Alignment indicators for use with personal care articles

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ALIGNMENT INDICATORS FOR USE WITH
PERSONAL CARE ARTICLES

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED
APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY
SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Personal care articles such as infant diapers, training pants, adult incontinence products, and the like are well known. Such articles have achieved a wide acceptance due to their ability to receive and absorb body exudates.

This invention pertains to alignment indicators for use with fastener systems for such articles. The alignment indicators comprise indicia that assist in proper positioning of fastening tabs with respect to the front edge of such a personal care article. In some embodiments, indicia are located on the fastening tabs as well as on the front portion of the personal care article. The indicia are aligned or otherwise suitably oriented when the fastening tabs are secured to the front portion of the personal care article.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In general, personal care articles should comfortably fit the body of a wearer. Personal care articles generally have fastening tabs at the rear of the personal care article that extend outwardly and secure to a front portion of the article. For the personal care article to be effective, the fastening tabs should be properly placed on the front portion of the personal care article.

In the past there has been little thought or concern as to the positioning of the fastening tabs with respect to the front edge of the personal care article. One conventional approach to the subject of tab placement includes a pattern of dots or vertically oriented lines. The dots or lines enable a user to ensure that both fastening tabs are secured to the front portion of the personal care article at approximately the same distance from the center of the front portion. After the first fastening tab is secured, the indicia can be utilized to secure the second fastening tab at a corresponding location, horizontally, on the opposing side of the article. Thus the leg openings are ensured of being approximately the same size. Such indicia assist the user in placing the two fastening tabs approximately the same height relative to the front edge of the front portion of the personal care article. However, there is no specific indicia indicating a specific selected location for the fastening tabs relative to the front edge of the front portion of the personal care article.

Proper positioning of a personal care article on a wearer can be difficult. Personal care articles, for example, can be difficult to properly position on the intended wearer due to leg movements or body movements of the wearer. Such movement creates difficulty in affixing the fastening tabs at proper locations. If the fastening tabs are placed too high on the front portion of the personal care article, part of the securing portion may extend beyond the front edge of the front portion of the article, and thus may contact and irritate the skin of the wearer. Such improper placement can also cause improper leg fit and create leg gapping which potentially may cause leakage.

In the instance when the fastenings tabs are placed too low on the front portion of the absorbent article, the leg openings

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tend to be drawn too tightly, at least at the top front portion of the leg opening. Further, the front edge of the personal care article may roll or gap at the waist due to the lower positions of the fastening tabs. Rolling up of the personal

5 care article can cause discomfort to the wearer and could result in waist gapping and leakage. Therefore, it is important to ensure that the fastening tabs are secured on the front portion of the personal care article at a selected predetermined distance from the front edge.

1° Further, it is preferred, for proper fit, that the fastening tabs are drawn directly across the front portion of the personal care article, and placed at a proper angle to the front edge. An improper angle can cause twisting of the fastening tab, and improper fit for the personal care article.

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SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present invention relates to a personal care article having a front portion including a front edge, a rear portion including a rear edge, and a crotch portion. The personal

20 care article comprises a substrate including an outer cover, and a bodyside liner in facing relation with the outer cover. First and second fastening tabs extend outwardly from the substrate at opposing sides of the rear portion of the personal care article. The first and second fastening tabs include

25 securing elements at the respective inner surfaces of the respective tabs.

In preferred embodiments, indicia on the substrate at the front portion of the personal care article specifically guide a user regarding positioning of the fastening tabs with respect

30 to the front edge when the tabs are secured to the front portion of the personal care article.

In preferred embodiments, indicia on the front portion of the personal care article comprise first indicia, the fastening

35 tabs include second indicia cooperating with the first indicia in specifically guiding a user regarding positioning of the fastening tabs when the fastening tabs are secured to the front portion of the personal care article. The second indicia on each of the fastening tabs generally are aligned with, and overlie respective portions of the first indicia when the fastening tabs are secured to the front portion of the personal care article thus ensuring proper longitudinal alignment of the fastening tabs with respect to the front edge.

In some embodiments, the indicia comprise at least one

45 line extending across the front portion of the personal care article at a predetermined distance from the front edge of the personal care article. In some embodiments, the at least one line is substantially parallel to the front edge of the personal care article. The second indicia can comprise at least one line

50 at least propinquant a distal edge of each fastening tab. The second indicia can be a line on the outer surface of each fastening tab generally extending in a line substantially parallel to the rear edge of the personal care article.

In some embodiments, the second indicia line on the outer

55 surface of each fastening tab, and the first indicia line on the front portion, when in proper alignment, in combination, substantially give the appearance of a single line extending across the fastening tabs and across substantially the entire front portion of the personal care article when the article is

60 secured to the body of a wearer.

In some embodiments, the second indicia extend substantially the entirety of the length of the outer surface of at least one fastening tab.

In some embodiments, the indicia located at the front

65 portion of the personal care article extend across a longitudinal axis which extends through the center of the front, rear, and crotch portions.

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In some embodiments, the indicia have a length of at least about 1 inch, preferably a length of at least about 4 inches, and most preferably a length of from about 4 inches to about 6 inches.

In some embodiments, the personal care article includes an absorbent body located between the outer cover and the bodyside liner.

In some embodiments, the first indicia comprise at least two lines parallel to each other, the second indicia comprise at least two lines on each fastening tab parallel to each other, the parallel lines in the first and second indicia on the front portion and on both tabs cooperating with each other to guide a user to bring the lines in the first and second indicia into alignment respectively with each other when the fastening tabs are secured to the front portion of the personal care article, thereby to give the appearance of two parallel lines extending across the fastening tabs and across substantially the entire front portion of the personal care article. The two parallel lines preferably have two different colors.

In some embodiments, the first and second fastening tabs have curvilinear distal edges, the indicia on the front portion of the personal care article representing at least first and second outlines of respective curvilinear distal edges of the fastening tabs. The first and second outlines on the front portion, of curvilinear distal edges, preferably are on opposing sides of the longitudinal axis.

In some embodiments, the indicia represent at least first and second sets of outlines of curvilinear distal edges of the fastening tabs, the first and second sets of outlines being on opposing sides of the longitudinal axis. Each set of outlines preferably comprises a group of at least three outlines spaced transversely across the front portion of the personal care article at a common distance from the front edge, on the respective side of the longitudinal axis.

In some embodiments the indicia comprise a luminescent material having luminescent pigments that absorb light energy and radiate visible light when exposed to ultraviolet light. Such a material can comprise a luminescent paint including phosphors.

In some embodiments, the indicia comprise at least one transverse line extending across the personal care article, the at least one transverse line being substantially parallel to the front edge of the personal care article.

In some embodiments, the indicia comprise at least three spaced parallel lines having at least two different colors.

In some embodiments, the indicia do not indicate, or assist in, the transverse spacing of the fastening tabs when the tabs are secured to the front portion of the personal care article.

In another family of embodiments, the personal care article includes indicia on the substrate at the front portion defining a specific set of locations along a transverse dimension of the front portion, for securement of the fastening tabs onto the front portion of the personal care article.

In some embodiments each fastening tab comprises a tab base having a first width, and a terminal tab element having a second width narrower than the first width, extending from the tab base, each tab base including second indicia extending along an edge thereof and cooperating with the first indicia to guide a user to bring the first and second indicia into alignment with each other when the fastening tabs are secured to the front portion of the personal care article, the first indicia, when so aligned with the second indicia, being spaced from the respective terminal tab elements.

In some embodiments, the first indicia include first and second lines parallel with each other and parallel with the

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front edge, and the second indicia include third and fourth lines on each tab base parallel with each other, the first and second lines being aligned with the third and fourth lines when the fastening tabs are guidedly secured to the front 5 portion, the terminal tab elements thus being secured to the front portion between, and spaced from, the first and second lines.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

10 FIG. 1 shows a top plan view of a first embodiment of personal care articles of the invention.

FIG. 2 shows a top plan view of the opposite side, including an outer cover, of the personal care article of FIG. 1.

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FIG. 3 shows a pictorial view of the personal care article of FIG. 1 having the fastening tabs properly secured to the front portion of the personal care article.

FIG. 4 shows a pictorial view of another embodiment of 20 personal care articles of the invention having multiple indicia.

FIG. 5 shows a top plan view of another embodiment of personal care articles of the invention.

FIG. 6 shows a top plan view of yet another embodiment

25 of personal care articles.

FIG. 7 shows a pictorial view of the personal care article of FIG. 6 having the fastening tabs properly secured to the front portion of the personal care article.

30 The invention is not limited in its application to the details of the construction and the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments or of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, it is

35 to be understood that the terminology and phraseology employed herein is for purpose of description and illustration and should not be regarded as limiting. Like reference numerals are used to indicate like components. The drawings are for purposes of illustration, and are not necessarily

4Q drawn to scale.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE
ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

The various embodiments of the present invention will be

45 described in relationship to their use in disposable personal care articles, but it should be understood that potential uses of the structures of the present invention need not be limited to the context of disposable personal care articles. Other uses for the present invention include other articles, such as caps,

50 gowns, shoe covers, feminine care articles, incontinence garments, and the like.

As used herein and in the claims that follow, the phrase "personal care article" is meant to include adult incontinence articles, feminine hygiene products, articles which have no

55 significant absorbent function, but which receive and/or store urine and/or fecal material, and articles which do have a significant absorbent function, and which receive and/or store urine and/or fecal material.

Personal care article 8 having a longitudinal axis 9, shown

60 in FIGS. 1 and 2, includes a front portion 10 having a front edge 12, a rear portion 14 having a rear edge 16, and a crotch portion 18 between front portion 10 and rear portion 14. Longitudinal axis 9 extends through the center of front portion 10, rear portion 14, and crotch portion 18. Personal

65 care article 8 includes a substrate 20 including an outer cover 22 and a bodyside liner 24 in facing relation with each other. Absorbent body 26 preferably is located between bodyside