Title:  Absorbent articles having fluid contact angle gradients

United States Patent:  6,232,521

Assignee:  The Procter & Gamble Company (Cincinnati, OH)

Filed:  June 25, 1998

PCT NO:  PCT/US96/20685

102(e) Date:  June 25, 1998

PCT PUB. Date:  July 10, 1997

Foreign Application Priority Data:  Dec 28, 1995[EP] (95120652)

The present invention relates to a disposable absorbent article (1) comprising a liquid pervious top sheet (2), an absorbent core (4), and a back sheet (3). Said back sheet comprises a fluid permeable polymeric film having uni-directional fluid transfer towards the core, and said core comprising a fluid storage layer, wherein said absorbent article exhibits a fluid contact angle gradient across said storage layer and said back sheet.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The first aspect of the present invention relates to a disposable absorbent article comprising, a liquid pervious topsheet, an absorbent core and a backsheet. The core is intermediate the topsheet and the backsheet. The backsheet comprises a liquid permeable polymeric film having uni-directional fluid transfer towards the core, and the core comprises a fluid storage layer and the backsheet comprises an outer layer. The core and the backsheet each comprise at least one layer, wherein each layer has a wearer facing surface and a garment facing surface and each surface of these layers has a fluid contact angle. The absorbent article has a lower portion extending from and including the garment facing surface of the fluid storage layer to and including the garment facing surface of the outer layer. The present invention is characterized in that the wearer facing surface of at least one of the layers in the lower portion has a fluid contact angle greater than the fluid contact angle of the adjacent garment facing surface of an adjacent layer.

A second aspect of the present invention relates to the situation wherein the garment facing surface of at least one of the layers in the lower portion has a fluid contact angle greater than the fluid contact angle of the wearer facing surface of the same layer.

A further aspect of the present invention relates to a process for the production of an absorbent article described above comprising the step of applying a low surface energy material to the surface of at least one of the layers in the lower portion.

Another aspect of the present invention relates to a process for the production of an absorbent article described above comprising the step of incorporating a low surface energy material within one of the layers in the lower portion.

Claim 1 of 23 Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A disposable absorbent article comprising, a liquid pervious topsheet, an absorbent core and a backsheet, said absorbent core being intermediate said topsheet and said backsheet, said backsheet comprising an outer layer and a liquid permeable polymeric film having uni-directional fluid transfer towards the absorbent core, said absorbent core comprising a fluid storage layer,

said absorbent core and said backsheet each comprising at least one layer, the absorbent core and the backsheet each having a wearer facing surface and a garment facing surface, said each of said wearing facing surfaces and said garment facing surfaces having a fluid contact angle and

said absorbent article having a lower portion extending from and including the garment facing surface of said fluid storage layer and including the garment facing surface of said outer layer of the backsheet,

wherein at least one of the wearer facing surfaces of the lower portion has a fluid contact angle greater than the fluid contact angle of an adjacent said garment facing surface in the lower portion.

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