US-12622818-B2 - Absorbent article with leg gasketing cuff

US12622818B2US 12622818 B2US12622818 B2US 12622818B2US-12622818-B2

Abstract

A disposable absorbent article may include a topsheet, a backsheet, an absorbent core disposed between the topsheet and the backsheet, and a leg gasketing system. The leg gasketing system may include an inner cuff and an outer cuff. The inner cuff may include an inner cuff folded edge and an inner cuff material edge and the outer cuff may include an outer cuff folded edge and an outer cuff material edge such that the web of material is folded laterally inward to form the outer cuff folded edge and folded laterally outward to form the inner cuff folded edge.

Inventors

Jeromy Thomas Raycheck
Lisa Jane Goodlander
Lisa Maria Grinkemeyer
Jessica Lee Mosman
Jason Edward Naylor
LeAnn Nichole Phillips

Assignees

THE PROCTER & GAMBLE COMPANY

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20240510

Claims (20)

1 . A disposable absorbent article for wearing about the lower torso of a wearer, the disposable absorbent article comprising: a first waist region, a second waist region, a crotch region disposed between the first and second waist regions, a first waist edge, a second waist edge, a first longitudinal edge, and a second longitudinal edge, the disposable absorbent article comprising: a topsheet; a backsheet comprising an outer cover and an inner layer comprising a substantially liquid-impermeable film; an absorbent core disposed between the topsheet and the backsheet; a leg gasketing system, wherein the leg gasketing system comprises an inner cuff and an outer cuff, wherein the inner cuff comprises an inner cuff folded edge and an inner cuff material edge, and wherein the outer cuff comprises an outer cuff folded edge and an outer cuff material edge, such that at least one web of material is folded laterally inward to form the outer cuff folded edge and folded laterally outward to form the inner cuff folded edge, wherein the outer cuff material edge is disposed laterally inboard the inner cuff material edge; and an opacity strengthening patch, wherein the opacity strengthening patch is at least partially positioned intermediate the outer cuff and the film in the first or second waist regions, and wherein the opacity strengthening patch is attached to the outer cuff by glue or bonds.
2 . The disposable absorbent article of claim 1 , wherein a portion of the opacity strengthening patch extends laterally outward relative to the film.
3 . The disposable absorbent article of claim 1 , wherein the opacity strengthening patch has a length measured in a direction parallel to a central longitudinal axis of the disposable absorbent article in the range of about 70 mm to about 140 mm.
4 . The disposable absorbent article of claim 1 , wherein the opacity strengthening patch overlaps the film by less than 30 mm.
5 . The disposable absorbent article of claim 1 , wherein the opacity strengthening patch has a hunter color opacity of greater than 15%.
6 . The disposable absorbent article of claim 1 , wherein the inner cuff has a hydrostatic head of greater than about 2 mbar, and wherein the outer cuff has a hydrostatic head of less than about 200 mbar.
7 . The disposable absorbent article of claim 1 , wherein the inner cuff has a Low Surface Tension Fluid Strikethrough Time of greater than about 15 seconds and less than about 200 seconds, and wherein the outer cuff has a Low Surface Tension Fluid Strikethrough Time of greater than about 20 seconds and less than about 200 seconds.
8 . The disposable absorbent article of claim 1 , wherein the inner cuff has an opacity of from about 15% to about 50% hunter opacity, and wherein the outer cuff has an opacity of from about 45% to about 75% hunter opacity.
9 . The disposable absorbent article of claim 1 , wherein the inner leg cuff has a WVTR of less than about 5500 g/m 2 /24 hrs, and wherein the outer leg cuff has a WVTR of greater than about 4250 g/m 2 /24 hrs.
10 . The disposable absorbent article of claim 1 , wherein the leg gasketing system comprises at least two elastic members on the inner cuff.
11 . The disposable absorbent article of claim 1 , wherein the leg gasketing system comprises at least three elastic members on the outer cuff.
12 . The disposable absorbent article of claim 1 , wherein the leg gasketing system is comprised of one web of material.
13 . The disposable absorbent article of claim 1 , wherein the leg gasketing system is comprised of multiple webs of material.
14 . The disposable absorbent article of claim 1 , wherein elastic members are located between the inner cuff material edge and the outer cuff folded edge.
15 . The disposable absorbent article of claim 1 , wherein elastic members are located between the inner cuff folded edge and outer cuff material edge.
16 . The disposable absorbent article of claim 1 , wherein the outer cuff folded edge is located laterally outboard of a chassis edge in the crotch region.
17 . The disposable absorbent article of claim 1 , wherein the backsheet is attached to the leg gasketing system between the outer cuff material edge and the topsheet.
18 . The disposable absorbent article of claim 1 , wherein the disposable absorbent article is a diaper or a pant.
19 . A disposable absorbent article for wearing about the lower torso of a wearer, the disposable absorbent article comprising: a first waist region, a second waist region, a crotch region disposed between the first and second waist regions, a first waist edge, a second waist edge, a first longitudinal edge, and a second longitudinal edge, the disposable absorbent article comprising: a topsheet; a backsheet comprising an outer cover and an inner layer comprising a substantially liquid-impermeable film; an absorbent core disposed between the topsheet and the backsheet; a leg gasketing system, wherein the leg gasketing system comprises an inner cuff and an outer cuff, wherein the inner cuff comprises an inner cuff folded edge and an inner cuff material edge, and wherein the outer cuff comprises an outer cuff folded edge and an outer cuff material edge, such that at least one web of material is folded laterally inward to form the outer cuff folded edge and folded laterally outward to form the inner cuff folded edge; and an opacity strengthening patch, wherein the opacity strengthening patch is at least partially positioned intermediate the outer cuff and the film in the first or second waist regions, and wherein the opacity strengthening patch is attached to the outer cuff by glue or bonds.
20 . The disposable absorbent article of claim 19 , wherein the opacity strengthening patch has a hunter color opacity of greater than 15%.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/149,820, filed on Jan. 4, 2023, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/147,804, filed on Jan. 13, 2021, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/051,798, filed on Aug. 1, 2018, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,918,534, granted on Feb. 16, 2021, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/336,095, filed on Oct. 27, 2016, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,206,825, granted on Feb. 19, 2019, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/862,732, filed on Sep. 23, 2015, now abandoned, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/672,344, filed on Mar. 30, 2015, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,498,392, granted on Nov. 22, 2016, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/567,095, filed on Dec. 11, 2014, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,089,455, granted on Jul. 28, 2015, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/457,521, filed on Apr. 27, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,939,957, granted on Jan. 27, 2015, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/480,663, filed on Apr. 29, 2011, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. FIELD OF INVENTION This invention relates to absorbent articles such as diapers having improved leg cuffs that yield a more garment-like article. The absorbent article may have improved functional characteristics and communicative properties. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It has long been known that absorbent articles such as conventional taped diapers offer the benefit of receiving and containing urine and/or other bodily exudates. To effectively contain exudates, the article should provide a snug fit around the waist and legs of a wearer. Absorbent articles are known to have a chassis comprising a topsheet, a backsheet, and an absorbent core. Current diaper designs frequently include the use of an inner barrier leg cuff to prevent leakage of bodily exudates and an outer leg cuff which provides a covering over the inner leg cuff to minimize the visibility of exudates through the inner cuff and provide a secondary means to capture bodily exudates should they breach the inner barrier leg cuff. The inner barrier leg cuff may be made using a hydrophobic nonwoven and may be disposed on the body-facing surface of the absorbent article or connected to the body-facing surface of the film backsheet layer. The inner barrier leg cuff may be a substantially liquid impervious layer that prevents bodily exudates from passing out of the sides of the article and may also be highly breathable, allowing outside air to reach the skin to help maintain a healthy level of skin hydration. In many current diapers, the outer leg cuff comprises the polymeric film layer of the backsheet to provide high opacity required to cover the inner leg cuff as well as to prevent molten adhesive from passing through the cuff to the garment-facing surface of the article during manufacturing. The outer leg cuff contains the outer leg elastic strands, which create the contraction forces and gathers, and can be sandwiched between the cuff material and backsheet material. The elastic strands in the leg cuffs are typically joined with molten adhesive during manufacture, and the hot adhesive generally has the potential to pass through nonwoven materials during manufacture, causing contamination of manufacturing lines as well as the potential for stickiness on the outside surface of the article. The polymeric film generally is used to prevent these issues, however, results in a plastic-like look as well as a noisy application process. Because of manufacturing tolerances when cutting, tracking, and combining materials, the outer leg elastic strands are generally spaced inboard from the longitudinal edge of the article in the crotch region. This prevents inadvertent cutting or exposure of the outer leg elastic strands during the manufacturing process. This design does not result in the outermost portion of the longitudinal edge of the product continuously contacting closely to the skin of the user during wear. Thus, the ability of the elastic strand(s) to control the edge of the article diminishes as the distance between the outermost elastic and the edge increases, leading to a more random distribution of larger gathers which contact the skin at larger intervals or sometimes not at all. This effect can lead to user perception that the diaper may leak where the longitudinal edge does not contact the skin of the user. In addition, many articles currently available contain only two to three outer leg elastics per side to create the gathers, increasing the difficulty of achieving the desired appearance of a wide finished leg cuff or more garment-like cuff such as the elasticized hemmed edge of the arm cuff of a sweater. If the elastics are spaced more closely, the result is a narrow section of elasticiz