Tear-resistant adhesive/combination bond pattern

A bonded composite, comprising:

• (a) as a first thin-section element, a first layer of sheet material;
• (b) a second thin-section element bonded to the first thin-section element, at least in part, by bond elements;
• and
• (c) adherent material disposed between said first and second thin-section elements proximate and about ones of said bond elements, said adherent material at least in part bonding said thin-section elements to each other at loci of said adherent material, the combination of said adherent material and said bond elements defining a bond pattern,
• the bond pattern having a pattern length, a pattern width represented by first and second side edges of the bond pattern, and a central longitudinal axis, the side edges of the bond pattern, and a corresponding pattern area between such side edges, being defined generally by those areas of the respective thin-section elements which participate in absorbing and dissipating, by operation of the bond pattern, stresses received into the bond pattern,
• said adherent material being distributed and/or dispersed transversely between said first and second thin-section elements as a result of force applied to said thin-section elements when said thin-section elements are bonded together, such distribution and/or dispersal of said adherent material effectively in defining at least one outer edge of said adherent material in the bond pattern.

A bonded composite, comprising:

• (a) as a first thin-section element, a first layer of sheet material;
• (b) a second thin-section element bonded to the first thin-section element, at least in part, by bond elements;
• and
• (c) adherent material disposed between said first and second thin-section elements proximate and about ones of said bond elements, said adherent material at least in part bonding said thin-section elements to each other at loci of said adherent material, the combination of said adherent material and said bond elements defining a bond pattern,
• the bond pattern having a pattern length, a pattern width represented by first and second side edges of the bond pattern, and a central longitudinal axis, the side edges of the bond pattern, and a corresponding pattern area between such side edges, being defined generally by those areas of the respective thin-section elements which participate in absorbing and dissipating, by operation of the bond pattern, stresses received into the bond pattern,
• bonds corresponding to said bond elements having been activated by combined application of adherent material, pressure, and one of thermal energy or ultrasonic-frequency energy to at least one of said first and second thin-section elements, said adherent material being distributed and/or dispersed between said first and second thin-section elements as a result of the force being applied to said thin section elements, such distribution and/or dispersal of said adherent material effectively defining at least one outer edge of said adherent material in the bond pattern,
• (d) as ones of said bond elements, a first sub-array of longitudinally-oriented separate and distinct stress receptor elements disposed proximate the side edges of the bond pattern, and spaced at first distances from each other along the length of the bond pattern,
• (e) as ones of said bond elements, a second sub-array of longitudinally-oriented separate and distinct transfer and dissipation elements disposed inwardly of the side edges and inwardly of the stress receptor elements, and at second distances from the stress receptor elements less than the spacing of respective ones of the stress receptor elements from each other.

An absorbent article having a front portion and a rear portion, and a crotch portion extending between said front portion and said rear portion, said absorbent article comprising:

• (a) as a first thin-section element, a first layer of sheet material;
• (b) a second thin-section element bonded to the first thin-section element, at least in part, by bond elements;
• (c) adherent material disposed between said first and second thin-section elements proximate and about ones of said bond elements, said adherent material at least in part bonding said thin-section elements to each other at loci of said adherent material, the combination of said adherent material and said bond elements defining a bond pattern;
• and
• (d) an absorbent core disposed adjacent at least one of said first thin-section element and said second thin-section element,
• the bond pattern having a pattern length, a pattern width represented by first and second side edges of the bond pattern, and a central longitudinal axis, the side edges of the bond pattern, and a corresponding pattern area between such side edges, being defined generally by those areas of the respective thin-section elements which participate in absorbing and dissipating, by operation of the bond pattern, stresses received into the bond pattern,
• said adherent material being distributed and/or dispersed between said first and second thin-section elements as a result of force being applied to said thin-section elements, such distribution and/or dispersal of said adherent material effectively defining at least one outer edge of said adherent material in the bond pattern,
• said absorbent article further comprising
• (c) as ones of said bond elements, a first sub-array of longitudinally-oriented separate, distinct, and spaced stress receptor elements disposed along the length, and proximate the side edges of, the bond pattern, and
• (d) as ones of said bond elements, a second sub-array of longitudinally-oriented separate, distinct, and spaced transfer and dissipation elements spaced along the length of the bond pattern, inwardly of the side edges of the bond pattern and generally inwardly of the stress receptor elements, respective said transfer and dissipation elements having first ends disposed toward an interior of the bond pattern, said respective transfer and dissipation elements extending to second ends adjacent the side edges of the bond pattern between respective ones of said stress receptor elements, the transfer and dissipation elements directing stresses inwardly into the interior of the bond pattern, and assisting in dissipating such stresses on the interior of the bond pattern.

A method of bonding a first thin-section element and a second thin-section element to each other, the method comprising:

• (a) applying an adherent material to at least one of the first and second thin-section elements over at least part of an area of the respective thin-section material which is to be bonded;
• (b) bringing the first and second thin-section elements together, including at the area to be bonded;
• and
• (c) applying force urging the first and second thin-section elements into bonding contact with each other including at the area to be bonded, and applying one of thermal energy or ultrasonic-frequency energy to at least one of the first and second thin-section elements in the area to be bonded, thereby forming an array of elongate bond elements and activating the adherent material proximate and generally about ones of the bond elements,
• the array of elongate bond elements, in combination with the activated adherent material, comprising a bond pattern having a pattern length, a pattern width represented by first and second side edges of the bond pattern, and a central longitudinal axis extending through an interior portion of the bond pattern, the side edges of the bond pattern, and a corresponding bond pattern area between such side edges, being defined generally by those areas of the respective thin-section elements which participate in absorbing and dissipating, by operation of the bond pattern, stresses received into the bond pattern,
• the bond pattern being arranged and configured such that a side stress imposed from outside said bond pattern is preferentially directed away from the respective side edge and inwardly into said bond pattern, and is substantially dissipated on the interior portion of the bond pattern.

A bonded composite, comprising:

• (a) as a first thin-section element, a first layer of sheet material;
• (b) a second thin-section element bonded to said first thin-section element, at least in part, by bond elements;
• and
• (c) adherent material disposed between said first and second thin-section elements proximate and about ones of said bond elements, said adherent material at least in part bonding the thin-section elements to each other at loci of said adherent material, the combination of said adherent material and said bond elements defining a bond pattern,
• the bond pattern having a pattern length, a pattern width represented by first and second side edges of the bond pattern, and a central longitudinal axis, the side edges of the bond pattern, and a corresponding pattern area between such side edges, being defined generally by those areas of the respective thin-section elements which participate in absorbing and dissipating, by operation of the bond pattern, stresses received into the bond pattern from external sources,
• the bond pattern being arranged and configured such that a side stress imposed from outside said bond patten is preferentially directed away from the respective side edge and inwardly into said bond pattern.

A bonded composite, comprising:

• (a) as a first thin-section element, a first layer of sheet material;
• and
• (b) a second thin-section element bonded to said first thin-section element, at least in part, by bond elements,
• the bond pattern having a pattern length, a pattern width represented by first and second side edges of the bond pattern, and a central longitudinal axis, the side edges of the bond pattern, and a corresponding pattern area between such side edges, being defined generally by those areas of the respective thin-section elements which participate in absorbing and dissipating, by operation of the bond pattern, stresses received into the bond pattern from external sources,
• the bond pattern being arranged and configured such that a side stress imposed from outside said bond patten is preferentially directed away from the respective side edge and inwardly into said bond pattern.