Three dimensional nonwoven materials and methods of manufacturing such materials are disclosed. In one embodiment, a nonwoven material may comprise a plurality of fibers, a first surface, and an apertured zone comprising: a plurality of nodes extending away from a base plane on the first surface, a plurality of connecting ligaments interconnecting the plurality of nodes, wherein a majority of the plurality of nodes include at least three connecting ligaments connecting to adjacent nodes, and a plurality of openings. The apertured zone may further comprise a lane of nodes which extends substantially in the longitudinal direction, and wherein the lane of nodes extending substantially in the longitudinal direction is formed of longitudinally adjacent nodes which are aligned such that lines drawn between centers of longitudinally adjacent nodes within the lane of nodes each form an angle with respect to the longitudinal direction of less than about 20 degrees.

Three dimensional nonwoven materials and methods of manufacturing such materials are disclosed. In one embodiment, a nonwoven material may comprise a plurality of fibers and may further comprise an opposing first surface and a second surface, an apertured zone comprising a plurality of nodes extending away from a base plane on the first surface, a plurality of connecting ligaments interconnecting the plurality of nodes, and a plurality of openings providing a percent open area for the apertured zone that is greater than about 15%, as determined by the Material Sample Analysis Test Method. The material may further comprise a first and second side zones with the nonwoven material having a material width and the first and second side zones having first and second side zone widths, and wherein each of the first and second side zone widths are between about 5% and about 25% of the nonwoven material width.

Three dimensional nonwoven materials and absorbent articles comprising such materials are disclosed. In one embodiment, an absorbent article may comprise an outer cover, a bodyside liner, an absorbent body, and a nonwoven material coupled to the bodyside liner. The nonwoven material may comprise an apertured zone providing a percent open area for the apertured zone that is greater than about 15%. The nonwoven material may be coupled to liner by a front waist bond forming a front waist bonding region which extends through the apertured zone and a rear waist bond forming a rear waist bonding region, wherein the rear waist bonding region has a length that is between about 2% and about 10% of the material length and the front waist bonding region has a length that is between about 20% and about 50% of the material length.

An absorbent article is disclosed, including a three-dimensional material formed of a liquid permeable topsheet and an acquisition material. The acquisition material is positioned beneath the topsheet, and both may be formed of nonwoven material. The three dimensional material may have two surfaces and a plurality of protrusions extending in a z-direction from one of the surfaces, each protrusion having side walls defining an opening in the other of the surfaces. One of the topsheet and the acquisition material may include fibers spun of polymer resin pigmented with a first color that differs from a second color of fibers of the other of the topsheet and the acquisition material, and the differing colors are visible when viewing a wearer-facing surface of the absorbent article.

A disposable diaper product useful for collecting a urine sample from an infant is disclosed. In one example the product may have a liquid control structure overlying a liquid impermeable backsheet, with a plan surface area defining a volume coextensive therewith, wherein a portion of the volume defined by at least 50 percent of the plan surface area contains no more than 50 percent by weight absorbent material. In another example the product may have a liquid control structure overlying a liquid impermeable backsheet, and have an average Liquid Release Ratio of at least 3 percent. A method for collecting a urine sample from an infant is also disclosed, in which a diaper is used for collection.

An absorbent article includes a first waist region, a second waist region, and a crotch region disposed between the first and second waist regions. The article also includes a chassis having a topsheet, a backsheet, and an absorbent core disposed between the topsheet and backsheet; and an ear joined to the chassis. The ear includes a laminate formed from a first nonwoven and second nonwoven and an elastomeric material sandwiched between said first and second nonwovens. The laminate further includes a plurality of ultrasonic bonds.

Disclosed is an absorbent article including a projecting-and-depressed sheet (10) as a constituent member, the absorbent article having a longitudinal direction and a width direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction. The projecting-and-depressed sheet (10) has a plurality of depressions (3) and projections (4) on a skin-facing surface to be brought into contact with the wearer's skin. In a given direction, a movable range of an apex (40a) of the projection (4) of the projecting-and-depressed sheet (10) is 30% or greater to the length (L2) of a bottom portion of the projection (4). On the skin-facing surface of the projecting-and-depressed sheet (10), the mean friction coefficient MIU in the longitudinal direction (X) is 0.3 or less, and a difference in friction coefficient between a forward path and a return path when moved back and forth along the longitudinal direction (X) is less than 0.1. The projecting-and-depressed sheet (10) has a work of compression of 2.0 mN.Math.cm/cm.sup.2 or greater and a compression recovery rate of 40% or greater.

An absorbent article includes a topsheet, backsheet and absorbent core disposed between a portion of the topsheet and the backsheet, and an elastomeric laminate. The elastomeric laminate includes a first nonwoven, a second nonwoven, and a preactivated film positioned between the first and second nonwoven; and a plurality of ultrasonic bonds. The absorbent core comprises absorbent material and at least one channel, wherein the at least one channel is substantially free of absorbent material.

An absorbent article includes a first waist region, a second waist region, and a crotch region disposed between the first and second waist regions. The article also includes a chassis having a topsheet, a backsheet, and an absorbent core disposed between the topsheet and backsheet; and an ear joined to the chassis. The ear includes a laminate formed from a first nonwoven and second nonwoven and an elastomeric material sandwiched between said first and second nonwovens. The laminate further includes a plurality of ultrasonic bonds; and the first nonwoven includes an exterior surface having an average TS750 value of 5 db V2 rms or less.

A process of making an absorbent article is disclosed. A liquid permeable topsheet web extending substantially continuously in a machine direction a backsheet web, and an intermediate layer are provided. The topsheet web has first and second surfaces. The backsheet web extends substantially continuously in the machine direction. The intermediate layer has a first and second surface. The topsheet and intermediate layer are aligned in a face to face relationship such that the second surface of the topsheet in in contact with the first surface of the intermediate layer and simultaneously mechanically deformed which combines the topsheet with the intermediate layer. The topsheet web and intermediate layer are nested together such that a majority of the three-dimensional protrusions formed in the topsheet web coincide with and fit together with a majority of the three-dimensional protrusions formed in the intermediate layer to provide a topsheet/intermediate layer laminate web having three-dimensional protrusions.