US 4,073,852 A · Method of manufacture for a fabric useful in a disposable diaper

Abstract

A method for preparing a non-woven fabric which is less wettable in its marginal portions than in its central portion. The fabric comprises a highly water-absorbent web of mixed long and short fibers that is through-bonded throughout its dimensions with a binder (adhesive) to retain the fibers in their assembled relationship. Since the binder, in its final set stage, is hydrophobic in character and renders the resulting fabric more or less water repellent, the invention involves treatment of the mid-portion of the bonded fabric with a wetting agent (surfactant) to minimize the water-repellent effect of the binder and to make the mid-portion of the fabric readily wettable. Marginal portions of the bonded fabric are not treated with a wetting agent, so that these portions of the fabric throughout their dimensions are more or less water repellent. By this is meant that the marginal portions of the bonded fabric are difficultly wettable as compared to the mid-portion of the fabric. As indicated, the binder material at the side edges of the fabric is present throughout the thickness of the fabric, and hence it is effective to prevent liquid that is wetted into the central portion of the fabric from wicking readily outwardly. The fabric of the invention has particular utility as a facing layer in a disposable diaper that includes an absorbent pad and a water-repellent backing member, since it minimizes liquid leakage from the side edges of the diaper.

Claims8

Dependent claims

The method of forming a non-woven fabric comprising:

forming a mixed assemblage of short and long fibers into a web;
impregnating said web with a liquid binder material in an amount sufficient to retain the fibers in assembled relationship when the liquid binder material is solidified, said impregnating step being performed by differential application of the liquid binder material to said web across its width so as to give different sections of said web different degrees of wettability for water, and thereafter solidifying said binder material to thereby form said non-woven fabric.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method of manufacture for a fabric useful in a disposable diaper

Life of this patent

Method of manufacture for a fabric useful in a disposable diaper

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims8