US3683919A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Flushable sanitary napkin
Assignee: Personal Products Co
•
Filing: 1970-01-15
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Granted: 1972-08-15
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Expires: 1990-01-15
Abstract
Abstract A flushable sanitary napkin having a conventional high wetstrength, non-woven cover but which can readily be torn longitudinally into two substantially equal portions to release the absorbent core from the encasing cover thereby permitting flushing away of the core and the cover separately in a conventional water closet.
Inventors
- 👤 Myron B Ells
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-30 23:46
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61F; A61F13/00; A61F13/15; A61F13/15203; A61F13/15211; A61F13/53; A61F2013/530131
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim
180 words
In a flushable sanitary napkin having, a. an absorbent core of biodegradable fibrous material; b. a non-woven biodegradable fibrous covering surrounding said core and extending beyond the ends thereof to form attachment tabs; and c. the longitudinal edges of said cover overlapped on the bottom of said core, the improvement which comprises: l. having the fibers in said cover oriented predominantly in the longitudinal direction relative to said napkin; and 2. providing a pair of relatively closely spaced parallel reinforcing strips on the bottom surface of said cover, extending along the longitudinal center line of said bottom surface from end to end thereof and having only one of said reinforcing strips serve to seal together the overlapped edges of said cover, whereby a tear, commencing between said reinforcing strips at the end portions of said cover, will be contained between said strips when propagated longitudinally across the bottom of said cover by the application of laterally opposed pulling forces exerted on or between said reinforcing strips and will divide said cover into two substantially equal portions to discharge said core.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
180 words
In a flushable sanitary napkin having, a. an absorbent core of biodegradable fibrous material; b. a non-woven biodegradable fibrous covering surrounding said core and extending beyond the ends thereof to form attachment tabs; and c. the longitudinal edges of said cover overlapped on the bottom of said core, the improvement which comprises: l. having the fibers in said cover oriented predominantly in the longitudinal direction relative to said napkin; and 2. providing a pair of relatively closely spaced parallel reinforcing strips on the bottom surface of said cover, extending along the longitudinal center line of said bottom surface from end to end thereof and having only one of said reinforcing strips serve to seal together the overlapped edges of said cover, whereby a tear, commencing between said reinforcing strips at the end portions of said cover, will be contained between said strips when propagated longitudinally across the bottom of said cover by the application of laterally opposed pulling forces exerted on or between said reinforcing strips and will divide said cover into two substantially equal portions to discharge said core.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
109 words
providing a pair of relatively closely spaced parallel reinforcing strips on the bottom surface of said cover, extending along the longitudinal center line of said bottom surface from end to end thereof and having only one of said reinforcing strips serve to seal together the overlapped edges of said cover, whereby a tear, commencing between said reinforcing strips at the end portions of said cover, will be contained between said strips when propagated longitudinally across the bottom of said cover by the application of laterally opposed pulling forces exerted on or between said reinforcing strips and will divide said cover into two substantially equal portions to discharge said core.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
109 words
providing a pair of relatively closely spaced parallel reinforcing strips on the bottom surface of said cover, extending along the longitudinal center line of said bottom surface from end to end thereof and having only one of said reinforcing strips serve to seal together the overlapped edges of said cover, whereby a tear, commencing between said reinforcing strips at the end portions of said cover, will be contained between said strips when propagated longitudinally across the bottom of said cover by the application of laterally opposed pulling forces exerted on or between said reinforcing strips and will divide said cover into two substantially equal portions to discharge said core.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
20 words
A flushable sanitary napkin according to claim 1 wherein said reinforcing strips are made from a hot melt thermoplastic adhesive.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
33 words
A flushable sanitary napkin according to claim 1 wherein said reinforcing strips are made of a material selected from the group consisting of thermosetting adhesives, paraffin waxes, glue, starch, sugars, shellac and rubber.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
32 words
A flushable sanitary napkin according to claim 1 wherein said reinforcing strips consist of threads, yarns or tows of cellulosic or non-cellulosic materials adhesively bonded to the bottom surface of said cover.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
24 words
A flushable sanitary napkin according to claim 1 wherein said reinforcing strips are spaced an equal distance from the center line of said napkin.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
54 words
A flushable sanitary napkin according to claim 1 wherein said reinforcing strips contrast in color to the color of said cover to indicate the side of the napkin to be worn away from the body and to provide visual indicia for initiating the tear in the cover at the tab end subsequent to use.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1975-08-15 | 1976-02-14 | 1976-08-15 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1979-08-15 | 1980-02-14 | 1980-08-15 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1983-08-15 | 1984-02-14 | 1984-08-15 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |