MXPA00006105A - Absorbent article and method of wrapping - Google Patents

Abstract

An integrally wrapped sanitary protection absorbent article and method of wrapping are disclosed providing an absorbent configured to fit the pudendal region of a woman, and folded and enclosed in a liquid-impermeable baffle. In one aspect, the liquid-impermeable baffle has a first side on one side of the baffle width and a second side on the other side of the baffle width, opposite the first side, wherein the first side and the second side are sealed along their length to form side seals, such that the sides and the side seals form the integrally wrapped sanitary protection absorbent article enclosure of the present invention. In one aspect, a first perforation strip on the first side seal and a second perforation strip on the second side seal make it convenient for opening the individually wrapped absorbent article package of the present invention. A garment adhesive layer on the liquid-impermeable baffle on a side facing away from the adsorbent, and a removable release strip covering the garment adhesive layer combine to provide an attachment adhesive patch to attach to a liquid-permeable cover sheet covering the adsorbent to hold the absorbent pad article in its folded condition.

Description

ABSORBENT ARTICLE AND WRAPPING METHOD BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention This invention relates to an absorbent article for sanitary protection designed to protect a wearer by absorbing or containing menstrual fluids and / or other exudates from the body and furthermore relates to a method for wrapping the absorbent article More specifically, this invention it relates to an absorbent article for integrally wrapped sanitary protection and to a wrapping method which provides an integral pad wrap around a sanitary absorbent pad for the care of women.

Background of the Invention Women's health protection devices designed to absorb body fluids, including menstrual fluids, come in different functional designs. Sanitary pads worn externally around the pudenda area are absorbent pads designed primarily for heavy menstrual flow. Pant lining or panty shields are thin sanitary products and towels used around the pudenda area for a light menstrual flow The plugs are cylindrical absorbent pads placed internally inside the vagina.

Traditionally, sanitary napkins have been placed 5 with several towels in each package. A single large package is called to keep all towels clean, sanitary and without damage. Unfortunately, however, when a towel is removed from the package and carried individually in a bag or bag, it is unprotected from deforming pressures and dirt.

In recent years, sanitary pads have been folded and wrapped individually with an outer wrap removed by the wearer when the towel is required. The wrapping method protects the sanitary towel enclosed from dirt and deformation until the wrapper is removed. Because the towel is individually folded into a compact size, it becomes more convenient to carry it. However, the individual wrap of commercially available sanitary napkins typically increases the manufacturing costs associated with the materials required and with the processing of these wraps. These additional production expenses can ultimately result in an increased cost of the product for the consumer. 25 SYNTHESIS OF THE INVENTION Briefly this invention relates to an integrally wrapped absorbent article that includes an absorbent having a sheet surface and a second opposing sheet surface, the first sheet surface having a length and a width configured to fit in the pudenda region of a woman . A liquid impervious separator is secured to the first sheet surface, the separator has a length and width covering the first sheet surface, wherein the width of the separator further extends beyond the first sheet surface by less than about an inch. A means for securing a garment includes a garment fastening adhesive for securing the liquid impervious separator to an inside surface of a crotch of an undergarment and to a releasable strip of peel covering the garment fastening adhesive. A wrap surrounds the absorbent, wherein the wrapper is formed of a separator impermeable to liquid.

A method for wrapping the absorbent article includes the steps of providing an absorbent article having a liquid permeable cover sheet, an absorbent, and a garment fastening adhesive, the absorbent having a length and a width configured to fit in the region pudenda of a woman; place a separator impermeable to liquid between the absorbent and the garment fastening adhesive, the separator has a length and width that cover the adsorbent, where the width of the separator also extends laterally longer than the width of the absorbent pad by less than about one inch; forming a cover surrounding the adsorbent, wherein the envelope is formed of the separator impermeable to liquid; and providing a removable release strip that covers said layer of garment adhesive.

The absorbent article integrally provides sanitary protection and includes a sanitary pad such as a pant liner or a panty shield having a bent absorbent pad of an unfolded length and a width configured to fit the pudendal region of a woman.

In one aspect, an adhesive fastening patch holds the absorbent pad in the folded condition, wherein the adhesive patch is formed by the release strip covering the garment adhesive layer. In one embodiment, the release strip has an opening that exposes a portion of the garment adhesive layer.

In one aspect, the liquid impervious separator has a first side side on one side side of the width of the separator and a second side side on the side side opposite the width of the separator, opposite the first side side. He first side side is sealed along its length to form the first side seal, and the second side side is sealed along its length to form a second side seal, so that the first and second side sides and seals The first and second side walls form the wrapper of the releasably wrapped absorbent article of the present invention.

In another aspect, a first perforation strip on the first side seal and a second perforation strip on the second lateral seal make it convenient to open the individually wrapped package of the present invention.

A package of the present sanitary invention for women is required which provides an absorbent article having a sanitary napkin, a pant liner or a panty shield with a single wrap without added material production and manufacturing costs.

A package for women's health protection is also required, which provides a less expensive absorbent article to be stored discreetly until use and which prevents soiling, contamination and deformation.

