DISPOSABLE DIAPER

COUCHE JETABLE

English Abstract

A B S T R A C T
A diaper is provided in which, with respect to a fold line
extending from a front waistline portion to a back waistline portion equi-
distant from the diaper lateral margins, a first portion of the surface for
contact with the diaper wearer on one side of the fold line is secured to a
second portion of that surface on the other side of the fold line, those
first and second portions being symmetrically located with respect to the
fold line. The diaper provided is thus capable of accepting a surge of liquid
without leakage.

Claims

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. In a diaper having front and back waistline portions, a crotch
portion therebetween, and lateral margins extending between said waistline
portions, and comprising an absorbent body, a water impervious backing sheet,
and a top sheet liner for contact with the wearer, the improvement wherein,
with respect to a fold line extending between said waistline portions approx-
imately equidistant from said lateral margins, a portion of said liner on
one side of said fold line, and along a generally arcuate line extending
toward the diaper lateral margin, is adhesively secured to a similarly
disposed liner portion on the other side of said fold line thereby forming
a pocket in the rear portion of the diaper.
2. The diaper of claim 1 wherein said adhesive is disposed uninter-
ruptedly along said line on said surface.
3. The diaper of claim 1 wherein the tangent to said arcuate line
at any predetermined point thereof makes an angle with said fold line which
is at least as great as the angle made by the tangent at any other point
closer than said predetermined point to said fold line.
4. The diaper of claim 3 wherein said arcuate line intersects a
reference line drawn between the midpoints of said lateral margins.
5. The diaper of claim 4 wherein said arcuate line is substantially
a quadrant of a circle.
6. The diaper of claim 1 wherein said line on said surface extends
from a first location adjacent said fold line to a second location approxi-
mately equidistant from said fold line and a diaper lateral margin.

Description

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This invention relates to diapers, the inventive features being
particularly suitable for incorporation into disposable diapers.
It is ~ principal object of the present invention to provide a
diaper construction that fits well in the crotch region of the diaper, will
accept a surge of liquid without leakage, and prevents, to a degree, fecal
matter from moving about within the diaper.
The features of the present invention are incorporated in a
diaper having front and back waistline portions, a crotch portion therebetwe~
and lateral margins extending between the waistline portions, and comprising
an absorbent body, a water impervious backing sheet, and a top sheet liner
for contact with the diaper wearer. In such a diaper à fold line is provided
extending from the front waistline portion to the back waistline portion
equidistant from the lateral margins. According to the present invention,
with respect to that fold line a first portion of the liner on one side of
the fold line and along a generally arcuate line extending toward the diaper
lateral margin, is adhesively secured to a similarly disposed surface portion
on the other side of the fold line thereby forming a pocket in the rear
portion of the diaper.
The surface portions are preferably symmetrically located with ~;~
respect to the reference line. Each such surface portion is in the form of a
line extending from a location adjacent the fold line, toward a lateral mar-
gin. A tangent to the arcuate line at any predetermined point thereof makes
an angle with the fold line which is at least as great as the angle made by
the tangent of any other point of the arc closer to the fold line.
Other features, and advantages will appear from the following
description of a particular preferred embodiment thereof, taken together
with the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:
Figure 1 is a plan view of a disposable diaper constructed
according to the present invention showing its arrangement during a stage of ~ -
manufacture thereof; and
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FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the completed diaper.
Referring to the drawings, a disposable diaper 10 comprises an
absorbent body 12 and a water impervious backing sheet 14, such as plastic.
The sheet 14 overlaps the upper surface of the absorbent body 12 with flaps
16, 18 which define lateral margins 20, 22 of the diaper. The flaps 16,
18 are secured (as by heat sealing) to the absorbent body 12 and to the
underlying portion of the plastic sheet 14 in the front and back waistline
pQrtions 24, 26. Conventional tape unit~ 28 may be provided for securing
the diaper to the infa~t. A central fold line A e~tends from the front
waistline portion 24 through the central crotch region 30 to the back waist-
line portion 26 and equidistant from the lateral margins 20, 22. A reference
line B may be considered drawn perpendicular to fold line A and equidistant
from the front and back wai3tline portions 24, 26
According to the present invention, portions of the upper surface
of the absorbent body 12(which typically comprises a non-woven liner which
overlies the bulk of the absorbent material) on one side of the fold line A
are secured to portions of that surface on the opposite side of fold line A~
the two portions being symmetrically located with respect to the reference
line A. In the preferred form, these sur~ace portions comprise elongated
arcs which e~tend from a first location 32 adjacent the fold line A and on
the front waistline portion side of reference line B to a second location 34
which is bQth further from reference line A and from front waistline 24 than
is first location 32, In FIGURE 1, the surface portion on the right side of
the reference line A i9 indicated by the elongated arc 36 which e~tends bet-
,
ween locations 32 and 34 and intersects reference line B The location 34
~;- is preferably about equidistant from the fold line A and the lateral margin
22.
In the preferred form of the invention, the arc 36 may simply be the
locus of a line of glue applied to the upper surface of the absorbent body
12. The folding of the diaper about the line A while the glue retains tack,
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will result in the securing of the surface portion which the glue overlies
to the symmetrically disposed surface portion on the opposite side of the
fold line A. In one particularly preferred form, shown in FIGUR~ 1~ the
arc 36 is in the form of a quadrant of a circle with the tangent at the loc-
ation (i.e.~ location 32) being substantially tangent bo the reference line
A.
FIGVRE 2 illustrates the configuration of the completed diaper 10
after the diaper has been unfolded for application to the infant. The glue
line 36 now overlies the fold line A and the diaper is no longer confined to
a plane. This results in a gathering of the absorbent material in the crotch
portion of the diaper with an attendant increase in absorbent capacity for
a ~urge of fluid. Furthermore, this causes the diaper to assume a tapered
configuration in the crotch region to assure a better fit of the diaper on
the infant. Additionally, a pocket 38, which can limit the movement of fecal
matter within the diaper, is formed in the rear portion of the diaper.
While a particular preferred embodiment of the invention has been
illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described in detail, other em~
bodiments are within the scope of the invention and the following claims.
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