Claims
- 1. An absorbent structure comprising a primary structure at least partially comprising fiber material and a plurality of particles of substantially water-insoluble, absorbent, hydrogel-forming, solution polymerized polymer material, said particles being located or dispersed in or on said primary structure, wherein at least about 85% of said particles, by weight, have a particle size between about 125 and about 297 microns.
- 2. The absorbent structure of claim 1 wherein at least about 90% of said particles, by weight, have a particle size between about 125 and about 297 microns.
- 3. The absorbent structure of claim 2 wherein at least about 95% of said particles, by weight, have a particle size between about 125 and about 297 microns.
- 4. The absorbent structure of claim 1 wherein said polymer material is mixed with said fiber material.
- 5. The absorbent structure of claim 4 wherein said fiber material is hydrophilic.
- 6. The absorbent structure of claim 4 wherein said fiber material comprises wood pulp fibers.
- 7. The absorbent structure of claim 1 wherein said particles are uniformly distributed throughout the absorbent structure.
- 8. The absorbent structure of claim 1 wherein said absorbent structure has a thickness, and said particles are distributed in a positive gradient through at least a portion of the thickness of the absorbent structure.
- 9. The absorbent structure of claim 1 wherein said primary structure comprises at least two of nonwoven material and said particles are disposed between said nonwoven webs.
- 10. The absorbent structure of claim 4 having an overall fiber/polymer material composition weight ratio of from about 95:5 to about 2:98.
- 11. The absorbent structure of claim 1 wherein said polymer material comprises slightly network crosslinked products of partially neutralized polyacrylic acid.
- 12. The absorbent structure of claim 1 wherein said polymer material is selected from the group consisting of hydrolyzed starch-acrylonitrile graft copolymers, partially neutralized starch-acrylonitrile graft copolymers, starch-acrylic acid graft copolymers, partially neutralized starch-acrylic acid graft copolymers, saponified vinyl acetate-acrylic ester copolymers, hydrolyzed acrylonitrile or acrylamide copolymers, slightly network crosslinked products of any of the foregoing copolymers, and partially neutralized polyacrylic acid.
- 13. The absorbent structure of claims 1, 11, or 12 wherein at least some of said polymer material particles are surface crosslinked.
- 14. An absorbent article comprising:
- a liquid pervious topsheet;
- a liquid impervious backsheet joined to said topsheet; and
- an absorbent core positioned between said topsheet and said backsheet, said absorbent core comprising a primary structure at least partially comprising fiber material and a plurality of particles of substantially water-insoluble, absorbent, hydrogel-forming, solution polymerized polymer material, said particles being located or dispersed in or on said primary structure, wherein at least about 85% of said particles, by weight, have a particle size between about 125 and about 297 microns.
- 15. The absorbent article of claim 14 wherein at least about 90% of said particles by weight in said absorbent core have a particle size between about 125 and about 297 microns.
- 16. The absorbent article of claim 15 wherein at least about 95% of said particles by weight in said absorbent core have a particle size between about 125 and about 297 microns.
- 17. The absorbent article of claim 16 wherein said polymer material is mixed with said fiber material.
- 18. The absorbent structure of claim 17 wherein said fiber material is hydrophilic.
- 19. The absorbent structure of claim 17 wherein said fiber material comprises wood pulp fibers.
- 20. The absorbent article of claim 15 wherein said particles are uniformly distributed throughout the absorbent core.
- 21. The absorbent article of claims 14 or 20 wherein said absorbent core has a density of from about 0.06 g/cm.sup.3 to about 0.3 g/cm.sup.3.
- 22. The absorbent article of claim 14 wherein said absorbent core has a thickness, and said particles are distributed in a positive gradient through at least a portion of the thickness of said absorbent core.
- 23. The absorbent article of claim 14 additionally comprising an acquisition zone having a perimeter and a lateral area, and a storage zone at least partially laterally surrounding the perimeter of said acquisition zone so as to be in liquid communication with at least a portion of the lateral area of said acquisition zone, said acquisition zone having a lower average density and a lower average basis weight per unit area than said storage zone.
