TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosure relates to an absorbent article comprising a liquid-permeable topsheet, a liquid impermeable backsheet and an absorbent core positioned intermediate the liquid permeable topsheet and the liquid impermeable backsheet.

BACKGROUND

Wearable and disposable absorbent articles, for example in the form of diapers, incontinence articles and feminine hygiene pads offer the benefit of receiving and containing urine, faeces and/or other body exudates (e.g. menses, mixture of faeces and urine, mixture of menses and urine, etc.) are well known in the art. Such articles are used to absorb, distribute and store various types of body exudates while providing a high level of comfort and sense of dryness to the user during use.

A conventional disposable absorbent article in the form of a diaper is normally designed with an absorbent core which is laminated between a topsheet and a backsheet. The article is arranged along a longitudinal axis and along a transversal axis which extends in a perpendicular direction in relation to the longitudinal axis. Furthermore, the article can be divided into a front portion, a back portion and a crotch portion.

When a user of absorbent article exudates fecal material (e.g., runny bowel movement, a mixture of bowel movement and urine, etc.) it is important that the absorbent article can handle the body exudates i.e. absorb and retain the fecal material within the absorbent article. Absorbent articles can efficiently handle this by having proper fit around the waist and the legs of the user, by having proper absorption of the body exudates and/or by having means for preventing fecal materials to leak out of the absorbent article. l Means for preventing fecal materials to leak out from the absorbent article are frequently used in the art. One method is to prevent leakage of fecal material by providing a pocket on the back part of the absorbent article for collecting fecal material and avoiding leakage through the waist of the user. The drawback with pockets and other means for prohibiting leakage of fecal materials is that during a rapid flow of body exudates the means for preventing leaks may not sufficiently gather and retain the fecal materials within the absorbent article. This problem often occurs when the flow of fecal material is high and/or when the absorbent core is expanded. A higher flow of fecal material often occurs when a person suffers from a virus or bacterial infection, allergic reaction or when undergoing a medicine cure, drinking breastmilk or a baby formula etc. The absorbent core may be expanded during the exudate of the fecal material if the user of an absorbent article for example has urinated prior to exudation of the fecal material.

Accordingly, it is of interest to provide means for retaining fecal materials within the absorbent article more efficiently i.e. means that prohibit the fecal materials to leak out of the waist of the diaper despite of the flow of the fecal material and/or despite the state of the absorbent core of the absorbent article.

A previously known absorbent article of the above-mentioned kind is disclosed in the patent document EP2750648A1. This document discloses an incontinence article of panty-type for holding body excretions. The rear end area of the absorption structure is covered by a flat- material section which is joined inseparably to the crotch portion to form a pocket.

Even though the article disclosed in EP2750648A1 fulfills certain requirements related to preventing fecal materials to leak, there is still a need for further improvements in order to provide an absorbent article being able to provide this feature in a more efficient manner. SUMMARY

The present disclosure is based on the insight that the ability of an absorbent article such as for example a diaper to avoid leakage may be challenged under certain conditions.

In accordance with the invention there is provided an absorbent article according to claim 1 , and a method according to claim 14. The dependent claims specify preferred but optional features.

The present invention provides an absorbent article comprising a liquid-permeable topsheet, a liquid impermeable backsheet and an absorbent core positioned intermediate the liquid permeable topsheet and the liquid impermeable backsheet, each layer having a skin-facing side and a garment-facing side, said absorbent article being arranged along a longitudinal axis and a transversal axis extending in a perpendicular direction in relation to the

longitudinal axis, and said absorbent article defining a front portion having a front edge, a back portion having a back edge and a crotch portion intermediate said front portion and said back portion, wherein said back portion of said absorbent article further comprises a transversally extending capture layer, wherein said capture layer comprises an outboard transversal edge facing said back edge and two longitudinal edges being sealed to any part of said absorbent article, wherein said capture layer further comprises an inboard transversal edge facing said front edge, said inboard transversal edge being unsealed for gathering of faeces, wherein said capture layer is positioned to at least partially cover the skin-facing side of the topsheet, wherein said capture layer comprises a central portion, a first edge portion and a second edge portion, wherein at least a part of said first edge portion comprises a first patch and at least a part of said second edge portion comprises a second patch.

The first patch and the second patch create a distance between the garment-facing side of the capture layer and the topsheet. Thereby allowing fecal material to more efficiently enter the pocket formed by the cavity between the garment facing side of the capture layer and the topsheet. This is specifically beneficial during a rapid flow of body exudates.

The said first and said second patch may comprise a first thickness, wherein surrounding parts of the capture layer comprises a second thickness, wherein said first thickness is greater than said second thickness.

The greater thickness of the first patch and the second patch allows for the capture layer to have a larger area to gather faeces.

The first patch and the second patch may comprise pulp, SAP, resilient fibers, foam, nonwoven material or any combination thereof.

The first patch and the second patch may be adjacent to the inboard transversal edge of said capture layer. Further, said first patch and said second patch at least partially overlap said absorbent core.

The absorbent core may comprise a back transversal edge, wherein said first patch and said second patch may extend from said inboard transversal edge of said capture layer to at least said back transversal edge of said absorbent core respectively.

The first patch and the second patch may have a higher basis weight in relation to surrounding parts of the capture layer. Further, the first patch and the second patch may have a higher density in relation to surrounding parts of the capture layer.

A higher density and/or basis weight in the first patch and the second patch in relation to surrounding parts of the capture layer may allow for the first patch and the second patch to withstand greater pressure without shrinking and to fulfill its function more efficiently. The first patch and the second patch may be shaped generally as a cylinder, a cube, a sphere, a cone or any other polygonal shape.

The capture layer may comprise at least two laminated layers of material. Further the first patch and the second patch may be located intermediate said at least two laminated layers of material.

The capture layer may comprise three laminated layers of material; a top layer, an intermediate layer and a bottom layer, wherein said first patch and said second patch may be coherent with said intermediate layer.

The capture layer may comprise corrugations, said capture layer may be at least partly corrugated in the transversal direction. Said corrugations may comprises valleys and peaks having an amplitude, wherein said first patch and said second patch are defined by the corrugations comprising the greatest amplitude in relation to the surrounding parts of said capture layer.

There is also further provided a method for manufacturing an absorbent article comprising a liquid-permeable topsheet, a liquid impermeable backsheet and an absorbent core positioned intermediate the liquid permeable topsheet and the liquid impermeable backsheet, each layer having a skin-facing side and a garment-facing side, said absorbent article being arranged along a longitudinal axis and a transversal axis extending in a perpendicular direction in relation to the longitudinal axis, and said absorbent article defining a front portion having a front edge, a back portion having a back edge and a crotch portion intermediate said front portion and said back portion, said method comprising; forming and attaching a transversally extending capture layer on said back portion of said absorbent article, wherein said capture layer comprises an outboard transversal edge facing said back edge and two longitudinal edges being sealed to any part of said absorbent article, wherein said capture layer further comprises an inboard transversal edge facing said front edge, said inboard transversal edge being unsealed for gathering of faeces, wherein said capture layer is positioned to at least partially cover the skin-facing side of the topsheet, wherein said capture layer comprises a central portion, a first edge portion and a second edge portion, wherein at least a part of said first edge portion comprises a first patch and at least a part of said second edge portion comprises a second patch.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1A shows a top view of an absorbent article.

Figure 1 B shows a cross-sectional view of an absorbent article.

Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional view of an absorbent article comprising a capture layer, an absorbent core and a backsheet.

Figure 3 shows a perspective view of the production of a capture layer with patches.

Figure 4 shows a perspective view of the production of a capture layer with patches.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Different aspects of the present disclosure will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the enclosed drawings. The embodiments disclosed herein can, however, be realized in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the aspects set forth herein.

The term“absorbent article” refers to a product that is configured to be worn on or around the lower torso of the body of a human user. The absorbent article is intended to absorb and/or contain body exudates, such as urine, faeces and menstrual fluid or mixtures thereof. Absorbent articles include for example open absorbent articles, pant-type absorbent articles and belt-type absorbent articles, being able to be worn without the support from underwear. The absorbent article may be a disposable absorbent article.

The“body facing side” of the absorbent article refers to the side facing the user during use and the“garment-facing side” refers to the side facing away from the user during use. The garment facing side and the body facing side are thus facing away from one another. An“open type absorbent article” relates to an absorbent article having fastening elements arranged to connect the front portion with the back portion when the article is being worn.

A“pant type absorbent article” relates to an absorbent article wherein the front portion and back portion are permanently connected prior to use, forming a waist opening and a pair of leg openings.

The term“capture layer” refers to at least one sheet of suitable material arranged on the skin facing side of the topsheet to form a pocket-like structure. The opening of the pocket is arranged to gather body exudates from a user. The form of the capture layer may be varied, as will be discussed herein. The term“topsheet” refers to a fluid pervious body facing material that may be sufficiently liquid-permeable to allow discharged body fluids to penetrate through its thickness. The topsheet may be suitably manufactured from a material which is compliant and soft-feeling to the skin of the user. The topsheet may consist of a single layer or have a laminate structure comprising a plurality of layers, for example, two or more layers. The layers may be made of the same material, or some or all of the layers may be made of different materials. The topsheet material may be of a nonwoven, a plastic film or a laminate thereof or of a foam.

The material may be of thermoplastic synthetic or natural fibers, or a mixture thereof. Natural fibers may be e.g. cotton or pulp fibers and synthetic fibers may be e.g. of a polyester such as PET or a polyolefin such as polyethylene or polypropylene, or a combination of these fibers. The nonwoven may be formed by a variety of different processes, such as spun bonding, air laying, melt blowing or bonded carded web formation processes. The nonwoven layer may be made of an SMS (spun bond/melt blown/spun bond) or SS (spun bond/ spun bond) nonwoven material of polypropylene or bicomponent fibers of polypropylene and polyethylene, or of a combination of such materials. The topsheet layer or layers may be apertured or non-apertured and may have imparted hydrophilic properties to improve liquid drainage of the structure. The topsheet may have a basis weight in the range of 5-50 g/m ² . The term“backsheet” refers to the sheet which is facing away from the user during use and is opposite to the body facing topsheet layer of the absorbent article. The backsheet may be a liquid-impermeable or fluid repellant structure. The backsheet material may be of a breathable or non-breathable material such as a of a film, a nonwoven or a laminate thereof, or a foam. The backsheet may have a laminate structure comprising a liquid barrier film and a nonwoven layer arranged on top of each other, wherein the nonwoven layer is arranged at an outer side away from the user of the absorbent article when worn. The backsheet may be elastic in any direction.

The film may be of a thermoplastic polymer, e.g. a polyester such as PET or of polyolefins such as of polyethylene or polypropylene, or a mixture thereof. It may be a single layer film or a multi-layer film.

The nonwoven may be of thermoplastic polymer material fibers or filaments e.g. a polyester such as PET or of polyolefins such as of polyethylene or polypropylene, or a mixture thereof. The nonwoven may be formed by a variety of different processes, such as spun bonding, air laying, melt blowing or bonded carded web formation processes. The nonwoven layer may be made of an SMS (spun bond/melt blown/spun bond) or SS (spun bond/ spun bond) nonwoven material of polypropylene or bicomponent fibers of polypropylene and

polyethylene, or of a combination of such materials.

Forming the liquid barrier sheet of a plastic material, such as a thermoplastic film material, allows for a particularly good printability of the liquid barrier sheet. The liquid barrier sheet may also contain cellulose fibers.

The liquid barrier film may consist of a single layer or have a laminate structure with a plurality of layers, e.g., two or more layers. The layers of the laminate structure may be laminated, bonded or attached to each other, for example, by thermo and/or mechanical bonding, such as thermo-sealing, ultrasonic bonding, such as ultrasonic welding, an adhesive or adhesives, stitching or the like.

The liquid barrier sheet may be a breathable microporous film. The microporous film may be made of a material comprising at least two basic components, namely a thermoplastic elastomeric polyolefin polymer and a filler. These components and, in some embodiments, additional other components may be mixed together, heated and subsequently extruded into a mono-layer or multi-layer film using any one of various film-producing processes, such as cast embossing, chill and flat casting, and blown film processes.

The term“absorbent core” refers to the unit placed intermediate the topsheet and the backsheet. The absorbent core can be of any conventional kind. Examples of common absorbent materials used in absorbent cores are cellulosic fluff pulp, tissue layers, highly absorbent polymers (so called superabsorbents), absorbent foam materials, absorbent nonwoven materials or the like. It is common to combine cellulosic fluff pulp with

superabsorbent polymers (SAP) in an absorbent core.

It is conventional in absorbent articles to have an absorbent core comprising layers of different properties with respect to liquid receiving capacity, liquid distribution capacity and storage capacity. The thin absorbent cores, which are common in for example baby diapers and incontinence articles, often comprise a compressed mixed or layered structure of cellulosic fluff pulp and superabsorbent polymers. The size and absorbent capacity of the absorbent core may be varied to be suited for different absorbent article sizes or different uses such as for infants or for adult incontinent persons. The absorbent core may be enclosed by a core cover comprising a top-layer and a bottom-layer, wherein at least a part of the topsheet or an intermediate layer is joined to said top-layer. The term“absorbent core” as discussed herein, does not encompass the core cover. The form of the absorbent core may be varied. Further, an acquisition and distribution layer (ADL) may be arranged as an intermediate layer between the absorbent core 4 and the topsheet 2. The acquisition layer may be adapted to quickly receive and temporarily store discharged liquid before it is absorbed by the absorbent core. The polymer materials of the ADL may be non-absorbent materials which do not retain any fluid in the material itself. The function of the ADL is to provide the absorbent article with temporary fluid holding capacity and to distribute fluid in the article. As the polymer materials in the fluid flow control structure may be hydrophobic and may have a wetting angle (Q) of 90° or close to 90° implying that they have no or very low wettability when contacted with aqueous fluids. The components of the fluid flow control structure may be treated to lower the wetting angle and render them hydrophilic, i.e. wettable by body fluids. A perfectly wettable material has a wetting angle (Q) of 0°. Any commonly known method for rendering a hydrophobic material hydrophilic may be used, such as treatment with surfactants, plasma or corona treatment, etc. A hydrophilic material facilitates liquid penetration and draining, thus maintaining free volume capacity for the next gush of liquid. An ADL may be composed of for example air laid, nonwoven, high loft nonwoven or foam materials. An air laid may be produced with fluff, wood pulp, and here the fluff fibres are dispersed into a fast-moving air stream and condensed onto a moving screen by means of pressure and vacuum. The ADL may be of a non-perforated nonwoven material or a perforated material.

The term“patch” refers to a lump or crumpling of mass. The patch may comprise pulp, SAP, polyolephines, resilient fibers, foam, nonwoven material or any combination thereof. A patch may be a piece or mass of solid matter without regular shape or of no particular shape.

However, a patch may also have a definite shape.

With initial reference to Figure 1 A, there is disclosed an absorbent article 1 in a flat and unfolded state comprising a liquid-permeable topsheet 2, a liquid impermeable backsheet 3 and an absorbent core 4 positioned intermediate the liquid permeable topsheet 2 and the liquid impermeable backsheet 3. In other words, the topsheet 2 is constructed to receive body exudates by being liquid-permeable and the backsheet 3 is constructed to prevent leakage of body exudate by being liquid impermeable.

Furthermore, the absorbent article 1 may have a pair of standing gathers, which extend upwardly generally about respective side edges of the absorbent core 4 at the side of the topsheet 2. Such a standing gather defines a barrier or wall at the respective side edges of a central crotch portion 7 of the absorbent article 1 , which acts to prevent or retard lateral flow of body fluidic material such as urine or fluidic fecal material.

The standing gathers may run substantially parallel to the longitudinal edges at the crotch portion 7 in a longitudinal direction of the absorbent article 1. The standing gathers may contain elastics and may include an elastic material, such as an elastic thread, yarn or ribbon material, and may be elastically gathered at least in their center portions, which provide means for a good fit so as to prevent any leakage. The standing gathers may extend in the longitudinal direction y over the entire length of the absorbent article 1. It will be appreciated, however, that, the standing gathers may be shorter.

Furthermore, at least one longitudinal leg elastic element 24 may be arranged in the crotch portion 7 at each longitudinal side that may extend at a side outside each one of the standing gathers along the longitudinal direction y thereof. Each longitudinal side may at least in part be made of the standing gather sheet material. Upon use of the absorbent article 1 , the elastic elements may provide that the longitudinal sides are elastically gathered and serve as leg elastic, which in turn provides an extra leakage barrier and a good fit to the user.

The absorbent article 1 in Figure 1 A is an open-type diaper, however the disclosure may be subject to any type of absorbent article 1 such as a pant-type absorbent article. Each layer of the absorbent article 1 has a skin-facing side and a garment-facing side. The absorbent article 1 may be arranged along a longitudinal axis y extending longitudinally and a transversal axis x extending transversally in a perpendicular direction in relation to the longitudinal axis y. In other words, the absorbent article 1 has a length extension in the longitudinal direction y and a width extension in the transverse direction x. The topsheet 2 is arranged at the surface of the article 1 , i.e. at the side which is facing the user, whereas the backsheet 3 is arranged at the underside of the article 1 i.e. at the side facing away from the user.

Further, as shown in Figure 1 A, the absorbent article 1 defines a front portion 5 having a front edge 14, said front edge extending in the transversal direction, a back portion 6 having a back edge 15 extending in the transversal direction and a crotch portion 7 intermediate said front portion 5 and said back portion 6.

As seen in Figure 1 A the absorbent article 1 may comprise a pair of elastic side panels 20,

21 attached to opposing longitudinal edges of the back portion 5 of the absorbent article 1 . The elastic side panels 20, 21 may have any suitable shape, such as rectangular, square, triangular, or trapezoid. The elastic side panels 20, 21 on each side of the article may be of the same size and shape as each other and include the same materials as each other. Each of the elastic side panels 20, 21 includes at least one fastening means 23, e.g. preferably one fastening means 23 as shown in Figure 1 A. The fastening means 23 are substantially inelastic. The fastening means 23 are adapted to fasten to the front portion 5 of the diaper, so that the article will assume a pant-like shape. The fastening means 23 illustrated in Figure 1A are attached to each distal end of each elastic side panel 20, 21 and are intended to be fastened to the garment-facing side of the front portion 5. The fastening means 23 may include an adhesive tape or a mechanical fastener, especially a hook fastener of a hook-and- loop fastening means. A“hook-and-loop fastener” refers to complementary fastening means 23 having a“hook” portion and a“loop” portion and which are refastenable. The term“hook” as used herein refers to any element capable of engaging another element, the so called “loop” portion. The term“hook” is not limited to only“hooks” in its normal sense, but rather encompasses any form of engaging elements, whether unidirectional or bi-directional. The term“loop” is likewise not limited to“loops” in its normal sense, but also encompasses any structure capable of engaging with a“hook” fastener. Examples of“loop” materials are fibrous structures, like nonwoven materials. Hook-and-loop fasteners are for example available from Velcro, USA. Further examples of mechanical fasteners are button and holes or button loops, snap fasteners and the like. Combinations of adhesive and mechanical fasteners may also be provided.

Further, the elastic side panels 20, 21 may be an extension of the capture layer 8 where the capture layer 8 is one sheet with fastening means 23 on its both distal ends located at the longitudinal edges of the capture layer 8, in other words, the elastic side panels 20, 21 and the capture layer 8 may be one interconnected elastic sheet structure that is extending transversally over the width of the absorbent article 1 and further extending transversally outside said width to form the pair of elastic side panels 20, 21 . The benefit of having the capture layer 8 and the pair of elastic side panels 20, 21 on one sheet could be that the production and assembly costs of the diaper will be lower since the diaper will require less material and processes during manufacturing.

As further disclosed in Figure 1 A, the back portion 6 of the absorbent article 1 may further comprise a transversally extending capture layer 8, wherein said capture layer 8 comprises an outboard transversal edge 9 facing said back edge 15 and two longitudinal edges 10, 1 1 being sealed to any part of said absorbent article 1 , wherein said capture layer 8 further comprises an inboard transversal edge 12 facing said front edge 14, said inboard transversal edge 12 being unsealed for gathering of faeces.

The sealing may be performed by any bonding or sealing technique such as glue, mechanical bonds, thermal bonds or any other suitable sealing method. The unsealed inboard transversal edge 12 of the capture layer is adapted to function as a pocket, wherein the pocket may comprise three sealed side edges, and one unsealed edge.

It should be noted that the inner parts of the capture layer 8 may be at least partially unsealed for the pocket-function to operate i.e. all edges except the inboard transversal edge 12 may be sealed and the other portions of the capture layer 8 form a cavity/pocket for collection of body exudates. The advantage of this construction is that the capture layer 8 is able to gather body exudates from a user flowing towards the back edge 15 of the absorbent article 1 , thereby preventing unwanted leakage.

The capture layer 8 is positioned to at least partially cover the skin-facing side of the topsheet 2, wherein said capture layer 8 comprises a central portion 17, a first edge portion 16 and a second edge portion 18, wherein at least a part of said first edge portion 16 comprises a first patch A1 and at least a part of said second edge portion 18 comprises a second patch A2.

The capture layer 8 may comprise of at least one transversally extending elastic strand positioned intermediate at least one pair of sealed layers of sheet material, this structure may be achieved when the elastic layer is stretched in at least one direction before laminating it together with two or more inelastic layers. After the tension is removed from the elastic layer it can freely retract to its un-tensioned state. The capture layer 8 may consist of a first sheet and a second sheet and at least one elastic strand of an elastomeric construction with adhesive composition adhered between the first facing sheet and the second facing sheet.

Further, the pair of sealed layers of sheet material could be two or more sheets placed upon one another or consist of a folded structure. Furthermore, if the absorbent article 1 is in the form of a pant diaper the capture layer 8 may be a part of the waist section of the absorbent article 1 , in other words, the front region 5 and back region 6 of the pant-diaper being permanently connected prior to use may also form a pocket on the back portion 5 of the absorbent article 1 . The capture layer 8 may be corrugated. The capture layer 8 comprises a garment facing side, and a skin-facing side. The material of the capture layer 8 may be a nonwoven material, a film, a laminate, an elastic film, an elastic laminate or a combination thereof. An example of a material combination for the structure of the capture layer 8 is that the garment facing side of the capture layer 8 consists of a film and the skin-facing side of the capture layer 8 consists of a nonwoven material. The benefit of such a material formation is that the film may be more liquid-impermeable and hence help the body exudates to stay within the pocket. Further, the benefit of having a nonwoven layer on the skin-facing side of the capture layer 8 is more comfortable against the skin of the user of the absorbent article 1 .

The inboard transversal edge 12 of the capture layer 8 may have different forms, such as a transversal line as shown in Figure 1 A or it may have a V-shape or a U-shape or a zigzag- shape or any other shape that may be suitable for the inboard longitudinal 12 edge of the capture layer 8.

As shown in Figure 1 B, the first patch A1 and the second patch A2 may comprise a first thickness t1 , wherein surrounding parts of the capture layer may comprise a second thickness t2, wherein said first thickness is greater than said second thickness t2. The thickness may be measured under a pressure of 0.5 kPa, using a thickness gauge foot with dimensions 10-50 x 10-50 mm. The thickness may be measured on several spots to obtain a representative mean. Any suitable method for measuring thickness may result in that the first and second patch comprise a thickness t1 greater than the thickness t2 of the surrounding parts of the capture layer 8. For instance, a measurement of the thickness without the use of pressure will thus also result in that the first patch A1 and the second patch A2 comprise a greater thickness t1 than the surrounding parts of the capture layer 8, as shown in Figure 1 B. The term“surrounding parts of the capture layer” refers to all the areas of the capture layer 8 that are not encompassed by the first patch A1 and the second patch A2.

As further disclosed in Figure 1 B and Figure 2, the first patch A1 and the second patch A2 may have the same thickness t1 or substantially the same thickness. The term“substantially” means that the first patch and the second patch may have a thickness that differs with +-5% between one another. The first patch A1 and the second patch A2 fulfil the function of elevating at least a part the first edge portion 16 and the second edge portion 18 of the capture layer 8 as shown in Figure 1 B and Figure 2. In other words, the first patch A1 and the second patch A2 are formed as two cushions on the first edge portion 16 and the second edge portion 18 of the capture layer 8.

The benefit of having a capture layer 8 with a first patch A1 and a second patch A2 located on the respective edge portions of said first patch A1 and second patch A2, wherein said first patch A1 and second patch A2 comprises a greater thickness t1 compared to the thickness t2 of surrounding parts of the capture layer 8 is that since the gluteal cleft is centrally located on the body, the generally lower thickness t1 of the surrounding parts of the capture layer results in the pocket formed under the capture layer 8 having more volume to more efficiently gather body exudates.

