Patent Grant
8796502
The present invention refers to a method of identifying an absorbent article such as a diaper or incontinence guard comprising a liquid pervious top sheet, a liquid impervious back sheet and an absorbent body enclosed there between, at which on the inside of the liquid impervious back sheet, i.e., on the side adjacent the absorbent body, there is arranged a wetness indicator in a certain pattern, which is visible through the back sheet material.
Wetness indicators especially on diapers and incontinence guards for adult incontinent persons, have been known for several years and facilitates for the nursing staff to determine whether the diaper or incontinence guard needs to be changed. It for example known through EP-A-0 211 524 to print a pattern of a water soluble dye on the inside of the back sheet material of a diaper by means of ink beam technique. The dyestuff can alternatively be of a type that changes color or tint when brought into contact with urine. The printed pattern can also consist of symbols or codes for quality- or other manufacturing control.
It is further known through EP-A-0 203 715 to treat an absorbent body of a diaper so that it gets a tight paper like structure on the backside, which then is used as a reception surface for a wetness indicating dye applied in a pattern that is visible through the backside material of the diaper.
It is also known to have capillary wetness indicators, i.e., a thin strip or thread having a high capillary effect arranged in connection to the absorption body and which is in contact with an indicator which dissolves, changes color or tint when brought in contact with a liquid. Such wetness indicators are known through for example U.S. Pat. No. 4,738,674 and GB-A-2 327 354.
The wetness indicator can be arranged at different locations, such as along the side of the absorption body or on the underside thereof. It can be therefore be difficult for the nurse to locate the wetness indicator on the article in order to read it to see whether the article needs to be changed or not.
WO 99/16401 discloses an diaper having a wetness indicator on the inside of the back sheet material. The back sheet material is a laminate of a fibrous nonwoven material and a polymer sheet. A plurality of translucent windows are arranged in said back sheet through which the wetness indicator is visible.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,231,370 discloses a diaper having a wetness indicator in the form of a coating applied in a pattern on the inside of a translucent back sheet material.
FR-A-2 711 317 discloses a wetness indicator comprising an inner portion which changes color when it is wetted by urine and an outer portion which is translucent plastic material.
EP-A-0 925 769 discloses a diaper having a back sheet with transparent zones through which a wetness of the absorbent core can be observed.
An object of the present invention is to make it easier for the nurse to identify the location of the wetness indicator on the article and by that facilitate the reading thereof. This has been solved by applying the wetness indicator on or adjacent at least one strip having a color or tint different from the rest of the back sheet material. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the color or tint of the strip is an indication of the type, size, absorption capacity or the like of the article.
According to one embodiment, the strip is separate from the back sheet material and is applied to the inside thereof.
According to another embodiment, the strip is a part of the back sheet material which is colored in another color or tint than the rest of the back sheet material.
According to an embodiment, the strip extends in the longitudinal direction of the article over the entire or at least over a substantial part thereof.
According to another embodiment, the strip extends in the transverse direction of the article and is applied opposite the part of the article that is intended to form a fold in the folded packaging position of the article.
The width of the strip should be between 1 and 8 cm, preferably between 2 and 7 cm and more preferably between 3 and 6 cm.
On the strip or adjacent thereto there can further be printed symbols, codes or the like indication the type of product, size, absorption capacity or the like.
The invention will in the following be closer described with reference to some embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.
In
The liquid pervious top sheet 2 can be a nonwoven material, for example a spunbond material of synthetic filaments, a meltblown material, a thermobonded material or a bonded carded fibrous web.
The liquid impervious back sheet material 3 can consist of a plastic film, a nonwoven material coated with a liquid impervious material or a hydrophobic nonwoven material which resists liquid penetration. The back sheet material can be a so called breathable material, which allows penetration of water vapour but prevents passage of liquid penetration. It may in this case be a porous plastic film, a nonwoven material or a laminate of a porous plastic film and a nonwoven material.
The top sheet 2 and the back sheet 3 have a somewhat larger extension in the plane than the absorbent body 4 and extend outside the edges thereof. The layers 2 and 3 are connected within their projecting portions, for example by gluing or welding with ultra sonic or heat.
The absorbent body 4 can be of any conventional kind. Examples of commonly occurring absorption materials are cellulosic fluff pulp, tissue layers, highly absorbent polymers (so called superabsorbents), absorbent foam materials, absorbent nonwoven materials and the like. It is common to combine cellulosic fluff pulp with superabsorbents in an absorbent body. It is also common to have absorbent bodies comprising layers of different materials with different properties with respect to liquid acquisition capacity, distribution capacity and storage capacity. This is well-known to the person skilled in the art and need therefor not be described in detail. The thin absorbent bodies that are common in for example baby diapers and incontinence guards often comprise a liquid storage layer 4b in the form of a compressed mixed or layered structure of cellulosic fluff pulp and superabsorbent and a liquid acquisition layer 4a arranged on top of the liquid storage layer, said liquid acquisition layer having an open porous structure with the ability to quickly acquire the discharged body fluid and temporarily store it before it is absorbed by the underlying storage layer 4b.
The diaper/incontinence guard is intended to enclose the lower part of the wearer's torso as a pair of absorbent pants. It is provided with a front portion 5 intended during use to be turned forwards on the user, and a rear portion 6 intended during use to be turned backwards on the user, and a narrower crotch portion 7 located between the front and rear portion, said crotch portion is intended to be applied in the crotch of the wearer between the legs. The rear portion 6 is provided with a pair of tape flaps 8 or other type of fastening means such as hook and loop type, and which are intended to be used for fasten together the diaper to the desired pantlike shape. Alternatively the fastening means can be arranged at the front portion. Around the leg portions there are arranged elastic threads 12 or the like, which provide a sealing effect around the thighs of the wearer.
In
It is pointed out that the incontinence guard and the diaper shown in the drawings and described above only represent a couple of examples of absorbent articles and are by no means limiting for the present invention. Thus the shape of the article as well as its overall design can be varied. The absorbent article can also be a pant diaper, a belt-provided diaper or the like.
On the inside of the back sheet material 3 there is applied a wetness indicator 9, which preferably consists of a dyestuff which dissolves or changes color or tint when brought into contact with liquid, and which is printed directly on the back sheet material or alternatively on a separate strip that is fastened to the inside of the back-sheet material.
The wetness indicator 9 is applied on or adjacent at least one strip 10 with a color or tint that is different the rest of the back sheet material. The strip 10 either consists of a part that is separate from the back sheet material 3 and is fastened to the inside thereof, or consists of a part of the back sheet material that is colored in another color or tint than the rest of the back sheet material. The strip 10 can consist of one single colored strip or of a striped pattern or other optional pattern. The strip 10 may either be a continuous strip or may consist of several discontinuous portions arranged so as to form a discontinuous line. The strip 10 may also comprise two or more strips arranged close to each other.
In the embodiments shown in
According to a further embodiment the wetness indicator 9 may be visible through apertures or windows arranged in the strip 10.
By the fact that the wetness indicator 9 is applied on or adjacent such a strip 10, which has an appearance different from the rest of the back sheet material 3, the identification of the location of the wetness indicator 9 is facilitated. Moreover the color, tint or other appearance of the strip 10, may be an indicator of the product type, size, absorption capacity or the like. On or adjacent the strip 10 there can be further arranged symbols 11, codes or the like, which indicate the product type, size, absorption capacity or the like. By this it is easier for the nurse to find the correct type of product in the case where the articles have been taken out of their packages and placed on a shelf or the like in a storage space in a nursing home or the like.
Besides the strip 10 may also serve as an indicator of the longitudinal center of the article so that it is easier to put on the article correctly. It may also act as a longitudinal center indicator during the manufacturing process.
The strip 10 can extend in the longitudinal direction of the article, preferably centrally along the product, as is shown in
The width of the strip 10 should be between 1 and 8 cm, preferably between 2 and 7 cm and more preferably between 3 and 6 cm.
The invention is of course not limited to the described and illustrated embodiments but a plurality of modifications are possible within the scope of the claims, and equivalents thereof.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0002206 | Jun 2000 | SE | national |
The present application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 09/879,151, which was filed on Jun. 13, 2001, and which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/211,188, filed on Jun. 13, 2000, and which claims priority of SE 0002206-1, filed in Sweden on Jun. 13, 2000, and the entire contents of U.S. Ser. No. 09/879,151, U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/211,188, and SE 0002206-1 are incorporated herein by reference.
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| 2256049 | Jun 1999 | CA |
| 0203715 | Dec 1986 | EP |
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| Entry |
|---|
| Opposition filed in a corresponding EP applicaiton. |
| Translation of Colombian Office Action issued in a corresponding application. |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20070276348 A1 | Nov 2007 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60211188 | Jun 2000 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 09879151 | Jun 2001 | US |
| Child | 11839589 | US |
