INCONTINENCE PAD WITH VARYING THICKNESS PROFILE

Abstract

A urine incontinence pad has an absorbent core having a first core layer and a fluid control layer. The absorbent core has a varying thickness profile as seen in the longitudinal direction, with the intermediate portion having a first thickness under a load of 0.5 kPa and a first compressed thickness under a load of 2.5 kPa. The rear and front portions each have a second thickness under a load of 0.5 kPa and a second compressed thickness under a load of 2.5 kPa, wherein the second thickness is from 37% to 15% of the first thickness, the second compressed thickness is from 37% to 15% of the first compressed thickness and a ratio between the first and the second compressed thickness under a load of 2.5 kPa is equal or greater than a ratio between the first and the second thickness, under a load of 0.5 kPa.

Claims

1. A urine incontinence pad having first and second longitudinal side edges and front and rear end edges, and comprising a fluid permeable topsheet, a backsheet and an absorbent core being located between said topsheet and said backsheet, said absorbent core comprising a first core layer and a fluid control layer, said core in its longitudinal direction having a front portion, a rear portion and an intermediate portion located between said front portion and said rear portion, said front portion and said rear portion each having a length of about 30% of the total length of said absorbent core and said intermediate portion having a length of about 40% of the total length of said absorbent core, said first core layer extending over said front portion, said intermediate portion and said rear portion, said first core layer comprises 100 g/m.sup.2 superabsorbent material or more, said absorbent core having a varying thickness profile as seen in said longitudinal direction, with said intermediate portion having a first thickness (T1.sub.0.5) under a load of 0.5 kPa and a first compressed thickness (T1.sub.2.5) under a load of 2.5 kPa, said rear and front portions having a second thickness (T2.sub.0.5) under a load of 0.5 kPa and a second compressed thickness (T2.sub.2.5) under a load of 2.5 kPa, wherein said second thickness (T2.sub.0.5) is from 37% to 15% of said first thickness (T1.sub.0.5), that said second compressed thickness (T2.sub.2.5) is from 37% to 15% of said first compressed thickness (T1.sub.2.5), and that a ratio (T1.sub.2.5/T2.sub.2.5) between said first and said second compressed thickness is equal or greater than a ratio (T1.sub.0.5/T2.sub.0.5) between said first and said second thickness.

2. The urine incontinence pad according to claim 1, wherein said varying thickness profile as seen in said longitudinal direction (L) of said absorbent core has a third thickness (T3.sub.0.5), under a load of 0.5 kPa, and a third compressed thickness (T3.sub.2.5) under a load of 2.5 kPa, in said rear portion or in a transitional region comprising a part of said intermediate portion and a part of said rear portion, with said third thickness (T3.sub.0.5) being from 60% to 45% of said first thickness (T1.sub.0.5) and said third compressed thickness (T3.sub.2.5) being from 60% to 45% of said first compressed thickness (T1.sub.2.5).

3. The urine incontinence pad according to claim 1, wherein said second thickness (T2.sub.0.5) is 4 mm or less.

4. The urine incontinence pad according to claim 1, wherein a region having said second thickness (T2.sub.0.5, T2.sub.2.5) extends 30 mm or more in the longitudinal direction from said core rear edge and toward said core front edge.

5. The urine incontinence pad according to claim 1, wherein said absorbent core comprises from 200 gsm to 1000 gsm superabsorbent material in a part of said absorbent core having said first thickness (T1.sub.0.5, T1.sub.2.5) or said third thickness (T3.sub.0.5, T3.sub.2.5).

6. The urine incontinence pad according to claim 1, wherein said first layer comprises from 100 to 200 gsm superabsorbent material in a part of said absorbent core having said second thickness (T2.sub.0.5, T2.sub.2.5).

7. The urine incontinence pad according to claim 1, wherein said absorbent core has said first thickness (T1.sub.0.5, T1.sub.2.5) in from 5 to 15% of the total longitudinal length of said absorbent core in said front portion, in a portion extending from said intermediate portion and towards said front end edge.

8. The urine incontinence pad according to claim 1, wherein said first core layer has a waist portion located in said front portion or between said front portion and said intermediate portion, a width of said waist portion being 50-75% of a widest transverse width of said front portion of said first absorbent layer.

9. The urine incontinence pad according to claim 1, wherein said first absorbent layer has an opening extending there through from a body-facing side of said first absorbent layer to a garment facing side of said first absorbent layer, said opening extending in said front portion and said intermediate portion.

10. The urine incontinence pad according to claim 1, wherein a widest transverse width of said rear portion is from 80-120 mm.

11. The urine incontinence pad according to claim 1, wherein said fluid control layer being shorter than said first core layer and does not extend into the rear portion of said absorbent core.

12. The urine incontinence pad according to claim 1, wherein said first core layer is arranged between said fluid control layer and said fluid permeable topsheet.