A general object of this invention is to provide an absorbent article integrally wrapped to absorb and contain menstrual fluids and / or other exudates from the body. An object of the present invention is to provide an integrally wrapped absorbent article which facilitates cleaning and discretion in the appearance of the package.

A more specific object of this invention is to provide an integrally wrapped absorbent article which is individually wrapped.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an individually wrapped sanitary napkin or a pant liner or shield having cost advantages and manufacturing packaging.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an individually wrapped sanitary napkin or a pant liner or shield having material cost advantages.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an individually wrapped sanitary napkin or a pant liner or shield having environmental impact advantages.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an individually wrapped sanitary napkin or a pant liner or shield which uses less plastic material that is discarded.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an individual wrapper for an integrally wrapped absorbent article which does not require a separate wrapper in order to be individually wrapped.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a top plan view of the initial configuration of the sanitary napkin or the pant liner or shield of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view, taken along line 2-2 of Figure 1, of the initial configuration of the sanitary napkin or pant liner or liner of the present invention.

Figure 3 shows a perspective view of an absorbent article integrally wrapped of the present invention and of how it is integrally wrapped.

Figure 4 shows a perspective view of the integrally wrapped absorbent article of the present invention and how the envelope is opened.

Figure 5 shows a perspective view of the integrally wrapped absorbent article of the present invention and how the folded article is opened.

Figure 6 shows a perspective view of the absorbent article integrally wrapped of the present invention and how the article is unfolded.

Figure 7 shows a perspective view of an integrally wrapped absorbent article of the present invention having a garment fastening tape.

Figure 8 shows a perspective view of the absorbent article integrally wrapped of the present invention and showing how the fastening tape is opened.

Figure 9 shows an elevated view of a garment fastening tape as used on the absorbent article of the present invention.

Figure 10 shows a perspective view of an absorbent article integrally wrapped of the present invention and how it is integrally wrapped.

Figure 11 shows a perspective view of the integrally wrapped absorbent article of the present invention and how the envelope is opened.

Figure 12 shows a perspective view of the integrally wrapped absorbent article of the present invention and how the folded article is opened Figure 13 shows a perspective view of the absorbent article integrally wrapped of the present invention and how the article is unfolded.

Figure 14 shows a perspective view of an incorporation of the integrally wrapped absorbent article of the present invention and how it is held in a folded position.

Figure 15 shows a perspective view of another embodiment of the integrally wrapped absorbent article of the present invention and how it is held in a folded position.

Figure 16 shows a perspective view of an incorporation of the integrally wrapped absorbent article of the present invention including an extended release fastening means.

Figure 17 shows a perspective view of a bent embodiment of the integrally wrapped absorbent article of the present invention including an extended release fastening means.

Figure 18 shows a perspective view of the folded incorporation of the integrally wrapped absorbent article of the present invention including extended release strap fastening means and how they are held in a folded position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED INCORPORATIONS An absorbent article for integrally wrapped sanitary protection and a method for wrapping the article are described. The absorbent article wrapped integrally provides an individual wrap for the protection of absorbent sanitary napkins and lining or shields for panties for undergarments. The individually wrapped absorbent article provides cleanliness and discretion in handling prior to use.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, an initial configuration of integrally wrapped absorbent article 1 includes an absorbent pad 10 having an outer profile in the shape of an hourglass.

The absorbent pad 10 includes a liquid permeable cover 12 and an absorbent 14.

A liquid impermeable separator 16 of the initial configuration of the integrally absorbent article 1 is designed to allow air or steam to pass out of the absorbent pad 10 while blocking the passage of body fluid.

Such sanitary napkin or lining for panties or shield pads 10 are designed for adhesive attachment to the inner surface of the crotch portion of an undergarment. The absorbent articles 10 are constructed of layers of a liquid-permeable cover 12 and of an absorbent 14, arranged vertically.

A liquid impermeable separator 16 of the initial configuration of the integrally wrapped absorbent article 1 is designed to allow air or steam to pass out of the absorbent pad 10 if the passage of fluid from the body is blocked.

Such a liner for panties and sanitary napkins or shield pads 10 is designed for adhesive attachment to the inner surface of the crotch portion of an undergarment. The absorbent articles 10 are constructed of layers of a liquid-permeable cover 12 and of an absorbent 14, arranged vertically.

The liquid-tight separator 16 that is constructed is used as the individual absorbent pad wrap. The liquid impermeable separator 16 can provide the individual absorbent pad wrap due to an extra poly film width located along both the first side 22 and the second side 24 of the separator 16. The first side 22 is located about the width of a separator 16 as seen relative to the longitudinal axis X-X, and the second side 24 is located on the other side of the width of the separator 16, opposite the first side 22. The first side 22 and the second side 24 of the separator 16 have a dimension which extends beyond the width of the absorbent pad . Even though the largest width of the separator 16 will be used to enclosing the absorbent pad 10, the dimension of the first side 22 and the second side 24 of the separator 16 extending beyond the absorbent pad 10, however, does not require being sufficient to completely fold over the absorbent pad 10. The width more The large separator 16 requires only to be on the order of less than one inch on each side, for example, which extends beyond the absorbent pad 10.

The garment fastening adhesive 18 is secured to a lower surface of the separator 16, and the adhesive 18 can be covered by a removable releasable strip 20.

Referring now to Figures 3-6, the individually wrapped absorbent article 30 of the present invention is shown as being folded, enclosed and sealed and then opened, unfolded and put to use. Referring to Figure 3, the single absorbent article 30 of the present invention is folded in such a way that the extra width of the poly spacer 16 can be folded and 22 and 24 joined together, making the seals 22 and 24 for a wrapped appearance. The liquid impermeable separator wrap 16 encloses the absorbent pad of the first side 22 is sealed along its length to form a first seal a first side seal 26 and the second side 24 is sealed as along its length to form a second side seal 28. The first side 22 and the first side seal 26 and the second side 24 and the second side seal 28 form the separator wrap 16 of the individually wrapped absorbent pad 30.

A perforation 32 is formed on the first side 22 and a perforation 34 is formed on the second side 24 shown in figure 3. and a perforation 34 is formed on the second side 24 as shown in figure 3. These perforations 32 and 34 allow the extra material of the separator poly 16 to be broken to unwrap the absorbent article 30 as shown in Figure 4. When both perforated sides 32 and 34, respectively, have been broken as shown in Figure 4, the article absorbent 40 can be unfolded as shown in Figures 5 and 6 and can be used as a normal pad.

Referring now to Figure 5, the absorbent article 40 can be unfolded as shown in Figures 5 and 6 and can be used as a normal pad. Referring now to Figure 5, the article 40 has removed the extra material from the separator poly 16. The absorbent article 40 is shown folded in the following manner. The first end 42 and a second end 44 are bent inward towards the liquid-permeable cover 12. Each of the ends 42 and 44 is bent with a distance approximately equal to a sixth of the total length of the absorbent article 40. The absorbent article 40 is then folded approximately to half 46 of the overall length of the absorbent article 40, leaving only the garment facing side of article 40 visible. This method of folding is preferred because the entire body facing surface of the absorbent article 40 is protected from contamination Referring to Figure 6, the absorbent article 40 is shown unfolded and placed for use.

Referring now to Figures 7, 8 and 9, the individually wrapped sanitary absorbent pad 50 is shown unfolded and ready for use. The absorbent pad 50 has a first end 42, a second opposite end 44, and a liquid impervious separator facing the garment 51 opposite the upper sheet or liquid permeable cover 12. The absorbent article 50 is shown having a material removed extra of the separator poly 51 according to the individually wrapped absorbent article 50 of the present invention shown in the non-wrapped condition.

A garment fastening tape 52 and garment fastening tape 54 are provided for securing the absorbent article 50 to the inside crotch surface of an undergarment. The fastening tape of garment 52 and garment fastening tape 54 are spaced apart and aligned opposite the liquid-permeable body-side cover 12.

Referring now to FIG. 8, a finger tab 56 and a finger tab 58 are provided for pulling the garment fastening tapes 52 and 54 and a release ribbon 62 and a release ribbon 64 by pulling the fingertip. 56 and the finger appendage 58, respectively. In use, the woman pulls the fastening tapes of the pack 52 and 54 on each end 42 and 44 with the finger appendages 56 and 58.

Referring now to Figure 9, the holding tabs 52 and 54 having the finger appendages 56 and 58 are shown on one side of the release tapes 62 and 64.

The alternate means of the garment fastener having the fastening tape as shown in figures 7, 8 and 9 provide advantages of not having to dispose of the conventional side strip.

Referring now to Figures 10-13, a preferred embodiment of the integrally wrapped absorbent article 70 of the present invention is shown together with how it is positioned for use. Referring now to Fig. 10, an absorbent article integrally wrapped 70 of so that an extra poly width of the liquid impermeable separator 66 can be attached together for a wrapped appearance The liquid impermeable separator 66 forms a wrap wherein the first side 72 is sealed along its length to form a first side seal 76, and a second side 74 is sealed along its length to form a second side seal 78, wherein the first side 72 and the first side seal 76 and the second side 74 and the second side seal 78 form the outer side seal. individually wrapped absorbent article 70.

The perforation 82 on the first side 72 and a perforation 84 on the second side 74 as shown in Figure 10 allow the extra poly to be broken to unwrap the absorbent article 80 as shown in Figure 11. When both sides are perforated 82 and 84 have been broken as shown in Figure 11, the absorbent article 80 can be unfolded as shown in Figures 12 and 13 and can be used as a normal absorbent article.

