Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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WO 97/28773 PCTIIJS97Jnl659
BOr~Y ADHESIVE PAD HAVING POSITIONING MEANS
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the field of ~~ispos-~'e absGrLenl articles adapted to
15 be secured to a portion of a wearer's body and utilized for the abso~ ,uliol) and containment
of body fluids, such as, menstrual fluid, urine and other body aYI ~d~tes.
Disposable a~sorbent articles for the absol ~,lion and conla;"~ent of urine, menses
and other body exudates ate generally known in the art. Such dispos, ~le articles have
found particular utility in the fields of infant, child, feminine and adult i, ICG, ILil ,ence hygiene.
20 In the area of feminine care, such dispos~hle absorbent articles have been commer~;iali,ed
in two basic types; tampons and sanitary napkins. For the purposes described herein,
sanitary napkins include thin absorbent devices such as panty liners and an i"L~,labial
devices. Sanitary napkins may have an absorbency ranging from just a few grams to the
much larger maxi and overnight pads which are designed for absolL.;"g a much greater
25 quantity of body fluids. Typically, the construction of sanitary napkins is comprised of a
liquid-perrneable cover, a liquid-impermeable garment-facing baffle and an absorbent
positioned between the cover and the baffle. The sanitary napkin may also include an
adhesi~e or other means ~isposed on the ga,l"er,l-facing surface of the baffle to secure
the san;tary napkin in the crotch region of the wearer's underyd" "ent.
While such prior products have pe~ ro""ed well, remaining in place and providing the
user with ease of placement and removal, these products have suffered from certain
drawbacks. For example, the inner crotch surface of the under~d"~,ent to which the
products are adhered is constantly being distorted, twisted and stretched due to the
mowernents of the wearer. As a result, frequently, the garment adhesive detaches with the
35 undesiL 3~'e result of the sanitary napkin moving out of position. In an extreme case,
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WO 97128773 PCT/US97/01659
detachment of the adhesive may also result in the adhesive folding over on itself and then
becoming unavailable for ~eallach",ent.
Sanitary napkins may also include in their construction flaps which, in use, aregenerally folded around the crotch portion of the u"deryd"~enl and affixed to the outer
crotch por~ion. Although such flaps have been partially successful in protecting certain
regions of the wearer's underya~nent, such sanitary napl~i"s are still subject to the forces
which cause the sanitary napkin to be distorted, twisted or stretched.
A sanitary napkin ~;s~losed in the U.S. patent aFp'.C~tion having U.S. Serial
No. 081167~g7 filed on December 14, 1993, the entire disclosure of which is i"co,~or;~led
10 herein by reference, uses an adhesive afhxed to the bodyfacing surface to secure the
sanita~ napkin to the wearer's body. This provides a sanitary napkin having inlil~,dle
contact with the wearer without s~ Ihjecting the sanitary napkin to the twisting and bunching
forces ~,o""ally exerted on a sanitary napkin secured to the undergarment. However, the
proper place" ,el ll of such a sanitary napkin for maximum absorL~ent erric,ien.;y and COIllru~
15 may test even the most persri~--,;ous person. It has known in the disposable absorbent
arUcle art that placement of the sanitary napkin relative to the point of di~_ha,ye will greatly
effect the efficacy of the sanitary napkin in inl~rcepling and absG,L,ing body fluids
contacting the bodyfacing surface.
Accordingly, there is a need for a sanitary napkin that fits close to the body, but
20 which may be initially placed in a wearer's undergarrnent in a conventional manner so that
the sanitary napkin when wom can be properly positioned for inler~aplil,g and absorbing
bod~ fluids.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
2~ B~iefly, the present invention reiates to an absorbent article adapted to be secured
to the wea~er's body. The absorbent article includes a liquid-perrneable cover having a first
major surface that is adap~ed to be positioned adjacenl to the wearer's body, a liquid-
impemneable baffle having a second major surface that is r~isposed distally from the first
major surface and an absorbent with longitudinal sides positioned between the cover and
30 the baffle. A body adhesive is affixed to the first major surface for securing the sanitary
napkin in inl~lldll~ contact with the wearer durin~ use. The absorbent article includes an
allacl1,~,ent device for securing the absorbent article to the inner crotch portion of a
wearer's undergarrnent to facilildle proper positioning of the absorbent article prior to use.
In one embodiment, the alldch"~ent device includes a pressure sensitive adhesive35 secured to the second malor surface for adhering the absorbent article to the inner crotch
portion of the under$~alll,enl.
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tn another embodiment of the invention the all~cl ,n,ent device inciudes at least one
and pr~rerably a pair of panels extending transversely relative to the longitudinal sides of
the absol benl. The attachment panels are configured so that a free portion folds over the
1eg edges and prt:rerably, around the crotch portion of the wearers IJ"derg~"~enl prior to
use. The free portion is provided with a securement device for sec , t:r"enl when each of
the panels are posilioned around an edge of the crotch portion of the underya~"~enl~
It is a ~eneral object of the invention to provide an absorbent article having a body
adhesive for illlin,alely conla~ling a wearers body during use. More specificaliy, it is an
ob~ect of the invention to provide an abso, I,ent article having a body adhesive and an
10 attachment device for proper pldcel "ent of the absolL.enl article during use.
These and other objects of the invention will be more readily app~ nl when
considered and referenced to the f~ .;.,g descri,clion when taken in conjunction with the
acco,l~panying drawings.
1~ BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a top or bodyside view of an absolL,enl article deFi 3:1 as a sanitarynapkin showing the first major surFace.
Fi~. ~ is a bottom or ga""enl-side view of the sanitaly napkin illusl,dlin~ the second
major surFace having one embodiment of the aLld~;l ""ent device secured thereto.Fi3. 3 is a cross-seclional view of Fig. 1 taken along line 3-3.
Fig. 4 is a top view of an alle",dle embo- ..enl of the invention.
Fig. 5 is a bottom view of a sanitary napkin showing an altemate embodi."enl of the
alld. 1 ,r~,ent device.
Fi~. 6 is a cross-sectional view of Fig. 4 taken along line 6--6.
2~ Fi~. 7 is a top view of an alk:" ,~ /e embodiment of the invention.
hg. 8 is a bottom view of a sanitary napkin illustrating an altemate embodiment of
the dtldeh~ nl device.
Fig. 9 is a cross-se.;lional view of Fig. 8 taken along line 9 9.
Fi~. 10 is a top view of an alternative embodiment of the invention.
Fig. 11 is a cross-seclional view of Fig. 10 taken along line 10--10
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The p- ~senl invention relates generally to ~ispos~l~'e absorbent articles which are
secured to a wearers body by a pressure-sensitive body adhesive. For convenience of
3~ desc,i,~lion on~y the invention will be described as a cdld",enial device i.e. a sanitary
napkin but is not limited thereto. It is to be under~lood that the invention may be adapted
- 3 -
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WO 97128773 PCT/~S97/016S9
for use in other absorbent articles such as diapers, incontinent devices and the iike. For
ease of understanding, when referring to the figures, the same numeral designates a
similar part in the dirren:nl views and embodiments.
Re~,ling to Figs. 1-3, an embodiment of a sanitary napkin 10 is shown. The
5 constructio~ of the sanitary napkin 10 is generally conventional and will only be described
briefly. The sanitary napkin 10 is provided with a cover 12 having a first major surface 14
which is generally disposed toward and adapted to be posilioned adjacent to the wearer's
body and a baffle 16 positioned distally from the cover 12 and having a second major
surface 18 which is adapted to be posilioned adjacent to the undergarrnent of the wearer
The cover 12 and the baffle 16 which extends beyond the absorbent longitudinal sides 22
and 23 to enclose the absorbent 20. The sanitary napkin 10 includes a body adhesive 24
secured to the first major surface 14 for adhering the sanitary napkin 10 to the wearers
body during use. Overlying the body adhesive 24 can be a peel strip, not shown, to
prevent the body adhesive 24 from becoming co"la",i"dled and/or prematurely adhering to
15 an unintended surface. Suit~le ~rldL~l;als for use as a peel strip are well known in the art
and are cG"~I"e~cially a~failable. To aid in keeping the sanitary napkin 10 in the inner crotch
portion of the wearer's u"derya" "ent prior to use an aLIacl ,I "enl device 26 is affixed to the
second major surface 18.
As illustratedt the sanitary napkin 10 has a race track shape but it is not intended to
20 be limited thereto. It can also be hourglass, oval or any other configuration that will allow
the first major surface 14 to come into i, llil ,lale contact with the wearer. As used herein,
the term "san;la,y napkin" refers to an article which is worn by females hdjacenL to the
pudendal region and which is intended to absorb and contain various PYUd~t*s which are
d;sch&,yed from a body such as, blood""enses and urine. The sanitary napkin is intended
25 to be discarded when soiled and not laundered or reused. Interlabial devices which reside
pal lialiy within and partially external of the female wearer's vestibulQ are also within the
scope of this invention.
Looking at th~ materials in greater detail, the cover 12 is designed to contact the
body of the wearer and therefore should be liquid-permeable and easily penetrated by body
30 fluids, non-i,liLalil,~ to the wearer's skin and preferably does not absorb an appr~~ ?'~le
amount of fluid. The cover 12 can be constructed of a woven or nonwoven, natural or
synthe~c material. ~ t-'-'e materials include bonded carded webs of polyester,
polypropy~ene, po~yethylene, nylon, or other heat-bor,d~ ~le fibers. Other polyolefins, such
as copolymers of polypropylene and polyethylene, linear low-density polyethylene, finely-
35 perforated film webs and net mal~ial, also work well. Particularly pr~fe"ed are cc ,.~,oosilematerials ~f a polymer and a nonwoven fabric material. Still another cover "~dl~l ial is a
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WO 97n8773 PCT/US97J016!;9
spunbond web of polypropylene. The web can contain about 1% to about 6% titaniumdioxlde pigment to give it a clean, white appeardnce. A uniform spunbond material is
desirable because it has sufficient strength in the longitudinal direction, even after being
perforated, to resist being torn or pulled apart during use. The most pref~l I t d
polypropylene webs have a weight of bet\~veen about 18 and 40 grams per square meter.
An optimum weight is between about 30 and 40 grams per square meter.
To aid in the penel,~lion of the liquid through the web, the cover 12 can also be
treated with a surfactant to improve its hydrophilic cha~acler,~lics. The su, rac~ant can
include topically applied materials like polysiloxanes.
The baffle 16 acts as a barrier between the absorbed body fluids con'- led in the
absorbent 20 and the person wearing the sanitary napkin 10. Accordingly, the baffle 16 is
nonabsorbent and p~efer~bly liquid-impervious. The baffle 16 should be soft and compliant
since a portion of the baffle 16 may reside adjacent the thigh region of the wearer. As used
herein, the term "co",,i~lianL" refers to materials which will readily conro"n to the general
ex~emal shape and contours of the human analo""~. In a pr~r~ed embodiment, the
baffle 16 may perrnit the passage of air or vapor out of the sanitary napkin 1Q while
blocking the passage of liquids from the absorbent 20. A good baffle III~L~ l is a
microembossed, polymeric film, such as polyethylene or polypropylene. ~ n,ponent films
can also be used as well as woven and nonwoven fabrics which have been treated to
render them liquid-i",pe[meable. The baffle 16 may also be made from a polyethylene film
having a ~hickness in the range of from about 0.012 mm to about 1.0 mm.
lrhe absorbent 20 is positioned bet,~ccn the cover 12 and the baffle 16. Referring
to Fig. 3, the cover 12 and the baffle 16 can have a length and a width di",ension greater
than the lenglth and width of the absorbent 20, extending beyond the absorbent sides 22
andl 23 el1casi"g the absorbent 20 and defining longitudinal side edges 2~ and 29 of the
sanitary napkin 10. The cover 12 and the baffle 16 may be sealed together using any
suitable means that will not leave a hard, unco",ro, Idble residue that may be annoying to
the wearer. As used herein, the term "sealed" encor,~pAsses configurations whereby the
cover 1~2 ~s direc~ly joined to the baffle 16 and configurations whereby the cover 12 is
indirectly ~oined to the bafi-le 16 by affixing the cover 12 to an intermediate member, which
are in tum affixed to the baffle 16. Methods for allacl ,ing the cover 12 and baffle 16 are
well known to those skilied in the art and include the use of hot melt adhesives, pressure-
sensitive adhesivest double-sided tape, sonic bonding and heat sealing.
The materials used in the abso,bent20 are designed to absorb body exlld~tes,
includin~ menstrual fluids, blood and urine. Suitable ~aler,als include wood pulp fluff,
rayon, cotton and meltblown polymer, such as polyester, polypropylene or coform cell~ ~'ese
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WO 97128773 PCT/US97/01659
sponge, hydrophilic synthetic sponge, such as poiyurethane, and combinations thereof. A
pr~fel, ~d material is wood fluff, for it is low in cost, relatively easy to form and has good
a~sorbency. Goform is an air-formed co"~.nalion of ",ellLlo~lvn polymers, such as
polypropylene, and absorbent staple fibers, such as cellulose. The capacity of the
absorbenL 20 may be varied depending upon the intended usage of the final product.
The sanitary napkin 10 may also include other layers, such as a wicking layer, one
or more tissue layers and may contain superabsorbent in con~ alion with one or more
other absorbent materials described above, none of which are shown in the Figures. Such
layers and materials are commercially available from several sources and are well known to
10 those skilled in the construction of ~I;,pos~hle abso~L~enl articles, such as sanitary napkins,
diapers or i,lconLi"ent devices.
The body adhesive 24 is posilioned on the first major surface 14 to contact the
wearer and support the sanitary napkin 10 during use. The adhesive 24 can overlie from
about 5 percent to about 9~ percent of the first major surface 14. Pll:fel~lbly, the
1~ adhesive 24 overlies from about 5 percent to about 75 percent of the first major surface 14.
P-ereldbly, the adhesive 24 overlies from about 5 percent to about 75 percent of the first
major surface 14, more prere(ably, from about 5 percent to about 35 per~,ent and most
preferred, from about 5 percent to about 20 percent of the first major surface 14. S~ ~ -''e
adhesive materials are ~liccl~sed in the cG"""only assigned patent a~p'.~ n having U.S.
20 Serial Number 081331,072 filed on October 28,1994, the entire ~lisclQsllre of which is
incGIF~ordLed herein by reference and made a part hereof.
The sanitary napkin 10 includes an attachment device 26 for securing the sanitary
napkin 10 ~o the inner crotch region of a wearer's undergarment for proper place..,er,L of
the sanitary napkin 1Q a~ainst the wearers body. The attachment device 26 can include a
25 pressure-sensiUve ga",~enl adhesive 30 posiLioned on the second major surface 18 of the
sanitary napkin 10. The configuration of the adhesive 30 is not critical and may be selected
from stripes, bands, palcl-es or the like. The garment adhesive 30 may include a prolecLi~/e
strip 32 to prevent the adhesive 30 from drying out and to prevent it from adhering to
extraneous surfaces prior to use. The protectant strip can be constructed from a silicone
30 coated K~aft paper, film or the like.
Referring to Figs. 4-6 another embo-li-.,~nL of a sanitary napkin 100 is shown. The
sanitary napkin i00 is similar to that described above for Figs.1-3 except the ~llacl ~r ,ent
device 26 includes an ~ILa~;l""ent panel 102, and preferably, a pair of attachment
panels 102 and 104 secured to the sanitary napkin 100. The aLLacl""ellL panels 102 and
3~ 104 secure the sanitary napkin 100 to the inner crotch portion of the wearer's
under~arment for proper placement, supplanLing the use of a garment adhesive 30 (seen in
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WO 971~28773 PCT/lJS97/01659 ~.
