Abstract:
A method of individually packaging an intimate feminine absorbent article such that the packaged intimate feminine absorbent article is dimensioned to fit within the pocket of an article of clothing to be worn on one&#39;s person includes compressing the intimate feminine absorbent article from a first condition to a second, compressed condition and retaining the intimate feminine absorbent article in the second, compressed condition with a pressure differential that acts upon a substantially flexible, substantially air impermeable material to maintain the intimate feminine absorbent article in the compressed condition. The pressure differential is created by locating the intimate feminine absorbent article in an interior space of a substantially flexible material, creating a negative pressure within the interior space, and hermetically sealing the intimate feminine absorbent article at the negative pressure within the flexible material.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is a continuation-in-part of, and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §120 to, U.S. nonprovisional patent application Ser. No. 11/421,759, filed Jun. 1, 2006, which &#39;759 application published as U.S. patent application publication no. US 2006/0206082 A1, and which &#39;759 application is a continuation-in-part of, and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §120 to, U.S. nonprovisional patent application Ser. No. 09/560,246, filed Apr. 26, 2000. Each of these patent applications and patent publications is hereby incorporated herein by reference. 
         [0002]    Additionally, the following U.S. nonprovisional patent applications and their corresponding U.S. patent application publications are hereby incorporated herein by reference:
       (1) U.S. nonprovisional patent application Ser. No. 10/907,389, which &#39;389 application published as U.S. patent application publication no. US 2005/0155898 A1; and   (2) U.S. nonprovisional patent application Ser. No. 11/005,538, which &#39;538 application published as U.S. patent application publication no. US 2005/0085781 A1.       
 
     
    
     COPYRIGHT STATEMENT 
       [0005]    All of the material in this patent document is subject to copyright protection under the copyright laws of the United States and of other countries. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
       [0006]    The present invention relates to absorbent articles such as diapers and sanitary napkins. More particularly, the present invention relates to absorbent articles that are packaged at reduced volume to become ultra-compact and highly portable. 
         [0007]    One of the drawbacks of disposable diapers is portability, particularly during travel, whether long-distance travel or simply to the neighborhood store. Parents need to pack a sufficient number of diapers in a diaper bag to last the duration of the trip. However, while not necessarily heavy, disposable diapers are bulky and occupy a large amount of space. Accordingly, a diaper bag in tow with a traveling parent is cumbersome and a nuisance. Indeed, a single disposable diaper may not fit into most purses or a jacket breast pocket even for short trips. In view of the foregoing, there remains a need in the art for absorbent articles that are compact and portable. 
       SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
       [0008]    According to one aspect of the invention, a set of compact absorbent articles includes a plurality of absorbent articles and a packaging. Each of the absorbent articles, such as a diaper or a sanitary napkin, is reconfigurable from a normal condition to a compressed condition. The packaging includes a plurality of compartments each for receiving one of the absorbent articles in the compressed condition. Each of the absorbent articles has three dimensions, at least one of which is reduced when the absorbent article is in the compressed condition, with each of the absorbent articles being retained by the packaging when in the compressed condition. 
         [0009]    According to various aspects of the invention, the packaging may have release seams disposed between the compartments, so that a user can remove an individual article in its compartment from the other articles in the packaging. Also, each of the absorbent articles may be are vacuumed sealed at negative pressure in the packaging. In addition, the dimension that is reduced may be reduced by at least 30% when the absorbent articles are in the compressed condition. Further, each of the absorbent articles may be reconfigured from the normal condition to the compressed condition by negative pressure, physical force, rolling, or folding. 
         [0010]    Regarding advantages, the individually packaged compressed absorbent articles are highly compact and, accordingly, readily portable. In addition, a packaged absorbent article can be easily carried in a purse or a breast pocket of a blazer. In a multipack packaging embodiment, the multipack may be conveniently carried in, e.g., a bag, with individual absorbent articles removed from the multipack as needed. 