Referring to Figure 13, the absorbent article 80, having the perforated sides 82 and 84 removed, is unfolded, and deployed for use. A garment fastening system 90 shown in Figure 13 includes a release strip 92 that covers a garment adhesive 94 Referring now to FIGS. 12 and 13, an adhesive and fastening system 90 is shown together with the simplified folding that can be used with the adhesive and garment fastening system 90. Referring to FIG. 12, the absorbent article 80 is folded in the following manner. One end of the absorbent article 43 is bent inward towards the body side 12 of the absorbent article 80, forming the fold 45 in about one third of the total length of the absorbent article 80. One end of the opposite absorbent article 47 of the absorbent article 80 is then folded toward the body side 12 of the absorbent article 80, leading to the end 47 of the absorbent article 80 even with the opposite fold line 45 previously formed. This method of bending is preferable because there are fewer fold lines formed on the absorbent article and the bending still protects most of the side facing the surface of the absorbent article 80.

Referring now to Figures 14 and 15, the integrally wrapped absorbent article 80 includes a bent absorbent article fastening system wherein the absorbent sanitary ware item for the woman 80 has a small acrylic adhesive patch 96 printed on the release strip 92. also known as peel strip 92. Adhesive patch 96 is preferably formed using the acrylic adhesive due to the need to prevent the adhesive residue from contaminating the body side of the absorbent article 80. adhesive patch 96 maintains the free end 98 of the folded absorbent article 80 and avoids a high quality finished and fit appearance.

As shown in Figure 15, an absorbent article 100 has a release strip 102 having an opening 104. The release strip 102 has the opening 104 that is formed when the aperture 104 is perforated in the release strip 102, exposing thus a garment adhesive 106 under the release strip 102 to the free end 108 of the folded absorbent article 100. The adhesive 106 maintains the free end 108 of the folded absorbent article 100. The size of the aperture 104 is varied to provide the desired amount of adhesion.

The bent absorbent article holding means has the adhesive as shown in Figures 14 and 15 and provides the advantages of additional sealing of the exposed end of the absorbent article 100 to present a more finished appearance and to avoid contamination of the face side of the absorbent article 100. body of absorbent article 100.

Referring now to Figures 16, 17 and 18, a preferred embodiment of the integrally wrapped absorbent article of the present invention includes an extended release strip 110 for holding down a free end 112 of an absorbent article 114. Figure 16 shows the strip of release 110 or stripping strip 110 extending beyond end 112 of absorbent article 114.

Figure 17 shows a patch 116 of adhesive on the extended stripping strip 110, and an arrow indicates that the stripping strip 110 is wrapped around the folded end 118 of the absorbent article 114.

Figure 18 shows the extended peel strip 110 wrapped around the folded end 118 of the absorbent article 114 and fastened to itself, for example to another position on the peel strip 110. The extended peel strip 110 wrapped around the folded end 118 of the absorbent 114 and fastened to itself holds the free end 112 and clamped itself keeps the free end 112 of the absorbent article 114 in place and also presents a sharper appearance. For example, an appearance of a finished and high quality fit. The absorbent pad, as used in the integrally wrapped article of the present invention, may be formed in the form of a racing track or an oval or the like. The absorbent article pad may have other shapes, for example, such as rectangular shapes other than raceway or oval shape, as long as the shapes are designed to cover the pudenda region of the woman. The absorbent pad can be viewed as having a central longitudinal axis X-X. Most articles of Absorbent pad such as sanitary pads and shields or pant liners are layered into sheets which are longer than they are wide. In addition to the absorbent 14 and the liquid-permeable cover 12, other layers may also be used, such as the transfer layer, a layer of anhydrous deodorant material, a layer containing superabsorbent materials, and additional absorbent layers.

The various layers can be stacked, assembled, laminated and / or joined together vertically to form the ho of fabric of the material from which the articles are to be subsequently cut and stamped, prior to the attachment of the separator impervious to the liquid of the present invention. . The various layers can be joined together by the use of heat, pressure, heat and pressure, adhesive, hot melt glue, thread seam, ultrasonic bonding, mechanical bonding, thermal bonding, chemical bonding, or a combination thereof and / or other means known to those skilled in the art. The liquid-impermeable separator 16, 51 or 66 is designed to allow air or steam to pass out of the absorbent articles, while blocking the passage of fluid from the body. The separator impermeable to liquid 16, 51 or 66 can be made of any material that has these properties. The liquid-impermeable separator can also be constructed of a material that will block the passage of vapor as well as fluids, if is desired A good material from which the liquid-impermeable separator 16, 51 or 66 can be constructed is a micro-etched polymeric film, such as polyethylene or polypropylene. Two-component films can be used. A more preferred material is a polyethylene film. More preferably, the polyethylene film will have a thickness in the range of from about 0.5 mil to about 2.0 mil. The adhesive construction can be used in the absorbent article of the present invention to hold and join the various layers together. For example, referring to Figure 2, the adhesive construction can be used to attach the liquid impermeable separator 16 to the absorbent 14 or to attach the absorbent 14 to the liquid impervious cover 12. The presence of such an adhesive construction and the amount used will depend on manufacturing specifications. Useful construction adhesives are commercially sold by National Starch Chemical Company, which has an office located at 10 Fmderne Avenue, Bridgewater, New Jersey 08807.

The liquid permeable cover 12 is designed to make contact with the wearer's body and may be constructed of a woven or non-woven material which will be easily penetrated by body fluid. The liquid permeable cover 12 can also be formed of either natural or synthetic fibers. Suitable materials include carded and bonded fabrics made of polyester, polypropylene, polyethylene, nylon, or other heat-bondable fibers. Other polyolefms such as polypropylene and polyethylene copolymers, linear low density polyethylene, finely perforated film fabrics and network materials also work well. A preferred material is a composite of a perforated thermoplastic film placed on top of a nonwoven fabric material. Such composite material can be formed by extruding a polymer onto a woven material of spunbonded material to form an integral sheet. An example of this material is a perforated thermoplastic polyethylene film bonded to a yarn bonded material. The yarn-bound material is a non-woven material which is manufactured and marketed by Kimberly-Clark Corporation having an office located at 401 North Lake Street, Neenah, Wisconsm 54956. Perforated film / non-woven film laminate exhibits an appearance smooth and soft to the touch. This material is soft and does not irritate the wearer's skin and still has a cushioned feeling due to its volume. Another useful material such as the liquid permeable cover 12 is a polypropylene spunbonded fabric. This spunbonded fabric can contain from about 1% to about 6% of a bleaching agent, such as titanium dioxide (T? 02) or calcium carbonate (CaCo3) to give it a clean white appearance. A uniform thickness of the bonded material with desirable yarn because it will have sufficient strength, after having been perforated, as to resist being broken or pulled and separated during use The most preferred polypropylene fabrics have a basis weight of between about 18 grams per square meter (g / m2) to about 40 grams per meter square. An optimum weight is between about 30 grams per square meter to around 40 grams per square meter.

The absorbent layer 14 can be present as a single layer as two or more different layers. The absorbent layer 14 may be formed of several natural or synthetic fibers such as wood pulp fibers. The virgin cellulose fibers, the regenerated cellulose fibers, the cotton fibers, the marsh moss, or a mixture of pulp or other fibers. The absorbent layer 14 can also be formed of a fine-pored fabric such as an air-dried tissue and wet-laid tissue dried through non-creped air (UCTAD) having a basis weight of from about 30 g / m2 to around 120 g / m2. The tissue dried through non-creped air can be prepared by a process described in U.S. Pat. No. 5, 048,589 issued to Crook et al. On September 17, 1991. The air-dried and non-creped tissue described in U.S. Patent No. 5,399,412 issued to Sudall et al. On March 21, 1995. Each one of these patents is incorporated by reference and becomes part of the present. The absorbent layer 14 can also be composed of other well-known materials such as fibers of cellulose, rayon fibers, cellulose sponge, hydrophilic synthetic sponge, for example, polyurethane and the like.

The absorbent articles 10 also include one or more elongated strips or areas, a garment fastening adhesive 18, for example, referring to Figure 2, secured to the lower surface of a liquid permeable separator 16 The garment fastening adhesive 18 it functions to hold the absorbent articles 10 in the inside crotch portion of a garment during use. The garment fastening adhesive 18 allows the sanitary napkin and fin liner to be aligned in relation to the vaginal opening of the wearer so that maximum fluid protection can be obtained. The garment fastening adhesive 18 can cover a portion of the lower surface of the liquid impervious separator 16. The garment fastening adhesive 18 may consist of a swirl pattern of adhesive or may be one or more strips of adhesive or various other patterns The garment fastening adhesive 18 may also consist of a plurality of adhesive spots which are arranged randomly or uniformly on the outer surface of the separator 16. When in the strip form, for example, by way of example, in a single width strip, the garment fastening adhesive 18 can be aligned along the central longitudinal axis XX of the absorbent articles 10, respectively. Alternatively, the fastening garment adhesive 18 may be present as two or more strips Longitudinals spaced and separated. The garment fastening adhesive 18 is of such a nature that it will allow the wearer to remove the absorbent article 10 and put it back on her undergarment if required. A hot melt adhesive works well as the garment fastening adhesive as commercially sold by National Starch Chemical Company having an office located at 10 Finderne Avenue, Bridgewater, New Jersey 08807.

In order to protect the garment fastening adhesive 18 from contamination or drying before use, the adhesive 18 can be protected by a releasable stripping strip 20, for example, referring to Figure 2. The release strip 20 can it is a white kraft paper which is coated on one side so that it can be released from the adhesive 18. The coating can be a silicone coating, such as a silicone polymer, commercially available from Akrosil having an office located at 206 Garfield Avenue, Menasha, Wisconsm 54952. The release strip 20 is designed to be removed by the user prior to the attachment of the absorbent articles 10, respectively, to the inside crotch portion of the undergarment.

The absorbent article for integrally wrapped sanitary protection and the wrapping method of the present invention does not require a wrapping or strips peeled from separate release in order to be individually wrapped. The absorbent article for the sanitary protection integrally wrapped of any method of wrapping provided in both the cost of materials and in the environmental impact. Even though it is less plastic than the strip, the cleaning of the individual wrap is still provided. A fully wrapped article and wrapping method have been developed which provide a sanitary napkin or a single-wrap pant liner with no added production costs and manufacturing material. The integrally wrapped absorbent article of the present invention provides a less expensive absorbent article which is advantageously wrapped, having packaging cost advantages, having material cost advantages, and having environmental impact advantages. The sanitary protective wrapping for women integrally wrapped in the present invention provides a less expensive sanitary towel to make discreetly stored until use and which avoids contamination and deformation. The individually wrapped health protection package meets a woman's needs for a cheap absorbent article that is easily accessible and which facilitates cleanliness and discretion in the appearance of the package.

Although the invention has been described in conjunction with several embodiments, it is understood that many alternatives, modifications and variations for those skilled in the art in light of the above description. Therefore, this invention is intended to encompass all those alternatives, modifications and variations which fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims (40)

R E I V I N D I C A C I O N S

1 An absorbent article for integrally wrapped sanitary protection comprising (a) an absorbent having a first surface of ho and a second surface of opposite sheet, said first surface of sheet having a length and a width configured to fit in the pudenda region of a woman, (b) a liquid impervious separator secured to said first sheet of the surface, said separator has a length and a width covering a surface sheet wherein said width of separator further extends beyond the width of said first sheet surface for less than about an inch, (c) a garment fastening adhesive for securing said liquid impervious separator to an inside surface of a crotch of an undergarment, and (c) a wrap surrounding said absorbent, wherein said wrapper is formed of said separator impervious to liquid

2. The absorbent article for the sanitary protection integrally wrapped as claimed in clause 1 characterized in that said liquid-impermeable separator has a first side side on one side of said spacer width and a second side side on the other side of the width of separator, opposite the first side side, and wherein said first side side is sealed along its length to form a first side seal and said second side side is sealed along its length to form a second side seal, at wherein said first lateral side and said first lateral seal and said second lateral side and said second lateral seal form said sheath.

3. The absorbent article for the sanitary protection integrally wrapped as claimed in clause 2, characterized in that it comprises a perforation on said envelope.

4. The absorbent article for the sanitary protection integrally wrapped as claimed in clause 3, characterized in that it comprises a first perforation strip on said first lateral seal and a second perforation strip on said second lateral seal.

5. The absorbent article for the sanitary protection integrally wrapped as claimed in the clause 3 characterized in that said absorbent article is folded into said envelope.

6. The absorbent article for sanitary protection integrally wrapped as claimed in clause 5 characterized in that said absorbent further comprises a liquid permeable cover sheet covering said second sheet surface on the sheet side opposite said adhesive garment.

7. The absorbent article for the sanitary protection integrally wrapped as claimed in clause 6 characterized in that said absorbent has a first end oriented longitudinally, a second end oriented longitudinally and opposite, and a side of sheet facing the garment opposite said liquid permeable cover sheet, said first and second ends are bent inward towards the liquid permeable cover sheet for a distance of about one sixth of said absorbent length, said absorbent is further folded in a half of said absorbent length, so that only the side of the sheet from side to the garment of said absorbent is exposed.

8. The absorbent article for the sanitary protection integrally wrapped as claimed in clause 6, characterized in that said absorbent article also it comprises at least one garment fastening belt having a finger appendage, wherein said garment fastening belt is positioned to be pulled from a fixed release belt to said liquid impervious separator.

9. The absorbent article for sanitary protection integrally wrapped as claimed in clause 6 characterized in that said absorbent comprises an absorbent pad selected from the group consisting of a sanitary towel of a pant liner.

10. A method for wrapping an absorbent article for integrally wrapped sanitary protection comprising the steps of: (a) providing an absorbent article having a liquid permeable cover sheet, an absorbent, and a garment fastening adhesive, said adsorbent having a length and a width configured to fit in the pudendal region of a woman; (b) placing a liquid-impermeable separator between said absorbent and said garment-holding adhesive, said separator having a length and width covering said adsorbent, wherein said width of separator further extends laterally larger than said width of the adsorbent pad by less than about one inch; Y (c) forming an envelope surrounding said adsorbent in said envelope is formed of a separator impermeable to liquid.

11. A method for providing a package for sanitary protection for the care of women as claimed in clause 10 characterized in that said positioning of a separator impervious to liquid comprises providing a separator impermeable to liquid having a first lateral side on a side side of said spacer width and a second side side on the wide opposite side side of the spacer, and wherein said first side side is sealed along its length to form a first side seal and the second side side is sealed along its length to form a second lateral seal, wherein said first lateral side and said first lateral seal and said second lateral side and said second lateral seal are joined to form said sheath.

12. A method for providing a package for sanitary protection for the care of women as claimed in clause 10 further characterized in that it comprises providing a perforation on said envelope.

A method for providing a package for sanitary protection for the care of women as claimed in clause 12, characterized in that it comprises providing a first perforation strip on said first lateral seal and a second perforation strip on said second. lateral seal.

14 A method for providing a package for sanitary protection for the care of women as claimed in clause 13 characterized in that said absorbent article has a first longitudinal end, a second longitudinal end aligned in opposite form, a liquid sheet, one side of the face facing the garment opposite to said cover sheet permeable to the liquid, and further comprising folding said first and second longitudinal ends towards said upper sheet permeable to the liquid for a distance of about one sixth of the length of said absorbent and folding said absorbent into a medium length section of said absorbent so that only a cover sheet facing the garment of said absorbent is exposed.

15. A method for providing a package for sanitary protection for the care of women as claimed in clause 10, characterized in that it comprises providing at least one garment fastening tape having a finger appendix, and placing said finger appendix for pulling said garment fastening appendage from a fixed release belt to said garment facing sheet.

16. An absorbent article for integrally wrapped sanitary protection comprising. (a) a bent absorbent having a liquid permeable cover sheet, an absorbent, and a garment fastening adhesive placed on one side of the sheet of said absorbent pad opposite said liquid permeable cover sheet, said adsorbent having a split length and a width configured to fit in the pudenda region of a woman; (b) a liquid impervious separator placed between said absorbent and said garment-holding adhesive, said separator has a length and width covering said adsorbent pad wherein said width of separator extends laterally longer than said width of pad adsorbent for less than about an inch; (c) an enclosure surrounding said adsorbent, wherein said enclosure is formed of said liquid impervious separator wherein said liquid impervious separator has a first side side on a first side of said spacer width and a second side side on the other side of said width of the separator, opposite said first lateral side, and wherein said first lateral side is sealed along its length to form a first lateral seal and said second lateral seal is sealed along its length to form a second seal lateral wherein said first lateral side and said first lateral seal and said second lateral side form said wrapping; Y (d) a first perforation strip on said first lateral seal and a second perforation strip on said second lateral seal.

17. An absorbent article for sanitary protection integrally wrapped as claimed in clause 16, characterized in that the separator impermeable to liquid is composed of a material which allows the passage of air or steam out of said absorbent.

18. An absorbent article for sanitary protection integrally wrapped as claimed in clause 17, characterized in that said separator impermeable to liquid is composed of a material of a micro-etched polymer film.

19. An absorbent article for sanitary protection integrally wrapped as claimed in the Clause 18 characterized in that said micro-etched polymer film comprises a polyethylene film.

20. An absorbent article for sanitary protection integrally wrapped as claimed in clause 17 characterized in that said micro-etched polymer film comprises a polypropylene film.

21. An absorbent article for health protection integrally wrapped, comprising: (a) an absorbent having a first sheet surface and a second sheet surface opposite, said first sheet surface having a length and a width configured to fit in the pudenda region of a woman; (b) a liquid impervious separator secured to said first sheet surface, said separator has a length and a width covering said first sheet surface wherein said width of separator further extends beyond the width of said first surface of said sheet; to less than about an inch; (c) a garment fastening adhesive for securing said liquid impervious separator to an inside surface of a crotch of an undergarment; (d) a casing surrounding said adsorbent, said casing being formed of a separator impervious to liquid; Y (e) a releasable stripping strip covering said garment-holding adhesive.

22. The absorbent article for the sanitary protection integrally wrapped as claimed in clause 21, characterized in that said separator impermeable to liquid has a first lateral side on one side of said width of the separator and a second lateral side on the other side of the width of the spacer, a first side side opposite, and wherein said first side side is sealed along its length to form a first side seal and said second side side is sealed along its length to form a second side seal where the first lateral side and said first lateral seal and said second lateral side and said second lateral seal form said sheath.

23. The absorbent article for the sanitary protection integrally wrapped as claimed in clause 22 further characterized in that it comprises a perforation in said envelope.

24. The absorbent article for the sanitary protection integrally wrapped as claimed in clause 23, characterized in that it comprises a first perforation strip on said first lateral seal and a second perforation strip on said second lateral seal.

25. The absorbent article for the sanitary protection integrally wrapped as claimed in clause 23 characterized in that said adsorbent is folded inside said envelope.

26. The absorbent article for integrally wrapped sanitary protection as claimed in clause 25 characterized in that said adsorbent further comprises a liquid permeable cover sheet covering said second sheet surface on the sheet side opposite said garment fastening adhesive .

27. The absorbent article for sanitary protection integrally wrapped as claimed in clause 26 characterized in that said absorbent pad has a side to body, a first end of pad, and a second end of opposite pad, said first end of pad being folded to said body side of said pad to form a first fold line at about one third of the total length of said pad. pad, said second end of said pad being folded toward the first body side of said pad to a position still with said first fold line.

28. The absorbent article for the sanitary protection integrally wrapped as claimed in clause 26 characterized in that said sanitary pad further comprises an adhesive fastening patch for retaining said absorbent pad in said folded condition.

29. The absorbent article for the sanitary protection integrally wrapped as claimed in clause 26 characterized in that said sanitary pad further comprises a patch of adhesive for retaining said absorbent pad in said bent condition, wherein said adhesive patch is formed by the release strip that covers said garment adhesive layer, said release strip has an opening that exposes a part of said layer of garment adhesive.

