FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention pertains to disposable absorbent articles, particularly, disposable absorbent articles having variable length absorbent cores.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Disposable absorbent articles are widely used to absorb bodily fluid insults. In general, disposable absorbent articles comprise a plurality of layers providing specific functions in absorbing and retaining fluid insults. Each of the plurality of layers are often provided as rolled webs of material which are unrolled and assembled during processing.

There are a number of complexities which may arise during the processing of disposable absorbent articles. For example, the rolled webs of material may have variable widths in a cross machine direction. Additionally, during processing, the webs of material may mis-track (shift) in a cross machine direction. Moreover, the rolled webs of material can shift in a machine direction depending on the tension applied during processing; the web material mechanical behavior and/or the web caliper/thickness changes.

The variable width of a material web can be an important factor where the edges of the web are expected to form an internal or external edge of the resultant absorbent article. Due to the variability of width of the material webs utilized, the utilization of the edges of the web to create edges of the components of the product is generally discouraged. As an example, the utilization of the edges of material webs for topsheets and backsheets can create negative consumer sentiment due to the non-uniform sizes of articles within a single package. Similarly, the edges of the material webs for those components disposed between the topsheet and backsheet may be utilized, e.g. absorbent core, secondary topsheets. However, the variability of the width of these material webs can be equally as visually unappealing to a user as the non-uniform sizes of the article mentioned previously. Such non-uniformity may provide an indication of low quality to the consumer and ultimately erode brand equity.

To avoid this issue, the final shapes of, for example, a topsheet and a backsheet, are cut out of their respective material webs such that the web edges do not form a part of the resultant article. Similarly, components sandwiched between the topsheet and backsheet may similarly be cut such that their respective material webs' edges are not utilized for any internal edges of the absorbent article. Unfortunately, while this practice creates uniformly shaped components for absorbent articles, such processing can lead to a large amount of scrap material which in turn means a loss of revenue.

Based on the foregoing, what is needed is a process for creating absorbent articles which minimizes the creation of scrap material. And, what is also needed are articles that incorporate components which utilize material web edges in their finished state.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The absorbent articles of the present invention, can reduce the amount of waste produced from creating discrete absorbent cores from an absorbent core web. In some particular forms, an array of absorbent articles may comprise: a first plurality of absorbent articles and a second plurality of absorbent articles, each of the first plurality of absorbent articles and the second plurality of absorbent articles comprising a topsheet; a backsheet; and an absorbent core disposed between the topsheet and the backsheet, wherein, each absorbent core has a first longitudinal side edge and a second longitudinal side edge, a first end edge connecting the first longitudinal side edge and the second longitudinal side edge on one end of the absorbent core, a second end edge connecting the first longitudinal side edge and the second longitudinal side edge on an opposing second end of the absorbent core, wherein each of the first end edge and the second end edge comprise a first patterned portion, a second patterned portion, and a connecting portion, wherein each of the first patterned portion and second pattern portion comprise a plurality of inflection points as determined via the k-curvature analysis test method, wherein a first portion of absorbent cores is associated with the first plurality of absorbent articles and wherein each of the absorbent cores of the first portion has a first length and a second portion of absorbent cores is associated with the second plurality of absorbent articles and wherein each of the absorbent cores of the second portion has a second length, and wherein the first length and second length are different.

