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US 5,877,097 AGranted
Densified cellulose fiber pads and method of making the same
AssigneeWeyerhaeuser Company
InventorsHugh West, Colin Elston, Fred B. Howard
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A densified web of cellulose fibers has a high absorbent capacity and good wet strength. The web is produced by combining cellulose fibers with a bonding agent, activating the bonding agent, allowing it to contact the cellulose fibers, and thereafter deactivating the bonding agent. The web is thereafter compressed in a cooled state to form a densified web. The web exhibits an absorbent capacity superior to that of prior densified and bonded webs.
Claims63
A fibrous article comprising:
- a densified web of cellulose fibers, at least some of said fibers being bonded together by an activatable bonding agent comprising a water insoluble thermoplastic or thermosetting material, said densified web having a minimum density at least equal to or greater than 0.1 g/cc, based on the weight of the fiber and bonding material, said web having been densified after the bonding agent has been deactivated and has bound the fibers together, said web having been densified while the bonding agent is deactivated, the densified web having an absorbent capacity for synthetic urine that is greater than the absorbent capacity for synthetic urine exhibited by a comparable web of cellulose fibers bound together by a bonding agent in which the comparable web has been densified to substantially the same degree as said densified web by activating the bonding agent and densifying the comparable web while the bonding agent is active.
A fibrous article comprising:
- a densified web of cellulose fibers in which at least some of the cellulose fibers are bonded together by a bonding agent comprising a water insoluble, thermoplastic or thermosetting material, said web having been densified after the bonding agent has been deactivated and has bound the fibers together, said web having been densified while the bonding agent is deactivated, the densified web having an absorbent capacity for synthetic urine that is greater than the absorbent capacity for synthetic urine exhibited by a comparable web of cellulose fibers bound together by a bonding agent in which the comparable web has been densified to substantially the same degree as said densified comparable web by activating the bonding agent and densifying the web while the bonding agent is active.
An absorbent article for acquiring, distributing, or storing body fluids, the article comprising:
- an absorbent layer that includes a densified web of cellulose fibers in which at least some of the cellulose fibers are bonded together by a bonding agent comprising a water insoluble, thermoplastic or thermosetting material, said web having been densified after the bonding agent is deactivated and has bound the fibers together, said web having been densified while the bonding agent is deactivated, the densified web having a minimum density equal to or greater than 0.1 g/cc, based on the weight of the cellulose fiber and bonding agent.
An absorbent article for acquiring, distributing, and storing bodily fluids, the article comprising:
- an upper acquisition/distribution layer for receiving body fluid from a source, the acquisition/distribution layer including a densified web of cellulose fibers in which at least some of the cellulose fibers are bonded together by a bonding agent comprising a water insoluble, thermoplastic or thermosetting material, said web having been densified after the bonding agent is deactivated and has bound the fibers together, said web having been densified while the bonding agent is deactivated, the densified web having a minimum density equal to or greater than 0.1 g/cc based on the average weight of the fibers and the bonding agent;
- and
- a storage layer for receiving body fluid from the acquisition/distribution layer, the storage layer including a densified web of cellulose fibers in which at least some of the cellulose fibers are bonded to each other by a bonding agent, said web having been densified after the bonding agent is deactivated and has bound the fibers together.
A method for producing a densified web of cellulose fibers comprising:
- forming a web of cellulose fibers containing a bonding agent comprising a water insoluble, thermoplastic or thermosetting material;
- activating the bonding agent so that the bonding agent contacts at least some of the cellulose fibers;
- thereafter deactivating the bonding agent to bind at least some of said cellulose fibers together;
- and
- thereafter densifying said web of cellulose fibers to a density of at least 0.1 g/cc, said web being densified while said bonding agent is deactivated.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.