- 24. The absorbent article of claim 23 wherein said absorbent core has a top surface, and said absorbent core has a thickness, and said acquisition zone extends from the top surface of the absorbent core through at least a fraction of the total thickness of the absorbent core, the top surface area of said acquisition zone comprising less than about 50% of the top surface area of the absorbent core.
- 25. The absorbent article of claim 14 additionally comprising an absorbent acquisition layer juxtaposed on the absorbent core.
- 26. The absorbent article of claim 25 wherein said absorbent core has a top surface area that is from about 0.25 to about 1.0 times that of said absorbent acquisition layer.
- 27. The absorbent article of claim 25 wherein said absorbent acquisition layer consists essentially of hydrophilic fiber material.
- 28. The absorbent article of claim 25 wherein said absorbent acquisition layer has a top surface area that is from about 0.25 to about 1.0 times that of the absorbent article.
- 29. The absorbent article of claim 25 wherein said absorbent acquisition layer comprises chemically stiffened cellulosic fibers.
- 30. The absorbent article of claim 14 additionally comprising a dusting layer consisting essentially of hydrophilic fiber material positioned subjacent the absorbent core.
- 31. The absorbent article of claim 30 wherein said dusting layer is relatively thinner in thickness than the absorbent core.
- 32. The absorbent article of claim 14 wherein said absorbent core has a body-facing side and a garment-facing side and further comprises an acquisition patch at least partially comprised of cross-linked cellulose fibers on said body-facing side of said absorbent core.
- 33. An absorbent article comprising:
- a liquid pervious topsheet;
- a liquid impervious backsheet joined to said topsheet; and
- an absorbent core positioned between said topsheet and said backsheet, said absorbent core comprising a primary structure at least partially comprising fiber material and a plurality of irregularly-shaped particles of substantially water-insoluble, absorbent, hydrogel-forming, solution polymerized polymer material, said particles being located or dispersed in or on said primary structure, wherein at least about 85% of said particles, by weight, have a particle size between about 125 and about 297 microns.
- 34. The absorbent article of claim 33 wherein at least about 90% of said particles by weight in said absorbent core have a particle size between about 125 and about 297 microns.
- 35. The absorbent article of claim 34 wherein at least about 95% of said particles by weight in said absorbent core have a particle size between about 125 and about 297 microns.
- 36. An absorbent article comprising:
- a liquid pervious topsheet;
- a liquid impervious backsheet joined to said topsheet; and
- an absorbent core positioned between said topsheet and said backsheet, said absorbent core comprising a primary structure at least partially comprising fiber material and a plurality of irregularly-shaped particles of substantially water-insoluble, absorbent, hydrogel-forming, solution polymerized polymer material, said particles being located or dispersed in or on said primary structure, wherein at least about 85% of said particles, by weight, have a particle size between about 149 and about 297 microns.
- 37. The absorbent article of claim 36 wherein at least about 90% of said particles by weight in said absorbent core have a particle size between about 149 and about 297 microns.
- 38. The absorbent article of claim 37 wherein at least about 95% of said particles by weight in said absorbent core have a particle size between about 149 and about 297 microns.
- 39. The absorbent article of claim 36 wherein said absorbent core has a body-facing side and a garment-facing side and further comprises an acquisition patch at least partially comprised of cross-linked cellulose fibers on said body-facing side of said absorbent core.
- 40. An absorbent structure comprising a primary structure at least partially comprising fiber material and a plurality of non-spherical particles of substantially water-insoluble, absorbent, hydrogel-forming, solution polymerized polymer material, said particles being located or dispersed in or on said primary structure, wherein at least about 85% of said particles, by weight, have a particle size between about 125 and about 297 microns.
Parent Case Info
This is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/684,712; filed Apr. 12, 1991 now abandoned; which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 503,501; filed Apr. 2, 1990; U.S. Pat. No. 5,149,334.
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Continuation in Parts (2)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
684712 |
Apr 1991 |
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Parent |
503501 |
Apr 1990 |
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