GB2407983A

GB2407983A - Absorbent article with a hump

Info

Publication number: GB2407983A
Application number: GB0326412A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ulla Magnusson
Original assignee: SCA Hygiene Products AB
Current assignee: Essity Hygiene and Health AB
Priority date: 2003-11-12
Filing date: 2003-11-12
Publication date: 2005-05-18
Anticipated expiration: 2023-11-12
Also published as: GB0326412D0; GB2407983B

Abstract

The invention refers to an absorbent article (1) such as a sanitary napkin, panty liner or the like, comprising a topsheet (2), a backsheet (3) and an absorbent body (4) therebetween. The article also comprises a hump (5) between the topsheet (2) and the absorbent body (4). The invention is characterized in that a first friction factor between the hump (5) and the absorbent body (4) is low enough to allow the hump to move relative the absorbent body (4) both when the article is not in use and when the article is in use.

Description

TITLE

ABSORBENT ARTICLE WITH A HUMP

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention refers to an absorbent article such as a sanitary napkin, panty liner or the like, comprising a topsheet, a backsheet and an absorbent body therebetween. The article also comprises a hump between the topsheet and the absorbent body.

BACKGROUND ART

In the field of absorbent articles such as sanitary napkins, panty liners and the like, it is known to use so called humps in order to improve the fit of the absorbent article to the wearer's genital area. A hump is an elevated part placed within the absorbent article in an area of the article intended to be placed adjacent the genital area of the user. The hump may, for example, be placed between two layers of absorbent material or between an absorbent body and a topsheet of the article. The hump is fixed to its location within the absorbent article with attachment means, for example glue. The hump is often made from an absorbent material, why the hump increases the absorption capacity of the article.

A problem with the prior art absorbent articles is that the location of the hump in the article during use is wrong for some users, why the absorbent article will feel uncomfortable for the wearer. Furthermore, a wrongly placed hump will not increase the absorption capacity of the article since the bodily fluids will not strike the hump. Further disadvantages with a hump fixed within the absorbent article, is that a wrongly fitted hump will exercise pressure and forces on the absorbent article that deviates from normal use which will cause the absorbent article to deform into an unwanted state. Hence, a hump in a wrong position as well as a hump with a wrong form or size will give an uncomfortable feel for the user.

Thus, there is a need for an improved absorbent article with a hump that does not cause the above problems.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

The invention aims at solving the above stated problems with an absorbent article comprising a hump. The absorbent article according to the invention refers to a sanitary napkin, panty liner or the like comprising a topsheet, a backsheet and an absorbent body therebetween. The hump is positioned between the topsheet and the absorbent body. The problem is solved according to a first embodiment of the invention by the hump being movable within the absorbent article and the invention is characterized in that a first friction factor between the hump and the absorbent body is low enough to allow the hump to move relative the absorbent body both when the article is not in use and when the article is in use.

Here, in use means when a user has applied the absorbent article in an under garment of any kind, for example a panty, and then has put the under garment on such that the absorbent article is placed to the genital area. The absorbent article is not in use unless the absorbent article is placed to the genital area, i.e. the absorbent article is not in use when the user is holding the article in the hand, nor is the absorbent article in use when it is placed in the undergarment only. The "in use" expression may be interpreted as a state where an external force is working on the absorbent article in a direction from the topsheet to the backsheet, i.e. when a force is acting on the topsheet, hump, absorbent body, and the backsheet in at least the thickness direction.

A hump is an elevated portion that rises above the surface of the absorbent body. The hump is intended to absorb bodily discharges such as menstrual fluids or small urinal discharges, and to the transport the fluids to the absorption body. Furthermore, the hump is intended to increase the fit of the absorbent article against the genitals of the wearer. The hump is preferably soft enough to conform to the contours of the wearers genitals. The hump may for example extend partly between the wearers labia. The increased fit improves the protection against leakage and thus gives the wearer a comfortable and safe feeling.

The advantage of the invention according to the first embodiment is that the hump may move relative the absorbent body and thus do not put unwanted stress on the absorbent body. The lack of unwanted stress gives the advantage of not deforming the absorbent article via the absorbent body.

Another advantage is that in use, the position of the hump relative the genital area is relatively unaffected by the movement of the absorbent body and thus the movement of the undergarment since the absorbent body via the backsheet is affected by the movement of the undergarment.

