Patent ID: 8669412

Claim:
A method for manufacturing a laminated structure for use in an absorbent article, the laminated structure being defined by a plurality of material layers comprising at least a first layer which is liquid-permeable, a second layer constituting an absorbent core and a third layer, each of said layers being formed of a material having a certain pore radius, said method comprising: a first welding step in which said third layer and said second layer are bonded together using ultrasonic welding to create a first welding pattern of bonding sites; and a second welding step in which the bonded third and second layers are bonded together with said first layer using ultrasonic welding to create a second welding pattern of bonding sites; wherein in the resulting laminated structure of the three layers, the first welding pattern of bonding sites is present only in the second and third layers, and the second welding pattern of bonding sites is present in all three layers, so as to provide a pore gradient extending through the three layers.