Method of making prefastened refastenable disposable absorbent articles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9345625-B2
Application number	US-201414575147-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 18, 2014
Priority date	Sep 14, 2010
Publication date	May 24, 2016
Grant date	May 24, 2016

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to methods for manufacturing absorbent articles, and in particular, methods for making pre-fastened refastenable pant diapers. Aspects of the methods according to the present disclosure relate to the fabrication of refastenable pant diapers wherein discrete chassis are advanced in a machine direction such that the lateral axis is parallel with the machine direction. First side panels are then refastenably connected with the first waist region, and second side panels are permanently connected the second waist regions of the discrete chassis. The chassis are connected with discrete lengths of side panel material and/or connection zone material. The chassis are then folded, and the first and second side panels are subsequently bonded together. The article is then subjected to knife cut at or adjacent the bonded regions to create discrete, pre-fastened refastenable pant diapers.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A process for assembling disposable pre-fastened pant diapers, each pant diaper comprising a chassis having a first waist region longitudinally opposed to a second waist region, and having a longitudinal axis and a lateral axis, the chassis comprising: a topsheet, a backsheet, and an absorbent core disposed between the topsheet and the backsheet, each pant diaper further comprising laterally opposed first side panels refastenably connected with the first waist region; and laterally opposed second side panels permanently connected with the second waist region and permanently connected with corresponding first side panels to form a waist opening, the process comprising the steps of:
advancing a first continuous web having a first surface and an opposing second surface in a machine direction wherein fastener components are connected with the first surface;
cutting the first continuous web into first discrete patches, each first patch having a leading end region, a trailing end region, and a central region disposed between the leading and trailing end regions, wherein a first fastener is located in the leading end region and a second fastener is located in the trailing end region;
advancing a second continuous web in the machine direction;
cutting the second continuous web into second discrete patches, each second patch having a leading end region, a trailing end region, and a central region disposed between the leading and trailing end regions,
advancing a third continuous web in the machine direction;
cutting the third continuous web into discrete chassis, wherein each chassis advances such that the longitudinal axis is parallel with the machine direction;
turning each chassis such that the lateral axis is parallel with the machine direction;
refastenably connecting the first waist region of each chassis with a trailing end region of an advancing first patch and with a leading end region of a subsequently advancing first patch;
permanently connecting the second waist region of each chassis with a trailing end region of an advancing second patch and with a leading end region of a subsequently advancing second patch;
folding each chassis along the lateral axis to position the central region of each first patch into a facing relationship with the central region of each second patch;
bonding a portion of the central region of each first patch with a portion of each second patch to create discrete bond regions; and
cutting the first and second patches along the bond regions to create discrete pre-fastened refastenable pant diapers.

2. The process of claim 1 , wherein the first waist region is a front waist region.

3. The process of claim 1 , wherein the second waist region is a back waist region.

4. The process of claim 1 , wherein the first continuous web comprises a continuous length of front side panel material.

5. The process of claim 1 , wherein the first patches comprise discrete lengths of front side panel material.

6. The process of claim 1 , wherein the second continuous web comprises a continuous length of back side panel material.

7. The process of claim 1 , wherein the second patches comprise discrete lengths of back side panel material.

8. The process of claim 1 , wherein the third continuous web comprises a continuous length of chassis assemblies.

Assignees

• Procter & Gamble

Inventors

• Lavon Gary Dean
• Lam Joseph Hung
• Tameishi Kazuaki
• Morimoto Koichi
• Yamamoto Yoichiro
• Juguilon Norman Gorospe

Classifications

• A61F13/496 Primary

  in the form of pants or briefs · CPC title

• A61F13/15747

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

• A61F13/15739

  Sealing, e.g. involving cutting · CPC title

• A61F13/15699 Primary

  Forming webs by bringing together several webs, e.g. by laminating or folding several webs, with or without additional treatment of the webs · CPC title

• Y10T156/1074

  Separate cutting of separate sheets or webs · CPC title