Figs. 1-3~. Although not ,~rl=re--~d, the panels 102 and 104 can be used in cor,l :nalion
with the pressure-sensitive ~arment adhesive 30. The ~llachn,enl panels 102 and 104
extend transversely relative to the longitudinal sides 22 and 23 of the absorbent 20 and are
intended to be folded around the crotch portion of the wearers undergarment and can
- 5 protect the leg edges from soiling during use. The allacl1n,el1t panels 102 and 104 are
identical except for an anchoring device, described in greater detail below, on each panel
and thereforel only one will be described.
The dlLacl~ ent panel 102 consi~l ~ g~erdlly of sepalale sheet of Illdle~ial having a
fixed portion 106 and an unaffixed free portion 108. The fixed portion 106 is secured to
the second major surface 18 at a loc&liol1 that 9enerally coincides with or is inward from the
longitudinal side edge 28 of the sanitary napkin 100. The all~ch~ent panel 102 can be
secured to the second major surface 18 in any manner which results in a s~.rricienLl~r strong
~nd flexible juncture between the two materi~ls. Accordingly, the choice of r~al~ials may
dictate the choice of method for affixing the panel 102 to the second major surface 18.
Suitable methods uUlized can include adhesives, heat bonding, ~llI,dson r~ and the like.
The free portion 108 of the panel 102 extends from the fixed portion 106 and is
directed generally inward relative to the longitudinal side edge 28 of the sanitary
napkin 10C. The free portion 108 of at least one and prer~rdbly both ~llachmenl
panels tO2 and 104 are provided with a securement device 110 for secu, t:",enl when the
atlachl nent panels 102 and 104 are folded over the respective leg edge of the
undersarment crotch portion. Preferably, the alLa- l " nenl panels 102 and 104 are
configured to ~n~ the crotch portion of the wearers undery~llllenb during use. In this
prt:rer,ed configuration, the allachr"ent device 110 is posilioned on the free portion 108 so
that at ieast a portion of the alk~ l,l"ent panel 102 and 104 may be secured lo~eLl,er under
2~ the outer crotch portion of the underg~""e"l. The alla~ l ""ent device 11û can be a
pressure-sensitive adhesive cohesives or mechanical fasteners, such as, hook-and-loop
mate~ials snaps buttons and the like.
Re~,li.lg to Figs. 7-9 another embodiment of a sanitary napkin 200 is shown. Thesanitary napkin 200 is simiiar to that described above for Figs. 4-6. The aLlacl)r"ent
panels 102 and 104 are secured to the second major surface 18 at a localion that generally
coin~des with or is inward from the longitudinal side edge 28 and 29. For Figs. 4-9, when
referring to a point or loodlion of securement of the fixed portion 106 of the panels 102 and
104 being generally coincident to or inward from the longitudinal side edge 28 or 29 of the
sanitary napkin 100 and 200, it is meant the point of ~rri,~alion closest to the longitudinal
edge 2~ or 2g. The embodiment illustrated in Figs. 7-9 differs from the embodiments of
~igs. 1-6 in that the free portion 108 of the alldch,llent panels 102 and 104 e~lends
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ouhvard relative to the longitudinal edge 28 or 29. Similarly, the free portion 108 of at ieast
one and pre~erably both allachr,~ent panels 102 and 104 are provided with an attachment
deYice 110 for securement of each attachment panel 102 and 104 when they are folded
over the respective leg edge of the undergarment crotch portion. Prefe,~bly, theaLIach,t,ent panels 102 and 104 are configured to encircle the crotch portion of the weare~s
under~a, ~l~ents during use. In this prt:re, led configuration, the securement device 110 is
positioned on the free portion 108 so that at least a portion of the attachment panel 102
and 104 may be secured together under the outer crotch portion of the under~,a""enl. The
seculen,enL device 110 can be a pressure-sensitive adhesive, cohesives or mechanical
10 fasteners, such as, hook-and-loop ~"aterials, snaps, buttons and the like.
