Absorbent article with selectively positioned waist containment member

US12478517B2 · US · B2

Patent metadata
FieldValue
Publication numberUS-12478517-B2
Application numberUS-202318112533-A
CountryUS
Kind codeB2
Filing dateFeb 22, 2023
Priority dateMar 31, 2015
Publication dateNov 25, 2025
Grant dateNov 25, 2025

How to read this patent

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  1. Title

    What the patent document calls the invention.

  2. Abstract

    A short plain-language summary of the technical disclosure.

  3. Assignees and inventors

    Who owns or filed the patent and who is credited as inventor.

  4. Key dates

    Filing, priority, publication, and grant dates set the timeline.

  5. First independent claim

    The legal scope of protection — read this for what is actually claimed.

  6. CPC / IPC classifications

    Technology tags used to group this patent with similar filings.

  7. Citations and related patents

    Prior art links and similar publications in this corpus.

Abstract

Official abstract text for this publication.

An absorbent article ( 10, 110, 210, 310 ) can include a chassis ( 11 ) including an absorbent body ( 34 ). The chassis ( 11 ) can include a body facing surface ( 19 ). The absorbent article ( 10, 110, 210, 310 ) can also include a waist containment member ( 54, 154, 254 ). The waist containment member ( 54, 154, 254 ) can include a proximal portion ( 76 ) coupled to the body facing surface ( 19 ) of the chassis ( 11 ) and a distal portion ( 78 ) that includes a free edge ( 88 ). The distal portion ( 78 ) can be free to move with respect to the chassis ( 11 ) when the absorbent article ( 10, 110, 210, 310 ) is in a relaxed configuration. The free edge ( 88 ) can be about 50.0 millimeters or less from the rear waist edge ( 24 ) of the absorbent article ( 10, 110, 210, 310 ) when the absorbent article ( 10, 110, 210, 310 ) is in the stretched, laid-flat configuration.

First claim

Opening claim text (preview).