         [0011]    Additional aspects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
         [0012]      FIG. 1  is a perspective schematic view of an absorbent article of the invention shown in a normal (i.e., uncompressed) condition; 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  is a perspective schematic view of the absorbent article of  FIG. 1  now shown in a compressed condition; 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of the absorbent article taken along line  3 - 3  of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of the absorbent article taken along line  4 - 4  of  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a reconfigured absorbent article, wherein the article has been rolled in accordance with a method of the invention and is illustrated in a rolled configuration; 
           [0017]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a reconfigured absorbent article, wherein the article has been folded in accordance with a method of the invention and is illustrated in a folded configuration; 
           [0018]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the rolled absorbent article of  FIG. 5 , wherein the article in the rolled configuration has been compressed in accordance with a method of the invention and is illustrated in a compressed condition; 
           [0019]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the folded absorbent article of  FIG. 6 , wherein the article in the folded configuration has been compressed in accordance with a method of the invention and is illustrated in a compressed condition; 
           [0020]      FIG. 9  is a cross-sectional view of the rolled and compressed absorbent article of  FIG. 7 , wherein the article is retained by packaging in the rolled and compressed condition; 
           [0021]      FIG. 10  is a cross-section view of the folded and compressed absorbent article of  FIG. 8 , wherein the article is retained by packaging in the folded and compressed condition; 
           [0022]      FIG. 11  is a top plan view of a disposable diaper in a “bifold” configuration, wherein the diaper has been folded once about a crosswise fold line along a midsection thereof, 
           [0023]      FIG. 12  is a side view of the diaper of  FIG. 11 ; 
           [0024]      FIG. 13  is a perspective view of the diaper of  FIG. 11 ; 
           [0025]      FIG. 14  is a perspective view of the diaper of  FIG. 13  being folded along a lengthwise aspect thereof, 
           [0026]      FIG. 15  is a perspective view of the diaper of  FIG. 13  being folded along a crosswise aspect thereof, 
           [0027]      FIG. 16  is a perspective view of the diaper of  FIG. 13  being inserted into a flexible, air impermeable encasement for vacuum 0 -packing; 
           [0028]      FIG. 17  is a perspective view of the diaper of  FIG. 16  after vacuum-packaging; 
           [0029]      FIG. 18  is a top plan view of a diaper after folding, compressing, and vacuum-packaging, wherein the diaper is in a “trifold” configuration; 
           [0030]      FIG. 19  is a side view of the packaged diaper of  FIG. 18 ; 
           [0031]      FIG. 20  is a top plan view of a disposable diaper having indicia thereon, wherein the diaper is completely unfolded; 
           [0032]      FIG. 21  and  FIG. 22  are views of the diaper of  FIG. 20  wherein margins of the diaper have been tucked; 
           [0033]      FIG. 23  is a perspective view of the diaper of  FIGS. 21 and 22 , wherein the diaper has been folded once about a crosswise fold line along a midsection thereof, 
           [0034]      FIG. 24  and  FIG. 25  are views of the diaper of  FIG. 23  after vacuum-packaging; 
           [0035]      FIG. 26  is a perspective view of a compressed absorbent article individually packaged in resealable packaging; 
           [0036]      FIG. 27  is a schematic plan view of a plurality of individually compressed absorbent articles arranged together in a multipack; 
           [0037]      FIG. 28  is a cross-sectional view of the multipack of  FIG. 27  taken along the line  32 - 32 ; 
           [0038]      FIG. 29  is a cross-sectional view of a multipack similar to the multipack of  FIG. 27-28 , wherein the multipack has been folded back upon itself making the multipack compact and portable; 
           [0039]      FIG. 30  is a perspective view of a carrier that is configured to hold and retain a plurality of individually packaged compressed absorbent articles; and 
           [0040]      FIG. 31  is a perspective view of a master container that is configured to hold and dispense a plurality of individually packaged compressed absorbent articles. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0041]    As a preliminary matter, it will readily be understood by one having ordinary skill in the relevant art (“Ordinary Artisan”) that the present invention has broad utility and application. Furthermore, any embodiment discussed and identified as being “preferred” is considered to be part of a best mode contemplated for carrying out the present invention. Other embodiments also may be discussed for additional illustrative purposes in providing a full and enabling disclosure of the present invention. Moreover, many embodiments, such as adaptations, variations, modifications, and equivalent arrangements, will be implicitly disclosed by the embodiments described herein and fall within the scope of the present invention. 
         [0042]    Accordingly, while the present invention is described herein in detail in relation to one or more embodiments, it is to be understood that this disclosure is illustrative and exemplary of the present invention, and is made merely for the purposes of providing a full and enabling disclosure of the present invention. The detailed disclosure herein of one or more embodiments is not intended, nor is to be construed, to limit the scope of patent protection afforded the present invention, which scope is to be defined by the claims and the equivalents thereof. It is not intended that the scope of patent protection afforded the present invention be defined by reading into any claim a limitation found herein that does not explicitly appear in the claim itself. 
         [0043]    Thus, for example, any sequence(s) and/or temporal order of steps of various processes or methods that are described herein are illustrative and not restrictive. Accordingly, it should be understood that, although steps of various processes or methods may be shown and described as being in a sequence or temporal order, the steps of any such processes or methods are not limited to being carried out in any particular sequence or order, absent an indication otherwise. Indeed, the steps in such processes or methods generally may be carried out in various different sequences and orders while still falling within the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, it is intended that the scope of patent protection afforded the present invention is to be defined by the appended claims rather than the description set forth herein. 
         [0044]    Additionally, it is important to note that each term used herein refers to that which the Ordinary Artisan would understand such term to mean based on the contextual use of such term herein. To the extent that the meaning of a term used herein-as understood by the Ordinary Artisan based on the contextual use of such term-differs in any way from any particular dictionary definition of such term, it is intended that the meaning of the term as understood by the Ordinary Artisan should prevail. 
         [0045]    Furthermore, it is important to note that, as used herein, “a” and “an” each generally denotes “at least one,” but does not exclude a plurality unless the contextual use dictates otherwise. Thus, reference to “a picnic basket having an apple” describes “a picnic basket having at least one apple” as well as “a picnic basket having apples.” In contrast, reference to “a picnic basket having a single apple” describes “a picnic basket having only one apple.” 
         [0046]    When used herein to join a list of items, “or” denotes “at least one of the items,” but does not exclude a plurality of items of the list. Thus, reference to “a picnic basket having cheese or crackers” describes “a picnic basket having cheese without crackers”, “a picnic basket having crackers without cheese”, and “a picnic basket having both cheese and crackers.” Finally, when used herein to join a list of items, “and” denotes “all of the items of the list.” Thus, reference to “a picnic basket having cheese and crackers” describes “a picnic basket having cheese, wherein the picnic basket further has crackers,” as well as describes “a picnic basket having crackers, wherein the picnic basket further has cheese.” 
         [0047]    Referring now to the drawings, an absorbent article is shown in  FIG. 1  and generally indicated by reference numeral  10 . The absorbent article  10 , which may be a diaper or a sanitary napkin, is a three-dimensional object occupying a volume of space V n  schematically represented by the product of a length l n , a width w n , and a thickness t n , i.e., V n =l n  times w n  times t n . The absorbent article  10  is compressible in at least one dimension but preferably in all three dimensions so that the volume of space which the article  10  occupies is reduced or compressed. 
         [0048]    For example, the absorbent article  10  is shown in  FIG. 2  with compressed length, width, and thickness dimensions l c , w c , and t c , each of which is respectively less than the uncompressed or “normal” length, width, and thickness dimensions l n , w n , and t n  of  FIG. 1 . Accordingly, a compressed volume V c  of the absorbent article  10  is less than the normal volume V n  thereof. For example, in accordance with the present invention, the absorbent article  10  is compressible such that the compressed volume V c  is at least one third less and preferably at least one half less than the normal volume V n ; that is, the compressed volume V c  of the absorbent article is at least 30% less and is preferably at least 50% less than the uncompressed volume V n . In accordance with the principles of the present invention, the absorbent article  10  is retained in the compressed condition, for example, by vacuum packaging, thereby providing an ultra-compact and highly portable absorbent article. The absorbent article  10  retained in the compressed condition may then be easily and conveniently carried by a user until needed. 
