US5486166A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Fibrous nonwoven web surge layer for personal care absorbent articles and the like
Assignee: Kimberly Clark Worldwide Inc
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Filing: 1995-02-09
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Granted: 1996-01-23
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Expires: 2015-02-09
Abstract
Abstract Disclosed herein is a lofty fibrous nonwoven web which is particularly well-suited for use as a surge layer in personal care absorbent articles including, but not limited to, diapers, training pants, incontinence garments, sanitary napkins, bandages and the like. The fibrous nonwoven web is made from a plurality of fibers heat bonded to one another to form a lofty nonwoven web having a basis weight of at least 20 grams per square meter, a void volume of between about 80 and about 117 centimeters per gram of web while under a pressure of 689 dynes per square centimeter, a permeability of about 8,000 to about 15,000 darcy, a porosity of about 98.6 percent to about 99.4 percent and a surface area per void of about 10 to about 25 square centimeters per cubic centimeter. The fibrous nonwoven web will have a saturation capacity of between about 55 and about 80 grams of 0.9 percent saline solution per gram of web and a compression resilience in both the wet and dry state of at least about 60 percent.
Inventors
- 👤 David F. Bishop
- 👤 Clifford J. Ellis
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-28 21:50
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61F; A61F13/00; A61F13/15; A61F13/53; A61F13/534; A61F13/15203; A61F13/537; A61F2013/15284; A61F2013/15292; A61F2013/153; A61F2013/15317; A61F2013/15406; A61F2013/15463; A61F2013/15544; A61F2013/1556; A61F2013/530131; A61F2013/53016; A61F2013/530167; A61F2013/530226; A61F2013/53024; A61F2013/53795; A61F13/84; A61F2013/8488; A61F2013/8491; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/249921; Y10T428/249953; Y10T442/00; Y10T442/60; Y10T442/637; Y10T442/638; Y10T442/64; Y10T442/641; Y10T442/69; Y10T442/692
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim
91 words
A fibrous nonwoven web comprising: a plurality of thermoplastic fibers heat bonded to one another to form a lofty nonwoven web having a basis weight of at least 20 grams per square meter, a void volume of between about 80 and about 117 cubic centimeters per gram of web at 689 dynes per square centimeter pressure, a permeability of about 8,000 to about 15,000 darcy, a porosity of about 98.6% to about 99.4% and a surface area per void volume of about 10 to about 25 square centimeters per cubic centimeter.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
91 words
A fibrous nonwoven web comprising: a plurality of thermoplastic fibers heat bonded to one another to form a lofty nonwoven web having a basis weight of at least 20 grams per square meter, a void volume of between about 80 and about 117 cubic centimeters per gram of web at 689 dynes per square centimeter pressure, a permeability of about 8,000 to about 15,000 darcy, a porosity of about 98.6% to about 99.4% and a surface area per void volume of about 10 to about 25 square centimeters per cubic centimeter.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
22 words
The fibrous nonwoven web of claim 1 wherein said basis weight ranges from about 40 to about 68 grams per square meter.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
30 words
The fibrous nonwoven web of claim 1 wherein said web has a saturation capacity between about 55 and about 80 grams of 0.9 percent saline solution per gram of web.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
20 words
The fibrous nonwoven web of claim 3 wherein said web has a compression resilience of at least about 60 percent.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
26 words
The fibrous nonwoven web of claim 1 wherein said web includes at least 50% by weight bicomponent fibers, based upon the total weight of said web.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
25 words
The fibrous nonwoven web of claim 5 wherein at least a portion of said bicomponent fibers have a denier equal to or greater than 2.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
14 words
The fibrous nonwoven web of claim 5 wherein said web further includes polyester fibers.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
13 words
The fibrous nonwoven web of claim 5 wherein said bicomponent fibers are crimped.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
127 words
A personal care absorbent article comprising: a body side liner and a backing layer with an absorbent core disposed therebetween, said article further including a surge layer disposed between said body side liner and said absorbent core, said surge layer comprising a plurality of thermoplastic fibers heat bonded to one another to form a lofty nonwoven web having a basis weight of at least 20 grams per square meter, a void volume of between about 80 and about 117 cubic centimeters per gram of web at 689 dynes per square centimeter pressure, a permeability of about 8,000 to about 15,000 darcy, a porosity of about 98.6% to about 99.4% and a surface area per void volume of about 10 to about 25 square centimeters per cubic centimeter.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
127 words
A personal care absorbent article comprising: a body side liner and a backing layer with an absorbent core disposed therebetween, said article further including a surge layer disposed between said body side liner and said absorbent core, said surge layer comprising a plurality of thermoplastic fibers heat bonded to one another to form a lofty nonwoven web having a basis weight of at least 20 grams per square meter, a void volume of between about 80 and about 117 cubic centimeters per gram of web at 689 dynes per square centimeter pressure, a permeability of about 8,000 to about 15,000 darcy, a porosity of about 98.6% to about 99.4% and a surface area per void volume of about 10 to about 25 square centimeters per cubic centimeter.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
23 words
The personal care absorbent article of claim 9 wherein said basis weight ranges from about 40 to about 68 grams per square meter.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
31 words
The personal care absorbent article of claim 9 wherein said web has a saturation capacity between about 55 and about 80 grams of 0.9 percent saline solution per gram of web.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
21 words
The personal care absorbent article of claim 11 wherein said web has a compression resilience of at least about 60 percent.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
28 words
The personal care absorbent article of claim 9 wherein said web includes at least a 50% by weight bicomponent fibers, based upon the total weight of said web.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
26 words
The personal care absorbent article of claim 13 wherein at least a portion of said bicomponent fibers have a denier equal to or greater than 2.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
15 words
The personal care absorbent article of claim 13 wherein said web further includes polyester fibers.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
14 words
The personal care absorbent article of claim 13 wherein said bicomponent fibers are crimped.
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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) | 1999-01-22 | 1999-07-24 | 2000-01-23 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2003-01-22 | 2003-07-24 | 2004-01-23 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2007-01-22 | 2007-07-24 | 2008-01-23 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |