US 2003/0155265 A1 · Article and method

Abstract

A novel packaging article and method are disclosed for an array of flexible, absorbent articles compressed or uncompressed, having an article front face, an article back face, an article top face, an article bottom face, and a pair of article side faces. An upper article section and a lower article section have mutually different calipers. The flexible, absorbent articles are placed in a configuration array such that article front faces contact article front faces or such that article back faces contact back faces of adjacent absorbent articles. The package provides an array having preferred size and requires less compressibility force. A flexible outer casing does not require compressing wrapping to maintain the array as previously required in conventional packaging arrays having a flexible outer casing. The packaging article and method are particularly suited for providing preferred advantages to the packaging and commercial distribution of disposable diapers.

Claims40

Dependent claims

A package containing an array of flexible articles, each said article having an article front face, an article back face, an article top face, an article bottom face, article side faces, an upper article section and a lower article section, said article sections having mutually different caliper;

wherein each said article in contact with another said article is placed with an article front face in contact with an article front face or wherein each said article in contact with another said article is placed with an article back face in contact with an article back face;
said array having a first array region and a second array region, said upper and lower article sections being distributed over said first and second array regions of said array, wherein said upper and lower article sections are distributed such that a reordered size difference of said first and second array regions is at least about 10% smaller than when all of said upper article sections are located in the same array region of said array.

A package comprising a flexible outer casing containing an array of compressed, flexible absorbent articles, each said article comprising an article front face, an article back face, an article top face, an article bottom face, article side faces, an upper article section and a lower article section, said article sections having mutually different compressibilities and calipers;

wherein at least a portion of said absorbent articles are placed with said article front faces in a contacting relationship and at least a portion of said absorbent articles are placed with said article back faces in a contacting relationship;
said array having a first array region and a second array region and said upper and lower article sections of each said articles being distributed over said first and second array regions of said array;
wherein said distribution of said upper and lower article sections is such that the difference in the compression force for compression of said first and second array regions to between 0% and 90% of an uncompressed volume is at least 10% smaller than the difference in the compression force for compression of said first and second array regions when all of said upper article sections of each said articles are located in the same array region of said array;
and said flexible outer casing maintains said array of compressed articles.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Article and method

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Article and method

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Abstract

Claims40