         [0049]    The absorbent article  10  is illustrated schematically in the drawings but may be configured as any type of absorbent article as known in the art, for example, a diaper, either infant or adult, a feminine sanitary napkin, and so on. The absorbent article  10  is made from resilient and compressible material that is able to retain fluid. Examples of diapers are disclosed in U.S. Statutory Invention Registration No. H1674 and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,520,674; 5,522,810; 5,855,574; 5,876,393; and 5,980,500. Examples of feminine sanitary napkins are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,490,847; 5,653,702; 5,792,131; 5,797,894; and 6,015,934. The disclosure of each of these patents is incorporated herein by reference. 
         [0050]    Being made from resilient absorptive material, exemplary article  10  is compressible in at least one dimension. However, to minimize the amount of compressed volume V c , it is preferable for the absorbent article  10  to be compressible in three dimensions, as mentioned above. More specifically, as shown in  FIG. 3 , exemplary article  10  includes absorptive material  12  with inter-fiber spaces  14 . To reduce at least one of the three dimensions, the absorbent article  10  is compressed, thereby substantially eliminating the inter-fiber spaces  14  and rendering the absorptive material  12  more dense, which condition is shown in  FIG. 4 . 
         [0051]    To compress, the absorbent article  10  may be subject to compressive force, thereby forcing air out of the inter-fiber spaces  14  and compressing the absorptive material  12 . Alternatively, the absorbent article  10  may be subject to vacuum, thereby drawing air out of the inter-fiber spaces  14  and compressing the absorptive material  12 . Once compressed, the absorbent article  10  is retained to maintain the compact and highly portable configuration, for example, by shrink-wrap thermoplastic packaging at a vacuum or negative pressure, which will be discussed in more detail below. To use, the retaining packaging is disengaged or opened, allowing the absorbent article  10  to return to expand under the resiliency and elasticity of the absorptive material  12 , which is also discussed in more detail below. 
         [0052]    As mentioned above, the absorbent article  10  is shown in a normal condition in  FIGS. 1 and 3  in which the article is unstressed, uncompressed, and ready for use. Prior to being placed in the compressed condition as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 4 , the absorbent article  10  may be reconfigured in any of a variety of ways, many of which will be readily apparent to the Ordinary Artisan. The absorbent article  10  may be reconfigured, for example, by rolling as schematically shown in  FIG. 5  or by folding as schematically shown in  FIG. 6 , the latter sometimes being referred to herein as the “M-folded configuration.” When reconfigured, the absorbent article  10  has at least three dimensions, for example, a width w r , a thickness t r , and a diameter d r  as shown in  FIG. 5 , or a length l r , a width w r , a thickness t r , and a height h r , as shown in  FIG. 6 . 
         [0053]    After being placed in a reconfigured condition, the absorbent article  10  may then be compressed as discussed above, thereby placing the article in a compressed condition. If reconfigured by rolling as shown in  FIG. 5 , then when compressed the absorbent article  10  takes on the compressed condition shown in  FIG. 7  with compressed dimensions of a width w c , a thickness t c , and a diameter d c . If reconfigured by folding as shown in  FIG. 6 , then when compressed the absorbent article  10  takes on the compressed condition shown in  FIG. 8  with compressed dimensions of a length l c , a width w c , a thickness t c , and a height h c . It will likewise be apparent that when reconfigured into a wide variety of other configurations, including several shown and described herein, and then when compressed, each such reconfigured absorbent article  10  will take on a compressed condition with corresponding compressed dimensions. In each case, and analogous to the description above in relation to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , at least one of the compressed dimensions, but preferably all of the compressed dimensions, of the absorbent article  10  are respectively less than the reconfigured dimensions thereof. 