A friction factor depends on the features of two adjacent surfaces and the pressure that presses the two surfaces against each other. The features of the surfaces refer to the material and the roughness of the surface. The glossier the material the lower friction factor and the rougher the surface the higher the friction factor.

The first friction factor depends on the surface features of the hump and the features of the adjacent surface of the absorbent body. The first friction factor may be varied but the friction factor must always be low enough for the hump to be able to move relative the absorbent body both when the article is not in use and when the article is in use. When the article is in use, the absorbent article is jammed between the undergarment and the body of the wearer such that the hump presses against the absorbent body. Hence, the conditions prevailing when the absorbent article is in use is the limiting conditions when calculating the first friction factor. One way to achieve the first friction factor is by use of a lubricant between the hump and the absorbent body The lubricant may be any known substance that gives a suitable friction and that is harmless for the user.

In a second embodiment of the invention, a second friction factor between the hump and the topsheet is low enough to allow the hump to be moved relative the topsheet when the article is not in use, but that the second friction factor is high enough to hinder movement of the hump relative the topsheet when the article is in use.

One advantage of the second embodiment of the invention is that the user may move the hump into a position suitable specifically for that user. An absorbent article has a longitudinal extension between two short ends and is restricted in the lateral direction by two long sides. The user may move the hump in the longitudinal direction as well as in the lateral direction. Since the hump is moved into an optimal position, the hump will have the best possible fit and thus the best possible effect. Furthermore, since the hump is positioned optimally, the stress from the hump on the rest of the absorbent article will be as uniform as possible why the absorbent article will not deform into an unwanted state.

The second friction factor depends on the surface features of the hump and the features of the adjacent surface of the topsheet. The second friction factor may be varied but the friction factor must always be low enough for the hump to be able to move relative the topsheet both when the article is not in use and when the article is in use. When the article is in use, the absorbent article is jammed between the undergarment and the body of the wearer such that the topsheet presses against the hump. Hence, the conditions prevailing when the absorbent article is in use is the limiting conditions when calculating the second friction factor.

In a third embodiment of the invention the hump is permanently anchored to the topsheet by attaching means. This may be looked upon as the second friction factor being high enough to form a bond between the topsheet and the adjacent surface of the hump. Suitable attaching means are glue or any other suitable adhesive, or even welding may be considered.

In a fourth embodiment of invention the topsheet is made from a stretchable material. As described above, in use, the hump is frictionally attached or permanently anchored to the topsheet and one advantage of the fourth embodiment is that the stretchable feature of the topsheet increases the possibility for the hump to move relative the absorbent body. This increases the comfort for the user since a hump initially placed in the genital area will remain in place even when the undergarment displaces the backsheet and thus the absorbent body relative the hump. The stretchable topsheet thus stretches when subject to a force such that the hump remains in position relative the genital area. A second advantage of the embodiment is that the stretchable material gives a hump (somewhat displaced in the article when not in use) the possibility to be adjusted into a good position to the genital area when in use, by stretching of the topsheet.

For example, when the article is not in use, a user manipulates the hump into a position in the article the user believes is proper and places the article in an undergarment. The user then puts on the undergarments with the absorbent article such that the hump is positioned in the genital area of the user. The hump is here secured or attached to the topsheet by means of the second friction factor. If however it shows that the hump was positioned slightly wrong in the article, or due to a wrong position in the undergarment, the stretchable topsheet allows a movement of the hump relative the absorbent body by means of stretching, such that the hump is positioned correctly to the user's genital area.

The backsheet is liquid impermeable and flexible and may be made from a plastic film or nonwoven or a laminate of the both. The plastic film may be made from polyethylene, polypropene or polyester. The backsheet may be breathable, i.e. permeable to water vapour. A breathable material may be made from a treated nonwoven, or a plastic film with micro pores (see for example EP 283 200), or a so-called spunbound-meltblown-spunbound material.

The absorbent body may be made from one or more layers of a fibrous liquid absorbent material, for example, cellulose, cotton fibres, peat, synthetic fibres or the like. The absorbent material shall have the capacity to absorb liquid many times its own weight. The absorbent body may also contain a super absorbent, which is a polymer material in the form of particles that absorbs liquid while transforming into a gel.

The topsheet may be any conventional material that is water permeable and pleasant for the user. Examples of such materials are nonwoven and perforated plastic films or a combination of the both. As stated above the topsheet may be formed from a stretchable material, for example, an elastic material, or a mixture of an elastic material and non-elastic material, or a non-elastic material manufactured such that it due to its structure becomes stretchable, e.g. by knitting or weaving.

Furthermore, an adhesive layer may be applied on that side of the backsheet that is intended to be placed against the undergarment. The adhesive layer may be made from glue directly placed on the backsheet, or a strip of an adhesive layer placed on the backsheet, or a number of adhesive portions spread out over the backsheet. The adhesive may be silicone or another suitable material that sticks to a cloth material.

The absorbent article may also be equipped with so called wings, i.e. attachment means placed on the long sides of the article intended to be folded around the crotch part of the undergarment in order to secure the absorbent article to the undergarment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The invention will below be explained in connection to a number of drawings where.

Fig. 1 schematically shows an absorbent article according to the invention; Fig. 2a schematically shows a cross section of the absorbent article in Fig. 1 along the line 11-ll, with the hump in a first position, and where; Fig. 2b schematically shows a cross section of the absorbent article in Fig. 1 along the line 11-ll, with the hump in a second position.

MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Fig. 1 sows an absorbent article 1 such as a sanitary napkin, panty liner or the like, comprising a topsheet 2, a backsheet 3 and an absorbent body 4 therebetween. The article 1 also comprises a hump 5 between the topsheet 2 and the absorbent body 4. In Fig. 1 the hump 5 is not attached to any of the topsheet 2 or the absorbent body4, but may be moved by a user into any desired position within the absorbent article 1 and within the constraints from the topsheet 2 and the absorbent body 4. Fig. 1 shows the absorbent article 1 when the article is not in use, i.e. when it is not placed against the genital area of a user.

In Fig. 1 the topsheet 2 and the backsheet 3 is joined in a peripherally extending joint 6. The joint 6 may be formed by welding or gluing or another suitable means for joining two or more materials. Furthermore, the backsheet 3 may be folded over the edges of the absorbent body 4 and attached to the topsheet 2 on that side of the absorbent article 1 intended to face the wearer during use.

Fig. 2a schematically shows a cross section of the absorbent article 1 in Fig. 1 along the line 11-ll. The hump 5 is here placed in a first position 7. Fig 2a also shows the absorbent article 1 according to the cross section in Fig. 1, but where the hump 5 has been moved to a second position 8. Figures 2a and 2b shows that the hump 5 has been moved from the first position 7 to the left in the drawings, into the second position 8 to the right in figure 2b.

As is evident from Figs. 2a and 2b, the topsheet is flexible and follows the shape of the absorbent body and the hump 5.

The invention shall not be seen as limited by the embodiment, but may be varied within the scope of the appended claims. For example, the hump may be anchored to the topsheet (2) and the movement of the hump (5) relative the absorbent body (4) in figures 2a and 2b may be allowed due to the topsheet being stretchable. Furthermore, figures 1, 2a and 2b may also be looked upon as describing the article in use, where the hump is secured to the topsheet by second friction means, and where the movement of the hump (5) relative the absorbent body (4) in figures 2a and 2b shows the benefits of the invention regarding the relative movement between the hump (5) and the absorbent body (4) due to, for example, movement of an undergarment attached to the backsheet (3) of the article.

Claims

I CLAIMS

1. Absorbent article (1) such as a sanitary napkin, panty liner or the like, comprising a topsheet (2), a backsheet (3) and an absorbent body (4) therebetween, the article also comprising a hump (5) between the topsheet (2) and the absorbent body (4), c h a r a c t e r i z e d n that a first friction factor between the hump (5) and the absorbent body (4) is low enough to allow the hump (5) to move relative the absorbent body (4) both when the article is not in use and when the article is in use.

2. Absorbent article (1) according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that a second friction factor between the hump (5) and the topsheet (2) is low enough to allow the hump (5) to be moved relative the topsheet (2) when the article is not in use, but that the second friction factor is high enough to hinder movement of the hump (5) relative the topsheet (2) when the article is in use.

3. Absorbent article (1) according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the hump (5) is permanently anchored to the topsheet (2) by attaching means.

4. Absorbent article (1) according to any one of the present claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the topsheet (2) is made from a stretchable material.

5. Absorbent article (1) according to any one of the present claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that first friction factor is achieved by use of a lubricant between the hump (5) and the absorbent body (4.)

6. An absorbent article according to claim 1 substantially as described herein with reference to Figure 1 or 2.