Furthermore, when a user wears the absorbent article 1 and subsequently puts pressure on the body facing side of the absorbent article 1 by means of sitting, lying down or any other way, parts of the capture layer 8 that are located between the first patch A1 and the second patch A2 i.e. the parts located on the center portion 17 of the capture layer, may be exposed to a lower pressure N/m ² compared to the pressure exerted on the first patch A1 and the second patch A2, in other words, the force per m ² from the body of the user will be lower in the central area of the surrounding parts of the capture layer 8 compared to the force per m ² on the first patch A1 and the second patch A2, respectively.

This may result in that the first patch A1 and the second patch A2 of the absorbent article 1 will have a pressure receiving function, as a consequence, the body exudates will more efficiently flow in to the pocket beneath the capture layer 8. In other words, the first patch A1 and the second patch A2 are adapted to function as two pressure-relieving areas. Since the parts of the absorbent article 1 that is situated in-between the first patch A1 and the second patch A2 is exposed to a lower pressure and situated centrally, the body exudates will tend to flow within said area i.e. into the pocket or beneath the central portion of the capture layer

8. Furthermore, generally when a user uses an absorbent article 1 and for instance is sitting down, the least amount of pressure on the absorbent article 1 from the user stems from the gluteal clef of the user, hence when a user exudates fecal material, it tends to flow within the gluteal cleft of the user. Based on this, having the first patch A1 and the second patch A2 transversally outside said gluteal cleft, will create a distance below the garment-facing side of the capture layer 8 and further help fecal material to more efficiently enter the pocket even during a high flow of fecal material.

As shown in Figure 1 A, the first patch A1 and the second patch A2 may at least partially overlap the absorbent core 4. Figure 1 A discloses that the absorbent core 4 comprises a back transversal edge 22 and that the first patch A1 and the second patch A2 overlap said back transversal edge 22 of the absorbent core 4 located on the back portion of the absorbent article 1. The first patch A1 and the second patch A2 may further also overlap the longitudinal edge of the absorbent core 4. A benefit of this configuration may be that the pressure relieving function of the first patch A1 and the second patch A2 may not be hampered during expansion of the absorbent core 4 if they at least partially overlap said absorbent core 4.

The first patch A1 and the second patch A2 may extend from the inboard transversal edge 12 of the capture layer 8 to at least the back transversal edge 22 of the absorbent core 4 respectively. In other words, the first patch A1 and the second patch A2 may extend between two edges in the longitudinal direction, wherein said two edges belong to different components of the absorbent article 1 i.e. the back transversal edge 22 of the absorbent core 4 and the inboard transversal edge of the capture layer 4, this is shown in Figure 1A.

The first patch A1 and the second patch A2 may have a higher density in relation to surrounding parts of the capture layer 8, in other words, each patch respectively may comprise a higher density in relation to the surrounding parts of the capture layer 8. The first patch A1 and the second patch A2 may have a higher basis weight in relation to the surrounding parts of the capture layer 8, in other words, each patch respectively may comprise a higher basis weight in relation to the surrounding parts of the capture layer 8.

Further the first patch A1 and the second patch A2 may have higher basis weight and a higher density in relation to the surrounding parts of the capture layer 8.

The first patch A1 and the second patch A2 may have the same shape or the first patch A1 and the second patch A2 may have different shapes. The first patch A1 and the second patch A2 may have an irregular or regular shape or an indefinite shape. The first patch A1 and the second patch A2 may respectively be formed as a cylinder, cube, sphere or any other polygonal shape such as a hexagon or pentagon. The first patch A1 and the second patch A2 may have a cylinder form, wherein the cylinder extends longitudinally, having its respective base facing the transversal edges of the absorbent article 1. The first patch A1 and the second patch A2 may have the shape of a longitudinally extending cone, wherein the base of the cone may be facing towards the front portion 5 of the absorbent article 1 , wherein the tip of the cone may be facing towards the back portion 6 of the absorbent article 1.

The capture layer 8 may comprise at least two laminated layers of material as disclosed in Figure 3 and Figure 4. The first patch A1 and the second patch A2 may be attached to a sheet by means of a first layer of sheet, such that a nonwoven or film is fed over a forming drum, with cavities, wherein the cavities are filled with the first patch A1 and the second patch A2, wherein a second sheet is sealed to said first sheet to enclose the first patch A1 and the second patch A2. The forming drum is preferably a vacuum drum comprising at least one frame of cylindrical shape having semi-circular shaped cavities on its envelope surface. The first sheet is fed over the cavities on the vacuum drum and further mass i.e. the patches are dispatched on the sheet over the cavities, the second sheet is further laminated on said first sheet comprising the mass, forming an enclosed laminated sheet with patches in- between. As shown in Figure 4, the capture layer 8 may comprise three laminated layers of material; a top layer 25, an intermediate layer 26 and a bottom layer 27, wherein said first patch A1 and said second patch A2 are coherent with said intermediate layer 26. The term“coherent” indicates that the first patch and the second patch may be a part of the intermediate sheet. The intermediate sheet may be pre-manufactured. Figure 4 is an illustrative view of how the capture layer 8 may be prepared on a production line, disclosing three layers of material, wherein the patches are coherent with the intermediate layer 26. Figure 4 is an illustrative view of the preparation of multiple capture layers 8 on a production line and shows multiple capture layers 8 before they are cut in to separate pieces of capture layers 8.

The capture layer 8 may comprise corrugations as shown in Figure 2, said capture layer 8 being at least partly corrugated in the transversal direction, wherein said corrugations comprises valleys and peaks having an amplitude, wherein said first patch A1 and said second patch A2 are defined by the corrugations comprising the greatest amplitude d2 in relation to the surrounding parts of said capture layer 8. Corrugations being corrugated in the transversal direction means that the fold of the corrugations extend transversally.

The corrugated capture layer 8 may be manufactured by incorporating elasticity in the capture layer 8 and varying said elasticity. The capture layer 8 may have elasticity by comprising at least one transversally extending elastic strand positioned intermediate at least one pair of sealed layers of sheet material. This structure may be achieved when the elastic layer is stretched in at least one direction before laminating it together with two or more inelastic layers. After the tension is removed from the elastic layer it can freely retract to its un-tensioned state, resulting in a layer having an amplitude. The amplitude can be directed to be higher in the edge portions of the capture layer by having a higher elasticity in said areas. As shown in Fig.2 there are two corrugations d2 with the same amplitude, these corrugations having the greatest amplitude, hence these are defined as the first patch A1 and the second patch A2. The invention may be an array of disposable pant-type absorbent articles 1 comprising two or more sizes. Absorbent articles 1 in the array may be manufactured and/or distributed by a single manufacturer, under a common brand name and/or under a common tradename or trademark. In certain embodiments, the array comprises absorbent articles 1 of different sizes. Additionally, or alternatively, the array may comprise absorbent articles 1 suited for different user and/or purchaser segments.

There is also provided a method for manufacturing an absorbent article 1 comprising a liquid- permeable topsheet 2, a liquid impermeable backsheet 3 and an absorbent core 4 positioned intermediate the liquid permeable topsheet 2 and the liquid impermeable backsheet 3, each layer having a skin-facing side and a garment-facing side, said absorbent article 1 being arranged along a longitudinal axis y and a transversal axis x extending in a perpendicular direction in relation to the longitudinal axis y, and said absorbent article 1 defining a front portion 5 having a front edge 14, a back portion 6 having a back edge 15 and a crotch portion 7 intermediate said front portion 5 and said back portion 6, said method comprising; forming and attaching a transversally extending capture layer 8 on said back portion 6 of said absorbent article 1 , wherein said capture layer 8 comprises an outboard transversal edge 9 facing said back edge 15 and two longitudinal edges 10, 1 1 being sealed to any part of said absorbent article 1 , wherein said capture layer 8 further comprises an inboard transversal edge 12 facing said front edge, said inboard transversal edge 12 being unsealed for gathering of faeces, wherein said capture layer 8 is positioned to at least partially cover the skin-facing side of the topsheet 2, wherein said capture layer 8 comprises a central portion 17, a first edge portion 16 and a second edge portion 18, wherein at least a part of said first edge portion 16 comprises a first patch A1 and at least a part of said second edge portion 18 comprises a second patch A2. The disclosure may be varied within the scope of the appended claims. For example, the absorbent article 1 may further include leg elastics, prints, apertures, embossments, waist elastics etc as known to the skilled man in the art depending of the type of absorbent article intended.