         [0054]    After being compressed, the absorbent article  10  may then be retained to maintain the compressed condition, for example, with packaging  16  as shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10 , thereby yielding an individually packaged article  18 . As mentioned above, the packaging  16  may be a thermoplastic material that allows the compressed absorbent article  10  to be hermetically sealed therein. Alternatively, the packaging  16  may be any other material suitable for retaining the absorbent article  10  in the compressed condition. The packaging  16  ensures that the absorbent article  10  is clean and sanitary when the packaged article  18  is opened for use. 
         [0055]    Other examples of how an absorbent article may be reconfigured are illustrated by  FIGS. 11-15 . In this regard,  FIG. 11  is a top view of a diaper  82  that has been folded along a centered, crosswise aspect to obtain a folded rectangular configuration.  FIG. 12  is a side view of the diaper  82 , and  FIG. 13  is a perspective view of the diaper  82 . It will be appreciated that, in folding the diaper  82  to arrive at the configuration shown in  FIGS. 11-13 , a fold line necessarily extends through the absorbent core of the diaper  82 . The fold line effectively creates an upper portion  82   a  and a lower portion  82   b,  which may correspond to a front and a back of the diaper  82 . This configuration is sometimes referred to as the “bifold” configuration. The diaper  82  may be further reconfigured by folding the diaper in the bifold configuration along one or more lengthwise aspect, as shown in  FIG. 14 , along one or more crosswise aspect, as shown in  FIG. 15 , or along both. Specifically, folding the diaper  82  along fold line  88 , as represented by arrows  87 , results in a diaper that is reconfigured along a lengthwise aspect thereof, and folding  89  the diaper  82  along fold line  90 , as represented by arrows  89 , results in a diaper that is reconfigured along a crosswise aspect thereof. Furthermore, any desired number of lengthwise and/or crosswise folds may be applied to a diaper, as desired, and a diaper may be so folded from any other configuration and is not limited to the bifold configuration shown. 
         [0056]    After the diaper  82  is reconfigured, it may be compressed and maintained in the compressed configuration by vacuum-packaging. For example,  FIG. 16  illustrates the insertion of the reconfigured diaper  82  within an encasement  84  and  FIG. 17  shows the resulting packaged diaper  80  after vacuum-packaging. 
         [0057]    Another example of a diaper  82  that has been reconfigured and then vacuum-packaged within an encasement  84  is shown in  FIGS. 18-19 . A top view of the vacuum-packaged diaper  80  is shown in  FIG. 18 , and a side view of the vacuum-packaged diaper  80  is shown in  FIG. 19 . The vacuum-packaged diaper  80  includes a length L·sub·2 that is less than the length L of the diaper in the bifold configuration shown in  FIG. 11 , and a width W·sub·2 that is less than the width W of the diaper in the bifold configuration shown in  FIG. 11 . The diaper of  FIGS. 18-19  has been folded twice and thus includes two fold lines that extend along a crosswise aspect of the diaper. This configuration of the diaper is sometimes referred to as a “trifold” configuration. 
         [0058]    Yet another example of reconfiguring a diaper and then packaging the diaper is illustrated by  FIGS. 20-25 . In this respect,  FIG. 20  illustrates a diaper  20  without any folds. The fully extended diaper  20  shown in  FIG. 20  includes indicia  22  printed on a front portion of an outer surface  26  of the diaper  20 . When printed on this portion, the indicia  22  is situated proximal the groin area and navel of the wearer when the diaper  20  of  FIG. 20  is worn. 
         [0059]      FIGS. 21 and 22  illustrate the diaper  20  of  FIG. 20  after margins of the diaper have been tucked. The “margins” of a diaper generally includes the end margins  28  and side margins  30  and include such items as elastics, tabs, and the like. Tucking of the margins results in the unfolded, rectangular configuration of the diaper shown in  FIGS. 21 and 22 . It will be noted that no fold line extends through the area of absorbent material of the diaper  20 , which area also may be referred to as the “absorbent core,” and which area of the diaper is indicated by dashed line  31 . 
