Filing Information

Inventor(s)	Kenneth B. Buell ·
Assignee(s)	The Procter & Gamble Company ·  View assignee updates
Attorney/Agent(s)	Steven W. Miller ·
Primary Examiner	Rosenbaum; C. Fred ·
Assistant Examiner	Mark O. Polutta ·
Application Number	US7770736
Filing date	10/02/1991
Issue date	03/30/1993
Predicted expiration date	03/30/2010
U.S. Classifications	604/385.1  · 604/358  ·
International Classifications	A61F 1316  ·
Kind Code	A
International Classifications	604385.1;369;378;379;400-402;356 ·
Related U.S. Application Data	This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/175,816, filed on Mar. 31, 1988, now abandoned.

Patent Family

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a disposable absorbent article, and particularly a sanitary napkin, having a flexure-resistant deformation element, the sanitary napkin having a body surface which has a convex upward configuration when the sanitary napkin is worn. Primarily without relying on lateral compressive forces of the wearer's labia, the sanitary napkin of the present invention relies on the lateral compressive forces of the wearer's thighs in order to form or maintain a convex upward configuration when the sanitary napkin is worn. In a preferred embodiment, the deformation element has a means for inducing the body surface of the sanitary napkin to have a convex upward configuration when the sanitary napkin is worn. In an alternatively preferred embodiment, the sanitary napkin has a central region having a "W" shaped cross-section wherein the body surface of the sanitary napkin having the convex upward configuration is located in the central region, generally symmetrically between the longitudinal side edges of the sanitary napkin. In another alternatively preferred embodiment, the sanitary napkin has a cup-shaped front region and a back region having a convex upward configured body surface. The deformation element may be a moldable substance such as a foam, it may be reformable and/or it may be resilient.

Independent Claims | See all claims (24)

1. 1. A disposable absorbent article comprising:a liquid pervious topsheet;a liquid impervious backsheet joined with said topsheet; andan absorbent element disposed between said topsheet and said backsheet;wherein said backsheet comprises a flexure-resistant deformation element, said deformation element having a flexure means for inducing bending of said deformation element in a preconceived way into a preconceived convex upward geometric configuration when the absorbent article is subjected to lateral compressive forces.