Patent ID: 9534325
Date: 2017-01-03
CPC Classifications: A61F,B29C,D04H

Claim:
1. An absorbent member made by a method comprising: a) providing a precursor web material, said precursor web material comprising a wetlaid cellulosic fibrous structure, said precursor web material having a first surface, a second surface, and a thickness; b) providing a pair of forming members having a machine direction orientation and a cross-machine direction orientation, said forming members comprising: c) providing a third forming member having a machine direction orientation and a cross-machine direction orientation, said third forming member having a surface comprising a plurality of third forming elements, wherein said third forming elements comprise discrete male forming elements that are spaced apart in the machine direction; d) mechanically impacting said precursor web material by placing said precursor web material between said first forming member and said second forming member, wherein said forming elements on said first forming member penetrate into the first surface of said precursor web material only part of the way into the thickness of said precursor web material, and the second surface of said precursor web material is in contact with the surface of said second forming member; and e) repeating a step of mechanically impacting said precursor web to form an absorbent member by mechanically impacting said precursor web between said third forming member and either the second forming member or a fourth forming member, wherein said forming elements on said third forming member penetrate into the first surface of said precursor web at least part of the way into the thickness of said precursor web material, wherein the only material that is mechanically impacted in steps d) and e) consists of wetlaid cellulosic fibrous material, wherein said absorbent member comprises a unitary wetlaid absorbent fibrous layer comprising cellulose fibers, said absorbent layer having a first surface, a second surface, a length extending in an X-direction, a width extending in a Y-direction, and a Z-direction thickness, wherein the thickness of the absorbent layer can be divided into a range of distances measured through its thickness from 0 % at its first surface to 100% of the distance through its thickness at its second surface, and the length and width of the absorbent layer define an area, wherein at least a 7.2×7.2 mm square area of the absorbent layer has an average density, and a density profile through its thickness comprising a location having a maximum density, a location having a minimum density, a mean maximum density, and a mean minimum density, said absorbent layer comprising a relatively higher density zone disposed in the Z-direction adjacent to a relatively lower density outer zone of the layer, wherein: