Appeal No. 1997-3103
Application 08/449,647
canceled. Thus, the claims before us are claims 3, 5, 7, 9,
11-14 and 18.
THE INVENTION
Appellant claims an absorbent structure which includes a
fibrous capillary substrate having at least one aperture
therein containing an osmotic absorbent hydrogel polymer
which, upon imbibing liquids, is capable of expanding in a
direction orthogonal to the substrate without constraint from
the substrate. Claim 3 is illustrative:
3. An absorbent structure comprising:
a macroscopically monoplanar fibrous capillary substrate
defining an X-Y plane and a Z-direction orthogonal thereto,
said fibrous capillary substrate having at least one aperture;
and
a freestanding site of osmotic absorbent hydrogel polymer
joined to said substrate disposed in said aperture and
extending in said X-Y direction, whereupon said at least one
said site of freestanding osmotic absorbent hydrogel polymer
is capable of expanding in the Z-direction without constraint
from said substrate upon imbibing liquids.
THE REFERENCES
Raley 4,761,322 Aug. 2,
1988
Pigneul et al. (Pigneul) 5,118,376 Jun. 2,
1992
-2-2
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Next
Last modified: November 3, 2007