Reren i, lg to Figs. 10 and 11, another embodiment of the invention is illustrated.
The sanitary napkin 300 has a cover 302 with a first major surface 304, a baffle 306 with a
second major surface 308 and an absorbent 310 located between the cover 302 and the
baffle 306. The cover 302l baffle 306, first and second major surfaces 304 and 308 are
similar to that des~, iL ed above for Figs. 1 -9. The sanitary napkin 300 includes a body
adhesi~te 312 secured to the first maior surface 304 for adhering the sanitary napkin 300 to
the wearer's body during use similar to that described above for Figs.1-9. The cover 302
and baffle 306 extend beyond the longitudinal sides 314 and 315 of the absorbent 310 to
define laterally extending panels 316 and 318. In effect, the cover 302 forrns one surface
of the paneis 316 and 318 while the baffle 306 forrns the other surface. In general, the
panels 316 and 318 do not require a cover 302 to enable them to function prope,ly, but the
use o~ a cover 302 is prefel ~d. The panels 316 and 318 permit the sanitary napkin 300 to
be positioned in the crotch area of a wearer's undergarment for proper positioning of the
sanitary napkin 300 agains~ the wearer's body during use.
The panels 316 and 318 are integrally fonned by the extension of the cover and the
baffle beyond the longitudinal sides 314 and 315 of the absorbent. The panels 316 and
318 have 2 fixed portion 320 and 321 positioned adjacent to the longitudinal sides 314 and
315 and a free portion 322 and 323 extending from the fixed po~ Lions 320 and 321. In
forming the panels 316 and 318, the cover 3Q2 and baffle 306 can be secured together by
any means commonly used in the art for this purpose, such as adhesive, ~,II,ason.c
bonding, heat bonding, crimping, or the like.
The free portion 322 and 323 of panels 316 and 318 are sufficiently flexible to allow
each panel 316 and 318 to be positioned around a leg edge of the crotch portion of a
wea~er's undergarment without appr~ciably altering the natural path of the leg edge. The
precise shape of each panel 316 and 318, as well as the overall shape of the sanitary
napkin 30t~, iS not critical to the invention to the extent that it does not interfere with the
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body adhesive 312 in securing the sanitary napkin 3Q0 to the wearer. Accordinglydependin3 upon the intended usage of the sanitary napkin 300 the shape of the sanitary
napkin 300 and the panels 316 and 318 can be readily selected by those skilled in the art
without undue ex,ueli",entation. The panels 316 and 318 can be as~"""el,ically posilioned
- ~ along the longitudinal axis of the sanitary napkin but pr~re,dbly the panels 316 and 318
are symmetrically disposed so that the panels 316 and 318 are mirror images of each
other.
The all~l"uent panels 316 and 318 include a securement device 324 to assist in
maintainin~ at least one panel 316 and preferably both panels 316 and 318 in pos;lion after
10 the panels are wrapped around the crotch portion of the undergarment. The ~LId- l ,r"ent
device 324 can include an adhesive coadhesives and mechall c-' fasteners such ashook-and-loop Inale,ials snaps buttons and equivalents thereof. The dllacl,n,elll
device 324 is preferably posilioned on the panels 316 and 318 in a mannerthatwill permit
at least one of the panels 316 or 318 to be secured to least a portion of the opposi"g
1 ~ panel.
While the invention has been des.;.ibed with reference to preferred el.lbo~li.llenls
and illustrated with regard to a range of opliol~al features those skilled in the art will
appreciate that various substitutions or,l;ssions chan~es and mo~;liricalions may be made
withou~ departing from the spirit of the invention herein. AccGr~ iy it is intended that the
2t) foregoing desc.i~lion be deemed merely exel-,~lary of the preferred scope of the pr~sen~
invention and not be deemed a li, lit~lion thereof.
