt-forming cations; and (D) one or more pH control agents suitable for maintaining skin pH within the range of from 3.0 to 5.5 in the presence of urine and feces; said substantially water-insoluble, highly neutralized hydrogel particles and said pH control agents being non-uniformly distributed in distinct discrete zones within said absorbent article.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
68 words
An article according to Claim 1 wherein (i) said substantially water-insoluble, highly neutralized hydrogel material is selected from acrylic acid grafted starch, polyacrylates, isobutylene maleic anhydride copolymers, and mixtures of these hydrogel materials; and (ii) said pH control agents are selected from non-toxic, non-irritating low molecular weight organic and inorganic acids; non-toxic, non-irritating high molecular weight polymeric acids and ion exchange resins and fibers in the hydrogen form.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
71 words
An article according to either one of claims 1 and 2 wherein (a) the weight ratio of fiber to highly neutralized hydrogel in the absorbent core ranges from 50:50 to 95:5; (b) the weight average particle size of the highly neutralized hydrogel material in said absorbent core ranges from 50 microns to 1mm; and (d) the pH control agent component comprises from 1% to 30% by weight of said absorbent article.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
57 words
An article according to any one of claims 1-3 wherein said pH control agent is selected from citric acid, adipic acid, azelaic acid, malic acid, tartaric acid, gluconic acid, glutaric acid, levulenic acid, glycolic acid, succinic acid, fumaric acid, pimelic acid, suberic acid, sebacic acid, and acid phosphate salts, carboxymethylcellulose, oxidized cellulose, sulfoethyl- cellulose and phosphorylated cellulose.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
30 words
An article according to any one of claims 1-3 wherein said pH control agent is selected from polyacrylic acid and its polyacrylate derivatives and poly(maleic acid) and its polymaleate derivatives.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
23 words
An article according to any one of claims 1-3 wherein said pH control agent is an ion-exchanging modified cellulose material in fiber form.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
26 words
An article according to any one of claims 1-6 wherein the pH control agent component comprises from 5% to 15% by weight of said absorbent article.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
25 words
A disposable absorbent article according to any one of claims 1-7 wherein the pH control agent (D) is incorporated in or on the topsheet (B).
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
36 words
A disposable absorbent article according to any one of claims 1-7 wherein said substantially water-insoluble, highly neutralized hydrogel particles and said pH control agents are non-uniformly distributed in distinct discrete zones within said flexible absorbent core.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
20 words
An.article according to claim 9 wherein the thickness of said 0 absorbent core ranges from 5 mm to 20 mm.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
91 words
A disposable absorbent article according to either one of claims 9 and 10 wherein said distinct discrete zones comprise at least one distinct hydrogel-containing layer and at least one distinct pH control agent-containing layer; wherein i) said hydrogel-containing layer consists essentially of a) hydrophilic fiber material; and b) particles of said substantially water-insoluble, highly neutralized hydrogel material distributed within at least a portion of said hydrophilic fiber material, ii) said pH control agent-containing layer consists essentially of a) hydrophilic fiber material; and b) one or more of said pH control agents.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
48 words
An article according to Claim 11 wherein said absorbent core comprises a third distinct layer consisting essentially of hydrophilic fiber material with substantially no hydrogel or pH control agent present, said third distinct layer being positioned between said highly neutralized hydrogel-containing layer and said pH control agent-containing layer.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
49 words
A disposable absorbent article according to either one of claims 9 and 10 wherein said zones are defined by partitioning the flat surface of said absorbent core into at least one area of relatively high hydrogel concentration and at least one area of relatively high pH control agent concentration.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
45 words
An article according to Claim 13 wherein the front two-thirds section of said article contains substantially all of the highly neutralized hydrogel material within said article and wherein the rear one-third of the article contains substantially all of the pH control agent within said article.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
Maintenance schedule is calculated for granted US utility patents.