Method for Manufacturing Absorbent Articles Including a Discrete Barrier Member

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016256333-A1
Application number	US-201615059375-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 3, 2016
Priority date	Mar 6, 2015
Publication date	Sep 8, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method for manufacturing an absorbent article including a topsheet, a backsheet, a core, a discrete barrier member, a first cuff, and a second cuff. A continuous barrier substrate may be transferred onto a folding roll. The folding roll may form a fold in at least a portion of the continuous barrier substrate. The continuous barrier substrate may then be cut into a discrete barrier member including a leading edge portion, an opposing trailing edge portion, and a central portion therebetween. The discrete barrier member may be disposed on at least a portion of a first cuff substrate and a second cuff substrate. A topsheet substrate may associate with at least a portion of the discrete barrier member, the first cuff substrate, and the second cuff substrate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method for manufacturing an absorbent article, wherein the absorbent article comprises a topsheet, a backsheet, a core, a discrete barrier member, a first cuff, and a second cuff, the method comprising the steps of:
advancing a first cuff substrate and a second cuff substrate in a machine direction, wherein the first cuff substrate comprises a first inner cuff edge and a first outer cuff edge and the second cuff substrate comprises a second inner cuff edge and a second outer cuff edge, and wherein the first inner cuff edge is separated from the second inner cuff edge in a cross direction by a first distance; advancing a continuous barrier substrate in the machine direction to an infeed device; advancing the infeed device and the continuous barrier substrate at a first velocity; rotating a folding roll at a second velocity about an axis of rotation, wherein the second velocity is greater than the first velocity; advancing the continuous barrier substrate onto the folding roll, wherein the folding roll comprises one or more grooves; rotating the folding member about an axis of rotation; cutting the continuous barrier substrate to form a discrete barrier member, wherein the barrier member comprises a leading edge portion, a trailing edge portion opposite the leading edge portion, and a central portion between the leading edge portion and the trailing edge portion; forcing a portion of the discrete barrier member into the one or more grooves of the folding roll; connecting the trailing edge portion of the discrete barrier member with the first cuff substrate and the second cuff substrate; extending the trailing edge portion of the discrete barrier member in the cross direction by separating the first cuff substrate and the second cuff substrate such that the first inner cuff edge is separated from the second inner cuff edge in the cross direction by a second distance, wherein the second distance is greater than the first distance; advancing a topsheet substrate having a first topsheet edge and a second topsheet edge opposite from the first topsheet edge in the cross direction; and connecting the leading edge portion of the discrete barrier member with the topsheet substrate.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the first cuff substrate and the second cuff substrate comprise a first surface and an opposing second surface, wherein the first surface and the second surface comprise a first edge region, an opposing second edge region, and a central region therebetween.

3 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising the step of folding the first cuff substrate and the second cuff substrate such that the first inner cuff edge is folded to associate with at least one of the first edge region and the central region of the first cuff substrate to form a first fold edge and the second inner cuff edge is folded to associate with at least one of the second edge region and the central region of the second cuff substrate to form a second fold edge.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the discrete barrier member is extensible in at least one of the machine direction and the cross direction.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the folding roll comprises a first engagement portion, a second engagement portion opposite the first engagement portion, and wherein the groove portion is between the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of connecting the trailing edge portion of the discrete barrier member with the first cuff substrate and the second cuff substrate includes bonding the trailing edge portion of the discrete barrier member with the first cuff substrate and the second cuff substrate.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein bonding comprises at least one of high pressure welding, hot air welding, heated crimping, and rotary ultrasonic welding

8 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the step of bonding the trailing edge portion of the discrete barrier member with the first cuff substrate and the second cuff substrate includes adhering the trailing edge portion of the discrete barrier member with the first cuff substrate and the second cuff substrate.

9 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of transferring the discrete barrier member, the first cuff substrate, and the second cuff substrate to a bond roll.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the topsheet substrate comprises one or more apertures.

11 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of activating the topsheet substrate such that the topsheet substrate is extensible in at least one of the machine direction and the cross direction.

12 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of folding the topsheet substrate to form a topsheet fold extending in the machine direction between the first topsheet edge and the second topsheet edge.

13 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of positioning the topsheet substrate over at least a portion of the first cuff substrate, the second cuff substrate, and the discrete barrier member.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the discrete barrier member is positioned between the topsheet substrate and at least one of the first cuff substrate and the second cuff substrate.

15 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of connecting the topsheet substrate with the first cuff substrate and the second cuff substrate.

16 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of stretching the topsheet substrate such that the first topsheet edge is separated from the second topsheet edge in the cross direction by an extended topsheet width.

17 . A method for manufacturing an absorbent article, wherein the absorbent article comprises a topsheet, a backsheet, a core, a discrete barrier member, a first cuff, and a second cuff, the method comprising the steps of:
advancing a first cuff substrate and a second cuff substrate in a machine direction, wherein the first cuff substrate comprises a first inner cuff edge and an opposing first outer cuff edge, and wherein the second cuff substrate comprises a second inner cuff edge and an opposing second outer cuff edge, and wherein each of the first cuff substrate and the second cuff substrate comprise a first cuff surface and a second cuff surface such that each include an inner edge region, an opposing outer edge region, and a central region therebetween; folding the first cuff substrate such that the first inner cuff edge is associated with at least one of the first edge region and the central region of the first cuff surface to form a first cuff fold, wherein the first cuff fold comprises a first fold edge; folding the second cuff substrate such that the second inner cuff edge is associated with at least one of the first edge region and the central region of the first cuff surface to form a second cuff fold, wherein the second cuff fold comprises a second fold edge, wherein the first fold edge is separated by the second fold edge by a first distance in a cross direction; advancing a continuous barrier substrate in the machine direction onto an infeed device, wherein the infeed device advances the continuous barrier substrate at a first velocity; advancing the continuous barrier substrate onto an outer circumferential surface of a folding roll, wherein the folding roll is configured to rotate about an axis of rotation at a second velocity, and wherein the second velocity is greater than the first velocity; cutting the continuous barrier substrate on the folding roll to form a discre

Assignees

• Procter & Gamble

Inventors

• Brown Darrell Ian
• Helton Ronald Herbert

Classifications

• A61F2013/4956

  with vertical spacer or separator keeping other components out of contact · CPC title

• A61F13/15747

  Folding; Pleating; Coiling; Stacking; Packaging · CPC title

• A61F13/15804 Primary

  Plant, e.g. involving several steps · CPC title

• A61F13/15764

  Transferring, feeding or handling devices; Drives · CPC title

• A61F13/15723

  Partitioning batts; Cutting · CPC title