13. The urine incontinence pad according to claim 1, wherein said absorbent core comprises a fluid storage layer arranged between said fluid control layer and said backsheet.

14. The urine incontinence pad according to claim 13, wherein said fluid storage layer is shorter than said first core layer in each of said front portion and said rear portion and longer than said fluid control layer in each of said front portion and said intermediate portion.

15. The urine incontinence pad according to claim 1, wherein an elastic member is arranged along each longitudinal side edge of said incontinence pad, at least laterally outside of a transition between said front portion and said intermediate portion of said absorbent core.

16. An individually wrapped urine incontinence pad, comprising a urine incontinence pad and a wrapping sheet, urine incontinence pad being a urine incontinence pad according to claim 1, said incontinence pad having a length extending in said longitudinal direction and a width extending in a transverse direction, said wrapping sheet having a length extending in said longitudinal direction and a width extending in said transverse direction, said wrapping sheet being arranged to cover said backsheet of said incontinence pad of from 75 to 95% of said length of said incontinence pad such that a first end portion, corresponding to a rear end portion of said incontinence pad, has a portion being free from said wrapping sheet, said incontinence pad being folded about a first transverse fold line with said first end portion overlying a central portion, with a second end portion being folded about a second transverse fold line and overlying said first end portion.

17. A stack of folded incontinence pads, comprising a plurality of urine incontinence pads according to claim 1, wherein each of said folded incontinence pads of said plurality of folded incontinence pads is folded about a first transverse fold line with a first end portion, overlying a central portion, with a second end portion being folded about a second transverse fold line and overlying said first end portion, wherein said absorbent core has said second thickness (T2.sub.0.5, T2.sub.2.5) or said third thickness (T3.sub.0.5, T3.sub.2.5) at said first or said second transverse fold line and said first thickness (T1.sub.0.5, T1.sub.2.5) at the other one of said first or said second transverse fold line, said stack of folded incontinence pads being stacked in a head-to-toe relationship.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0043] The present invention will be further explained hereinafter by means of non-limiting examples and with reference to the appended drawings wherein:

[0044] FIG. 1 shows a urine incontinence pad as disclosed herein;

[0045] FIG. 2 shows a top plan view of a urine incontinence pad as disclosed herein;

[0046] FIG. 3 shows a top plan view of a urine incontinence pad as disclosed herein;

[0047] FIG. 4a-c show elevation views of successive steps of folding of a urine incontinence pad as disclosed herein;

[0048] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a stack of folded incontinence pads, comprising a plurality of urine incontinence pads as disclosed herein;

[0049] FIG. 6 is a top plan view of a urine incontinence pad and a wrapping sheet.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0050] The invention will be described more closely below by reference to an exemplary embodiment. The invention may however be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth in the drawings and the description thereto.

[0051] FIG. 1 schematically shows an incontinence pad 1 seen from the side that is intended to be facing towards a wearer's body when the pad 1 is being worn. The pad 1 has two longitudinal side edges 2, 3 having equal length and extending generally in the same direction. Front and rear end edges 4, 5 extend transversely at the ends of the pad 1. The rear end edge 5 is intended to be oriented rearwards, towards the buttocks of the wearer during use of the pad 1, and the front-end edge 4 is intended to be facing forwards towards the abdomen of the wearer. The pad 1 comprises a fluid permeable topsheet 8, a fluid impermeable backsheet 9 and an absorbent core 10 having a core front edge 10a, a core rear edge 10b, a core first longitudinal side edge 10c and a core second longitudinal side edge 10d. The absorbent core 10 comprises three core layers 11, 12 and 18. A first core layer 11 is located between the topsheet 8 and an underlying core layer in the form of a fluid flow control structure 12. The fluid flow control structure 12 is located between the first core layer 11 and an underlying core layer in the form of a fluid storage structure 18 located between the fluid flow control structure 12 and the backsheet 9. The absorbent core 10 is in its longitudinal direction divided into a front portion 13, an intermediate portion 14 and a rear portion 15. The front portion 13 and the rear portion 15 of the absorbent core 10 each have a length of about 30% of the total length of the absorbent core 10. The intermediate portion 14 has a length of about 40% of the total length of the absorbent core 10. The absorbent core 10 has a first thickness T1 in the intermediate portion 14 and a second thickness T2 in the front and rear portion 13,15 of the absorbent core 10. The second thickness T2, as measured under a load of 0.5 kPa is from 37 to 15% of the first thickness T1, as measured under a load of 0.5 kPa. When measuring the first and second thicknesses T1,T2 under compressed conditions and under a load of 2.5 kPa, the second thickness is still from 37 to 15% of the first thickness T1 and the ratio of the first to the second compressed thicknesses is equal or greater than a ratio between the first to the second thicknesses, as measured under a load of 0.5 kPa. This meaning that the intermediate portion, despite its higher thickness maintains its structure comparably well when exposed to higher pressures.

