The invention relates to slit absorbent articles and the use of slits in absorbent materials to provide improved liquid intake rate, flexibility and softness compared to the unmodified material. The absorbent material, including superabsorbent materials, are particularly useful as absorbent cores in disposable absorbent articles such as diapers, incontinent products, sanitary napkins and the like.

The present invention generally relates to a diaper core, specifically a triple leak guard diaper core (1) for infant and adult, comprising: a center core (10) comprising liquid absorbing material (12) and a plurality of hollow sections (14) disposed on the core (10) longitudinally, allowing the core (10) to bend upward or forming a U-channel, and a center core top surface (CCTS) is provided facing a liquid discharge source (16); at least one layer of bottom core wrap (16) encapsulates the center core (10) with a bottom core gap (BCG) disposed on the center core top surface (CCTS); at least one layer of top core wrap (18) is disposed on the bottom core gap (BCG) and the bottom core wrap (16); and at least one layer of acquisition distribution layer (20) is disposed on the top core wrap (18).

An absorbent article includes an absorbent element obtained by wrapping an absorbent body in a wrapping sheet. The wrapping sheet includes an intermediate part located on one side of a front side and a back side of the absorbent body and both side parts folded back to the other side of the absorbent body from the intermediate part. The both side parts are overlapped with each other on the other side of the absorbent body. An overlapped part is bonded through a hot melt adhesive to form a connecting portion. A surface of the absorbent body on a side of the connecting portion is bonded to an internal surface of the wrapping sheet through hot melt adhesives, and the connecting portion of the wrapping sheet extends in a width direction to extend over both widthwise sides of a slit provided in the absorbent body.

An absorbent article in which an absorbent body is provided between a liquid permeable topsheet and a backsheet, includes a concave groove-like or a slit-like absorbent body concave portion provided at a liquid permeable topsheet side of the absorbent body along a longitudinal direction of the absorbent article at an area including a urine expelling site, both end portions of the absorbent body concave portion in the longitudinal direction respectively being zones of a gradually decreasing width, each having a tapered shape whose width is gradually decreased toward an end portion side, each of the zones of a gradually decreasing width being formed to have a length that is greater than or equal to 20% of the total length of the absorbent body concave portion.

Disposable absorbent articles suitable for providing leakage protection for users that experience relatively small to relatively large discharges of fluids wherein the article comprises a chassis which comprises a primary topsheet; a backsheet; an absorbent core having a front end portion, a central portion, and a rear end portion along its length, the core being disposed between the primary topsheet and the backsheet, and the article exhibits an article length of from about 371 mm to about 500 mm according to the Article Length Method; an Acquisition Time for a load of 60 ml of less than about 39 seconds according to a Speed of Acquisition with Balloon Applied Pressure Method; a dry pad thickness of between about 4.6 mm to about 12 mm according to a Pad Thickness Method; and an Energy of Recovery at a load of 30 ml of from about 4 mJ to about 11 mJ according to a Bunch Compression Method.

Disposable absorbent articles suitable for providing leakage protection for users that experience relatively small to relatively large discharges of fluids wherein the article comprises a chassis which comprises a primary topsheet; a backsheet; an absorbent core having a front end portion, a central portion, and a rear end portion along its length, the core being disposed between the primary topsheet and the backsheet, and the article exhibits an article length of from about 330 mm to about 370 mm according to the Article Length Method; an Acquisition Time for a load of 40 ml of less than about 22 seconds according to a Speed of Acquisition with Balloon Applied Pressure Method; a dry pad thickness of between about 4.6 mm to about 11 mm according to a Pad Thickness Method; and an Energy of Recovery at a load of 20 ml of from about 4.4 mJ to about 10 mJ according to a Bunch Compression Method.

Disposable absorbent articles suitable for providing leakage protection for users that experience relatively small to relatively large discharges of fluids wherein the article comprises a chassis which comprises a primary topsheet; a backsheet; an absorbent core having a front end portion, a central portion, and a rear end portion along its length, the core being disposed between the primary topsheet and the backsheet, and the article exhibits a length of about 250 mm to about 329 mm according to the Article Length Method; an Acquisition Time for a load of 20 ml of less than about 11 seconds according to a Speed of Acquisition with Balloon Applied Pressure Method; a dry pad thickness of between about 4.4 mm to about 9.5 mm according to a Pad Thickness Method; and an Energy of Recovery at a load of 10 ml of from about 6.2 mJ to about 10 mJ according to a Bunch Compression Method.

A nonwoven web suitable for use as a secondary topsheet in disposable absorbent articles is described herein. The nonwoven web is a spunlaced, carded, staple fiber, nonwoven having a basis weight of between about 40 grams per square meter (gsm) and about 100 gsm. The nonwoven web has a plurality of absorbent fibers, a plurality of stiffening fibers and a plurality of resilient fibers, wherein the absorbent fibers makeup from about 20 percent to about 50 percent by weight, wherein the stiffening fibers makeup about 20 percent to about 40 percent by weight, wherein the resilient fibers makeup from about 25 percent to about 55 percent by weight, and wherein the carded staple fiber nonwoven is heat stiffened.

Disposable absorbent articles suitable for providing leakage protection for users that experience relatively small to relatively large discharges of fluids wherein the article comprises a chassis which comprises a primary topsheet; a backsheet; an absorbent core having a front end portion, a central portion, and a rear end portion along its length, the core being disposed between the primary topsheet and the backsheet, and wherein the core comprises 1) a first laminate which includes a first superabsorbent layer disposed onto a first distribution layer and 2) a second laminate which includes a second distribution layer joined to a second superabsorbent layer; wherein the first distribution layer is joined to the second distribution layer in an offset manner along the length of the core such that a central portion of the core is formed from an overlapping joinder of the first and second laminates.

A biodegradable, disposable absorbent article, such as a diaper, having a non-woven inner layer of natural fibers and a non-woven outer layer of natural fibers and a treatment applied to at least one surface thereof. The treatment includes at least one compound selected from the group consisting of waxes, urethanes, silicones, fluorocarbons, and non-fluorochemical repellants. The absorbent article has a core of natural fibers or fibrous material, and optionally polyacrylate superabsorbent particles, positioned between the inner layer and the outer layer. The article may contain polylactic acid films between the layers.