         [0060]    From the rectangular configuration of the diaper  20  shown in  FIGS. 21 and 22 , the diaper  20  is folded along a centered, crosswise aspect to obtain a folded rectangular configuration, such as shown in  FIG. 23 . Furthermore, it will be appreciated that, in folding the diaper  20  to arrive at the configuration shown in  FIG. 23 , a fold line necessarily extends through the absorbent core  31  of the diaper  20 . 
         [0061]    The diaper  20  may then be vacuum-packaged within an air and moisture impermeable encasement  32 . The resulting vacuum-packaged diaper is illustrated in  FIGS. 24 and 25 . At least a portion of the encasement  32  is transparent such that the indicia  22  printed on the surface  26  of the diaper is viewable through the encasement  32 . Additionally, notches  38  are formed along outer edges of the encasement  32  to aid in opening the encasement  32 . 
         [0062]    As shown in  FIG. 26 , individually packaged compressed absorbent articles  118  may include sealable packaging  106 . More specifically, exemplary packaging  106  may include a resealable closure mechanism  108 . Accordingly, a user may open the packaging  106  and remove the absorbent article  110 , thereby allowing the compressed absorbent article to regain the normal condition for use. The now-empty packaging  106  then may receive and store a soiled absorbent article to be discarded in the future. 
         [0063]    In addition to individually compressed and packaged absorbent articles such as articles  18 , 80 , 118 , a plurality of compressed absorbent articles may be packaged together in various multipack arrangements. One multipack of individually compressed and packaged absorbent articles  110  is shown in  FIGS. 27 and 28 , wherein the multipack is indicated by reference numeral  130 . The multipack  130  of articles includes packaging  122  for retaining a plurality of absorbent articles  110  in the compressed condition. The absorbent articles  110  are configured within the packaging  122  such that each article  110  is individually sealed, which is particularly shown in  FIG. 28  and indicated by reference numeral  124 . The packaging  122  includes perforations  126  between the individually sealed articles  124  so that a user may remove articles  124  as needed. In addition, the packaging  122  may be substantially flexible so that the multipack  130  may be folded back onto itself to be more compact and portable as shown in  FIG. 29 . 
         [0064]    Another example of a multipack of individually compressed and packaged absorbent articles is shown in  FIG. 30 , wherein each of a plurality of containers  120  are arranged in a carrier  128  for convenient transport. Exemplary carrier  128  includes a plurality of compartments  130  each configured to receive a container  120  as shown by arrow A. The carrier  128  may also include a hinged cover  132  which pivots as shown by arrow B. The carrier  128  may also include releasable fastening means  134 , such as complementary hook-and-eye fasteners  134 , for retaining the cover  132  in a closed condition on the carrier. Each container  120  may be rectangular in shape, as shown, and includes therein an individually compressed and packaged absorbent article in accordance with the invention. 
         [0065]    Another example of a multipack  150  of individually compressed and packaged absorbent articles is shown in  FIG. 31 , wherein each of a plurality of containers are arranged in a vertically stacked configuration within a master container  160 . Each container may be rectangular in shape, as shown, and includes therein an individually compressed and packaged absorbent article. The master container  160  includes a removable access panel (previously removed and not shown) through which one  140  of the plurality of containers is accessed. The removable access panel may be perforated to facilitate its removal from the master container  160 . A bottom  162  of the access panel can be disposed in the master container  160  in a location vertically displaced from a bottom  164  of the master container  160  by a distance substantially equal to a height “h” of a container  140 . In this manner, as a container  140  is removed from the master container  160 , the container (not shown) immediately above the removed container  140  will fall into place and will then be easily removable from the master container  160 . Notches  166  are provided adjacent the removable panel to enable easy withdrawal of container  140  through the opening. The master container  160  can be used to package and ship a number of containers  140  and, advantageously, can be used to dispense containers  140  at, for example, a retail center or other location. The master container  160  shown in  FIG. 31  may be configured to store and dispense any desired number of containers  140 , and may be configured to include two or more access panels disposed and oriented in a variety of locations on the master container  160 , as desired.