A process for producing water-absorbing polymer particles by suspension polymerization and thermal surface postcrosslinking, wherein the base polymer obtained by suspension polymerization has a centrifuge retention capacity of at least 37 g/g and the thermal surface postcrosslinking is conducted at 100 to 190° C.

A disposable undergarment is disclosed. The undergarment includes a chassis and an absorbent core assembly. The chassis includes a front section, a crotch section and a rear section. The absorbent core is located in the crotch section, with portions of it extending into the front and rear sections. A large plurality of closely spaced elastic threads extends across the full width of the undergarment in the front and rear sections. A large plurality of closely spaced elastic threads extends across the full width of the undergarment in portions of the crotch section adjacent the front and rear sections. The elastic threads are broken in the areas of the core assembly. The core assembly includes a first section of a slow acting but high absorbency SAP in pockets thereof and an underlying second section of a fast acting by lower absorbency SAP in pockets thereof.

Disposable absorbent articles are disclosed herein having a first and second fold line. The disposable absorbent articles have a topsheet, a backsheet, and an absorbent system disposed therebetween. The absorbent system has a first absorbent core and a second absorbent core which may be configured in an offset manner. And, the absorbent system and/or the first and second fold lines may be configured with respect to the absorbent article to effect a caliper change in the folded article.

A feminine night pad is described having multiple layers of absorbent material selectively stacked in a manner to define a body portion and a central portion. Each portion is laid upon an upper surface of a trim member including an impermeable sheet. The body portion has a plurality of absorbing layers set in from the edge of the trim member. The central portion is built upon the body portion and includes one or more layers of additional absorbent material. The trim member is covered in absorbent material and extends around the entire periphery of the body portion. The trim member and corresponding portions are formed into a triangular shape to better conform to a woman's body.

The present invention aims to provide nonwoven fabric for sanitary materials having high water absorbability and high diffusing capacity for liquids such as water and chemicals as well as high bulkiness, flexibility, and anti-see-through property, and also provides sanitary material products produced therefrom including a water absorbing sheet for sanitary napkins. The nonwoven fabric for sanitary materials may comprise nonwoven fabric of polyester based fiber with a flattened multilobar cross section containing 6 or more convex portions along the cross-sectional circumference, the polyester based fiber with a flattened multilobar cross section having a flatness of 2.0 to 3.0, a degree of irregularity of 1.0 to 5.0, and a convex ratio of 0.6 to 0.9, and the polyester based fiber with a flattened multilobar cross section being joined by heat-weldable fiber.

An absorbent article which can be more readily adaptable to meet the needs of the individual wearer of the absorbent article. The absorbent article can have a topsheet layer, a backsheet layer, and an absorbent core between the topsheet layer and the backsheet layer. The backsheet layer can have a garment attachment mechanism located on a garment facing surface of the backsheet layer. The absorbent article can further have a protection layer situated over and engaged with the garment attachment mechanism. The protection layer can be capable of being at least partially dis-engaged from the garment attachment mechanism. The protection layer of the absorbent article can be utilized by the wearer to provide additional area of coverage as deemed suitable by the wearer of the absorbent article.

Apparatus (1) and method for producing absorbent structures with absorbent layers with channel(s) without absorbent material, using a first moving endless surface (20) with specific raised strip(s) (25) and a second moving endless surface (30) with specific mating strip(s) (31).

An absorbent article comprising a liquid permeable topsheet, a backsheet, an absorbent core comprising an absorbent material and a core wrap is provided. The core comprises at least one channel-forming area that is substantially free of absorbent material. The absorbent article comprises a masking layer between the bottom side of the core wrap and the backsheet. The masking layer and the bottom side of the core wrap are only partially bonded to each other at their interface, the interface thus comprising a bonded portion and an unbonded portion, wherein the channel-forming area at least partially corresponds to the unbonded portion of the interface, so that when the absorbent material swells, the masking layer can decouple from the three-dimensional channels.

A method for forming an absorbent pad including a first layer, a second layer and an absorbent material interposed between the first and the second layer and arranged according to a spreading pattern M1 having at least one channel which is free of absorbent material, includes a step of feeding a first web, intended to form the first layer of the pad; a step of feeding a second web, intended to form the second layer of the pad; a step of spreading the absorbent material on the first web according to the spreading pattern M1; a step of joining the first and second webs, a step of removing any absorbent material that may be present in the channel.

An absorbent article that can be a sanitary napkin. The absorbent article comprises a topsheet joined to a backsheet and has an absorbent core material disposed therebetween, the absorbent core material being a fibrous absorbent material exhibiting on one side thereof discrete raised portions. The raised portions define a continuous network of channels, the channels defining a void region adjacent the topsheet of the sanitary napkin.