What is claimed is: 1 . An absorbent article including a front waist region including a front waist edge, a rear waist region including a rear waist edge, a crotch region, a longitudinal axis and a lateral axis, the absorbent article comprising: a chassis including an absorbent body, the chassis including a body facing surface; and a waist containment member disposed on the body facing surface of the chassis, the waist containment member comprising: a first longitudinal side edge and a second longitudinal side edge; a proximal portion coupled to the body facing surface of the chassis; a distal portion including a free edge, the distal portion being free to move with respect to the chassis when the absorbent article is in a relaxed configuration; and at least three folds when the absorbent article is in a stretched, laid-flat configuration, each of the at least three folds folding the waist containment member in a direction generally parallel to the lateral axis of the absorbent article. 2 . An absorbent article including a front waist region including a front waist edge, a rear waist region including a rear waist edge, a crotch region, a longitudinal axis and a lateral axis, the absorbent article comprising: a chassis including an absorbent body, the chassis including a body facing surface; and a waist containment member disposed on the body facing surface of the chassis, the waist containment member comprising: a first longitudinal side edge and a second longitudinal side edge; a proximal portion including a first end edge and a second end edge, the proximal portion being coupled to the body facing surface of the absorbent assembly between the first end edge and the second end edge; and a distal portion including a free edge, the distal portion being free to move with respect to the chassis when the absorbent article is in a relaxed configuration, the second end edge of the proximal portion of the waist containment member defining a transition between the proximal portion and the distal portion, the free edge of the distal portion being closer to the rear waist edge than is the first end edge of the proximal portion of the waist containment member when the absorbent article is in a stretched, laid-flat configuration, wherein a length of the distal portion extending in the longitudinal direction is greater than a length of the proximal portion extending in the longitudinal direction. 3 . An absorbent article including a front waist region including a front waist edge, a rear waist region including a rear waist edge, a crotch region, a longitudinal axis and a lateral axis, the absorbent article comprising: a chassis including an absorbent body, the chassis including a body facing surface; and a waist containment member disposed on the body facing surface of the chassis and spaced from the rear waist edge, the waist containment member comprising: a first longitudinal side edge and a second longitudinal side edge; a proximal portion, the proximal portion being coupled to the body facing surface of the chassis; a distal portion including a free edge, the distal portion being free to move with respect to the chassis when the absorbent article is in a relaxed configuration, the free edge being about 40.0 millimeters or less from the rear waist edge of the absorbent article when the absorbent article is in a stretched, laid-flat configuration; and a fold defining a transition between the proximal portion and the distal portion, wherein a length of the distal portion extending in the longitudinal direction is greater than a length of the proximal portion extending in the longitudinal direction. 4 . The absorbent article of claim 1 , wherein the waist containment member includes at least four folds when the absorbent article is in a stretched, laid-flat configuration, each of the at least four folds folding the waist containment member in a direction generally parallel to the lateral axis of the absorbent article. 5 . The absorbent article of claim 4 , wherein the distal portion of the waist containment member includes the at least four folds. 6 . The absorbent article of claim 1 , wherein the waist containment member further comprises at least one elastic member. 7 . The absorbent article of claim 6 , wherein the distal portion of the waist containment member includes the at least one elastic member. 8 . The absorbent article of claim 2 , wherein the free edge of the distal portion of the waist containment member is about 50.0 millimeters or less from the rear waist edge of the absorbent article when the absorbent article is in the stretched, laid-flat configuration. 9 . The absorbent article of claim 8 , wherein the free edge of the distal portion of the waist containment member is about 40.0 millimeters or less from the rear waist edge of the absorbent article when the absorbent article is in the stretched, laid-flat configuration. 10 . The absorbent article of claim 3 , wherein the free edge of the distal portion of the waist containment member is about 30.0 millimeters or less from the rear waist edge of the absorbent article when the absorbent article is in the stretched, laid-flat configuration. 11 . The absorbent article of claim 1 , wherein the proximal portion includes a first edge and a second edge, the second edge defining a transition between the proximal portion and the distal portion of the waist containment member, and wherein the free edge of the distal portion is closer to the rear waist edge than is the first edge of the proximal portion when the absorbent article is in a stretched, laid-flat configuration. 12 . The absorbent article of claim 2 , wherein the free edge of the distal portion is substantially the same distance from the rear waist edge as is the second edge of the proximal portion of the waist containment member when the absorbent article is in a stretched, laid-flat configuration. 13 . The absorbent article of claim 11 , wherein the free edge of the distal portion is substantially the same distance from the rear waist edge as is the second edge of the proximal portion of the waist containment member when the absorbent article is in a stretched, laid-flat configuration. 14 . The absorbent article of claim 1 , wherein the distal portion includes a laminate section, the laminate section being near the free edge of the distal portion. 15 . The absorbent article of claim 14 , wherein the waist containment member further comprises at least one elastic member, the at least one elastic member being disposed in the laminate section of the distal portion of the waist containment member. 16 . The absorbent article of claim 14 , wherein the waist containment member comprises at least three elastic members, the at least three elastic members being disposed in the laminate section of the distal portion of the waist containment member. 17 . The absorbent article of claim 1 , wherein the chassis further comprises a bodyside liner and an outer cover, the absorbent body being disposed between the bodyside liner and the outer cover. 18 . The absorbent article of claim 17 , wherein the bodyside liner includes a body facing surface, and wherein the proximal portion of the waist containment member is coupled to the body facing surface of the bodyside liner. 19 . The absorbent article of claim 1 , further comprising: a pair of containment flaps including a first containment flap and a second containment flap, the first containment flap being on a first side of the longitudinal axis a

Assignees

Inventors

Classifications

  • the edge leakage prevention means being or forming three-dimensional barrier with raised lateral side-or end-wall · CPC title

  • the edge leakage prevention means being elastic · CPC title

  • in the form of pants or briefs · CPC title

  • A61F13/495Primary

    with faecal cavity · CPC title

  • the edge leakage prevention means being at the waist region · CPC title

Patent family

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Frequently asked questions

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What does patent US12478517B2 cover?
An absorbent article ( 10, 110, 210, 310 ) can include a chassis ( 11 ) including an absorbent body ( 34 ). The chassis ( 11 ) can include a body facing surface ( 19 ). The absorbent article ( 10, 110, 210, 310 ) can also include a waist containment member ( 54, 154, 254 ). The waist containment member ( 54, 154, 254 ) can include a proximal portion ( 76 ) coupled to the body facing surface ( 1…
Who is the assignee on this patent?
Kimberly Clark Co
What technology area does this patent fall under?
Primary CPC classification A61F13/495. Mapped technology areas include Human Necessities.
When was this patent published?
Publication date Tue Nov 25 2025 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) (B2). Legal status and post-grant events are not shown on this page.
What related patents are in patentsdb?
We list 12 related publications on this page (citations in our corpus or others sharing the same primary CPC).