A disposable nursing pad has one embodiment with three layers which before use are flat, and in use become cup-shaped. The first layer is an outermost layer, the second layer is a middle layer, and the third layer is an innermost layer. The outermost layer and the innermost layer are disk-shaped. The middle layer has a central body portion and a plurality of arms extending outwardly in a generally spiral pattern. Regions of the first and third layers between the spiral arms can be folded to allow contouring of the liner to the body of a nursing mother.

A fluid distribution material for use in an absorbent article includes a formed film layer having a user-facing side and a garment-facing side opposite the user-facing side. The formed film layer includes a plurality of apertured protuberances arranged in a pattern having 10 to 40 protuberances per linear inch. Each of the protuberances includes a continuous sidewall extending from the user-facing side. The garment-facing side has a plurality of apertures aligned with the plurality of apertured protuberances and land areas in between the apertures. A nonwoven layer is laminated to the garment-facing side of the formed film layer. The nonwoven layer includes a plurality of continuous fibers extending across the land areas and the plurality of apertures of the formed film layer and attached to the land areas at bond sites. The fluid distribution material has a compressibility of less than 10% between pressures of 0.21 psi and 0.60 psi.

An absorbent article having a longitudinal centerline, a lateral centerline, a machine direction (MD) generally oriented parallel to the longitudinal centerline and a cross direction (CD) generally oriented parallel to the lateral centerline is described. The absorbent article includes a topsheet, a backsheet, and an absorbent core disposed therebetween. A plurality of composition elements is disposed on the topsheet, wherein each of the composition elements comprise an element width and an element spacing between adjacent elements, and wherein a ratio of element spacing to element width is between about 0.5 to about 8, as measured by the Composition Pattern Analysis.

A disposable absorbent article, having a front-back direction that is perpendicular to a width direction and a thickness direction that extends from a skin contact surface side to a non-skin contact surface side of a wearer, includes: an absorbent constituent; a liquid-permeable topsheet that is disposed on the skin contact surface side of the absorbent constituent; and a leakage-preventing sheet that is disposed on at least one of an outside, in the thickness direction, of the absorbent constituent, and an outside, in the width direction, of the absorbent constituent. The leakage-preventing sheet includes a water repelling layer including a nonwoven fabric. The nonwoven fabric of the water repelling layer includes fiber and has an average fiber diameter of 0.5 to 10 m. The water repelling layer includes a water repelling section where a group of particles adhere to a surface of the fiber.

An absorbent article is disclosed. The article includes a topsheet formed of a section of formed nonwoven web material having an ordered arrangement of zones, each zone comprising one or more attenuated regions adjacent to one or more built-up regions, wherein the attenuated regions have a first average basis weight and the built-up regions have a second average basis weight, wherein the first average basis weight is less than the second average basis weight, the difference in basis weights corresponding to disposition of the filaments according to the ordered arrangement. The attenuated region(s) may be included within a configuration of one or more channel portions on the topsheet. Alternatively or in combination, the attenuated region(s) may be included within a hinge portion extending along a wing portion of the topsheet.

A fluid distribution material for use in an absorbent article includes a formed film layer, with a basis weight of between about 10 gsm and about 25 gsm, a user-facing side, and a garment-facing side. The formed film layer includes a plurality of apertured protuberances, numbering 10 to 40 per linear inch. The garment-facing side has a plurality of apertures aligned with the plurality of apertured protuberances, with land areas therebetween. A nonwoven layer, with a basis weight of between about 10 gsm and about 15 gsm, is laminated to the garment-facing side of the formed film layer. The nonwoven layer includes a plurality of fibers adjacent the land areas. Fibers adjacent the land areas are gathered a higher density than fibers located adjacent the plurality of apertures. The fluid distribution material has a compressibility of less than 10% between pressures of 0.21 psi and 0.60 psi.

A fluid distribution material for use in an absorbent article includes a formed film layer, with a basis weight of between about 10 gsm and about 25 gsm, a user-facing side, and a garment-facing side. The formed film layer includes a plurality of apertured protuberances, numbering 10 to 40 per linear inch. The garment-facing side has a plurality of apertures aligned with the plurality of apertured protuberances, with land areas therebetween. A nonwoven layer, with a basis weight of between about 10 gsm and about 15 gsm, is laminated to the garment-facing side of the formed film layer. The nonwoven layer includes a plurality of fibers adjacent the land areas. Fibers adjacent the land areas are gathered a higher density than fibers located adjacent the plurality of apertures. The fluid distribution material has a compressibility of less than 10% between pressures of 0.21 psi and 0.60 psi.

Methods for manufacturing topsheets for absorbent articles are disclosed. The methods may include: providing a cycling forming belt that includes an air-permeable substrate and an ordered arrangement of airflow blocking structures thereon; directing air flow with entrained fibers and/or filaments to a working location through which the belt cycles; drawing the air flow through airflow permeable regions of the belt as they cycle through the working location, and thereby drawing the fibers/filaments to the belt such that they accumulate thereon to form a batt having an arrangement of built-up regions and attenuated regions corresponding with the arrangement of blocking structures, wherein the structures are arranged in individualized single-topsheet configurations that repeat along the machine direction, each configuration being adapted to form a section of web material for a topsheet and to impart a desired formation thereto including channel portions, hinge portions and/or pattern(s) of discrete low bulk portions.

This disclosure describes a multi-layer liquid absorption and distribution nonwoven fabric for hygiene products, which has a topside facing the user in hygiene products and an underside facing the absorbent core in hygiene products, the fiber blend of the nonwoven fabric forming the underside having a lower average fiber titer than the fiber blend of the nonwoven fabric forming the topside. The bond between the topside and the underside is purely thermal. The topside consists of a fiber blend of 50 to 100% by weight of melting fibers with 50 to 0% by weight of matrix fibers. The underside consists of a blend of 50 to 80% by weight of absorbent fibers with 50 to 20% by weight of melting fibers.

To provide a pad that folds in three in the front-back direction maintaining the shapes of a large number of convex portions protruding on a front-face sheet that prevents the deterioration of liquid diffusibility. The left front side portion and the left back side portion are folded inward with a first left side folding line which is extending in the front-back direction as the center for the folding and which is provided close to the left side with respect to the left side narrowing edge, and the right front side portion and the right back side portion are folded inward with a first right side holding line which is extending in the front-back direction and which is provided close to the right side with respect to the left side narrowing edge.