30. A method for wrapping an absorbent article for integrally wrapped sanitary protection comprising the steps of: (a) providing an absorbent article having a liquid permeable cover sheet, an absorbent, and a garment fastening adhesive, said adsorbent has a length and a width configured to fit in the pudenda region of a woman; (b) placing a liquid-impermeable separator between said absorbent and said garment-holding adhesive, said separator having an adsorbent length and width, wherein said width of separator further extends laterally longer, than said width of the adsorbent pad for less than about an inch, and (c) forming a wrap surrounding said adsorbent, wherein said wrapper is formed of the separator impervious to the liquid; (d) providing a removable release strip that covers said layer of garment adhesive.

31. The method for providing a sanitary protection package for the care of women as claimed in clause 30, characterized in that said positioning of a separator impermeable to liquid comprises providing a separator impermeable to liquid having a first lateral side on a side side of said width of the separator and a second side side on the opposite lateral side of said width of the separator, and wherein said first side side is sealed along its length to form a first side seal and said second side side is sealed along its length to form a second side seal, wherein said first side side and said first side seal and said second side side and said second side seal are joined to form said cover.

32. The method for providing a health protection package for the care of women as claimed in clause 30 further characterized in that it comprises maintaining said absorbent pad in said bent condition by means of an adhesive adhesive patch on said strip of peeling releasable

33. The method for providing a wrapping package integrally for the sanitary protection of the absorbent article for the care of women as claimed in clause 30 characterized in that it further comprises keeping said absorbent pad in said bent condition by means of a patch of adhesive adhesive on said releasable stripping strip, and forming said adhesive patch by exposing a portion of said garment adhesive layer through said release strip having an aperture.

34 The method to provide a wrapping package integrally for sanitary absorbent protection for the care of women as claimed in clause 33, characterized in that it comprises providing a first perforation strip on said first lateral seal and a second perforation strip on said second lateral seal.

35. The method for providing a wrapping package integrally for sanitary absorbent protection for the care of women as claimed in clause 30 characterized in that it further comprises folding a first pad end inwardly towards said first side of said body. pad to form a first fold line at about one third of the total length of said pad, said second end of said pad being folded toward the body side of said pad at a position equal to said first fold line.

36. An absorbent article for integrally wrapped absorbent sanitary protection comprising: (a) a bent absorbent having a liquid-permeable cover sheet with an absorbent, and a garment-holding adhesive positioned on the sheet side of said liquid-permeable, adsorbent absorbent, said adsorbent having a length of unfolded and a configured width adjusted in the pudenda region of a woman; (b) a liquid impervious separator positioned between said absorbent and said garment fastening adhesive, said separator having a length and a width covering said adsorbent pad, wherein said width of separator further extends laterally longer than said width of said absorber. the pad adsorbent for less than about one inch; (c) a casing surrounding said adsorbent, wherein said casing is formed of the liquid impervious separator, wherein the liquid-impermeable separator has a first side side on one side of said width of the separator and a second side side on the other side of the width of the separator, opposite the first side side, and wherein said first side side is sealed along its length to form a first side seal and said second side side is sealed along its length to form a second side seal, wherein said first lateral side and said first lateral seal and said second lateral side and said second lateral seal form said sheath; (d) a first perforation strip on said first lateral seal and a second perforation strip on said second lateral seal; (e) a removable release strip covering said layer of garment adhesive; Y (f) a patch of fastening adhesive for retaining said absorbent pad in said bent condition.

37. An absorbent article for sanitary protection integrally wrapped as claimed in clause 36, characterized in that said separator impermeable to liquid is composed of a material which allows the passage of air or steam out of said absorbent.

38. The method for providing a health protection package for the care of women as claimed in clause 37, characterized in that said liquid-impermeable separator is composed of a micro-etched polymeric film material.

39. The method for providing a sanitary protection package for the care of women as claimed in clause 38 characterized in that said micro-etched polymer film comprises a polyethylene film.

40. The method for providing a health protection package for the care of women as claimed in clause 37, characterized in that said micro-etched polymer film comprises a polypropylene film. SUMMARY An absorbent article for integrally wrapped sanitary protection and a method for wrapping are described providing an absorbent configured for use in the pudenda region of a woman, and folded and wrapped in a separator impermeable to liquid. In one aspect, the liquid impervious separator has a first side on one side of the width of the separator and a second side on the other side of the width of the separator, opposite the first side where the first side and the second side are sealed as along its length to form the side seals so that the sides and side seals form the wrapper of absorbent article for the sanitary protection integrally wrapped of the present invention. In one aspect, a first perforation strip on the first side seal and a second perforation strip on the second lateral seal make it convenient to open an individually wrapped absorbent article package of the present invention. A layer of garment adhesive on the liquid impervious separator on an outward side face of the adsorbent, and a removable release strip covering the garment adhesive layer is combined to provide an adhesive fastening patch to be attached to a cover sheet permeable to the liquid covering the adsorbent to keep the absorbent pad article in its bent condition.