Inelastic, heat-elasticizable sheet material
AssigneeMinnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company
InventorsPaul E. Hansen, Susan K. Marquardt
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Flat, inelastic, dimensionally stable sheet material is formed by stretching parallel elastomeric strands to several times their relaxed length and then bonding them to one or more flat, inelastic webs with inelastic thermoplastic polymer. When the sheet material is heated, the strands contract and the sheet material shirrs. Strips of the flat sheet material can be incorporated in disposable diapers and subsequently shirred to provide elastic waistbands or leg openings.
Claims16
A substantially inelastic, flexible composite flat sheet material, dimensionally stable at room temperature, comprising in combination:
- a plurality of parallel elastomeric strands, extended to at least about three times their relaxed length and heat-bonded at multiple spaced locations to at least one substantially flat inelastic planar web by thermoplastic, substantially inelastic polymeric binder, the stiffness of the combined web and binder decreasing significantly when heated, thereby permitting the elastomeric strands to contract and the sheet material to shirr at right angles to the length of the elastomeric strands.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.