(19)
(11) EP 0 212 284 A3

(12) EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION

(88) Date of publication A3:
15.11.1989 Bulletin 1989/46

(43) Date of publication A2:
04.03.1987 Bulletin 1987/10

(21) Application number: 86109998.4

(22) Date of filing: 21.07.1986
(51) International Patent Classification (IPC)4: D04H 1/56, D04H 13/00
(84) Designated Contracting States:
DE FR GB IT SE

(30) Priority: 30.07.1985 US 760445
30.07.1985 US 760449

(71) Applicant: KIMBERLY-CLARK CORPORATION
Neenah, Wisconsin 54956-0349 (US)

(72) Inventor:
  • Morman, Michael Tod
    Alpharetta Georgia (US)

(74) Representative: Grünecker, Kinkeldey, Stockmair & Schwanhäusser Anwaltssozietät 
Maximilianstrasse 58
80538 München
80538 München (DE)


(56) References cited: : 
   
       


    (54) Gathered nonwoven elastic web


    (57) A process for producing a gathered nonwoven elastic web including a nonwoven elastic web joined to a fibrous nonwoven gathered web is disclosed. The process includes the steps of (a) providing a nonwoven elastic web (22) having a relaxed unbiased length and a stretched, biased length; (b) stretching (34) the nonwoven elastic to its stretched, biased length; (c) forming a fibrous nonwoven gatherable web (50) directly upon a surface of the nonwoven elastic web while maintaining the nonwoven elastic web at its stretched, biased length; (d) forming a composite nonwoven elastic web (52) by joining the fibrous nonwoven elastic web to the nonwoven elastic web while continuing to maintain the nonwoven elastic web at its stretched length; and (e) relaxing the nonwoven elastic web to its relaxed length to gather the fibrous nonwoven gatherable web. In some embodiments, joining of the fibrous nonwoven gatherable web to the nonwoven elastic web may be separable so that the gathered nonwoven web may be separated from the elastic nonwoven web after the gathering step.







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