Patent ID: 6455753
Filing Date: 2002-09-24
Classification: A61F

Abstract:
A disposable absorbent article arranged to be worn by a wearer to trap and collect fluid waste products of the wearer, said article being suitable for accommodating multiple insults of said fluid waste products, said article comprising a top-sheet, a fluid acquisition system, and a fluid absorbent core having a pair of marginal side edges, said top-sheet having a portion forming a fluid intake zone confined to the area at which an insult of waste product from the wearer occurs, said top-sheet portion being formed of a single layer of a fluid pervious, fibrous material, said fluid acquisition system comprising a first fluid acquisition layer and a second fluid acquisition layer adhesively secured to each other, said first fluid acquisition layer comprising a three-dimensional apertured film having a pair of marginal side edges, said apertured film including a large number of generally uniformly sized tapering apertures, said first fluid acquisition layer being substantially smaller in area than said top-sheet and said core and being confined to said fluid intake zone of said top-sheet, with said marginal edges of said first fluid acquisition layer being spaced inwardly of said marginal edges of said core and being centered between said marginal side edges of said core, said second fluid acquisition layer comprising a fibrous, fluid pervious material, said absorbent core comprising a fluid absorbing material suitable for accommodating multiple insults of said fluid waste product, said first acquisition layer being located over said second acquisition layer, directly under and contiguous with said top-sheet and with said apertures tapering in a direction from said top-sheet toward said second acquisition layer, said second acquisition layer being located under said first acquisition layer and directly over and contiguous with said absorbent core so that said first and second acquisition layers are positioned directly within said fluid intake zone of said top-sheet, whereupon fluid is enabled to readily flow from said single layer top-sheet through said tapering apertures in said first acquisition layer and through said second acquisition layer into said core, but is deterred from flowing in the opposite direction through said apertures.