P&G issued US patent for absorbent article such as sanitary napkin having a fit guide

Nevin Barich

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia , August 1, 2013 (Journal of Engineering) – According to news reporting originating from Alexandria, Virginia, by VerticalNews journalists, a patent by the inventors Digiacomantonio, Marco (Pescara, IT); Toro, Evelina (Chieti Scalo, IT); Carlucci, Giovanni (Chieti, IT); Bellucci, Remo (Spoltore Pescara, IT), filed on March 28, 2012, was published online on July 23, 2013.

The assignee for this patent, patent number 8491559, is The Procter and Gamble Company (Cincinnati, OH).

Reporters obtained the following quote from the background information supplied by the inventors: "Sanitary napkins are used by women principally during their menstrual periods to receive and contain menses and other vaginal discharges to protect their garments from soiling. Sanitary napkins typically have adhesive attachment means to temporarily adhere the device to the crotch region of the user's undergarment, normally her panty.

"When placing an absorbent article in an undergarment, it is often critical that the article be positioned correctly with respect to the crotch portion thereof. Improper positioning of the absorbent article can result in bodily discharges coming into contact with the wearer's garments or undergarment, instead of entering the absorbent article. For example, if the absorbent article is place to far toward the front of the undergarment, a rearward portion of the undergarment may not be covered by the absorbent article, resulting in fluid, such as menses, soiling the undergarment. The problem is made worse when the absorbent article is asymmetric, such that it does not give a good indication of proper placement, such as absorbent articles that are narrow in the front and wide in the back, or otherwise are not symmetric about a transverse centerline. Further, if the product has what are commonly referred to as 'wings' or 'flaps' intended to wrap the edges of the wearer's undergarments in the crotch region and/or affix the article to the undergarment, misplacement of the article can result in poor folding and premature detachment.

"Changing the size of the absorbent article can help alleviate the problem of improper placement. However, increasing the size, such as the length, of the article also increases the cost, thereby making this solution commercially unattractive.

"Accordingly, there remains an unaddressed need for a feminine hygiene article, such as a sanitary napkin or pantiliner, that is designed to facilitate proper placement and positioning in a user's undergarment.

"Further, there is an unaddressed need for a means for properly placing and positioning an absorbent article in an undergarment when the absorbent article is not symmetric about a longitudinal and/or transverse centerline thereof."

In addition to obtaining background information on this patent, VerticalNews editors also obtained the inventors' summary information for this patent: "An absorbent article having a longitudinal centerline and adapted to be worn in an undergarment having a crotch portion bounded on opposite sides by portions of curved leg openings is disclosed. The absorbent article comprises a main body portion, the main body portion comprising a liquid pervious body-facing surface, a liquid impervious garment facing surface, and an absorbent core positioned between the body-facing surface and the garment-facing surface. The absorbent article comprises at least one indicator marker visible from the body-facing surface, the indicator markers disposed to indicate proper alignment of the absorbent article with respect to undergarment-specific features such as the curved leg openings."

For more information, see this patent: Digiacomantonio, Marco; Toro, Evelina; Carlucci, Giovanni; Bellucci, Remo. Absorbent Article Having a Fit Guide. U.S. Patent Number 8491559, filed March 28, 2012, and published online on July 23, 2013. Patent URL: http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=93&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=4617&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&s1=20130723.PD.&OS=ISD/20130723&RS=ISD/20130723

Keywords for this news article include: The Procter and Gamble Company.

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