# US 12,766,044 B2 · Body-conformable absorbent article > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,766,044 B2 - Document ID: US12766044B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/508,290 - Filed: 2023-11-14 - Published: 2024-05-16 - Granted: 2026-10-20 - Earliest claimed: 2022-11-14 - Assignees: The Procter & Gamble Company - Applicants: The Procter & Gamble Company - Inventors: Frederick Michael Langdon; Timothy Ian Mullane; Bret Darren Seitz - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12766044B2 ## CPC - A61F 13/15203: {Properties of the article, e.g. stiffness or absorbency (chemical aspects A61L15/00)} - A61F 13/15707: {Mechanical treatment, e.g. notching, twisting, compressing, shaping} - A61F 13/53: characterised by the absorbing medium (A61F13/20 takes precedence) - A61F 2013/530802: {characterized by the foam or sponge other than superabsorbent (A61F2013/530649 takes precedence)} - 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) ## Abstract An absorbent article having a liquid permeable topsheet, a liquid impermeable backsheet, and an absorbent structure comprising an open-celled absorbent foam material disposed between the topsheet and backsheet. The absorbent article has been incrementally stretched along at least a first and second stretch direction, such that the topsheet and backsheet each comprise plastically stretched zones disposed substantially along a first plurality of lines of deformation being substantially perpendicular to the first stretch direction and a second plurality of lines of deformation being substantially perpendicular to the second stretch direction. The absorbent foam material is fractured substantially along the first and second plurality of lines of deformation into a plurality of discrete foam pieces that are separated from neighboring pieces by a gap. An adhesive is positioned between the topsheet and the discrete foam pieces and bonds the discrete foam pieces to the topsheet. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An absorbent article comprising: a longitudinal axis and a lateral axis; a liquid permeable topsheet having a garment-facing surface and an opposing wearer-facing surface; a liquid impermeable backsheet having a garment-facing surface and an opposing wearer-facing surface; and an absorbent structure comprising an open-celled absorbent foam material disposed between the topsheet and the backsheet, wherein the absorbent article has been incrementally stretched along at least a first stretch direction and a second stretch direction differing from the first stretch direction, such that: the topsheet and the backsheet each comprise plastically stretched zones disposed substantially along a first plurality of lines of deformation being substantially perpendicular to the first stretch direction and a second plurality of lines of deformation being substantially perpendicular to the second stretch direction; wherein the absorbent foam material is fractured substantially along the first plurality of lines of deformation and the second plurality of lines of deformation into a plurality of discrete foam pieces, wherein the plurality of discrete foam pieces are arranged in a pattern extending across the entire absorbent structure with no breaks or discontinuities in the pattern, and wherein the discrete foam pieces are separated from neighboring pieces by a gap of from about 0.3 mm to about 1.2 mm; wherein from about 15 gsm to about 35 gsm of an adhesive is positioned between the garment-facing surface of the topsheet and a wearer-facing surface of the discrete foam pieces and bonds the discrete foam pieces to the topsheet; wherein from about 15 gsm to about 35 gsm of an adhesive is positioned between the wearer-facing surface of the backsheet and a garment-facing surface of the discrete foam pieces and bonds the discrete foam pieces to the backsheet; and wherein the adhesive positioned between the topsheet and the discrete foam pieces and the adhesive positioned between the backsheet and the discrete foam pieces each comprise an elastic formulation utilizing a styrene/isoprene/styrene (SIS) building block. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The absorbent article of claim 1, wherein the adhesive is in the form of sprayed discrete droplets. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The absorbent article of claim 1, wherein the adhesive that bonds the discrete foam pieces to the backsheet is in the form of a continuous film of adhesive. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The absorbent article of claim 1, wherein the discrete foam pieces are arranged in a continuous pattern across the absorbent structure, wherein the discrete foam pieces have an average x-y planar size of from about 1.5 mm to about 15 mm. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The absorbent article of claim 1, wherein the absorbent structure has an average caliper (C), wherein the gap between the discrete foam pieces have an average x-y planar gap size of from 0.04×C to 0.48×C. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The absorbent article of claim 1, wherein the backsheet comprises a polymeric film having a basis weight of from about 20 gsm to about 28 gsm. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The absorbent article of claim 1, wherein the topsheet is a spunbond nonwoven material. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The absorbent article of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of lines of deformation form an angle α with respect to the longitudinal axis and the second plurality of lines of deformation form an angle β with respect to the longitudinal axis, wherein the angle α and the angle β are each from about 5 degrees to about 85 degrees. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The absorbent article of claim 1, wherein the absorbent article has a Conformability Force of from about 140 N/m to about 1500 N/m. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The absorbent article of claim 1, wherein substantially the entirety or the entirety of the absorbent article has been incrementally stretched along the first stretch direction and the second stretch direction, in a pattern of plastically stretched zones and unstretched zones substantially lacking any areas of discontinuity. ### Claim 11 An absorbent article comprising: a longitudinal axis and a lateral axis; a liquid permeable topsheet having a garment-facing surface and an opposing wearer-facing surface; a liquid impermeable backsheet having a garment-facing surface and an opposing wearer-facing surface; and an absorbent structure comprising an open-celled absorbent foam material disposed between the topsheet and the backsheet; wherein the topsheet and the backsheet each comprise plastically stretched zones disposed substantially along a first plurality of lines of deformation extending in a first direction and a second plurality of lines of deformation extending in a second direction; wherein the first plurality of lines of deformation form an angle α with respect to the longitudinal axis and the second plurality of lines of deformation form an angle β with respect to the longitudinal axis, wherein the angle α and the angle β are each from about 5 degrees to about 85 degrees; wherein the absorbent structure comprises a plurality of discrete foam pieces arranged along the lines of deformation, wherein the discrete foam pieces are separated from neighboring pieces by a gap of from about 0.3 mm to about 1.2 mm, thereby avoiding mechanical edge-to-edge interference between adjacent discrete foam pieces when the absorbent article is bent in a z-direction; wherein from about 15 gsm to about 35 gsm of an adhesive is positioned between a garment-facing surface of the topsheet and a wearer facing surface of the discrete foam pieces and bonds the discrete foam pieces to the topsheet; wherein the discrete foam pieces have an average x-y planar size of from about 1.5 mm to about 15 mm. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The absorbent article of claim 11, wherein the discrete foam pieces comprise a high internal phase emulsion foam. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The absorbent article of claim 11, wherein a portion of the adhesive penetrates into the garment-facing surface of the topsheet and the wearer-facing surface of the discrete foam piece. ### Claim 14 An absorbent article comprising: a longitudinal axis and a lateral axis; a liquid permeable topsheet; a liquid impermeable backsheet having a basis weight of from about 20 gsm to about 28 gsm; and an absorbent structure comprising a high internal phase emulsion foam disposed between the topsheet and the backsheet; wherein the topsheet and the backsheet each comprise plastically stretched zones, wherein a portion of the plastically stretched zones extend continuously and without breaks from a first side of the topsheet to a second side of the topsheet; wherein the absorbent structure comprises a plurality of discrete foam pieces arranged in a pattern extending across the entire absorbent structure, wherein the discrete foam pieces are separated from neighboring pieces by a gap of from about 0.3 mm to about 1.2 mm; wherein the plastically stretched zones are disposed substantially along a first plurality of lines of deformation and a second plurality of lines of deformation, wherein the first plurality of lines of deformation form an angle α with respect to the longitudinal axis and the second plurality of lines of deformation form an angle β with respect to the longitudinal axis, wherein the angle α and the angle β are each from about 30 degrees to about 60 degrees; and wherein from about 15 gsm to about 35 gsm of an adhesive is positioned between a garment-facing surface of the topsheet and a wearer-facing surface of the discrete foam pieces and bonds the discrete foam pieces to the topsheet. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The absorbent article of claim 14, wherein the first side of the topsheet is a first longitudinal side and extends in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The absorbent article of claim 15, wherein the second side of the topsheet is a second longitudinal side and extends in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis.