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US 6,645,330 B2Granted
Method of making disposable absorbent article having graphics using ultrasonic thermal imaging
AssigneeParagon Trade Brands, Inc.
InventorsSunita Pargass, Joseph Vergona
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An absorbent article including one or more images disposed thereon and a method for making the same are provided according to the present invention, wherein an ultrasonic assembly is used to impart sufficient energy to a deformed web to either partially or fully melt the web either in the deformed areas, or non-deformed areas to thereby form an image. The method can be used to print graphics directly on an absorbent article after its formation, or it can be used to print graphics on an appliquélayer that is subsequently placed on a predetermined portion of the absorbent article.
Claims74
A method of forming an image on a moving non-woven web comprising
- feeding a moving non-woven web past an ultrasonic assembly;
- imparting sufficient ultrasonic energy to the moving web with the ultrasonic assembly to raise the surface temperature of the moving web to slightly above the melting temperature of the moving web only in the areas where the image is to be formed for a positive image, or only in the areas where the image is not to be formed for a negative image, to thereby form the image,
- whereby imparting sufficient ultrasonic energy includes vibrating the ultrasonic assembly transversely to the direction of the moving web such that the ultrasonic assembly only briefly comes into contact with the moving web that is imaged when the horn is fully extended, and the amount of energy imparted by the ultrasonic assembly is controlled to prevent forming a hole in the moving web.
A method of forming an absorbent article comprising:
- providing a top sheet material;
- providing an absorbent core;
- forming an image on a moving liquid impermeable back sheet material by:
- imparting sufficient ultrasonic energy with an ultrasonic assembly to the back sheet material to raise the surface temperature only in the areas where the image is to be formed to slightly above the melting temperature of the back sheet material to thereby form a liquid impermeable imaged back sheet material;
- providing a continuously moving liquid impermeable imaged back sheet material;
- and
- forming an absorbent article by disposing the absorbent core between the continuously moving top sheet material and the continuously moving liquid impermeable imaged back sheet material.
4 more elements
A method of making an absorbent article comprising:
- providing a top sheet material;
- providing an absorbent core;
- providing a liquid impermeable back sheet material;
- fornming an image on a moving appliqué layer by
- imparting sufficient ultrasonic energy with an ultrasonic assembly to the appliqué layer to raise the surface temperature only in the areas where the image is to be formed to slightly above the melting temperature of the appliqué layer to form an imaged appliqué layer;
- forming a continuously moving absorbent core assembly at a forming station by disposing the absorbent core between the top sheet material and the liquid impermeable back sheet material;
- providing a continuously moving imaged appliqué layer;
- and
- disposing the continuously moving imaged appliqué layer on a surface of the continuously moving absorbent core assembly.
6 more elements
A method of imparting an image to an absorbent article comprising:
- providing an absorbent core;
- providing a top sheet material;
- providing a liquid impermeable back sheet material;
- forming a continuously moving absorbent core assembly having at least one outer surface at a forming station by disposing the absorbent core between the top sheet material and the back sheet material;
- and
- forming an image on the continuously moving absorbent core assembly by imparting sufficient ultrasonic energy with an ultrasonic assembly to the at least one outer layer to raise the surface temperature thereof only in the areas where the image is to be formed to slightly above the melting temperature of the outer layer.
3 more elements
An apparatus for imparting an image to a moving web comprising:
- a mechanism for transporting the web in a machine direction and past an ultrasonic assembly;
- an imaging roll capable of deforming the surface of the web without punching holes there through, whereby the deformed surface corresponds to either a positive or a negative of the image to be formed;
- an ultrasonic assembly positioned relative to the moving web such that the minimum distance between the ultrasonic assembly at rest and the deformed surface of the web is from about 0.0005 to about 0.005 inch;
- and
- a mechanism for controlling the amount of energy imparted to the ultrasonic assembly such that the ultrasonic assembly provides sufficient ultrasonic energy to the moving web to raise the surface temperature of the deformed surfaces to slightly above the melting temperature of the web only in the areas where the image is to be formed.
2 more elements
An apparatus for forming an absorbent garment having an image thereon comprising:
- a mechanism for continuously supplying top sheet material;
- a mechanism for continuously supplying back sheet material;
- a mechanism for continuously supplying an absorbent core;
- a forming station for bringing the back sheet material, top sheet material and absorbent core into engagement with one another by disposing the absorbent core between the top sheet material and the back sheet material;
- a mechanism for transporting a web past an ultrasonic assembly;
- an imaging roll capable of deforming the surface of the web without punching holes there through, whereby the deformed surface corresponds to either a positive or a negative of the image to be formed;
- an ultrasonic assembly positioned relative to the moving web such that the minimum distance between the ultrasonic assembly at rest and the deformed surface of the web is from about 0.0005 to about 0.005 inch;
- and
- a mechanism for controlling the amount of energy imparted to the ultrasonic assembly such that the ultrasonic assembly provides sufficient ultrasonic energy to the moving web to raise the surface temperature of the deformed surfaces to slightly above the melting temperature of the web only in the areas where the image is to be formed.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.