AUTOMATIC ABSORBENT ARTICLE CHANGE FEATURES

• Main Authors: OLSON, Christopher Peter, LONG, Andrew Mark, SULLIVAN, Shawn J
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 15.09.2021
• Subjects: BANDAGES, DRESSINGS OR ABSORBENT PADS; CONVEYING; DEVICES PROVIDING PATENCY TO, OR PREVENTING COLLAPSING OF,TUBULAR STRUCTURES OF THE BODY, E.G. STENTS; FILTERS IMPLANTABLE INTO BLOOD VESSELS; FIRST-AID KITS; FOMENTATION; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS,CABLES; HUMAN NECESSITIES; HYGIENE; MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; ORTHOPAEDIC, NURSING OR CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICES; PACKING; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS; PROSTHESES; SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS; STORING; TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING ORTIPPING; TRANSPORTING; TREATMENT OR PROTECTION OF EYES OR EARS

A system for removing and donning a disposable absorbent article by using a separate robotic device includes an absorbent assembly having an inner layer that partly defines a body-facing surface, an outer layer that defines a garment-facing surface, and an absorbent body disposed between the inner and outer layers. The absorbent assembly also includes a pair of ears extending transversely outward from the opposite sides of the absorbent assembly in the back waist region, each of the ears including a body-facing surface with a primary first fastening-component that is selectively engageable with a primary second fastening-component in the front waist region of the absorbent assembly in a wear configuration of the article, and a garment-facing surface opposite the body-facing surface. The absorbent article also includes a manipulation-enablement feature configured to assist the post-retail manipulation of the absorbent article by the robotic device.