Absorbent Article Chassis With Adjustable Securement Panels
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current absorbent articles for incontinence often fail to provide a comfortable and secure fit, leading to issues like Incontinence Associated Dermatitis (IAD), skin irritation, and inefficient manufacturing processes due to the need for multiple sizes and complex design features.
Innovation Solution
The development of absorbent articles with a chassis having a common width and adjustable lengths, featuring securement portions with varying widths and elastic panels, which accommodate different body sizes without requiring extensive machine changes, reducing manufacturing costs and environmental impact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple sizes are created to accommodate different body proportions, then fit and comfort are improved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The absorbent article is designed with a universal chassis width that can accommodate multiple body proportions through adjustable length configurations. The side panels are engineered to be foldable and reconfigurable, allowing a single article design to serve multiple size categories (small, medium, large) by adjusting panel positions and folds, thereby eliminating the need for completely separate size-specific components.
Solution Approach 2:
The side panels incorporate dynamic folding mechanisms that allow caregivers to reconfigure the article fit in real-time. The panels can be folded along predetermined lines to create different dimensional configurations, transforming a static single-size design into a dynamically adjustable multi-size solution that adapts to various body proportions.
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple sizes with different components are manufactured, then fit accuracy is improved, but manufacturing downtime increases
Solution Approach 1:
A single universal chassis design with standardized components serves multiple size requirements. The side panels are designed with universal attachment points and fold lines that work across all size configurations, allowing the manufacturing machine to produce one standardized base product that can be field-adjusted to multiple sizes, eliminating repeated machine changeovers for different size components.
Solution Approach 2:
The article is segmented into modular components where the chassis remains constant and only the side panel configurations vary. This segmentation allows the main chassis to be manufactured once per production run while the side panels can be adjusted post-manufacturing to create different size specifications, separating the manufacturing process from the size customization process.
3Adaptability or versatility
If stretch material is added to accommodate larger waists, then adaptability is improved, but skin irritation risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using stretch material that continuously exerts force on the skin, the side panels use dynamic folding mechanisms that provide accommodation through geometric adjustment rather than elastic tension. The panels can be folded to increase waist circumference accommodation without requiring stretchy materials that contact and irritate the skin, separating the adaptation function from skin contact.
Solution Approach 2:
The stretch function is extracted from the skin-contacting portions of the article. The elastic or stretchy material is removed from the waistband and leg opening areas that directly contact skin, replacing it with foldable panel structures that provide size adjustment through geometry rather than material elasticity, thereby eliminating the source of skin irritation while maintaining adaptability.
4Ease of manufacture
If front panels are shortened to offset stretch material cost, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but caregiver application difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The front panel is segmented into functional zones with extended length in specific areas to provide larger attachment surfaces for the side panels. This segmentation allows the panel to maintain sufficient area for easy caregiver application while using cost-effective materials in non-stretch configurations, balancing manufacturing cost with ease of operation through strategic length distribution.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides improved fit and comfort by accommodating a range of body types with fewer sizes, reduces manufacturing downtime, and minimizes skin irritation through a more efficient and flexible design.
Implementation Method 1
securement portions with varying widths and elastic panels
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A
Figure 2B
AI summary
An absorbent article includes a chassis having a substantially rectangular shape a first portion, a second portion and a crotch portion extending between the first and second portion, a portion of the chassis being configured to absorb fluids. The absorbent article includes a first securement portion operatively coupled to the first portion of the chassis. The absorbent article includes a second securement portion operatively coupled to the second portion of the chassis and configured to releasably attach to the first securement portion. The chassis is configured to include one of a first chassis length or a second chassis length. When the chassis includes the first length, the chassis includes a first width and the first securement portion includes a second width, and when the chassis includes the second length, the chassis includes the first width and the first securement portion includes a third width, greater than the second width.