Textile-like apertured plastic films
AssigneeChicopee
InventorsMordechai Turi, Edmund Z. DeRossett, Ching-Yun M. Yang
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Apertured plastic films comprise a stretchable thermoplastic polymeric material having a plurality of micro-holes defined by a network of fiber-like elements. The films are produced by directing fluids, especially water, against the upper surface of a starting film in the form of columnar streams in a contact zone, while the film is supported on a backing element. The films of the invention are useful as covering materials for absorbent products such as diapers, wound dressings and sanitary napkins.
Claims52
A film formed from a stretchable thermoplastic polymeric material and which is apertured during processing to provide apertured regions and unapertured regions, said film having two opposite side surfaces defining a film thickness therebetween, said apertured film having a network of non-overlapping micro-strips that define a plurality of micro-holes therein and that are each defined by said thermoplastic polymeric material extending between two adjacent micro-holes and terminating at two ends which are unitary with and merge with the adjacent thermoplastic polymeric material, said micro-strips having been drawn at least 100% as compared to adjacent regions which have not undergone aperturing during processing, said micro-strips and said micro-holes having been produced by the process of subjecting unsupported portions of said polymeric material to columnar streams of said pressurized fluid, each said micro-hole extending completely through the thickness of said film to open at each said side surface.
A film having two opposite side surfaces defining an upper surface and a lower surface and a film thickness therebetween, and formed from a stretchable thermoplastic polymeric material and which is apertured during processing to provide apertured regions and unapertured regions, said apertured film including a series of parallel ridges and a series of valleys between said series of ridges, each of said ridges being formed by a pair of angled side walls which meet on the upper surface of said film, said valleys having a network of non-overlapping micro-strips that define a plurality of micro-holes therein and that are each defined by said thermoplastic material extending between two adjacent micro-holes and terminating at two ends which are unitary with and merge with the adjacent thermoplastic polymeric material, said micro-strips having been drawn at least 100% as compared to adjacent regions which have not undergone aperturing during processing, said micro-strips and said micro-holes having been produced by the process of subjecting unsupported portions of said polymeric material to columnar streams of pressurized fluids each said micro-hole extending completely through the thickness of said film to open at each said side surface.
A film formed from a stretchable thermoplastic polymeric material and which is apertured during processing to provide apertured regions and unapertured regions, said film having two opposite side surfaces defining a film thickness therebetween, said apertured film including a plurality of generally vertically oriented cone structures defined by sloping side walls, said sloping side walls defining a plurality of valleys between said cone structures, said valleys having a network of non-overlapping micro-strips that define a plurality of micro-holes therein and that are each defined by said thermoplastic polymeric material extending between two adjacent micro-holes and terminating at two ends which are unitary with and merge with the adjacent thermoplastic polymeric material, said micro-strips having been drawn at least 100% as compared to adjacent regions which have not undergone aperturing during processing, said micro-strips and said micro-holes having been produced by the process of subjecting unsupported portions of said polymeric material to columnar streams of pressurized fluid, each said micro-hole extending completely through the thickness of said film to open at each said side surface.
A film formed from a stretchable thermoplastic polymeric material and which is apertured during processing to provide apertured regions and unapertured regions, said film having two opposite side surfaces defining a film thickness therebetween, said apertured film having a network of non-overlapping micro-strips that define a plurality of micro-holes therein and that are each defined by said thermoplastic polymeric material extending between two adjacent micro-holes and terminating at two ends which are unitary with and merge with the adjacent thermoplastic polymeric material, said micro-holes being arranged in a plurality of groups of micro-holes, said micro-strips having been drawn at least 100% as compared to adjacent regions which have not undergone aperturing during processing, said micro-strips and said micro-holes having been produced by the process of subjecting unsupported portions of said polymeric material to columnar streams of pressurized fluid, each said micro-hole extending completely through the thickness of said film to open at each said side surface.
