US4758466A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Foam-fiber composite and process
Assignee: Personal Products Co
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Filing: 1987-05-05
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Granted: 1988-07-19
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Expires: 2007-05-05
Abstract
Abstract A foam-fiber composite, useful as an absorbent for sanitary napkins is disclosed. It is a resilient, absorbent structure made from large particles of an amino-ether hydrophilic foam (and optionally a superabsorbent and wood pulp), which by use of a carding machine is uniformly distributed in, and heat bonded to a fibrous matrix, which matrix is preferably made from two different kinds of fibers, one of which is low melting at the bonding temperatures used in the oven, e.g., polyethylene and the other high melting, e.g., polyester.
Inventors
- 👤 Shmuel Dabi
- 👤 Kays B. Chinai
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-27 19:45
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61F; A61F13/00; A61F13/15; A61F13/53; A61L; A61L15/00; A61L15/16; A61L15/42; A61L15/425; A61L15/60; C; C08; C08J; C08J9/00; C08J9/33; D; D04; D04H; D04H1/00; D04H1/40; D04H1/54; A61F2013/530131; A61F2013/530182; A61F2013/530481; A61F2013/530489; A61F2013/530802; C08J2363/00; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T442/00; Y10T442/60; Y10T442/608; Y10T442/609; Y10T442/612; Y10T442/637; Y10T442/641; Y10T442/642; Y10T442/647
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 27
Claim 1
Independent Claim
24 words
A resilient absorbent foam-fiber composite comprising large particles of an amino-ether hydrophilic foam uniformly distributed in and heat bonded to a thermoplastic fibrous matrix.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
24 words
A resilient absorbent foam-fiber composite comprising large particles of an amino-ether hydrophilic foam uniformly distributed in and heat bonded to a thermoplastic fibrous matrix.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
31 words
The composite of claim 1 wherein the foam is present in an amount of 20-80% by weight of the composite and the thermoplastic fibrous matrix contains at least one binder fiber.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
17 words
The composite of claim 2 wherein the foam particles have a particle size of about 3-8 millimeters.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
21 words
The composite of claim 2 wherein the foam used is the reaction product of amine terminated poly(alkylene oxide) and epoxy resin.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
11 words
The composite of claim 2 wherein the foam contains a superabsorbent.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
42 words
The composite of claim 2 wherein the thermoplastic fibrous matrix is made from at least two different fibers, one of which is low melting and has at least partially melted, and the other of which is high melting and has not melted.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
39 words
The composite of claim 6 wherein the thermoplastic fibrous matrix is made from a bicomponent fiber made of two different fibers, where the core is made of a high melting material and the sheath of a lower melting material.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
21 words
The composite of claim 7 wherein the high melting material used is polyester and the lower melting material used is polyethylene.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
17 words
The composite of claim 6 wherein at least some of the fiber is a hollow core fiber.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
21 words
The composite of claim 2 wherein a hydrophilic fibrous material is optionally also present in an amount of 0-60% by weight.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
13 words
The composite of claim 10 wherein the hydrophilic fibrous material is wood pulp.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
19 words
The composite of claim 11 wherein the wood pulp is present in an amount of from 10-50% by weight.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
62 words
The process of preparing a resilient, absorbent foam-fiber composite comprising an animo-ether hydrophilic foam uniformly distributed in and heated bonded to a thermoplastic fibrous matrix which comprises blending small pieces of amino-ether hydrophilic foam and of thermoplastic fiber so as to form a uniform web, heating said web to thermally bond the thermoplastic fiber to the foam thereby to form the composite.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
62 words
The process of preparing a resilient, absorbent foam-fiber composite comprising an animo-ether hydrophilic foam uniformly distributed in and heated bonded to a thermoplastic fibrous matrix which comprises blending small pieces of amino-ether hydrophilic foam and of thermoplastic fiber so as to form a uniform web, heating said web to thermally bond the thermoplastic fiber to the foam thereby to form the composite.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
18 words
The process of claim 13 wherein the foam and fiber are combined and chopped sumultaneously into large particles.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
16 words
The process of claim 14 wherein the foam is pre-ground before being combined with the fiber.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
12 words
The process of claim 14 wherein the large particles are 3-8 millimeters.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
21 words
The process of claim 13 wherein the foam used is the reaction product of amine terminated poly(alkylene oxide) and epoxy resin.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
12 words
The process of claim 13 wherein the foam used contains a superabsorbent.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
47 words
The process of claim 13 wherein the thermoplastic fiber used is made from at least two different fibers, one of which is low melting and can at least partially melt, and the other of which is high melting and cannot melt during the thermal bonding heating step.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
39 words
The process of claim 19 wherein the thermoplastic fiber used is made from a bicomponent fiber made of two different fibers, where the core is made of a high melting material and the sheath of a lower melting material.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
21 words
The process of claim 20 wherein the high melting material used is polyester and the lower melting material used is polyethylene.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
17 words
The process of claim 19 wherein at least some of the fiber is a hollow core fiber.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
21 words
The process of claim 13 wherein a hydrophilic fibrous material is optionally also present in an amount of 0-60% by weight.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
13 words
The process of claim 23 wherein the hydrophilic fibrous material is wood pulp.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
19 words
The process of claim 24 wherein the wood pulp is present in an amount of from 10-50% by weight.
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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) | 1991-07-19 | 1992-01-18 | 1992-07-19 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1995-07-19 | 1996-01-18 | 1996-07-19 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1999-07-19 | 2000-01-18 | 2000-07-19 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |