# US 12,109,094 B2 · Hip-to-waist and waist-to-crotch silhouette(s) of absorbent article(s) comprising beamed elastics

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- Number: US 12,109,094 B2
- Document ID: US12109094B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/219,975
- Filed: 2021-04-01
- Published: 2021-08-26
- Granted: 2024-10-08
- Earliest claimed: 2016-12-20
- Assignees: The Procter & Gamble Company
- Applicants: The Procter & Gamble Company
- Inventors: Gary Dean LaVon; Bret Darren Seitz; Uwe Schneider; Sarah Marie Wade; Joseph Allen Eckstein
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12109094B2

## CPC

- A61F 13/4902: {characterised by the elastic material}
- A61F 13/15593: {having elastic ribbons fixed thereto; Devices for applying the ribbons}
- A61F 13/49061: {the diaper having one or two waist members forming the diaper waist region and an independent absorbent structure attached to the one or two waist members forming the crotch region}
- A61F 13/15601: {the ribbons being applied transversely to the direction of the movement of the webs the diapers are being made of}
- A61F 13/15699: {Forming webs by bringing together several webs, e.g. by laminating or folding several webs, with or without additional treatment of the webs}
- A61F 13/15739: {Sealing, e.g. involving cutting}
- A61F 13/15764: {Transferring, feeding or handling devices; Drives}
- A61F 13/49012: {the elastic means being elastic panels}
- A61F 13/49015: {the elastic means being elastic panels}
- A61F 13/49017: {the elastic means being located at the crotch region}
- A61F 13/49019: {the elastic means being placed longitudinally, transversely or diagonally over the article}
- A61F 13/53: characterised by the absorbing medium (A61F13/20 takes precedence)
- A61F 13/5622: {specially adapted for diapers or the like}
- A61F 13/64: Straps, belts, ties or endless bands ({A61F13/5605, A61F13/5622}, A61F13/66 take precedence)
- A61F 2013/15292: {Resistance, i.e. modulus or strength}
- A61F 2013/15373: {Calliper, i.e. thickness}
- A61F 2013/15406: {Basis weight}
- A61F 2013/15447: {Fibre dimension, e.g. denier or tex}
- A61F 2013/1552: {with specific diffusion velocity}
- A61F 2013/15552: {Air permeability}
- A61F 2013/15869: {with ultrasonic energy}
- A61F 2013/1591: {via adhesive}
- A61F 2013/15918: {for die cutting}
- A61F 2013/15959: {by spunbond technique}
- A61F 2013/49022: {being elastomeric sheet}
- A61F 2013/49025: {having multiple elastic strands}
- A61F 2013/49026: {with variable spacing}
- A61F 2013/49074: {hourglass; dog bone-shaped}
- A61F 2013/49092: {comprising leg cuffs}
- A61F 2013/49093: {having multiple barriers}
- A61F 2013/51322: {being elastomeric or stretchable}
- A61F 2013/530343: {being natural fibres}
- A61F 2013/53043: {with different ratio of components}
- A61F 2013/8497: {having decorations or indicia means}
- B05C 1/0808: {Details thereof, e.g. surface characteristics}
- B29C 65/08: using ultrasonic vibrations {(non-plastics element to plastics elements B29C65/645)}
- B29C 65/086: {using a rotary anvil}
- B29C 65/48: using adhesives {, i.e. using supplementary joining material; solvent bonding}
- B29C 65/74: by welding and severing {, or by joining and severing, the severing being performed in the area to be joined, next to the area to be joined, in the joint area or next to the joint area}
- B29C 66/00: {General aspects of processes or apparatus for joining preformed parts (means for handling the parts to be joined B29C65/78; testing the joint B29C65/82)}
- B29C 66/01: {General aspects dealing with the joint area or with the area to be joined (B29C65/76, B29C65/82 take precedence)}
- B29C 66/344: {Stretching or tensioning the joint area during joining}
- B29C 66/8141: {characterised by the surface geometry of the part of the pressing elements, e.g. welding jaws or clamps, coming into contact with the parts to be joined}
- B29C 66/83411: {Roller, cylinder or drum types (B29C66/83431 takes precedence; rollers, cylinders or drums moving relative to and tangentially to the parts to be joined B29C66/8362)}
- B29K 2701/12: Thermoplastic materials
- B29K 2995/0046: Elastic
- B29L 2031/4878: {Diapers, napkins}
- B32B 5/04: characterised by a layer being specifically extensible by reason of its structure or arrangement {, e.g. by reason of the chemical nature of the fibres or filaments}
- B32B 27/12: next to a fibrous or filamentary layer
- B32B 37/0053: {Constructional details of laminating machines comprising rollers; Constructional features of the rollers}
- B32B 37/12: characterised by using adhesives
- B32B 37/144: {using layers with different mechanical or chemical conditions or properties, e.g. layers with different thermal shrinkage, layers under tension during bonding (constructional features for tensioning B32B38/1825)}
- B32B 37/22: involving the assembly of both discrete and continuous layers
- B32B 2305/20: in the form of a non-woven mat
- B32B 2307/51: Elastic
- B32B 2307/726: Permeability to liquids, absorption
- B32B 2555/02: Diapers or napkins
- B65H 39/16: Associating two or more webs
- B65H 51/30: Devices controlling the forwarding speed to synchronise with supply, treatment, or take-up apparatus (B65H59/10, B65H59/38 take precedence)
- C08J 2300/26: Elastomers
- D01D 5/08: Melt spinning methods {(D01D5/0023 takes precedence)}
- D01F 6/04: from polyolefins
- D04H 3/12: with filaments or yarns secured together by chemical or thermo-activatable bonding agents, e.g. adhesives, applied or incorporated in liquid or solid form
- A61F: FILTERS IMPLANTABLE INTO BLOOD VESSELS; PROSTHESES; DEVICES PROVIDING PATENCY TO, OR PREVENTING COLLAPSING OF, TUBULAR STRUCTURES OF THE BODY, e.g. STENTS; ORTHOPAEDIC, NURSING OR CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICES; FOMENTATION; TREATMENT OR PROTECTION OF EYES OR EARS; BANDAGES, DRESSINGS OR ABSORBENT PADS; FIRST-AID KITS (dental prosthetics A61C)
- B05C: APPARATUS FOR APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL (spraying apparatus, atomising apparatus, nozzles B05B; plant for applying liquids or other fluent materials to objects by electrostatic spraying B05B5/08)
- B29C: SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING (making preforms B29B11/00; making laminated products by combining previously unconnected layers which become one product whose layers will remain together B32B37/00 - B32B41/00)
- B29K: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES B29B, B29C OR B29D, RELATING TO MOULDING MATERIALS OR TO MATERIALS FOR {MOULDS, } REINFORCEMENTS, FILLERS OR PREFORMED PARTS, e.g. INSERTS
- B29L: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASS B29C, RELATING TO PARTICULAR ARTICLES
- B32B: LAYERED PRODUCTS, i.e. PRODUCTS BUILT-UP OF STRATA OF FLAT OR NON-FLAT, e.g. CELLULAR OR HONEYCOMB, FORM
- B65H: HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- C08J: WORKING-UP; GENERAL PROCESSES OF COMPOUNDING; AFTER-TREATMENT NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C08B, C08C, C08F, C08G or C08H (working, e.g. shaping, of plastics B29)
- D01D: MECHANICAL METHODS OR APPARATUS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL FILAMENTS, THREADS, FIBRES, BRISTLES OR RIBBONS
- D01F: CHEMICAL FEATURES IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL FILAMENTS, THREADS, FIBRES, BRISTLES OR RIBBONS; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF CARBON FILAMENTS
- D04H: MAKING TEXTILE FABRICS, e.g. FROM FIBRES OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL (weaving D03; knitting D04B; braiding D04C; net-making D04G; sewing D05B; tufting D05C; finishing non-woven fabrics D06); FABRICS MADE BY SUCH PROCESSES OR APPARATUS, e.g. FELTS, NON-WOVEN FABRICS; COTTON-WOOL; WADDING {; NON-WOVEN FABRICS FROM STAPLE FIBRES, FILAMENTS OR YARNS, BONDED WITH AT LEAST ONE WEB-LIKE MATERIAL DURING THEIR CONSOLIDATION}(non-woven fabrics having an intermediate or external layer of a different kind, e.g. of woven fabric, B32B)

## Abstract

The present disclosure relates to absorbent articles comprising belts comprising one or more pluralities of tightly spaced (less than 4 mm, less than 3 mm, less than 2 mm, and less than 1 mm) and/or low decitex (less than 300, less than 200, less than 100 dtex) and/or low strain (less than 300%, less than 200%, less than 100%) elastics to deliver low pressure less than 1 psi (according to the conditions defined by the Pressure-Under-Strand Test in the Method below) under the elastics, while providing adequate modulus of (between about 2 gf/mm and 15 gf/mm), resulting in a Product Hip-to-Waist Silhouette from about 0.8 to about 1.1 and a Product Waist-to-Crotch Silhouette from about 0.8 to about 2.0 to provide for the advantages described above.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An absorbent article, comprising:
a front waist region, a back waist region, and a crotch region therebetween;
a chassis comprising a topsheet, a backsheet and an absorbent core disposed between the topsheet and the backsheet, wherein the chassis comprises a front end edge, a back end edge, and a pair of laterally opposing side edges;
a back belt disposed in the back waist region overlapping and extending outboard of the back end edge of the chassis to form a back waist edge;
a front belt disposed in the front waist region overlapping and extending outboard of the front end edge of the chassis to form a front waist edge;
wherein the front belt is joined to the back belt at or adjacent the laterally opposing belt side edges to form leg openings and a waist opening to form a closed-form pant;
a longitudinal axis extending from the midpoint of the front waist edge to the midpoint of the back waist edge;
a lateral axis extending perpendicular to the longitudinal axis through the midpoint of the longitudinal axis;
wherein the back belt comprises a first plurality of elastics comprising greater than about 40 elastic strands, and wherein the front belt comprises a second plurality of elastics comprising greater than about 40 elastic strands;
wherein the Pressure-Under-Strand of the first plurality of elastics is from about 0.1 to about 1 psi, and wherein the Pressure-Under-Strand of the second plurality of elastics is from about 0.1 to about 1 psi;
wherein the Product Hip-to-Waist Silhouette is from about 0.8 to about 1.1;
wherein the Product Waist-to-Crotch Silhouette is from about 0.8 to about 2.0; and
wherein the absorbent article has a Relaxed Product Waist Width from about 80 mm to about 270 mm and a Relaxed Product Hip Width from about 80 mm to about 300 mm.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The absorbent article of claim 1, wherein the absorbent article has a Relaxed Product Waist Width from about 170 mm to about 270 mm and a Relaxed Product Hip Width from about 170 to about 300 mm.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The absorbent article of claim 1, wherein the absorbent article has a Relaxed Product Waist Width from about 80 mm to about 180 mm and a Relaxed Product Hip Width from about 80 mm to about 200 mm.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The absorbent article of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of elastics comprises greater than about 70 elastic strands, and wherein the second plurality of elastics comprises greater than about 50 elastic strands.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The absorbent article of claim 1, wherein the front belt is refastenably joined to the back belt.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The absorbent article of claim 1, wherein the Average-Dtex of the first plurality of elastics is from about 10 to about 500, and wherein the Average-Dtex of the second plurality of elastics is from about 10 to about 500.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The absorbent article of claim 1, wherein the back belt is divided into 4 equal sections arranged longitudinally, wherein Section 4 comprises a proximal end edge of the back belt, Section 1 comprises a distal end edge of the back belt and forms the back waist edge, Section 2 is proximate to Section 1 and Section 3 is proximate to Section 4, wherein at least two of the sections each have greater than 10 elastic strands; and
wherein the front belt is divided into 4 equal sections arranged longitudinally, wherein Section 4 comprises a proximal end edge of the front belt, Section 1 comprises a distal end edge of the front belt and forms the front waist edge, Section 2 is proximate to Section 1 and Section 3 is proximate to Section 4, wherein at least two of the sections each have greater than 10 elastic strands.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The absorbent article of claim 7, wherein Section 1 of the back belt is longitudinally longer than Section 1 of the front belt.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The absorbent article of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of elastics of the back belt are between an inner and an outer nonwoven, and wherein the second plurality of elastics of the front belt are between an inner and an outer nonwoven, and wherein the inner nonwoven of the front belt and the inner nonwoven of the back belt are separate and distinct and longitudinally spaced from each other, and wherein the outer nonwoven of the front belt and the outer nonwoven of the back belt are separate and distinct and longitudinally spaced from each other.

### Claim 10

An absorbent article, comprising:
a front waist region, a back waist region, and a crotch region therebetween;
a chassis comprising a topsheet, a backsheet and an absorbent core disposed between the topsheet and the backsheet, wherein the chassis comprises a front end edge, a back end edge, and a pair of laterally opposing side edges;
a back belt disposed in the back waist region overlapping and extending outboard of the back end edge of the chassis to form a back waist edge;
a front belt disposed in the front waist region overlapping and extending outboard of the front end edge of the chassis to form a front waist edge;
wherein the front belt is joined to the back belt at or adjacent the laterally opposing belt side edges to form leg openings and a waist opening to form a closed-form pant;
a longitudinal axis extending from the midpoint of the front waist edge to the midpoint of the back waist edge;
a lateral axis extending perpendicular to the longitudinal axis through the midpoint of the longitudinal axis;
wherein the back belt comprises a first plurality of elastics comprising greater than about 60 elastic strands, and wherein the front belt comprises a second plurality of elastics comprising greater than about 60 elastic strands;
wherein the Pressure-Under-Strand of the first plurality of elastics is from about 0.1 to about 1 psi, and wherein the Pressure-Under-Strand of the second plurality of elastics is from about 0.1 to about 1 psi;
wherein the Product Length-to-Waist Silhouette is from about 0.8 to about 1.08;
wherein the Product-Waist-to-Crotch Silhouette is from about 0.8 to about 2.8; and
wherein the absorbent article has a Relaxed Product Waist Width from about 200 mm to about 400 mm and a Relaxed Product Hip Width from about 200 mm to about 450 mm.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The absorbent article of claim 10, wherein the absorbent article has a Relaxed Product Waist Width from about 300 mm to about 400 mm and a Relaxed Product Hip Width from about 300 mm to about 450 mm.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The absorbent article of claim 10, wherein the absorbent article has a Relaxed Product Waist Width from about 200 mm to about 300 mm and a Relaxed Product Hip Width from about 200 mm to about 350 mm.

### Claim 13 (depends on 10)

The absorbent article of claim 10, wherein the first plurality of elastics comprises greater than about 80 elastic strands, and wherein the second plurality of elastics comprises greater than about 80 elastic strands.

### Claim 14 (depends on 10)

The absorbent article of claim 10, wherein the front belt is refastenably joined to the back belt.

### Claim 15 (depends on 10)

The absorbent article of claim 10, wherein the Average-Dtex of the first plurality of elastics is from about 10 to about 500, and wherein the Average-Dtex of the second plurality of elastics is from about 10 to about 500.

### Claim 16 (depends on 10)

The absorbent article of claim 10, wherein the back belt is divided into 4 equal sections arranged longitudinally, wherein Section 4 comprises a proximal end edge of the back belt, Section 1 comprises a distal end edge of the back belt and forms the back waist edge, Section 2 is proximate to Section 1 and Section 3 is proximate to Section 4, wherein at least two of the sections each have greater than 20 elastic strands; and
wherein the front belt is divided into 4 equal sections arranged longitudinally, wherein Section 4 comprises a proximal end edge of the front belt, Section 1 comprises a distal end edge of the front belt and forms the front waist edge, Section 2 is proximate to Section 1 and Section 3 is proximate to Section 4, wherein at least two of the sections each have greater than 20 elastic strands.

### Claim 17 (depends on 10)

The absorbent article of claim 10, wherein the first plurality of elastics of the back belt are between an inner and an outer nonwoven, and wherein the second plurality of elastics of the front belt are between an inner and an outer nonwoven, and wherein the inner nonwovens of the front and back belts are separate and distinct and longitudinally spaced from each other, and wherein the outer nonwovens of the front and back belts are a common nonwoven layer that extends continuously longitudinally from the front waist edge to the back waist edge.

### Claim 18 (depends on 10)

The absorbent article of claim 10, wherein the first plurality of elastics of the back belt are between an inner and an outer nonwoven, and wherein the second plurality of elastics of the front belt are between an inner and an outer nonwoven, and wherein the inner nonwovens of the front and back belts are a common nonwoven layer that extends continuously longitudinally from the front waist edge to the back waist edge, and wherein the outer nonwovens of the front and back belts are a common nonwoven layer that extends continuously longitudinally from the front waist edge to the back waist edge.