[0052] The absorbent core in this figure furthermore has a third thickness T3 in a transitional region comprising a part of the intermediate portion 14 and a part of the rear portion, the third thickness T3 measured under a load of 0.5 kPa being from 60% to 40% of the first thickness T1, measured under the same load and conditions. The third thickness T3 measured under a load of 2.5 kPa is from 60% to 40% of the first thickness T1, measured under the same load and conditions

[0053] The first core layer 11 extends over the front 13, the intermediate 14 and the rear portion 15 of the absorbent core 10. The flow control structure 12 partly extends over the front portion 13 and extends over the intermediate portion 14 of the absorbent core 10. A rear end edge of the flow control structure 12 is located at the transition between the intermediate portion 14 and the rear portion 15. The fluid storage layer 18 extends over the intermediate portion 14 and partly over the rear portion 15 and the front portion 13. The first core layer 11 and the fluid storage layer 18 may, for example, comprise a mixture of superabsorbent particles and pulp fibers. The fluid flow control structure may for example be a three layer structure consisting of a non-perforated fibrous polymeric layer, a first perforated polymeric layer and a second perforated polymeric layer. The non-perforated fibrous polymeric layer may be sandwiched between the first perforated polymeric layer and the second perforated polymeric layer. The first and second perforated polymeric layer may also be a three-dimensionally formed layer having apertures extending from a first surface of the web towards a second surface of the web and forming protrusions on the second surface.

[0054] The topsheet 8 and the backsheet 9 extend together laterally outside the absorbent core 10 along the whole periphery of the absorbent core 10 and are connected to each other in an edge join along the periphery of the pad 1. The edge join may be formed in any suitable manner as known in the art such as by adhesive, ultrasonic bonding, thermo-bonding etc. The topsheet 8 and the backsheet 9 may consist of any material suitable for the purpose as disclosed herein, such as nonwoven or film material.

[0055] Elastic members 17, 17′, such as bands or strings of elastic material, e.g. foam elastics, are arranged between the topsheet 8 and the backsheet 9 and along the longitudinal side edges 2, 3 of the pad 1. The article has an interspace which is free from absorbent material and which is located laterally between the elastic member 17, 17′ and the absorbent core 10 in the transition between the front portion 13 and the intermediate portion 14 of the core 10. Each elastic member 17, 17′ extend to a lateral edge of the widest part of the front portion 13 of the absorbent core 10.

[0056] An example of an article of the present disclosure is the incontinence pad of FIG. 1 having a core according to the invention, a topsheet of 18 gsm spunbonded thermoplastic nonwoven material, and a backsheet of 25 gsm laminate of a plastic film and a thermoplastic nonwoven material. The components of the article are connected to each other by means of adhesive and welding.

[0057] FIGS. 2 and 3 are plan view of incontinence pads according to the present disclosure, and are both seen from the side that is intended to be facing towards a wearer's body when the pad 1 is being worn. The pad 1 has two longitudinal side edges 2,3 having equal length and extending generally in the same direction. Front and rear end edges 4,5 extend transversely at the ends of the pad 1. The rear end edge 5 is intended to be oriented rearwards during use of the pad 1, and the front-end edge 4 is intended to be facing forwards towards the abdomen of the wearer. The pad 1 comprises a fluid permeable topsheet 8, a fluid impermeable backsheet 9 and an absorbent core 10 comprising three core layers 11, 12 and 18. A first core layer 11 is located between the topsheet 8 and a fluid flow control structure 12. The fluid flow control structure 12 is located between the first core layer 11 and a fluid storage structure 18. The absorbent core 10 is in its longitudinal direction divided into a front portion 13, an intermediate portion 14 and a rear portion 15. The first core layer 11 extends over the front 13, the intermediate 14 and the rear portion 15 of the absorbent core 10. The flow control structure 12 extends over a part of the front portion 13 and over the intermediate portion 14 of the absorbent core 10. The absorbent core 10 has a narrow transversal width 16 between the front portion 13 and the intermediate portion 14 of the absorbent core 10.

[0058] Elastic members 17, 17′ are arranged between the topsheet 8 and the backsheet 9 and along the longitudinal side edges 2, 3 of the pad 1. The article has an interspace free from absorbent material located laterally between the elastic members 17, 17′.

[0059] As illustrated in FIG. 2 by the arrow in the rear portion 15 marked T2, the region having the second thickness T2 extends at least 30 mm or more from the core rear edge 10b and toward the core front edge 10a, such as to about in from 5 to 40% of the total longitudinal length of the absorbent core 10. The region in the front portion 13 having the second thickness T2 extends from the core front edge 10a and towards the core rear edge 10b and is illustrated by the arrow in the front portion 13 marked T2. This region extends from about 20 mm or more from the core front edge and toward the core rear edge 10b, such as to about in from 5 to 15% of the total longitudinal length of the absorbent core 10.

[0060] The region within the arrow marked with T1 corresponds to the region of the absorbent core 10 having a thickness T1. The absorbent core has the first thickness T1 in the intermediate region 14 and in from 5 to 15% of the total longitudinal length of the absorbent core 10 in the front portion 13, in a portion extending from the intermediate portion 14 and towards the core front edge 10a.

[0061] FIGS. 4a to 4c illustrate the successive folding steps of the incontinence pad 1 according to FIG. 1. In FIG. 4a a first end portion 19 of the pad 1 is folded in a first folding step about the first transversal fold line 22 coinciding with a part of the absorbent core 10 having the second thickness T2 or the third thickness T3 until the first end portion 19 is in contact with the central area 21 of the article 1, i.e. folding until topsheet 8 of the first end portion 19 is in contact with the topsheet 8 of the central area 21. In this example, the first end portion 19 and the second end portion 20 correspond to about 30% of the total length of the incontinence pad 1 and the central portion 21 corresponds to about 40% of the total length of the incontinence pad 1.

[0062] FIG. 4b illustrates the second folding step, wherein a second end portion 20 of the incontinence pad 1 is folded about the second transversal fold line 23 coinciding with a part of the absorbent core 10 having the first thickness T1 until it is in contact with the portion 19 of the incontinence pad 1 already folded, i.e. the topsheet 8 of second end portion 20 facing the backsheet 9 of the first end portion 19. FIG. 4c shows the final folded incontinence pad 1. By folding the second end portion 20 onto the first end portion 19 the second transverse folding line 23 becomes softer and less distinct and the front part of the incontinence pad 1 adopts more easily a cup-shape after unfolding and during use of the incontinence pad 1.

[0063] FIG. 5 illustrates a stack 100 of incontinence pads 1 according to the present disclosure. The incontinence pads 1 are stacked in a head-to-toe relationship in a head-to-toe stack 100. Due to the fact that the incontinence pad 1 has different thicknesses at the first and second transverse fold lines a head-head relationship in a stack of several such incontinence pads would lead to uneven heights at each transverse fold line and consequently unstable stacks of folded incontinence pads 100.

[0064] FIG. 6 illustrates a plan top view of an unfolded incontinence pad 1 with an attached wrapping sheet 30. The urine incontinence pad 1 is a urine incontinence pad according the previous figures. The incontinence pad 1 has a length l.sub.p extending in the longitudinal direction L and a width w.sub.p extending in a transverse direction T. The wrapping sheet 30 has a length l.sub.ws extending in the longitudinal direction L and a width w.sub.ws extending in the transverse direction T, with the width w.sub.ws of the wrapping sheet being greater than the width w.sub.p of the incontinence pad 1. As may be seen in FIG. 6, the wrapping sheet 30 is arranged to cover the backsheet 9 of the incontinence pad 1 of from 75 to 95% of the length l.sub.p of the incontinence pad such that a first end portion 19, corresponding to a rear end portion of the incontinence pad 1 in this figure, has a portion 24 being free from the wrapping sheet 30. The wrapping sheet 30 thus covers the second end portion 20 and the central portion 21 completely, but does not cover the first end portion 19 completely leaving a portion 24 in the rear end of the incontinence pad 1 free from the wrapping sheet 30. The length l.sub.ws of the wrapping sheet 30 may thus be equal to or slightly shorter than then the length l.sub.p of the incontinence pad 1.

[0065] The incontinence pad 1 is intended to be folded about a first transverse fold line 22 with the first end portion 19 overlying the central portion 21, with a second end portion 20 being folded about a second transverse fold line 23 and overlying the first end portion 19. The wrapping sheet 30 is provided with adhesive 25 in a top edge region for sealing against the wrapping sheet 30 covering the first end portion 19 of the incontinence pad 1 once the incontinence pad 1 and the wrapping sheet 30 has been folded.

[0066] The incontinence pad will thus be folded with an incontinence pad rear end portion first and with the front end portion overlaying the rear end portion such that the topsheet in the front end portion is in contact with the backsheet in the portion being free from the wrapping sheet and with the wrapping sheet covering the remaining portion of the incontinence pad rear end portion.

Thickness Measurement

[0067] The thickness is determined by means of a measuring foot with affixed load of 0.5 k Pa or 2.5 k Pa. The foot is lowered onto the sample at a rate of 13 mm/s. The thickness is read off at the digital thickness gauge/tester after 5 seconds when the measuring foot has touched the surface of the sample. If the first absorbent layer in at least a part of said intermediate portion and/or front portion has an opening extending from a body facing side to a garment side, the thickness is determined in the part outside the opening, so that the thickness of the first absorbent layer is included in the thickness T1.