Hydro-dissociative agglomerate tampon

Claim 2

A catamenial device comprising an absorbent body, said body being an agglomerate of discrete pieces of three-dimensional cellular absorptive material, a flexible, fluid-permeable overwrap encasing said body, and means of egress in said overwrap for said pieces, said means being discrete and localized in the overwrap, said means being substantially closed to the passage of the pieces before and during use and said means being water frangible upon disposal in a water bath, whereby said pieces remain encased before and during use and, upon disposal of the device in a water closet, an opening forms in the overwrap and the pieces disgorge through the opening and separate from the overwrap.

Claim 3

The device of claim 1 wherein said means comprises a closure of the overwrap.

Claim 4

The device of claim 2 wherein said closure is maintained by a water frangible adhesive operatively associated with the closure, said adhesive having an inverse temperture-water solubility property and a threshold temperature between about 95F. and 70F.

Claim 5

The device for claim 2 wherein said overwrap is essentially tubular and said closure comprises a longitudinal seam in the overwrap.

Claim 6

The device of claim 2 wherein said overwrap is tubular and the closure comprises a gathering of a terminal longitudinal end of said overwrap.

Claim 7

The device of claim 5 wherein said overwrap is tubular and said closure also comprises a longitudinal seam extending to the gathered longitudinal end, the seam being secured by a water frangible adhesive, whereby when the device is placed in a water bath, said overwrap opens both along the saem and at the gathered longitudinal end to disgorge the pieces of absorptive material.

Claim 8

A catamenial device comprising an absorbent body, said body being an agglomerate of pieces of three-dimensional cellular absorptive material, a flexible, fluid-permeable overwrap encasing said body, and means of egress in said overwrap for said pieces, said means being a reentrant portion of the overwrap, said reentrant portion being an end portion of the overwrap turned inwardly around the end of and through the agglomerate of pieces, said agglomerate in the region of the reentrant portion being between the outer portion of the overwrap and the reentrant portion, said reentrant portion extending at least to about the midpoint of the device, whereby before and during use of said device said pieces remain encased by said overwrap an upon deposition of said device in a water bath said reentrant portion opens outwardly and said pieces can exit and be separated from the overwrap.

Claim 9

A catamenial device comprising an absorbent body, said body being an agglomerate of pieces of three-dimensional cellular absorptive material, a flexible, fluid-permeable overwrap encasing said body, and means of egress in said overwrap for said pieces, said means being a reentrant portion of the overwrap, said reentrant portion being an end portion of the overwrap turned inwardly around the end of and through the agglomerate of pieces, said agglomerate in the region of the reentrant portion being between the outer portion of the overwrap and the reentrant portion, said reentrant portion extending at least to about the midpoint of the device, whereby before and during use of said device said pieces remain encased by said overwrap an upon deposition of said device in a water bath said reentrant portion opens outwardly and said pieces can exit and be separated from the overwrap.

Claim 10

The device of claim 7 wherein said means comprises a reentrant portion at both longitudinal ends of the device.

Claim 11

The device of claim 7 wherein the terminal end of said reentrant portion is gathered into a closure and said closure is maintained with a water-frangible adhesive.

Claim 12

The device of claim 7 wherein the terminal end of the reentrant portion is adjacent the opposite terminal end of the overwrap.

Claim 13

The device of claim 7 wherein the terminal end of the reentrant portion is adjacent to and attAched to the opposite terminal end of the overwrap with a water-frangible adhesive.

Claim 14

The device of claim 7 wherein said overwrap is tubular and said means also comprises a longitudinal seam extending to the terminal end of the reentrant portion, said seam including a water-frangible adhesive betwen the adjacent edges of the overwrap forming the seam, whereby upon exposure to an excess of water, both the seam and the reentrant portion open to disgorge the pieces of absorptive material.

Claim 15

The device of claim 12 wherein said adhesive has an inverse temperature-water solubility property and a threshold temperature between about 95F. and 70F.