An absorbent product comprising an absorbent core having oppositely facing major surfaces, at least one of said major surfaces being covered with a film, said film being formed from a stretchable thermoplastic polymeric material and apertured during processing to provide apertured regions and unapertured regions, said film having two opposite side surfaces defining a film thickness therebetween, said apertured film having a network of non-overlapping micro-strips that define a plurality of micro-holes therein and that are each defined by said thermoplastic polymeric material extending between two adjacent micro-holes and terminating at two ends which are unitary with and merge with the adjacent thermoplastic polymeric material, said micro-strips having been drawn at least 100% as compared to adjacent regions which have not undergone aperturing during processing, said micro-strips and said micro-holes having been produced by the process of subjecting unsupported portions of said polymeric material to columnar streams of pressurized fluid, each said micro-hole extending completely through the thickness of said film to open at each said side surface.
A sanitary napkin comprising an absorbent core having an upper major surface and a lower major surface;
- a liquid-impermeable barrier layer;
- and a cover material, said cover material facing the upper surface of said absorbent core, said cover material comprising a film formed from a stretchable thermoplastic polymeric material and which is apertured during processing to provide apertured regions and unapertured regions, said film having two opposite side surfaces defining a film thickness therebetween, said apertured film having a network of non-overlapping micro-strips that define a plurality of micro-holes therein and that are each defined by said thermoplastic polymeric material extending between two adjacent micro-holes and terminating at two ends which are unitary with and merge with the adjacent thermoplastic polymeric material, said micro-strips having been drawn at least 100% as compared to adjacent regions which have not undergone aperturing during processing, said film having two opposite side surfaces defining a film thickness therebetween, said micro-strips and said micro-holes having been produced by the process of subjecting unsupported portions of said polymeric material to columnar streams of pressurized fluid, each said micro-hole extending completely through the thickness of said film to open at each said side surface, each said micro-hole being unconnected to other micro-holes by enclosed passageways.
A sanitary napkin comprising an absorbent core having an upper major surface and a lower major surface;
- a liquid-impermeable barrier layer;
- and a cover material, said cover material facing the upper surface of said absorbent core, said cover material comprising a film formed from a stretchable thermoplastic polymeric material and which is apertured during processing to provide apertured regions and unapertured regions, said film having two opposite side surfaces defining a film thickness therebetween, said apertured film including a series of parallel ridges and a series of valleys between said series of ridges, each of said ridges being formed by a pair of angled side walls which meet on the upper surface of said film, said valleys having a network of non-overlapping micro-strips that define a plurality of micro-holes therein and that are each defined by said thermoplastic polymeric material extending between two adjacent micro-holes and terminating at two ends which are unitary with and merge with the adjacent thermoplastic polymeric material, said micro-strips having been drawn at least 100% as compared to adjacent regions which have not undergone aperturing during processing, said micro-strips and said micro-holes having been produced by the process of subjecting unsupported portions of said polymeric material to columnar streams of pressurized fluid, each said micro-hole extending completely through the thickness of said film to open at each said side surface.
A sanitary napkin comprising an absorbent core having an upper major surface and a lower major surface;
- a liquid-impermeable barrier layer;
- and a cover material, said cover material facing the upper surface of said absorbent core, said cover material comprising a film formed from a stretchable thermoplastic polymeric material and which is apertured during processing to provide apertured regions and unapertured regions, said film having two opposite side surfaces defining a film thickness therebetween, said apertured film including a plurality of generally vertically oriented cone structures defined by sloping side walls, said sloping side walls defining a plurality of valleys between said cone structures, said valleys having a network of non-overlapping micro-strips that define a plurality of micro-holes therein and that are each defined by said thermoplastic polymeric material extending between two adjacent micro-holes and terminating at two ends which are unitary with and merge with the adjacent thermoplastic polymeric material, said micro-strips having been drawn at least 100% as compared to adjacent regions which have not undergone aperturing during processing, said micro-strips and said micro-holes having been produced by the process of subjecting unsupported portions of said polymeric material to columnar streams of pressurized fluid, each said micro-hole extending completely through the thickness of said film to open at each said side surface.
A sanitary napkin comprising an absorbent core having an upper major surface and a lower major surface;
- a liquid-impermeable barrier layer;
- and a cover material, said cover material facing the upper surface of said absorbent core, said cover material comprising a film formed from a stretchable thermoplastic polymeric material and which is apertured during processing to provide apertured regions and unapertured regions, said apertured film having two opposite side surfaces defining a film thickness therebetween and having a network of non-overlapping micro-strips that define a plurality of micro-holes therein and that are each defined by said thermoplastic polymeric material extending between two adjacent micro-holes and terminating at two ends which are unitary with and merge with the adjacent thermoplastic polymeric material, said micro-holes being arranged in a plurality of groups of micro-holes;
- said micro-strips having been drawn at least 100% as compared to adjacent regions which have not undergone aperturing during processing, said micro-strips and said micro-holes having been produced by the process of subjecting unsupported portions of said polymeric material to columnar streams of pressurized fluid, each said micro-hole extending completely through the thickness of said film to open at each said side surface.
A film formed from a stretchable thermoplastic polymer material and which is apertured during processing to provide apertured regions and unapertured regions, said film having two opposite side surfaces defining a film thickness therebetween, said apertured film having a network of non-overlapping micro-strips that define a plurality of micro-holes therein and that are each defined by said thermoplastic polymeric material extending between two adjacent micro-holes and terminating at two ends which are unitary with and merge with the adjacent thermoplastic polymeric material, said micro-strips having been drawn at least 100% as compared to adjacent regions which have not undergone aperturing during processing, said micro-strips and said micro-holes having been produced by the process of subjecting unsupported portions of said polymeric material to columnar streams of pressurized fluid, said film containing areas in which said micro-strips are randomly distributed in said film with two adjacent micro-holes being separated by only one of said micro-strips extending between said micro-holes.
An absorbent product comprising an absorbent core having oppositely facing major surfaces, at least one of said major surfaces being covered with a film, said film being formed from a stretchable thermoplastic polymeric material and apertured during processing to provide apertured regions and unapertured regions, said film having two opposite side surfaces defining a film thickness therebetween, said apertured film having a network of non-overlapping micro-strips that define a plurality of micro-holes therein and that are each defined by said thermoplastic polymeric material extending between two adjacent micro-holes and terminating at two ends which are unitary with and merge with the adjacent thermoplastic polymeric material, said micro-strips having been drawn at least 100% as compared to adjacent regions which have not undergone aperturing during processing, said micro-strips and said micro-holes having been produced by the process of subjecting unsupported portions of said polymeric material to columnar streams of pressurized fluid, said film containing areas in which said micro-strips are randomly distributed in said film with two adjacent micro-holes being separated by only one of said micro-strips extending between said micro-holes.
A sanitary napkin comprising an absorbent core having an upper major surface and a lower major surface;
- a liquid-impermeable barrier layer;
- and a cover material, said cover material facing the upper surface of said absorbent core, said cover material comprising a film formed from a stretchable thermoplastic polymeric material and which is apertured during processing to provide apertured regions and unapertured regions, said film having two opposite side surfaces defining a film thickness therebetween, said apertured film having a network of non-overlapping micro-strips that define a plurality of micro-holes therein and that are each defined by said thermoplastic polymeric material extending between two adjacent micro-holes and terminating at two ends which are unitary with and merge with the adjacent thermoplastic polymeric material, said micro-strips having been drawn at least 100% as compared to adjacent regions which have not undergone aperturing during processing, said micro-strips and said micro-holes having been produced by the process of subjecting unsupported portions of said polymeric material to columnar streams of pressurized fluid, said film containing areas in which said micro-strips are randomly distributed in said film with two adjacent micro-holes being separated by only one of said micro-strips extending between said micro-holes, said barrier layer facing the lower surface of said absorbent core.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.