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US 4,816,100 AGranted
Feminine hygiene tampon and method and apparatus for making same
AssigneeJohnson & Johnson
InventorAxel Friese
Life of this patent
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AssigneeJohnson & Johnson
InventorAxel Friese
Estimating the term…
The invention relates to a tampon (10), to the essentially cylindrical circumferential surface of which a liquid-permeable, thermoplastic material is fastened, with the application of pressure and heat. The dome-like constriction (10b) at the introduction end (10a) and the withdrawal end (10c) of the tampon (10) remain free of the liquid-permeable, thermoplastic material. The fastening of the liquid-permeable material to the outer surface of the absorbent material of the tampon (10), which consists of a nonwoven ribbon section rolled up on itself and pressed radially to give the final form of the tampon (10), guarantees that the high absorbency of the nonwoven fibre material, based on capillary action, continues through the liquid-permeable, thermoplastic material onto its outside. In addition, the liquid-permeable material offers protection against fibres becoming detached and makes it easier to introduce the tampon into and remove it from the body cavity.
A process for the manufacture of a tampon, in which a length section of a liquid-permeable, thermoplastic, nonwoven strip (32) of material is attached, by use of heat and pressure, to the outside of the rear end of a nonwoven ribbon section (11) of defined length, along a length approximately corresponding to the circumference of the tampon blank, the width of the nonwoven ribbon section approximately corresponding to the length of the tampon (10), whereupon the nonwoven ribbon section (11) is provided with a withdrawal cord (13) and rolled upon itself to form a tampon blank (12), so that the strip section (15) extends over the circumference of the tampon blank (12) which is subsequently pressed to give the final form of the tampon (10), and, after the nonwoven ribbon section (11) has been rolled up to give the tampon blank (12), the unsealed end (15a) projecting beyond the nonwoven ribbon section (11) is attached to the strip section (15) with the application of heat and pressure.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.