Apparatus and method for the zoned placement of superabsorbent material

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION For the purposes of the present description, the invention will be described in the context of producing an absorbent structure for a disposable diaper.
It should be readily appreciated, however, that the present invention can be configured and employed to produce absorbent structures which can be incorporated into various types of other absorbent articles, such as feminine care products, incontinence garments, child care products, absorbent pads and the like.
With reference to FIGS.
1 and 2, the present invention can provide an apparatus, shown generally at 20, for forming a composite web 22 having a selected plurality of discrete pocket regions which are distributed on a carrier layer 26 and contain a selected quantity of high-absorbency material 28.
The representatively shown apparatus includes a pattern chamber 30, and a particulate supplying means 38 for providing particles of high-absorbency material 28 into pattern chamber 30.
A web supplying means 40 provides a gas permeable carrier layer 26, and a foraminous forming means 42 moves the carrier layer 26 through pattern chamber 30.
The forming means includes a pattern of openings 44 which are formed therethrough and are arranged to provide for a selected pattern of the discrete pocket regions 24 (FIG.
8).
A vacuum supplying means 46 provides a selected level of relatively low gas pressure within a primary vacuum chamber 76 located on an underside region of the forming means 42 to produce a selected gas flow through the carrier layer 26 and the foraminous forming means.
The resultant gas flow operably directs the high-absorbency material to form the pattern of substantially discrete, and substantially spaced-apart pocket regions.
A covering means, such as a mechanism comprising assembly roller 98, provides a layer of liquid-permeable covering material, such as a fibrous web 72, to sandwich said pocket regions of high-absorbency material between said carrier layer and the covering layer.
With reference to FIG