Disposable absorbent articles for incontinent individuals
AssigneeThe Procter & Gamble Company
InventorsWilliam E. Jordan, Leslie D. Ryan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Absorbent articles containing both an acidic buffering agent and a non-toxic, non-irritating, non-volatile antimicrobial agent are disclosed. The acidic buffering agent is preferably also an absorbent gelling agent which can imbibe aqueous body fluids in addition to acting as a buffer. Such articles are especially suitable for maintaining the pH of urine and feces discharged into the article at value below about 7.5. This in turn helps to prevent or reduce diaper rash and control odor caused by the production of ammonia.
Claims15
A disposable absorbent article useful for absorbing urine and feces discharged by incontinent individuals and also useful for reducing or preventing diaper rash, said absorbent article comprising
- (A) a liquid impervious backing sheet;
- (B) a relatively hydrophobic, liquid pervious topsheet;
- (C) an absorbent core positioned between said backing sheet and said topsheet, said absorbent core comprising hydrophilic fiber material, and
- (D) a pH control system consisting essentially of
- (i) an acidic buffering agent which releases protons when contacted with aqueous liquids, said buffering agent being in the form of particles of a partially neutralized, slightly cross-linked polymeric gelling agent having a gel volume of at least about 20 grams of synthetic urine per gram of gelling agent buffer, said particles being combined with the hydrophilic fiber material of the absorbent core and present within said core in a concentration of from about 2% to 50% by weight of the core;
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- (ii) an antimicrobial agent selected from quaternary nitrogen-based compounds and bis-biguanide compounds, said antimicrobial agent being combined with said absorbent core and present in or on said core in a concentration of from about 0.02% to 2.0% by weight of the core;
- said buffering agent compound and said antimicrobial agent component being present within said pH control system in a weight ratio of from about 3:1 to 2000:1 with said pH control system being present in said absorbent article in an amount which is effective to maintain the pH of Proteus vulgaris-contaminated, bicarbonate-containing urine discharged into said article at a value below about 7.5.
A disposable absorbent article in the form of a diaper or incontinence brief, said article comprising
- (A) a liquid impervious polyolefin backing sheet;
- (B) a relatively hydrophobic, liquid pervious topsheet formed from polyester or polyolefin fibers or film;
- (C) an absorbent core positioned between said backing sheet and said topsheet, said absorbent core comprising hydrophilic fiber material, and
- (D) a pH control system consisting essentially of
- (i) an acidic buffering agent which releases protons when contacted with aqueous liquids, said buffering agent being in the form of particles of a partially neutralized, slightly cross-linked sodium polyacrylate polymeric gelling agent having a gel volume of from about 30 to 60 grams of synthetic urine per gram of gelling agent buffer, said particles being combined with the hydrophilic fiber material of the absorbent core and present within said core in a concentration of from about 5% to 20% by weight of the core;
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- (ii) an antimicrobial agent selected from cetylpyridinium chloride and the water-soluble salts of chlorhexidine;
- said acidic buffering agent and said antimicrobial agent component being present within said pH control system in a weight ratio of from about 25:1 to 1000:1.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.